Unit Pictures

[Robear]

Alright, it's scaled down a tiiny bit, but not too much.

It's pretty thrilling to be able to start building up a part of the chart in 3D. Here's the ling and rine alongside the tank...



And with a wraith, which of course dwarfs them.




The point of this thread is still the 2D chart, of course. Just think this stuff is fun to share.

[Einharjar]

wow, seeing these models in 3D replicated in size makes me realize that Design was not their strong point back then.
That Arclite looks like a terrible death trap and the Wraith just looks awkward. Though I do like how they originally had the Gemini Missiles on the inner wing structures rather than what it is in SC2; the out side Burst Laser cannons. Watching the Cinematic DVD again makes it even more awkward since Wraith is seen using all three Burst Lasers very obviously. Oh well.

I hope more comes of the Hydralisk's firing animation.
I was so engulfed in SCs lore back in the day that I devoted a research paper to them during school once; got an A+ too despite my subject being fiction. I did as much research as a could. Never could explain the "pouches" entirely, but my research lead me to believe that those were the shoulder's flesh and plates "opening" up to bring forth it's weapons. Didn't make sense at first with one exception; the plates added armor and that armor needed to be removed temporarily in order to fire.
I relied on the High Definitoin models (the SC1 Cinematic Hydralisk) the most; unlike the original concept design to try and decypher the issue. On the shoulders of those models, there's masses of exposed flesh and tendons it seems and it was there that I thought was opening up. Still was hard to explain however; and any validity to relying on Blizzard themselves was moot when not even Mutalisk shot Glave Wyrms in their Cinematics. So I was defiantly unsure about the "pouches" and sort've let there description draw from the manual entirely.

The Firing mechanism is the most powerful however. In this case, I thought SC2 dropped the ball here as that massive contortions and contractions you see the Hydralisk performing in SC1 game art is rather fitting considering how performing these creatures are supposed to be. A single Spine is supposed to pierce 2cm of NeoSteel at 300 meters and achieve higher velocity than some of the Terran's own Gauss Weapons (WTF?).
Despite the high claims of being "hypersonic", a spine with enough mass could be made to penetrate steel of some sort. The green "acid" in SC1 game art was actually lubricants; it just doubled as venom as well. Out've the 4000 muscles, most of those would be just smaller muscle for the body and tail since it has a serpentine body. However; a large chunk could be made to power the Spines through massive; and I mean MASSIVE contractions that would basically "water jet" these spines out at ridiculously high speeds.
As to the "storing hundreds of needle like spines" description? The large chunk of back and upper body would have to suffice. It may have a large organ that functioned like a reproductive or digestive tract that we know of today; spines are formed at one end and propelled in queue 'til they are ejected through a rectum of some sort into the hydraulic cavity. There, the Hydralisk now has the ability to control it's shots from single shots from one shoulder only, or to spray many from both in a single contraction. It could excrete several spines over time into it's contraction cavities; holding back the urge to fire them; resulting in the machine gun like effect once released as you see in the "Ghosts of the Past" and WoL Char cinematics. The only thing missing from the SC2 shots is the acid spray; the Lubricant. I just don't see an animal releasing such force without something of that nature to help protect them from the friction.


BTW, I love this thread. Keep it up!

[DefilerRulez]

http://media.blizzard.com/sc2/media/...-1920x1200.jpg
Don't know if i posted this yet, this is the primary font of informations about sc1 Zerglings

[Robear]

Einharjar, I love/agree with everything you said about hydralisk musclestructure. :P

http://media.blizzard.com/sc2/media/...-1920x1200.jpg
Don't know if i posted this yet, this is the primary font of informations about sc1 Zerglings

I think you have posted it before, and I think last time I insisted that no, it's actually the Starcraft: Ghost zergling. This time I have proof!



I guarantee that it's the same model.

[Einharjar]

http://media.blizzard.com/sc2/media/...-1920x1200.jpg
Don't know if i posted this yet, this is the primary font of informations about sc1 Zerglings

The best reference is the SC1 manual itself. It contains both the Sprite based design that Robear did a page ago AND the Samwise concept piece as well as good descriptions under the Units Section. Modern games don't have manuals like these now a days, but SC1 was one that did. The most relevant information once derived from that Manual itself. Please don't forget about that set of literature more than Blizzard already has. It's practically replaced as is and it's sad that it is so.

[Robear]

Back to the chart, hey, I did a new drawing! ...Of another unit no one really cares about, the terran shuttle, as seen in this comic panel:






Here it is with all the other terran stuff.



The layout is still a work in progress, and we have to see if LotV's adding even more new terran stuff.

[Turalyon]

Sorry for bumping aside your new pic, Robear...

On the shoulders of those models, there's masses of exposed flesh and tendons it seems and it was there that I thought was opening up.

Yeah, it'd make sense if only those pouches were actually coloured like those muscles and tendons. As it is, these massive white mushroom things just sprout out of nowhere and fold back easily and yet retain the complicated physiological musculature needed to fire these firing super dense spines at the drop of a hat. Say what you will about the amazing speed at which they fly but I'm amazed how such a thing doesn't just shatter on impact let alone pierce "neosteel".

Still was hard to explain however; and any validity to relying on Blizzard themselves was moot when not even Mutalisk shot Glave Wyrms in their Cinematics.

Muta's were originally conceived to attack with acid and the Queen had the glaive wyrm attack according to the manual. Given that the cinematics and the manual were most likely done first and somewhat difficult to change, the Muta's getting the Glaive Wyrms and the Queen getting no basic attack was most likely a last minute gameplay change.

