[mxlm]

On that note, David Drake's Seas of Venus and Redliners. Sure, sure, no powered armor. But 'advanced technology vs. wtfwildlife'? Oh yes.

Battuta, do you have a fanfic website or something I can browse? Pretty please?

[deathfun]

A creature claw than can match a 30mm sabot round?
A carpace that is more resistant than our armor?

I think that would pretty much sum it up with less words used (talking about you general)

[Thaeris]

I need a railgun. Now.

[General Battuta]

A creature claw than can match a 30mm sabot round?
A carpace that is more resistant than our armor?

*picture of an Ultralisk*

I think that would pretty much sum it up with less words used (talking about you general)

The Zerg are not a naturally evolved species (set of species), and they are essentially technological artifacts built from organic matter using various kinds of unobtainium that allows them to match their technological foes. My point was to present a situation where the natural fauna, as part of a plausible ecosystem, could threaten a space marine type.

You're right, however, with regards to one point the Ultralisk brings up: you can probably build some truly incredible things biologically, including devices that match or even outstrip their technological counterparts in some respects. After a point, in fact, there's probably not much of a difference between the two.

[Aardwolf]

Landsharks in spaaaaace?

Hehehehe

[Topgun]

/thread

[General Battuta]

I don't think that thing could support its own body weight.

[NGTM-1R]

You people are really starved for good fiction if that's your reaction to Battuta's not-much-florish-or-anything work. o.0

[Scotty]

It might not be that heavy on the inside.  Just sayin'.

Anyway, that's Metroid Prime, which actually has composite ARMOR, not just carapace.

[General Battuta]

You people are really starved for good fiction if that's your reaction to Battuta's not-much-florish-or-anything work. o.0

Seriously. It was pretty spare. Fragmented and broken too. Still, it at least wasn't bogged down in adjectives and odd constructions.

[Mongoose]

The spareness was one of the things I liked about it.  It was very much an in-the-moment sort of description, instead of feeling like some sort of scripted narrative.  But really, I was just amazed that he was able to come up with some sort of crazy, lightning-spewing, killer flying jellyfish creatures right off the top of his head just to prove a point.

[Akalabeth Angel]

[deathfun]

The Zerg are not a naturally evolved species (set of species), and they are essentially technological artifacts built from organic matter ...My point was to present a situation where the natural fauna, as part of a plausible ecosystem...

You're right, however, with regards to one point the Ultralisk brings up: you can probably build some truly incredible things biologically, ...After a point, in fact, there's probably not much of a difference between the two.

Pssh, semantics.

Building biological things could in a sense be related to technology, but it's still a creature of biological nature which was my point.
Maybe these landsharks are incredibly advanced forms of life. I wouldn't know, I didn't know this existed until a few days ago.
Besides, that thing could really move. Anything that you can't hit is always a tough foe regardless of how strong it's carapace is.

[Scotty]

Perhaps this would qualify as a really Bad Thing to encounter, regardless of tech level? 

[Ransom]

You people are really starved for good fiction if that's your reaction to Battuta's not-much-florish-or-anything work. o.0

It's not stylistically or even technically impressive, no, but what is impressive is the level of confidence behind it. Of course it isn't of a professional standard - it's something he threw together to make a point on the internet. It still bespeaks a more than capable writer. I think I've got every right to react with fawning bedazzlement >:(

[NGTM-1R]

It's not stylistically or even technically impressive, no, but what is impressive is the level of confidence behind it. Of course it isn't of a professional standard - it's something he threw together to make a point on the internet. It still bespeaks a more than capable writer. I think I've got every right to react with fawning bedazzlement >

Perhaps, but I'm used to extemporizing lengthy, highly analytic discussion on The Internet^TM. The format changed here, true, but I'm not totally convinced that is enough to mark it out as something beyond the ordinary from stuff like The Shivan Manifesto or my subspace tactics discussion.

[Ransom]

The Shivan...? Man, I'm just expressing my desire to see something more substantial of Battuta's writing. Is that all right with you, NGTM-1R?

[Vidmaster]

you can probably build some truly incredible things biologically, including devices that match or even outstrip their technological counterparts in some respects. After a point, in fact, there's probably not much of a difference between the two.

There's a point. Almost every technology invented nowadays is based on nature's solution for some problem. For example, take a look at the lotus effect. However, I need to add one other thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZR5sfj9A2M

man, I love this guy. Together with Yathzee and Daniel Floyd, he sits in Olympus of most enteraining but still very interesting video creators.

[TrashMan]

The point the book makes is a valid one, though. The Europeans didn't wipe out their American competition through military force, after all. They had biological superiority based on years of living with domesticated animals in crowded urban environments.

And native americans didn't live "close" to nature? C'mon.
There was no biological superiority. It was just good/bad luck that a germ they weren't ready for jumped. It might as well gone the other way around.

*SNIPPED PARAGRAPH*

Interesting vision of a future space battle. However, that creature you're describing?
I wonder what freaky evolution would ever come up with sonmething like that..I consider bumping into my time traveling evil twin more likely.

Oh, and my rant was more directed to large-scale implications (battles) rather than a single marine. In some universe you have races that travel from planet to planet in organic, living ships and wage war (like Zerg, the Tyranids) Now THAT is bull****.

Not to mention that coming up with a silly creature doesn't prove anything. I can come up with rifles that fire miniature black holes, and as such can devour any creature you can come up with. This really is going nowhere.

[TrashMan]

A creature claw than can match a 30mm sabot round?
A carpace that is more resistant than our armor?

I think that would pretty much sum it up with less words used (talking about you general)

Aha...because an imaginary fictionaly creature that makes no sense is somehow the ultimate proof?

People see an ant and say "You know, he can carry 50 times it's own weight! How dangerous would it be if it was as big as a human? Or bigger!" Thing is, it doesn't work that way.
Just cause some property exists doens't mean you can scale it up and improve it a thousand fold. Not to say that nature can't come up with amazing, effective and dangerous things.

We KNOW humans can build railguns that can cut trough tank armor if needed. We know we can build advanced alloys and servos.
There's nothing indicating that nature can keep up. Right now we're reaching redicolous levels of firepower and armor is falling behind.