Melee Weapon: Laser Blade

[Encha]

i had this concept from a old FPS MMO i used to play called Neocron. i dont know if a simlar thing exists in the game you have or not. just an idea.

ive tried searching the net but theres no real ingame picture to use as reference. but they came in simlar shapes to each other. different colours for the stages that there was.

mk1 being blue, mk2 yellow , mk3 gold/red ish.

Basically a Lazer Blade (laser) not to be confused with a star wars lightsaber. as its always on when in the hand.




you can see the Mk3 one in this youtube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFC-Xyl0Wck

and 2 of the best videos based on PVP there is. i think they some of the laserblades in action. not sure where. atleast the musics good listen to...
some the videos were speeded up even tho some last 10 mins. because the ingame wars lasted hours.

you briefly get to see one 2mins and 6 mins a brief moment also in the yellow one.


and 2 mins in the red one here. and blue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tdVbg5qwm4

its seen here. not in action...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxECz9i8tzk

[Jarkill]

No reason to exist. Is slightly superior version of kerrblade but with battery drain. But the kerrblade kind of does this function (cutting through infantry). Or a non-holsterable weaker version of that-panzerfaust-meelee-weapon-thing (it's been a while).

The "panzerfaust" is superior in every way, really. There is no reason for this to exist in game.

[Encha]

in this game the blade never had a battery.

it was permanant on.

[Destructavator]

No reason to exist. Is slightly superior version of kerrblade but with battery drain. But the kerrblade kind of does this function (cutting through infantry). Or a non-holsterable weaker version of that-panzerfaust-meelee-weapon-thing (it's been a while).

The "panzerfaust" is superior in every way, really. There is no reason for this to exist in game.

Not only is there not a reason, but I don't think it really could even if there was a "reason" - the only hope a new energy/laser/whatever weapon would have of making it into this game would be if someone actually built one in real life that really functions - meaning it would be possible to really exist.  This game is meant to focus on the more realistic, hard sci-fi, the stuff that could really happen, *not* the fantasy-ish type of sci-fi like Star Wars.

[Encha]

yeah. well i was only trying to throw you some ideas..  wasnt an actual Plee for it to be in...

as theres no Idea throw thread just requests. i put it in here.

[Encha]

although theres alot of weapons that dont even exist in real life. in UFO games.  whether its laser, plasma, fusion. but still you have them in games...

a "reason" - the only hope a new energy/laser/whatever weapon would have of making it into this game would be if someone actually built one in real life that really functions - meaning it would be possible to really exist.

non of this technology exists in real life. but it's still put into games. that are specifically viewed on Alien invasions or takeovers. or sci fi.

half the stuff they put in UFO games or Xcom, dont really exist. it's fictional. but it plays and people use them. not because they don't exist in real life or have actually been built.

but non the less it was a idea. not a request.

[Destructavator]

Whoa...   I'm just explaining how the design for this particular project goes, that it attempts to be as realistic as possible - I'm not trying to start a big argument or really put you on the defensive - Please don't take it that way.

[vedrit]

although theres alot of weapons that dont even exist in real life. in UFO games.  whether its laser, plasma, fusion. but still you have them in games...

I beg to differ. Sure, they may not be militarized, but its obvious that weapons based on these "sci-fi techs" isnt too far from the horizon.
You know why they call "Plasma TVs" plasma? Because thats what they use. Thats why they have to warm up before you can see anything.
Fusion is a bit trickier. It doesnt exist is the sense I think we are all thinking of, but its happening. An atom smasher is New York smashed some gold atoms together to generate a temperature of some 4 trillion degrees celsius. If that were applied to energy production, you could flash-evaporate the 4 Great Lakes and use that to spin some steam turbines. And then some. The report I read stated that the temperature was high enough that the electrons, protons and neutrons melted into smaller parts.

[zapkitty]

I beg to differ. Sure, they may not be militarized, but its obvious that weapons based on these "sci-fi techs" isnt too far from the horizon.
You know why they call "Plasma TVs" plasma? Because thats what they use. Thats why they have to warm up before you can see anything.

You just can't fire high-energy plasma at someone like a projectile without running into a host of problems that seem insurmountable at this point.

Fusion is a bit trickier. It doesnt exist is the sense I think we are all thinking of, but its happening.

Controlled fusion generators have been available commercially for many decades... but as radiation sources, not power sources.

Controlled fusion of lighter elements into heavier elements in a manner that generates more usable power than the reaction consumes (net power) is the key issue now.

