Since many state license plates are reflective, how about a license plate frame for the front of your car that has a laser gun and a laser receiver? On the highway, position your car behind the target car and you will hear an indicator that tells you that you are in range. Press the button on your stick shift to fire at the car ahead of you. Your choice of missile, machine gun, or blaster sound fills the car. If the beam hits their plate and is reflected back, you are audibly rewarded with an explosion. If you miss and the signal does not come back, you get a whoosh or ping sound. If your friend has one, they can chase you and you can tell if you've been locked on and hit. Comes with dash mounted sight.
-- wombat, Aug 14 2003

Laser Dog Fighting http://www.personal...h102/ist250/sky.htm
Similar to this. D'oh! I wish it was still running. There's probably others though. [RoboBust, Oct 05 2004]

Interstate '76 http://www.thecompu...ws/interstate76.htm
Worked well in video game form. Kinda like a racing sim meets Mechwarrior. An oldy but a goody, and a great soundtrack! [RoboBust, Oct 05 2004]

Can a person who doesn't drink come up with a half baked idea for beer?
-- wombat, Aug 14 2003


Safety issues aside, I like it! Perhaps a dedicated area with special cars fitted out for this purpose would be in order. Also, it shouldn't be limited to the license plate, even though it would wreck the pun.
-- RoboBust, Aug 14 2003


Special cars or gokarts on a closed track would be more responsible.
-- wombat, Aug 14 2003


The Haunted House at Alton Towers was recently refitted to become a moving shooting gallery. Each passenger has a laser gun, and has to shoot at the ghosts and ghouls who pop up, scoring points for accuracy. It's a vast improvement on the old haunted house (as anyone who has ever been to Alton Towers will agree).

Great idea on a fixed track, not so great when you have all that steering, gear changing and paying attention to the road lark.
-- sambwiches, Aug 14 2003


have you ever played 'car tag'? You and a friend get on the freeway, one of you is 'it'. You have to get within 1 car length of the rear bumper of the other car and flash your brights. Then they're it and you have to get away and keep them farther than 1 car length away from you.
-- thejini, Aug 14 2003


Nah, using a hand aimed gun would be too easy [sambwiches]. I think the idea was to have the gun mounted on the car, meaning all that steering, gear changing and braking would be doing the aiming. In one of my favourite old games "Interstate '76", doing a handbraky and trying to sort of circle strafe around your opponent while keeping your nose pointed at him, and his away from you, was an artform!

I also think it would be cooler if the gun acted like a machine gun, and you had to keep it on the target for a while, rather than one shot equating to a kill. Maybe even different areas of the car could have different damage models, but then it's starting to get a bit complicated.

I don't know why this idea has as many fishbones as it does, it's fairly easily bakeable, and would be fun! I'd pay 50-100 bucks for half an hour of supervised car laser tag in a special area with obstacles and whatnot to hide behind. I certainly wouldn't pay for that sissy "on foot" laser tag crap!
-- RoboBust, Aug 15 2003



random, halfbakery