Great Designs in Helldivers 2

[@kongilian]

The satire works because everyone and everything in universe is taken seriously. It's only those with an outside frame of reference that can see the absurdity.

[@codyraugh6599]

EXACTLY! And that's why I hate with so many things they try to ram in current day political hot topics rather than focusing on keeping things as in universe as possible. The more a fiction is able to stand alone while looking insane from a outside lense, the better it is as a satire or joke. Blazing Saddles works because despite being a 4th wall breaking comedy the characters still act like they are living the events and living in that world rather than if they are acting for our world, and even then they still go to other movies sets and do other absurdities.

[@philosotree5876]

@@codyraugh6599 Bro "family values" is one of the ship name options. If that isn't current day IDK what is.

[@codyraugh6599]

@@philosotree5876 episode 1 Family Guy, what was the theme song again? How about the themes of the first season of the Simpsons? How about the Munsters? Family Values is literally the basis from which Sitcoms derive, can't call that "current day" more like a timeline joke.

[@ArifRWinandar]

@@philosotree5876 it is current day, as it was yesterday, decades ago, and centuries ago. Conformity/family values vs individuality is one of those timeless themes that always resonate with people. And it being a ship name in Helldivers is perfectly in line with the theme of sacrificing yourself for the (supposedly) common good.

[@philosotree5876]

@@codyraugh6599 I'm talking about the fact that certain people today like to accuse other demographics of trying to destroy "family values" whatever the hell that means.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

I always love how the turrets actually have spinning sensors. Makes them feel like real peices of hardware rather than a standard videogame turret.

[@irregularguy6465]

they do???

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

@@irregularguy6465 I know that least the mortars do. A little spinning cylinder on the top left of the gun.

[@silaspresson3458]

Yep! They are usually on top of the machine gun and the Gatling I think, on the mortars it’s on the frame, same with the rocket as well, Understandable that you probably didn’t notice it is it’s the same color as the frame so it’s hard to see unless you’re paying attention

[@TaintedMojo]

Basically a close match to current modern lidar systems

[@miniraptor3211]

@@silaspresson3458 That and getting that close is usually a little too close for the turret's liking

[@Sovreign071]

What makes HD2 special is that as satirical as it gets, it NEVER laughs at its own jokes. Good satire sounds like someone saying something stupid with comolete sincerity, like Leslie Nielsen. Not being sarcastic about it.

[@jamesstevenson9056]

"I am serious, and don't call me shirley"

[@cheeseninja1115]

The best TV ad on the bridge has to be the one were they straight up say "we determine which citizens are the most equal" when talking about different classes of citizen. The fact it's played straight is what makes it so funny.

[@ArifRWinandar]

No one laughs at the jokes because the ones that do get sent to freedom camps

[@thathandsomedevil0828]

​​@@ArifRWinandar my tired brain after a night shift thought you said people who laughed at the jokes get sent to "freedom chimps"... 😅😅😅😂😂😂😂

[@Shattered3582]

one of the many reasons why Frasier was such a good comedy series. the characters are dead serious, while the audience are the ones laughing.

[@davidromeroblaya7920]

The armor of Super-Earth's starships is made with a compound of the two hardests substances known in the universe: freedom and democracy.

[@machao5531]

The default armor is also made from the same material as the super destroyers.

[@shadowsayan3454]

Did only i hear the Eagle Scream when reading this comment?

[@bottasheimfe5750]

in other words its basically Paper Mache

[@Emanon...]

* Managed democracy. Everyone knows that the best kind of democracy!

[@WhitzWolf92]

@@shadowsayan3454 *Red tailed hawk scream Eagles don't scream, they squawk.

[@APGfuntimesandlols]

"Remember to fill out a C-01 Form before engaging in any acts that could result in a child." The satire of Helldivers 2 is truly unrivalled.

[@Ishlacorrin]

Sad to say in that regard we are fast catching up to the satire in real life. Consent forms for such things just seem like the next logical step at this point.

