Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Lord Revan »

Thanas wrote:^Well, you are left with ordinary sniper duels though.

That said, without interoperability the Ghosts still have their cloaking and possibly telekinetic skills. WH40K is left with...pretty much all their tools, but won't be able to detect the ghosts except if they bring specialized sensor equipment.

At which point it comes down to a lot of circumstances and other factors.
isn't the ghost cloak at least enchanced by telepatic abalities if not even dependent on them?

I'm pretty sure the smallest object the Terrans have succesfulyl cloak using fully technogical cloak is a Banshee or a Wraith
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Thanas »

Lord Revan wrote:isn't the ghost cloak at least enchanced by telepatic abalities if not even dependent on them?
It is dependant on psionic energy, but that is apparently just a power source or so. Don't ask me how it is supposed to work, I never understood that part or tried to understand it very hard.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Todeswind »

Thanas wrote:So if we use this one on one, then I suggest we try to answer the following things:

a) Are WH40K assassins able to mask their telepathic presence, in essence appearing dead?
Some are, the most obvious of which is the Culexus assassin who is literally a soulless flesh automaton. The Callidus apparently is dead to psychic scans as their brains are constantly warping and remapping themselves to compensate for the shifting physiology of the assassin, any infiltrator in the 40k universe needs to be able to sneak around telepaths with ease as there are so damn many of them. The Vindicare unclear, it's implied that they are capable of emptying their minds of all extraneous thoughts so they appear blank, though its nonspecific as to how well this works.

The Eversor has no form of psychic concealment whatsoever, exactly the opposite it broadcasts it's thoughts as loud as is humanly possible. The Eversor are weapons of terror so letting everyone capable of reading minds know just how fucked they are is part of the idea. Moreover they are so loud in their thoughts as to be deafening.

I can't speak to the Vanus or Venenus but I presume they have some method of resisting telepathy, the Venenus serves a similar role to the Callidus on covert ops and the Vanus' entire purpose is dependent on their ability to protect and manipulate information.
b) Are they able to handle telekinesis as described in the quotes?

Because while the feats at close combat are excellent, they are worthless in what is sure to amount to a sniper duel, or worthless in close combat if they cannot avoid getting their neck snapped with telekinesis.
Well I'd argue that the Vindicare is far from worthless in a Sniper duel, especially considering that it has specific ammunition types designed with the intent of killing psychics and the like.

As to specific precautions against telekinesis the Culexus is probably the strongest of the bunch, the entire purpose of that temple is the hunting down and killing of heretic psychics and daemons, the more powerful a telekinetic attack used the more powerful their own powers grow by absorbing the energies, though if we're arguing that the telekinesis used by the Ghosts is disparate from the warp powers then I suppose it would have a mixed effect in response. There are certainly examples in 40k of non-warp based preternatural abilities with the C'Tan and the like. Even so I would be surprised if the Animus Vitale had no effect whatsoever.

The Eversor's close combat weapon and needle pistol were made to disrupts the neural pathways in a human being and the Callius' ranged weapon equally designed to destroy the brains of the one it's shot at. It is literally called the "Mind Flayer" and it apparently operated by firing a wave of some nonspecific exotic matter that shreds sanity into nothing and leaves the target a gibbering wreck. They are both admittedly short ranged but would be effective countermeasures.

I have to say that the Venenus is probably the most dangerous for the Ghosts as they don't need to even be in line of sight or within two miles of the target to release a pathogen gene engineered specifically to target them.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by avatarxprime »

Thanas wrote:
Lord Revan wrote:isn't the ghost cloak at least enchanced by telepatic abalities if not even dependent on them?
It is dependant on psionic energy, but that is apparently just a power source or so. Don't ask me how it is supposed to work, I never understood that part or tried to understand it very hard.
Apparently you just need psionic energy to get the thing going for some reason.... :? after that the suit's power supply kicks in to maintain the effect. Considering Starcraft psychics can have their powers messed with via sufficiently powerful EMPs they apparently have psionic abilities (like cloak) functioning as some extension of the EM spectrum that requires psionic power to access, but can then be maintained via standard tech. I can't find the quote right now, but Karune (the Blizzard guy in charge of lore as told to fans) said something to this effect, minus the discussion of the EM spectrum, when discussing why an EMP can lower Protoss shields or stop High Templar from using their abilities, and why Fenix's psi-blade died on him. Considering this 40k should be more than capable of disrupting a Ghost's psi-powers.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Todeswind »

Wait... the Ghost's psychic abilities can be disrupted by EMP? Does that mean that one can hide from them with electronic countermeasures?If that's the case then the Vindicare ought to be totally invisible to the Ghost.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by weemadando »

If we want to compare Nova to someone, then the best example would be Meh'Lindi the (what we would now term "Callidus") assassin of the Inquisition War series.

