Lunar combat (was: Re: [OT] Moon Dragon Review?)

>Thomas Barclay wrote:
>
>> I'm not sure what the movement you are looking at is like, but I'd
>> imagine the following facts come into play:
>> 1. Banking to turn sharper is mostly (AFAIK) a technique that
>> utilizes air pressure to aide the turn (Hence the Star Wars fighter
>> game is true to the movies but an offence to physics)
>> 2. Gravity on the lunar surface is like 1/6th of earth. It is there,
>> but won't have as much pull as earth, hence dives to build up energy
>> will be less effective, and energy loses as one climbs will be less
>> pronounced.

AFAIK, diving in an airless environment will simply slam you into the
surface harder! With no air to act on lifting surfaces (wings,
whatever),
the only way to "pull out" of a dive is with raw thrust vectored
downwards.
Combat over the lunar surface should (IMHO) be just like combat in open
space, except for a 1/6 gee vector (decreasing with altitude?)
constantly
pulling you "down" toward the surface - in other words, use a vector
movement system with an automatic "gravity" vector applied to every move
in
addition to whatever thrust you apply.....

Jon (GZG)