High TL 'iron sights', et.al.

In message 1510, [email removed] (Brent L. Woods) writes:

> In message 1509 [email removed] (Mark F. Cook) writes:
> >
> >I'm a pretty good marksman, too, if I do say so myself...  :-)
> >
> >I, too, think of myself as "a pretty good marksman" (even though I
>          ^^^^^
> >haven't shot competition in many years).
>
>     I can show you my targets.  Honest.  I killed them all fair and
>square...  ;-)

I didn't mean to suggest that you were over-stating your skill, Brett.
I just meant that my opinion of my own marksmanship is very subjective:
my deer drop when I shoot at them and bottles shatter (most of the time)
when I aim at them.  God knows what kind of damage I could do if I actually
started using ammunition. :-)

>>>     Jarhead training, eh?  ;-)  ;-)
>>
>>As a former member of an Elite Fighting Force, consisting mostly of
>>highly-trained, knuckle-dragging men with no neck and one eye-brow,
>>I feel I must warn you that ANY derogatory or disparraging remarks
>>you make, containing words of more than one syllable, will almost
>>certainly be mis-understood :-).
>
>    Shame on you.  Damn' near fell out of chair from that one.

Ah-ha!!  Humor as a weapon!!  This is good.  It means that everything
the Piranha brothers taught me is working!!! :-)

Long ago, I came to the conclusion that the Corps is no place for an
intellectual, vis-a-vis the following exchange (during bayonet orientation
in Basic Training):

D.I.: "Occasionally, you will discover that your bayonet has become
       lodged in the body of your opponent.  If this happens, a single
       discharge of your weapon will be sufficient to dislodge the
       bayonet."

Recruit: "Excuse me, sargeant, but if I'm still capable of discharging
       my weapon, there isn't going to BE any bayonet combat!"

>     Aw...  Life's too important to take seriously.  ;-)  No 'fence,
>eh?  ;-)  I'm entitled--I'm one of them Navy types...

That's OK.  Two of my best friends are cabbies...er, ah... ex-Navy types.
Somebody's got to drive the boat. :-)

Anyway, enough of this 'moochual admiration society' hoo-haw.  Let's get
back to the gratuitous sex n' violence.

In message 1511, [email removed] (Adrian Hurt) writes:

>"Mark F. Cook" [email removed] writes:
>>
>>      I just can't imagine a high-TL laser pistol having "iron sights".
>> This would be analogous to a modern fighter pilot having to aim all of
>> his on-board weapons just by looking out the window (without the HUD).
>
>Or maybe analagous to the fighter pilot having an ordinary gun and gunsight
>in case the advanced electronics failed.  Or analagous to a modern rifle
>having iron sights instead of the telescopic, laser, reflex or other fancy
>sights available today.  Iron sights have one big advantage - they are
>robust.  They are also quicker to use than anything else, with the
>possible exception of reflex sights.  I'd expect a laser pistol -
>especially a combat pistol - to have iron sights, at least as a back-up
>to any neat high-tech sights.

Let's not get carried away with the analogies.  First off, most of the
shooters in the group will tell you that once you put a scope on a rifle,
you typically REMOVE the iron sights.  The scope isn't likely to fail
and the iron sights are in the way.  Second, I disagree that iron sights
are quicker to use than a scope.  I can't tell you the number of times
I've been unable to line up the front leaf of an iron sight (in dim light)
when a scoop would have been no trouble at all.

In message 1515, [email removed] (Richard Johnson) writes:
>
>Somebody (I think is was Adrian Hurt, but might be misled here)
>said that iron sights on a laser pistol would be highly anachonistic.
>"..like looking out the window of a jet fighter, without the HUD."

MY QUOTE!!  MY QUOTE!!  DON'T GO GIVING IT TO ADRIAN!! :-)

>I agree.  You're probably understating the case though.  Imagine
>what you could do *TODAY* with a good computer, your match pistol,
>and a power glove.  By TL-13 there will probably be biofeedback
>between your (pick appendage you wish to point) and (maybe) your optic
>nerve, so that you can simply "throw" the bullet (or beam, or missile)
>to your adversary.  For the adventurous, you might choose to "be"
>a smart bullet (or missile) and seek-and-destroy.

Unfortunately, once this happens (within the context of the game) you
start coming uncomfortably close to treading on the ol' anti-cyborg
sentiment so prevalent throughout the Imperium.  Actually, I prefer
to run my campaign with a strong 'cyberpunk' flavor to it, so I tend
to just ignore the 'anti-cyborg' bit and go on my merry way.

Later,

        Mark F. Cook

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