Has anyone wondered why there are no lasers?

[Trachmyr]

Well?

I put a whole bunch in a mod I use, but I always thought it strange that this classic Si-Fi weapon was omitted.

Particle Accelerator were left out too!
Not to mention Electromag/Gauss Cannons!

[CaptSpoogy]

I was going to add lasers to my mod - but I decided they didn't seem advanced enough...so I added phasers instead!

[Baron Munchausen]

The tech definitions are rather poorly done, but the weapons you desribe are actually in there. The "Depleted Uranium Cannon" is more properly called a MASS DRIVER and if it's done by magnetically accelerating an iron/steel projectile then it's a "gauss cannon". I've objected to the name "Depleted Uranium Cannon" more than once since there are lots of ways to implement 'mass drivers' without depleted uranium but MM doesn't seem inclined to change it. The two basic 'energy weapons' of the game are actually particle beams. 'Anti-proton' beam and 'Meson' bLaster. Yet they are in tech fields called 'Energy Stream' and 'Energy Pulse' weapons. Heh... Like I said, the tech definitions are not very good. Probably too many things to do actually programming the game so he never got around to making these things consistent.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 04 April 2001).]

[DirectorTsaarx]

Well, Baron, modern physicists believe that energy is transmitted by particles (i.e., photons for light, various quarks for strong & weak nuclear forces, electrons for electromagnetism; still looking for the gravity particle). Therefore, the energy stream/energy pulse weapons in SE4 would HAVE to use particles somehow; we can justify the name by claiming that the weapon fires a "stream" or "pulse" of (thousands/millions/billions/etc.) of particles, which act like an energy wave, which then damages the target (well, if it hits...).

The mass driver (Depleted Uranium Cannon) fires a single particle, which (hopefully) impacts on a target and transfers kinetic energy via a classic collision interaction. Even though the damage is due to transfer of kinetic energy, I think we can all agree that the mass driver shouldn't be an energy weapon, since the mechanism for carrying the kinetic energy is a large mass (compared to atoms; the projectile should be MUCH smaller than a ship ), and behaves like a particle.

[BKrani]

I too find it strange that some of the simplest to implement, but most effective weapons were omitted.
Though I would not expect to see Lasers in advanced interstellar conflict (too low an energy level to be really useful), rather I'd expect to see microwave and fission pumped x-ray energy beams.
They have significant benefits over particle beams (arguments as to whether a light beam uses particles or not, not withstanding) in that, if properly focussed, they won't spread as much, hence, they would have a longer range. Not to mention that they have other uses as well (communications, precision drilling etc).

Well, it's probably not a big job for some interested modder though the effects are not likely to be much different from other, existing weapons. Possible make it a long range missile type, with very high speed (speed 8-10), low damage, fires every turn but only 2 turns life. (ie. it has long range, but if it doesn't hit you immediately, it can possibly be dodged at extreme range). Of course, the missile type is not really appropriate as they can be shot down

Cheers.

[Trachmyr]

Well, in response to my own thread, I did indeed include lasers/Simple Particle Beams/Electomags in my mods... I made them all starting techs!

I have a choice between Cannon/Electomag/Laser/Particle Accelerator/Missile at game start.

BTW I gave DUC's and Railguns UNLIMITED (actually MAX) range in my mod, but added a penalty to hit (There is nothing to slow down a projectile in space)... Likewise missiles have max range, but their speeds vary by their level (Mark V Plasma's have speed 10!). But I made such weapons supply hogs, missiles use 100 supplies per shot... unfortunately, weapons still can fire even if you have 0 supplies. Oh, well...