GTW Prometheus
The GTW-5 Prometheus was a primary weapon which was developed and used by the GTA during the Great War. Its combination of heavy hull damage and wide compatibility made it the weapon of choice of GTA pilots during the latter parts of the Great War.
The Prometheus's power-generation module required, among other essential components, argon, which was obtained in large quantities from Earth and, by extension, Sol. Thus, when the Delta Serpentis-Sol jump node collapsed from the destruction of the SD Lucifer, the newly-formed GTVA was unable to obtain sufficient quantities of argon to continue the manufacture of the Prometheus and was forced to remove it from service. As an initial workaround, the original Prometheus design was modified to incorporate certain elements of the GTW Banshee, although the end result, the GTW Prometheus R, lacked several properties of the original weapon. A more permanent solution was found after the Alliance began deploying gas miners, which enabled the development and subsequent widespread distribution of the GTW Prometheus S, which is described as a minor variant of the original Prometheus and has similar performance statistics.
Tech Room Data
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| The GTW-5 Prometheus |
Named after the Titan who gave fire to humanity, the Prometheus is a laser-based weapon - an advanced radar and X-ray tracking system lock on the target and determine the target's material structure - argon laser focused via transparent ceramic optics - the laser is generated at the destructive frequency (full out-of-phase) for the target's material structure - emitted no more than .02 ms after targeting and activation by the pilot, the Prometheus stands as one of the GTA's most effective deterrents to enemy attack, an effective form of defense for GTA pilots, and as a durable, portable, and highly destructive offensive tool.
The Prometheus works best against target hulls. Against shields, it only achieves mediocre performance. Its slow speed and high energy consumption work against it as well. However, the primary advantage of the Prometheus is that it can be equipped on almost any fighter in the GTA.
Name Origin
Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to the mortals. Prometheus's name is honored in modern culture numerous times. Most notably, and asteroid is named 1809 Prometheus and the 61st element is called Prometheum.
Performance
| Name | Prometheus | |
| Range | 900 m | |
| Rate of fire | 3.333... s-1 | |
| Velocity | 450 ms-1 | |
| Damage | 20 | |
| Armor damage | 26 | |
| Shield damage | 14 | |
| Subsystem damage | 7 |
Additional properties
- Weapon is a primary cannon (Primary weapon)
Veteran Comments
It should be noted that there are considerable differences between the original Prometheus (known in some circles as the Prometheus O) and the FreeSpace 2 GTW Prometheus S. There is debate as to which "is better", but they are definitely not the same weapon.
Never liked it myself, it's been a while since I played the original but it was either the rate of fire or its power drain to damage that never worked for me. I much preferred the Banshee, though if not available on the ship I was using then the Prometheus was a workable alternative.
The GTW Avenger is likely better in most respects, but the Prometheus does have a superior hull volley damage. Against evading targets, you may find yourself able to score a single guaranteed hit, during a very brief instant, with a several second gap between each. In this case, the superior volley damage may help finish off targets stripped of their shields more quickly. The slower rate of fire doesn't matter in such a situation, and the rate of shield damage is basically identical there as well.
