Pliers' Ship Selection Quotes

Bandit LOAF · 02-25-2006, 00:57

Howdy, WingNuts. I spent the evening forcing WC4 to play all the Pliers ship selection voiceovers I could... I'm curious as to whether or not anyone has a more complete list.

I know I haven't been able to generate one for the Bearcat or the torpedo... all the other missiles, guns and ships are here, as best I can remember.

They're interesting, and there's some good background information in some of them (the Starburst is a "particle burst bomb").

Also, Pliers' apparently used his amazing skills to update the tractor beam... somehow. WCIV is so odd.

There's an orphan Ion Cannon quote attached to the Banshee, too, separate from the one about the Scatter Gun. Despite Pliers' claim that the Border Worlds has plenty of Ion Cannons, they don't seem to use them on any of their ships...

Hmm, what else. I like the implication that the Border Worlds has... one... Stormfire. Take that, six bajillion fanfics.

Quote:

Bring me back a ship as clean as you did last time and I'll show you what old Pliers can do.

Good luck, kid. Eisen handed out a tough one today.

Don't screw this one up, kid. Looks like a cake walk.

Tachyon: The Tachyon cannon is one of my favorites. It packs a real wallop, rarely fails and it's one sleek design.

Leech: If you wanna disable a ship, use Leech Cannons. The Confed's like the missiles, and sure we've got some of them... but they're a little rougher on the merchandise, if you know what I mean. If you get in close, go with the cannons.

Mass Driver: The mass driver is a great gun for scaring the crap out of your enemies. It has a gut-wrenching sound and leaves a lot of visual damage.

Laser: Laser cannons don't do much damage, but they sure fire fast.

Stormfire: I was able to pull a Stormfire off a junk pirate fighter we just hauled in. Boy, old technology but damn effective. Fires a shitload of small, low density projectiles at extremely high velocity. Just paint your target and let her rip. If the range wasn't so damn short they'd still be around today. Try it out and see how you like it.

Ion Cannon: The Ion Cannon was the first weapon I ever worked on, and it hasn't changed much since. They're rugged and cheap to build, so we got a lot of 'em.

Scatter Gun: I was tinkering with one of our Ion Cannons and came up with this Scatter Cannon. Okay, so the name sucks. It shoots five bolts instead of one, for just a 17% bigger hit on your energy. The prototype's going on your next ship. See what you think.

Photon Cannon: No idea why so many people like the Photon Cannon. I always thought the heat to divergence ratio was lame.

Tractor Beam: I've pushed the limits of those old Confed tractor beams you probably learned on at the Academy. I doubled the axial frequency, added inertial retractors and pretty much tweaked the hell out of 'em. You'll be impressed your next salvage op.

Avenger: Avengers are good for rescues. They've got staying power. Kind of slow, though. Banshees are the quick guys.

Vindicator: The Vindicator won't get you through long battles with that light armor, but it's the only one you can use for atmospheric missions.

Banshee: Banshees are great all around fighters. You can't go wrong unless you're trying to take out a cap ship.

Lance: The Dragons are amazing. Just think about those infinite afterburners. The speed comes directly out of your powerplant, though, so just keep an eye on your energy readouts.

Nace: We got some ass kicking loot from that weapons depot. Try out the Mace missile sometime. This sucker's got a proto-nuclear warhead on it that'll take out more than its fair share. Just launch and hold the trigger till the safety clicks off. Then release to explode. Boom!

Starburst #1: We scored some prototype ordinanance which I'm anxious to see field tested. One of them is code-named Starburst and it appears to be some kind of charged-particle burst bomb with an engine attached. When you launch it, keep the trigger down until you want it to blow. Then hopefully the safety will keep it from going off in your face.

Starburst #2: Starbursts. Good for hitting big and something a long way off... but I think it'll need some old Pliers magic before it'll be more useful.

