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Yun Hee Ryeon
Dead Six Initiative
Lokun Listamenn
320
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Posted - 2013.10.14 05:09:00 -
[1] - Quote
I've been thinking about these lights on our suits, the ones that seem to serve as eyes, but which seem to occupy several different variations of "the wrong place." They seem to be present on suits of virtually every race and type; if anyone knows of an exception, I would very much like to hear about it.
But considering that they make us glow like instrument panels, even those of us who are theoretically supposed to be as stealthy as technologically possible, I really have to wonder why they're present in all cases. However small the chance of being visually spotted by eye-glow alone might be, it still seems easier to just switch it off.
I've been thinking about this, and want to try out a hypothesis: they're running lights. Like running lights on a ship, they're signs of life. Someone is aboard, systems are powered up, and the ship is underway-- or at least, not just drifting without power.
It would make sense, in our case. How do you tell the difference between an empty dropsuit, or one containing an unoccupied or dead clone, and an occupied one? The literal light in the eyes. The purpose would seem to be the protection of non-clone soldier personnel, who might not otherwise be aware when a clone goes active.
Of course, one purpose of running lights on a ship is to give a clear idea of the ship's heading. That doesn't apply so much to us, though our eye-configuration could be used to infer that. Maybe not so usefully, though.
I'd appreciate any observations you all might have that would either support or debunk this idea, especially when the lights are and are not visible on combatants, including the dead and dying (I've thus far been too busy running off towards my next objective to stop and take notes).
Any thoughts? |
Galm Fae
Guardian Solutions
DARKSTAR ARMY
115
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Posted - 2013.10.14 06:29:00 -
[2] - Quote
I agree, in stealth situations they are useless. But you can't operate the visor without them, so I have just learned to love them. Overall I have conjured up a few reasons why they were ever incorporated into our suits in the first place.
Your running light idea may very well be the reason, as supported by how they shut off when our clone is pronounced terminated. This is likely for triage reasons as well. When our physical form has reached a state that it can not feasibly be resurrected, the lights go dark. To medics, this is a major sign that they should give up on recovering the dead clone and redirect attention to other wounded allies.
Inversely, it could also display who is still alive. Most of the time, death comes relatively quickly for us. Hybrid rounds rip through you, the light fades, and the cycle begins anew. But then there are days where you catch a locus grenade with your face. In my days in the Legion, I once say a guy that lost three fourths of his face to an explosive charge. Physical therapists and mechanical surgeons had managed to staple him back together with cybernetics, but he was still a ghastly fellow to look at. Apparently after the charge had gone off he was still alive and semiconscious for three hours until the firefight subsided and both sides could collect their dead.
They were picking up his body to move into a mass grave when he latched onto the harness of the soldier who was dragging him. Apparently that gave the poor kid a heart attack, so a medic had to come running over to check on both of them at once.
My point is, there are some fates worse than death. When your are rolling around on the field begging for death that just won't come and you are too incoherent to ask your squad mates to finish you off, you are going to be glad you had a little flashing light that lets them know you are still alive. I'd gladly take a bullet to the brain to get me out of a clone with a sucking chest wound, scrabbled nanites, or a snapped spinal cord. Better to die quickly then to be left alive on a battlefield for weeks waiting for death. |
Denak Kalamari
Intaki Liberation Front
Intaki Prosperity Initiative
508
|
Posted - 2013.10.14 09:03:00 -
[3] - Quote
I have to agree with Galm and Yun on the speculation about them being an indicator that there is someone alive inside the dropsuit, even if damage is significant. This is further supported by the fact that there are some jewelery that change their colors according to the blood pressure, heartbeat and other vital signs of its wearer. It could be possibly that the little lighting we have in our "eyes" could be powered by our own body as a kind of bioelectrical battery. When the battery runs out of power out ie. the person dies, lights go out to signify that the person is dead.
However, it could be possible that these lights are implemented for a purely cosmetic, or psychological reason. Warfare is just as much about psychology and morale as it is about tactics and equipment. It could be possible that these lights, and the general design of the dropsuit is meant as an intimidation, in an attempt to lower the morale of the enemy and make them less effective in combat. Imagine if you were in a completely dark room, where all you could see was two glowing eyes staring at you, that is definitely going to raise some goosebumps. |
Godin Thekiller
Hellstorm Inc
League of Infamy
1151
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Posted - 2013.10.14 12:18:00 -
[4] - Quote
They are sensors........ |
Callsign Grave
Sinq Laison Gendarmes
Gallente Federation
15
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Posted - 2013.10.14 13:02:00 -
[5] - Quote
While I can understand these posts, is it possible they are there for nothing more than to see in the dark? They could be flashlights, on the dimmest possible mode. |
Denak Kalamari
Intaki Liberation Front
Intaki Prosperity Initiative
508
|
Posted - 2013.10.14 13:06:00 -
[6] - Quote
Godin Thekiller wrote:They are sensors........ Sensors don't usually glow.
Callsign Grave wrote:While I can understand these posts, is it possible they are there for nothing more than to see in the dark? They could be flashlights, on the dimmest possible mode. As far as I'm aware these suits have built in nightvision/infrared, and dim flashlights like that would be pointless. |
Yun Hee Ryeon
Dead Six Initiative
Lokun Listamenn
320
|
Posted - 2013.10.14 17:55:00 -
[7] - Quote
If we do, currently, have any substantial degree of nightvision or infrared, it doesn't seem to make it onto our fields of vision most of the time. Snipers, for example, have very little trouble staying hidden at night, so long as they avoid being silhouetted against the sky.
I suspect that we've foregone such things, at least with current-gen equipment, for the sake of enhanced protection and sensors of other sorts. |
DeadlyAztec11
Chatelain Rapid Response
Gallente Federation
2241
|
Posted - 2013.10.14 18:07:00 -
[8] - Quote
If I had to guess.
It is a way of letting out radioactive energy. This would be very impressive near the head so fast to avoid head aches and brain tumors. A powerful light or lights, would be a safe war of out putting the energy.
Or like my colleague Goden has theorized; they are merely sensors that work through the use of visible light, as opposed to infrared light. |
Galm Fae
Guardian Solutions
DARKSTAR ARMY
116
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Posted - 2013.10.14 18:42:00 -
[9] - Quote
I don't believe they operate much like an optics system, at least, that isn't the reason why they glow. Oddly, Aztec has me wondering if these systems are connected in any way to shielding systems. |
XANDER KAG
Red Star.
EoN.
348
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Posted - 2013.10.14 18:52:00 -
[10] - Quote
Galm Fae wrote:I don't believe they operate much like an optics system, at least, that isn't the reason why they glow. Oddly, Aztec has me wondering if these systems are connected in any way to shielding systems.
Unless they are pointing out which races suits are the worst at armor tanking by giving them fewer "eyes" then I don't think so. |
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