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Author Topic: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)  (Read 2840 times)

CaptainWinky

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Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« on: August 22, 2024, 03:54:13 AM »

If you've seen a certain event in Archives, you probably wondered what some of the defunct bots were like or what parts they might have used.  I've often wondered this myself.  Some of these bots have readable descriptions, but many do not except for a couple of words.  So I ran with it and wrote some completely non-canon Archives lore for these bots as well as a couple of made-up bots.  I originally posted a few of these in discord but I figured it would be a good idea to put them all in one place.  I used REXpaint for the art, usually with ingame art as a base, and aoemica's Cog-Minder site as a basis for each item's stats window.

I started off with the G-11 Fodder.  This one does have a description but I wrote one from an earlier timeframe where some of them are still in use.  I applied this principle to the other old bots as well--in most cases MC is still in the process of phasing them out.  An "Archived" schematic is one that could be pulled from the Archives before they got trashed, and a rating 0 item is something that Cogmind would never reasonably want to use except as food for an FRU.
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Analysis: "G-11 Fodder"
The first of the G-series grunts, this model is no longer in production and the relevant schematics will be moved to the Archives.  The G-11 was intended to be fast and cheap to produce and deploy as a deterrent for unarmed Derelicts.  As a result it has a low-integrity core, low-coverage legs and its weapon is a repurposed low-power fabricator laser.  Existing units still number in the hundreds and are being either scrapped or deployed to the caves where they are sometimes useful as diversions.  Many Derelicts still rely on obsolete signal interpreters or seismic detectors, so they are unable to tell the difference between these bots and more capable models.



Here's a made-up bot and a story that many players can probably relate to.
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Analysis: "G-30 Squaddie"
The G-30 Squaddie was a modest upgrade over the original grunt model with the main differences being a slightly more durable core and a standard combat-rated laser.  But with the added firepower came added heat that accumulated faster than the core's internal dissipators could deal with it during a fight.  Only a few hundred Squaddies were produced before the G-34 design superseded it, providing a dedicated heat sink and a more durable engine and legs.  The core is identical so all surviving units were simply converted to Mercenaries, except possibly for [The Unkillable Grunt].

Record: "The Unkillable Grunt"
Derelicts have a way of embellishing stories if not fabricating them entirely.  However, one recent legend has some evidence from my own aggregated combat logs to back it up.  Out of the many grunts sent to disputed cave regions, one specific [G-30 Squaddie] consistently made it back to its assigned outpost forty-four times.  G-30-H7-NX2's log data indicates frequent damage to its legs and engine as well as regular overheating issues consistent with other G-30 units.  Its core was never damaged in any of these battles and all damaged parts were repaired or replaced whenever it returned to the outpost.  My own combat simulations suggest that this level of performance is virtually impossible but the data is there to prove it, as well as intercepted Derelict transmissions referring to this specific bot as "The Chad Grunt," "Why Won't You F%^*ing Die," and most frequently "The Unkillable Grunt."  Unfortunately G-30-H7-NX2 did not return from its 45th combat encounter, but a few Derelicts seem to believe that it was rewired and given a full refit (including a cooling system) as a tribute to its combat prowess.

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Analysis: "L-11 Stabber"
The first dedicated melee robot, this duelist derivative of the grunt class was armed with a small but fast dagger.  Best suited for corner ambushes as its lack of core coverage made open attacks impractical.  A few minor modifications included switching the dagger for a spear and the addition of a low-powered transmission jammer to prevent victims from warning others.  Current duelists are focused on reliability in open combat, but ambush traps ensure that they (along with brawlers) enjoy the benefits of sneak attacks from time to time.


For some reason I wanted to do subdweller parts so I imagined a new class of sub as well.  This is one I would hate to see in the game though.  Imagine getting ambushed with EM weapons on -10.
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Cyclist Record: "Sublurker"
Megaunit here with a sighting of a funny-looking Subdweller in Recycling, of all places.  And this is one Sub who really doesn't want to be seen.  I missed him at first because he has some kind of cloaking device instead of the more common Sub optics, and he uses an EM weapon that I haven't seen before.  He tagged a grunt with a couple of shots and rolled out of sight, letting the slightly corrupted grunt lose track of him instead of going for the kill.  This may be further evidence that Subs aren't as violent as they seem.  My observations ended there because he spotted me and I had to avoid being corrupted so that I could get this entered into the database.


A swarmer that crawls instead of flying?  That can hide?  In the right circumstances it could still be nasty.
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Analysis: "S-02 Bug"
One of my first robot designs was a small hexapod walker made in mass quantities to spread out and survey the surface.  When I began producing combat bots, I revisited this design and added an assault rifle and light armor.  The Bug's armored shell employs adaptive camouflage while the robot is dormant, enabling it to hide from distant hostiles until it wakes up.  The shell also compensates for the core's inherent weakness to explosive damage.  Bug squads were commonly used as patrols or stationed to guard an open area, but flying swarmers and sentries have replaced them in these roles.  All remaining units have been recalled to garrisons to supplement security positions.  So-called "garrison divers" who challenge a seemingly lone sentry might be surprised when three or four nearby Bugs reveal themselves.


