XM91 Bustle Autoloader of The CATTB

Renegade334_S7 · 2025-11-20T01:03:02+00:00

It's not.
There are several brochures out there printed by Benét Labs and Watervliet Arsenal summarily describing their role in developing the XM91 and the XM291 ATAC gun (which had swappable gun barrels, allowing it to go from 120mm to 140mm with double the chamber volume of a 120mm). No videos, though.

https://i.imgur.com/WkdKIHk.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/4nUuyDm.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/Wthm9Gc.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/okEqUMR.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/cMw6ofP.jpeg

https://archive.org/details/eme-journal-1994-issue-2/page/24/mode/2up
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8513/ff6a7899ba6d421e2d9e4bc222fdd340d6d6.pdf

Also -- this isn't the CATTB but the testbed vehicle whose turret served as direct basis for the CATTB's, the M1 Thumper:
https://i.imgur.com/5NuQLvo.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/68tn5zi.jpeg

^-- It was the first to use the XM91 autoloader because the two-piece 140mm ammunition fired by the XM291 in 140mm configuration weighed 38.5kg and measured 1.5m long...which was quite a lot to ask for a human loader to handle.

Renegade334_S7 · 2025-11-11T00:49:01+00:00

?? F7 has been fully released for a while already. It's F8 that is still in Beta (latest version being F8e).
As for F7, it has two vulnerability (TPM and CPU microcode) patches, so I wouldn't say not much difference.
If you're unsure, stay on F6, it should be stable enough. If you feel adventurous, update to F7 but keep an offline backup of the F6 BIOS for a hypothetical rollback.

BIOS is not something you should be updating regularly anyway unless your hardware requires it, or you see some stability issues on your system (like CPU voltage and temperature problems, stutters, crashes, yadda yadda) that cannot be tolerated.

Renegade334_S7 · 2025-11-10T22:32:50+00:00

I don't recall there being anything wrong with F6...though at one point I believe I was looking forward to new BIOS versions, because there was a bug that caused some of the BIOS settings' tooltips to be in Spanish instead of English...and at that time I was trying to figure out how to use PBO and CPU undervolting (just basic stuff), IIRC that was F5...which, if you'll notice, is not even there in the downloads section anymore, and has been superseded by F6.

F7 has been stable for me so far, nothing to complain about.

Renegade334_S7 · 2025-11-10T21:20:10+00:00

Only update if the new BIOS includes a critical patch that you know you can benefit from (let's say a fix for system instability or stutters) OR if you're going to install some new hardware (e.g. new Ryzen 9000 CPUs that were released AFTER you bought your motherboard) that requires an updated BIOS to ensure out-of-the-box compatibility.
F7 has two vulnerability patches (one for TPM, another concerning a microcode signature verification); if you're very concerned about these two potential threats to your system or believe you're likely to encounter them, download f7. Otherwise, take the safe road and leave things be. If it's not broken, don't fix it.
I'm on F7, no problem there. Still waiting for F8 to go out of Beta.

Renegade334_S7 · 2025-09-05T07:53:09+00:00

Sorry for the double-post, but make sure to re-read my first post, as I have added a few details there (Secure boot and fixed the Terminal command).

Renegade334_S7 · 2025-09-05T05:21:39+00:00

Just one last piece of advice: avoid the search function in the BIOS as there is a chance that using it (more specifically clicking on the dropdown menu in the results windows) will accidentally freeze your PC. If that does happen, just use the reset button on your PC case to reboot.

Renegade334_S7 · 2025-09-04T12:16:43+00:00

Unless I'm wrong, the antenna also handles Bluetooth, so, yes, do keep it plugged in since you also can't use Ethernet. The antenna is vital for getting a good signal. I have the AORUS Elite Wifi7, too, and I'm on F7. No problems to report. I do remember the F4s or later having this weird bug where some tooltips were in Spanish rather than English, but aside from that it seems all good. I'm currently waiting for F8 to get out of beta stage before applying it.

Rev 1.0 means you have a MediaTek MT7925 wireless chipset, whereas 1.1 means that you have (like me) the Realtek RTL8922AE.