Coneburst: Boy does that Starburst bomb suck. Guess that's why it was still in testing. Well, I've been tinkering with it, made it more useful. Instead of bursting all over the place it all blows forward in a cone shape. Like some big shotgun. Someone's gonna shit.

Fission Cannon: These Black Lance ship got some crazy type of ass kicking Fission Cannon. Just hold down the trigger to charge and release to let 'em rip. Only problem is waiting for your wings to lock so the vicious kickback doesn't tear 'em off.

Plasma Cannon: The Plasma Cannon definately wreaks major havoc on your enemy, but don't get caught leaning on the trigger. It'll drain you dry in no time. It'll suck you dry faster than a... okay, you get the point.

Flashpak #1: Give 'em hell, kid. Can't wait to hear about that flashpak.

Flaskpak #2: The Flashpak is guided, it's mean and we only got one. I don't know any more and I don't think I'd want to. This thing scares me.

Dumb Fire: Dumb Fires. Pack a big punch, but only good for slow moving space pigs and cap ships.

Heat-Seeker: Euh, Heat Seekers, whatever. Best you can do on this Border Worlds budget, I guess.

Friend or Foe: The Pilum FF basically kicks ass. You fire it and let it do its job, no questions asked.

Mine: If you've got mines on your ship, I reccomend using them. I've seen more than one bogie bite it because he didn't watch out for these creepers. They track, you know?

Image Recognition: Image Recs? Euh. Confed has shit loads of these. The locking gizmo takes its time, but it tracks real good.

TurboTim07 · 02-25-2006, 06:21

I remember there being one about Maniac... I don't remember it exactly. It was something along the lines of sloppy Confed flying and tell Maniac to quit hotdogging it. And I believe there was also one that he said during the missions with the cloaking device. I'm not exactly sure. I'll have to go play it again to check.

Delance · 02-25-2006, 09:13

Those are fun. Thanks for that, I was trying to remember where I heard he made the scatter gun out of ions cannon. Anyways, technically he says they aquired one stormfire that way, not that's all they have. Doesn't really matter, because the AI never uses the secondary guns, and he could in theory fit the gun on Blair's chosen ship. Of course, either the Vindicator or the Avenger, since the Banshee uses the scatter one.

I liked the stormfire because it didn't consume energy, so power could be diverted to shields. The scatter gun is very enjoyable to use at close range.

Death · 02-25-2006, 10:12

Not to mention the pretty pictures as you light up a ship that's just gone into cloak with a Stormfire.

Dragon1 · 02-25-2006, 12:04

Quote:

WCIV is so odd

Hey LOAF, other than some of what you posted above, what else would you say is odd about WCIV?

Bandit LOAF · 02-25-2006, 12:28

WCIV is a game of vast contradictions.

They spent *so* much effort 'fleshing out' the universe to make it feel more real: all kinds of space stations, capital ships with individual textures, etc... and at the same time they cut out all sorts of the 'you are there' nuances that made WC famous: no scrambling to your fighter, no hand-on-the-stick cockpits, etc.

It was designed to move the franchise to the next level... but absolutely no aspect of the $14 million game involved setting up for future installments. There was no introducing a new conflict to tell future stories about, it was entirely self contained (and, to an extent, self limiting, ending the game with Blair in some odd position instead of as a fighter pilot). They spent all that money buying things like a full shuttle set with the reasoning that they could use it again... but never actually had any plan to do so. I do not understand WC4.

Bandit LOAF · 02-25-2006, 12:47

Woo, found torpedoes:

Quote:

You want to kill a cap-ship? Use torpedoes. 'Nuff said.

Dragon1 · 02-25-2006, 13:37

Huh.....come to think of it, you are dead on.

I remember playing through WCIV the first time thinking that I should really enjoy this because it is the last WC game that will probably be made. I also really missed some of the inner details, like a lack of continuing Confed missions (I never really wanted to defect, I always thought the forced defection was a little weak), cockpits, and the lack of interaction with oter members of the crew (Intrepid and Lexington, Blair seemed to be a really isolated person in WCIV).