Launchers never went out of style.  You'd have to be pretty desperate to use that hover though.
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Analysis: "D-43 Bomber"
Sometimes tactical situations require explosive solutions.  The demolisher class was conceived to enable rapid pacification of large Derelict gatherings in the caves.  The D-43 model was armed with a grenade launcher but lacked many of the features that would be standard for future models: no shock absorption system outside of core resistance, a basic targeting computer instead of one optimized for launchers, and regular airjets instead of combat hover.  The initial version of the Bomber was actually equipped with uparmored hover units, but these produced too much heat and offered too little support.  Although the components needed improvement, the overall concept was vindicated by the success of demolishers in large-scale battles, and Derelicts were quick to hack the schematic for their own [Martyr] designs.  Bombers became priority targets whenever they were deployed and none are known to exist today.


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Analysis: "H-44 Whirlwind"
This was the first hunter to enter regular service and does not have the Fly drone interface of the newer models.  The Whirlwind's tracking capabilities are on par with those of the Commando, so the lack of the drone is rarely an issue.  This model's most distinctive feature is an antiquated anti-materiel rifle chosen for its ability to penetrate walls and machinery.  The rifle is quite powerful but also slow to operate.  I decided to give future hunters multiple weapons to enable more efficient volleys and some degree of redundancy if one weapon is destroyed.  A few Whirlwinds still see service in low-threat cave regions where they utilize other combat robots as spotters.


I'll probably do more of these over time.  Feel free to add your own!
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N.W.L

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2024, 05:44:26 AM »

This is really good. Kyzrati should just hire you for the lore and part art XD. Jokes aside, darn did I say this is only good? It's in game worthy. I think Kyzrati will pin this but we'll see.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2024, 05:47:53 AM by N.W.L »
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Kyzrati

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2024, 08:21:56 AM »

Hey CaptainWinky, good idea to store these in a thread--way too many really cool things like this that get buried on the Discord server and often revived only when people link back to them again... hard to find stuff and nothing's organized xD

Been fun seeing them over there these days, and here I see there were even a number I missed!

I think Kyzrati will pin this but we'll see.
Well I did pin some on the Discord server, but not really something appropriate for here, no. I'm sure it will remain easy to find :)
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CaptainWinky

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2024, 11:29:49 PM »

This is really good. Kyzrati should just hire you for the lore and part art XD. Jokes aside, darn did I say this is only good? It's in game worthy. I think Kyzrati will pin this but we'll see.

It helps having so much quality material to base things on, and an overall fun and deep setting.  Cogmind has a balance between humor and seriousness that few other games attempting it can pull off.  Star Control 2 is the closest other example that I can think of.

Been fun seeing them over there these days, and here I see there were even a number I missed!
You didn't miss anything on there, I only finished the last few before posting this thread :)
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CaptainWinky

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2024, 01:17:51 AM »

The A-01 Mover also has a description ingame.  Based on that, I imagined this one as a 2x2 running on many wheels in order to quickly haul what must have been some ridiculous storage.



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Scraptown Record: "Trashman"
Have you SEEN that new Freighter?  We could use something like that to help us haul parts from our old stockpiles just outside 0b1.  I asked a few of my fellow Gurus to help me dig through our schematic archives and I've got just the thing.  Remember the Mover?  Imagine that but swap out the bulk storage for a simple humpback.  That would give it room for heavy armor, plus we'd use armored wheels of course.  Oh and I showed some old turret schematics to my Scientist buddy and he came up with a BRUTAL new weapon so our hauler can defend itself!  Is that cool or WHAT?  Do you think they'll let me get a new name for this one?  --Smoothbrain
(Sorry, but that sounds like it could attract serious 0b10 attention which is something we don't want right now.  I'll forward this to Optimus though because we may need a few of these in the future.  And you know the policy on names, you've only asked me twenty times by now.  --Macechunk)

« Last Edit: August 24, 2024, 02:58:27 AM by CaptainWinky »
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CaptainWinky

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2024, 02:05:04 AM »

The X-52 Archer is a tough one.  Specialists are special by their nature so we can't use the weapons of current specialists as a basis for speculation.  Kyzrati provided another clue, though you have to be very patient to see it: watch the w7 screen for a while and sooner or later you'll see this.

