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Designing 'alien' weapons for CT

M

Maladominus

SOC-14 1K
Hi all,

Has anyone thought about truly "alien" weapons that can be integrated into CT? I'm talking about weapons that are significantly different from the typical Terran slugthrowers (ACRs, SMGs, etc) and typical Terran energy guns (e.g. lasers, plasma rifles, etc). I wanted to brainstorm what kinds of alien weapons would be possible in the CT universe.

How about sonic weapons? A gun based on SOUND WAVE energy? Alright, what kind of freak alien species would actually have developed that kind of gun early in their culture?

Are there other ideas of alien weapons, such as melee weapons that act and look nothing like Terran blades and bludgeoning weapons? How about an alien race that has a preference for some kind of 'web-caster' weapon? Spiderman uses one (and he's more or less an alien
)

If an alien race evolved on an icy frozen world, would they quickly learn to use cold-based energy weapons to kill each other? Why would they? They evolved on a frozen icy world, they would likely have adapted to extreme cold, right? So are they more likely to use heat/fire based weapons to hurt each other?

Or how about an alien race that developed weapons which are extensions of their natural bodily weaponry? Maybe an insectoid race (many insects have natural defenses such as stingers, toxins, etc). Would a sentient insectoid race have developed some kind of medium-tech "stinger" weapon?

Lastly, I was also thinking about sophont races which do not have an affinity for violence. They would be likely to develop non-lethal weapons right? Their 'weapons' are more likely to stun or subdue a hostile opponent, rather than kill it outright.
 
Hi all,

Has anyone thought about truly "alien" weapons that can be integrated into CT? I'm talking about weapons that are significantly different from the typical Terran slugthrowers (ACRs, SMGs, etc) and typical Terran energy guns (e.g. lasers, plasma rifles, etc). I wanted to brainstorm what kinds of alien weapons would be possible in the CT universe.

How about sonic weapons? A gun based on SOUND WAVE energy? Alright, what kind of freak alien species would actually have developed that kind of gun early in their culture?

Are there other ideas of alien weapons, such as melee weapons that act and look nothing like Terran blades and bludgeoning weapons? How about an alien race that has a preference for some kind of 'web-caster' weapon? Spiderman uses one (and he's more or less an alien
)

If an alien race evolved on an icy frozen world, would they quickly learn to use cold-based energy weapons to kill each other? Why would they? They evolved on a frozen icy world, they would likely have adapted to extreme cold, right? So are they more likely to use heat/fire based weapons to hurt each other?

Or how about an alien race that developed weapons which are extensions of their natural bodily weaponry? Maybe an insectoid race (many insects have natural defenses such as stingers, toxins, etc). Would a sentient insectoid race have developed some kind of medium-tech "stinger" weapon?

Lastly, I was also thinking about sophont races which do not have an affinity for violence. They would be likely to develop non-lethal weapons right? Their 'weapons' are more likely to stun or subdue a hostile opponent, rather than kill it outright.
 
I believe there are two things to consider: (1) what will cause physiological injury to the target of the weapon, and (2) what is the technology of the weapon-smith?

I've envisioned a fair number of biochemical weapon systems, such as a two-stage biological round - the first eats through armor and the second injects a fast-growing life form that reduces the target to mulch. The aliens in question breed the bugs to be specific to different target creatures and substances, so you could rain down these bioweapons on a village full of friendlies and only take out the bad guys - they also have a suicide gene so that the weapon can't spread out of control indsicriminately.

X-rays are a nice variant from standard lasers. "Nuclear ray guns" always had a nice ring to me.
 
I believe there are two things to consider: (1) what will cause physiological injury to the target of the weapon, and (2) what is the technology of the weapon-smith?

I've envisioned a fair number of biochemical weapon systems, such as a two-stage biological round - the first eats through armor and the second injects a fast-growing life form that reduces the target to mulch. The aliens in question breed the bugs to be specific to different target creatures and substances, so you could rain down these bioweapons on a village full of friendlies and only take out the bad guys - they also have a suicide gene so that the weapon can't spread out of control indsicriminately.

X-rays are a nice variant from standard lasers. "Nuclear ray guns" always had a nice ring to me.
 
