#dexbots

[silyabeeodess]

Dexlabs and Mandark Industries scientists during the Battle of Tech Square:

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Dexbots and Mandroids

Don’t be surprised if, as you attempt to make one purchase on one side of Tech Square, a robot from the opposing company zips over to try to lure you into buying something from them instead. The Dexbots and Mandroids rival against each other as much as their creators and the scientists that work with them do.  If you don’t want them bothering you with their competition every visit, you might be better off just picking a side.    

The Dexlabs and Mandroids play all sorts of roles in both their companies and the war, from selling various products to nano development. Part of this is due to the heavy involvement of Dexlabs and Mandark Industries within the Fusion Fighters, but it’s also because of their own conflicts.  Think of the rivalry between Disney and Warner, which was so fierce that in the film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, in order for them to agree to have a crossover with two companies’ characters, they had to put in conditions that the characters would have the same amount of screentime.  The Dexlabs/Mandark Industries rivalry is at least at that level, so whenever one is involved in something, the other is bound to either join in or come up with a competing project. As such, both types of robots are recognized everywhere, the Dexbots only appearing more often to the public due to Dexlabs itself having a stronger foothold in public works already.  Many also often find the Dexbots to be friendlier, so they’re the ones people tend to interact with most if given the choice.       

There are a couple reasons why Dexbots, Mandroids and other robots like Computress were able to avoid being taken over by fusion spawns where those such as the Tech Drones couldn’t.  One key difference is that they all possess a highly advanced AI, which meant they could develop their own personalities and sense of self-preservation that allowed them to escape/fight against the spawns on their own.  The other big reason is, because of this individuality between the robots and regular engagement with Earth’s populous, they often came to be treated more as people than machines.  I mentioned something I called the Velveteen Rabbit Effect when discussing nano personalities that I’d like to bring up here as well.  In this case, by collectively treating the robots as if they were human, they did indeed become more human-like, more “real.”  Imaginary energy (IE) would be imprinted on them from this mass belief, offering them a greater amount of protection than other machines from fusion matter itself.   

Side note: This natural defense did not occur for the robots seen in Hero’s Hollow, as they were machines of war and weren’t given the same regard as the Dexbots and Mandroids.  Many of them were also likely reproduced at the last minute, so even if they had an advanced AI, they wouldn’t have had time to develop an independent consciousness from their assigned purpose.  

Nevertheless, despite these points, it should be noted that the Dexbots and Mandroids are still machines by the end of the day.  Much of their individual personalities are still determined by their creators, which is why the Dexbots act more amiable while the Mandroids tend to be ruder and more threatening: They express the wills of Dexter and Mandark.  We also see how much is still dependent on their programming, as in the mission “Leek Cheats,” a large group of Mandroids were hacked by Fusion Mandark and attacked us players.     

Fuse could potentially go after them in the same way he did Megas, but he sees it as a waste of time/resources since the robots aren’t anywhere near as big of a threat, what with most of them not being built for combat in the first place, and they’re just a bunch of small targets.  For him, it would be like swatting at gnats when there’s a tiger in his path.  It was much easier to have a fusion hijack their systems than try to destroy them all or disable them with fusion matter. 

The description for the Mandroids notes that they obey Mandark only, which made it even more of a wound to his pride when they were hacked. Mandark likely insisted on this due to his ego and a need for control over everything that goes on in his company.  In contrast, I imagine Dexter would give some clearance to certain others to have command over some of the Dexbots. This would allow Dexlabs’ chain of command to run smoother and give Dexter himself more freedom to work on his own since he wouldn’t have to worry as much over what the Dexbots were/weren’t doing.  

One common thing the Dexbots and Mandroids argue about between each other is how liked they are.  Dexbots are proud of the fact that their public image is better than the Mandroids, while the Mandroids feel that they are much closer to Mandark as their creator than the Dexbots are with Dexter. 

Despite their rivalry, both Dexbots and Mandroids view Computress in high-regard.  One example of this is Mandroid M-99, who admits in some of the game’s dialogue that “his optical sensors find [her] very attractive.” 

[silyabeeodess]

I’m thinking about doing some larger comics for FusionFall (more like minisodes, really), so for story purposes, I’m putting down some ideas and headcanons regarding Nanos. Check it out below the cut if you’re interested:

Using Fusion Matter alone, Nanos could only be synthesized into creatures similar to Fuse’s monsters. However, by combining it with Imaginary Energy (IE), the effects of Fusion Matter are offset, making the Nanos independent of Fuse’s influence and allowing them to quickly establish a bond with the individual whose IE is used.

IE also affects a Nanos’ initial personality. Rather than inherit all traits of the hero/villain they’re modeled from, Nanos may also exhibit some similarities to their IE donors. This use of personalities as basic templates makes them differ from many imaginary friends, who can instead take on the specifically desired personality traits of their creators/traits for their creators to benefit from.         

A Nano’s creation gives them a state of mind similar to that of their model hero/villain. Despite this, they’ll often exhibit child-like tendencies. Whether it is because of their actual age, because of the effects of IE, or both is debatable.

Some of the Nanos have shown an inclination to naturally draw energy from their IE donor’s essence.  As a safety precaution, the donor can take no more than three Nanos with them at a time while on missions. 

Individuals show separate capacities for their use of IE. Some can easily create Nanos independently so long as they have enough Fusion Matter and the proper equipment: Others require the use of the Great Machine to help Nanos manifest. At large, however, a person’s use of IE is often random and unstable. While a person can “train” their abilities to certain degrees, it’s highly unrecommended to attempt to physically manifest anything using IE without some means of stabilizing the creation. The slightest problem can have serious consequences. In the case of Nano’s specifically, it can make them weak or physically unstable.  

Nano Stations allow IE donors to change out their Nanos while in the field often by two means. First, the Nanos can be transferred to/from a specific location (such as Dexlabs or someone’s residence). Second, a Nano can be transferred to/from a simulated environment while under the care of Dexbot operators.

Similarly, IE donors may carry Nano Transporters that basically act as Pokeballs with them in the field. This allows the Nanos to conserve their energy for battle, but also to protect them.      

[foxwolfen]

ROBOTS OR DINOSAURS?

I’d rather take a friendly robot…

Then a not so friendly dinosaur…