Re: Nannite Torpedo

On Tue, 18 May 1999 devans@uneb.edu wrote:

> ***
> Michael Brown <mkkabrow@wco.com> wrote:
> > I think nannites fall in to the same category as time machines and
> teleportation; once discovered would get rapidly and wildly out of
hand.
>      Think of a biological virus - it's a nano-machine designoid
produced by
> evolutionary processes. See:
> ***
> 
> And people call me wacko...

yep :-) uh, you are an ft guy, right? it pretty much goes with the
territory.

> Ok, nano-tech is much closer than time travel or teleporting, tho'
less than
> you seem to think, IMHO, but that wasn't the point. The point was that
once
> invoked on the battlefield, it becomes FM, and people seem to claim it
can
> do anything.

assume for the sake of argument that nanotech is possible and will be
practical quite soon. when the nano revolution comes, it will change
everything. we won't be fighting with starships, tanks and infantrymen
any
more.

> Simply put, if one side has a nano advantage, the battle is already
decided,
> game is uninteresting. If nano-tech is balanced, it cancels out, and
has
> no effect on the game. Sort of like stealth. Or Psi.

sort of. the effect would be like the introduction of guns: once it had
reached maturity, warfare would be very different, at the tactical level
at least. generals would still be pushing flags round on maps, of
course,
just different flags.

consequently, whilst nano combat will doubtless be interesting, just as
regular hard-sf / space-opera combat is, it won't be playable within
FT/DS/SG. that is my theory, which is what it is.

tom