Siegfried

Mayhem Inc

Core, lvl2 EMG resistant tank

Buildpic: The unit is more gray than it should if you compare with the model shot. I am also a bit mispleased with the angle (both the camera angle and the angle of the unit compared to the background) because the unit looks very... dead. A sligtly larger zoom in wouldn't hurt [2]. The background is very interesting because I've never really seen a Core Prime background but is nevertheless utterly boring in a odd kind of way [2]. The merging is strange... the shadown on the ground is soft, but the shades on relative parts of the unit are very sharp and pitch black stand next to snow white without any kind of gray neutral zone in between. The illumination is a bit diffuse since for example the right side of the tracks and the underside of the cannon (that big round thing on the pic) are in sharp contrast [1.5]

Bildpic: 5.5

Model: While not really fitting the rest of it's track-mounted buddies, this guy is special in some way. I like the new design, but I don't really like the horde of useless faces that follows. The tracks (no the track-cover) are completely useless and the little bend in the middle of the unit wastes many faces. Pretty much can be removed in the hull while there a bit more on the gun and on the underside of the barrel (can't understand that people still forget that part of the unit). There is another, white model built in that is the shield in the game, but since it flashes up for a fracture of a second after every hit taken, it's considered as a flare and the faces on it aren't counted. The Barrel should if possible be places farther down, to be as close to the hull as possible, it looks slightly unnatural as it is now [3]. The texturing is excellent, but I think that something should be done to the cannon. I don't really like it's current shading. The Cavedog 3D texturing is also more or less missing [4]. The corpse is prudent [1].

Model: 8

Script: I still don't get how the unit knows that it is hit by a EMG shell, but I can assure you that it actually works and it looks good too.

Script: 10

Balance: As far as I remember it, this unit was resistant against EMG shots and Bertha/Timmy fire. I can assure you that so is the case in the first alternative, but I never had the opportunity to test the other one and despite searching in the script, I didn't find anything there either [edit, I think I know how they done it now... impressive]. This is a special case and I had a very hard time trying to compare this unit, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Now, it cost rather little metal, but an insane ammount of energy to make up for the resistance while only equipped with a rather weak short-range laser weapon. I wonder how often level 2 units encounter Flashes, I mean aren't they obsolete after 25 minutes play when you got mind-breaking ammounts of Missile Towers, so when this unit finally comes to play, the main enemy of it is long gone and exchanged by bigger better? At that time, the tiny laser of it is close to useless (heck, two Storms would disable this unit with ease despite the fact that they cost less).  Yea, I still get raided by Flashes in the late parts of the game sometimes by some random lamers, but at that point my defenses are so strong that the planned assault is more of a pathetic suicide mission. I would apppreciate it very much if this unit would be cut by around 130 Metal and say 800 armor and placed in the level 1 vehicle plant where it would have much bigger tactical usefullness. Currently, it's very underpowered...

Balance: 5

My score: A very interesting unit we got here. I will keep it if only in the pioneer spirit. I should also mention that the white laser looks very good (and very powerful, although it's not) and the firing sounds are excellent. I would still like it more in the level 1 plant where it would be an extremely tactical contribution to the core forces.

My score: 7