On lasers

Wildstar:
>Steve Owens:
>>         Note that the laser probably has to be "tuned" to flesh, to a
>> degree, to get maximum wound potential.  This would also tend to trade
>> off on effectiveness vs. armor.  It could be tuned the other way, of
>> course (armor-piercing lasers anybody? :-)
>
>Probably.  Most lasers would probably be constructed to operate on a good
>general-purpose setting, and would not be adjustable.  On the other hand,
>some expensive models would offer adjustable settings.  However, changing
>the frequency of a laser would require some power loss, so these would
>either accept the lower beam energy (unlikely), or have a higher power
>draw.

Heh. Anyone ever see the shortlived (six episodes, one BBC "season") series
STAR COPS? Stupid name for IMO the best SF series in history, the ongoing
story of an ex-policeman's attempts to forge an effective international
investigative team for crimes occurring off the earth in the early part
of the 21st century. How do you handle crimes whose very definitions and
existence change with technology? Kidnapping fertilized ova, cloning,
pharmaceutical terrorism, sabotage in labs that can be opened to vacuum, etc.
Highly recommended. Anyway, one plot concerned the development of a tunable
portable laser weapon, which (at the cost of power loss) could be tuned
so as to have variable effectiveness against armor, space suits, or flesh.
In fact, it could be tuned finely enough (I think the math works, too) to
give a caucasian a nasty skin burn but blow a hole in a black man. As one of
the lead characters (a black American astronaut) mutters, "Great. Racist
weaponry!" |-< |-P

I can see the Solomani issuing lasers to their troops that would only
torch a Suerrat....

(The use of politics on the show is interesting too BTW. Every episode, they
pick a new supergiant to slam on: the USA, the EEC, the Indians, the Arab
oil sheiks, the Japanese megacorporations, etc.)

>>         This is something I always found really silly about classic
>> traveller, the lack of a built-in "targeting" laser on a beam laser.
>> On a pulse-laser, on the other hand, you're probably going to need a
>> separate laser for targeting.
>
>Or operate the pulse laser at reduced output and increase the pulse
>frequency.  After all, enough pulses per second (and it doesn't take many)
>looks like a beam to the human eye.

This works very easily. You could build it into an existing laser for pennies;
the UI would be the most expensive part. I've always ruled that lasers are
self-targeting, in my games. Squeeze the grip, get a bead; squeeze the trigger,
shoot.

>>         A comment on the difficulty of evading a laser, remarked upon
>> by the previous poster.  Try playing paintball, a combat-style game
>> using CO2-propelled, paint-filled gelatin capsules.
>
>Or try playing Photon.  You shoot at each other with sort-range infra-red
>in a cluttered, dimly-lit, sometimes smoked-up maze (rather like boarding
>action combat aboard a disabled starship, come to think of it).  You need
>to stay alert, trust noone, and keep your laser handy (oops, wrong game!).
>Seriously, though, the major problem is to stick with your buddies and not
>get ambushed from around the corner or side passage.

*Embarrassed blush* I am and have been for a long time a pretty good pistol
shot, but I made a complete fool of myself in the Naperville Photon Arena.
Shooting and being shot at are two very different things, and it takes a
long time to develop reflexes (and a lot of money, too). You also learn a
few things about encumbrance. They strap a helmet and a huge battery pack
on you, and suddenly it's not quite as easy to do the acrobatics you see
in the movies. |->

It would also help if the SFX in your internal helmet speaker for "fire,"
"hit scored on opponent" and "hit scored on you" were easier to differentiate
amidst all the noise and screaming. |-\

- --
dr. michael metlay       | and she's a master of return hitting
atomic city              | giving rhythm to her posts
[address removed]        | so you read her and think hey it sounds good
pittsburgh pa 15217-0675 | and wish her posts had a soundtrack too
[email removed]          |                               (f. ercolessi)