Name: Anonymous 2010-01-07 17:00
I have read quite a few science fiction novels, and while most of them are very exciting and interesting, I find that even the "hard" end of the science fiction spectrum features space combat in a very unrealistic manner. We're used to shields, forcefields and small manouverable craft able to dodge most munitions fired at them.
I find that the most likely form of space combat-scenario would be huge lumbering craft firing swarms of missiles and counter-missiles at eachother from a great distance, and then hope for the best. The only viable strategy would be to have more missiles than the other guy, and having a lot of lasers/particle beams to take out incoming missiles before impact. A single hit to your ship would mean instant annihilation with nuclear warheads. The only thing you could viably shield your ship against would be the lasers and particle beams. Evasive manouvers wouldn't work, a ship would be much to slow to dodge any missiles.
The distances involved would probably be huge, since you'd want to be able to detonate your warheads as far away from the target as possible, while still inflicting damage. This would also mean that you'd want as great a distance between yourself and your warheads as possible before detonation. Thusly; huge distances between combatants.
A space battle would thus boil down to;
*Speed of missiles
*Power of warheads
*Amount of missiles
*Amount of lasers/particle beams
With so few factors to a battle, a ship AI would probably be able to calculate who would win with near perfect certainty before the battle was fought, or at least concluded. This would leave time for the personel of the losing ship to evacuate before the conclusion of the battle. Thus the only thing lost in space warfare would be ships.
Fuck you science fiction.
I find that the most likely form of space combat-scenario would be huge lumbering craft firing swarms of missiles and counter-missiles at eachother from a great distance, and then hope for the best. The only viable strategy would be to have more missiles than the other guy, and having a lot of lasers/particle beams to take out incoming missiles before impact. A single hit to your ship would mean instant annihilation with nuclear warheads. The only thing you could viably shield your ship against would be the lasers and particle beams. Evasive manouvers wouldn't work, a ship would be much to slow to dodge any missiles.
The distances involved would probably be huge, since you'd want to be able to detonate your warheads as far away from the target as possible, while still inflicting damage. This would also mean that you'd want as great a distance between yourself and your warheads as possible before detonation. Thusly; huge distances between combatants.
A space battle would thus boil down to;
*Speed of missiles
*Power of warheads
*Amount of missiles
*Amount of lasers/particle beams
With so few factors to a battle, a ship AI would probably be able to calculate who would win with near perfect certainty before the battle was fought, or at least concluded. This would leave time for the personel of the losing ship to evacuate before the conclusion of the battle. Thus the only thing lost in space warfare would be ships.
Fuck you science fiction.