Maybe a swarm of normal sized manic robots instead of giant ones.
I can imagine them almost being like 'zombies' in the sense that once they murderize your crew (Or just smash airships like piñatas) so they could reuse the ships and replicate themselves!
Speculation aside i hope there is some story behind this could-be feature?
I wonder if it involves a certain mental metal man creating them.
Perhaps a mad scientist, nutcracker robots that turn people into more machines(Much like the cyber-men in doctor who), a 1000(200?) year war between the earth and the machines, and... Shall i go on?
I really want to write the lore for this... :D
Now, assuming the mad scientist created the machines, what happened to him?
Did his own machines turn him?
Or, after being chased of by the zombie robots he gathered his "still sane"
only half robotized test subjects(technically cyborg) and ruled what was left of a kingdom he infected with the robots(He would first have to chase out the robots first before even being able to touch the ruined kingdom). Now i imagine this kingdom full of "devote" followers eventually became the dominion.
(It sort of reminds me of the daleks in doctor who, except the creator went on to rule the daleks, not the mentally scarred half-turned ones)
I love doing this!
Now as the world is thrown into war with the rise of the dominium i imagine the nutcrackers(Nuts for short?) which are still too small in numbers for a full-scale war would scavenge battleground sites for bodies and or survivors which they would use to swell their ranks with.
Now we pretty much know how this turns out.
Just look at "Terminator" or "Battle Star Galactica".
@madking321: I'm not really ok with robots in a steampunk setting - It breaks my suspension of disbelief because robots are much more complicated than the technology allows for. Shadow of the Colossus sized ones though...
I'm not talking about human sized robots.
Basically the nutcracker will have a living human body placed in it, add corrupted suspendium Crystals(Which would grow in and around the human) which act in such a way that they draw energy/life force from the human . Then the energy eventually makes its way through the crystal cloud that surround the human to the highly conductible shell that the human is kept in.(Presumably this is somewhere in the nutcracker's chest)
Now, through some completely normal phenomenon the life force is centered into a totally magical ball of energy. Which somehow powers the nutcracker's systems. Now this condensed energy will slowly brake anything down at the molecular level into what i can only comprehend as scrap. Now, since this happens the nutcrackers will regularly have to feed on any life form.
Did you see the duck Zarkonnen displayed?
It looked like it had a very crude digestive system which would chop up the fresh human carcass via spinning blades of doom. The nutcracker would use a similar method where it uses the body parts to replace parts of the nutcracker that have been damaged by the condensed energy.
(I really could have just gone the simple rout of saying the nutcrackers somehow digested beings for energy couldn't i?)
That would prob be better.
A badass clockwerk army. Like 9-12ft tall murder bots that are neigh indestructable but kinda dumbasses. Very rudimentary designs that march forwards and bite badguys (and puke up raspberry jam).
Just put like a hand crank in their butt and shove some glowing suspendium crystals in their heads and call it a day. Like a really simple programmable robot that runs on people juice and springs or something.
It would also be interesting if the Dominion fanatically worshiped their king.
Now, i must stress that the Dominion is quite opposed to complicated machines of any sort, which is why the scientist guy would have to keep his creepy cyborgs hidden in order to stop his followers from going berserk and his empire falling apart.
(I do imagine that the cyborgs would act as a a secret system of spies that monitors EVERYTHING.)
Now, the cyborgs and the nutcrackers are completely different. For one the cyborgs are incredibly mutilated people who have been brainwashed to follow the mad scientist. While, the nutcrackers are surprisingly stupid, yet versatile machines that feed upon people for multiple different reasons.
From small ones, the size of sailors with immense jumping ability and with deadly speed. But a easy kill for prepared vessels with flamethrowers and gattling guns
To Massive, lurking beasts (ie, Landship size, using modified spider propulsion legs). capable of destroying even the largest airships.
Because wouldnt it be cool having your convoy of landships on route to a enemy city, only to be attacked by hordes of spiders, small ones killing crew, large ones destroying ships.
Then applying swift retribution by burning, bombing and blowing away spiders nests
Would really just need some reskinned components to look organic, some spider type crewmen and some web/nest structures.
Ok, cultists with steampunk implements that turn them into vampires rather makes sense. 12ft tall murder bots eating people - not as much. Why would anyone build a robot that eats people? As a war machine, it makes more sense for it to trample people, or use regular weapons.
Anyways, aside from eating people, I think a giant murderbot would be a good source of mystification, even moreso than the dragon - a giant rouge rust-covered giant robot that tramples down villages. Because this is a steampunk setting and AI barely exists.
Well, the guy who created the nutcrackers is insane.
Wait when did i say the cyborgs were vampires, or cultists?
(Though the rest of the dominion is pretty much a cult)
I think i explained why the nutcrackers eat people. :P
They need spare parts...
And i am absolutely loving the idea of their power source being a mangled human in their chest.
But, how would they keep him alive?
Pump blood from other humans and creatures into him?
I guess it would be easier just to say the nutcrackers somehow squeeze out the oil from corpses they have eaten.
No it is not the cyborgs that eat people, it is the nutcrackers that do that.
The cyborgs are just ordinary people with implants.(Well, they are also brainwashed)
True enough, i guess they could be considered cultists.
In what way do you say terrible? Do you mean the way i described it was terrible, or what the nutcrackers did was terrible?
Well, they do use the body parts of of the victims to replace mechanisms damaged by the concentrated energy.
Now after eating a victim, and after the victim is mangled in the digestive tract i imagine the blood leftover from said procedure would be used to keep the "energy source" and the fleshy mechanisms alive.(For a time at least)
Well, wale tissue used to be boiled down into oil. Could the same system not be used on other creatures(Humans included)?
"No it is not the cyborgs that eat people, it is the nutcrackers that do that. The cyborgs are just ordinary people with implants.(Well, they are also brainwashed)"
Ok... Why not cut the fat of the idea and just have cultists?
"In what way do you say terrible? Do you mean the way i described it was terrible, or what the nutcrackers did was terrible?"
I think the idea itself is bad. Sorry.
"Well, they do use the body parts of of the victims to replace mechanisms damaged by the concentrated energy."
How?! What the hell is concentrated energy?
"Now after eating a victim, and after the victim is mangled in the digestive tract i imagine the blood leftover from said procedure would be used to keep the "energy source" and the fleshy mechanisms alive.(For a time at least)"
Yeah I don't think drinking blood = a good source of nutrients. What about diseases? And what do you do with the waste? That's a pretty ineffective way to build robots altogether. You got dead people, smelly robots, etc. Mech suits are a much better idea at that point.