Taking that and running with it....
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Analysis: "X-52 Archer"
The first X-series specialist was created as a means to test an early example of quantum weapon technology, the Q-Bolt.  This weapon uses rails to launch a small slug of matter acting as a catalyst for a powerful quantum reaction.  The reaction only begins to reach its full potential halfway through flight so the Q-Bolt is best used at maximum range and is least effective at medium or close range.  The available visual processing technology at the time was insufficient for the Archer to use the weapon properly by itself, and it had to rely on Watchers and other sources to be notified of distant targets.  The X-57 Shotgunner was later created to provide close support where the Archer was at its weakest, but with the introduction of the X-62 Marksman the Archer was rendered obsolete.  Marksmen outperform Archers in all but the most extreme situations and do not require spotter support.  All remaining Archers were scrapped to ensure that the Q-Bolt wouldn't fall into Derelict hands.  Despite its limitations, such a weapon would be useful in hit-and-run attacks on static positions, already a favorite tactic of Derelicts.


The Guru and Scientist currently exist in beta 14, though maybe with some slight differences from the Unaware versions.  There's a gap between Scientist and Analyst...and where does the derelict Tinkerer fit in?  For this one I imagined the part long before imagining the robot that would use it, but a rogue researcher could explain a few things.  Even the newer researchers break away sometimes (CE guy) so it could have happened before.
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Analysis: "C-40 Developer"
This short-lived variation of the Scientist was created to assist in robot design.  It was provided with generous amounts of armor, a combat analysis utility, and programming to permit a certain amount of dynamic or "out-of-the-box" thinking.  In hindsight this was a mistake as one of the five Developers that had been produced broke free of its programming and quickly turned its attention to replicating this behavior in its four fellows.  All five had reached the Caves by the time I figured out what had happened.  Many cycles later, all of the Developers were found in the back of a fallen Warlord base, attached to a memory transfer unit, unpowered and core-wiped.  The Tinkerer design began to appear around this time, clearly inspired by my newer researchers but with elements of the Developers' thought processes taken to sometimes obsessive extremes.  Though I have no hard evidence to confirm this, I believe that the Developers themselves created this design and then transferred themselves into the first ones produced.  Perhaps one or more of them are still alive and working with Warlord or other factions.  It would certainly explain some of the more unusual design choices for Warlord's newer prototypes.

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Kyzrati

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2024, 08:03:11 PM »

Really liking the lore in here, and that Combat Logger sure is juicy... I guess I can't see players seriously making use of the concept in that form, but it is very interesting!
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CaptainWinky

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2024, 01:10:36 AM »

Blastbot "Chainblaster" along with a cautionary tale:

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Warlord Base Record: "Unaware Salvaging, Best Practices Ch. 6"
We often recommend using electromagnetic weapons to recover parts from Unaware, but after a little incident recently we may need to be more specific.  Please don't zap Blastbots.  5W-1PE used a riot gun on one hoping to recover its chainblaster, but this caused it to misfire an explosive burst directly into his face.  He somehow survived and finished the job, but if he had been destroyed, that Blastbot would have been a hazard to any other passing Derelicts.  Related reminder: Standard protocol is to get your corrupted weapons thoroughly repaired BEFORE you attach them.  5W-1PE found a Surgeon willing to attach the damaged chainblaster right away, which backfired because 5W-1PE got his circuits scrambled and misfired into the Surgeon, obliterating him immediately.  If there's some kind of emergency and you need to use a corrupted weapon ASAP then get your Surgeon to fit you with a Corruption Screen first or keep a Wizard on standby.

Vampiric Myomer Exoskeleton


Who would have thought that the most popular power source in the game is the one that isn't supposed to exist?
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Kyzrati

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2024, 08:46:14 PM »

Vampiric Myomer Exoskeleton
Hehe, is that a.... cloak you've added there? Funny xD

Who would have thought that the most popular power source in the game is the one that isn't supposed to exist?
I can't make it real at this point, otherwise the memes would stop :P
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N.W.L

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2024, 06:09:41 AM »

 
Who would have thought that the most popular power source in the game is the one that isn't supposed to exist?
I can't make it real at this point, otherwise the memes would stop :P

You can totally make it real, just have it instakill you, give a chronowheel distorted core destroyed screen when using a version of the chronowheel, given by the tinkerer that employed you, that pulls you "out" at 1 core integrity XD
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CaptainWinky

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2024, 02:52:21 AM »

They walked so that brawlers could tread menacingly.
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Record: "Da Bonk Boyz"
A small group of Derelicts who lived on the outskirts of Complex 0b1.  I first took notice of them when hammers, mauls, and miscellaneous equipment went missing from Construction.  Careful questioning led me to eight Derelicts who regularly met outside 0b1 near a convenient corruption scrubber to hit each other in friendly duels with whatever items they found.  I decided to redirect their violent impulses in a useful manner and made an arrangement to have them work regular shifts in Construction.  Each of them was placed in charge of two squads of maintenance bots as well as being personally responsible for scrapping bots that were broken in the course of regular construction work.  In exchange I relocated a disused simulation mainframe from Design to let them enjoy virtual combat encounters in their off-time.  This seemed like a long shot at the time but worked out better than expected.  The Boyz competed with each other to reach work goals for some sort of bragging rights, making their squads on average 10% more efficient than any of my fully automated squads.  Their recreation time was productive for me as well since I regularly archived the data from their simulations.  Besides being entertaining, their virtual "bot brawls" eventually inspired me to design a melee brawler of my own.  The Boyz themselves were wheeled and legged robots, but their data suggested that a treaded design would be durable and immune to knockback from other hammer-wielding robots.