After all, Meh'Lindi was used in the infiltration of genestealer cults (had extensive surgical implants to allow herself to change to a genestealer hybrid facsimile with the use of Polymorphine), so she's about hte closest to Nova in terms of experience that I know of.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by avatarxprime »

Todeswind wrote:Wait... the Ghost's psychic abilities can be disrupted by EMP? Does that mean that one can hide from them with electronic countermeasures?If that's the case then the Vindicare ought to be totally invisible to the Ghost.
Yes and no, although something called an EMP is used, the tech comes from the sample civilization that developed the Psi-Disruptor and other technologies that mess with Starcraft psionics. It's entirely possible that there is some other bit of tech used in conjunction with the EMP, but regardless, some type of EMP (possibly a magnitude issue?) can at least disrupt psi-powers.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by white_rabbit »

That is all I am arguing. You want to make a different argument than the one I am making and for good reasons - said reason being that the Novels are about Nova and Kerrigan. I have not read anything about other ghosts and any capabilites we can ascribe to them are murky at best.
Well, Kerrigan I don't think is particularly special as a Ghost, she's super-awesome as a Zerg Hybrid, but she doesn't demonstrate the abilities of Nova. Nova is explicitly the most powerful ghost operative on record, top of the class, nobody else comes close, blah blah. Its a bit silly to try and use her as an example.

The basic Ghost capabilities are physical enhancement and cloaking, as per their background info, not mad tk skills. Their depiction in the comic reflects that more than it does Nova's demonstrations.
That said, without interoperability the Ghosts still have their cloaking and possibly telekinetic skills. WH40K is left with...pretty much all their tools, but won't be able to detect the ghosts except if they bring specialized sensor equipment.
Every assassin is equipped with specialised sensor equipment already, and obviously as I've pointed out, the telekinetic skills of the average ghost aren't neck snappingly awesome.
At which point it comes down to a lot of circumstances and other factors.
Well, I think the Vindicare is a certain win in a sniper duel. He's got better guns, and he's just as physically capable. The spy mask is also one of the most advanced pieces of personal sensor gear around, he doesn't necessarily need to "see" the Ghost.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Connor MacLeod »

Do we actually have any quantifiable examples that would qualify as "standard" for a Ghost? I vaugely recall they're psionic power is used to augment their phyiscal performance over normal people, but I dont remember it being a massive one (EG they still use firearms rather than chucking hypervelocity projectiles, or hurling huge rocks or tanks at the enemy, for example.)


RE: the cloaking issue. IIRC they block Starcraft sensors as welll as preventing people from seeing the Ghost, although I'm not sure how this would match up against 40K. 40K does have some odd sensors that Starcraft can't possibly have (Modar, etc.) but whether or not they would block such would depend on how the cloaking actually works (some sort of physical barrier or shield quite probably would block it, something that relies on certain tricks or quirks might not.)
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Thanas »

white_rabbit wrote:Well, Kerrigan I don't think is particularly special as a Ghost, she's super-awesome as a Zerg Hybrid, but she doesn't demonstrate the abilities of Nova. Nova is explicitly the most powerful ghost operative on record, top of the class, nobody else comes close, blah blah. Its a bit silly to try and use her as an example.
Kerrigan is an extremely powerful ghost and has been described as the most powerful ghost in the confederacy (pre-Nova). She fried her mother's brain as a toddler, for example. And the Psi-scale had to be readjusted after she was brought in.
The basic Ghost capabilities are physical enhancement and cloaking, as per their background info, not mad tk skills. Their depiction in the comic reflects that more than it does Nova's demonstrations.
Yeah, but how are you going to quantify this?
Every assassin is equipped with specialised sensor equipment already, and obviously as I've pointed out, the telekinetic skills of the average ghost aren't neck snappingly awesome.
And how are they going to work against Ghosts? We just do not know how the cloak works, how the terran sensors work, how the terran sensors who can detect them work....

