Re: Re[2]: Re[2]: Re[2]: coupla Full Thrust questions inspire s

Most incoming fire trackers for infantry rely on acoustic sensors to 
follow the Compressed sound waves to the source of the round. They 
are relatively easy to baffle with preparation. The US army has some 
Hummers rigged up with them in Bosnia to help with the sniper 
problem. Ship vs Ship combat in REAL Life presents us with a nnumber 
of possible tactics if we assume sensors are radar reliant instead of 
Gravitic reliant. (more reliable to see if that moving object really 
IS 10,000MT mass as opposed to a painted balloon) but really useful 
mass sensors are still a bit beyond our tech. If I were a starship 
captain, I would have something similar to the Traveller Sandcasters 
loaded with EM absorbent "stealth marbles" that would double as a 
radar absorbent screen and a laser absorptive layer. If the RAM 
marbles are dense enough it would also detonate incoming warheads. 
You then have "tethered sensors" that you extend past the cloud to 
localize your enemy. If the cloud is a halo 2-3 times the size of 
your vessel, you simply shuttle back and forth within the coasting 
cloud, making it harder to hit you. If you maneuver,you lose the 
cloud until it is regenerated. A standoff nuke detonation could be 
used to strip the cloud off a target vessel, with follow-on munitions 
for target attack. Just my two pence........
Mike Wikan
Game Design\Conceptual Art
n-Space, Inc.