Introduction
Welcome, fellow enthusiasts! You have no idea how lucky you are to be reading this, the first edition of Norris Wimple's Encyclopedia Badnika!
Allow me to explain: This research is the end result of literally years of dangerous high-tech undercover missions to catalogue and study the various sentient robotic entities (SRE's), commonly known as Badniks, deployed by the Robotnik regime over the course of his terrible reign. Our top investigators embarked upon high-risk covert ops to snag names, serial numbers, habits and behavioural patterns of every one of these fascinating creations, and the fruition of all those bruises, scrapes and painful scaldings sits plaintively on your computer monitor for you to read at your leisure! Why, I remember the time I had to do the splits in a narrow corridor above a unit of patrolling first-gen Troopers in a Badnik-plant in the middle of the night, still managing to hold my notepad. I wouldn't have been discovered at all if it wasn't for my stylish corduroy trousers ripping at the hem, alerting them to my presence. Huddled for warmth in a civilian prison, sans pantaloons, I scribbled out a few of the opening chapters of this wonderful guide there and then, even as the brutish Troopers threw things at me and made fun of my Fabian Vane y-fronts. So read well, and contemplate the sacrifices made in order for this Bibliography of Buzz Bombers, this Glossary of Grounders, this—this Caterkiller Compendium (get to the point! – Ed) to exist.
*DISCLAIMER* I, Norris James Wimple do not, in any way shape or form, endorse the actions of the Robotnik Empire. My interest in his cyber-troops is spurned by a fascination for technology, and what happens when one man's desire to conquer, pollute and enslave becomes the catalyst for an entire culture of new technology unfettered by moral barriers or political opposition. Furthermore, I hope any freedom fighters and wannabe Zonerunners take heed from the information in this guide and use it to identify and find weaknesses in the greatest enemies our world has ever seen. After all, knowing your enemy is half the battle!
Incidentally, if any fighters out in the field can provide me with any information on new Badniks, custom-built droids or anything you find isn't covered in this guide, feel free to email me or post on this site as I will read everything and take all your Badnik-spotting information on board for my further research. You probably can't tell me anything I don't already know, though.
If you want more information on me, please check out my MiceSpace page. Thank you for your interest.
- NJW
~Posted by Norris Wimple on April 17th 2010 at 7:28pm.
Chapter One: First Generation Badniks
Moto Bug, Buzz Bomber, Chopper, Crabmeat, Newtron, Caterkiller, Bat-brain, Spikes, Roller, Burrobot, Jaws, Orbinaut, Bomb, Splats, and Ballhog.
Ah, the primitive first generation. Developed by Robotnik and Grimer from the haven that was their Egg Fortress in the Special Zone, it was simple for the two skilled engineers to invent the prototypes by hand, and then mass-produce them using borrowed technology from the region.
The genius of the early designs is that the foundations their creators laid down here were for a perfectly self-sustaining army, weak on the surface but able to self-upgrade and mass-produce in Badnik plants that cropped up on various regions of Mobius. The emphasis was on lots of them, as quickly and cheaply as possible. Any energy problems were solved by the Organic Battery System – living citizens were trapped inside the actual chassis and their body heat and energy was used as a reliable power source. Horrific, inhuman and the subject of many terrifying war stories, BUT incredibly smart and useful from an evil dictator's point-of-view. Orders were given via a central CPU at the headquarters (first the Egg Fortress, then later Citadel Robotnik), and kept on Grimer's person at all times.
The first Badniks weren't incredibly tough, but they were enough to enslave the Mobians, notorious pacifists before years of persecution under Robotnik finally made them stand up and fight these things. But by then, the march of technology had leapt forward again to match them.
Form: Basic chassis with either s small engine, propulsion device or mobile legs/wings; main CPU and Organic Battery System; sometimes built-in weapons system (the infamous 'ball-bombs' and primitive energy weapons). Usually animal or insect in design, a cold, clinical reflection of the citizens of Mobius. Notoriously stupid, these Badniks were basic grunts, very gullible and with no cunning or subtlety whatsoever.
Analysis of CPU reveals that a Badnik can last for ten days without an organic battery before it powers down and waits for a unit (or B.A.R.F) to retrieve it and return to an energy-fuelling source (Scrap Brain Zone was the only major one at the time). Later upgrades and patches issued from the central CPU increased this time limit and made other modifications like stronger armour and better vision.
Purpose: Basic scouts/drones, also used heavily for construction; allegedly entire bases and bunkers were built by hundreds of Burrobots and 'Constructniks' in the early days.
Weakness: Really stupid artificial brains, incredibly weak and cheap design, poor mobility, short-lived initial power source. A Sonic Spin Attack pulverises them.
Addendum: Not all badniks were required to find organic batteries. Some of them were built slightly larger, with a massive triple-quattro energy cell inside the chassis instead, and with no need for a Mobian citizen. These unique specimens were called Prime Badniks, and they often played the role of a captain or coordinator of other badniks whilst out in the field. They also enjoyed a boost in AI and access to special weaponry. These rare badniks are sadly hard to document and discontinued for many years, our only clue being stolen blueprints for an old model titled 'Arach-Bot' (see STC #5 – Megadroid).
There is also a mysterious urban legend that a classic first-gen infantry-class Spring Yard issue 00B Roller badnik has been sighted in certain Metropolis slums at night time, sometimes in the company of a little boy. However, no substantial proof has ever been produced to support this. It's probably just a fat person and someone got the wrong end of the stick. I'm certain that no model THAT ancient could have survived this long, and remember, I'm the expert!!
- NJW
~Posted by Norris Wimple on April 17th 2010 at 7:34pm.
