Subject: Design Notes
Author:
Posted on: 2011-10-11 17:00:00 UTC
I spent a lot of time thinking about what the devices would look like, since--and rightly so--they've never been truly and exhaustively described in the ten years they've existed.
I picked the boxy shape partly to explain why the things kept burning out--poorly ventilated, crammed-solid design--and partly because it seemed like a good basic design option, modifiable if necessary (as the DOGA CAD shows).
There's no reason, of course, that the CADs would have to be made of contemporary computer tech even in 2001--as James hinted at, there were miniaturized tech examples even in those days to be cannibalized, such as the Fallout Pip-Boy. But it seemed like a good way to explain that kind of explosive failure beyond just "The Laws of Comedy"--trying to pack a lot of elaborate electronics into a poorly ventilated, undersized box and then put it into situations well beyond its capacity for handling.
As to the color, I thought it was funny to have them be these absolutely ghastly shades of plastic--slug-green and burnt orange--and color-coding would be a further way to distinguish between the models than just shape.
(Also, I get the feeling that Snapshot gets the same question a lot that I got when I was coming up with her--namely, "How can a pony work in the PPC"--and that she's developed a bit of a chip on her shoulder which is helping with the acclimatization. Round characters unite!)
(Also also: you're crazy there is no typo we have always been at war with Eastasia)
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