Connor MacLeod wrote:Do we actually have any quantifiable examples that would qualify as "standard" for a Ghost?
Not that I recall. I mean, all we see are glimpses of their training.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Serafina »

And how are they going to work against Ghosts? We just do not know how the cloak works, how the terran sensors work, how the terran sensors who can detect them work....
Well, it could be anything from "40K-sensors are completely incapable of detecting cloaked ghosts" to "Ghost-cloaks are nearly useless against 40K-sensors".
Do we know anything about how the detectors that are able to detect SC-cloaks work? Do they detect trace radiation, heat, gravity, psychic emmanations or anything like that? Because 40K has the sensors-capability to detect almost anything we would expect to find in real life, it will only get difficult if detection has to rely on technobabble from another universe.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Thanas »

Serafina wrote:Do we know anything about how the detectors that are able to detect SC-cloaks work? Do they detect trace radiation, heat, gravity, psychic emmanations or anything like that? Because 40K has the sensors-capability to detect almost anything we would expect to find in real life, it will only get difficult if detection has to rely on technobabble from another universe.
No. Especially not as the cloaking field itself is pretty much non-described anywhere. All we really can see is the invisibility to the naked eye. Ingame, the things that detect cloaks are just labelled as Detector. Which is not much to go on. And of course, ingame is a lot different from the novels etc.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Imperial528 »

The only non-gameplay information that we get from the games themselves is when anything cloaks or decloaks during a cinematic, and even if the thing in question is a carrier, you don't see anything (emissions, lights, distortions, etc) other than what is behind it until the cloak is gone.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by white_rabbit »

Thanas
Kerrigan is an extremely powerful ghost and has been described as the most powerful ghost in the confederacy (pre-Nova). She fried her mother's brain as a toddler, for example. And the Psi-scale had to be readjusted after she was brought in.
I guess whatever a Ghost can do, we should consider Kerrigan an absolute upper limit then, without even looking at Nova.
Yeah, but how are you going to quantify this?
Well, thats more your issue than mine, I've posted stuff specific to the issues I see in the evidence you are using, as in its mostly evidence of what people far, far more powerful than the average Ghost can do. As I said, you can use Kerrigan as high end, or perhaps look at the Ghost academy comics.

And how are they going to work against Ghosts? We just do not know how the cloak works, how the terran sensors work, how the terran sensors who can detect them work....
Here, let me help stop you basking in your ignorance for a moment :lol:

We know that cloaking in SC is some sort of "light bending" Several sources describe Dark Templar cloaks as "light bending" and the visual distortion effect that is associated with them.
Alternity Starcraft RPG Campaign Booklet
"...ability to bend light around themselves making them virtually invisible. This causes them to show up as a nearly imperceptible humanoid-shaped distortion in the air.
"...Cloaking of both the Dark templar and the Ghost also bends the light of the infrared spectrum, so infrared spectrum detection devices alone are not enough to detect these cloaked beings"
A faint ripple through the air is faintly observable by the naked eye as a ghost moves if one is looking hard enough and knows what to look for, but suffice to say, few targets know what to look for until it's too late."
Incidentally, the infra-red spectrum detection is contradicted by I, Mengsk, a much more recent source, that asserts the following.
I, Mengsk
"The stealth abilities were, and perhaps still are, aided by coolant systems woven into its lining, rendering its user invisible to infrared sensors"
This is actually pretty much the same method an Imperial assassin would use to help counter infra-red sensors, although theres also some other ancilliary gibberish for their synskin.

So in terms of both of them, this sort of thing would be compromised by too much activity, as obviously waste heat has to go somewhere. Any high energy sources they are carrying would be an issue as well, although more so for the Ghost I think, since it explicitly uses some sort of high energy power source to power the cloak. Toting around a reactor problem is fantastic for your stealth profile.

