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Damocles: Difference between revisions
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==Form and function== | ==Form and function== | ||
Damocles is a tall structure with typical cyberpunk elements. The final entity as seen in Oni is visually quite similar to the initial concept art, except that the art had "DAMOCLES" printed on the hull, whereas in Oni the name | Damocles is a tall structure with typical cyberpunk elements. The final entity as seen in Oni is visually quite similar to the initial concept art, except that the art had "DAMOCLES" printed on the hull, whereas in Oni the name is omitted -- and, for that matter, ''is never mentioned at all''<ref name="gone">Indeed "Damocles" is never featured either in-game (be it speech, text, or environment textures) or in the manual -- and even the internal texture names are simply TC_SHCOMP1 and TC_SHCOMP2.</ref>. Even so, the name is considered canon due to it being repeatedly mentioned during Oni's development.<ref name="okita">From a [[Bungie West]] staff interview: | ||
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However, Damocles also serves the (classified) purpose of monitoring Konoko's [[Daodan]] symbiosis -- by channeling, processing and/or storing the data that flows in via Shinatama's neural link. This monitoring is kept secret from low-level TCTF staff<ref name="clearance">Text consoles at the TCTF list Konoko's Daodan symbiosis as "Clearance Gamma S16 and Above Only".</ref>, as well as from Konoko herself. | However, Damocles also serves the (classified) purpose of monitoring Konoko's [[Daodan]] symbiosis -- by channeling, processing and/or storing the data that flows in via Shinatama's neural link. This monitoring is kept secret from low-level TCTF staff<ref name="clearance">Text consoles at the TCTF list Konoko's Daodan symbiosis as "Clearance Gamma S16 and Above Only".</ref>, as well as from Konoko herself. | ||
Damocles features a [[Marathon]] logo on the chassis as an [[Easter eggs|Easter egg]]<ref name="okita"/> | Damocles features a [[Marathon]] logo on the chassis as an [[Easter eggs|Easter egg]]<ref name="okita"/>. Unlike the "DAMOCLES" name, this logo appears both in the concept art and on the final in-game model. | ||
==Name and meaning== | ==Name and meaning== | ||
Etymologically the name Damocles (Δαμοκλής) is a combination of "kles" (Greek for glory), and "damos" (Dorian Greek variant of "demos", i.e., people), thus meaning "glory of the people" or | Etymologically the name Damocles (Δαμοκλής) is a combination of "kles" (Greek for glory), and "damos" (Dorian Greek variant of "demos", i.e., people), thus meaning "glory of the people". A looser interpretation is "glory of the nation" or "glory of our land", making it a somewhat patriotic version of [[wp:Pericles|Pericles]], which means "glory all around" or "glory far and wide" (Heracles also comes to mind). | ||
In popular culture, the name is mainly associated with an anecdote of Greek/Sicilian history (4th century BC), known as "the Sword of Damocles", cited by Cicero in his [[wp:Tusculanae_Disputationes|Tusculanes]]. | In popular culture, the name is mainly associated with an anecdote of Greek/Sicilian history (4th century BC), known as "the Sword of Damocles", cited by Cicero in his [[wp:Tusculanae_Disputationes|Tusculanes]]. | ||
{{Quote|Dionysius II, tyrant of Syracuse, had in his court a goldsmith named Damocles | {{Quote|Dionysius II, tyrant of Syracuse, had in his court a goldsmith named Damocles, who once declared that the tyrant had such great power and authority as to be more fortunate than any other man. Hearing this flattery, Dionysius offered Damocles to take his place, for a first hand experience of the supposed fortune. The courtier agreed and a feast was thrown, where Damocles was waited upon like a king, much to his enjoyment -- until he saw a sharpened sword hanging over his head, held by a single string of horsehair. Upon realizing the deadly threat, Damocles lost all taste for the fine foods and beautiful waiters and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate.|Abridged version of the anecdote as told by Cicero. See [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/cicero/tusculan-deputations/damocles/ HERE] for an actual translation.}} | ||
Thus the name typically denotes risk and precariousness, and is appropriate whenever an enterprise is "hanging by a thread" and may fail dramatically due to a single event beyond anyone's control. | Thus the name typically denotes risk and precariousness, and is appropriate whenever an enterprise is "hanging by a thread" and may fail dramatically due to a single event beyond anyone's control. | ||
In Oni, Griffin's secret monitoring of Konoko indeed fails rather dramatically. A more subtle analogy with the anecdote is Shinatama's vulnerability while sitting on an otherwise empowering "throne". | In Oni, Griffin's secret monitoring of Konoko indeed fails rather dramatically. A more subtle analogy with the anecdote is Shinatama's vulnerability while sitting on an otherwise empowering "throne". | ||
That said, according to Alex Okita, [[Bungie West]] developers were oblivious of the ominous connotations, and used the name merely because it sounded cool<ref name="okita"/> | That said, according to Alex Okita, [[Bungie West]] developers were oblivious of the ominous connotations, and used the name merely because it sounded cool<ref name="okita"/> (not unlike [[Marathon]]'s Durandal). | ||
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 | {|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 | ||
|[[Image:Damocles_Initiative.png|128px|left]] | |[[Image:Damocles_Initiative.png|128px|left]] | ||