This discussion really ought to be split off and moved to the GFD board.
were forced to cut whole parts out in order to Release FS2 on time. Atmospheric mission, like those in Colony Wars Vengeance, were supposed to be included, but had to be dropped. As were Subspace Missile Artillery Strike Weapons. The targeting laser in FS2 is probably a left over of these SMAS weapons - The Laser would be used to light the target, like the tag missiles do, whereupon a series of missiles would emerge from subspace. (Sorta Subspace Cruise Missiles).
I imagine that the Maxim was originally planned to be a ballistic weapon with an ammo counter, but
didn't have time to get the ammo limit to work, so they cut it and added that bull-hockey "Energy weapon that acts like a mass driver" part
Besides the Tech entry on the Maxim contradicts itself. It says that it says that that it is an Energy Weapon that behaves like a mass driver, then says that it fires uranium slugs.
As a physics student, i can tell you that an Energy weapon that behaves like a mass driver, is a particle accelerator (like they have at CERN). In theory, these could be used as weapons, and they are in many sci-fi (Particle Cannons, Positron Cannons etc).
The equivalent for a physical object, such as a uranium slug, is called a mass driver. A non-weaponised application of the Mass Driver is the MagLev (like the JR-MagLev in Japan).
Of course there could theoretically exist hybrids of particle and mass drivers, that fire particle streams as well as a physical shell, and the Maxim, as it exists currently, would fall into the Hybrid category.
Now don't start saying that im wrong, because only
can do that. You can't prove me wrong, but likewise i can't prove myself right. Result - Stalemate, Impass, Draw...unless someone can contact
and talk to someone from the FS2 team.
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Whew. Thank god thats over - i was starting to "sound" like TrashMan
Now after that massive surge of Techno-babble (and for once i actually understood it)...
I don't know whether the Railgun will be used. It would be cool to use one of these "never used" primaries.
But i do have it on good authority that the Hades will use it's shivan "Lucifer beams".