Welcome, fellow enthusiasts! You have no idea how lucky you are to be reading this, the first edition of Norris Wimple's Encyclopedia Badnika!
Allow me to explain: This research is the end result of literally years of dangerous high-tech undercover missions to catalogue and study the various sentient robotic entities (SRE's), commonly known as Badniks, deployed by the Robotnik regime over the course of his terrible reign. Our top investigators embarked upon high-risk covert ops to snag names, serial numbers, habits and behavioural patterns of every one of these fascinating creations, and the fruition of all those bruises, scrapes and painful scaldings sits plaintively on your computer monitor for you to read at your leisure! Why, I remember the time I had to do the splits in a narrow corridor above a unit of patrolling first-gen Troopers in a Badnik-plant in the middle of the night, still managing to hold my notepad. I wouldn't have been discovered at all if it wasn't for my stylish corduroy trousers ripping at the hem, alerting them to my presence. Huddled for warmth in a civilian prison, sans pantaloons, I scribbled out a few of the opening chapters of this wonderful guide there and then, even as the brutish Troopers threw things at me and made fun of my Fabian Vane y-fronts. So read well, and contemplate the sacrifices made in order for this Bibliography of Buzz Bombers, this Glossary of Grounders, this—this Caterkiller Compendium (get to the point! – Ed) to exist.
*DISCLAIMER* I, Norris James Wimple do not, in any way shape or form, endorse the actions of the Robotnik Empire. My interest in his cyber-troops is spurned by a fascination for technology, and what happens when one man's desire to conquer, pollute and enslave becomes the catalyst for an entire culture of new technology unfettered by moral barriers or political opposition. Furthermore, I hope any freedom fighters and wannabe Zonerunners take heed from the information in this guide and use it to identify and find weaknesses in the greatest enemies our world has ever seen. After all, knowing your enemy is half the battle!
Incidentally, if any fighters out in the field can provide me with any information on new Badniks, custom-built droids or anything you find isn't covered in this guide, feel free to email me or post on this site as I will read everything and take all your Badnik-spotting information on board for my further research. You probably can't tell me anything I don't already know, though.
If you want more information on me, please check out my MiceSpace page. Thank you for your interest.
- NJW
~Posted by Norris Wimple on April 17th 2010 at 7:28pm.
Chapter One: First Generation Badniks
Moto Bug, Buzz Bomber, Chopper, Crabmeat, Newtron, Caterkiller, Bat-brain, Spikes, Roller, Burrobot, Jaws, Orbinaut, Bomb, Splats, and Ballhog.
Ah, the primitive first generation. Developed by Robotnik and Grimer from the haven that was their Egg Fortress in the Special Zone, it was simple for the two skilled engineers to invent the prototypes by hand, and then mass-produce them using borrowed technology from the region.
The genius of the early designs is that the foundations their creators laid down here were for a perfectly self-sustaining army, weak on the surface but able to self-upgrade and mass-produce in Badnik plants that cropped up on various regions of Mobius. The emphasis was on lots of them, as quickly and cheaply as possible. Any energy problems were solved by the Organic Battery System – living citizens were trapped inside the actual chassis and their body heat and energy was used as a reliable power source. Horrific, inhuman and the subject of many terrifying war stories, BUT incredibly smart and useful from an evil dictator's point-of-view. Orders were given via a central CPU at the headquarters (first the Egg Fortress, then later Citadel Robotnik), and kept on Grimer's person at all times.
The first Badniks weren't incredibly tough, but they were enough to enslave the Mobians, notorious pacifists before years of persecution under Robotnik finally made them stand up and fight these things. But by then, the march of technology had leapt forward again to match them.
Form: Basic chassis with either s small engine, propulsion device or mobile legs/wings; main CPU and Organic Battery System; sometimes built-in weapons system (the infamous 'ball-bombs' and primitive energy weapons). Usually animal or insect in design, a cold, clinical reflection of the citizens of Mobius. Notoriously stupid, these Badniks were basic grunts, very gullible and with no cunning or subtlety whatsoever.
Analysis of CPU reveals that a Badnik can last for ten days without an organic battery before it powers down and waits for a unit (or B.A.R.F) to retrieve it and return to an energy-fuelling source (Scrap Brain Zone was the only major one at the time). Later upgrades and patches issued from the central CPU increased this time limit and made other modifications like stronger armour and better vision.
Purpose: Basic scouts/drones, also used heavily for construction; allegedly entire bases and bunkers were built by hundreds of Burrobots and 'Constructniks' in the early days.
Weakness: Really stupid artificial brains, incredibly weak and cheap design, poor mobility, short-lived initial power source. A Sonic Spin Attack pulverises them.
Addendum: Not all badniks were required to find organic batteries. Some of them were built slightly larger, with a massive triple-quattro energy cell inside the chassis instead, and with no need for a Mobian citizen. These unique specimens were called Prime Badniks, and they often played the role of a captain or coordinator of other badniks whilst out in the field. They also enjoyed a boost in AI and access to special weaponry. These rare badniks are sadly hard to document and discontinued for many years, our only clue being stolen blueprints for an old model titled 'Arach-Bot' (see STC #5 – Megadroid).
There is also a mysterious urban legend that a classic first-gen infantry-class Spring Yard issue 00B Roller badnik has been sighted in certain Metropolis slums at night time, sometimes in the company of a little boy. However, no substantial proof has ever been produced to support this. It's probably just a fat person and someone got the wrong end of the stick. I'm certain that no model THAT ancient could have survived this long, and remember, I'm the expert!!
- NJW
~Posted by Norris Wimple on April 17th 2010 at 7:34pm.