Originally posted by Maladominus:
If an alien race evolved on an icy frozen world, would they quickly learn to use cold-based energy weapons to kill each other? Why would they? They evolved on a frozen icy world, they would likely have adapted to extreme cold, right? So are they more likely to use heat/fire based weapons to hurt each other?
Click to expand...
Its been shown that humans are more susceptible to heat and burning when they are adapted to cold (even if just for the season, such as winter in Wisconsin... brrrr), and more susceptible to cold (including brainfreeze/ice-cream-headaches, frostbite) when adapted (even just for the season) to warm weather. I'd imagine beings on an icy world would find fire a very effective weapon.

It is hard to come up with truly plausible new and unique weapons, because if a species can design basic kinetic projectile weapons like a gun, that is probably one of the most effective personal combat weapons before you reach explosives and energy weapons. Toxins and such take time to act, and melee weapons require close range, but taking out chunks of your enemies flesh or putting a hole through their body, at 30 feet away, gives you fairly instantaneous results. Fire is also fairly effective, and is universal.

The variety of weapons developed by different human cultures over the last three thousand years is staggering... but through it all there have been a few key types of weapons that are the most effective in each timeperiod.

A lot of the alien (and sci fi in general) weapons - both melee and ranged - I've seen have seemed useless or contrived. Even some modern "high tech" weapons, like the OICW rifle the army was testing, were excessive in form and lacking in function. Granted most SF weaponry is meant to seem sci-fi and not 'modern', but if you look at some of the best (near)hard-sci-fi tv and movies involving weaponry, it's pretty down to earth:

Blade Runner
Aliens (the Pulse = Thomspon + shotgun as a grenade launcher + some, but not a lot, of extra buildup)
Firefly - Standard modern-like weapons
Battlestar Galactica - Standard modern weapons (Kara Thrace used a G36K in the last episodes of season 2, for example)

That said, I'm looking forward to what some people post, because I myself am fairly unimaginative, which is probably why I find most sci fi weaponry to be contrived and am a fan of the plain'ol slug-throwing gun.
 
Originally posted by Maladominus:
If an alien race evolved on an icy frozen world, would they quickly learn to use cold-based energy weapons to kill each other? Why would they? They evolved on a frozen icy world, they would likely have adapted to extreme cold, right? So are they more likely to use heat/fire based weapons to hurt each other?
Click to expand...
Its been shown that humans are more susceptible to heat and burning when they are adapted to cold (even if just for the season, such as winter in Wisconsin... brrrr), and more susceptible to cold (including brainfreeze/ice-cream-headaches, frostbite) when adapted (even just for the season) to warm weather. I'd imagine beings on an icy world would find fire a very effective weapon.

It is hard to come up with truly plausible new and unique weapons, because if a species can design basic kinetic projectile weapons like a gun, that is probably one of the most effective personal combat weapons before you reach explosives and energy weapons. Toxins and such take time to act, and melee weapons require close range, but taking out chunks of your enemies flesh or putting a hole through their body, at 30 feet away, gives you fairly instantaneous results. Fire is also fairly effective, and is universal.

The variety of weapons developed by different human cultures over the last three thousand years is staggering... but through it all there have been a few key types of weapons that are the most effective in each timeperiod.

A lot of the alien (and sci fi in general) weapons - both melee and ranged - I've seen have seemed useless or contrived. Even some modern "high tech" weapons, like the OICW rifle the army was testing, were excessive in form and lacking in function. Granted most SF weaponry is meant to seem sci-fi and not 'modern', but if you look at some of the best (near)hard-sci-fi tv and movies involving weaponry, it's pretty down to earth:

Blade Runner
Aliens (the Pulse = Thomspon + shotgun as a grenade launcher + some, but not a lot, of extra buildup)
Firefly - Standard modern-like weapons
Battlestar Galactica - Standard modern weapons (Kara Thrace used a G36K in the last episodes of season 2, for example)

That said, I'm looking forward to what some people post, because I myself am fairly unimaginative, which is probably why I find most sci fi weaponry to be contrived and am a fan of the plain'ol slug-throwing gun.
 
Originally posted by Maladominus:
Has anyone thought about truly "alien" weapons that can be integrated into CT?
Click to expand...
One idea I kicked around would be a variant of the nuclear damper that could be employed against fusion powerplants to either shut them down or overheat them and have their own safeties shut them down. I can imagine the panic that would grip the PCs when the mysterious alien opponent just turns their engine off for them.

