CTD - Terror Disc Autopsy

[Cpt. Boxershorts]

EDIT: PLEASE NOTE THE XENOCIDE NAMES HAVE NOT BEEN DETERMINED YET FOR EVERY ITEM OR UNIT IN THE GAME, REFERENCES TO NAMES WHICH ARE THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF ATARI OR OTHER COMPANIES BY INDIVIDUAL PROJECT MEMBERS IS NOT CONDONED BY THE PROJECT AND THE PROJECT DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCH ACTIONS. INDIVIDUALS SHOULD REFER TO ENTRY NAMES AGREED TO BY THE PROJECT, AND IF SUCH A NAME DOES NOT YET EXIST THEY SHOULD USE A SUBSTITUTE IN [bRACKETS]. THANKS!

 

 

Please read & comment.

 

Also, after reading, let me know whether you think the cyberdisc should be a robot (the way they were in x-com) or cyborg. I've left it open for both, mostly just to confuse the issue (since you're likely to get a cyberdisc corpse before a sectiod engineer explains the details).

 

-The Captian

Cyberdisc_Autopsy.txt

Edited February 27, 2004 by RustedSoul

[j'ordos]

Is that explosion from the self destruct mechanism? They just blow up once they're destroyed, a bit late to activate self destruct, don't you think?

 

And I don't really like 'Aerodrone'as it's name, it doesn't sound like a terror-invoking weapons platform, it sounds like an 'aerodrome', but maybe that's just me

[Guest Jim69]

No, they did auto destruct in the original when they sustained enough damage that they would probably be compromised by the Humans. Begs the question of why the UFO's don't also self destruct as well tho, maybe they try to make repairs?

[Cpl. Facehugger]

In the original I believe that cyberdisks were resistant to explosive rounds. I don't know if this will change though.

 

If you don't like the title, refer to it as a terror disk. Can't get much more like a terror weapon than that.

 

If you have a better name, let me know so it can be added to the xenocide-xcom names dictionary.

[fux0r666]

Well, if the answer is no self destruct on ufo's the reason would probably be that they don't explode because there are either living aliens aboard or there are none left alive to enact the self destruct.

[Cpt. Boxershorts]

How about CyberMaw?

[Breunor]

I think the text you have is looking good. So far the alien origins have said the ethereals/ammonites were evolved from from the sea, and the cyberdisk concept looks sort of like a manta ray with the front design it has, so maybe that could be tied in. You mention sonar-like ability, the manta ray has very sensitive receptors that pick up electromagnetic fields given off by potential prey, this could have been enhanced to give it greater range. So when the ammonites returned in recent years, they were able to get some sea life samples (leading to the possibility of TFTD alien seeds), and they made a cyborg/psi-controlled version of the manta ray.

[Guest drewid]

How about CyberMaw?

or Aerodyne?

[Cpl. Facehugger]

Didn't cyberdiscs work with sectoids, so wouldn't the sectoids design their own terror weapon? Maby it was originally intended for peaceful exploration but was perverted by the overmind's technicians into a super dangerous weapons platform?

[Aosar]

How about 'plasmadisk' for a name, or is it spelled with a 'c'?

[Cpl. Facehugger]

That is a good question. I think I have seen it spelled both ways.

 

Also, I believe that the cyberdisk should be a total robot, One of the things that ruined tftd's biodrones for me was the fact that they used brains, and I think that is rather cheesy.

[fux0r666]

disk refers to the shape

 

disc refers to a cd.

[Breunor]

Actually I thought disc was for the shape, as in discus throwing in greek olympics. Disk is short for diskette for computers. The best art concept so far is very smooth/organic looking, I guess if it were totally robotic the looks help with aerodynamics?

[fux0r666]

We are both wrong

 

8 entries found for disk.

disc ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dsk)

n. & v.

Variant of disk.

[Breunor]

No! NEVER! I will not submit to other people's reality!! :whatwhat:

Breunor claws at his face and runs off into the ether...

[Extralucas]

Wow, this time he took it easy...

[[[Micah]]]

Yeah, last time he ran infront of a moving car, instead of into the ether....

[red knight]

People, back on topic please... Breunor, be careful with ethereals in there...

 

Greetings

Red Knight

[Cpt. Boxershorts]

You're right about the immune to HE...I think at the moment they're vulnerable to AP, though (see the alien characteristics thread).

 

Is that the only gripe?

 

Here's the updated version, and the changed final paragraph.

 

While the combination of the Terror-Disc's flight capability and powerful plasma weapon make it a formidable foe, its plasma mechanism itself may be its greatest weakness.  Experiments show that the plasma accelerator channels on the edge of the carapace armor are susceptable to our standard armor-piercing ammunition.  A carefully aimed shot can damage the containment surface, causing feedback into the reactor.  This usually results in the destruct system triggering prematurely, and any aliens in the vicinity are just as vulnerable as X-Corp personnel to the devastating results.

 

 

-The Captain

 

edit: replaced 'Aerodrone' with 'Terror-Disc' in text

Cyberdisc_Autopsy.txt

Edited September 27, 2003 by Cpt. Boxershorts

[Guest Azrael]

CURRENT TEXT - REVISED

 

Terror-Disc Autopsy

 

The recovery of a mostly intact Terror-Disc is a significant accomplishment for our X-Corps teams. It appears the self-destruct system was damaged during the firefight, limiting the explosion to internal systems, rather than the usual blast radius.