[@headphonesaxolotl]

Wdym here

[@BoxheadBB]

⁠​⁠@@headphonesaxolotlmeaning every human is in control of Super Earth’s gov and has no own rights since they are just a little wiggle dude that doesn't even start to grow in their mother. (change wording for KZbin) Everyone has no own rights while yelling about democracy and freedom and this law is so absurd yet everyone doesn’t question it. That's why it's funny.

[@fallen_angelmemesforlife9172]

​​@@headphonesaxolotl You gotta pass a vibe check with the government before you can legally have sex.

[@JonathanHarvell]

@@headphonesaxolotl Exactly what he said. It's a loading screen tip that shows up on occasion. You are not allowed to have children without the government's permission, hence form C-01.

[@NecronPhobos]

Remember if you choose to reload before your current mag is empty those bullets end up wasted on the ground, instead of buried in the beating hearts of our enemies! BRASCH TACTICS

[@hoshyro]

Waste enemies, NOT bullets! BRASCH TACTICS: use 'em, or die trying!

[@ydna]

also it's possible to start reloading then pause by switching to another weapon, then continue reloading later when you get the first one back out. I love that little detail!

[@TotPocket]

Also also, reloading before your gun is empty leaves one round still in the chamber, even if you cancel the reload. This round can still be fired before jamming another mag into the weapon, and your diver will rack the handle after completing the reload to charge the gun again. This only works with ballistic weapons tho, not the laser or plasma weapons

[@dadab22]

The thing that makes the Helldiver's dialog work so well is that it is absolutely goofy...unless the helldiver is injured. Or if a helldiver recently died. Then it turns from "Democracy has landed!" and "Have a taste of democracy!" to "LIBERTY SAVE ME!" and "CALLING REINFORCEMENTS!" The helldivers are full to the brim with overconfidence, but when they get shaken, they sound terrified and desperate.

[@zelbinian]

"I nEeD sTiMs!!1!"

[@ExValeFor]

mmmmyyyy LEEEEGGGGGGGG UAUGH

[@Staladus]

SWEET LIBERTY MY ARM

[@lovell8983]

"Cant liberate with this broken arm"

[@thonking7193]

i love how they have different lines at low health, it adds so much to tense moments where you dont have any stims left but are still trying to finish an objective

[@Mandemon1990]

One thing that makes plasma weapon seem more plausible is that they have this consistent design. They use similar magazines and have lots of common points, so when you look between them you can see basic logic on "how" the weapons work.

[@nickkurzy2246]

same with the laser weapons and their heatsinks.

[@Ben-xc3bl]

I also like the fact that all plasma weapons use a battery like power source rather than a mag. You can see them when the helldiver reloads, the batteries even have a little skull on them.

[@ProjectTaker]

⁠@@Ben-xc3blAssuming it’s a battery. It could also be a canister of a special gas that super heats into plasma. Explains how the Plasma Punisher works. Each pump is actually filling the chamber with that “plasma gas” and thus fires out like a glob.

[@Axquirix]

Similar to 40k plasma weapons having big glowy coils and similarly designed muzzles - even on non-Imperial versions like Orks or T'au have. You don't really get an explanation of how it works, but the common elements make them recognisable and give you the feeling that there's a consistent science behind them.

[@weldonwin]

"How does the pilot get into the Eagle?" Bold of you to assume that Eagle-1 ever gets OUT of the cockpit and doesn't just permanently live in there, ready to roll and dispense Democracy at an instants notice!

[@willyvereb]

It'd actually be amusingly grim if Eagle-1 turns out to be a cyborg embedded in the fighter jet. Given, well, the whole context of Cyberstan and what happened a hundred years ago.

[@nerz7548]

@@willyvereb Considering one of the upgrades mentions that there is now less space for pilot's LEGS...

