/k., /tg/ here. I'm in need of your wisdom for how to implement

>>34229708
The main problem I see is that that "smart matter" seems pretty expensive to either purchase or manufacture

regular old bullets are dirt fucking cheap and you can make them in your garage with the right press. What would the advanatge be to replacing bullets with smart matter bullets?

>>34229708
less bullets need to shipped to the combat zones so there are more room for other stuff. soldiers don't need to all have the same weapon if they aren't sharing ammo.

Make a railgun that fires tiny grains of sand.
The magazine contains thousands and thousands of rounds of sand ammo.
The smart matter repairs the rails when they shit themselves and/or recharges the capacitors.

Using smart matter to produce cartridges is retarded due to the conservation of mass. You have to carry around with you mass equivalent to cartridges, so you might as well just carry actual cartridges.

Any versatility you gain from being able to make ap/hp ammo on the spot is negligible, just carry an extra magazine or two.

>>34229782
The smart matter itself isn't shot from the gun, the smart matter makes the cartridges out of a block of building material.

Have the smart stuff in the magwell.
The magazines are solid blocks of matter that get turn into cartridges and consumed.

>>34229812
Just carry more ammo, it'll take less space and time than this smart matter and building block foolery.

>>34229812
Oh I see, the "smart matter" acts like a 3D printer that can manufacture complex things using different materials

Problem with that is that unless you have a way of violating the conservation of mass, there would be no difference from carrying a couple mags and a bag of smart matter and a building goo reservoir, than just carrying a ton of spare magazines

this seems like it would be better served behind the lines. Instead of having to worry abouy logistics for many different rounds and magazines, you just ship building goo to your quartermasters, who then use smart matter to outfit soldiers as needed. No need for each individual soldier to carry around smart matter and bullet components.

>>34229854
Or save on weight and just use disposable mags?

>>34229961
What disposable mags?
If you need the smart matter in the magwell, just have it eat the entire magazine and turn it into rounds, there won't be any magazines to dispose of.

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>>34229924

Fair points, I suppose when I came up with the above situation I was thinking along the lines of being away your supply for extended periods of time.

I suppose it would be impossible to calculate how much mass of smart matter would be equivalent to the amount of bullets one typically carries but I suppose it can't hurt to ask how much ammo would soldiers on extended deployments typically carry?

>>34229961
>>34229978
That would only work if the smart matter can print the bullets as fast as you can fire them

>>34230012
I mean don't get me wrong, the idea of each soldier having a replicator able to produce bullets or medkits or drones is neat, it just doesn't seems like something you'd want to drag into combat unless you have some way to keep it compact and not waste valuable space.

Maybe one or two dudes in the platoon are the designated replicator engineers.

>>34229978
The smart matter will take up more volume and mass than a regular magwell, poly or Al mags weigh nothing in contrast.
What happens if the smart matter malfuntions? If my mag has issues I use a different one.
If you want to use blocks of matter as your ammo source go the mass effect route. Tiny shavings of metal are cut and propelled at speeds around .02c. Simpler and easier to sell.
If you're in love with this smart matter idea have vats or whatever pump out ridiculously complicated weapons that would be impossible to machine, or have it capable of arranging molecules so you get easy glasseine metals. Putting it inside of guns is an obvious lack of creativity for this universe that will kill immersion by raising questions.

>>34230012
A typical amount is 300rounds, each round is 12 grams. You'll need 3.6kg of equivalent matter, plus the chamber or whatever for conversion.

>>34230097
I'm not in love with smart matter, you seem to be mistaking me with OP. I don't how the fuck his smart matter works or how large/faster/whatever it is.

The magwell thing is just a solution I'm offering to what OP is asking.

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>>34230097

Oh no, I'm not married to the idea that I have to force it to work. My goal is consistancy more or less not to mention what you say makes sense if your ability to turn your smart matter into bullets is damaged you'd be shit out of luck until you either fixed, used someone else's or picked up your enemies' gun and used it as no doubt a special forces type would.

I suppose it makes more sense as a means of making logistics of moving and repairing things far easier then something that has direct applications in the heat of battle although I do like the idea of it being an on the spot repair option.

>>34230130
Your magazine eating idea makes me picture some roger rabbit shit where the magwell is this mouth that chews and swallows your mag then spits out the bullets.

>>34230234
good we're on the same page now

I would've also accepted:
eating a matermelon and spitting out the seeds like a machinegun

>>34230212
It could be a putty you put on broken stuff, tap some buttons on your wrist computer and it instantly repairs whatever is broken. It should only work for things you have downloaded plans and specs for. This gives the players the ability to find new things to scan, like"ooh here's this ancient alien blaster but it's all busted up, gotta find some schematis to get this going, or send it back to the lab and wait a few weeks"