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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Nim: [QB] I like the original Constitution design, don't get me wrong. But when I look at a ship, I also take in what I've seen it do so far. TOS phasers and torpedoes, when used, are more often than not met with the response "no effect, captain". Sure, a lot of the time the target is an omnipotent or indestructible object, but it still makes the ship feel toothless in the current scenario. It's usually a narrative setup for a peaceful or tricky resolution, but there you go. Every time you use a weapon in a story, whether it's a novel, a series/movie or a computer game, there is a currency to it, a balance. It can be a punch, a sword/lightsaber swing, a gun, a ship's laser or missile, but there are factors you take in: sound (discharge and/or impact) speed (to target) speed/rate of follow-up shots effect on target/surroundings average accuracy For example, a loud weapon that is slow to reload and has no real effect on the enemy (klingon attacks on V'Ger, 1701-D barrage on Q) appears cumbersome or underpowered. A weapon that is [i]really fast[/i] but has no effect on the enemy (SMGs against Robocop) seems weak on a "per shot" basis. A weapon accurately used, quick on follow-up shots and that visually affects the target (USS Excelsior on Chang, 1701-E on Borg Cube) seems effective. A weapon that fires quickly and accurately, makes a confident sound and decimates the enemy (Defiant v First Jem'Hadar, Obi-Wan in Mos Eisley Cantina) appears awesome. Loud noise, high rate of follow-up attacks but no effect or consequence on enemy (Obi-Wan/Anakin endless fight in ROTS, ALL Kung Fu movies after Bruce Lee and before Tony Jaa, Jango Fett's chittering lasers in AOTC) feel boring, underpowered and annoying. Low noise, slow follow-up attacks but great effect on surroundings and target (Vader in Cloud City, Macross SDF-1 main gun) looks awesome. Also, ammo availability affects things. A lone person with one weapon, scarce ammo and good aim makes every shot like a precious gem (latter half of Die Hard, Sniper, No Country for Old Men), but with abundant or unlimited ammo and bad aim (Matrix 2&3, Ultraviolet, Clone Troopers everywhere) the impact is deflated fast. Tempo is another thing. Movies/shows that have fights which go into auto-mode and can continue while the opponents are talking (all swordfights in Pirates of Caribbean, Insurrection-Son'a ship battle) throws the martial currency out the window. Wake me up when it's over. That's also why I to this day defend the final confrontation in Nemesis. For all the movie's faults, the battle had intensity, goal-oriented attacks and maneuvers, game-changes with addition of new players, and consequences (oxygen trails, damage). Also, Daniel Craig's bar fight in "Cowboys and Aliens". Clean, neat and sublimely edited. Anyway, we were talking about TOS ships. Because of the limited FX and drawn-out encounters, all Trek battles felt bumbling to me, up until TWOK. The TOS-movies were great, then TNG got bumbling and slow again, up until "Q Who", IIRC. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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