*Goes back to admire Robear's drawings*

[Robear]

Muta's were originally conceived to attack with acid and the Queen had the glaive wyrm attack according to the manual. Given that the cinematics and the manual were most likely done first and somewhat difficult to change, the Muta's getting the Glaive Wyrms and the Queen getting no basic attack was most likely a last minute gameplay change.

*Goes back to admire Robear's drawings*

Yeah, the acid change was a late addition to SC1 (the box art still shows the muta's acid attack), but, that doesn't explain why in Starcraft Ghost and Starcraft 2 they switched to a green fireball thing that just explodes on impact with no bouncing.



I think they just decided the ricocheting glave wurm from in game just looks too implausible/silly, though I could imagine a couple of ways for it to work.

(And don't worry about giving that drawing any attention, it's a pretty unremarkable one and there isn't really anything up for debate about it like there could be for, I dunno, the drop-pod. :P)

[Einharjar]

Hmm yes, I'm aware that initially they DID shoot Acid at one point and that's why I stopped using Blizz's Cinematics as references. In one Cinematic, NORAD II is hit by a Scourge the size of a cargo ship! Wow! And these spawn in pairs for only 25/75? Jesus! So, I was also using the game itself as reference and already the Cinematics were very poor in consistency. Zerglings didn't even have the tertiary limbs and had hydralisk heads.
This was blamed on the Cinematic Department having made the Cinematics before the Storyline and the compaigns were fleshed out, however. This is why most of the Cinematics do nothing but give you eye candy and seem so generic. Only the campaign victory Cinematics were relevant to the story.

However, as Robear mentioned and I noticed as well; it is interesting that in SC2 the Muta is STILL using these acid globs instead of the Glave Wyrm. I also find it wierd that out've the amount of retconning they've done to the manual that THIS ONE DETAIL that was changed since SC1 itself; is one of the few things that they stuck to and havn't technically "retconned". WTF Blizz...

Yeah, it'd make sense if only those pouches were actually colored like those muscles and tendons. As it is, these massive white mushroom things just sprout out of nowhere and fold back easily and yet retain the complicated physiological musculature needed to fire these firing super dense spines at the drop of a hat. Say what you will about the amazing speed at which they fly but I'm amazed how such a thing doesn't just shatter on impact let alone pierce "neosteel".

Those pouches would've been just the flesh and plates moving out've the way. I'm not sure if they would have contained any of the musculature related to the Spine firing mechanisms. The surging contractions you see originate from the Hyrdalisks chord from deep within it's upper body. The muscles used to fire it's spines would've likely been massive and contained in the large back/neck area; hence why I think "storing hundreds" of spines seems a bit far fetched. The spines would've been "squeezed" deep inside and a "flesh tube" (... haha...) maybe crafted of bone or carapace, lubricated with the green venomous substance; would have acted as a barrel and pressure vessel.

I agree that is seems incredibly unbelievable that a creature could do such damage. This aside though, I do not doubt that something can pierce 2 cm of say, standard Steel of Today such as MIL-Class A Steel Armor plating. It may seem unlikely but I know something as small as a rat can eat through steal piping; the Zerg are science fiction so we can let exaggerations works here.

Velocity is really the name of the game. If a tooth pick in a 200+ MPH wind can pierce my door during a Tornado; a super dense organic spike shot Really REALLY fast just might pierce 2 cm of Armor. The trick to doing this however is Low friction and Pressure. That can only be achieved if the Hydralisk has evolved some sort of Barrel and uses the Acid spray we see as Lubricant and Hydraulic fluid; not this flinging poo from my fore head" animation we have in SC2...

[Turalyon]

However, as Robear mentioned and I noticed as well; it is interesting that in SC2 the Muta is STILL using these acid globs instead of the Glave Wyrm. I also find it wierd that out've the amount of retconning they've done to the manual that THIS ONE DETAIL that was changed since SC1 itself; is one of the few things that they stuck to and havn't technically "retconned". WTF Blizz...

Classic gameplay-story segregation going on here.

Those pouches would've been just the flesh and plates moving out've the way. I'm not sure if they would have contained any of the musculature related to the Spine firing mechanisms. The surging contractions you see originate from the Hyrdalisks chord from deep within it's upper body. The muscles used to fire it's spines would've likely been massive and contained in the large back/neck area; hence why I think "storing hundreds" of spines seems a bit far fetched. The spines would've been "squeezed" deep inside and a "flesh tube" (... haha...) maybe crafted of bone or carapace, lubricated with the green venomous substance; would have acted as a barrel and pressure vessel.

Given that the pouches are somewhat oblique in position to the rest of the body and that huge back portion where we assume the spines are manufactured, I would have to assume that the spikes would need some for of muscular tube to connect those portions together. I would also assume that this tube would be heavily muscularised using a form of perstaltic action (like your gut) in order to shunt the spine at the speed it's known to travel at.

I agree that is seems incredibly unbelievable that a creature could do such damage. This aside though, I do not doubt that something can pierce 2 cm of say, standard Steel of Today such as MIL-Class A Steel Armor plating.

Indeed, the original's damage type was considered "explosive". I wonder how we can justify that in the lore.

Velocity is really the name of the game. If a tooth pick in a 200+ MPH wind can pierce my door during a Tornado; a super dense organic spike shot Really REALLY fast just might pierce 2 cm of Armor. The trick to doing this however is Low friction and Pressure. That can only be achieved if the Hydralisk has evolved some sort of Barrel and uses the Acid spray we see as Lubricant and Hydraulic fluid; not this flinging poo from my fore head" animation we have in SC2...

Velocity is one thing but accuracy is also another. Any useful firearm that propels a "dead" projectile needs to be fired from a straight length of a barrel that has appropriate rifling to make aiming even a remote possibility. It's hard to imagine the Hydralisk pouches, positioned as they are, having such properties.