Sythe
10-14-2009, 06:58 PM
WARNING SPOILERS/ PLOT DETAILS DISCUSSED BELOW
H'okay, I've been browsing the forum for a while and I have come across multiple threads speculating on Jack, his personality, and his 'becoming' a Big Daddy. Now, don't hate me for saying so, but about 85% of everything I've read in these subjects seems completely preposterous to me. I've read posts from people saying that they think the modification of Jack's voice box was temporary, from people who are confused at how the Big Daddy helm is absent from the last Boss Battle, and from people who are confused about the general mentality - as well as the process of creating - a Big Daddy. There's also been speculation on the subject of Little Sisters and the removal/purification of the ADAM slugs which dwell in their bellies.
Now, I'm sure plenty of you couldn't give a hoot what I think, but I'm giving my opinion on it all anyway xP
Jack's Big Daddy Voice:
On the subject of voice box modification, I agree that the process seems quite ambiguous, it may be temporary, but I have my doubts on how temporary having your throat poked with a pronged spinning contraption could be. Who knows exactly how it works, the developers obviously didn't plan to let us know, seeing as they didn't show it. However; I believe that the only way it could make sense would be for the device to rip its user's tongue out. Disagree? Well, try talking without moving your tongue, it creates a rather throaty, moany sound, no? Almost like that of a Big Daddy's voice, yes?
On the subject of volume, I would have to guess that The Big Daddies are genetically modified to have stronger vocal cords, because in reality it is difficult for someone with a low voice to screech loud enough to blur one's vison (As Bouncers have been shown to do) You try doing that tongueless talking as loud as you can, it still doesn't quite match the sound of a real Big Daddy, does it? Another, even simpler explanation, is the inclusion of a microphone on the Helm which amplifies the voice of the 'man' within to great extent; this actually makes perfect sense seeing as it must be rather difficult to speak audibly from within one of those ancient diving suits which are vacuum sealed in order to prevent water and pressure from entering/air from escaping. The creators and designers of the Big Daddies would have implimented this obviously in order to make the protectors even more menacing, as a scare tactic if you will, to discourage attacks on them.
When actually playing as Jack in the Daddy suit, we can hear him grunt and moan like a regular Big Daddy throughout the rest of the gaming experience. Granted, I have noticed in my PC copy of the game that when jumping and often during the battle with Fontaine his voice reverts to normal, but there is no such thing as perfection, so these things were likely overlooked by the developers. I highly doubt the voice change came from a simple device strapped to Jack's neck, because if that were the case than why would there be a machine with bloody mandibles if all said machine was for was to strap an external device to its user? At the same time as the removal of the soon-to-be Daddy's tongue, the device probably releases a chemical or an Adam solution nullifying the pain and likely sealing the damaged gums as well, which would explain why there is no indication of pain or even of sensation during the process. (Though it is still possible that all of the sequence was cu to toy with our imaginations and spur speculation like this)
The Big Daddy Helm's Absence During the Boss Fight:
This should be completely obvious: JACK TAKES IT OFF IN THE ELEVATOR!
Our hero/villain was never grafted into the suit like a regular Big Daddy, he never received the necessary surgery nor was there anyone to provide it for him. He simply donned it like any ordinary person would don a diving suit, therefore, it stands to reason that he should be able to take any part of the suit off at any time without any difficulties. This easily explains why his bare hand was shown all those times in the ending sequences.
As far as how Jack's arms are shown without any suit... Well, I'd blame that on lazy development, the same brand of laziness which compels many FPS designers to conveniently leave out the body of the main character, thus giving the illusion that the player is nothing but a floating head and a pair of arms. (Try looking down in almost any FPS, with a few exceptions, like Halo 3, The Darkness, and probably a few others)
Also, it might have just been unfeasible to re-animate all of Jack's movements, plus I would think that a Big Daddy's huge hands - and by extension the gloves - are far too large to grasp a pistol or crossbow correctly, which would explain why the developers left out the gloves and sleeves, to keep things from getting any more complicated. (Though I suppose that still amounts to simple lazy development when all is said and done)
Big Daddies in General:
This will be relatively short; Big Daddies have NO FREE WILL (Possibly with the notable exeption of BioShock 2's protagonist) They cannot think for themselves, they needn't eat, sleep, bathe, or drink, because if they would need to remove their suit to do any of those things.