"Well, wale tissue used to be boiled down into oil. Could the same system not be used on other creatures(Humans included)?"
Maybe if you wanted to build the most inefficient robots ever.
"It would be cool to have some sort of mech suit with multiple armaments that your dudes can wear."
These nutcrackers are not supposed to be efficient.
They're supposed to be the most crude, death prone machines out there.
Yes, diseases play a very active role in the robot's "machinery" breaking down.
Which is one of the core reasons the robot has to replace its damaged "machinery".
The other reason is, yes the blood.
Most people do not have the same kind of blood and as a result can only receive blood from people of the same blood type to add onto the problems.
Yes, diseases are a regular problem, but come to think of it fleshy machinery does not need to be alive to work. Sure it wont work long, but it will still work.
The robots would internally replace machinery.
Think, a machine mounted inside the nutcracker's back that has direct access to all of the robot's vital machinery.
The rest the robot would have to replace by opening itself up.
"Ok... Why not cut the fat of the idea and just have cultists?"
True, but it does not sound quite inaccurate. But, basically they are.
Concentrated energy, think a battery.
Except some of it will occasionally leak out and damage the machinery.
Tell me what happens when energy forced into a concentrated position suddenly escapes?
And suspendium laced energy at that?!
Where do you think the waste goes?
Yeah, out the back.
"Maybe if you wanted to build the most inefficient robots ever."
Now you'r catching on, where would the fun be if they were "normal"?
You know, speculation/personal lore on an upcoming feature that has only be hinted on by a lone picture and a developer post seems kind of futile in my opinion.
Also, you can't have robot spiders and dragons without robot robots!
Well, I think my position on the subject is clear by now, but I'll keep this going.
@madking321:
"These nutcrackers are not supposed to be efficient. They're supposed to be the most crude, death prone machines out there."
But whyyyyyyyyy. What dillhole, insane, world conqueror or otherwise, would build this in lieu of something that made a tiny bit of sense?
"Yes, diseases play a very active role in the robot's "machinery" breaking down."
Then why would anyone build one?!
"Which is one of the core reasons the robot has to replace its damaged "machinery"."
By... eating people? What good is a dead host body? And how would the machine take away the host's free will? In fact, the robot can only contain one human intelligence at a time, so how would the robot know to do anything once the old body has been flushed out?
"The other reason is, yes the blood. Most people do not have the same kind of blood and as a result can only receive blood from people of the same blood type to add onto the problems."
That's not how blood types work. And considering the setting, knowledge of blood types in general would be limited at best.
"Yes, diseases are a regular problem, but come to think of it fleshy machinery does not need to be alive to work."
Then why would it eat people?? Or have a human occupant in the first place? whaaaaaat
"The robots would internally replace machinery. Think, a machine mounted inside the nutcracker's back that has direct access to all of the robot's vital machinery. The rest the robot would have to replace by opening itself up."
That's kind of cool. Not really convinced it works in a steampunk setting, unless the giant robot is actually a giant mech with a crew for piloting and a maintenance team.
Oh wait, that's basically a landship.
"Concentrated energy, think a battery. Except some of it will occasionally leak out and damage the machinery. Tell me what happens when energy forced into a concentrated position suddenly escapes? And suspendium laced energy at that?!"
I was actually under the impression that suspendium crystals weren't explodey or dangerous to work with in general. Call me unimaginative.
"Where do you think the waste goes? Yeah, out the back."
Pooping robots? Are you serious?
"Maybe if you wanted to build the most inefficient robots ever." Now you'r catching on, where would the fun be if they were "normal"?
Settings that are grounded in contextual reality can be fun too!
"Imagine really tiny gears laced with crude circuitry... xD"
No circuitry! This is a steampunk setting! The aiming computer gets a pass only because it looks like it fell through a time warp from the 1930's and takes fracking punch cards.
I personally love the industrial aesthetic of steampunk settings - not the electric aesthetic, should that even exist in the setting. And if it does exist in the setting, it will more likely than not clash with the steampunk aesthetic.
"Does it not scream giant psycho-death-robot?"
To me, it screams giant mythical lost colossus of an ancient civilization, and the stuff coming out of it's mouth is rust, not guts.
It's the kind of thing you would think you saw walking across a very foggy field in the distance once, or you could have sworn you saw it's footprint once. A thing of mythos. Not a village-terrorizing zombie. Someone may claim it trampled down their village a long time ago, but it's not malicious, just aimless.
For fucks sake, he's a mad scientist he built them because he could!
No wonder he never had any friends.
You don't seem to get it, the people it eats are internally chopped up and applied as spare parts.
What's left is flushed out.
Have you ever tried using a living being as machinery?(While he is still alive) It's much easier to use something like the heart as a pump.
The person in the chest is not expendable and the machine can not go long without him/her.
When did i say the robot distinguished between types of blood?
Hang on, does the immune system not refuse a different blood type?(Which can lead to the receiver's death) Oh, i might also add the the host human is directly place in the chest. Not nommed on.
Well, because, reasons...
It will use both, but it was created with the soul purpose of dismantling a city via zombieness.
Well, when charged suspendium crystals can be quite volatile.
Not to mention they have the same affect as radiation.
"Pooping robots? Are you serious?"
Well, to be more accurate there would be a pair of tubes which would drop the wast out the back.
Not out the bottom.
"Settings that are grounded in contextual reality can be fun too!"
Well, this is actually relatable to the universe judging it quite possible in a diesalpunk setting.
"No circuitry! This is a steampunk setting! The aiming computer gets a pass only because it looks like it fell through a time warp from the 1950's."
No, this is diesalpunk not steampunk.
Suspendium chambers are powered using electricity.
When i say circuit i mean something a 10 year old can make.
Just a few wired designed to change the energy current.
"To me, it screams giant mythical lost colossus of an ancient civilization"
Somehow that makes even less sense(Not meaning to be rude), but i guess it works since you know little to nothing about it.
"For fucks sake, he's a mad scientist he built them because he could! No wonder he never had any friends."
If his name isn't
"> Doctor Insano, I don't really buy that.
"You don't seem to get it, the people it eats are internally chopped up and applied as spare parts."
...which would kill them.
"What's left is flushed out. Have you ever tried using a living being as machinery?(While he is still alive) It's much easier to use something like the heart as a pump. The person in the chest is not expendable and the machine can not go long without him/her."