But the fusion of elements heavier than nickel consumes more power than it generates so net power from those reactions is impossible. Particle collision experiments of the type you mention don't generate net power from fusing gold atoms... the researchers are after other things.

[Legendman3]

If you look around popsci.com theres some articles of some laser weapons on planes, one on a laser truck, and one on the Air Force using a spaceship with the manuverability of a airplane that is currently in classification black and has a test launch this month. Or was that popular mechanics...

[Encha]

Whoa...   I'm just explaining how the design for this particular project goes, that it attempts to be as realistic as possible - I'm not trying to start a big argument or really put you on the defensive - Please don't take it that way.

i know Destro. i didnt mean to sound defensive. its just how i read things from time to time. i'm dyslexic so i have troubles reading things so from time to time i get the wrong point on how someone says something. but its all cool.

You know why they call "Plasma TVs" plasma?

yeah i know that fact but i was more less talking about Weaponary, Grenades, Cannons  etc.  not the actual Tv's we have IRL.

technology is slowely happening yes. but not as everyone else see's it. ofc.

If you look around popsci.com theres some articles of some laser weapons on planes, one on a laser truck, and one on the Air Force using a spaceship with the manuverability of a airplane that is currently in classification black and has a test launch this month. Or was that popular mechanics...

yeah i know thier thinking about mounting some laser type weapons on to military type aircraft as a means to shoot down incoming missles, RPG type rockets something simlar, i didnt read the entire article.

[Prinegon]

I think, the problem with the laser sword is not, it doesn't exist, but it doesn't make sence after all.

In all equipment integrated into the game there is a kind of explanation, how this gear could work and why it works the way it does. If you take the plasma blade for example, it is not a blade made out of plasma (cause that would be impossible cause of plasma being liquid) nor lets say, ionic plasma formed to a blade through a magnetic field (a pseudo explanation, but still, what good would a liquid blade do, that a solid blade dont?), but more like a plasma contact mine, once attached glued to the uniform and releasing plasma to the surface of your amour in a vacuum. There is an explanation, how it works, and it is imaginable to be useful against heavy amour, so there is a reason, why it exists.

The concept of a laser sword doesn't meet both requirements. There is no explanation how this could exist, because laser is light, that wouldn't stop shining at the end of the blade and because of it being light, one of the most important things, you would have to be able to do with a sword: defending ; wouldn't be doable. First there would have to be a pseudo explanation explaining the existence of a laser sword, before I'd like to see this weapon integrated in this game. And, well, there would have to be an explanation, too, why a laser rifle empties a df-ammo in some minutes autofire, while a laser sword should be turned on all the time without using ammunition.

[TrashMan]

Lighsabers/showrs...blah


You can create similar but more believalbe melee weapons.

Something like the Thunderhammer (from WH40K) or thundersword. A weapon that stores a electrical charge and unleashes it only on impact.

[Sgt. Hatter]

i had this concept from a old FPS MMO i used to play called Neocron. i dont know if a simlar thing exists in the game you have or not. just an idea.

ive tried searching the net but theres no real ingame picture to use as reference. but they came in simlar shapes to each other. different colours for the stages that there was.

Basically a Lazer Blade (laser) not to be confused with a star wars lightsaber. as its always on when in the hand.

I think Jarkill raised a good point earlier that deserves restating.  There's nothing this weapon doesn't do that isn't already covered by the Kerrblade, mono-knife, and possibly the disposable plasma blade.

Really, there's a reason why we stopped using swords seriously when man-portable firearms were popularized; guns are more practical.  This is why the closest weapon you'll find to a sword on most modern battlefields is a combat knife.  Combat knives are both serviceable weapons and serve a number of other functions, and are portable.  For a laser-sword to be practical, it'd have to be more portable than a combat knife and useful for at least as many purposes, which I don't really see it accomplishing.

From a game balance perspective, how often would a laser-sword really be used?  Human soldiers tend to die in under 3 hits from aliens; less if your soldier has low HP or is under-armored.  The only time moving to point-blank range would be more practical than shooting is if you are guaranteed to kill the victim by getting in their face with enough TUs left to launch an attack.  This aspect of melee warfare is already covered by the disposable Plasma Blade, which is basically a 1-use instakill so long as you can get to melee range to use it.

Laser-swords are not only crazy-farfetched from a fluff/flavor standpoint, but they're also impractical from a gameplay standpoint.  I can't really support this one; sorry.

[TrashMan]

Melee weapons do have uses in specific circumstances.
Close quarter areas with lots and lots of obstacles, that make sneaking up on a an enemy easy, etc..