Same physics as the video game but played with aerogel ateroids and space ship floating in mid-air above a deep enclosed table containing sulphur hexafluoride.

The teensiest of fans could jet your spaceship in and around randomly floating asteroids which break into individual pieces when hit by a laser pointer.
When the pieces are at their smallest and shot again the smaller pieces are designed to tip and partially submerge so that, although they are still randomly floating around as a distraction, they can no longer destroy your ship.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 03 2022

Levitation https://www.instruc...vitation-Mid-air-T/
Here's the tech you need. I doubt anyone's tried it with bigger stuff in SF6, so kudos for that step! [neutrinos_shadow, Nov 03 2022]

Icy Bodies https://www.youtube...watch?v=B4-4UYMAMCQ
Dry ice floating on liquid [xaviergisz, Nov 04 2022]

Ooh, that acoustic levitation link would be the cats-ass for BattleSubs.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 03 2022


//designed to tip and partially submerge//

Mmmmmmkay ...

How?

Maybe it would be better to just let them hit the ship, but have the ship detect how hard it's been hit and, if the answer is "not very", continue play.

But then, how are these rocks breaking up at all when hit with the laser pointer? Do they have small, electronically initiated squibs inside them? How would that affect their buoyancy?
-- pertinax, Nov 04 2022


Yes. Small light activated release switches. The tiny pertubations caused by the crafts' own thrust would add chaotic patterns to the resultant fragmental drifts. I figured that individual segments would be joined to each other in such a way that they displace the sulphur hexafluoride, like a tinfoil boat. When the tiniest boat breaks in half then both halves sink slightly lower than the playing field.

Set up would be problematic, but that's for the players to deal with.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 04 2022


But why would a small chunk float lower in the sulfur hexafluoride than a large piece? Why not higher, or at about the same height?
-- pertinax, Nov 04 2022


//But why would a small chunk float lower in the sulfur hexafluoride than a large piece? //

Picture tinfoil-like boats but made from aerogel comprised of individual lifeboats. As each section is hit it breaks into separate lifeboats. Broken lifeboats create more lifeboats when hit agiain, but the smallest lifeboats break in half and sink because the aerogel shell of the lifeboat is thin enough that, although still buoyant enough to partially sink no longer displaces enough sulphur hexafluoride to remain at the surface.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 05 2022



random, halfbakery