Yeah, I have. The heart stopped pumping because the subject died after being chopped into bits. And what about the brain, which I presume would be the AI?
"When did i say the robot distinguished between types of blood?"
You implied it when you said "Most people do not have the same kind of blood and as a result can only receive blood from people of the same blood type to add onto the problems."
"Hang on, does the immune system not refuse a different blood type?(Which can lead to the receiver's death)"
"Oh, i might also add the the host human is directly place in the chest. Not nommed on."
But you said the nutcrackers eat people? And you just said "the people it eats are internally chopped up and applied as spare parts."
"Well, because, reasons... It will use both, but it was created with the soul purpose of dismantling a city via zombieness."
Nah.
"Well, when charged suspendium crystals can be quite volatile. Not to mention they have the same affect as radiation."
Nah my headcanon's way better. Not everything needs to be made of explodium.
"Well, to be more accurate there would be a pair of tubes which would drop the wast out the back. Not out the bottom."
Pooping robots? Are you serious?
"Well, this is actually relatable to the universe judging it quite possible in a diesalpunk setting."
The aiming computer has a giant gear in it, and makes IBM 29 Card Punch noises.
"No, this is diesalpunk not steampunk. Suspendium chambers are powered using electricity. When i say circuit i mean something a 10 year old can make. Just a few wired designed to change the energy current."
The aiming computer has a giant gear in it, and makes IBM 29 Card Punch noises, electricity or not. And I don't think "just a few wired designed to change the energy current" = zombie robots.
"Somehow that makes even less sense(Not meaning to be rude), but i guess it works since you know little to nothing about it."
It would be a war machine of a long gone civilization that wanders around because it barely has any AI. How so, specifically, is that more convoluted?
"Plus, how can it be rust when it is in blob form?"
Dude, the heart can be used mechanically.
It does not have to pump on its own.
"You implied it when you said"
How so? I merely said one of the problems the machine had involved the person receiving the wrong type of blood.
"It's much more complicated than"
I see, good to know.
"But you said the nutcrackers eat people? And you just said "the people it eats are internally chopped up and applied as spare parts.""
Those are two different things.
I said the robot used people for spare parts, but i did not say the people it ate ended up in the chest.
Tell me, how does one keep a victim alive after being chopped in to bits?
I'm not that daft.
"Nah"
Wat...
"Nah my headcanon's way better. Not everything needs to be made of explodium"
No one said anything has to be volatile, but i am quite sure suspendium is.
"Pooping robots? Are you serious?"
is a factory pooping when it dumps waste into a pond via pipes?
"The aiming computer has a giant gear in it, and makes IBM 29 Card Punch noises, electricity or not. And I don't think "just a few wired designed to change the energy current" = zombie robots."
Sigh, so, you are telling me that an immense processor weighing several tons
(A compact one at that) could not form something too stupid to even reason?
It's probably less intelligent than a cell.
"It would be a war machine of a long gone civilization that wanders around because it barely has any AI. How so, specifically, is that more convoluted?"
Because, it makes as much sense as mine.
Not to mention that it is somehow still running.
The shading, the reflecting light, the splatter shape sort of give it away as blood. :P
"Dude, the heart can be used mechanically. It does not have to pump on its own."
Why would the robot need to eat unless it was trying to keep it's human organs alive?
"Those are two different things. I said the robot used people for spare parts, but i did not say the people it ate ended up in the chest. Tell me, how does one keep a victim alive after being chopped in to bits? I'm not that daft."
Ok, why an obsession with people? Why wouldn't it try to eat anything else?
"Wat..."
Nope, terrible reason.
"No one said anything has to be volatile, but i am quite sure suspendium is."
Why? What would cause it to explode? And what would cause it to "suddenly escape?"
"is a factory pooping when it dumps waste into a pond via pipes?"
But... pooping robots! Why even make robots that have to eat and poop?
"Sigh, so, you are telling me that an immense processor weighing several tons (A compact one at that) could not form something too stupid to even reason? It's probably less intelligent than a cell."
Nope. What you're describing is much more intelligent than a cell.
"Because, it makes as much sense as mine. Not to mention that it is somehow still running."
You can't just say it makes as much sense as yours, I asked for specifics. And since you gave one: It won't last forever. It will "die" someday. But it's a giant giant with a giant gas tank. And it goes dormant for long periods of time trying to conserve it's power. Hence being somewhat a thing of legend - it's rarely seen.
"The shading, the reflecting light, the splatter shape sort of give it away as blood. :P"
But it's orange. What am I supposed to believe next, that was sky was once purple?
"Even, something simple can become infinitely complex when given enough room. Just look at a living body"
What does that mean? And the living body is extremely complicated.
"Why would the robot need to eat unless it was trying to keep it's human organs alive?"
Because otherwise they would decay faster.
"Ok, why an obsession with people? Why wouldn't it try to eat anything else?"
Because it is usually around people, and they are easier to catch.
Like i said, it was created with the intention of messing up a city.
"Why? What would cause it to explode? And what would cause it to "suddenly escape?""
Tell me, when did the definition of volatile become "KABOOM"? It, in this case means erratic and dangerous behavior.
Suspendium from what i know exists on the microscopic level as while as... Our level.
What the energy is stored in is incredibly crude, so particles will regularly escape.
They do not poop!
The waste is excreted out the back, and it is most certainly not feces.
"Why even make robots that have to eat and poop?"
For the simple reason of systematically destroying life forms.
"Nope. What you're describing is much more intelligent than a cell."
How can you tell?
All it does is simply lumber after anything that moves, and tries to eat it through different means.
Even when it repairs itself it is just responding to "code".
"I asked for specifics. And since you gave one: It won't last forever. But it has a giant giant with a giant gas tank. And it goes dormant for long periods of time trying to conserve it's power."
Too many things can go wrong with that, and it would require a decent calculating system assigned to the dormant part which would not have been there when it was a weapon of war used by the lost empire. Unless of course they planned to let a war machine loose on the planet.
The end result for both yours and mine is basically the same.(essentially a half-wit robot capable of close to nothing)
except mine is a bit iffy when it comes to internal mechanics.
"But it's orange. What am I supposed to believe next, that was sky was once purple?"
Hmm, it's more a light red, but the thing is that it is no where near pale enough to be rust.
Plus it's 3D.
"What does that mean? And the living body is extremely complicated."
Of course, but not on the cellular level.