Also, they aren't standard issue either, unlike Assassin stealth equipment.
Not that I recall. I mean, all we see are glimpses of their training.
SC2 website
Ghosts channel their psionic energies to augment their natural physical strength and endurance. This process is enhanced by specialized skin-suits worn by ghosts that are laced with a form of psi-sensitive artificial muscle fiber. Thus, a typical ghost is tougher, stronger, and faster than even a well-trained but otherwise average terran.
Exceptional ghosts exist that can tear through walls, run at remarkable speeds, and leap tall obstacles. Excitable media rumors of long-range telepathy, telekinesis, and even mind control or other exotic powers have all added to the grisly reputation of ghosts cultivated by their masters."
The typical ghost is better than the typical well trained terran. Note, not all terrans are Tychus Findlay!! (sorry, I've had that nonsense before, just thought I'd head it off) By direct implication they aren't going to be superhuman, they are just all exceptional examples of normal human beings because of their augmentation.

If they are paragons of exceptional, they can do superhuman stuff. Nova is basically an Uber-ghost, which probably explains how she effortlessly sneaks up on a Spectre, supposedly a more badass version of the Ghosts, and shanks him. Spectres BTW actually have some sort of offensive psychic power.
Sensor Towers
updating a commander's knowledge of the battlefield. By using both passive and active thermal and electromagnetic scanning mixed with millimetric radar sweeps, input from seismic sensors, and Doppler analysis, a sensor tower can quickly pinpoint any target within range. Even foes that are out of sight behind terrain can be detected, although a visual verification will still be required to positively identify them."
These detect Ghosts as well, its not explicit which array does that, but all of this stuff is within the lexicon of IoM battlefield sensors, and doesn't include input from atmospheric analysis, sonics etc. As described, Ghost cloaks would offer limited protection against some forms of electromagnetic sensor.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Imperial528 »

Sensor towers can't detect any cloaked units, it is explicitly stated in every source, even in game, that cloaked units fool them.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by white_rabbit »

Vindicare
Dark Heresy Ascension
Issued to Imperial Assassins of the Vindicare Temple, this
wargear’s systems are incredibly advanced and sophisticated.
The spy mask contains
cartridges of concentrated food and water for extended
operations, and a multi-channel comm sensor (both vox and
pict) for monitoring enemy communications. Its main feature
is a wide-spectrum visor which can pick out heat and energy
sources at tremendous distances.
Not particularly detailed, but it's clearly extremely advanced, and "wide spectrum", given the limited spectrum the Ghost cloak covers, its fairly likely the Ghost isn't going to be hiding from a Vindicare at least. It seems pretty unlikely its not at least as advanced a piece of kit as a Marines sensor suite, although it does seem to be passive, so he's unlikely to have something like Terrorsight, which is apparently based on terahertz wave scanning tech.

In terms of the range the thing is designed to operate at, the Vindicare in " The Samos Sanction" is zooming in on the features of his target from 10km+ away, simply with his spy mask visor.

Which reminds me, he's also possessed of some sort of jamming tech in the Samos Sanction, which causes heat-seeking missiles to miss, but which can be "burned through" by fighter jet sensors.

Kinda weird, and perhaps not useful against the Ghosts, who don't actually have anything likely to home in on him. Of course, a Vindicare does, he's got guided bullets!

The Eversor has an additional sensor setup, more in keeping with his "get stuck in" MO.
The Sentinel Array is a highly advanced sensor pack, combining
motion trackers, heat sensors, and target acquisition systems.
Through the miracles of ancient technologies, the device is only
the size of a standard backpack, although it has several antennae
and lens-viewers that extend above the bearer’s shoulders.
The wealth of information provided by this incredible
device cannot be displayed on a simple screen. Instead, it must
be uploaded directly into the user’s brain via a cerebral plug.
This has a very real danger of overloading the user’s mind with
data. However, those who can master the Sentinel Array obtain
a heightened awareness of their surroundings impossible to
duplicate with mundane auspex devices, and are even able to
track targets even through solid objects.
He's absolutely going to see their arses through the cloak, particularly since he's explicitly got a fairly standard piece of sensor kit, in the form of a motion tracker, which the Ghost cloak won't do jack against.

