From: Doug Evans <devans@n...>
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2001 07:53:54 -0600
Subject: Re: [SG]The Nanite Revolution (and an [FT] macro side-bar)
I've always been twitchy about introducing nanite tech, but this certainly is a less game-killing FM. Is the time frame resonable, though? I would have thought the lil' buggers would have taken more time just spreading out, though I'm sure others would mention an aerosol, than your whole descriptive process. Perhaps spray the yard, come back in days to weeks? You're probably right about still needing supply of materials. Tin cans are still tin cans, and not the only materials you'd need for power suits. Also, I don't have a particular problem with 'Santa Claus machines', and nanite tech would be a powerful part of such, but I'm not certain relying on JUST nanites would be the best way. Seems more likely I'd drive up a jeep-sized item, then walk away as it would scoop up the junk, digest, and create more similar workers, automatically. I still don't see a big change to the game mechanics, but perhaps someone else can shoot down my image of how the lil' buggers would work. As an aside, though not totally unrelated, I was recently reading the rules to an older game, Rocket Flight from Sierra Madre, and noticed the designer was fascinated by bugs-in-space. Not the micro-organism variety, but bioenginered space spiders and the like. His examples of the fact that insects and arachnids have powerful sphincters(spiracules) that might work for sealing up in space, and bombadier beetles use a hypergolic self-defense that might work as a miniature rocket motor didn't seem particularly convincing to me, but is anyone else aware of studies/thought problems in this area?