Machines capable of magical flight are possible, as the Gadgets prove. That being the case, I'm doubtful that combat aircraft as Earth knows them ever developed in the dimensional societies. Aerodynamic and weight constraints impose too many design constraints for me to think that military designers would accept them willingly, and, given how humans think, the first flying ship would have come either before or shortly after the development of the first flight spell. Those aerodynes that do exist would, I think, primarily be occupying roles according to their costs, not their power... like, say, non-hot-zone personnel transport.
Another thing I doubt exists in the TSAB's member worlds is the guided missile. Everything we've seen that I can think of seems to indicate that Intelligent Devices differ from other magical computer systems far more in degree than in kind, and I'm inclined to make an unsupported leap and suggest that the reason for that is their decision-making ability... and that even something as bright as a scientific calculator is still going to be too costly to use like a throwaway. (Incidentally, I also think that Shari's skill-set is likely much rarer than she's letting on.) Also, building an anti-missile system using magic lightspeed beams or something seems like it'd be much simpler than the technical problems it presents in our world. True, there are externally guided spells like Divine Shooter or Schwalbe Flieger, but their owner needs to know where they are and where their target is before he can feed them the right instructions.
Finally, I think I've figured out the limiter problem.
It's not about individuals being jealous or cautious. It's about nation-states jockeying to control or neutralize tactical and strategic humanoid weapons that they and their rivals have sponsored into the supposedly neutral TSAB.
Ja, -n
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"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to kill you quite horribly now."
Another thing I doubt exists in the TSAB's member worlds is the guided missile. Everything we've seen that I can think of seems to indicate that Intelligent Devices differ from other magical computer systems far more in degree than in kind, and I'm inclined to make an unsupported leap and suggest that the reason for that is their decision-making ability... and that even something as bright as a scientific calculator is still going to be too costly to use like a throwaway. (Incidentally, I also think that Shari's skill-set is likely much rarer than she's letting on.) Also, building an anti-missile system using magic lightspeed beams or something seems like it'd be much simpler than the technical problems it presents in our world. True, there are externally guided spells like Divine Shooter or Schwalbe Flieger, but their owner needs to know where they are and where their target is before he can feed them the right instructions.
Finally, I think I've figured out the limiter problem.
It's not about individuals being jealous or cautious. It's about nation-states jockeying to control or neutralize tactical and strategic humanoid weapons that they and their rivals have sponsored into the supposedly neutral TSAB.
Ja, -n
===============================================
"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to kill you quite horribly now."