History Analysis / KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter

One of the point that many might have missed is the sheer '''[[SwissArmyWeapon variety]]''' of [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells payloads]] the same [[{{BFG}} guns]] or [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]] can deliver. Your BFG need to punch through the armor of their CoolTank? Depleted Uranium sabot rounds answers that question. A group of [[GlassCannon lightly armored infantry]] trying to [[ZergRush rush your tank]]? [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Canister shots]] and [[FlechetteStorm beehive rounds]] will make them think twice about that. Enemies holed up in a building and trying to set up an ambush? An [[StuffBlowingUp HE shell]] would level the building and turn whoever inside that building into hamburger. Someone holed up in trenches? [[AreaOfEffect Airburst HE rounds]] would clear them out in no time. The aforementioned HE didn't do the trick for enemies holed up in more elaborate bunkers? Try [[KillItWithFire napalm and white phosphorus]]. Something you don't like flying towards you? [[MacrossMissileMassacre A few]] [[{{Roboteching}} guided]] fragmentation shells with would surely blow it out of the sky. An echelon of tanks passing through a valley? Some [[RecursiveAmmo cluster ammo]] would send them a clear message. And God forbid someone who decides to use some more [[WeaponOfMassDestruction destructive]] payloads in their weapons, say, a good-old [[NuclearOption thermonuclear device]], some DeadlyGas, or some sort of ArtificialPlague... Yeah, HumansAreWarriors after all, and we just [[EveryoneHasStandards realized]] there are some weapons that are '''[[GoneHorriblyRight too]]''' [[GoneHorriblyRight efficient]] at killing what we still need alive, or some other weapons that kills enemies in such [[NauseaFuel gruesome]] [[NightmareFuel fashions]] that we've [[HeelRealization gone too far]] and we need to [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar put restrictions on them]] to protect our own kin.

One of the point that many might have missed is the sheer '''[[SwissArmyWeapon variety]]''' of [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells payloads]] the same [[{{BFG}} guns]] or [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]] can deliver. Your BFG need to punch through the armor of their CoolTank? Depleted Uranium sabot rounds answers that question. A group of [[GlassCannon lightly armored RPG mooks]] trying to [[ZergRush rush your tank]]? [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Canister shots]] and [[FlechetteStorm beehive rounds]] will make them think twice about that. Enemies holed up in a building and trying to set up an ambush? An artillery strike with [[StuffBlowingUp HE rounds]] would level the building and turn whoever inside that building into hamburger. Someone holed up in trenches? [[AreaOfEffect Airburst HE rounds]] would clear them out in no time. The aforementioned HE didn't do the trick for enemies holed up in more elaborate bunkers? Try [[KillItWithFire napalm and white phosphorus]]. A cruise missile flying towards you? [[MacrossMissileMassacre A few]] [[{{Roboteching}} guided]] missiles/artillery rounds with fragmentation tips would blow it out of the sky. An echelon of tanks passing through a valley? A few [[RecursiveAmmo cluster bombs]] from a [[DeathFromAbove nearby bomber]] would send them a clear message. And God forbid someone who decides to use some more [[WeaponOfMassDestruction destructive]] payloads in their weapons, say, a good-old [[NukeEm thermonuclear device]], some DeadlyGas, or some sort of ArtificialPlague... Yeah, HumansAreWarriors after all, and we just [[EveryoneHasStandards realized]] there are some weapons that are '''[[GoneHorriblyRight too]]''' [[GoneHorriblyRight efficient]] at killing what we still need alive, or some other weapons that kills enemies in such [[NauseaFuel gruesome]] [[NightmareFuel fashions]] that we've [[HeelRealization gone too far]] and we need to [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar put restrictions on them]] to protect our own kin.

In the world of science fiction, there would be no doubt that artillery pieces and missiles would deliver ever more exotic payloads to combat the plethora of enemies they may encounter. If the setting have DeflectorShields, it will be all but expected to see warheads designed to either defeat it or circumvent it. Against a HordeOfAlienLocusts, [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar there would surely be less restrictions]] than if such weapons are used against humans. When an [[RobotWar army of robots]] invade, a barrage of {{EMP}} missiles fired from beyond the horizon might be what ultimately turns the tide of war. Fundamentally changing the type of attacks dealt by a directed-energy weapon means changing the weapon itself (if possible at all), but changing that on a kinetic weapon just means the next round loaded into the chamber would have a different shape and coloring.