Another possibility is heat-transfer weaponry: something that puts ridiculous amounts of heat into a target very quickly -- the idea [apologies to BattleTech] being that without adequate heat management, most high-tech electronic gizmos malfunction and cease working. I'd keep the energy cost down by using either a missile-delivered exothermic chemical glop or else some sort of beam-delivered molecular oscillation "ray" (possibly gravitic or nuke-damp, but maybe something else) that finds a target's resonant frequency and just shakes it at that frequency until it begins to fall apart [apologies to John M. Ford]. This would mimic the effects of sonic weaponry [see also the Double Adventure "Divine Intervention" for a sonic anti-personnel carbine], but be usable in vacuum.

One other idea is a lower-tech "jump dampener": use repulsors or other gravitic technology to project a grav field around a starship target just strong enough to interfere with entering jumpspace; a target would be risking likely (or even certain) misjump if they attempt one while the field is in effect. In a "no Drop Tanks" TU, an even lower-tech version would be a parasite missile that attaches a significant mass to a starship's hull outside its hull jump network, and again the target risks misjump until it clears the fouling obstacle.
 
Originally posted by Maladominus:
Has anyone thought about truly "alien" weapons that can be integrated into CT?
Click to expand...
One idea I kicked around would be a variant of the nuclear damper that could be employed against fusion powerplants to either shut them down or overheat them and have their own safeties shut them down. I can imagine the panic that would grip the PCs when the mysterious alien opponent just turns their engine off for them.

Another possibility is heat-transfer weaponry: something that puts ridiculous amounts of heat into a target very quickly -- the idea [apologies to BattleTech] being that without adequate heat management, most high-tech electronic gizmos malfunction and cease working. I'd keep the energy cost down by using either a missile-delivered exothermic chemical glop or else some sort of beam-delivered molecular oscillation "ray" (possibly gravitic or nuke-damp, but maybe something else) that finds a target's resonant frequency and just shakes it at that frequency until it begins to fall apart [apologies to John M. Ford]. This would mimic the effects of sonic weaponry [see also the Double Adventure "Divine Intervention" for a sonic anti-personnel carbine], but be usable in vacuum.

One other idea is a lower-tech "jump dampener": use repulsors or other gravitic technology to project a grav field around a starship target just strong enough to interfere with entering jumpspace; a target would be risking likely (or even certain) misjump if they attempt one while the field is in effect. In a "no Drop Tanks" TU, an even lower-tech version would be a parasite missile that attaches a significant mass to a starship's hull outside its hull jump network, and again the target risks misjump until it clears the fouling obstacle.
 
Gents,

There are only so many ways to skin a cat and in all cases other than very weird/bizarre environments (i.e. ice-world, lava-world, underwater-world) a gun is going to work like a gun no matter who builds it.

Any real differences are going depend on the physiological differences between the sophonts in question. What do they use for hands/arms? How big are they? What is the length of their hands/arms? Where are their eyes or what they use for eyes? How well do they see? You can begin to envision how physiology of a sophont is going to be far more important than the weapon mechanisms the sophont uses.

The Shriekers in District 268 use crossbows. Sure, they brace them against their heads instead of their shoulders and their vision is poor compared to humans besides having stubby fingers and arms, but the crossbow still uses a cord under tension to propel a projectile. A human may not be able to use a Shrieker crossbow very well (if at all) but the Shrieker crossbow is still recognisable as a crossbow.

Melee weapons are also going to be shaped by the 'shape' of the sophont using them, but the basic varieties of weapons will remain the same. There will be weapons that crush, weapons that cut, and weapons that poke. How they're shaped, how they're used, and what numbers they're used relative to each other will depend on how their wielders' physiology.

The Kafer of 2300AD have different hands than we do. Only three 'fingers', two of which are opposable. A Kafer knife has a 'tee' handle instead of the hasp handle we use, yet Kafers can still stab and slash with it.

Physiology will be the real driver. Weapons will be shaped to fit their owners and, while the weapons will be recognisable along certain types, how they're used and employed together will depend on the wielder's physiology.

IMTU there is a minor race known as the Gampin. They have a 'thumb' similar to pandas on Earth. This 'thumb' is not a digit, rather it is a bone spur extending from their wrist. The Gampin thus have a different and weaker grip than humans. That grip drives their weapon designs.

