The Official CMT SPv2 Promotion Items Thread (new pics as of 8-25-07)

[Warsaw]

That was my theory as well. They've actually changed it for Halo 3. The plasma fires from the top segment, instead of from in between the two glowing prongs. This leads me to believe that the bottom portion is the battery, connected to the main part of the weapon via electrical field between the two prongs. Someone needs to make an animation for an estimated plasma rifle battery reload. This principle works with either iteration of the plasma rifle, if you think about it.

That is asinine, no offense. I think that is a glitch (it did this with the Heretic Leader in Halo 2 as well, but it obviously came out from in-between in first person)...it should be coming out from between the prongs. It makes more sense that way. The prongs ionize and heat up the air in between them, creating a plasma, and accelerate it electromagnetically outwards towards a target as a plasmoid (Wiki that term if you need to know what it is), and the plasmoid's inertia and magnetic fields within itself hold it together while en-route to the target.

The way you have it set up makes no sense at all. That electric field between the prongs being the connector would be totally pointless, as it would be more practical and efficient to have a hard-wire inside, rather than a device outside that invites dirt, grime, and malfunction. However, I do agree that the battery is in the bottom, but my theory is that the top-half is for cooling.

As far as how it should sound, I don't know, but I do know it sure as hell wouldn't sound like it did in Halo 2. That sound does not correlated to anything a magnetically fired gun would make, and plasma does not create sounds on its own. If I had to take a guess, I would say it would sound sort of like the Halo 1 version, only with more of a "whoosh" sound as the plasma is flung out towards the target by the electromagnets.