Bandit LOAF · 02-25-2006, 13:51

It's very odd, in retrospect. A lot of people will tell you that Wing Commander IV was what it was because it was Chris Roberts' last hurrah and that he intended to leave Origin the whole time... but I'm not sure -- you certainly see him talking up Silverheart in post-WC4 interviews and we know he worked on at least one Privateer sequel attempt after WC4 was finished. It doesn't make sense in my head.

Maveric · 03-18-2006, 10:45

I wouldn't say WC4 was a disappointment to me, very different yes, but still a good game. A real disappointment for me was Prophecy! Hardly anyone to talk to aboard ship, no decision making within the few conversations, and what's up with not playing as Blair?! (Though I have to admit it was interesting to watch Blair for a change as opposed to playing as him)
If there is another WC game made (and *some* of us still hold out hope!) then I hope it'll be a whole load better than WC Prophecy! And it should be made during the Kilrathi war. Not much point making another enemy, deep down we all know we love blasting cats!

Dyret · 03-18-2006, 11:09

I would love to see the Nephilim or Kilrathi war from the Kilrathi POV.

Lt.Death100 · 03-18-2006, 13:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyret

I would love to see the Nephilim or Kilrathi war from the Kilrathi POV.

Armada lets you play as a Kilrathi.

Dyret · 03-18-2006, 13:50

It also lets you play as confed. That doesnt make WC3 obsolete.

ChrisReid · 03-18-2006, 14:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyret

It also lets you play as confed. That doesnt make WC3 obsolete.

Are you implying that LtDeath said it did? He was replying to your post wishing for a Kilrathi POV game. I don't understand your post above at all.

Dyret · 03-18-2006, 15:06

I was thinking more of what I'd like to see in the next WC game. Armada was amazing, but it didn't have too much character interaction or too many dramatic cutscenes like the other WC games (It did have alot of nice info in the manual though, IIRC). You know, walking around on a Kilrathi carrier and talking to other cats with different personalities and learning more about the kilrathi culture would be great, basically the WCU's version of TIE Fighter if you know what I mean.

Edfilho · 03-21-2006, 05:56

PLiers was one of the best things in WC4. I laugh whenever he drops the Flashpak and the techs scramble.
ehehehe.

Dundradal · 03-21-2006, 07:58

quite the opposite of his role in Office Space....

"I take the specifications from the customers to the engineers...I'm a people person...I AM GOOD WITH PEOPLE!"

Ridgerunner · 03-21-2006, 21:20

Yep. Office Space. A pretty cool movie. I always busted a gut when the kid gutted the bass and threw it on the TPS reports.

DangerousCook · 10-29-2007, 17:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit LOAF

Hmm, what else. I like the implication that the Border Worlds has... one... Stormfire. Take that, six bajillion fanfics.

Well... isn't that a bit of a stretch? At the most it implies that the Intrepid has only one stormfire. The fact that it is "old technology" that has been discarded because of its short range makes it at least plausible that the Border Worlds would be using them (just like they use old fighters.) If pirates are using them then the Border Worlds can as well. Why knock fanfics for making this assumption?

Bandit LOAF · 10-29-2007, 18:04

Quote:

Well... isn't that a bit of a stretch? At the most it implies that the Intrepid has only one stormfire. The fact that it is "old technology" that has been discarded because of its short range makes it at least plausible that the Border Worlds would be using them (just like they use old fighters.) If pirates are using them then the Border Worlds can as well. Why knock fanfics for making this assumption?

No, it's the exact the opposite of a stretch - it's taking a statement as literally and directly as possible.

AD · 10-29-2007, 18:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit LOAF

Also, Pliers' apparently used his amazing skills to update the tractor beam... somehow. WCIV is so odd.

Quote:

Tractor Beam: I've pushed the limits of those old Confed tractor beams you probably learned on at the Academy. I doubled the axial frequency, added inertial retractors and pretty much tweaked the hell out of 'em. You'll be impressed your next salvage op.

