Auto mortar

Auto mortar

A self-powered, self-loading, automatic mortar. It can hit targets at any distance, over walls, but is quite inaccurate.

Base Stats

Type

Building – Mechanoid cluster

Beauty

-20

HP

260

Flammability

0%

Path Cost

50

Building

Size

2 × 2

Placeable

False

Passability

pass through only

Cover Effectiveness

40%

Ranged Combat

Damage

50 dmg (Bomb)

Armor penetration

10%

Warm-Up

4 ticks (0.07 secs)

Range

500 tile(s)

Minimum Range

29.9 tiles

Velocity

41 (m/s)

Burst Count

1 (per burst)

Miss Radius

10 tile(s)

Stopping power

0.5

Destroy yield

1 + 60 + 10 + 1

An auto mortar is a hostile building that appears in mech clusters and autonomously launches explosives similar to a manned mortar.

Occurrence

Auto mortars only spawn in mech clusters. Like the condition causers, it counts as a cluster's problem causer, of which each can cluster can only have one. It generates four times more often than the other problem causers, but only costs the cluster 220 combat points rather than 750, so the cluster will have more other threats.

They cannot be claimed by the player, and must be destroyed for the cluster to be considered defeated.

Summary

The auto mortar fires shells equivalent to high explosive shells, which explode as normal to deal 50 Bomb damage in a 2.9-tile radius but do not require restocking or reloading. Like normal mortars, it has a forced miss radius of 10 tiles, and if you roof over it, it can't fire. Note that unlike normal mortars, its forced miss radius does not increase to 13 if the Classic mortars storyteller option is enabled. Valid targets appear to be colonists, buildings and, unlike siege mortars, player owned animals.

If it is damaged beyond 20% HP (52 HP) it may explode but it is not a certainty. The mortar will spark and emit a hissing sound shortly before exploding 240 ticks (4 secs) later. The explosion deals 50 Bomb damage in a 4.9 tile radius centered around the mortar's bottom left cell.

They are a source of the reinforced barrels needed to construct mortars. Reinforced barrels will not spawn if the Classic mortars storyteller option is enabled.

Like all mech cluster buildings, they not only have a Flammability of 0%, but also take no damage from attacks with the Flame damage type. This is in contrast to, for example, a stone wall which will not be ignited by molotov cocktails but will take the 10 flame damage from the initial attack.

Auto mortars must be destroyed for the mech cluster to be defeated.

Analysis

Auto mortars are like a siege which lasts until the building is completely destroyed. Even a few rounds can blow up your supplies, production facilities, and walls, making it an extremely high priority threat. Like other condition causers, it can start immediately active or remain dormant for a few days. Waking up a mech cluster will not cause the auto mortar to immediately start firing.

If the mech cluster doesn't have a proximity activator, then you may be able to roof over the auto mortar. You can use the cluster's own walls, or place a wall or column 6 tiles away from any mech or mech building - this is far enough to not trigger the cluster. The action of placing roof will not aggravate the mechs, either. Unless the wall is destroyed, you'll be safe from the auto mortar.

Version history

• ? - Added.^[Release?]
• 1.2.2753 - Fix: Auto mortars are always active.

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Mechanoids

Mechanoids | Core

Centipede (Blaster, Burner, Gunner) • Lancer • Pikeman • Scyther • Termite

Combat

Centurion • Legionary • Militor • Scorcher • Tesseron

Command

Apocriton • Diabolus • War queen (War urchin )

Labor

Agrihand • Cleansweeper • Constructoid • Fabricor • Lifter • Paramedic • Tunneler

Cluster | Buildings

Condition causer • Count-down activator • Mech assembler • Mech capsule • Mech drop beacon • Mech high-shield • Mech low-shield • Mech node • Proximity activator • Unstable power cell

Turrets

Auto charge turret • Auto inferno turret • Auto mortar • Mini-slugger turret

Creation | Pawn

Mechanitor

Buildings

Mech gestator • Large mech gestator • Mechband antenna • Mechband dish