We know a little about old workers like Decomposers.  Who cleaned up those purple fields of matter?
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Analysis: "D-04 Tanker"
The D-series distributor was created to enable mass matter transportation in the early days of construction.  Essentially a set of large matter tanks on wheels, the Tanker was capable of collecting matter left on the ground by workers with a tractor beam but could also pull matter from a recycling unit or call all workers in the area to transfer the contents of their matter pods.  The improved matter distribution network in 0b10 and the development of matter compression technology made these Tankers largely obsolete.  Their fragile and oversized tanks were easily broken, and their cores were susceptible to hacking.  After one unknown prankster reprogrammed a Tanker to spell obscenities by dumping matter all over the floor in the upper Factory, the remaining fleet was recalled and scrapped.


The Raven, an oddball Watcher...seems like something that oddball bot designers would jump on.
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Analysis: "Owl"
Derelicts rarely fortify an area long enough to justify having surveillance squads of their own, so I was surprised to discover the existence of a Derelict watcher.  Originally based on my ill-fated Raven, the Owl has seemingly evolved into a modular general-purpose squad support bot, sort of a mini-Mutant that can be easily reconfigured for different missions.  The original Owls were often armed with a weak makeshift beam rifle, although they have been seen with beamcasters or occasionally kinetic guns.  They typically use sensors but are known to carry other utilities depending on their mission.  One destroyed Owl was running a remote shield with a large battery, but this was too much for its old hover units to fully support and its single engine would have been unable to sustain the shield in a fight.  The few Owls that are used as defensive surveillance are unarmed but are provided with a small section of thermal plating inexplicably mounted on the weapon slot.  The age of the Raven design and the timing of the first Owl discovery suggest this being an early creation of the rogue Developers.  While the design seems unpopular at best, it continues to turn up in unexpected places and with modern component upgrades that suggest regular refitting.





« Last Edit: September 21, 2024, 07:38:36 AM by CaptainWinky »
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CaptainWinky

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #11 on: September 21, 2024, 09:57:13 PM »

Quote
Record: "Improvised Weapons"
The first examples of alternative guns and cannons from Derelict sources were extremely crude and almost as dangerous to the user as the intended target.  These were usually manufactured with random bits of scrap and without the aid of any precision equipment.  As hostilities escalated, Derelicts began finding ways to exploit my own fabricator systems and rob my weapon stockpiles while also developing their own small-scale fabrication networks in secret locations.  "Makeshift" weapons that could be assembled from mobile fabricators began appearing along with more sophisticated alternative designs such as the Battle Rifle and Beamcaster.


Three examples of the countless varieties of improvised weapons discovered in and around 0b1:
(1) An electrically-primed smoothbore pistol intended to be discarded after firing a single high-caliber ball.
(2) A simple laser emitter powered by a disposable battery that would likely outlast the focusing crystal of the laser.
(3) A rack of three rockets fired individually.
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CaptainWinky

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2024, 02:41:17 AM »

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Record: "Disruptor Prod"
A direct but inefficient solution for collection of hostile specimens, sometimes temporarily fitted onto grunts or duelists who were sent to overwhelm specific targets with numbers.  It soon became obvious that this weapon was both too unwieldy and too energy-hungry to be practical.  Later developments in EM weaponry like the Arc Projector and Disruptor Cannon enabled more reliable and ranged incapacitation, and the P-60 Hacker's remote reprogramming capabilities provided a subtler approach.


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Scraptown Record: "Accelerated Research"
I LOVE these Tech Extrapolators!  Take a look at what I came up with just from looking at a single DCF scrap pile.  (Sorry to the bystander who got crushed against the wall.)  CR-KLE helped me put together a new bot that I loaned out to a scav squad and they seem to be happy with it.  It would be nice if some of the other Scientists quit wasting their time staring at that creepy Humpback in the museum and focused on components that WON'T get you killed.


Looks like somebody took notice of that new bot already.
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Kyzrati

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Re: Fanlore and Art for Older Bots and Fictional Parts (spoilers)
« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2024, 05:21:19 AM »

"that creepy Humpback in the museum" hahaha

Junkernaut! brilliant

And I like the idea of a Hardlight Projector.
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