• Diuretic_Materialism [he/him]
    hexagon
    ·
    11 hours ago

    Yah know it would be a funny SciFi book/game concept to have some future where some high authority allowed war but forbade any civilian casualties so now all countries conduct war in this ritualistic way where they have to clearly mark all their bases in isolated places and battle locations had to be preplanned less the orbiting AI kill us all with space lasers.

    • barrbaric [he/him]
      ·
      edit-2
      8 hours ago

      There's an episode of Star Trek TOS where they discover a pair of planets that have been at war forever. They have done away with actual physical warfare, since that would damage their infrastructure to unacceptable levels, and instead just simulate the results of bombing and tell each other who died. Everyone who the computer determines dies is notified and then shows up to the war facilities to be disintegrated.

    • SpiderFarmer [he/him]
      ·
      11 hours ago

      Probably a thing, but military science fiction tends to bore me too much to find out.

    • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
      ·
      11 hours ago

      "We are warning you. If you go down this path - we're going to destroy Alpha Base."

      "That would be very foolish. We would respond by destroying your Base Z-12."

      "But that would mean..."

      The orbiting AI kill us all with space lasers.

      That could be in the sequel.

      • REgon [they/them]
        ·
        edit-2
        5 minutes ago

        You could also go in another direction with it where war becomes a constant negotiation.
        "We would like to bomb your arms manufactories three days from now. In return we will allow you to strike three minor ports or one major with 5 days notice."
        "Unacceptable, we will not give you more than two days notice or you can move away too much of the goods in the ports."
        "Are you mad? We can't move away all the civilians with just two days notice. 4 days notice, one major port and one minor. Take it or leave it."
        "Hmm you drive a hard bargain. You have a deal, but we want favourable terms next meeting"
        "Fine, I'll have the mediator take it into account next time. Well, this has been productive. Have a nice day and may you die like the dog you are, swine."
        "Thank you and drive safe on your way home on your shitty roads in your terrible country you godcursed cattlefucker."

      • kristina [she/her]
        ·
        10 hours ago

        yeah itd be even better if you have all the characters refuse to discuss the elephant in the room and have the viewer wonder why all these military operations are happening in the middle of nowhere

      • Diuretic_Materialism [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        11 hours ago

        It would probably just evolve into an arms race to make the best SpecOps team to break into the Capitol Buildings (also in a desert) of other countries, but then all countries would keep investing in more elaborate security systems. So soon countries would just end up pitting their SpecOps teams against each other in arenas. Basically we'd end up bringing back Samurai.

        • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
          ·
          edit-2
          10 hours ago

          It would probably just evolve into an arms race...

          To nip that in the bud - the original Star Trek had an episode where war on Eminiar VII and Vendikar was simulated but deaths were real.

          A Taste of Armageddon

          During a supposed attack by Vendikar, Anan 7 explains that the war is conducted as a computer simulation, and that the Enterprise has been "destroyed" in the attack. The two planets have a treaty, according to which they must kill the "victims" of every simulated attack. The crew are therefore expected to report to Eminiar's disintegration chambers for execution, and Kirk's party is taken captive.