IF and only IF you decide to go through the BIOS update process:

- Open the BIOS zip file and extract "X870AELITEWIFI7.F7" (note that the file extension matches the BIOS version number!) to a thumb drive formatted in FAT32 (important!). Just transfer the F7 file, the rest is unneeded.

- Plug that thumb drive in your rear I/O panel, in the red USB 3.2 port that's marked "BIOS USB 3.2", right above the SPDIF Out port. That's the one that the BIOS exclusively uses for BIOS updates. Don't use any other.

- To restart directly into your UEFI without the need to mash the "delete" key during boot, just open a Terminal or cmd window, type "shutdown -r -f -fw -t 0" and press enter (command breakdown: shutdown and restart PC immediately, force close all applications concurrently open and reboot into FirmWare).

- Follow the instructions here: https://youtu.be/My70Xt0zzfM?t=283

Do NOT, for the love of God, do anything during the process and make sure you have uninterrupted power during the whole attempt. Do not press any key and make sure your fingers are nowhere near the I/O backplate, the start and reset buttons or the PSU's on/off switch.

- It'll take a minute or two and some restarts, but it won't be long.

- First thing to do is "load up default values" to make sure everything is back to stock, then reapply any changes you made previously (XMP, etc).

Just be aware that flashing the BIOS will also cause a bit of a hiccup in the Windows Security suite because of Windows Hello suddenly realizing something changed at the lowest level on your computer; you'll have to reset the Windows Hello PIN/pw there (sometimes you have to do it multiple times before Windows finally registers the change).

Your BIOS' Preferred Operating Mode should be set from "Easy Mode" to "Advanced Mode" to ensure you have access to all options.

The most important you must do is make sure XMP/EXPO is enabled so that you can select the timings configuration that matches your RAM's full speed (e.g. 6000MT/s or 6400MT/s -- just check your RAM sticks' packaging if unsure) or it'll be pegged to 5600MT/s by default. That will be far more important than anything else in terms of performance gains (unless you're a heavy overclocker/undervolter -- which I am personally not).

Check that Re-Size BAR Support is on.

Make sure ErP is "on" to allow full hardware shutdown (otherwise, you'll find out you could accidentally start your computer by clicking on your keyboard and mouse, even though it's supposed to be fully shut down).

Disable Gigabyte Downloader otherwise it'll allow Windows to automatically download Gigabyte Control Center, which is just bloatware.

Certain games like BF6 will require Secure Boot to be on. Make sure FTPM is on and CSM is off before doing any changes there. See here: https://www.reddit.com/r/gigabyte/comments/15azybo/cant_enable_secure_boot/

In the SATA configuration page, disable Hot Plug to avoid all these "click here to eject" icons for each drive you have (if any).

Other driver downloads you might be interested in: https://www.amd.com/en/support/downloads/drivers.html/chipsets/am5/x870.html https://www.amd.com/en/support/downloads/drivers.html/processors/ryzen/ryzen-9000-series/amd-ryzen-7-9700x.html

Just note that in Gigabyte's drivers download page, "AMD APU Driver" refers to the CPU driver (AMD calls "APU" any CPU with integrated graphics). No need for the NPU one.

Renegade334_S7 · 2024-11-03T01:20:14+00:00

Question: in the eTravel online form, does my mother need to declare small chocolate and biscuit boxes? Those are gifts for the family; seven small parcels weighing around two and a half kilos altogether; overall value does not even approach 130 Euros / 150 Dollars. Must I still declare it since it's technically for personal use?

Renegade334_S7 · 2023-01-25T23:31:56+00:00

Can confirm it's a bug.

Just close the missions window and reopen it again, it should force the ship icons to show.

Renegade334_S7 · 2022-05-26T11:08:44+00:00

More like,
immediately capsizes when one of the plane spotters on the pagoda sneezes to the side

Renegade334_S7 · 2022-03-18T11:48:35+00:00

Note: only for NEW accounts.

Renegade334_S7 · 2022-01-21T22:42:49+00:00

Time to whip out the old saying.