A few cells in a relationship are not much, but when more and more cells accumulate on the mass and more systems arise, then you will have something complex.
I believe you and slimy scared everyone away from this sub-forum with all your pseudoflamewar argumentation. that picture was just a bored sketch with new actual importance to the game. This, by now, probably would be better in the off topic section. The only reason I am Here is because I was curious as to how it got nearly 50 posts. I do not intend to be offensive or hostile, but I really do not like the way this discussion is going.
It was a debate not a flame war.
I have no hostile feelings towered him, and i hope he feels likewise.
We were just debating the logic of a clockwork-psycho-robot-nutcracker-thingy.
I highly doubt the argument will continue, but if you find it inappropriate to debate on the forum then feel free to get Zark to delete it.
@TortugaGreen: Pseudoflamewar argumentation? Nonsense! I'm just casually flogging madking321's opinion as much as I can!
@madking321: "I highly doubt the argument will continue, but if you find it inappropriate to debate on the forum then feel free to get Zark to delete it. I will not mind."
Not before Zark sees how overwhelmingly superior my opinion is!
Anyways:
"Because otherwise they would decay faster./Because it is usually around people, and they are easier to catch. Like i said, it was created with the intention of messing up a city."
The idea that a smelly robot being in any way subtle enough to infiltrate a village sounds ridiculous to me. And if someone wanted to mess up a city, non-vampiyric weapon-loaded killbots still sound more reasonable.
"Tell me, when did the definition of volatile become "KABOOM"? It, in this case means erratic and dangerous behavior."
Well, being explosive is one of the more common definitions of "volatile," but it's admittedly not the only definition. So, what form does the erratic and dangerous behavior take? Radiation seems like a non-erratic behavior to me.
Also, another implication is that suspendium powers the robot, but also, (with the aid of other factors,) slowly kills the human within. But suspendium crystals in airships actually take energy, using it to suspend. So, what?
"Suspendium from what i know exists on the microscopic level as while as... Our level. What the energy is stored in is incredibly crude, so particles will regularly escape."
You mean the crystals are only a containment?
"They do not poop! The waste is excreted out the back, and it is most certainly not feces."
That's totally pooping!
"For the simple reason of systematically destroying life forms."
Killbots armed with Gatling guns. You could systematically destroy 2000-6000 life forms per minute.
"How can you tell?"
You described a robot AI that is able to seek people out, (a task requiring AI to know where people are, what people are, etc,) capture them (requiring tactical thinking,) consume them without killing them, etc, etc, etc. It's not a simple AI!
"Too many things can go wrong with that"
And yet it survives. That's what makes it mythical.
Oh, and clearly nothing can go wrong with your idea.
"and it would require a decent calculating system assigned to the dormant part which would not have been there when it was a weapon of war used by the lost empire. Unless of course they planned to let a war machine loose on the planet."
It's just a clock. And I can see how a clock in a war machine would be useful.
"The end result for both yours and mine is basically the same.(essentially a half-wit robot capable of close to nothing) except mine is a bit iffy when it comes to internal mechanics."
Nnnnope! Yours is very iffy when it comes to internal mechanics! At least when you leave the war-colossus' mechanics mostly to the imagination, it excludes things like "it eats people because reasons." And your interpretation of the robot seems rather intelligent to me, as I explained.
"Hmm, it's more a light red, but the thing is that it is no where near pale enough to be rust. Plus it's 3D."
If it were light red, it would be pink, which it is clearly not. And since when did rust have to be pale? And what are the non 3d splashes of orange coloring the robot?
"Of course, but not on the cellular level. A few cells in a relationship are not much, but when more and more cells accumulate on the mass and more systems arise, then you will have something complex."
Yeah, but... what does that have to do with robots eating people?
"The idea that a smelly robot being in any way subtle enough to infiltrate a village sounds ridiculous to me. And if someone wanted to mess up a city, non-vampiyric weapon-loaded killbots still sound more reasonable."
Did i say infiltrate?
Dude, all i said was that these machines tend to be atracted to cities due to the large number of life forms.
The idea behind them needing to consume creatures was that, well, they would need to. They have no other "choice".
"Also, another implication is that suspendium powers the robot, but also, (with the aid of other factors,) slowly kills the human within. But suspendium crystals in airships actually take energy, using it to suspend. So, what?"
Heavily charged suspendium will most likely explode on top of many other volatile behaviors.
Zark talks about it at some point.
"You mean the crystals are only a containment?"
No, what i mean is that the crystals come in all sizes.
Why are you asking me this?
I did not make the lore for suspendium.
"That's totally pooping!"
Well, if you insist...
"Killbots armed with Gatling guns. You could systematically destroy 2000-6000 life forms per minute."
Well, more like 700 per 9 mins, but that is beside the point!
The point of the machines need spare parts is a bit like natural selection.
If something in the machine acts up, and its behavior is changed then it will eventually die.
This makes it so it needs to feed.
"You described a robot AI that is able to seek people out, (a task requiring AI to know where people are, what people are, etc,) capture them (requiring tactical thinking,) consume them without killing them, etc, etc, etc. It's not a simple AI!"
How many times do i have to tell you that the machine does not keep the people it consumes alive!
All it has to do is find something that moves and lumber after it.
Pretty much like a zombie.
"And yet it survives. That's what makes it mythical.
Oh, and clearly nothing can go wrong with your idea."
I never said nothing could go wrong with mine.
Oh, sure, your machine gets a pass!
"It's just a clock. And I can see how a clock in a war machine would be useful."
It is not just a clock, you do realize the fine planning and details that would have to go into that for it to be functional?
It is really just easier to say that the lost empire just released it into enemy territory with the intent of it causing damage.
"Nnnnope! Yours is very iffy when it comes to internal mechanics! At least when you leave the war-colossus' mechanics mostly to the imagination, it excludes things like "it eats people because reasons." And your interpretation of the robot seems rather intelligent to me, as I explained."
I was planning on not going too into detail until you started asking questions. :P
Look, all mine has to do is lumber after something and consume it.
Which does require decent calculating, but it can be done in this universe.
Where, did i say that the robot would give forethought to eating someone?
I already explained this.
"All it does is simply lumber after anything that moves, and tries to eat it through different means. Even when it repairs itself it is just responding to "code"."
"If it were light red, it would be pink, which it is clearly not. And since when did rust have to be pale? And what are the non 3d splashes of orange coloring the robot?"
Well, perhaps pale red then?
Rust does not have to be pale, but generally it is.
Much like the lighter/paler splashes you see.
