Transphasic Torpedoes

[capnq]

In Alfred Bester's short story "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed", a mad scientist invents a time machine for the sole purpose of eliminating his unfaithful wife, but after killing her grandfather, when he returns to his own time she's still there. He tries a series of larger and larger interventions, to no apparent effect, save that he becomes progressively less able to interact with anyone or anything. He eventually encounters a second time traveller, who explains what has happened: each timeline is like a strand of spaghetti and unchangeable, and the time travellers have left the "spaghetti" and merged with the "sauce".

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Cap'n Q


The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft

[zen.]

One theory I've heard of relates to the Chaos Theory -- assuming that the universe in general has an increasingly chaotic 'state', if you can align your own 'state' to a previous, more ordered quantum state, you go 'back' in time.

Either that or you're going to just really be messed up. I don't recall if I heard that as theory or sci-fi, though. Ah well, me not physicist.

zen

[CheshireKatt]

quote:

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Originally posted by zenbudo:
One theory I've heard of relates to the Chaos Theory -- assuming that the universe in general has an increasingly chaotic 'state', if you can align your own 'state' to a previous, more ordered quantum state, you go 'back' in time.

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Interesting! Would it simply return you to how you were in that previous state, though? Or would the act of becoming more ordered place you at an earlier point in time due to the reduced level of chaos drawing you back? Would you have to reduce the chaos in an entire region (or the entire universe) to travel backwards?

Hmm...

--Chesh

(Edit: Typos)

[This message has been edited by CheshireKatt (edited 25 May 2001).]

[Suicide Junkie]

Getting back to weapons in SE4, I propose that weapons should be changed from the way they currently work, and be made into an ability.

This would allow a lot more flexibility, and you could mod weapons like never before!
By using multiple "attack" abilities, you could have a components that:
- alternate between damage types at different ranges (eg. phased attack at odd range, normal at even ranges)
- charge up to fire (having 5 weapon abilities that have varying reloads from 1 turn to 5 turns)
- have limited ammo (have 3 missile launch abilities with 30 reload)
- "leak" through shields (90% normal damage, plus a second ability that does 10% shield skipping)
- anything else modders come up with

[CheshireKatt]

quote:

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Originally posted by suicide_junkie:
By using multiple "attack" abilities, you could have a components that:
- alternate between damage types at different ranges (eg. phased attack at odd range, normal at even ranges)
- charge up to fire (having 5 weapon abilities that have varying reloads from 1 turn to 5 turns)
- have limited ammo (have 3 missile launch abilities with 30 reload)
- "leak" through shields (90% normal damage, plus a second ability that does 10% shield skipping)
- anything else modders come up with

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That's brilliant! I agree completely -- combine that with giving each one a Min Damage and a Max Damage attribute (make 'em the same if you want weapons like they are now), and you've got massive flexibility.

Now, if we could only affect the accuracy as well WITHIN the weapon (say, another attribute called "Weapon Accuracy Mod", that let us specify adjustments to the accuracy at each range), that'd make for some interesting possibilities.

Remember those missiles that do low damage at close range because they're not armed yet? Give them increased accuracy at long range as a result of being ultra-high-velocity (and maybe a penalty at closer ranges because the aren't as accurate when slower?), and that'd be sweet. But you'd better hope your enemies don't close with you...

--Chesh

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

---

Now, if we could only affect the accuracy as well WITHIN the weapon (say, another attribute called "Weapon Accuracy Mod", that let us specify adjustments to the accuracy at each range), that'd make for some interesting possibilities.

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Add an "accuracy at range" line, and you'd be there.

Set it to 90 80 70 60 50... to get what we have now!

[DirectorTsaarx]

Going back to the Chaos Theory post (and relating it to SE4!) - maybe this should be part of the Temporal Tech tree? Add some weapons that increase/decrease entropy, and cause damage? Or maybe a new racial tech based on being able to manipulate entropy... hmmm...

Anyway, a second idea about weapons - what about the ability to "overload" weapons? Star Fleet Battles allowed it, basically you used twice as much energy to increase damage from the weapon, but at reduced range. For SE4, you'd have to increase the amount of supplies used, and probably increase reload time temporarily (just for play balance), in addition to decreased range. Unfortunately, I'm not certain how to implement the ability to select overloaded vs. non-overloaded within a battle. I also think the computer would be hopeless at using this ability (making the AI even less challenging, and strategic combat even less useful).

edit - Hey! I finally made Major!!

[This message has been edited by DirectorTsaarx (edited 29 May 2001).]