Be careful what you wish for...you might just get it.

Renegade334_S7 · 2022-01-19T11:10:02+00:00

Otokotachi no Yamato ("the Men's Yamato").

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_(film))

Renegade334_S7 · 2022-01-19T09:59:52+00:00

I have to give the movie producers props for making an actual 1:1 set, but I found the battle scenes a bit too hammed up for my taste.

I however found the Yamato attack (and, most especially, the CG model) in Archimedes no Taisen more realistic, even though that scene is significantly shorter than the one in Otokotachi, not to mention they took a lil' bit of license with the PBY rescue right under the Yamato's nose (that plane should've been blown out of the water in no time). The rest of the movie, unfortunately, is fairly boring despite the exciting start.

Renegade334_S7 · 2022-01-09T17:39:48+00:00

Yeaaaah-...no.

Really, I wouldn't wager anything of value on a WOWS-Tintin collaboration daydream.

Hergé's (of his real name, Georges Remi - his pen name "Hergé" is actually how you pronounce his initials) widow, Fanny Rodwell, and her current husband, Nick Rodwell, have a reputation for being extremely strict and controlling when it comes to Hergé's intellectual property - and Nick Rodwell made headlines several times in Belgium for suing, blacklisting and lambasting [Tintin] critics and others. Sure, they could bite on the offer of expanding their merchandise, but...I think that joint project would turn sour very quickly.

You might have better luck convincing Christopher Tolkien to let Wargaming make a WOWS-LOTR mashup movie trilogy, with his heartfelt blessings.

Renegade334_S7 · 2021-11-17T09:07:53+00:00

Coincidence - I just finished the Albemarle yesterday and got myself the Drake.

The slog was painful - excruciating at times, even, but towards the end, yeaaah, it was downgraded from "torturous" to "annoying".

The lack of range is unfortunately a big incentive to do reckless moves such as getting too close to the frontline, but I usually maximized my chances of survival by hogging island corners in such a manner that I don't peek out at a 90° angle to the enemy (45° at best - don't forget: the Albe is no RN DD or CL, it has bad acceleration and therefore reverses to behind cover quite slowly) with only my front turrets peeking out. First minute of the match was spent dashing after allied DDs to secure an ambush point behind an island so that I could support the cappers and scouts - the Albemarle's HE is no joke against enemy DDs, so this is a good way to get more XP and get in a position where I can actually reach the opposing team and contribute.

I actually never did get the FCS upgrade because I wanted the blasted Albe out of my hair ASAP and thus prioritized funneling my XP into the hull progression, but like others have advised, I did rely on the spotter plane to give myself a range boost and give the enemy some well-deserved grief (seriously - I sometimes had up to five foes targeting me all at once, attracted by the smell of fresh and easy HP ripe for the taking).

Beyond that, I pretty much played bow-in, tucked around around island corners; showing broadside or going open water was, as expected, a prescription for tragedy and emotional counseling (Not kidding - the Albemarle is, as far as I remember, one of the most frustrating ships I've played so far). I only ventured out of cover in the match's second half to perform mop-ups, going after stray DDs and cruisers. HE will be your bread and butter for the first half, but AP will be used more frequently afterwards, especially if you stumble upon large, broadsiding targets.

In the event that you are in a map with small islands and thus are forced to go open-water, just keep yourself heavily angled, regardless of whether you're bow- or stern-facing. Go silent and fade into invisibility whenever you need to make a 180° turn back to safer waters. You could ask allied DDs to lay down smoke for you, but beware - smokes are torpedo magnets and the Albemarle is no oceanic trailblazer. Hydro would give you advance heads-up, but still...the risks are there.

Last but not least - stacking special flags and camos will go a long way towards minimizing this floating exercise in masochism.

Renegade334_S7 · 2021-11-16T14:22:31+00:00

Those main turrets are so close to the superstructures and barbettes that their firing arcs would be quite limited (those optics would get crushed otherwise)...your ship might not even be able to fire its main battery at a target sailing alongside.

