How about you return to the topic?

yes there is!

the topic is whatever i want it to be and right now it is:

-Exiled Possum

The time it would take a weapon firing at the speed of light to travel from one planet to another would actually leave you a fair bit of time to react, assuming everyone is on their guard.

And if we're limiting the range of these weapons based on targeting sensors, it's really up to the sensors themselves. If they can lock a target that far, then why fight with vessels rather than orbital platforms and colony ships?

The biggest reason to fight as close as the same grav well is to make weapons like bullets and missiles useful. Lasers could be useful from afar, but that depends on our ability to maintain cohesion at a distance. Like with most sci-fis, a big problem is putting it in the year 2XXX with no idea how tech will work out come that year.

As for strikecraft, they can still be useful. Not only can they avoid large turn radii by simply turning on the spot, then compensating, but if engine technology progresses far enough to make a missile operate efficiently, then a fighter too could develop the speed and maneuverability to provide a fair opponent. Of course, beyond a certain point you either have to have all fighters unmanned OR develop some kick-ass inertial dampening system.

Now that I think about it, the best reason to use a fighter is that if designed properly, it's radar cross section could be crazy small, allowing it to slip in without notice by many automated weapons and deliver a payload. Of course, to counter visual identification or red-shift detection, it would have to absorb light AND have no external lights. That means precautions would have to be taken for safe launching and landing.

@Draakjacht

if i fire a weapons with the speed of light (like laser or a rail gun (nearly speed of light)) you will not see it coming. it basically comes down to the following:

one defending fleet (or ship) and one attacking:

the attackers spot the defending fleet, lock on their targets and fire. the defending fleet will see that they got spotted and then have exactly the time it took the attackers to aim or else they are toast. they will never see the enemy actually firing since your sensors are only as fast as the weapon.

you could only counteract this by periodic random movement (which itself can be countered by saturating the close proximity of the target with projectiles).

i have not thought of stealth, but you never know how far gravimetric sensors will be in the far future. it may be possible that even when you have no emissions you can still be detected by your mass.

-Exiled Possum

@ Whiskey. I'm not talking inter-stellar fighters. tesb brought up the idea of firing from planet to planet. I'm not in favor of that. I'm thinking caps in orbit, launching the buggers. As for sensors, that's totally up to imagination since there are technologies to counter them. Bullets have as long of a range as missiles, BUT can not redirect their path. If you're talking about using a missile from planet to planet, it better phase, otherwise it would be shot down as easily as a fighter.

@tesb if you're talking planet to planet, light takes a few minutes to make the path and computers would be on watch. If you're talking two ships in orbit, then it would be a quick battle, assuming shields are not an issue. And railguns do not move at teh speed of light. They use projectiles, which means at the speed of light, the material would convert to energy. And gravimetric sensors is a good way to go, but again it depends on what level of tech you're talking. If you can make artificial gravity, then it might be possible to reduce gravitational distortion as well.

I'm not trying to shit on anyone's theories, just throwing out my two cents. If Whiskey dwells on what's said, he'll likely choose a fine combination of conclusions since he can make up any level of tech he wants. The best thing he could do, if he were dead serious, would be to talk to a physicist at a nearby college or institute.

In order to prevent this from becoming a flame war of who's right or wrong, I refer you to the site projectrho.com. Look under the section "Atomic Rockets".

That should be perfect for solving differences.

Ultimately, since I am keeping most of the Sins reference frame if you will, it will effectively just be changing lasers to have beam effects and longer range, missiles to have absolutely silly range, and some ships flying dynamically; though all units will have the effects of inertia replicated as much as possible and is allowed by the engine.

EDIT: as for relativistic (>0.14c) projectile weapons, good luck slapping one on a ship, they take an absolutely ridiculous amount of energy to fire. How do I know this? 1) Atomic Rockets, and 2) I've done the calculations. Effectively you'll need at least as much or a little more energy than the projectile will contain on firing.

@Whiskey

make the mod what you want it to be, but if you want to stay on physics you could not even see the laser (unless it was fired towards you, and then you are dead ).

the laser you see in a lab is light reflected of dust particles in the air, since most of space lacks those (or with a much much much smaller density) you would not see them.

-Exiled Possum

@tesb- I just seemed to be getting a little out of hand is all. I also happen to know a lot more about lasers than you might think (I calculate laser weapon parameters for fun). And you didn't troll me per se, it just as I said seemed to be getting a little out of hand.

@Draak- I haven't got a clue if Tachyons exist; I generally disregard them in my SF musings.

Tachyons themselves have not been proven nor disproven. It goes back to quantum theories, and I'm not up for that right now. Too damn sick.

that is very much true, thus i said it is speculation, where all the other things we mentioned are in the realm far or near future implementation

-Exiled Possum

okay, dry spell has gone on long enough. not going to give tesb a whole 24 hours in charge.

'

damn i was so close.....

so close

i had victory within my grasp

so close

-Exiled Possum