Which are in close proximity to the bloody gobbets, so i can for the most part assume they are also blood.
"Yeah, but... what does that have to do with robots eating people?"
My point is that a simple assortment of machinery can reach complexity when enough of it is used in the right fashion.
Commander, Engineering Corps
Anyone else read that new blog post?
A link
Anyone else want to talk about the crazy giant metal nutcracker with what I'll assume is humans (or raspberry jam) in his mouth?
Zark you can't just post something like that without any sort of lead-up!
I'm so down for some kind of psycho clockwerk/steampunk robot empire that just eats people. Honestly for me that is way the hell cooler than dragons.
Air Admiral
I think i have a nutcracker fetish. xD
Aerial Emperor
nom nom nom
Commodore
I thought it was rust.
...And it makes me want to play Shadow of the Colossus.
Captain
at first I thought it was lava, but blood/raspberry jam works too. :D
Captain
Wait, does this mean giant robots are a viable monster type?
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
Maybe a swarm of normal sized manic robots instead of giant ones.
I can imagine them almost being like 'zombies' in the sense that once they murderize your crew (Or just smash airships like piñatas) so they could reuse the ships and replicate themselves!
Speculation aside i hope there is some story behind this could-be feature?
I wonder if it involves a certain mental metal man creating them.
Air Admiral
Perhaps a mad scientist, nutcracker robots that turn people into more machines(Much like the cyber-men in doctor who), a 1000(200?) year war between the earth and the machines, and... Shall i go on? I really want to write the lore for this... :D Now, assuming the mad scientist created the machines, what happened to him? Did his own machines turn him? Or, after being chased of by the zombie robots he gathered his "still sane" only half robotized test subjects(technically cyborg) and ruled what was left of a kingdom he infected with the robots(He would first have to chase out the robots first before even being able to touch the ruined kingdom). Now i imagine this kingdom full of "devote" followers eventually became the dominion. (It sort of reminds me of the daleks in doctor who, except the creator went on to rule the daleks, not the mentally scarred half-turned ones) I love doing this! Now as the world is thrown into war with the rise of the dominium i imagine the nutcrackers(Nuts for short?) which are still too small in numbers for a full-scale war would scavenge battleground sites for bodies and or survivors which they would use to swell their ranks with. Now we pretty much know how this turns out. Just look at "Terminator" or "Battle Star Galactica".
Air Admiral
Oh, and we so need Winston Churchill to be in the lore.
Air Admiral
Anybody else feeling this?
Commodore
@madking321: I'm not really ok with robots in a steampunk setting - It breaks my suspension of disbelief because robots are much more complicated than the technology allows for. Shadow of the Colossus sized ones though...
Hey Zarkonnen, how about a monster based on the Rust Monster from DnD? http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?271211-Ecology-of-the-Rust-Monster-Re-imagined-3-5-monsters
Air Admiral
I'm not talking about human sized robots. Basically the nutcracker will have a living human body placed in it, add corrupted suspendium Crystals(Which would grow in and around the human) which act in such a way that they draw energy/life force from the human . Then the energy eventually makes its way through the crystal cloud that surround the human to the highly conductible shell that the human is kept in.(Presumably this is somewhere in the nutcracker's chest) Now, through some completely normal phenomenon the life force is centered into a totally magical ball of energy. Which somehow powers the nutcracker's systems. Now this condensed energy will slowly brake anything down at the molecular level into what i can only comprehend as scrap. Now, since this happens the nutcrackers will regularly have to feed on any life form. Did you see the duck Zarkonnen displayed? It looked like it had a very crude digestive system which would chop up the fresh human carcass via spinning blades of doom. The nutcracker would use a similar method where it uses the body parts to replace parts of the nutcracker that have been damaged by the condensed energy. (I really could have just gone the simple rout of saying the nutcrackers somehow digested beings for energy couldn't i?) That would prob be better.
Commander, Engineering Corps
I was thinking of something a bit stupider.
A badass clockwerk army. Like 9-12ft tall murder bots that are neigh indestructable but kinda dumbasses. Very rudimentary designs that march forwards and bite badguys (and puke up raspberry jam).
Just put like a hand crank in their butt and shove some glowing suspendium crystals in their heads and call it a day. Like a really simple programmable robot that runs on people juice and springs or something.
Air Admiral
Uh, huh...
Air Admiral
It would also be interesting if the Dominion fanatically worshiped their king. Now, i must stress that the Dominion is quite opposed to complicated machines of any sort, which is why the scientist guy would have to keep his creepy cyborgs hidden in order to stop his followers from going berserk and his empire falling apart. (I do imagine that the cyborgs would act as a a secret system of spies that monitors EVERYTHING.)
Now, the cyborgs and the nutcrackers are completely different. For one the cyborgs are incredibly mutilated people who have been brainwashed to follow the mad scientist. While, the nutcrackers are surprisingly stupid, yet versatile machines that feed upon people for multiple different reasons.
How am i doing?
Commander, Engineering Corps
Speaking about monsters,
Idea
Spiders
From small ones, the size of sailors with immense jumping ability and with deadly speed. But a easy kill for prepared vessels with flamethrowers and gattling guns
To Massive, lurking beasts (ie, Landship size, using modified spider propulsion legs). capable of destroying even the largest airships.
Because wouldnt it be cool having your convoy of landships on route to a enemy city, only to be attacked by hordes of spiders, small ones killing crew, large ones destroying ships.
Then applying swift retribution by burning, bombing and blowing away spiders nests
Would really just need some reskinned components to look organic, some spider type crewmen and some web/nest structures.
Aerial Emperor
Yep, spiders are planned. :D
Commodore
@Zarkonnen: Spiders, but no deadly Rust Monster?
Ok, cultists with steampunk implements that turn them into vampires rather makes sense. 12ft tall murder bots eating people - not as much. Why would anyone build a robot that eats people? As a war machine, it makes more sense for it to trample people, or use regular weapons.
Anyways, aside from eating people, I think a giant murderbot would be a good source of mystification, even moreso than the dragon - a giant rouge rust-covered giant robot that tramples down villages. Because this is a steampunk setting and AI barely exists.
Of course, it's all just rumors.
Commander
"THE KOWARDS! THE FEWLS! OUR ENEMIES HIDE INSIDE BIG METAL BAWKES!"
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
You could just say "extinct adv. civilization made the killer robots.", now any and everything fits!
Air Admiral
Well, the guy who created the nutcrackers is insane.