Directed energy weapons might also have an edge over projectile weapons on choosing the fire rate and lethality of each attack depending on how they work in-universe. Granted, having [[Blog/ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG settings ranging]] from [[Franchise/StarTrek stun]] to "[[EarthShatteringKaboom Blow Up]] [[Franchise/StarWars Alderran]]" would be less than likely, but genuinely trading fire rate for lethality and vice versa would be a bonus. Selection between fire rate of projectile weapons ultimately boils down to whether [[AttackItsWeakpoint accuracy]] or [[MoreDakka covering the area with fire and lead]] is more important, as the lethality behind each attack would not be affected by the rate of fire (for missiles and any chemically-propelled guns smaller than a [[{{BFG}} proper artillery piece]]), and all ammo of the same weapon, regardless of the type and lethality, would most likely take up around the same amount of space (yes, lower-powered shots requires less powder bags, but you still need storage for shells; same thing goes for [[MagneticWeapons rail- and gauss-]] type weapons). Energy weapons, especially solid-state lasers, can trade between fire rate and energy output more easily as long as such weapons do not use throw-away heat sinks and as long as their capacitors and cooling systems allow.

One of the point that many might have missed is the sheer '''[[SwissArmyWeapon variety]]''' of payloads the same [[{{BFG}} guns]] or [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]] can deliver. Your BFG need to punch through the armor of their CoolTank? Depleted Uranium sabot rounds answers that question. A group of [[GlassCannon lightly armored RPG mooks]] trying to [[ZergRush rush your tank]]? [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Canister shots]] and [[FlechetteStorm beehive rounds]] will make them think twice about that. Enemies holed up in a building and trying to set up an ambush? An artillery strike with [[StuffBlowingUp HE rounds]] would level the building and turn whoever inside that building into hamburger. Someone holed up in trenches? [[AreaOfEffect Airburst HE rounds]] would clear them out in no time. The aforementioned HE didn't do the trick for enemies holed up in more elaborate bunkers? Try [[KillItWithFire napalm and white phosphorus]]. A cruise missile flying towards you? [[MacrossMissileMassacre A few]] [[{{Roboteching}} guided]] missiles/artillery rounds with fragmentation tips would blow it out of the sky. An echelon of tanks passing through a valley? A few [[RecursiveAmmo cluster bombs]] from a [[DeathFromAbove nearby bomber]] would send them a clear message. And God forbid someone who decides to use some more [[WeaponOfMassDestruction destructive]] payloads in their weapons, say, a good-old [[NukeEm thermonuclear device]], some DeadlyGas, or some sort of ArtificialPlague... Yeah, HumansAreWarriors after all, and we just [[EveryoneHasStandards realized]] there are some weapons that are '''[[GoneHorriblyRight too]]''' [[GoneHorriblyRight efficient]] at killing what we still need alive, or some other weapons that kills enemies in such [[NauseaFuel gruesome]] [[NightmareFuel fashions]] that we've [[HeelRealization gone too far]] and we need to [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar put restrictions on them]] to protect our own kin.

* Rebuttal to this particular opposition: Who said "kinetic" is supposed to exclusively mean "kinetic energy penetrators" and "kinetic kill vehicles"? If a directed-energy weapon would be powerful enough to melt/blast through the enemy armor, would it be possible to put [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells something with a similar power output]] on a more [[{{BFG}} kinetic-based]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre delivery system]]? If wars in human history have told us anything, if you can effectively kill enemies at a range where they cannot fight back, and manages to keep that range advantage, you win. There's a good reason reason why guns replaced swords, anti-ship missiles and anti-tank missiles replaced dive-bombers, and aircraft carriers replaced battleships. Unless such warheads and payloads CANNOT exist due to certain in-universe restrictions (e.g. haven't been developed yet, or are in short supply), there would be few reasons on why they are not used. Of course, if the energy output of the [[WaveMotionGun weapon]] needs to be high enough to cause a local extinction event, then yup, I don't think we are going to take the curvature of the planet into account - [[OrbitalBombardment shooting]] [[KillSat from]] [[ColonyDrop orbit]] would be a much safer bet.

