Actually, an antimatter torp would create more gamma and x-rays and a bigger EMP than a nuke (antimatter-matter reactions release about 350 times as much energy per unit fuel as fusion reactions), but it would release no neutrons (neutrons are what screws up your DNA if you get blasted by them).
Elite Carrier Wing
- Thread starter Ierocis
- Start date
The point of special forces is to have the best equipment, not weak equipment so they can prove they are really good. However, special forces types still train to kill people with knives, forks, little bits of string, and their bare hands. Moral of the story: right tool for the right job.
Antimatter: well, a nuke isn't likely to go off underneath your cockpit. If an antimatter warhead loses magnetic containment, it'll happily go off by itself. In fact, over time, nukes tend to deactivate themselves. Over time, AM tends to blow itself up. Your decision what to strap underneath your cockpit, but nukes are rather safe. I'm guessing the Mace probably predates the common use of AM warheads, at least ones small enough to fit on a fighter (maybe not a bomber, though).
Gamma and x-rays are also quite capable of causing cancer as neutrons, especially in sufficiently high doses. The main reason why such radiation is usually less harmful than other forms of radiation is that it's more penetrating, and thus (paradoxically) causes less localized damage. However, if you get cooked by a decent-sized pulse of any type of ionizing radiation, it'll do a number on you, and gamma/x-rays, being more penetrating, will do that number on you throughout your body.
Antimatter: well, a nuke isn't likely to go off underneath your cockpit. If an antimatter warhead loses magnetic containment, it'll happily go off by itself. In fact, over time, nukes tend to deactivate themselves. Over time, AM tends to blow itself up. Your decision what to strap underneath your cockpit, but nukes are rather safe. I'm guessing the Mace probably predates the common use of AM warheads, at least ones small enough to fit on a fighter (maybe not a bomber, though).
Gamma and x-rays are also quite capable of causing cancer as neutrons, especially in sufficiently high doses. The main reason why such radiation is usually less harmful than other forms of radiation is that it's more penetrating, and thus (paradoxically) causes less localized damage. However, if you get cooked by a decent-sized pulse of any type of ionizing radiation, it'll do a number on you, and gamma/x-rays, being more penetrating, will do that number on you throughout your body.
Jason_Ryock
Vice Admiral
Just to support what GeeBot said, Kevin Tolwyn (Fleet Action) ejects from his fighter and gets a "dose" from the Anti-Matter Mines (I believe) that the Marines were setting off on the super-carriers.
When he gets rescued and brought in he's given an Anti-Radiation shot. Apparently, Radiation is less of an issue in Wing Commander Times. They've learned how to play around with it enough to be able to cure basic Rad posioning, I think.
When he gets rescued and brought in he's given an Anti-Radiation shot. Apparently, Radiation is less of an issue in Wing Commander Times. They've learned how to play around with it enough to be able to cure basic Rad posioning, I think.
overmortal
Bearded Person
but would the wires be made of superpolymers . . . or blackfuel? Or space-fishies? Or glowing dragon shit?
BlackJack2063
Rear Admiral
An elite fighter squadron I could see, not a wing, that would be a pretty large dose of resources. Definatly during the Kilrathi war, by the time Prophecy rolled around however, there had been a relative lull in action, so I could see a specially trained flight wing, and you do in the expansion.
To me it seemed like a logical extension to conflict that mirrors todays, you see a great deal more small unit tactics than massive assualts like in WW2 or the Kilrathi war.
To me it seemed like a logical extension to conflict that mirrors todays, you see a great deal more small unit tactics than massive assualts like in WW2 or the Kilrathi war.
Haesslich
Spaceman
Jason_Ryock said:
Actually, the dosing was more from the ships nearby going 'boom' than the mines, I suspect - the supercarriers' armor contained the blast and the initial radiation blast, but lost structural integrity when the reactors within blew up. They're still using nuclear fission reactors, IIRC, since the Emperor's ship used 'fuel rods', one of which had a microscopic hole that would cause it to blow.
The mines' EMP and radiation was less worrisome, if only because it's powerful close-in, but at range isn't nearly as bad... and the reaction's 'cleaner' overall, lacking the products of a fission or fusion explosion (radioactive isotopes).
BlackJack2063
Rear Admiral
About the Mace, it merely destroyed everything in one shot if it hit, it was more powerful than a torpedo and it was unguided.
Just another example of adding more powerful things to make buyers more interested in the games, you have to get bigger for sequels.
