Thread:The Clanden/@comment-5024875-20120824171748/@comment-5365119-20120831175503

This is better, much better, I think. Keep in mind, though, that a civilization does not become modern within a few generations. The first recorded uses of widespread musket-type weaponry is at around 1450. The technology would be refined and perfected over time, slowly evolving into the weapons militaries use today. That took roughly 550 years. Even then, gunpowder was discovered millennia before that, and yet had little use other than in fireworks.

Another point: Individual lifeforms don't "grow" fur overnight to cope with environmental conditions. It would take thousands upon thousands of years for the species to evolve to better suit their environment. This works through natural selection, where those unfit to survive (in this case, the individuals with the least hair) die off, while those fit to survive (those with the most hair) live on to pass on their genes to the next generation. In this way, those genes coding for the advantageous trait (in this case, the fur) could mutate over time, possibly enhancing that trait, giving them more fur.

I do like the invention by necessity scenario with the steam cannon, however. A steam cannon, though? Steam power is not nearly powerful enough to send a cannonball out of the barrel of any weapon. It is better suited for jobs requiring endurance, not large blasts of energy. Black gunpowder, however, is only powerful in a short blast, producing enough energy to send a cannonball flying towards a target over a mile away. The accuracy isn't great, but the range is excellent. The easiest way to pulverize a rebel stronghold is to either bombard it from afar, either from batteries stationed on positions on high ground, or from ships of the line at sea (able to bring to bear more in a single broadside more than a large army could,) and then storm it with shock troops.