All assassins are going to have an auspex, which is basically a fairly vague multi-purpose scanner, basically the equivalent of a trek Tricorder, in that it tends to detect many different things which nominally would require different scanning or sampling technologies.
These devices are used to detect energy emissions, motion
and biological life signs. A character using an auspex gains
a +20 bonus to Awareness Tests and may make a Tech-Use
Test to use an auspex to spot things not normally detectable
to human senses alone, such as invisible gases, nearby biosigns
or ambient radiation.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure even if the Ghosts have got a cloak, which isn't guaranteed, the Assassins will be able to "see" them. Unless they are exceptional, it doesn't seem like they are going to be competing well against guys who are explicitly superhuman as standard, not just better than average trained humans. The previously posted quotes show that an extremely exceptional Ghost is needed to compete on that level.

Terribly sorry on the sensor tower doohicky, I mistook it for the Missile tower, but its not exactly the crux of my argument, you know what I mean ;) Particularly in the face of " We don't have any idea what Ghost cloaks are!!"
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Serafina »

Besides, Temple Assassins are also explicitly superhuman and can even match Space Marines in terms of strenght and endurance - and clearly outdo them with regards to reflexes.

Vindicare sniper rifles are also pretty devastating - with the right special ammunition, they can take out tanks or kill a Hive Tyrant with a single shot (imagine the latter as the equivalent to an Ultralisk).
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

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Serafina wrote: Vindicare sniper rifles are also pretty devastating - with the right special ammunition, they can take out tanks or kill a Hive Tyrant with a single shot (imagine the latter as the equivalent to an Ultralisk).
What's the source on that? I can imagine recoil being a bit of a bitch for that... :?
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Serafina »

Srelex wrote:
Serafina wrote: Vindicare sniper rifles are also pretty devastating - with the right special ammunition, they can take out tanks or kill a Hive Tyrant with a single shot (imagine the latter as the equivalent to an Ultralisk).
What's the source on that? I can imagine recoil being a bit of a bitch for that... :?
A german white dwarf short story about an Vindicare Assassin, i'll try to whip up a quote. It was done with highly incendiary rounds burying into it's head, not by pure KE.
Taking out tanks is actually possible in the tabletop, and more importantly specifically named as the purpose of one of their special ammunitions.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by white_rabbit »

Just some more titbits on Ghosts I've found.

Liberty's Crusade
" one stray shot could take out her cloak "


Gauss rifle fire damage to a Ghost suit equipped with a cloak will apparently take it offline fairly easily. Presumably if you damage the hardware involved.
"Kerrigan wafted up alongside them, gray as the ghost she was supposed to be. Mike realised it was dust adhering to the cloaking field itself, forming a shell surrounding the telepath".....The lines of wear and exhaustion were now tight around her face, but her eyes were still bright. The cloak took something out of her, but she didn't want to admit it.
Interesting detail on the cloak, it needs physical effort from the user, and particulate matter sticks to it, perhaps electrostatic attraction ? Might be another signature for an Assassin to track.

Theres also this trick used against a corps of invisible bodyguards in Horus Rising
Loken adapted quickly, firing at each blemish of air. He adjusted his visor gain to full contrast, almost black and white, and saw them better: hard outlines against the fuzzy background. He killed three more. In death, sev­eral lost their cloaks. Loken saw the Invisibles revealed as bloody corpses.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Thanas »

white_rabbit wrote:Well, thats more your issue than mine,
Actually it is also your issue, seeing as you are the one arguing that WH40K will take this one.
I've posted stuff specific to the issues I see in the evidence you are using, as in its mostly evidence of what people far, far more powerful than the average Ghost can do. As I said, you can use Kerrigan as high end, or perhaps look at the Ghost academy comics.
The latter show pretty little - and the only time we ever see an average Ghost in action is in some of the comics, but here all she does is slaughter some civilians and then gets roasted by a starship.
We know that cloaking in SC is some sort of "light bending" Several sources describe Dark Templar cloaks as "light bending" and the visual distortion effect that is associated with them.
Alternity Starcraft RPG Campaign Booklet
"...ability to bend light around themselves making them virtually invisible. This causes them to show up as a nearly imperceptible humanoid-shaped distortion in the air.
"...Cloaking of both the Dark templar and the Ghost also bends the light of the infrared spectrum, so infrared spectrum detection devices alone are not enough to detect these cloaked beings"
A faint ripple through the air is faintly observable by the naked eye as a ghost moves if one is looking hard enough and knows what to look for, but suffice to say, few targets know what to look for until it's too late."
I would not use that one as a source, especially as it's canon status is not certain, though the ripple effect can be seen in game videos. However, as it is very contradictory to canon information (especially regarding Raynor and the alliance etc.).
Incidentally, the infra-red spectrum detection is contradicted by I, Mengsk, a much more recent source, that asserts the following.
I, Mengsk
"The stealth abilities were, and perhaps still are, aided by coolant systems woven into its lining, rendering its user invisible to infrared sensors"
This is actually pretty much the same method an Imperial assassin would use to help counter infra-red sensors, although theres also some other ancilliary gibberish for their synskin.
How do you see a contradiction here? One describes a method, the other the principle. In fact, both just say that infrared is not enough.
So in terms of both of them, this sort of thing would be compromised by too much activity, as obviously waste heat has to go somewhere. Any high energy sources they are carrying would be an issue as well, although more so for the Ghost I think, since it explicitly uses some sort of high energy power source to power the cloak. Toting around a reactor problem is fantastic for your stealth profile.
That actually depends on the suit. The newest suits are only powered by Psi energies, no reactor or power source required to stay cloaked indefinitely - this is achieved by Psi amplifiers which cause no strain whatsoever on the Ghost. So this depends on the equipment of the ghost.


