Weird thing about the Gauss gun

Correct me if I am wrong but historically in fiction only Coil guns were called "Gauss guns". But DOOM design is clearly a Rail gun. While every electromagnetic gun could be called "Gauss gun", DOOM is probably the first work of fiction who uses this name for a Rail gun.

A railgun fires metal projectiles accelerated through electromagnetic rails. I had the impression the Gauss gun in Doom fires some sort of directed energy blast (without a projectile), kind of like the Shock rifle from Unreal?

Tetzlaff said:

A railgun fires metal projectiles accelerated through electromagnetic rails. I had the impression the Gauss gun in Doom fires some sort of directed energy blast (without a projectile), kind of like the Shock rifle from Unreal?

Well, I am pretty sure the projectile is implied to be there. Also rails and electricity between them - classic fictional railgun design.
During the Quake 2 and 3 days, when I was a kid, I never bothered to read manuals so I thought that Rail gun is some kind of laser weapon, lol.

I may be wrong, but I guess id figured it wouldn't feel right to just call it the Railgun, since it's been traditionally known as a Quake series weapon.

Orchid87 said:

Correct me if I am wrong but historically in fiction only Coil guns were called "Gauss guns". But DOOM design is clearly a Rail gun. While every electromagnetic gun could be called "Gauss gun", DOOM is probably the first work of fiction who uses this name for a Rail gun.

You are right, only coilguns are called "Gauss gun" (not only in fiction). Given the form of the gauss cannon and the codex stating it fires a steel projectile it definitly is a railgun and not an energy weapon.

The Gauss Cannon is a kinetic weapon, not a DEW, so it shoots hard projectiles (albeit probably in a state close to plasma, due to air friction heat).

I am also baffled by the appearance of Gauss Cannon. I would expect it to have spiraling electromagnets, but instead it indeed looks like a railgun... And there is Vortex Rifle, which also appears to be a railgun... or is it?

Still, that is nothing compared to the Red Faction 2's railgun: http://i.imgur.com/0Iv5njZ.png. How does this 4-rails configuration work, I have no fricking idea.

Quake's railguns really look like laser weapons, all tube-like and all. Still, they leave spiraling tracers, so that is a clear indication what exactly they do. What confuses me is the relative lack of recoil. Those things should have MONSTROUS kickback. Where it went?!

HavoX said:

I may be wrong, but I guess id figured it wouldn't feel right to just call it the Railgun, since it's been traditionally known as a Quake series weapon.

Well, Quake 2 had the BFG.