You can go ahead an report away, but unless there's something in the forum rules that says I have to agree to everything the original poster says, I don't think you're going to have much luck. And if you're posting on this forum only to hear everyone tell you what good ideas you have you aren't using it very well. There is an ignore button and nothing is stopping you from using it. I'm not saying that it's unrealistic that they don't want to kill each other, I'm saying that it's unrealistic that they would ever get out of their tribes and move on. It's unrealistic that at no point in their history no single individual would find out that they could take what they wanted because they were bigger and stronger than the guy that had it. That's not even human nature, every animal does that. Insects do it. But without war, or even the threat of war, so much of all our society unravels. The constitution says in the pre-amble that its creation is to "provide for the common defense". If there is no war, why would there be any nations? If there are no nations and everyone is working for themselves why would they collaborate? And if they don't collaborate how do you invent the iPod?
Now you want to talk about making no sense - WHY would they be working for themselves!?!? Have I not already established that this is a race which does not naturally include the disgusting traits of humanity - war, violence, selfishness? They would not be working for themselves, they would be working together and collectively for everyone's benefit, and if that much isn't obvious to you then it only goes to show how little you really understand. Ah, yes, because the United States Constitution lays the universal groundwork for the nature of all species in the universe (rather than being influenced by our own nature). Gee, how could I forget that. Literally in my second sentence I said there are no nations: You're forgetting that the main reason humans always want more is not because they don't have enough, it's because humans are naturally greedy self-serving creatures who only want more because it's there. Once they've taken everything, then and only then do humans stop wanting more. Comparing a child getting a spanking to total warfare is ridiculous. I had no idea I was a war veteran! *gasp!* One word: DIPLOMACY. I'm sure all those millennia of endless war made you forget that violence is not the only way to solve problems and confrontations. Humans are naturally violent, these aliens are naturally diplomatic. They are apples and oranges - you cannot compare them. You cannot apply human standards to them, it does not work. This is the part where I actually started laughing out loud. So, according to you, war is absolutely the only reason anyone would want to explore their home world. I'm pretty sure a majority of the exploration between the 1400s - 1600s had much more to do with genuine curiosity than anything to do with war or conquering. Curiosity is the main reason for exploration, not war. War, slavery, conquering, piracy - you are actually going so far as to point out the worst parts of human history and insisting that they are all necessary, not only for human development, but for any species to develop. You think war is the only way humans could have advanced? Because I think there are many extinct races and cultures that would strongly disagree with that sentiment. I don't think the dozen-million people Hitler killed were happy to lay down their lives for a future with computers and jet engines. I don't think the Native Americans happily surrendered their sacred land so that we could have railroads. I don't think hundreds of thousands across Asia laid down their lives so that Genghis Khan could gift the world with fireworks. I could go on. To argue that the worst, most savage behaviour human beings have ever displayed is somehow "the best way forward" is downright insulting to human intelligence itself. You're putting down the entire human race by saying that that's the best we can be, that it's the only way. War is almost never the only way - of all the millions of conflicts in our existence, I'll bet you could count on one hand the number of times when it was the only way. And no, I'm not saying that you have to agree with me, I'm saying that the arguments you keep throwing out are just plain insulting - quite literally - to the entirety of creation. You have insulted everything that ever was and will be by suggesting that war (and all the horrors and crimes that go with it) is the universal factor by which every species must advance. Just because war just so happened to be the primary motivator for our development does NOT mean that it is the only thing that could ever motivate any species. That is an extremely narrow-minded view, and quite frankly, it is a dangerous one as well. I dearly hope we do not end up with a president who views war the same way you do, because then we're all screwed.
I think plasma weaponry would be within the realm of possibility for a spacefaring alien race. They might just not realize they have the stuff already. When you can cross the void between the stars, you've got FTL. FTL means you have fusion down to easy mode, at the very least. Easy-mode fusion means you have plasma generation down to a trivial chore. Fire a jet of this superheated plasma out with a graviton particle projected alongside it to keep the plasma together as a "bolt" instead of it dissipating as a gas. The very idea that humans could fight off an alien invasion is just a wee bit farfetched.
The better question is, if this is a race that doesn't squabble amongst themselves and works together, what possible use could they have for us or our planet? Water? Nonsense. There's tons of water out there in the universe, and by the time you can cross the stars you're going to have ways to synthesize elements you need, including water. Hell, the idea of resources would be utterly passe to beings such as these.