[@weldonwin]

I have heard the theory that Eagle-1 is a Cyborg, or at least has undergone surgical modification to remove their legs to make them better able to withstand G-forces during combat (Which apparently doesn't work BTW). The official word from the Devs is that this isn't the case, but I do imagine that Eagle-1, does virtually live in her cockpit, certainly sleeping in there, just to be ready to roll as soon as the call comes in, but she's not actually embedded into the cockpit. She does come out of it eventually, mostly to shower, change flight-suit and flirt with Pelican-1.

[@streamerman2905]

@@weldonwin I’m pretty sure it’s true, you can check out The Fat Electrician’s video on Sir Douglas Bader for a better explanation than I can give but basically, fighter pilots loose consciousness when they’re exposed to too many G’s because all the blood rushes to their legs, if you don’t have legs, the blood will only go to your crotch and you’ll be able to do fighters turns and whatnot.

[@Flipdagoose]

Using the word "Live" for Eagle-1 is awfully ironic...

[@theishiopian68]

I love the mechs so much. They shouldn't feel as believable as they do, but they just do. They really sell the idea of a semi-disposable one man fire support platform, despite the dubious realism of the idea.

[@Akrilloth]

Also, for once, feet is a useful feature when you got bugs everywhere that would clog up your tracks rather quickly. I do hope we get a more normal battle tank one day however.

[@therandomvideoman111]

i mean as far as scifi mechs go i think Helldivers mechs are about as realistic as they come. They're not overly large, really not much bigger than modern military vehicles and probably not any heavier, they're short with big feet so center of gravity and weight distribution wouldn't be insane like a gundam would be, and the weapons seem to be pretty easy to access and reload in the field. obviously theres the problems of power, armor, and the fact that legs are awful, but still they really seem like something that could be made today if someone wanted to

[@headphonesaxolotl]

@@therandomvideoman111 Yeah. A Metal Gear, while awesome, is expensive and insanely impractical. Compare that to the HD2 mechs, which are small, easy to transport and presumably rearm, and act basically as strong supportive fire.

[@westrim]

@@therandomvideoman111 Hey, I like legs! I'd be half the man I am today without legs!.

[@judyfps5059]

It’s feasible to argue that SEAF comes through after liberation/defense and cleans up the mess, repurposing what they can.

[@rustyshackleford1508]

The thing about the Eagle's design, is that downward facing fin *does* serve a purpose. An Eagle pilot has to be back on target within a few seconds of dropping ordinance, and one of the upgrades is filling their cockpit with breathable liquid so they can tank more G's in a hard turn. The fin is a control surface to allow them to whip around in seconds and attack from a new angle, or circle around and make a second run at the Helldiver's request.

[@robinswords]

Hey, wait a minute... I think I know that guy 🤔

[@DonChurch]

Citing the experts!

[@HachiroTheAmoger]

Oh hey it's the guy who did the helldiver armor videos!

[@Chaddigus]

Low orbit ships made to just glass the surface with hundreds of guns on the bottom makes 100% sense.

[@steadyjumper3547]

Each one has the power to destroy a small moon. That’s nuts

[@mystery_exe]

@@steadyjumper3547 The people who tell you that also say that you're 7 feet (210cm) tall and "literally invincible", so I wouldn't put too much faith in that claim.

[@quaranx1551]

@mystery_exe yeah i dont think anybody believes the helldivers are 7ft and invincible. That also makes zero sense.

[@graveyardshift6691]

@@mystery_exe Yes Democracy Officer, this dissident right here thinks General Brasch doesn't exist nor thinks he can be trusted when he the most realist Helldiver to ever Dive and has been since the first Galactic War over a hundred years ago. No Democracy Officer, I don't question how General Brasch is that old and still alive ether. He is what every Helldiver should strive to be!

[@Kapik1081]

@@mystery_exe Moons have no official lower bound on their size so by technicality it should be true.

[@peterbui3733]

Helldivers don't rest in peace, they rest in patriotism!

[@LisSolitudinous]

They rest in Democracy!

