Thoughts on Alien weapons' technology in Crysis

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the theoretical possibilities of alien weapon technologies as depicted in the video game Crysis, particularly focusing on concepts like the "Molecular Arrestor" freeze ray and wormholes. Participants explore the feasibility of such technologies from a scientific perspective, touching on thermodynamics, energy manipulation, and speculative applications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the thermodynamic feasibility of a freeze ray, noting that rapidly removing energy from an object presents significant challenges.
  • Others argue that while the concept of wormholes is fictional, it could theoretically be used to achieve a freeze effect by connecting to a cold location.
  • One participant suggests that a device akin to a flamethrower could potentially use liquid helium to freeze targets, but raises concerns about the effectiveness due to helium's low heat capacity.
  • Another participant speculates on the possibility of aliens using advanced technologies to manipulate negative energy instead of conventional weapons like nuclear arms.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the plausibility of the game's weapon technologies, emphasizing that gameplay often prioritizes entertainment over scientific accuracy.
  • There is a discussion about the narrative implications of alien races using outdated technology, with some participants finding it less compelling.
  • One participant mentions the relativity of time in science fiction, referencing a book that explores the effects of time dilation on soldiers and technological advancement.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the feasibility of the discussed technologies. While some acknowledge the fictional nature of the weapons, others explore the theoretical underpinnings and express differing views on their plausibility.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes speculative reasoning about advanced technologies and their implications, with participants acknowledging the limitations of current scientific understanding and the fictional context of the game.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in the intersection of science fiction and theoretical physics, as well as those exploring the plausibility of advanced technologies in gaming narratives.

sunapi386
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The http://crysis.wikia.com/wiki/Weapons#Aliens" - are they theoretically possible?

The weapon "Molecular Arrestor" is basically a freeze ray, is this thermodynamically possible? Freezing something would require removing energy - how something have its energy removed that rapidly makes it intriguing.
 
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This is fiction.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
This is fiction.

Creating a wormhole is also fiction - but theoretically possible.
 
sunapi386 said:
Creating a wormhole is also fiction - but theoretically possible.

Don't confuse two separate issues.

Wormholes are theorized and the fiction came from that.

Your 'weapons' are fiction and you are asking if we can come up with theory to support them.
 
Look at it this way. We can currently put particles in a chamber and cool them to extremely low temperatures using magnetic fields, lasers, and liquid helium. The step up from that to your freeze ray is a huge chasm. Is it "possible"? I would say only if this weapon could use similar concepts but at a distance somehow. The amount of problems you would have to solve are many. Knowing how and when to apply the exact frequency of laser to each particle, removing energy faster than it is generated, getting the em fields exactly right, all of these are so far from workable currently that it might as well be impossible.
 
Ironically for this thread, a wormhole could produce the freeze effect. You momentarily connect the target to a really cold place via wormhole and- voila.
 
I see no reason why you could not build a "flame thrower" type device that pumps out liquid helium instead of a flame. That might freeze your victim if he is caught i the spray. It wouldn't be a beam, it might be more like a fire hydrant type thing, except for freezing victims.

John.
 
John37309 said:
build a "flame thrower" type device that pumps out liquid helium instead of a flame

I guess it's possible; but the weapon supposedly freezes things near instantaneous, which might be a problem with helium because of its low heat capacity. Things like us humans have mostly water composition, so that might take a while!

Antiphon said:
momentarily connect the target to a really cold place via wormhole and- voila.

If they had that technology, it might be easier to teleport things away from the battlefield into some other place - like a star/space/blackhole, and never worry about it again. :redface:
Maybe these things can manipulate negative energy? Why wouldn't aliens (in games) use nuclear weapons - that seems simple and effective.
 
sunapi386 said:
Maybe these things can manipulate negative energy? Why wouldn't aliens (in games) use nuclear weapons - that seems simple and effective.

It's a dramatic letdown in a story when the advanced species' best weapon is one that the primitives themselves invented 66 years ago.

Aliens using nukes is like the X-men using explosive charges.
 
  • #10
sunapi386 said:
Why wouldn't aliens (in games) use nuclear weapons...

Because it's a game.

Playable first. Plausible hardly factors into it.

If you like your adventures plausible, forget the joystick and pick up a book instead.
 
  • #11
Antiphon said:
Aliens using nukes is like the X-men using explosive charges.
Hmm. That is absolutely logical!

DaveC426913 said:
If you like your adventures plausible, forget the joystick and pick up a book instead.

Agreed. Any good futuristic sci-fi book suggestions?
Also Mass Effect was believable game, better in comparison.
 
  • #12
sunapi386 said:
Agreed. Any good futuristic sci-fi book suggestions?
Well, what's your preference? War?

Joe Haldeman's The Forever War is a classic.

Soldiers do their tours of duty over ten or twenty years but, due to relativistic time dilation, they must do so in the context of a thousand years of technological advancement and cultural evolution of humankiind.
 

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