Some suits apparently also give the user the ability to use psi-blades like the Zealots, though the only example for this one is Nova, so I am not sure how widespread this is.
Also, they aren't standard issue either, unlike Assassin stealth equipment.
Again, that depends on the timeframe we are using here. The latest Dominion ghosts seem to have this.
The typical ghost is better than the typical well trained terran. Note, not all terrans are Tychus Findlay!! (sorry, I've had that nonsense before, just thought I'd head it off) By direct implication they aren't going to be superhuman, they are just all exceptional examples of normal human beings because of their augmentation.
Yes, but it is not as if this is going to decide anything - who cares if they can run four times as fast as a human? Hand-to-hand or so is not something you want to get into as a Ghost.
Spectres BTW actually have some sort of offensive psychic power.
Yes, as do all Ghosts. Spectres however can also use their psychic power to blast objects and weapons grade armor, but it is not as if this is in any way that much more remarkable really.
These detect Ghosts as well, its not explicit which array does that, but all of this stuff is within the lexicon of IoM battlefield sensors, and doesn't include input from atmospheric analysis, sonics etc. As described, Ghost cloaks would offer limited protection against some forms of electromagnetic sensor.
No, actually you have to bring up a source that says sensor towers are detectors of ghosts. The only terran unit that can detect them are the ravens and missile turrets, not sensor towers.


white_rabbit wrote:Just some more titbits on Ghosts I've found.

Liberty's Crusade
" one stray shot could take out her cloak "


Gauss rifle fire damage to a Ghost suit equipped with a cloak will apparently take it offline fairly easily. Presumably if you damage the hardware involved.
Yes, but rather useless as Kerrigan is using outdated equipment. In the new suits, you have to kill the Ghost to take it offline.

Interesting detail on the cloak, it needs physical effort from the user,
Actually, the old cloaks needed psionic effort from the user. The new ones do not.
and particulate matter sticks to it, perhaps electrostatic attraction ? Might be another signature for an Assassin to track.
Such an effect is entirely unnoticeable in the SC2 video I linked to, despite it happening on a dusty battlefield. I would not put too much faith in it.
Theres also this trick used against a corps of invisible bodyguards in Horus Rising
Loken adapted quickly, firing at each blemish of air. He adjusted his visor gain to full contrast, almost black and white, and saw them better: hard outlines against the fuzzy background. He killed three more. In death, sev­eral lost their cloaks. Loken saw the Invisibles revealed as bloody corpses.
If a simple contrast enhancement would work against Ghosts, I doubt you would need any fancy detector units. Note that the Ghosts were able to penetrate the security of the Mengsk estate rather effortlessly and that security was able to pick up a non-ghost cloak Mengsk himself was using.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by white_rabbit »

Thanas
Actually it is also your issue, seeing as you are the one arguing that WH40K will take this one.
Well, given that until I posted something, you were going with the " Dunno, but lookit Nova and Kerrigan!" approach, I've not exactly ignored the issue anyway.
The latter show pretty little - and the only time we ever see an average Ghost in action is in some of the comics, but here all she does is slaughter some civilians and then gets roasted by a starship.
*Shrug* With the evidence we have, Assassins are better ? yes/no ?
I would not use that one as a source, especially as it's canon status is not certain, though the ripple effect can be seen in game videos. However, as it is very contradictory to canon information (especially regarding Raynor and the alliance etc.).
Who says its canon status is uncertain ?

