[poll type=regular results=always chartType=bar public=true]
# [Should flamethrowers eventually set vehicle engine decks on fire like molotovs when you spray the same place?]
* Yes
* No
[/poll]
Just to be clear, I am not expert on the hitboxes of molotovs when thrown on vehicle engines but I do know you usualy have to throw it on exhaust things or the engine deck, essentialy, wherever there is a grate (engine grille, louvers, or a ballistic grille for the accurate terminology). The entire purpose of them was to let air in for the engine so they usually had small openings and stuff.
Now in game, molotovs can set the vehicle engine on fire eventually after being thrown on these things. It’s important to note that usually speaking molotov mixture is usually thicker to allow it to stick and catch fire to surfaces immediately upon impact. The entire concept of the burning molotov fluid dripping down into the engine and catching fire is stretching it a bit, especially with late war tanks with better grilles and louves.
Now, it is for this reason that I, for the life of me, cannot understand why flamethrowers don’t do the exact same thing as molotovs. Flamethrower fuel was generally less thick than molotovs. As a comparison. Late-war U.S. and allied flamethrowers used [napalm]-thickened gasoline (a gel), while others used a liquid blend of gasoline and heavy diesel/motor oil. This consistency was engineered to flow smoothly through pressurized hoses and nozzles without clogging, forming a cohesive stream that could travel 20 to 45 yards. This is in contrast to Improvised field mixtures of molotovs which often added heavy tar, raw motor oil, rubber cement, or soap directly into petrol. Because they did not need to be pumped through a mechanical valve, some partisan recipes were mixed into a sluggish, sticky syrup or semi-solid paste designed to instantly cling to armor plate on impact.
To be fair, I’m not sure if the reason the engine catches fire is because it is getting no more oxygen, which would make since if the fire is one the grill thingies and would result in the engine stalling out and choking, but not the engine catching fire or a catastrophic explosion as in game. I think the reason is that the incendiary mixture drips down or something, into the engine and it does some stuff there. By this logic, flamethrower fuel should actually do this even better since molotovs since the fuel is less thick than molotov mixtures. It should be even easier for the flamethrower flame to seep into the engine if we are going by game logic.
To be fair, this would make flamethrowers stronger definitely but like they already get booty clapped by machine guns if we are just talking about room clearing since machine guns have range and cqc. However you could argue that the fire it leaves behind is really good for locking down checkpoint which you would be right but most objectives have alternative entrances and having the fire there can often be more dangerous since it forces the enemy to stop, making even the most casual rushers eventually bunch up with other team members. When the fire fades, they all attack at once which is pretty dangerous since this is way more effective then just one squad rushing in at a time.
idk I just had this idea when I woke up and was just like, damn, cool, and wanted to post on this forum.
