Published!

[selenite0]

I just got an article published in this week's Pyramid magazine. Not the one I'd sold earlier, this was for the "Omniscient Eye" ask-the-expert column. As the designated aerospace expert I was handed "why don't we have flying cars?"

Answer: Because nobody's built one that's better than buying a car and an airplane separately.

We also got into airships and personal flight backpacks. The rest of the experts didn't like me sticking to the actual question, so David Spitzley supplied examples of how a gamemaster could modify his world to make a different technology come out on top. I appended this to my answer while muttering "scope creep is bad" into my sleeve. For any gamers with $20 to spare, the full article is at:
http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=4906
. . . and Pyramid covers lots of other fun stuff, so give it a try.

So this solves how I'm getting GURPS 4th Ed. volume one. Now I'll have to see what happens with "The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Panic."

Comments

"why don't we have flying cars?"

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

City people can't drive in two dimensions. I shudder to consider adding height to the mix in Los Angeles, to say nothing of Rome, Tokyo, etc. etc. Yeek!

Re: "why don't we have flying cars?"

[patgund.livejournal.com]

People can't drive in three dimensions either - I cite San Francisco as the #1 example.

Traffic laws hell, I don't think San Francisco drivers pay attention to the laws of physics.....

[joyeuse13.livejournal.com]

A good automated public-transit system of flying somethings would be good, though.

[archangelbeth]

Congrats! I have a suspicion that I will be reading it sometime in the coming week and rating it highly!

[selenite.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Re: "why don't we have flying cars?"

[selenite.livejournal.com]

I like the thought of having more directions to dodge in.

[selenite.livejournal.com]

The nice thing about aerial transport is not having to bulldoze anyone's house to make a new road or rail line. If you can find a February 2001 issue of Technology Review there's some good concepts for making it workable--using standard flight routes to put a "go here square" on the pilot's head-up display. That means flying a plane become easier than game software. Still leaves the problems of cost competition against cars and safety (especially in bad weather). But there's hope.

[filkferengi]

Congratulations! I'm sure it's both thorough, and thoroughly delightful. :)