Projectile weapons, by nature of having a projectile at all, can (theoretically) be intercepted. With energy weapons, you can only decoy the targetting sensor or force the beam to go through more armour or shielding. Depending on technology, once evasion is impossible, it may be easier to simply deflect or destroy incoming rounds than spoof sensors or equip better passive defences. Going back to ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Payloads would add to the firepower, but no one uses powered missiles any more because strong point defence has obsoleted them. Or consider ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': missiles can do .9c easily and are rightly feared in the banned planetary bombardment role for that. However, in the antiship role, they rely on bomb-pumped FrickinLaserBeams rather than kinetic impact due to the strength of point defence, which can intercept them tens of thousands of km away from the target starship.

For the WaveMotionGun you need to consider the heat balance, design complex energy conduits, build labyrinthine cooling systems (often with [[Film/ANewHope very conveniently placed exhaust vents]]), etc., each of which would waste some of the energy as per the laws of thermodynamics. For the RKV you can simply hook the reactors to the engines of your slug and say goodbye to your enemies. At the speed of ~0.87 ''c'', the kinetic energy of the massive body exceeds the energy that can be achieved by annihilating it with antimatter of the same mass.

As a technical note, Kinetic Energy = γmc^2 where γ (gamma) is the Lorentz-Boost Factor, or γ = 1/√(1-β^2), where β (beta) = v/c. Annihilation energy = 2mc^2, because the matter and antimatter each carry a rest-mass-energy of E=mc^2 and energy is conserved. Mass energy goes in, explodey energy comes out, with the same total energy. Then cancel terms and you're solving for γ = 2, which has β = .866.

The point of >=0.87''c'' impacts exceeding the power of antimatter also only applies if it is practical for the society in question to employ kinetics that can achieve such muzzle velocities. Such velocities may not be achievable, or otherwise are only available on AwesomeButImpractical superweapons that are only good for strategic bombardment, not the vagaries of tactical combat. In a world where practical mass production of antimatter is possible but not high-level kinetics - ''Franchise/MassEffect'', which has antimatter but even big dreadnought-mounted spinal guns' muzzle velocities max out at 1.3% of lightspeed, comes to mind - having payloads would remain useful. For that matter, with sufficiently low-tier factions, even fusion warheads would be a great boon over lumps of metal. Once again, ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Dreadnought guns hit for 38 kilotons, while even a 20th century city-killer weighs in at megatons.

* Rebuttal to this particular opposition: Who said "kinetic" is supposed to exclusively mean "kinetic energy penetrators" and "kinetic kill vehicles"? If a directed-energy weapon would be powerful enough to melt/blast through the enemy armor, would it be possible to put [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells something with a similar power output]] on a more [[{{BFG}} kinetic-based]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre delivery system]]? If wars in human history have told us anything, if you can effectively kill enemies at a range where they cannot fight back, and manages to keep that rage advantage, you win. There's a good reason reason why guns replaced swords, anti-ship missiles and anti-tank missiles replaced dive-bombers, and aircraft carriers replaced battleships. Unless such warheads and payloads CANNOT exist due to certain in-universe restrictions (e.g. haven't been developed yet, or are in short supply), there would be few reasons on why they are not used. Of course, if the energy output of the [[WaveMotionGun weapon]] needs to be high enough to cause a local extinction event, then yup, I don't think we are going to take the curvature of the planet into account - [[OrbitalBombardment shooting]] [[KillSat from]] [[ColonyDrop orbit]] would be a much safer bet.

** When there are no [[SpaceFighter strike crafts]] near by, there is no reason for the [[AntiAir point defense]] laser turrets to keep firing at the same fire rate and energy output and then [[NoSell barely scratch the paint]] of the enemy battleship instead of firing more concentrated blasts that can at do some more serous amounts of damage (granted, DeathOfAThousandCuts would most likely still apply due to system designs, but there's a big difference between that and ''shrugging off'' a thousand cuts); conversely, there would also be little reason for an [[AntiArmor anti-tank]] laser cannon to continuous firing its powerful yet slow-charging shots when a horde of Mooks tries to ZergRush its defensive parameter instead of firing a quicker barrage of weaker shots (same as above in that there will most likely be innate restrictions on the range of power settings, but there's quite a distinction between "Killed 20 mooks in 3 shots and the position is overrun" and "Killed 50 mooks in 20 shots and the position is safe").

