(07-11-2013, 06:06 PM)EisenSeele Wrote: Also, since we've clearly got no issues bombarding civilian population centers from orbit, what makes you think that we'd care about rules of war? Why would unlawful factions care at all?
There is a difference: only the story line can do thigs like orbital bombardement with millions of innocent dead. These acts are story devices to transport messages, like... "The Gallics are bad guys" after the Colonial Exodus of T44.
It is something completely difficult if you give players the choice to do the same and then they do it...because... ehm... they can.
We're not talking about millions of civilians getting murdered on a populated planet, we're talking about hundreds of military and or corporate personnel being killed on a strategic military and or economic asset after the opportunity to evacuate has been given. Such attacks are a means to an end, and can't be compared to our modern sensibilities about mass destruction (not that it really applies, anyway). Also, you still haven't answered why any house militaries or unlawfuls would care, especially if weapons of this nature could cut costs and manpower required to down a base.
Houses and generally people who make these decisions would care because they would be held responsible for their actions. But as this is a space shooter game and no one roleplays the consequences of actions, no one actually cares. In reality, those in power would be very careful when thinking about the use of something that normal people judge as dirty, inhumane, etc. They would have much more to lose than a 500k respawn/rebuy bill and some forum criticism.
Whether or not a house military is transparent enough for it's populace to observe, or whether or not a populace would care isn't up for you to decide. Also, unlawfuls and intelligence factions aren't exactly known for being bastions of conscience.
Whether or not it happens will be unrelated to your idea that disco has the same concept of morality as you do. Though, you seem to always be against any ideas drawn up to address unkillable bases for the sake of keeping them unkillable.