I think the guns would have the general shape of human weapons with whatever technology the aliens have to power them. Without knowing what technologies they've developed, it's hard to say how they would function in the context of the story, but human guns come in all shapes and sizes, including: 1. The classic pistol. Weather it's a six-shooter or has a clip, they're light and easy to conceal. Could fire a small laser or plasma blast. 2. The automatic rifle. Heavier than pistols, these can be used as anti-personnel or anti-vehicle weapons. They use the same rounds as the alien pistol, but fire much more rapidly and with a greater range and ammunition storage capacity than the pistol too. 3. The mini-gun. The heaviest of the weapons I'll explain, these are essentially bigger versions of the automatic rifle. They fire more powerful rounds at a higher rate, but are extremely power hungry and prone to overheating. As a result, only the strongest individuals in the alien army are capable of wielding this mighty weapon. As far as ammunition types go, you could go for a Sci-fi staple such as laser pulses or plasma shots, but you could also opt for something less used such as dark matter or mesons. Or make something up! Who knows what kinds of new particles the aliens have discovered through scientific enlightenment?
Well since you insist on misunderstanding my point, and are ignorant of both our psychological and anthropological history, I'll try a different track. You're too blinded by your disgust with humanity to understand some core concepts. The irony is not lost on me. They've had wars (so you say) after developing flight, so they philosophically capable of the concept? The concept of taking something you want by force is inherent in a two year old, and you want me to believe that none of these aliens figured out that if there were a lot of them, they could take a lot more? Lions do this. Wolves do this. Ants do this. We did not evolve by chance. War is not a human trait. It's not even an animal trait. It's not even a multi-celled organism trait. Every life for on this earth is governed by two constant laws. 1.) This isn't enough for everyone. 2.) We are not all going to survive. There's not enough money, there's not enough gold, there's not enough gas, there's not enough pylons, there's not enough medicine, there's not enough food, there's not enough rabbits, there's not enough fertilizer, there's not enough top-soil, there's not enough sunlight. There was actually a time in our past when earth was a land of plenty. In fact it lasted for around a billion years. And nothing at that time evolved past the protozoa, because there was no reason to. But then the atmosphere was getting too think, and the cells began to die, and only then did we actually start to change. If a race of aliens had everything they wanted all the time, why would they ever do anything other than what they had always done before. If they do not have what they want all the time, there is strife, and where there is strife there is war. But I guess looking at the way the universe really is, is insulting to all of creation. So on behalf of creation, I apologize to creation, for being right.
With no experience in ground/battlefield situations and also a lack of weapons, i think you kind of underestimate the power and, more important, the tight-fisted behaviour of people in times of danger and threats. With the agressive and defensive nature of people, who most likely will see them as a threat, i don't think they will succeed with the invasion without a strong defence. Are the human beings also aware of a aliens and their planet before the invasion? Because they will when it happens. . I ask this because i like your idea, don't get me wrong! I also don't need answers, it's only important that you can explain it in your story. After all, a science fiction is not a fairytail. Back to your question about the alien guns based on human firearms. Let's go back with focussing us on the battle. I think it will not only be soldiers, but also angry and anxious civilians wo will defend theirselves. Im not sure about how many manalienpower they will bring to earth, but i can't imagine they won't be outnumbered. So, in order to win they barely can't lose any alienbrothers in arm, so i defenitly give much attention about defensive stragetics. Bulletproof armor, maybe some magnetic field or defense-shield that will attract all the bullets, etc. On the other end they need to kill a lot. I don't know how many weapons they gonna put in their spaceship, but damn, it needs to be more than a handful. So i am thinking, the alien gun that is based on the human firearms, is that it is a human firearm, but with a alien flavour. Their weapon scientists main job during the battle, is to change a dead mans gun in order to make more. With the differences between the aliens and humans in mind, i like the idea that this will also be included in the using of the weapon. For example, we people use guns to create damage to put something into the body. Why does the aliens don't use it to aim it on the heart and make the heart burst out of the body. Or the eyes, or the bones. Something even mankind never had experienced in groundbattlefield before.
I would suggest the first line of re-engineered guns would be almost exactly like the humans one but built from alien metals and their own supplies, after the first round of weapons they would probably try and recreate their OWN design based on what they know. But that is my two cents.