* Rebuttal to this particular opposition: Who said "kinetic" is supposed to exclusively mean "kinetic energy penetrators" and "kinetic kill vehicles"? If a directed-energy weapon would be powerful enough to melt/blast through the enemy armor, would it be possible to put [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells something with a similar power output]] on a more [[BFG kinetic-based]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre delivery system]]? If wars in human history have told us anything, if you can effectively kill enemies at a range where they cannot fight back, and manages to keep that rage advantage, you win. There's a good reason reason why guns replaced swords, anti-ship missiles and anti-tank missiles replaced dive-bombers, and aircraft carriers replaced battleships. Unless such warheads and payloads CANNOT exist due to certain in-universe restrictions (e.g. haven't been developed yet, or are in short supply), there would be few reasons on why they are not used. Of course, if the energy output of the [[WaveMotionGun weapon]] needs to be high enough to cause a global extinction event, then yup, I don't think we are going to take the curvature of the planet account - [[OrbitalBombardment shooting]] [[KillSat from]] [[ColonyDrop orbit]] would be a much safer bet.

Directed energy weapons might also have an edge over projectile weapons on choosing the fire rate and lethality of each attack depending on how they work in-universe. Granted, having [[Blog/ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG settings ranging]] from [[Franchise/StarTrek stun]] to "[[EarthShatteringKaboom Blow Up]] [[Franchise/StarWars Alderran]]" would be less than likely, but genuinely trading fire rate for lethality and vice versa would be a bonus. Selection between fire rate of projectile weapons ultimately boils down to whether [[AttackItsWeakpoint accuracy]] or [[MoreDakka covering the area with fire and lead]] is more important, as the lethality behind each attack would not be affected by the rate of fire (for missiles and any chemically-propelled guns smaller than a [[BFG proper artillery piece]]), and all ammo of the same weapon, regardless of the type and lethality, would most likely take up around the same amount of space (yes, lower-powered shots requires less powder bags, but you still need storage for shells; same thing goes for [[MagneticWeapons rail- and gauss-]] type weapons). Energy weapons, especially solid-state lasers, can trade between fire rate and energy output more easily as long as such weapons do not use throw-away heat sinks and as long as their capacitors and cooling systems allow.

One of the point that many might have missed is the sheer '''[[SwissArmyWeapon variety]]''' of payloads the same [[{{BFG}} guns]] or [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]] can deliver. Your BFG need to punch through the armor of their CoolTank? Depleted Uranium sabot rounds answers that question. A group of [[GlassCannon lightly armored RPG mooks]] trying to [[ZergRush rush your tank]]? [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Canister shots]] and [[FlechetteStorm beehive rounds]] will make them think twice about that. Enemies holed up in a building and trying to set up an ambush? An artillery strike with [[StuffBlowingUp HE rounds]] would level the building and turn whoever inside that building into hamburger. Someone holed up in trenches? [[AreaOfEffect Airburst HE rounds]] would clear them out in no time. The aforementioned HE didn't do the trick for enemies holed up in more elaborate bunkers? Try [[KillItWithFire napalm and white phosphorus]]. A cruise missile flying towards you? [[MacrossMissileMassacre A few]] [[Roboteching guided]] missiles/artillery rounds with fragmentation tips would blow it out of the sky. An echelon of tanks passing through a valley? A few [[RecursiveAmmo cluster bombs]] from a [[DeathFromAbove nearby bomber]] would send them a clear message. And God forbid someone who decides to use some more [[WeaponOfMassDestruction destructive]] payloads in their weapons, say, a good-old [[NukeEm thermonuclear device]], some DeadlyGas, or some sort of ArtificialPlague... Yeah, HumansAreWarriors after all, and we just [[EveryoneHasStandards realized]] there are some weapons that are '''[[GoneHorriblyRight too]]''' [[GoneHorriblyRight efficient]] at killing what we still need alive, or some other weapons that kills enemies in such [[NauseaFuel gruesome]] [[NightmareFuel fashions]] that we've [[HeelRealization gone too far]] and we need to [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar put restrictions on them]] to protect our own kin.

