Unlike other companion relationships, this one is fueled by the need for the rifle to kill, to take life or just be used one more time. She is his conscience, but with a darker, more maniacal agenda than to keep him on the straight and narrow.
The special thing about Progress is that she is influenced by the people that are around Sniper Bunny. She adopts their techniques and increases the amount of situations she can be useful in (close vs far quarters combat, for example). Maybe as a game mechanic after you defeat the particular character, she can morph into another version of herself.
When I first started thinking about the rifle, I had thought about the character whom she was grown for. I focused on three distinct directions this gun would follow or emulate:
1.Gun (kind of duh) - Not just any gun, THE gun. The type of gun that if you were stuck in the worst possible situation and want to come out alive - she is it.
2.Motorcycle - I thought about the inner workings of the rifle. Onboard computer? Check. Armored design? Check. Mechanically-fed operations? What? Check.
3.Woman - I thought to take the canon (pun lazily intended) regarding guns and guitars being shaped closer to familiarity of a curvy body, but take it a step further and make it less of a utility and more of a luxury concept model.
These photos are for scholarly and informational purposes only. They do not represent the final game or its affiliation in any way other than to spare you the stick figures you would otherwise get if I had drawn what I was talking about.
This is by far, the closest in concept that I had in mind as far as the aesthetics. This artist captured something organic mixed with something resembling metal or shell. The ligaments are similar to Progress's sling which is in the form of a lock of hair that extends and retracts to keep Sniper Bunny shooting more and picking up rifles less.
(http://sobaku-chiuchiu.deviantart.com/art/alien-guns-addons-268059278)
I like glowey stuff. As a person who appreciates reality and meeting realistic expectations when it comes to weapon operations and nuances, I happen to appreciate the anime over-the-top huge glowing gun that would be completely ridiculous in a real-life battle situation also. This one seems to have the utility of a long range rifle and the tame pizzaz I'm looking for in mine.
(http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/popular-weapon-designs.203407/page-44)
The scope. It had to be something real special. It had to be the connection between the rifle's world and Sniper Bunny's. This concept offered something other than the straight telescopic cylinder. The rifle calls for a face hugger-type biometal that is more malleable than the rest of the rifle, but could also protect his face when aiming. The scope is more than a magnifier, it also calculates the trajectory of a shot and offers an interface as well as different features and of course magnifications.
http://www.comicvine.com/forums/rpg-9/cvnu-new-york-city-725095/?page=7
Trying to stay away from popular designs is difficult, yet familiar shapes house familiar parts and every gun is essentially designed for the same thing. The gun would flow with curves and crevices, yet keep some sort of utility. The mixture of motorcycle piston parts, logic board electronics and sleek design are not only every geek boy's dream, but also a new take on something hardcore gamers don't even think twice about - their gun's fashion (i guess). The main body would resemble more of a motorcycle gas tank than a gun, but this picture is a good reference point.
(http://aliens.wikia.com/wiki/Geth)
Guns with thumb holes or hand guides seems to be a growing fad and I suspect most guns in a few years will come standard with a grip that integrates into the body. First concept ideas where of a grip that resembled more of a motorcycle handle, however would really stand out as a design faux pas.
(http://www.kygunco.com/fn-herstal-fs2000-tactical-223rem-rifle-1744-od-green-thumbhole-stock-10-rd-62122)
I don't know if it's just me, but I have a hard time finding that comfortable cheek placement spot. Either my face is oddly shaped or guns are just lifeless hunks of unforgiving metal. In either case, a cheek rest made of tempur material is something that can only happen in dreams. And video games.
(http://www.pilkguns.com/tenp/spwlgr.htm)
The body is be modeled after a Ducati 1199 Streetfighter. The rifle would be shouldered where the rear wheel is. The seat would act as a cheek pad, the gas tank would house a retractable scope and interface "fingers".
(http://www.blackrebelmoto.com/)
(http://www.pinterest.com/oolala10/ships-figureheads/)
(http://www.armoryblog.com/firearms/rifles/doublestar-zombie-x-chainsaw-rail-attachment/)
(http://pirates.missiledine.com/specialweapons.html)
(http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/01/27/arsenal-22-lr-knife-gun/)
Let's talk bayonet action. There are a lot of weapons that are both a usable gun and a knife or another weapon (see axe). With Progress, the hair becoming a decoration at the rear, a utility at the forward hand grip and then a last line of defense in the form of a lock of hair, pointing forward as a bayonet is a concept that has been a defining factor of this particular gun. There is even a real-life chainsaw attachment via picatinny rail, which through upgrades is something worthwhile to explore.
The body of the rifle needs to sell the overall feel of the rifle and to accentuate the alien disconnect between the gas-fed majority of rifles a lamen would have seen in media and something more organic, but unmistakably mechanic.
- Dmitriy