Wait when did i say the cyborgs were vampires, or cultists? (Though the rest of the dominion is pretty much a cult)
I think i explained why the nutcrackers eat people. :P They need spare parts... And i am absolutely loving the idea of their power source being a mangled human in their chest. But, how would they keep him alive? Pump blood from other humans and creatures into him?
I guess it would be easier just to say the nutcrackers somehow squeeze out the oil from corpses they have eaten.
Commodore
@madking321:
Nah.
Because they chew on people, and, 'It would also be interesting if the Dominion fanatically worshiped their king'
And it was terrible.
What.
Good question.
What.
How does that make any sense whatsoever.
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
You read my mind, Slimy!
Anyone wanna talk game mechanics? I wonder how/when you will ever encounter these?
Would be cool to see them with unique weapons as well as being just a 'one module ship'.
Air Admiral
No it is not the cyborgs that eat people, it is the nutcrackers that do that. The cyborgs are just ordinary people with implants.(Well, they are also brainwashed)
True enough, i guess they could be considered cultists.
In what way do you say terrible? Do you mean the way i described it was terrible, or what the nutcrackers did was terrible?
Well, they do use the body parts of of the victims to replace mechanisms damaged by the concentrated energy.
Now after eating a victim, and after the victim is mangled in the digestive tract i imagine the blood leftover from said procedure would be used to keep the "energy source" and the fleshy mechanisms alive.(For a time at least)
Well, wale tissue used to be boiled down into oil. Could the same system not be used on other creatures(Humans included)?
Air Admiral
It would be cool to have some sort of mech suit with multiple armaments that your dudes can wear.
Commodore
@madking321:
Ok... Why not cut the fat of the idea and just have cultists?
I think the idea itself is bad. Sorry.
How?! What the hell is concentrated energy?
Yeah I don't think drinking blood = a good source of nutrients. What about diseases? And what do you do with the waste? That's a pretty ineffective way to build robots altogether. You got dead people, smelly robots, etc. Mech suits are a much better idea at that point.
Maybe if you wanted to build the most inefficient robots ever.
Yeah.
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
I didn't think we are building a dystopian game full of mad death machines and mutilated sailors (no offense).
Why not make functional machines that just run on some good ol' fashion coal like every other damn object?
Also didn't a bunch of us have a massive debate on how none of this automaton stuff would work anyway because the most advanced technology before the recent update was some suspendium and propellers? making anything more advanced seem like magic?
Air Admiral
These nutcrackers are not supposed to be efficient. They're supposed to be the most crude, death prone machines out there.
Yes, diseases play a very active role in the robot's "machinery" breaking down. Which is one of the core reasons the robot has to replace its damaged "machinery". The other reason is, yes the blood. Most people do not have the same kind of blood and as a result can only receive blood from people of the same blood type to add onto the problems.
Yes, diseases are a regular problem, but come to think of it fleshy machinery does not need to be alive to work. Sure it wont work long, but it will still work.
The robots would internally replace machinery. Think, a machine mounted inside the nutcracker's back that has direct access to all of the robot's vital machinery. The rest the robot would have to replace by opening itself up.
"Ok... Why not cut the fat of the idea and just have cultists?" True, but it does not sound quite inaccurate. But, basically they are.
Concentrated energy, think a battery. Except some of it will occasionally leak out and damage the machinery.
Tell me what happens when energy forced into a concentrated position suddenly escapes? And suspendium laced energy at that?!
Where do you think the waste goes? Yeah, out the back.
"Maybe if you wanted to build the most inefficient robots ever." Now you'r catching on, where would the fun be if they were "normal"?
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
Mech suits? You mean for your sailors/ground crew?
That would certainly be nice if we were able to customize what infantry we put into a ground battle as well the vehicles!
Air Admiral
Dude, how can you have murderous spiders, and dragons without death robots? :D
Imagine really tiny gears laced with crude circuitry... xD
Air Admiral
I really don't care what you think of it. It is just my personal lore.
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
You know, speculation/personal lore on an upcoming feature that has only be hinted on by a lone picture and a developer post seems kind of futile in my opinion.
Also, you can't have robot spiders and dragons without robot robots!
Air Admiral
So? I like making my own. And you can get a lot from a picture.
Does it not scream giant psycho-death-robot?
"Also, you can't have robot spiders and dragons without robot robots!"
Is this sarcasm? (If so, thank you from the bottom of my heart.)
Or, more specifically a mechanical kangaroo.
Commodore
Well, I think my position on the subject is clear by now, but I'll keep this going.
@madking321:
But whyyyyyyyyy. What dillhole, insane, world conqueror or otherwise, would build this in lieu of something that made a tiny bit of sense?
Then why would anyone build one?!
By... eating people? What good is a dead host body? And how would the machine take away the host's free will? In fact, the robot can only contain one human intelligence at a time, so how would the robot know to do anything once the old body has been flushed out?
That's not how blood types work. And considering the setting, knowledge of blood types in general would be limited at best.
Then why would it eat people?? Or have a human occupant in the first place? whaaaaaat
That's kind of cool. Not really convinced it works in a steampunk setting, unless the giant robot is actually a giant mech with a crew for piloting and a maintenance team.
Oh wait, that's basically a landship.
I was actually under the impression that suspendium crystals weren't explodey or dangerous to work with in general. Call me unimaginative.
Pooping robots? Are you serious?
Settings that are grounded in contextual reality can be fun too!
No circuitry! This is a steampunk setting! The aiming computer gets a pass only because it looks like it fell through a time warp from the 1930's and takes fracking punch cards.
I personally love the industrial aesthetic of steampunk settings - not the electric aesthetic, should that even exist in the setting. And if it does exist in the setting, it will more likely than not clash with the steampunk aesthetic.
To me, it screams giant mythical lost colossus of an ancient civilization, and the stuff coming out of it's mouth is rust, not guts.
It's the kind of thing you would think you saw walking across a very foggy field in the distance once, or you could have sworn you saw it's footprint once. A thing of mythos. Not a village-terrorizing zombie. Someone may claim it trampled down their village a long time ago, but it's not malicious, just aimless.
Air Admiral
For fucks sake, he's a mad scientist he built them because he could! No wonder he never had any friends.
You don't seem to get it, the people it eats are internally chopped up and applied as spare parts. What's left is flushed out. Have you ever tried using a living being as machinery?(While he is still alive) It's much easier to use something like the heart as a pump. The person in the chest is not expendable and the machine can not go long without him/her.