Just another example of adding more powerful things to make buyers more interested in the games, you have to get bigger for sequels.
overmortal
Bearded Person
The Mace was really neat . . . it was just a matter of knowing when to shoot it (if you used that tactic) to set it off . . . if you did it just right, you could blow two (or more?) ships up with it at once, if they were close adn you detonated it squarely between them.
Bonkus Maximus
Spaceman
Since this was initially mentioned for ships, I have to agree with the first opinion: the Raptor...I'd be happier if it's maneverability #s were between itself and the Hornet (As Shotglass said, it is a bit slow to start)...a bit faster and it would clearly be the ship of the Universe...weapons...I'll keep the default unless I need torps/ Mace.
As you know, armor is strongest in the front...fire 3 fast salvos of full guns into a Jalthi's cockpit (Warning: this takes precise knowledge of where the lasers are being fired) and you can kill the shield generator...you can now spit at the Jalthi and it'll die (I don't remember the original WC, but I know that this happens in KS)
---It always helps to be an aggressive pilot...the reactor gives you -- in theory -- unlimited shots with your energy weapons, but you have only a few missiles...just watch your fuel level.
As you know, armor is strongest in the front...fire 3 fast salvos of full guns into a Jalthi's cockpit (Warning: this takes precise knowledge of where the lasers are being fired) and you can kill the shield generator...you can now spit at the Jalthi and it'll die (I don't remember the original WC, but I know that this happens in KS)
---It always helps to be an aggressive pilot...the reactor gives you -- in theory -- unlimited shots with your energy weapons, but you have only a few missiles...just watch your fuel level.
Fission reactors actually aren't capable of exploding. Nuclear explosions are a bit harder than randomly piling together some uranium and waiting for it to go boom. It requires concentration and density to get the neutron flux high enough to set off a massive, uncontrolled chain reaction. Fission reactors generally just melt down, which isn't a big disaster in outer space.
I think it's likely the fuel rods don't necessarily refer to nuclear fission technology, but are just a convenient package for some other technology (besides, drilling holes in fuel rods doesn't make them explode... in fact, they're porous to allow gases to escape that build up naturally). I could be wrong about the nuclear fission reactors thing, though.
*edit*
Generally, when sci-fi authors have exploding space ships, it's usually because the reactor loses containment (generally a fusion reactor... incidentally, fusion reactors don't explode, either, but I suppose you have to start somewhere). I think the most convincing argument is that the internal magazines were compromised. In at least one case in Fleet Action, this explicitly happens (copying a similar occurance in the Battle of Midway), and is even more devestating, so maybe this doesn't make any sense.
*/edit*
I think it's likely the fuel rods don't necessarily refer to nuclear fission technology, but are just a convenient package for some other technology (besides, drilling holes in fuel rods doesn't make them explode... in fact, they're porous to allow gases to escape that build up naturally). I could be wrong about the nuclear fission reactors thing, though.
*edit*
Generally, when sci-fi authors have exploding space ships, it's usually because the reactor loses containment (generally a fusion reactor... incidentally, fusion reactors don't explode, either, but I suppose you have to start somewhere). I think the most convincing argument is that the internal magazines were compromised. In at least one case in Fleet Action, this explicitly happens (copying a similar occurance in the Battle of Midway), and is even more devestating, so maybe this doesn't make any sense.
*/edit*
We actually have anti-radiation treatments today, but they aren't magic like the ones used here. Most of the treatments are of the preventative type--swallowing potassium iodide, for example, to keep radioactive iodide from destroying your thyroid (the basis for the defense is a simple chemical argument: more non-radioactive thyroid keeps out the radioactive stuff). However, replacing tissue damage is beyond current technology. I suppose they might have some sort of nanotech system, maybe even gen-select's non-evil cousin.Jason_Ryock said:
I prefer guns-only attacks, since yes, the unlimited ammo thing is nice, but the fact that guns have a finite recharge time (and thus you can only fire so many times per second) means that it's a little more strategic than just being aggressive. You have to conserve your shots as well, to make sure you have a devestating burst ready when the opportunity comes up. In that way, missiles and guns aren't so different.Bonkus Maximus said:
I don't think that was really the case... the Mace was quite interesting, and hardly overwhelming or unbalancing. I liked to use it best to take out whole swarms of enemy craft, but that rarely came up, and took a lot of skill. Yeah, basically, if you used it as an oversized dumbfire, you probably weren't getting much benefit. Also, using the Mace to take out the Mandarin asteroid base came in handy.BlackJack2063 said: