You know, X and Zero's action poses?

[Flame]

They're talking about his actual eyes, not the gem. If you take the intro that literal, the gem also contains his vocal cords.

really?

[Cherrykorock]

They're talking about his actual eyes, not the gem. If you take the intro that literal, the gem also contains his vocal cords.

Fair enough.

!!!!Edit!!!!

Actually thinking about it, what purpose does the gem on his head serve?

[Align]

It's just a gem, as far as we know.

[Cherrykorock]

I see, I always thought it was either a power crystal or some kind of sensor, bummer.

[Bag of Magic Food]

Recently I read that there were unused sprites of Zero's whole body flashing when he charged up his gun, rather than just his gem.  And that's when I realized that the gem was actually supposed to be storing the charge energy, not just reflecting the light coming out of the gun.  ...Or is it?

[Acrosurge]

In the Zero series, wasn't it a helmet part that shortened his charge time?  Should that lend evidence to the idea that, though the charging mechanism may not be the helmet gem, it could still be somewhere in his head?  I dunno.  I always thought the charge process originated in the reploid's microfusion reactor and was then focused through the Buster or Saber.

Back on topic, I have to agree with Ramzal.  X and Zero's stances are rubbish no matter what apologetic explanations you choose.  Regardless of whether they prefer distance up-close tactics, X and Zero routinely confront opponents who outclass them in strength and speed.  At those times, proper technique would allow them to fight and draw more effectively on their untapped potential.  One would think that decades spent hunting Mavericks should be plenty of time to develop an effective stance even against superhuman foes.

I'd like to see cool poses that reflect an actual fighting style, which would in turn reflect X and Zero's distinct personalities.  This is done all the time both in fighting and action games.  All it would take would be a little thought and research such as Capcom (and their ever awesome compatriots at Udon) have done with the Street Fighter characters.  They could do the same with the Mega Man franchise and it would be a great creative touch.

[Zan]

I see, I always thought it was either a power crystal or some kind of sensor, bummer.

The gem has a function, just nothing that has been established. As robots, it can be designed to do whatever you want.

Such as displaying stage maps.

Recently I read that there were unused sprites of Zero's whole body flashing when he charged up his gun, rather than just his gem.

Unused 'charge' sprites don't exist, charge effects are palette swaps, not separate sprites.

Regardless of whether they prefer distance up-close tactics, X and Zero routinely confront opponents who outclass them in strength and speed. At those times, proper technique would allow them to fight and draw more effectively on their untapped potential. 

How many frikken ways are there to fire a gun?...

[Acrosurge]

How many frikken ways are there to fire a gun?...

I have a hard time believing that Zero is the only Hunter to ever throw a punch in combat.  And as lauded as SA class Hunters are supposed to be, I find it downright silly to assume that effective hand-to-hand tactics are outside their skill set.  I understand why we don't see it in the games (HtH has never been a big part of Mega Man), and I'm okay with that, but some halfway practical stances would be a great touch in the future.  *shrugs*

[Bag of Magic Food]

Unused 'charge' sprites don't exist, charge effects are palette swaps, not separate sprites.

Yeah, duh, that's what I meant, but seeing multiple Zeros here messed me up: http://themechanicalmaniacs.com/articles/mmxmysteries.php
And besides, sometimes they overlay sparkle graphics over characters who are charged up, so those count as sprites, right?

[Hypershell]

really?

That and his voice recognition as well.

In the Zero series, wasn't it a helmet part that shortened his charge time?  Should that lend evidence to the idea that, though the charging mechanism may not be the helmet gem, it could still be somewhere in his head?  I dunno.  I always thought the charge process originated in the reploid's microfusion reactor and was then focused through the Buster or Saber.

It probably is, when you look at the design of XCM's Ultimate Armor.  That and X1 specs list the arm as containing an "energy amplifier".

