"An energo weapon is a melee weapon that uses energon to power a shaped energy field that significantly enhances the cutting and blunt-impact properties of the weapon. When the fuel cell is consumed, the weapon can still be used at its 'normal' potency."
From: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Energo-sword
This particular energo-sword is the one I designed for my OC, Orcariner, during his transmetal phase. Being an extension of his right forearm (see schematics), the weapon does not have its own fuel cell but rather utilizes the body's power generators instead (primarily the one in his right gauntlet). The combination of his arm and body's generators, the sword would rarely de-power unless Orcariner performs excessive usage of his bubble shield within the recommended 5 minute recharge time. The blade itself is 8'0" in length.
I outlined the whole design with the pen tool (1 pixel brush stroke). The coloring was done via gradients and I added a glow to the blade as well as the power generators on the side. I used Jashin's fractal brushes to help sculpt the energon radiation emitting form the blade, indicating that it's at optimal power. The bubbles are just C4D renders with a blue color overlay and their inclusion is just a reference to Orcariner's aquatic nature. The background is just a gradient with a blue color overlay (low opacity). Text itself is Century Gothic.
Inspired by the personal defense shields that Jackals carry in the Halo franchise, Orcariner's energy shield is designed to act as an additional, but limited, form of defense. The biography states that this shield only utilizes power from the generator stored in his left gauntlet, so it will dissipate after several seconds against heavy weapons fire. It will probably last minutes against assault rifles and shotguns, and most likely indefinitely against small arms and submachine guns. After using the bubble shield, Orcaroner won't be able to utilize his mobile shield for 5 minutes unless if he sacrifices something that also requires power (i.e.- energo-sword). The diameter is about 10'0" so I used the sword to gauge how large to make this shield.
The pattern you see within the shield can be found in the Deep Water Blues texture pack provided by Web Treats. I wanted the shield to resemble the ocean since Orcariner is an aquatic Maximal. Unlike the sword, however, the entire gauntlet is glowing since the energy projection is at a 360 degree angle. The energy shield is intentionally transparent so that the user will not lose any visuals while on the defensive.
Wait a minute, that's not Orcariner! I didn't feel like designing the bubble shield from scratch in photoshop so I took an old screenshot of mine from Halo: Reach. Orcariner's bubbleshield will look exactly the same, except it provides an unyielding 20 seconds of absolute invincibility. The difference is that the user is immobilized and nothing (including personnel) can enter or exit the shield. Here's how it'll look like when a direct hit is scored against the shield:
Due to immobilization, Orcariner won't be able to move anything except his optics so he'll have a lot of blind spots. If he's attacked, the shield's physical appearance will change and alert him so he can estimate the attacker's direction if they're not directly in front of him (dampened sounds, flashes, and such will also aid said estimations). Also, for enemies who think they have the bright idea of digging underneath the shield to get to Orcariner:
The bubble shield actually encompasses the entire body. Power generators stored at his core as well as his arms are all utilized to power this shield. Once it is brought down, Orcariner will still have enough energy to transform, fly, power his sword, and utilize his tactical headset. As stated above, his mobile shield and bubble shield will require about 5 minutes to build up again. If he chooses to send out the bubble shield once more, then Orcariner's other processors will involuntarily power down to conserve energy.
Well, that's all I have now for TM Orcariner. I'll leave other details for the future either in the forms of pictures or RPG posts. I don't think I've ever posted a picture of S1 Orcariner's swords and gun, so maybe it'll be easier to get a visualization for other players as the new season enters.