* Rebuttal to this particular opposition: Who said "kinetic" is supposed to exclusively mean "kinetic energy penetrators" and "kinetic kill vehicles"? If a directed-energy weapon would be powerful enough to melt/blast through the enemy armor, would it be possible to put [[DepletedPhlebtoniumShells something with a similar power output]] on a more [[BFG kinetic-based]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre delivery system]]? If wars in human history have told us anything, if you can effectively kill enemies at a range where they cannot fight back, and manages to keep that rage advantage, you win. There's a good reason reason why guns replaced swords, anti-ship missiles and anti-tank missiles replaced dive-bombers, and aircraft carriers replaced battleships. Unless such warheads and payloads CANNOT exist due to certain in-universe restrictions (e.g. haven't been developed yet, or are in short supply), there would be few reasons on why they are not used. Of course, if the energy output of the [[WaveMotionGun weapon]] needs to be high enough to cause a global extinction event, then yup, I don't think we are going to take the curvature of the planet account - [[OrbitalBombardment shooting]] [[KillSat from]] [[ColonyDrop orbit]] would be a much safer bet.

Directed energy weapons might also have an edge over projectile weapons on choosing the fire rate and lethality of each attack depending on how they work in-universe. Granted, having settings ranging from [[Franchise/StarTrek stun]] to "[[EarthShatteringKaboom Blow Up]] [[Franchise/StarWars Alderran]]" would be less than likely, but genuinely trading fire rate with lethality would be a bonus. Selection between fire rate of projectile weapons ultimately boils down to whether [[AttackItsWeakpoint accuracy]] or [[MoreDakka covering the area with fire and lead]] is more important, as the lethality behind each attack would not be affected by the rate of fire (for missiles and chemically-propelled guns), and all ammo of the same weapon, regardless of the type and lethality, would most likely take up around the same amount of space (yes, lower-powered shots requires less powder bags, but you still need storage for shells; same thing goes for [[MagneticWeapons rail- and gauss-]] type weapons ). Energy weapons, especially lasers, can change that more easily as long as such weapons do not have throw-away heat sinks and their cooling systems allow. When there are no [[SpaceFighter strike crafts]] near by, there is no reason for the [[AntiAir point defense]] laser turrets to keep firing at the same fire rate and energy output and then [[NoSell barely scratch the paint]] of the enemy battleship instead of firing more concentrated blasts that can at do some more serous amounts of damage (granted, DeathOfAThousandCuts would most likely still apply due to system designs, but there's a big difference between that and ''shrugging off'' a thousand cuts); conversely, there would also be little reason for an [[AntiArmor anti-tank]] laser cannon to continuous firing its powerful yet slow-charging shots when a horde of Mooks tries to ZergRush its defensive parameter instead of firing a quicker barrage of weaker shots (same as above in that there will most likely be innate restrictions on the range of power settings, but there's quite a distinction between "Killed 20 mooks in 3 shots and the position is overrun" and "Killed 50 mooks in 20 shots and the position is safe").

A theme in many science fiction works, especially newer ones. It is not a bad thing: in older science fiction, portrayals of energy weapons were usually very inaccurate, showing them as simply better because they were more high-tech. This is a surprisingly common misconception: if a category of technology is more "advanced", it must be ''better'' than something less "advanced." This is the same logic that has ''Franchise/StarTrek'' medical isolation use "high-tech" forcefields instead of boring old walls, despite the fact that boring old walls don't vanish if you unplug them ([[CaptainObvious and also because you cannot unplug them in the first place]]).

As a technical note, Kinetic Energy = γmc[[superscript:2]] where γ (gamma) is the Lorentz-Boost Factor, or γ = 1/√(1-β[[superscript:2]]), where β (beta) = v/c. Annihilation energy = 2mc[[superscript:2]], because the matter and antimatter each carry a rest-mass-energy of E=mc[[superscript:2]] and energy is conserved. Mass energy goes in, explodey energy comes out, with the same total energy. Then cancel terms and you're solving for γ = 2, which has β = .866.

As a technical note, Kinetic Energy = γ*mc^2 where γ (gamma) is the Lorentz-Boost Factor, or γ = root(1/(1-(β)^2)), where β (beta) = v/c. Annihilation energy = 2(mc^2), because the matter and antimatter each carry a rest-mass-energy of E=mc^2 and energy is conserved. Mass energy goes in, explodey energy comes out, with the same total energy. Then cancel terms and you're solving for γ = 2, which has β = .866.

