- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: Choirboysquirrel
While you make a compelling point, you can't be limited to a projectile-centric view. I have a few thoughts about the reasons why might not be using bullets in a half millenia or so:
Inefficiency - the current methods of launching a bullet (gunpowder) are wasteful. Also, the very idea of bullets origionates from, for lack of a better term, a spray and pray method, like a cannon firing grapeshot. While our aim has gotten much better due to rifling, a non-tracking weapon is still inefficient, especially over distance. Hence the developement of tracking weapons, such as missles, which I would also postulate would not be grouped in a similar catagory to bullets.
I also think that different types of weapony altogether would be the likely weapon of the future. What of chemical/biological warfare? And new materials are "discovered" all the time... And I think that some sort of energy source developement, to either power or actually be the weapon, is very likely within 500 years, with the impending depletion of our fossil fuels leading us to continue to explore these options.
I'd like to see improvements made to the microwave guns that they have/are developing for riot control (it heats your skin, feels like a reallllllly bad sumburn), and turn it into a -blam!- death ray. A heat ray gun would definately be my HALO2 weapon of choice.
A new energy source...first of all, we are having trouble switching away from oil even when our #1 enemies around the world have us by the balls because of that very substance. secondly, how would that energy source power a mass-producable, cheap, efficient weapon? It wont.
As for new weapons, how would a microwave gun be able to be used in war? Defeating an army would be damn near impossible!!! I can see 1 or 2 rioters but millions of covenant? I dont think so.
And New Materials... For the most part, our material discovering days are over. Of course there are always composites yet to be found but they can only advance technological bounds so far. And not quick enough to have energy weapons in 500 years.