The Gampin use javelins more often than they hold spears, pikes, and other polearms. With an atlatl, they can launch javelins some distance or jab at each other with them. With their weak grip, they can't grasp shafts as well as we can so polearms aren't as useful. What polearms they do use have crossbars along the shaft to prevent the Gampin hand from sliding and the crossbars prevent Gampin pike'men' from shifting their grips as easily as human pikemen did.

Bows are used by the Gampin, but again the Gampin grip limits the bows' use. They can only draw on the bowstring so much, so crossbows with their mechanical draw mechanisms are preferred. Again, physiology drives both design and useage.

Gampin melee weapons are different but recognisable. There are swords, maces, and the like. The weak Gampin grip means that swords are normally used more to 'slash' or 'swing' with than to 'poke' with so their shape and construction reflects that. Maces are used more than they were on Earth again because of the Gampin preference to 'swing' or 'slash'.

Now, in bizarre or weird environments weapons will get bizarre and weird. Heat will be a weapon for soponts whose world has nitrogen snow, for example, but just how they will 'deliver' that heat against their opponents without also hurting themselves is anyone's guess. You can come up with several mechanisms, whether any will be practical is the real question. The same holds true for any 'biological' or 'poison' type weapons that sophonts may use. Humans use both of those types but it is important to remember that each are used in very limited circumstances. They are not everyday weapons, that Kalahari pygmy may tip his arrows with a local alkaloid but it is the bow that is used worldwide and not the poison.

Finally, psychological preferences will 'flavor' weapon construction and use but only up to a certain point. As cowards, the Hivers prefer weapons that work at a distance, a physical distance as their love of missiles and spinal mounts aboard their warships shows and a temporal distance as their use of poisons on each other shows. The Aslan have psychological and cultural predelictions for one-on-one melee combat, preferring to battle hand-to-hand rather than at a distance. However, these preferences do not mean that the Federation troops eschew close combat or that the Aslan won't use artillery.


Have fun,
Bill
 
Gents,

There are only so many ways to skin a cat and in all cases other than very weird/bizarre environments (i.e. ice-world, lava-world, underwater-world) a gun is going to work like a gun no matter who builds it.

Any real differences are going depend on the physiological differences between the sophonts in question. What do they use for hands/arms? How big are they? What is the length of their hands/arms? Where are their eyes or what they use for eyes? How well do they see? You can begin to envision how physiology of a sophont is going to be far more important than the weapon mechanisms the sophont uses.

The Shriekers in District 268 use crossbows. Sure, they brace them against their heads instead of their shoulders and their vision is poor compared to humans besides having stubby fingers and arms, but the crossbow still uses a cord under tension to propel a projectile. A human may not be able to use a Shrieker crossbow very well (if at all) but the Shrieker crossbow is still recognisable as a crossbow.

Melee weapons are also going to be shaped by the 'shape' of the sophont using them, but the basic varieties of weapons will remain the same. There will be weapons that crush, weapons that cut, and weapons that poke. How they're shaped, how they're used, and what numbers they're used relative to each other will depend on how their wielders' physiology.

The Kafer of 2300AD have different hands than we do. Only three 'fingers', two of which are opposable. A Kafer knife has a 'tee' handle instead of the hasp handle we use, yet Kafers can still stab and slash with it.

Physiology will be the real driver. Weapons will be shaped to fit their owners and, while the weapons will be recognisable along certain types, how they're used and employed together will depend on the wielder's physiology.

IMTU there is a minor race known as the Gampin. They have a 'thumb' similar to pandas on Earth. This 'thumb' is not a digit, rather it is a bone spur extending from their wrist. The Gampin thus have a different and weaker grip than humans. That grip drives their weapon designs.

The Gampin use javelins more often than they hold spears, pikes, and other polearms. With an atlatl, they can launch javelins some distance or jab at each other with them. With their weak grip, they can't grasp shafts as well as we can so polearms aren't as useful. What polearms they do use have crossbars along the shaft to prevent the Gampin hand from sliding and the crossbars prevent Gampin pike'men' from shifting their grips as easily as human pikemen did.

Bows are used by the Gampin, but again the Gampin grip limits the bows' use. They can only draw on the bowstring so much, so crossbows with their mechanical draw mechanisms are preferred. Again, physiology drives both design and useage.

Gampin melee weapons are different but recognisable. There are swords, maces, and the like. The weak Gampin grip means that swords are normally used more to 'slash' or 'swing' with than to 'poke' with so their shape and construction reflects that. Maces are used more than they were on Earth again because of the Gampin preference to 'swing' or 'slash'.