When did i say the robot distinguished between types of blood? Hang on, does the immune system not refuse a different blood type?(Which can lead to the receiver's death) Oh, i might also add the the host human is directly place in the chest. Not nommed on.
Well, because, reasons... It will use both, but it was created with the soul purpose of dismantling a city via zombieness.
Well, when charged suspendium crystals can be quite volatile. Not to mention they have the same affect as radiation.
"Pooping robots? Are you serious?" Well, to be more accurate there would be a pair of tubes which would drop the wast out the back. Not out the bottom.
"Settings that are grounded in contextual reality can be fun too!" Well, this is actually relatable to the universe judging it quite possible in a diesalpunk setting.
"No circuitry! This is a steampunk setting! The aiming computer gets a pass only because it looks like it fell through a time warp from the 1950's." No, this is diesalpunk not steampunk. Suspendium chambers are powered using electricity. When i say circuit i mean something a 10 year old can make. Just a few wired designed to change the energy current.
Air Admiral
"To me, it screams giant mythical lost colossus of an ancient civilization" Somehow that makes even less sense(Not meaning to be rude), but i guess it works since you know little to nothing about it.
Air Admiral
The robot has its own intelligence, but it is that of an amoeba. Not capable of reasoning.
Air Admiral
Plus, how can it be rust when it is in blob form?
Commodore
@madking321:
If his name isn't
"> Doctor Insano, I don't really buy that....which would kill them.
Yeah, I have. The heart stopped pumping because the subject died after being chopped into bits. And what about the brain, which I presume would be the AI?
You implied it when you said "Most people do not have the same kind of blood and as a result can only receive blood from people of the same blood type to add onto the problems."
It's much more complicated than "can only receive blood from people of the same blood type." http://www.matchingdonors.com/life/index.cfm?page=p030
But you said the nutcrackers eat people? And you just said "the people it eats are internally chopped up and applied as spare parts."
Nah.
Nah my headcanon's way better. Not everything needs to be made of explodium.
Pooping robots? Are you serious?
The aiming computer has a giant gear in it, and makes IBM 29 Card Punch noises.
The aiming computer has a giant gear in it, and makes IBM 29 Card Punch noises, electricity or not. And I don't think "just a few wired designed to change the energy current" = zombie robots.
It would be a war machine of a long gone civilization that wanders around because it barely has any AI. How so, specifically, is that more convoluted?
What the hell
Air Admiral
"...which would kill them." Your point?
Dude, the heart can be used mechanically. It does not have to pump on its own.
"You implied it when you said" How so? I merely said one of the problems the machine had involved the person receiving the wrong type of blood.
"It's much more complicated than" I see, good to know.
"But you said the nutcrackers eat people? And you just said "the people it eats are internally chopped up and applied as spare parts.""
Those are two different things. I said the robot used people for spare parts, but i did not say the people it ate ended up in the chest. Tell me, how does one keep a victim alive after being chopped in to bits? I'm not that daft.
"Nah" Wat...
"Nah my headcanon's way better. Not everything needs to be made of explodium" No one said anything has to be volatile, but i am quite sure suspendium is.
"Pooping robots? Are you serious?" is a factory pooping when it dumps waste into a pond via pipes?
"The aiming computer has a giant gear in it, and makes IBM 29 Card Punch noises, electricity or not. And I don't think "just a few wired designed to change the energy current" = zombie robots."
Sigh, so, you are telling me that an immense processor weighing several tons (A compact one at that) could not form something too stupid to even reason? It's probably less intelligent than a cell.
"It would be a war machine of a long gone civilization that wanders around because it barely has any AI. How so, specifically, is that more convoluted?"
Because, it makes as much sense as mine. Not to mention that it is somehow still running.
The shading, the reflecting light, the splatter shape sort of give it away as blood. :P
Air Admiral
But, i am all for a mythical war machine that is powerful enough to destroy whole empires.(Most likely by stepping on it)
Air Admiral
Even, something simple can become infinitely complex when given enough room. Just look at a living body, but let's please drop this here.
Commodore
A dead heart doesn't beat.
Why would the robot need to eat unless it was trying to keep it's human organs alive?
Ok, why an obsession with people? Why wouldn't it try to eat anything else?
Nope, terrible reason.
Why? What would cause it to explode? And what would cause it to "suddenly escape?"
But... pooping robots! Why even make robots that have to eat and poop?
Nope. What you're describing is much more intelligent than a cell.
You can't just say it makes as much sense as yours, I asked for specifics. And since you gave one: It won't last forever. It will "die" someday. But it's a giant giant with a giant gas tank. And it goes dormant for long periods of time trying to conserve it's power. Hence being somewhat a thing of legend - it's rarely seen.
But it's orange. What am I supposed to believe next, that was sky was once purple?
What does that mean? And the living body is extremely complicated.
I don't wanna.
Air Admiral
"Why would the robot need to eat unless it was trying to keep it's human organs alive?"
Because otherwise they would decay faster.
"Ok, why an obsession with people? Why wouldn't it try to eat anything else?"
Because it is usually around people, and they are easier to catch. Like i said, it was created with the intention of messing up a city.
"Why? What would cause it to explode? And what would cause it to "suddenly escape?""
Tell me, when did the definition of volatile become "KABOOM"? It, in this case means erratic and dangerous behavior.
Suspendium from what i know exists on the microscopic level as while as... Our level. What the energy is stored in is incredibly crude, so particles will regularly escape.
They do not poop! The waste is excreted out the back, and it is most certainly not feces.
"Why even make robots that have to eat and poop?" For the simple reason of systematically destroying life forms.
"Nope. What you're describing is much more intelligent than a cell." How can you tell?
All it does is simply lumber after anything that moves, and tries to eat it through different means. Even when it repairs itself it is just responding to "code".
"I asked for specifics. And since you gave one: It won't last forever. But it has a giant giant with a giant gas tank. And it goes dormant for long periods of time trying to conserve it's power."
Too many things can go wrong with that, and it would require a decent calculating system assigned to the dormant part which would not have been there when it was a weapon of war used by the lost empire. Unless of course they planned to let a war machine loose on the planet.
The end result for both yours and mine is basically the same.(essentially a half-wit robot capable of close to nothing) except mine is a bit iffy when it comes to internal mechanics.
"But it's orange. What am I supposed to believe next, that was sky was once purple?"
Hmm, it's more a light red, but the thing is that it is no where near pale enough to be rust. Plus it's 3D.