I like the idea that these are some how some obsolete version of the tractor beam, even a weaker version that is only used for training. Pliers upgrade takes something nearly useless and makes them on par with the regular ones. When it boils down to it, they really don't work any better or different in practice than the WC2 ones.

DangerousCook · 10-29-2007, 19:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit LOAF

No, it's the exact the opposite of a stretch - it's taking a statement as literally and directly as possible.

How exactly does Pliers speak for the entire UBW?

DangerousCook · 10-29-2007, 19:06

And one other thing:

Wing Commander games are FULL or arbitrary comments that are simply intended to inform the player of new game features (new fighters/weaponry etc.)

For example, WC2 has characters explaining the function and advantages of fighters when in reality Blair would have known most of this information...

Another infamous example is Maniac "introducing" himself to us in WC1 when we know that they were in the Academy together etc.

We don't choose to take those statements literally, so why handpick this one?

AD · 10-29-2007, 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerousCook

And one other thing:

Wing Commander games are FULL or arbitrary comments that are simply intended to inform the player of new game features (new fighters/weaponry etc.)

For example, WC2 has characters explaining the function and advantages of fighters when in reality Blair would have known most of this information...

Another infamous example is Maniac "introducing" himself to us in WC1 when we know that they were in the Academy together etc.

We don't choose to take those statements literally, so why handpick this one?

Here's the original quote:

Quote:

I was able to pull a Stormfire off a junk pirate fighter we just hauled in. Boy, old technology but damn effective. Fires a shitload of small, low de

02-25-2006, 09:13	#3
Delance Victory, you say? Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: São Paulo, Brazil Posts: 4,220	Those are fun. Thanks for that, I was trying to remember where I heard he made the scatter gun out of ions cannon. Anyways, technically he says they aquired one stormfire that way, not that's all they have. Doesn't really matter, because the AI never uses the secondary guns, and he could in theory fit the gun on Blair's chosen ship. Of course, either the Vindicator or the Avenger, since the Banshee uses the scatter one. I liked the stormfire because it didn't consume energy, so power could be diverted to shields. The scatter gun is very enjoyable to use at close range. __________________ "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." -- Chesterton

02-25-2006, 10:12	#4
Death gh0d Administrator Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Taylors, SC, USA Posts: 2,092	Not to mention the pretty pictures as you light up a ship that's just gone into cloak with a Stormfire. __________________ SubCrid Death Official Net.Nazi, LOAF's Merry Guild A Meeting of Minds - a (mostly) cliche-free "first contact" story; updated periodically If you don't fear ^Death_ then there's a socket loose in your fear factory, buddy. - The Book of LOAF

02-25-2006, 12:28	#6
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,954	WCIV is a game of vast contradictions. They spent so much effort 'fleshing out' the universe to make it feel more real: all kinds of space stations, capital ships with individual textures, etc... and at the same time they cut out all sorts of the 'you are there' nuances that made WC famous: no scrambling to your fighter, no hand-on-the-stick cockpits, etc. It was designed to move the franchise to the next level... but absolutely no aspect of the $14 million game involved setting up for future installments. There was no introducing a new conflict to tell future stories about, it was entirely self contained (and, to an extent, self limiting, ending the game with Blair in some odd position instead of as a fighter pilot). They spent all that money buying things like a full shuttle set with the reasoning that they could use it again... but never actually had any plan to do so. I do not understand WC4. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

02-25-2006, 13:51	#9
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,954	It's very odd, in retrospect. A lot of people will tell you that Wing Commander IV was what it was because it was Chris Roberts' last hurrah and that he intended to leave Origin the whole time... but I'm not sure -- you certainly see him talking up Silverheart in post-WC4 interviews and we know he worked on at least one Privateer sequel attempt after WC4 was finished. It doesn't make sense in my head. __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