Since day one the head gem has flashed to indicate low power.  Beyond that, who knows?  But head upgrades have tied into many things.  Weapon energy consumption, peripheral weapon analysis, self-repair, radar, charge speed, power-up magnet, weapon targeting, and of course the ALMIGHTY HEAD CRUSH that the Xtremes love to milk.  >.>  Heck, a very-hard-to-find X5 snippit (Skiver capsule as Zero) suggests that head parts could be used to beef up defenses beyond the body upgrade alone, and X8's menu indicates a link between Head Parts U and the Shoryuken.  I think the head upgrades are kind of a "miscellaneous extension" deal, they can be virtually anything.  General systemic stuff especially, since arms, legs, and body tend to be associated with more specific functions (attack, mobility, and defense/giga, respectively).  And it kinda makes sense for an upgrade to systems management to be in the part closest to the brain.

[Bag of Magic Food]

But wait, how can we be sure that Reploids have brains inside their heads?

[HyperSonicEXE]

Isn't that where the CPU is located on most Reploid units?

[Acid]

But wait, how can we be sure that Reploids have brains inside their heads?

Cuz it would be dumb to put a brain in one's ass.

[Flame]

pluss, whenever someone is punched in the head in a megaman game, they get knocked out. think about it, If you were to hit a computer hard enough,  the hard drive would probably get messed up.

[HyperSonicEXE]

Which is why Sigma's always getting trashed.

[Align]

pluss, whenever someone is punched in the head in a megaman game, they get knocked out. think about it, If you were to hit a computer hard enough,  the hard drive would probably get messed up.

That's what I thought too, but then Zan called me a dumbass - Zero was in the middle of a serious migraine, anyone getting falcon punched by a metal fist would pass out then.

[Zan]

but then Zan called me a dumbass

Source or it didn't happen.

[Align]

Not literally, of course...

besides, this was before the crash, and I remember nothing about the rest the thread

[HyperSonicEXE]

That's what I thought too, but then Zan called me a dumbass - Zero was in the middle of a serious migraine, anyone getting falcon punched by a metal fist would pass out then.

Not necessarily. In order to knock-out a non-living Reploid, you'd pretty much have to either down its CPU or power source.

And if you saw how X was built in IHX, making that happen via a simple punch just doesn't seem very likely unless there's targeting involved.

[Flame]

That's what I thought too, but then Zan called me a dumbass - Zero was in the middle of a serious migraine, anyone getting falcon punched by a metal fist would pass out then.

Heck, My hard drive crashed simply because I turned the power off while the computer was frozen. punching a machine while its got some sort of error is bound to screw it up. hey, that would explain Zero's memory issues

[Zan]

Not literally, of course...

besides, this was before the crash, and I remember nothing about the rest the thread

Thing is, I've always proclaimed that the gem isn't necessarily important to any vital function, but that hitting somebody on the forehead with enormous strength is enough to do enough damage to knock somebody out cold. That the gem shatters is just a side effect of the same impact to the forehead.

hey, that would explain Zero's memory issues

Hibernation illness.

[Flame]

oh Pssh. I dont think that would actually do anything. he didnt sleep for THAT long, (figuritively) before the X series, and the hibertnation sickness in the Zero series is BS. theres tons of other factors that could have contributed to Zero not remembering anything when Ciel woke him.

[Frozen Potato]

theres tons of other factors that could have contributed to Zero not remembering anything when Ciel woke him.

i thought there's only two...either hibernation sickness...or Passy messed his memory while recovering him.....are there other factors i havent heard about?

[Flame]

no, but its other factors that could have contributed. for example. look at the condition he was in. God knows how many of those 100 years were spent abandoned and forgotten, lying there decaying slowly. Passy comes and fixes him... though if any memory components were damaged, or the data was fragmented or corrupted, it was erased and reformatted. whatever was salvageable was fixed. you can repair a machine, but without a backup, you cant repair damaged and corrupted memory. that lab was abandoned for quite some time, and I dont think Ciel had the luxury of searching through the computers before she found Zero. she needed him NOW and Passy revived him. only afterwards did they have Zero conduct another search inside the lab for any Data on him.

[Zan]

Can't say I agree with acting like Repliroids are simply just computers. They're near human, think of them as such.

Also, lying trashed in a puddle of a broken capsule protected by a fierce field of an abandoned laboratory falls under the very definition of hibernation illness.