Now, in bizarre or weird environments weapons will get bizarre and weird. Heat will be a weapon for soponts whose world has nitrogen snow, for example, but just how they will 'deliver' that heat against their opponents without also hurting themselves is anyone's guess. You can come up with several mechanisms, whether any will be practical is the real question. The same holds true for any 'biological' or 'poison' type weapons that sophonts may use. Humans use both of those types but it is important to remember that each are used in very limited circumstances. They are not everyday weapons, that Kalahari pygmy may tip his arrows with a local alkaloid but it is the bow that is used worldwide and not the poison.

Finally, psychological preferences will 'flavor' weapon construction and use but only up to a certain point. As cowards, the Hivers prefer weapons that work at a distance, a physical distance as their love of missiles and spinal mounts aboard their warships shows and a temporal distance as their use of poisons on each other shows. The Aslan have psychological and cultural predelictions for one-on-one melee combat, preferring to battle hand-to-hand rather than at a distance. However, these preferences do not mean that the Federation troops eschew close combat or that the Aslan won't use artillery.


Have fun,
Bill
 
I give this some thought from time to time. I figure pretty much any race would use variants of the same weapons as humans. The mix may be different, if a race primarily fights a race of very small, fast, agile rat like aliens, they might favor shotgun type weapons. There would be very few rifle, pistol sorts of guns but almost all area feect type weapons.

If your targets are large, slow and heavily armored, Light assault guns might be the norm and small bore weapons almost unheard of.

Then there are strange things. A beam weapon that slows the molecular structure of a target. Such a beam hitting flesh would basicly freeze or solidify a section of the body. A hit on armor might have the same effect as dipping it in LOX.

Grenades, bombs, chemical projectors with super cooled liquids instead of incendiary material.

How about a weapon that generates a lightning bolt ? Extremely inaccurate but packs a monster punch. Good if fighting races that favor large, close formations of troops.

The radium bullets from the Barsoom books. A bad name but the concept could work. A bullet that is far more dangerous when the contents are exposed to sunlight. Say it was invented on a planet with triple suns and fighting in the dark being a rare event.

A race who is used to fighting robotic foes might favor very high ech EMP weapons. Not very effective vs unarmored humans but might be fun to hit a power armored fellow and make him into a park statue.

My 4.23cr
 
I give this some thought from time to time. I figure pretty much any race would use variants of the same weapons as humans. The mix may be different, if a race primarily fights a race of very small, fast, agile rat like aliens, they might favor shotgun type weapons. There would be very few rifle, pistol sorts of guns but almost all area feect type weapons.

If your targets are large, slow and heavily armored, Light assault guns might be the norm and small bore weapons almost unheard of.

Then there are strange things. A beam weapon that slows the molecular structure of a target. Such a beam hitting flesh would basicly freeze or solidify a section of the body. A hit on armor might have the same effect as dipping it in LOX.

Grenades, bombs, chemical projectors with super cooled liquids instead of incendiary material.

How about a weapon that generates a lightning bolt ? Extremely inaccurate but packs a monster punch. Good if fighting races that favor large, close formations of troops.

The radium bullets from the Barsoom books. A bad name but the concept could work. A bullet that is far more dangerous when the contents are exposed to sunlight. Say it was invented on a planet with triple suns and fighting in the dark being a rare event.

A race who is used to fighting robotic foes might favor very high ech EMP weapons. Not very effective vs unarmored humans but might be fun to hit a power armored fellow and make him into a park statue.

My 4.23cr
 
I'm curious,

Can lightning be harnessed and then dispersed through a personal gun? And at about what tech level would this be possible?

Likewise, I'm sure sound can be harnessed, and then sent out as a focused "sound wave", perhaps resulting in an ultrasonic or hypersonic firearm. On Earth, radio/telephone communications became a science at about TL4 or TL5, during Thomas Edison's time. Could an alien race invent a supersonic gun at about this low Tech Level? Or would it need to be much higher for miniaturization? And what components are needed to turn sound into a weapon? Transistors are needed? Dish antennae?

I actually want to write some preliminary stats down, so that these ideas could produce alien weaponry for MTU.
 
I'm curious,

Can lightning be harnessed and then dispersed through a personal gun? And at about what tech level would this be possible?