Air Admiral
"What does that mean? And the living body is extremely complicated." Of course, but not on the cellular level. A few cells in a relationship are not much, but when more and more cells accumulate on the mass and more systems arise, then you will have something complex.
Air Admiral
Uh, may i ask what happened to the swell argument we were having?
Air Admiral
What do you think, Zark?
Air Admiral
Hang on, i have been looking back at what you said. And, you said you used a living being as machinery... Wtf?!
Commander
I believe you and slimy scared everyone away from this sub-forum with all your pseudoflamewar argumentation. that picture was just a bored sketch with new actual importance to the game. This, by now, probably would be better in the off topic section. The only reason I am Here is because I was curious as to how it got nearly 50 posts. I do not intend to be offensive or hostile, but I really do not like the way this discussion is going.
Air Admiral
It was a debate not a flame war. I have no hostile feelings towered him, and i hope he feels likewise. We were just debating the logic of a clockwork-psycho-robot-nutcracker-thingy. I highly doubt the argument will continue, but if you find it inappropriate to debate on the forum then feel free to get Zark to delete it.
Air Admiral
I will not mind.
Commodore
@TortugaGreen: Pseudoflamewar argumentation? Nonsense! I'm just casually flogging madking321's opinion as much as I can!
@madking321: "I highly doubt the argument will continue, but if you find it inappropriate to debate on the forum then feel free to get Zark to delete it. I will not mind."
Not before Zark sees how overwhelmingly superior my opinion is!
Anyways:
The idea that a smelly robot being in any way subtle enough to infiltrate a village sounds ridiculous to me. And if someone wanted to mess up a city, non-vampiyric weapon-loaded killbots still sound more reasonable.
Well, being explosive is one of the more common definitions of "volatile," but it's admittedly not the only definition. So, what form does the erratic and dangerous behavior take? Radiation seems like a non-erratic behavior to me.
Also, another implication is that suspendium powers the robot, but also, (with the aid of other factors,) slowly kills the human within. But suspendium crystals in airships actually take energy, using it to suspend. So, what?
You mean the crystals are only a containment?
That's totally pooping!
Killbots armed with Gatling guns. You could systematically destroy 2000-6000 life forms per minute.
You described a robot AI that is able to seek people out, (a task requiring AI to know where people are, what people are, etc,) capture them (requiring tactical thinking,) consume them without killing them, etc, etc, etc. It's not a simple AI!
And yet it survives. That's what makes it mythical.
Oh, and clearly nothing can go wrong with your idea.
It's just a clock. And I can see how a clock in a war machine would be useful.
Nnnnope! Yours is very iffy when it comes to internal mechanics! At least when you leave the war-colossus' mechanics mostly to the imagination, it excludes things like "it eats people because reasons." And your interpretation of the robot seems rather intelligent to me, as I explained.
If it were light red, it would be pink, which it is clearly not. And since when did rust have to be pale? And what are the non 3d splashes of orange coloring the robot?
Yeah, but... what does that have to do with robots eating people?
Air Admiral
"The idea that a smelly robot being in any way subtle enough to infiltrate a village sounds ridiculous to me. And if someone wanted to mess up a city, non-vampiyric weapon-loaded killbots still sound more reasonable."
Did i say infiltrate? Dude, all i said was that these machines tend to be atracted to cities due to the large number of life forms. The idea behind them needing to consume creatures was that, well, they would need to. They have no other "choice".
"Also, another implication is that suspendium powers the robot, but also, (with the aid of other factors,) slowly kills the human within. But suspendium crystals in airships actually take energy, using it to suspend. So, what?"
Heavily charged suspendium will most likely explode on top of many other volatile behaviors. Zark talks about it at some point.
"You mean the crystals are only a containment?"
No, what i mean is that the crystals come in all sizes. Why are you asking me this? I did not make the lore for suspendium.
"That's totally pooping!"
Well, if you insist...
"Killbots armed with Gatling guns. You could systematically destroy 2000-6000 life forms per minute."
Well, more like 700 per 9 mins, but that is beside the point! The point of the machines need spare parts is a bit like natural selection. If something in the machine acts up, and its behavior is changed then it will eventually die. This makes it so it needs to feed.
"You described a robot AI that is able to seek people out, (a task requiring AI to know where people are, what people are, etc,) capture them (requiring tactical thinking,) consume them without killing them, etc, etc, etc. It's not a simple AI!"
How many times do i have to tell you that the machine does not keep the people it consumes alive! All it has to do is find something that moves and lumber after it. Pretty much like a zombie.
"And yet it survives. That's what makes it mythical.
Oh, and clearly nothing can go wrong with your idea."
I never said nothing could go wrong with mine. Oh, sure, your machine gets a pass!
"It's just a clock. And I can see how a clock in a war machine would be useful." It is not just a clock, you do realize the fine planning and details that would have to go into that for it to be functional? It is really just easier to say that the lost empire just released it into enemy territory with the intent of it causing damage.
"Nnnnope! Yours is very iffy when it comes to internal mechanics! At least when you leave the war-colossus' mechanics mostly to the imagination, it excludes things like "it eats people because reasons." And your interpretation of the robot seems rather intelligent to me, as I explained."
I was planning on not going too into detail until you started asking questions. :P Look, all mine has to do is lumber after something and consume it. Which does require decent calculating, but it can be done in this universe. Where, did i say that the robot would give forethought to eating someone? I already explained this.
"All it does is simply lumber after anything that moves, and tries to eat it through different means. Even when it repairs itself it is just responding to "code"."
"If it were light red, it would be pink, which it is clearly not. And since when did rust have to be pale? And what are the non 3d splashes of orange coloring the robot?"
Well, perhaps pale red then? Rust does not have to be pale, but generally it is. Much like the lighter/paler splashes you see. Which are in close proximity to the bloody gobbets, so i can for the most part assume they are also blood.
"Yeah, but... what does that have to do with robots eating people?"
My point is that a simple assortment of machinery can reach complexity when enough of it is used in the right fashion.
Commander, Engineering Corps
yea but...
om nom nom
Air Admiral
I wonder what the bit at the bottom is supposed to be. Perhaps some sort of clockwork machinery?
Commander, Engineering Corps
hip actuators. According to this extremely rough sketch.
Commander, Engineering Corps
His belt to stop his trousers from falling down, duh.
Air Admiral
Obviously! Lol... But, really, it could be any number of things.
Aerial Emperor
NB this post gives a little more background detail.