Please don't just state its contradictory, what specifically is it contradicting, and how does it apply to the ghosts ?
How do you see a contradiction here? One describes a method, the other the principle. In fact, both just say that infrared is not enough.
It seemed pretty simple to me. One described infra-red light bending as the method ghost suits defeat sensors, the other described the use of coolant systems.

Whats your confusion ? These are explicitly different methods, I don't know what you are on about with regards principles and methods, because the principle of dumping waste heat into coolant, as well as the method, seem pretty damn different to bending freaking light.
That actually depends on the suit. The newest suits are only powered by Psi energies, no reactor or power source required to stay cloaked indefinitely - this is achieved by Psi amplifiers which cause no strain whatsoever on the Ghost. So this depends on the equipment of the ghost.
You mean the nyx class cloaking module, or the crius suit ?

Because thats something developed by Raynors Raiders, and its certainly not something you'd expect the average ghost to have, given you know, derived from alien technology, freshly developed by a bunch of rebels etc. Its not like it suddenly became available to everybody when Raynors nerd cooked it up in his lab!

Some suits apparently also give the user the ability to use psi-blades like the Zealots, though the only example for this one is Nova, so I am not sure how widespread this is.
Do you have any basis to assume that its not in fact entirely unique to Nova ? Where does it say that "some suits" give this ability ?
Again, that depends on the timeframe we are using here. The latest Dominion ghosts seem to have this.
You have some information that says cloaking modules are standard issue ?
Yes, but it is not as if this is going to decide anything - who cares if they can run four times as fast as a human? Hand-to-hand or so is not something you want to get into as a Ghost.
Well, forgive me, but I think physical capabilities are at least vaguely pertinent, particularly given the likelyhood of an Eversor or Callidus coming after them, or indeed simply moving around on the battlefield.

In terms of deciding anything, the ability of a Ghost to maintain distance twixt itself and a ravening killing machine might be quite helpful, although the Eversor is also crazy with its gun as well.
Yes, as do all Ghosts. Spectres however can also use their psychic power to blast objects and weapons grade armor, but it is not as if this is in any way that much more remarkable really.
Where does it say all ghosts have offensive psychic powers ? Spectres are in fact distinctive in that they can zap things with their minds, as this is only something exceptional ghosts are capable of in any degree.
No, actually you have to bring up a source that says sensor towers are detectors of ghosts. The only terran unit that can detect them are the ravens and missile turrets, not sensor towers.
Didn't read the rest of the post did you ?
Yes, but rather useless as Kerrigan is using outdated equipment. In the new suits, you have to kill the Ghost to take it offline.
Does something explicitly state or show this ?
Actually, the old cloaks needed psionic effort from the user. The new ones do not.
See above.
Such an effect is entirely unnoticeable in the SC2 video I linked to, despite it happening on a dusty battlefield. I would not put too much faith in it.
Well, it apparently happens, and you don't seem to be the arbiter of canon sources, so I'm happy to look at it.
If a simple contrast enhancement would work against Ghosts, I doubt you would need any fancy detector units. Note that the Ghosts were able to penetrate the security of the Mengsk estate rather effortlessly and that security was able to pick up a non-ghost cloak Mengsk himself was using.
Why don't you post that excerpt then ?

I'd point out that "simple contrast enhancement" requires you to actually know that a Ghost is there, instead of dismissing some slight distortion etc. Its not actually so obviously "true" that it couldn't possibly work, its obviously not feasible without some other reference to go on.
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

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white_rabbit wrote:In terms of deciding anything, the ability of a Ghost to maintain distance twixt itself and a ravening killing machine might be quite helpful, although the Eversor is also crazy with its gun as well.
Only as long as some complete moron hasn't lost all but one of their pistol's magazines (ref. IA3). :P
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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by white_rabbit »

Black Admiral wrote:
white_rabbit wrote:In terms of deciding anything, the ability of a Ghost to maintain distance twixt itself and a ravening killing machine might be quite helpful, although the Eversor is also crazy with its gun as well.
Only as long as some complete moron hasn't lost all but one of their pistol's magazines (ref. IA3). :P