I liken them to Apes or Gorillas, capable of feeling some degree of emotion but only to a certain point. They are completely driven by instinct, protecting the Little Sisters because their genetic/mental programming says they have to, not because they enjoy it. Therefore, it is impossible for a Big Daddy to break away from their duty, because it's in their genetic code now, they can't even imagine doing anything else, just like we human beings can't imagine any colour out of the spectrum we're used to, or cannot simply decide one day to stop digesting food. The brain is incapable of overiding its natural functions on its own, however with genetic modification the Big Daddies were have completely new natural function and instincts, it's the brain which makes humans capable of free thought, so really, they're no more human than apes.
Jack's Personality:
Jack... is a complicated character, as is plain to anyone who has the game. However, I and perhaps I alone believe that there is more reason for his silence than the simple "Lone, Taciturn Hero" archetype, I think there's more to him than the "Silent Protagonist" shtick.
Jack's personality was programmed into him, he was still just a fetus when Fontaine comissioned Suchong and Tenemboum to begin modifying him. He is really not much more than a voice activated slave, never really having made a choice for himself. He was ordered to crash the plane, even though he did not realize it, and had no choice other than to enter Rapture because there was nowhere else to go. The note on his present told him "To Kindly Not" open his instructions until the date provided, and he likely thought nothing of it, having been genetically conditioned to obey the term whenever it was mentioned.
Even when the key phrase is not used, Jack still seems at a loss decision-wise when it comes to choices most people would make naturally. For the entire game, the player's actions are orchestrated by someone else, implying that Jack is incapable of really choosing anything.
"Has Mother Goose really got her hooks into you. You can knock Ryan all you want, but the old man was bingo on one point of fact: you won't even walk till somebody says 'go'!"
This quote by Fontaine furthers the point, Jack acts as though he constantly needs direction, he didn't consciously decide to get revenge on Fontaine, Tenenbaum had to suggest it to him, even if he wanted the revenge, he was still likely unable to choose to get it himself. Everything he's done in his life has been under suggestion or outside influence, it's likely that even after defeating Fontaine he remained this way, only able to do things which others wanted him to. He was, in the most severe sense of the word, a slave, even after his mental conditioning is broken by Tenenbaum.
Little Sisters and Harvesting of ADAM Slugs
I wont get into the concept of slugs or anything like that, don't worry, I'm as tired of typing as you are of reading.
The ADAM slugs inhabit the stomach/abdomen area of a Little Sister, they break down ADAM ingested into a purer form. This symbiotic relationship also gives the girls incredible regenerative powers, making them purportedly unkillable. However, if they regenerate damage done to them, then it is likely that the process is not instantanious (The healing probably shown because developers didn't want little girls with exposed brains or rib-cages walking around Wolverine-style) So, when a person 'harvests' the adam slug from a Little Sister, they are probably tearing it out as fast as they can, even if the skin heals it is probably still as weak as a normal child's so a person could, logically, tear the slug out faster than subsequent wounds could heal, thus killing the little girl either slowly or quickly depending on the unhealed damages. You see, a sister's healing factor would obviously cease as soon as the slug is removed, so the wounds would be fatal, there is no way to get to someone's insides bare-handed without killing them.
Purifying the little sisters is more simple, the Rescue Plasmid probably causes the user's body to secrete an energy or a poison/oil/chemical which is fatal to the slug. The creature is then likely broken down and cycled out of the girl's system in the manner of an aborted fetus or digested food.