 

While the Terror-Disc bears a striking resemblance to earthly crustaceans, it is currently undecided whether this is a purely artificial device designed on bio-mimetic principles, or a once-living creature with extensive mechanical reconstruction. While well over ninety-five percent of the recovered material is clearly artificial in origin, trace amounts of organic ash are also present.

 

The outer 'skin' is formed of a thick layer of alien alloy, giving the Terror-Disc the ability to withstand significant attacks before breaching. However, once the external armour has been pierced, the exposed internal equipment is quite fragile.

 

The foremost internals of the Terror-Disc consists primarily of a bewildering array of sonar-based sensory nodes, giving this monstrous invention a full 360-degree range of 'vision', independent of light levels. The on-board plasma weapon is powered by what we suspect is a small Xenium-based generator occupying the rear third of the shell. The resultant plasma is fed to three accelerator channels on the exterior of the skin, each one guiding the charged plasma to the maw at the front of the Terror-Disc for release. The core of the body contains what must be the device that gives the Terror-Disc its flight capabilities as well as the primary control equipment.

 

Unfortunately, both the alien hover device and the plasma generator were damaged beyond any hope of salvage or understanding. The characteristic explosion from a downed Terror-Disc seems to be specifically designed to focus its energies on the central core and the plasma reactor. It is hypothesized that the worst of the explosion actually results from the reactor itself losing containment of the recently generated plasma. It is unlikely we will ever recover a Terror-Disc with its core systems intact.

 

While the combination of the Terror-Disc's flight capability and powerful plasma weapon makes it a formidable foe, its plasma mechanism itself may be its greatest weakness. Experiments show that the plasma accelerator channels on the edge of the carapace armour are susceptible to our standard armor-piercing ammunition. A carefully aimed shot can damage the containment surface, causing feedback into the reactor. This usually results in the self- destruct system triggering prematurely, and any Aliens in the vicinity are just as vulnerable as X-Corp personnel to the devastating results.

Edited October 19, 2004 by Azrael

[[Blehm 98]]

okay, tomarrow i will proof this unless someone else thinks otherwise

[RustedSoul]

Completed then.

terrordisk_autopsy.rtf

[Guest Azrael]

TERROR-DISC AUTOPSY

X-Net://Pegasus.net/Alien/Autopsies/Terror-Disc

 

The Terror-Disc is surprisingly well armored against small arms fire and shrapnel (such as grenades and high explosive ammunition). Also note that the Terror-Disc’s plasma weapon is extremely accurate and that its hovering ability makes it able to take to the air for a better vantage point in combat.

 

The recovery of a mostly intact Terror-Disc is a significant accomplishment for our assault teams. It appears the self-destruct system was damaged during the firefight, limiting the explosion to internal systems, rather than the usual blast radius.

 

While the Terror-Disc bears a striking resemblance to earthly crustaceans, it is currently undecided whether this is a purely artificial device designed on bio-mimetic principles, or a once-living creature with extensive mechanical reconstruction. While well over ninety-five percent of the recovered material is clearly artificial in origin, trace amounts of organic ash are also present.

 

The outer 'skin' is formed of a thick layer of Alien Composites, providing the Terror-Disc with the ability to withstand significant attacks before being taken down. However, once the external armor has been pierced, the exposed internal equipment is quite fragile.

 

The foremost internals of the Terror-Disc consists primarily of a bewildering array of radar-based sensory nodes, giving this monstrous invention a full 360-degree range of 'vision', independent of light levels. The on-board plasma weapon is powered by a small Xenium-122 based generator occupying the rear third of the shell. The resultant plasma is fed to three accelerator channels on the exterior of the skin, each one guiding the charged plasma to the maw at the front of the Terror-Disc for release. The core of the body contains what must be the device that gives the Terror-Disc its flight capability as well as the primary control equipment.

 

Unfortunately, both the Alien hover device and the plasma generator were damaged beyond any hope of salvage or understanding. The characteristic explosion from a downed Terror-Disc seems to be specifically designed to focus its energies on the central core and the plasma reactor. It is hypothesized that the worst of the explosion actually results from the reactor itself losing containment of the recently generated plasma. It is unlikely we could ever recover a Terror-Disc with its core systems intact.

 

While the combination of the Terror-Disc's flight capability and powerful plasma weapon make it a formidable foe, the plasma mechanism itself may be its greatest weakness. Experiments show that the plasma accelerator channels on the edge of the carapace armor are susceptible to our standard armor-piercing ammunition. A carefully aimed shot can damage the containment surface, causing feedback into the reactor. This usually results in the destruct system triggering prematurely, and any Aliens in the vicinity are just as vulnerable as X-Corp personnel to the devastating results.

 

“I’m torn between this thing being a robot, or some form of cyborg. Regardless, these things are very dangerous, and should be approached cautiously. Of course, each Terror-Disc is an explosion waiting to happen, especially if it is near a pair of Greys…” –Chief Engineer Scott Bernard, reflecting upon the Terror-Disc systems.