As a technical note, Kinetic Energy = ''gamma''*mc^2 where ''gamma'' is the Lorentz-Boost Factor, or ''gamma'' = root(1/(1-(''beta'')^2)), where ''beta'' = v/c. Annihilation energy = 2(mc^2), because the matter and antimatter each carry a rest-mass-energy of E=mc^2 and energy is conserved. Mass energy goes in, explodey energy comes out, with the same total energy. Then cancel terms and you're solving for ''gamma'' = 2, which has ''beta'' = .866.

This is not to say that energy weapons are completely useless, however. At sufficiently great distances, even the numerically small difference between .99c and c proper can make the difference between a hit and a miss. There are good reasons why research into anti-missile defence is headed into lasers.

Kinetics can themselves be complex and finicky. We are reaching the practical limit of chemical propellants for guns; getting any more out of the field may require some hitherto unforeseen breakthrough in chemistry that breaks new ground, with results we may not be able to predict. Otherwise, trying to stuff more propellant, or even a hypothetical more powerful propellant, may lead to ammunition becoming dangerously easy to cook off. Recoil issues may also make it difficult for infantry to use their fancy new guns; workarounds like genetic engineering, cybernetic augmentation or recoil compensators may have their own issues. Even vehicle-mounted versions would have similar issues; if a massive battleship can be shoved around by its broadsides' recoil, the force from proportionate future weapons will have similar problems. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrothermal-chemical_technology Electrothermal-chemical]] guns and MagneticWeapons needed to defeat future armour will also require precise, complex engineering that makes the first-generation M16 look robust and reliable; the difficulties real-world militaries and laboratories are having with them are sufficient proof that one should not underestimate the complexity involved. Heat, energy conduits, cooling - all the issues supposedly plaguing energy weapons are all equally applicable to future kinetics. In fact, tests show that current railgun barrels outright melt under the heat. The days of a "simple" kinetic like the memetic AK may be at an end.

A slight real-world parallel to the above could be how firearms reduced the usage of body armor that defended against melee attacks, since bullets would easily pierce armor that a melee attack would bounce off of, and now, a combatant is more vulnerable to melee weapons than his pre-firearm counterpart. (Kevlar, contrary to popular belief, [[http://vimeo.com/8502720 does offer some protection against knifes, but other times, it does not.]]) Of course, where the comparison falls apart is the fact that while slugthrowers and blasters can stand toe-to-toe, RealLife swords and knives cannot with firearms.

For the WaveMotionGun you need to consider the heat balance, design complex energy conduits, build labyrinthine cooling systems (often with [[Franchise/StarWars very conveniently placed exhaust vents]]), etc., each of which would waste some of the energy as per the laws of thermodynamics. For the RKV you can simply hook the reactors to the engines of your slug and say goodbye to your enemies. At the speed of ~0.87 ''c'', the kinetic energy of the massive body exceeds the energy that can be achieved by annihilating it with antimatter of the same mass.

One interesting look at a grey area is in the StarWars universe. Groups facing possible Jedi interference would use kinetic weapons, as lightsabers could not deflect them like blasters. More importantly, armor technology developed to a point that bullets (or slugs as they are called) were useless against them, but blasters were not, and eventually, most forces gave up on wearing armor; if one's enemy wasn't going to use a weapon that armor protected against, the restrictions it put on movement would be pointless. In some ways, blasters made slugthrowers even more useful; since the former took the armor factor out of the equation.

Real life {{energy weapon}}s haven't really made it far from the labs just yet... they need too much power, and they generate too much heat. They're expensive, fragile, often require masses of highly toxic, corrosive and explosive chemicals to function, and honestly just don't work very well. High power lasers are still just not high power enough. Particle beams work very poorly in an atmosphere and are too hard to focus over long distances, even in a vacuum. Anti-personnel microwaves aren't as effective as conventional riot weapons, and small lasers that blind people don't sit well with the Geneva Convention. Decades of research still hasn't produced any small arms better than automatic rifles... weapons using chemical propellants are [[BoringButPractical just more effective]] (that's why they are ''used''), and this situation isn't going to change any time soon.