Likewise, I'm sure sound can be harnessed, and then sent out as a focused "sound wave", perhaps resulting in an ultrasonic or hypersonic firearm. On Earth, radio/telephone communications became a science at about TL4 or TL5, during Thomas Edison's time. Could an alien race invent a supersonic gun at about this low Tech Level? Or would it need to be much higher for miniaturization? And what components are needed to turn sound into a weapon? Transistors are needed? Dish antennae?

I actually want to write some preliminary stats down, so that these ideas could produce alien weaponry for MTU.
 
Originally posted by Saxondog:
A race who is used to fighting robotic foes might favor very high ech EMP weapons. Not very effective vs unarmored humans but might be fun to hit a power armored fellow and make him into a park statue.
Click to expand...
(Italics added.)

Great image!


Also reminds me of the Cylons shutting down Galactica's fighters, leaving an entire wing drifting helplessly, to be picked off at leisure. Nasty.
 
Originally posted by Saxondog:
A race who is used to fighting robotic foes might favor very high ech EMP weapons. Not very effective vs unarmored humans but might be fun to hit a power armored fellow and make him into a park statue.
Click to expand...
(Italics added.)

Great image!


Also reminds me of the Cylons shutting down Galactica's fighters, leaving an entire wing drifting helplessly, to be picked off at leisure. Nasty.
 
Originally posted by Maladominus:
Can lightning be harnessed and then dispersed through a personal gun? And at about what tech level would this be possible?

Likewise, I'm sure sound can be harnessed, and then sent out as a focused "sound wave", perhaps resulting in an ultrasonic or hypersonic firearm. On Earth, radio/telephone communications became a science at about TL4 or TL5, during Thomas Edison's time. Could an alien race invent a supersonic gun at about this low Tech Level? Or would it need to be much higher for miniaturization? And what components are needed to turn sound into a weapon? Transistors are needed? Dish antennae?
Click to expand...
One of the best inspirations for "Buck Rogers"-type zap gun tech is the work of Nikola Tesla. (Google him and run with it... the bit where he found the resonant frequency of the Earth and turned the entire planet into a capacitor for his lightning bolt generator is legendary, if not mythical...)

One nice alternate-technology idea would be a huge Tesla coil broadcasting enormous amounts of power to small, portable receiving antennae on any number of authorized electric devices (he proposed beaming power to securely-remote-controlled heavier-than-air flying machines, as well as an encrypted, wireless, planet-wide telegraph system, among other things).

And this is all back a century or so ago... TL5/6, maybe?

Sonic technology would use similar engineering; again, mostly vacuum tubes and such, but a lot of the accoustic weaponry now being deployed doesn't rely on much in the way of exotic physics or materials tech. Maybe introduce a good Babbage Difference Engine (or the later, much improved Analytic Engine) to do the waveform modelling calculations on, and you can have some pretty formidible steampunk-era tech development in short order...
 
Originally posted by Maladominus:
Can lightning be harnessed and then dispersed through a personal gun? And at about what tech level would this be possible?

Likewise, I'm sure sound can be harnessed, and then sent out as a focused "sound wave", perhaps resulting in an ultrasonic or hypersonic firearm. On Earth, radio/telephone communications became a science at about TL4 or TL5, during Thomas Edison's time. Could an alien race invent a supersonic gun at about this low Tech Level? Or would it need to be much higher for miniaturization? And what components are needed to turn sound into a weapon? Transistors are needed? Dish antennae?
Click to expand...
One of the best inspirations for "Buck Rogers"-type zap gun tech is the work of Nikola Tesla. (Google him and run with it... the bit where he found the resonant frequency of the Earth and turned the entire planet into a capacitor for his lightning bolt generator is legendary, if not mythical...)

One nice alternate-technology idea would be a huge Tesla coil broadcasting enormous amounts of power to small, portable receiving antennae on any number of authorized electric devices (he proposed beaming power to securely-remote-controlled heavier-than-air flying machines, as well as an encrypted, wireless, planet-wide telegraph system, among other things).

And this is all back a century or so ago... TL5/6, maybe?

Sonic technology would use similar engineering; again, mostly vacuum tubes and such, but a lot of the accoustic weaponry now being deployed doesn't rely on much in the way of exotic physics or materials tech. Maybe introduce a good Babbage Difference Engine (or the later, much improved Analytic Engine) to do the waveform modelling calculations on, and you can have some pretty formidible steampunk-era tech development in short order...
 
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