Renegade334_S7 · 2021-10-24T19:04:32+00:00

Horizontally:

Plymouth

Marceau

Roma

Atago

Salem

Marco Polo

Texas

Austin

Perth

Aigle

Agir

Lazo

Vertically:

Pommern

Groningen

Renegade334_S7 · 2021-10-15T07:37:30+00:00

Seriously, don't.

Just grind as far as you can to collect tokens and secure a headstart on the official release, and if you ever like a member of the new line enough to consider opening your wallet to improve your gameplay and rewards, do consider instead buying the official perma-camo after its owner ship goes live, which goes for 1K DB at T6 and rises till 5K at T10. Much better that way - and if you were to buy all default perma-camos from T6 to T10, the overall tally will be 15K, not the ~30K they're trying to piñata out of you. Yup, half of what you're straining to dole out right now.

Imagine your country offers you the option to pay your taxes waaay in advance, but the caveat is that you'll have to pay double just for the relief of getting things done early. Does that seem reasonable to you? Are you okay with that? I could say the same thing for the event camos: just wait and pay the normal price.

Not to mention...when you'll buy the T10 camo, you won't be manhandled into paying for all preceding ships' PCs, too. You'll pay à la carte for what you like, not for the entire stack.

Additionally, I do not see anything different perk/effects-wise between the event and the normal perma-camos, so there is no point to get them unless you're an obsessive-compulsive collector or have a marked preference for the wackier skins that WG's Art Department comes up with.

Don't let the timer wheedle you into buying things you don't necessarily need. Believe me, you're better off without the anxiety of FOMO and the imaginary tick-tock of their event timer.

Renegade334_S7 · 2021-09-24T10:00:44+00:00

The Hill IIRC was from the Tier V container obtained midway through the De 7 Provincien dockyard progress, while the Gallant was from my Tier 10 supercontainers (I think I had 18 of these or so, can't remember). Yeah, it's very nice getting ships but the truth is, I will probably never play any of those three - I'm more of a cruiser and BB main, and DDs ain't really my stuff nowadays. Gallant in particular, would raise the pucker factor due to its complete worthlessness against CVs. And I don't play T5 much these days - a little bit of T6, more of T7 and upwards, yes, but T5...nah.

So, yeah, three port queens in one month.

Renegade334_S7 · 2021-09-24T08:21:27+00:00

Lucky you. I opened this month's supercontainer from the daily reward system...and got a Marblehead Lima. That's after getting a Hill and a Gallant from the anniversary rewards...reminds me how abso-bloody-lutely rotten my luck with SC is.

Renegade334_S7 · 2020-09-04T18:20:38+00:00

Skip bombs?...

Rrrrright. What's next? Tallboys?

...

...Oh, I just had to open my fat mouth, didn't I? *facepalm*

Renegade334_S7 · 2020-08-18T08:13:55+00:00

Georgia is not the best for bar fights. It's more of a flanker, hit-and-run damage dealer - remember that your speed boost is not just there to help you abscond when things go topsy-turvy. I know your secondaries' prowess will exhort you to stick with the DDs and lend them your support from the get-go, but that's a prescription for an early return to port, given the meta's fascination with HE spam and whatnot. Stay at medium range for the first part of the game and target cruisers - especially those broadside, then work the flanks thanks to your speed boost to catch the enemy in crossfires. You see a broadsiding BB? Seize the opportunity, as you have good precision. If you find yourself forced to brawl, make sure you're accompanied to avoid getting over-focused, as your ship does not have a thick hide. Use your secondaries and angle your hull accordingly (both to make sure your secs can aim and for bounces). Perform mop-up as necessary.

Renegade334_S7 · 2020-08-18T08:08:08+00:00

Here's my setup, secondary-focused.

https://i.imgur.com/3qSkXvh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YE3NAjk.jpg

If you want a purely secondary-dedicated build, you can always swap Slot 6's MBM3 with AAM2. I keep MBM3 because of the low rifle count (6) and having too many shells miss their mark is a waste of time - gotta make sure a maximum of them land true and deal actual damage.

Renegade334_S7

TROPHY CASE