Simple enough... >_>
Alright folks, I'm done putting my ideas out there, feel free to comment, argue, or complain about the length xD
I love to debate so go ahead and refute me if you can :D Oh, and if you actually read this far, I salute you trooper ;)
H'okay, I've been browsing the forum for a while and I have come across multiple threads speculating on Jack, his personality, and his 'becoming' a Big Daddy. Now, don't hate me for saying so, but about 85% of everything I've read in these subjects seems completely preposterous to me. I've read posts from people saying that they think the modification of Jack's voice box was temporary, from people who are confused at how the Big Daddy helm is absent from the last Boss Battle, and from people who are confused about the general mentality - as well as the process of creating - a Big Daddy. There's also been speculation on the subject of Little Sisters and the removal/purification of the ADAM slugs which dwell in their bellies.
Now, I'm sure plenty of you couldn't give a hoot what I think, but I'm giving my opinion on it all anyway xP
Jack's Big Daddy Voice:
On the subject of voice box modification, I agree that the process seems quite ambiguous, it may be temporary, but I have my doubts on how temporary having your throat poked with a pronged spinning contraption could be. Who knows exactly how it works, the developers obviously didn't plan to let us know, seeing as they didn't show it. However; I believe that the only way it could make sense would be for the device to rip its user's tongue out. Disagree? Well, try talking without moving your tongue, it creates a rather throaty, moany sound, no? Almost like that of a Big Daddy's voice, yes?
On the subject of volume, I would have to guess that The Big Daddies are genetically modified to have stronger vocal cords, because in reality it is difficult for someone with a low voice to screech loud enough to blur one's vison (As Bouncers have been shown to do) You try doing that tongueless talking as loud as you can, it still doesn't quite match the sound of a real Big Daddy, does it? Another, even simpler explanation, is the inclusion of a microphone on the Helm which amplifies the voice of the 'man' within to great extent; this actually makes perfect sense seeing as it must be rather difficult to speak audibly from within one of those ancient diving suits which are vacuum sealed in order to prevent water and pressure from entering/air from escaping. The creators and designers of the Big Daddies would have implimented this obviously in order to make the protectors even more menacing, as a scare tactic if you will, to discourage attacks on them.
When actually playing as Jack in the Daddy suit, we can hear him grunt and moan like a regular Big Daddy throughout the rest of the gaming experience. Granted, I have noticed in my PC copy of the game that when jumping and often during the battle with Fontaine his voice reverts to normal, but there is no such thing as perfection, so these things were likely overlooked by the developers. I highly doubt the voice change came from a simple device strapped to Jack's neck, because if that were the case than why would there be a machine with bloody mandibles if all said machine was for was to strap an external device to its user? At the same time as the removal of the soon-to-be Daddy's tongue, the device probably releases a chemical or an Adam solution nullifying the pain and likely sealing the damaged gums as well, which would explain why there is no indication of pain or even of sensation during the process. (Though it is still possible that all of the sequence was cu to toy with our imaginations and spur speculation like this)
The Big Daddy Helm's Absence During the Boss Fight:
This should be completely obvious: JACK TAKES IT OFF IN THE ELEVATOR!
Our hero/villain was never grafted into the suit like a regular Big Daddy, he never received the necessary surgery nor was there anyone to provide it for him. He simply donned it like any ordinary person would don a diving suit, therefore, it stands to reason that he should be able to take any part of the suit off at any time without any difficulties. This easily explains why his bare hand was shown all those times in the ending sequences.
As far as how Jack's arms are shown without any suit... Well, I'd blame that on lazy development, the same brand of laziness which compels many FPS designers to conveniently leave out the body of the main character, thus giving the illusion that the player is nothing but a floating head and a pair of arms. (Try looking down in almost any FPS, with a few exceptions, like Halo 3, The Darkness, and probably a few others)
Also, it might have just been unfeasible to re-animate all of Jack's movements, plus I would think that a Big Daddy's huge hands - and by extension the gloves - are far too large to grasp a pistol or crossbow correctly, which would explain why the developers left out the gloves and sleeves, to keep things from getting any more complicated. (Though I suppose that still amounts to simple lazy development when all is said and done)
Big Daddies in General:
This will be relatively short; Big Daddies have NO FREE WILL (Possibly with the notable exeption of BioShock 2's protagonist) They cannot think for themselves, they needn't eat, sleep, bathe, or drink, because if they would need to remove their suit to do any of those things.
