In article <5f1pep$jff@larch.cc.swarthmore.edu>,
fox@allspice.cs.swarthmore.edu (Annie Fox) writes:
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|> I was wondering why we haven't seen any other space battles like
|> we saw in the Long, Twilight Struggle. I believe this is the one
|> where *SPOLIERS FOR LTS BELOW*
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Peter-

There are most likely both types of battles you mentioned plus a few
more types we don't imagine as yet. You will see more of the Long Range
stuff if the story dictates. Remember that there weren't any Shadow
fighters in the scene you indicate, only battlecrabs (yes, now we call
them that, too), so the weapon size and distance could be greater. The
element of surprise is also a player, as is the fact that these weapons
were still quite unfamiliar to those being attacked.

Our intention with the closer range battles was to convey several
dramatic things. One, a more intense, less calculated battle. Two, a
more personal fight for the participants, as these current fights are at
once more desperate and more monumental, Three, these are combination
fighter and larger ship battles. In addition to the large capital ships
being involved, there are a high number of smaller, more manueverable
ships that have no reason to exist, if technology is so great that
battles can only be fought from a distance. I am convinced that the
distances displayed are plausible for fighter-type battles. In all of
the history of pilot to pilot combat, there is always a component of the
direct engagement of the enemy. Technology continues to advance, and
after every major advance, the battle distances expand out..... for a
time. As soon as the pilots figure out how to react to the weapon, and
defend against it, the engagement distances close up again.

George Johnsen
CoProd, B5