"good old slugs can always accelerate themselves, pretty much indefinitely '''as long as fuel holds out'''"? Those last six words are the rub. Storing the necessary fuel for missiles in a manner that is safe for military use may be a problem, as well as being able to store enough. Even high-impulse propulsion like OrionDrive or antimatter would need to set aside space for storage, and those especially would be most prone to disaster, requiring complicated containment systems for safety. Failing to armour up the fuel storage areas is just begging for enemy point defense to AttackItsWeakPoint, with obvious results, yet armour also imposes a mass penalty. Less dangerous propellants may be less efficient and thus require more space for fuel. The end result is that your precious kinetic doesn't really have a lot of mass left for payload after all, especially after the fuel is consumed.

Kinetics can themselves be complex and finicky. We are reaching the practical limit of chemical propellants for guns; getting any more out of the field may require some hitherto unforeseen breakthrough in chemistry that breaks new ground, with results we may not be able to predict. Otherwise, trying to stuff more propellant, or even a hypothetical more powerful propellant, may lead to ammunition becoming dangerously easy to cook off. Recoil issues may also make it difficult for infantry to use their fancy new guns; workarounds like genetic engineering, cybernetic augmentation or recoil compensators may have their own issues. Even vehicle-mounted versions would have similar issues; if a massive battleship can be shoved around by its broadsides' recoil, the force from proportionate weapons will have similar problems. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrothermal-chemical_technology Electrothermal-chemical]] guns and MagneticWeapons needed to defeat future armour will also require precise, complex engineering that makes the first-generation M16 look robust and reliable; the difficulties real-world militaries and laboratories are having with them are sufficient proof that one should not underestimate the complexity involved. Heat, energy conduits, cooling - all the issues supposedly plaguing energy weapons are all equally applicable to future kinetics. In fact, tests show that railgun barrels outright melt under the heat. The days of a "simple" kinetic like the memetic AK may be at an end.

"good old slugs can always accelerate themselves, pretty much indefinitely '''as long as fuel holds out'''"? Those last six words are the rub. Storing the necessary fuel for missiles in a manner that is safe for military use may be a problem, as well as being able to store enough. Even high-impulse propulsion like OrionDrive or antimatter would need to set aside space for storage, and those especially would be most prone to disaster, requiring complicated containment systems for safety. Failing to armour up the fuel storage areas is just begging for enemy point defense to AttackItsWeakPoint, with obvious results, yet armour also imposes a mass penalty. Less dangerous propellants may be less efficient and thus require more space for fuel. The end result is that your precious kinetic doesn't really have a lot of mass left for payload after all.

And to top it off, in the long run, even when the energy weapons will finally reach maturity, kinetic projectiles will still retain one critical advantage: while energy weapons will always need a some form of emitter, however advanced, good old slugs can always [[RammingAlwaysWorks accelerate themselves]], pretty much indefinitely as long as fuel holds out. Relativistic kill vehicles are the most ''[[AwesomeYetPractical effective]]'' means of destruction possible: after all, any weapon is a means of transferring the energy from the source to the target until the latter breaks.

For the WaveMotionGun you need to consider the heat balance, design complex energy conduits, build labyrinthine cooling systems (often with [[StarWars very conveniently placed exhaust vents]]), etc., each of which would waste some of the energy as per the laws of thermodynamics. For the RKV you can simply hook the reactors to the engines of your slug and say goodbye to your enemies. At the speed of ~0.87 ''c'', the kinetic energy of the massive body exceeds the energy that can be achieved by annihilating it with antimatter of the same mass.

"good old slugs can always accelerate themselves, pretty much indefinitely as long as fuel holds out"? Those last six words are the rub. Storing the necessary fuel for missiles in a manner that is safe for military use may be a problem, as well as being able to store enough. Even high-impulse propulsion like OrionDrive or antimatter would need to set aside space for storage, and those especially would be most prone to disaster, requiring complicated containment systems for safety. Failing to armour up the fuel storage areas is just begging for enemy point defense to AttackItsWeakPoint, with obvious results, yet armour also imposes a mass penalty. Less dangerous propellants may be less efficient and thus require more space for fuel. The end result is that your precious kinetic doesn't really have a lot of mass left for payload after all.

A theme in many science fiction works, especially newer ones. It is not a bad thing: in older science fiction, portrayals of energy weapons were usually very inaccurate, showing them as simply better because they were more high-tech. This is a surprisingly common misconception: if a category of technology is more "advanced", it must be ''better'' than something less "advanced." This is the same logic that has ''Franchise/StarTrek'' medical isolation use "high-tech" forcefields instead of boring old walls, despite the fact that boring old walls don't vanish if you unplug them.