I liken them to Apes or Gorillas, capable of feeling some degree of emotion but only to a certain point. They are completely driven by instinct, protecting the Little Sisters because their genetic/mental programming says they have to, not because they enjoy it. Therefore, it is impossible for a Big Daddy to break away from their duty, because it's in their genetic code now, they can't even imagine doing anything else, just like we human beings can't imagine any colour out of the spectrum we're used to, or cannot simply decide one day to stop digesting food. The brain is incapable of overiding its natural functions on its own, however with genetic modification the Big Daddies were have completely new natural function and instincts, it's the brain which makes humans capable of free thought, so really, they're no more human than apes.
Jack's Personality:
Jack... is a complicated character, as is plain to anyone who has the game. However, I and perhaps I alone believe that there is more reason for his silence than the simple "Lone, Taciturn Hero" archetype, I think there's more to him than the "Silent Protagonist" shtick.
Jack's personality was programmed into him, he was still just a fetus when Fontaine comissioned Suchong and Tenemboum to begin modifying him. He is really not much more than a voice activated slave, never really having made a choice for himself. He was ordered to crash the plane, even though he did not realize it, and had no choice other than to enter Rapture because there was nowhere else to go. The note on his present told him "To Kindly Not" open his instructions until the date provided, and he likely thought nothing of it, having been genetically conditioned to obey the term whenever it was mentioned.
Even when the key phrase is not used, Jack still seems at a loss decision-wise when it comes to choices most people would make naturally. For the entire game, the player's actions are orchestrated by someone else, implying that Jack is incapable of really choosing anything.
"Has Mother Goose really got her hooks into you. You can knock Ryan all you want, but the old man was bingo on one point of fact: you won't even walk till somebody says 'go'!"
This quote by Fontaine furthers the point, Jack acts as though he constantly needs direction, he didn't consciously decide to get revenge on Fontaine, Tenenbaum had to suggest it to him, even if he wanted the revenge, he was still likely unable to choose to get it himself. Everything he's done in his life has been under suggestion or outside influence, it's likely that even after defeating Fontaine he remained this way, only able to do things which others wanted him to. He was, in the most severe sense of the word, a slave, even after his mental conditioning is broken by Tenenbaum.
Little Sisters and Harvesting of ADAM Slugs
I wont get into the concept of slugs or anything like that, don't worry, I'm as tired of typing as you are of reading.
The ADAM slugs inhabit the stomach/abdomen area of a Little Sister, they break down ADAM ingested into a purer form. This symbiotic relationship also gives the girls incredible regenerative powers, making them purportedly unkillable. However, if they regenerate damage done to them, then it is likely that the process is not instantanious (The healing probably shown because developers didn't want little girls with exposed brains or rib-cages walking around Wolverine-style) So, when a person 'harvests' the adam slug from a Little Sister, they are probably tearing it out as fast as they can, even if the skin heals it is probably still as weak as a normal child's so a person could, logically, tear the slug out faster than subsequent wounds could heal, thus killing the little girl either slowly or quickly depending on the unhealed damages. You see, a sister's healing factor would obviously cease as soon as the slug is removed, so the wounds would be fatal, there is no way to get to someone's insides bare-handed without killing them.
Purifying the little sisters is more simple, the Rescue Plasmid probably causes the user's body to secrete an energy or a poison/oil/chemical which is fatal to the slug. The creature is then likely broken down and cycled out of the girl's system in the manner of an aborted fetus or digested food.
Simple enough... >_>
Alright folks, I'm done putting my ideas out there, feel free to comment, argue, or complain about the length xD
I love to debate so go ahead and refute me if you can :D Oh, and if you actually read this far, I salute you trooper ;)