>>... I think you've completely failed
>>to comprehend the size of this thing...
>>it's wingspan is *at bare minimum*
>>2.5km - possibly as long as 4km...
>>unless it's doing a kamikaze dive...
>>*tilting* the Bat along its wingspan
>>axis by around 2 degrees is going to
>>ground one of its wings.
Roderick said:
>>...bats are not necessarily Gliders.
Are you trying to imply that the Bat might be flapping its wings at this distance from Whitewall, rather than just gliding in for the last bodylength or two? Wouldn't a downward flap of a 1km to 1.5km wing drop more than 1,000ft? That makes the problem *worse* - now it's grounding its wings without being attacked!
>>As a matter of fact, they are
>>extremely agile, and can fold their
>>wings very close to their bodies in
>>flight (which is how they steer).
All of which is, I'm sure, quite true, but agility doesn't enter into it. We're talking about the point in time when it's less than two bodylengths from Whitewall - a bit late for "steering". Anyway, for MGF, I'd suggest that the Bat will have its wings fully spread as it prepares to attack Whitewall. Isn't that how you envision the Bat? A huge, slow, ponderous, monstrous thing? You wouldn't narrate it darting about like a humming bird, would you?
Roderick said:
>>...the bat can do aerobatics well
>>lower than 1000m - it won't "drag
>>a wing" by tilting 2 degrees. It's
>>wings are not fixed, they can (and
>>do) move.
*Sigh* OK - let's assume the extremely unlikely scenario of it "torpedoing" at Whitewall. Let's assume its wings are fully "retracted". It's the attack of the Empire's feared, flying Crimson Mouse. It's 1km long at this time, right? At an attitude of 1,000ft (not 1,000m). So how much do you need to tilt it along this axis to put its head or its bum down?
Roderick, with all due respect, I think you're *still* completely failing to comprehend the size of the Bat in comparison to Whitewall and in comparison to its supposed altitude. It just isn't possible for something this size to be doing aerial acrobatics at this point in the space-time continuum, mate. Suck it up.
Roderick said:
>>It's a God. It doesn't (necessarily)
>>obey the laws of Physics... If
>>we're going to ignore one physical
>>law, might as well ignore more.
Yeah, I'm right up for that. No problem. But you just *can't* ignore the fact that (from its point of view) the Bat is almost on the ground and almost touching Whitewall *as it starts to Scream*. You *can't* expect people to suspend enough disbelief to get aerobatics in *at this altitude*. We have to get it higher somehow OR forget the "Snoopy & the Red Baron" stuff.
Now before I get labelled as the spoilsport here, I want to remind everyone that I *want* the Big Fight on the Bat's back as described by Roderick. I previously said it was, "absolutely wonderful and full of flavour". I *want* the barrel rolls, the kamikaze dives, death-rolls, spins and the bucking bronco stuff.
Perhaps the Thunderclap (along with the return of the Air) forces the Bat up a kilometre or two? Also, post-Thunderclap, I can quite accept that the blinded Bat begins behaving like a headless chicken on speed, and might well immediately go straight up another few clicks. That might give us enough altitude, but does it mess up attackers getting on to its back? Could they fly/leap/teleport there *before* the Thunderclap? Would they?
Regards,
Philip M
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