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Alien = cool sci-fi concept + Ridley Scott = awesome.

Do yourself a favor and see it, Seafort.

Besides, why do New York and Pennsylvania get evacuated, but New Jersey and Connecticut just have to deal with the fallout?

Anyhow, I think tens of thousands is probably the upper casualty limit before a response capable of eradicating the xenomorphs is put together.

Mikey wrote:Besides, why do New York and Pennsylvania get evacuated, but New Jersey and Connecticut just have to deal with the fallout?

I think the classical answer is that no one would be able to tell if New Jersey got turned into more of a wasteland.

Not that I've ever been there, but NJ is sort of a byword for pollution.

Yeah, but we've got nice parts, too!

Welcome to New Jersey... where the weak are killed and eaten.

Mikey wrote:Yeah, but we've got nice parts, too!

Welcome to New Jersey... where the weak are killed and eaten.

Where was Hannibal Lecter from?

He wouldn't stand a chance in Newark or Camden...

Everyone is using the New York example, but if Aliens crashed in some third world nation in africa or even India then Alien would have a very good chance of winning. Think about it, how long would it take for western nations to give a damn about Africa? By then the aliens could be in half a dozen nations and have thousands of members.

Hmm, good point, Monroe.

Okay, change of scenario:
What happens when the aliens set up in Mogadishu, Somalia?
For reference, the population of Mogadishu is 1.7 million.

That's the human population Rochey. Since the AK-47 population isn't much different, the Aliens still lose, albeit after causing far more trouble and deaths than in the US scenario. Mogadishu, from what I know of it, doesn't have the intricate sewer/subway system of New York, removing the ability of the Aliens to hide down there for weeks or months before being detected, and doesn't have skyscrapers, making house clearing a much simpler issue.

Hmm, good point. I had forgotten about the mass ownership of weapons in those countries.

But the amaount of weapons in Africa is still alot lower the in USA.

Perhaps, but I don't have the figures of firearms per capita between Mogadishu and New York - which is what's relevant, not the total number of firearms. The difference is that in Somalia, those weapons are in the hands of people more ready to respond to a street-level threat, rather than having to call authorities, get approvals, design entrance and exit strategies, etc. Of course, once that's all done, the US has the advantage of those weapons being in the hands of better trained and better eupplied people.

I hope nobody's under the impression that if you walk through midtown Manhattan you'll see one out of three civilians walking down the street with an H&K MP-5 tucked under their arm like the SAS. The propagation of illegal firearms is definitely a problem here, but it really isn't like The Clash's "Safe European Home."

Yeah. The aliens would be much more likely to run into resisting victims in Mogadishu. And AKs pack quite a wallop.

mlsnoopy wrote:But the amaount of weapons in Africa is still alot lower the in USA.

In quantity, maybe (though I doubt it). In terms of quality, however, the vast majority of privately own weapons in the US are handguns. In Somalia (and most African troublespots) they're AKs.

Captain Seafort wrote:

mlsnoopy wrote:But the amaount of weapons in Africa is still alot lower the in USA.

In quantity, maybe (though I doubt it). In terms of quality, however, the vast majority of privately own weapons in the US are handguns. In Somalia (and most African troublespots) they're AKs.

Handguns, hunting rifles, and shotguns. Handguns can be fairly powerful, but nothing like a rifle bullet. They can fire fast, too. For the hunting rifles, they're usually bolt-action. I hope the first hit stops it, particularly at the range you usually encounter xenomorphs. I'm not sure a shotgun would have enough penetrative power to hurt a xenomorph. I just see all the shot more or less bouncing off or not going all the way through the exoskeleton.

In Aliens, a close-range shotgun blast caves in a xenomorphs head, but we're talking Colonial Marines there, not the local gun club, so...