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Re: Starcraft Ghosts vs Officio Assassinorum

Post by Thanas »

white_rabbit wrote:Well, given that until I posted something, you were going with the " Dunno, but lookit Nova and Kerrigan!" approach, I've not exactly ignored the issue anyway.
In direct response to the OP, so don't act as if this means something in your favor.
*Shrug* With the evidence we have, Assassins are better ? yes/no ?
I do not know, for I think the evidence is inconclusive and in the end it will come down to luck.
Who says its canon status is uncertain ?
What says it is canon in the first place? It was not even written by Blizzard?
Whats your confusion ? These are explicitly different methods, I don't know what you are on about with regards principles and methods, because the principle of dumping waste heat into coolant, as well as the method, seem pretty damn different to bending freaking light.
There is nothing to suggest that it is an either or - or even the same suit.
You mean the nyx class cloaking module, or the crius suit ?

Because thats something developed by Raynors Raiders, and its certainly not something you'd expect the average ghost to have, given you know, derived from alien technology, freshly developed by a bunch of rebels etc.
Quite wrong. What is your evidence that the armory technologies are the same as the Research tech? They are plenty different and even outright refer to third-party inventions. Seeing how Raynor's men did not even have Ghost technology, what makes you think they literally invented a suit like that out of nothing?

Also, note that the use of such suits is not only limited to Raynor's men.
Some suits apparently also give the user the ability to use psi-blades like the Zealots, though the only example for this one is Nova, so I am not sure how widespread this is.
Do you have any basis to assume that its not in fact entirely unique to Nova ? Where does it say that "some suits" give this ability ?
I outright said that the only example is Nova. What, do I have to spell everything out for you here?
You have some information that says cloaking modules are standard issue ?
Given that ghosts in SCII are able to cloak right from the start, I'd say it is pretty standard. That said, without cloak this entire thread is pointless.
Well, forgive me, but I think physical capabilities are at least vaguely pertinent, particularly given the likelyhood of an Eversor or Callidus coming after them, or indeed simply moving around on the battlefield.

In terms of deciding anything, the ability of a Ghost to maintain distance twixt itself and a ravening killing machine might be quite helpful, although the Eversor is also crazy with its gun as well.
In a duel with a sniper and a guy who cannot kill him until he gets to close range, the sniper always wins. There are only so many 25mm grenades one can take.
Where does it say all ghosts have offensive psychic powers ? Spectres are in fact distinctive in that they can zap things with their minds, as this is only something exceptional ghosts are capable of in any degree.
Every ghost is a telepath and can leash out with their mind. The difference is one of scale - Spectres can be trained to use their mind to kill armored units - after having their mind powers boosted by the drugs and gas.

Didn't read the rest of the post did you ?
No, I read it all and you still have to show sensor tower = missile turret.
Does something explicitly state or show this ?
Sure. Starcraft Ghost Nova and Uprising, according to the wiki.
Actually, the old cloaks needed psionic effort from the user. The new ones do not.
See above.
Sure, the SC2 armory description for the Crius and Nyx suit.
Well, it apparently happens, and you don't seem to be the arbiter of canon sources, so I'm happy to look at it.
I'd argue that the cutscenes are more canon than anything, especially as the Novels are derivatives of the games themselves and not primarily written by Blizzard.
If a simple contrast enhancement would work against Ghosts, I doubt you would need any fancy detector units. Note that the Ghosts were able to penetrate the security of the Mengsk estate rather effortlessly and that security was able to pick up a non-ghost cloak Mengsk himself was using.
Why don't you post that excerpt then ?

I'd point out that "simple contrast enhancement" requires you to actually know that a Ghost is there, instead of dismissing some slight distortion etc. Its not actually so obviously "true" that it couldn't possibly work, its obviously not feasible without some other reference to go on.
I cannot post it as I do not own that book. However, I read it and I believe what happens is that Mengsk makes a cloaking shroud by himself and evades infrared sensors, but then gets caught on camera by the security. The Ghosts however manage to slip through despite (due to assassination attempts) beefed up security and kill the Mengsk family and escape with the head of Mengsk's father undetected.
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