03-18-2006, 10:45	#10
Maveric Cadet Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: London, UK Posts: 25	I wouldn't say WC4 was a disappointment to me, very different yes, but still a good game. A real disappointment for me was Prophecy! Hardly anyone to talk to aboard ship, no decision making within the few conversations, and what's up with not playing as Blair?! (Though I have to admit it was interesting to watch Blair for a change as opposed to playing as him) If there is another WC game made (and some of us still hold out hope!) then I hope it'll be a whole load better than WC Prophecy! And it should be made during the Kilrathi war. Not much point making another enemy, deep down we all know we love blasting cats! __________________ ________________________________________ _____ The problem with being a hero is...well,they always expect you to win. - Commodore Christopher Blair

02-25-2006, 06:21	#2
TurboTim07 Captain Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Covington, GA Posts: 333	I remember there being one about Maniac... I don't remember it exactly. It was something along the lines of sloppy Confed flying and tell Maniac to quit hotdogging it. And I believe there was also one that he said during the missions with the cloaking device. I'm not exactly sure. I'll have to go play it again to check.

02-25-2006, 13:37	#8
Dragon1 Major Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 519	Huh.....come to think of it, you are dead on. I remember playing through WCIV the first time thinking that I should really enjoy this because it is the last WC game that will probably be made. I also really missed some of the inner details, like a lack of continuing Confed missions (I never really wanted to defect, I always thought the forced defection was a little weak), cockpits, and the lack of interaction with oter members of the crew (Intrepid and Lexington, Blair seemed to be a really isolated person in WCIV).

03-18-2006, 11:09	#11
Dyret Super Carrot! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norway Posts: 2,155	I would love to see the Nephilim or Kilrathi war from the Kilrathi POV. __________________ Glory to the many

03-18-2006, 13:50	#13
Dyret Super Carrot! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norway Posts: 2,155	It also lets you play as confed. That doesnt make WC3 obsolete. __________________ Glory to the many

03-18-2006, 15:06	#15
Dyret Super Carrot! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norway Posts: 2,155	I was thinking more of what I'd like to see in the next WC game. Armada was amazing, but it didn't have too much character interaction or too many dramatic cutscenes like the other WC games (It did have alot of nice info in the manual though, IIRC). You know, walking around on a Kilrathi carrier and talking to other cats with different personalities and learning more about the kilrathi culture would be great, basically the WCU's version of TIE Fighter if you know what I mean. __________________ Glory to the many

03-21-2006, 05:56	#16
Edfilho Cry some more! Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Rio de Janeiro - Brazil Posts: 3,522	PLiers was one of the best things in WC4. I laugh whenever he drops the Flashpak and the techs scramble. ehehehe.

03-21-2006, 07:58	#17
Dundradal TCS Tarawa (CVE-8) "Plank Owner" Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Confederate Archives, Confed HQ, Sol System Posts: 3,869	quite the opposite of his role in Office Space.... "I take the specifications from the customers to the engineers...I'm a people person...I AM GOOD WITH PEOPLE!" __________________ "To you, we are deeply grateful, and release what little hold we might, as Durandal, have had on your soul. Go." - Final Terminal Message Marathon Infinity

03-21-2006, 21:20	#18
Ridgerunner Lieutenant Colonel Join Date: May 2002 Location: Irving, TX Posts: 796	Yep. Office Space. A pretty cool movie. I always busted a gut when the kid gutted the bass and threw it on the TPS reports. __________________ Something, something, something......

10-29-2007, 19:06	#23
DangerousCook 2nd Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern California Posts: 104	And one other thing: Wing Commander games are FULL or arbitrary comments that are simply intended to inform the player of new game features (new fighters/weaponry etc.) For example, WC2 has characters explaining the function and advantages of fighters when in reality Blair would have known most of this information... Another infamous example is Maniac "introducing" himself to us in WC1 when we know that they were in the Academy together etc. We don't choose to take those statements literally, so why handpick this one?