anyone else glad to see a sci-fi universe with main weapons being kinetic?

Fayd

Diamond Member
Jun 28, 2001
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www.manwhoring.com
i get sick of "FIRE PHASERS!"...

directed energy weapons have been overused.

referring to mass effect, i'm personally glad to see an invented universe where the main guns on starships are still kinetic energy weapons.

and infantry combat weapons are kinetic.

basically nothing is laser aside from some minor crap on starships.
 

Matthiasa

Diamond Member
May 4, 2009
5,755
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They use lasers because kinetic weapons are slow and inaccurate, oh yeah and can be seen.

The only use for kinetic weapons would be relativistic ones, but those would require a ton of energy, and take up a lot of space.
 
Oct 27, 2007
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Heh I was about to come in here and say "actually Mass Effect did it a couple of years ago." But I see this thread is about Mass Effect. So I'll just sit in the corner and nod agreeably.








*nod*
 

Fayd

Diamond Member
Jun 28, 2001
7,970
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76
www.manwhoring.com
They use lasers because kinetic weapons are slow and inaccurate, oh yeah and can be seen.

in ME universe... sensors work at light speed, and only track heat.

thus, a slug fired at a significant fraction of light speed coming towards you, you're NOT going to see.

things like this are why i like the ME universe.
 

guyver01

Lifer
Sep 25, 2000
22,135
5
61
Mass Drivers are the best weapon around.

Primus_Mass_Driver_01.jpg


Everyone knows this.
 

Matthiasa

Diamond Member
May 4, 2009
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Sensors only tracking only heat is lol.... Oh yeah and a relativistic projectile would probably be really hot, since even a negligible friction from firing is still a ton of energy lost.
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,502
136
It's the same for Battlestar Galactica.

Pretty much modern tech (machine guns, nuclear missiles) on Battleships and space fighters.

I don't mind seeing energy weapons, but it strikes me odd how often they are the basic weapons and ineffective. If you are going to have lasers and plasma-based guns, make them the rarer and more powerful weapons, not the ones that are slow and miss 99% of the time.
 

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
29,391
2,738
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i get sick of "FIRE PHASERS!"...

directed energy weapons have been overused.

referring to mass effect, i'm personally glad to see an invented universe where the main guns on starships are still kinetic energy weapons.

and infantry combat weapons are kinetic.

basically nothing is laser aside from some minor crap on starships.

what show?
 

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
29,391
2,738
126
in ME universe... sensors work at light speed, and only track heat.

thus, a slug fired at a significant fraction of light speed coming towards you, you're NOT going to see.

things like this are why i like the ME universe.

wtf? sensors that cant track by movement? thats realisic, NOT.

in real life, our radar can track missles
 

God Mode

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2005
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How does mass effect explain recoil in weapons? I would think with all the tech in the game, recoil would be nonexistant and autoaim would be king.
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,246
207
106
How does mass effect explain recoil in weapons? I would think with all the tech in the game, recoil would be nonexistant and autoaim would be king.

ME guns use this magical stuff called element zero; you run a bit of electricity through it and it changes the mass of everything inside a given area. Their guns use that effect to lighten their bullets before firing them down railguns, which allows them to reach much higher speeds than they normally could, or just reach the same speed with a fraction of the recoil.

But the guns are easily the weakest link in their chain of plausible tech. Think about it, from their description I should be able to lighten a magnet in a dynamo, spin it up with a flick, and generate enough power off of that to do it again twenty times. Their guns flat-out break physics.
 

God Mode

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2005
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When I played ME2, the guns were plain shit. Nothing more. Its like they place you in a modern combat zone with peashooters with bad recoil. Only the heavy weapons seemed to make a bit of sense in the tech timeline.
 
Oct 25, 2006
11,036
11
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Kinetic Weaponry is Sci Fi is nothing new. All the laser stuff came pre 90's. Modern sci fi has lots of kinetic weaponry. ME did nothing new.
 

HeXen

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2009
7,837
38
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Laser weapons shoudl not be seen either correct? Lasers are direct light, only seen if dust or other particles reflect it your direction. So just seems to me that laser weapons would not only be invisible, but instantanious...not some 10 foot beam of light or even ball of light...that would have to be some kind of electricle plasma or something.

i hate star trek type anyway, what moron does battles in space with such high technology when all you have to do is use a gravitational beam on an asteroid and hurl it towards your enemies planet and be done with it...stupid future people.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
I want to see a "brown noise" weapon in a game. You fire a beam at the ship and it resonates at the brown noise. Then the ship goes adrift and stink lines emanate from it, reducing the effectiveness of nearby ships.