[@ihaveagun22]

and/or pieces

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

@@ihaveagun22 Damn, you beat me to it... 😄😁😆😅😂🤣

[@AF-tv6uf]

LOVE the realism (I said it) of the lenses on the lasers. A lot of sci-fi writers forego that because they don't think the weapon can 'look cool' and still have that. Kudos to the Helldivers creators for breaking that ceiling and others. This was obviously a labor of love for sci-fi nerds.

[@Yora21]

Though i think it makes sense to have the lens a bit further back in the tube and not right on the end, to protect it from impacts and getting scratched.

[@sirilluminarthevaliant2895]

About the cape capes actually serve several purposes. It protects the rear joins of the armor. It breaks up the silhouette making it harder to identify a man shaped object at distance. (Most of them are black or grey making them a multipurpose low-end ghillie suit) and it serves as a identification making

[@OverlordIX]

Given how colourful some of the capes and armours are, I wouldn't be surprised if some Helldivers want their enemies to see them coming. lol

[@S3Cs4uN8]

@@OverlordIX Going by the descriptions for many of them that is definitely a desired effect with some of the capes.

[@gdray82]

One small correction: The ship is not for a single Helldiver. I don't know how many Helldivers it is for but my guess would be somewhere in the platoon to company range, plus their attached Eagle and Pelican personnel. They're all in cryo until needed. When you play Helldivers you're roll playing as the ship/platoon not an individual Helldiver. Every time you die you're playing as a new Helldiver, not a persistent character. Unless you are really good chances are most Helldivers die on their first mission, which may be the same mission from your perspective. From the Helldiver's perspective the last thing they probably remember before getting defrosted for the mission briefing or being dropped as a reinforcement is getting in the pod at the end of basic training (at the end of the tutorial). When you get upgrades or change loadouts you're changing the platoon's loadouts and upgrading their gear. The Helldivers belong to the ship, not the other way around.

[@projectpitchfork860]

A super destroyer only ever deploys 1 diver at a time.

[@minecrafter8001]

He ment a single helldiver to operate, there's only ever one helldiver actually working in the ship and doing their thing (unless you are in a squad but they bring their own super destroyers), all the others are in storage

[@nachotoast]

@@projectpitchfork860 it deploys 4 at once when starting a game

[@Betrix5060]

Each Helldiver has an associated ship though, so that’s still one Helldiver per ship, they’ve just grouped together into a squadron.

[@filanfyretracker]

I have not played but as an outsider looking in I have always assumed that in many ways your gameplay character is actually the ship. And divers are just another bit of your ammo.

[@joshguyer4593]

I am stunned that you left out all comment of the flawless musical score that this game delivers. So hard hitting and impactful. Try playing a mission with the music turned down and it is just so much less without it.

[@samsonchan7496]

Playing WITHOUT the music? Please report yourself to your democracy officer!

[@isengarde9490]

That's like playing Doom with sound off.

[@kotori87gaming89]

Like all great comedy, Helldivers 2 is Seriously Funny. It is funny *because* everything in-universe is taken seriously. Also like all great comedy, Helldivers 2 can stand on its own as an excellent game regardless of the satire/comedy elements. Here's looking at you, Space Balls. You showed the world how to do it.

[@JTelli786]

Was discussing this ship design months ago. I'm glad you quickly mention the fact that all weapons are under the ship, meaning that this is a siege ship rather than a proper combat ship. It's glorified close air support. It's a good principal but I think it would fall flat on its face in a space combat scenario.

[@reneantoniorodriguezippoli7561]

To some extent its orbital assault design is offset by support from the rest of the SEAF (Super Earth Armed Forces)

[@Mirvra]

I still want to see the Navy ships that are taking out those absolutely monstrous Automaton warships. Maybe once the DSS is finished the Navy will deploy a small escort fleet for it so we can admire the actual warships of Super-Earth?

[@francesco8000]

Behind all the satire and hilarious gameplay moments Helldivers has a serious foundation that it's closer to realistic shooters like Arma or Squad than to more arcade shooter like Halo or COD.

[@RedShocktrooperRST]

In fairness the hilarious gameplay moments actually tend to be as a direct result of the realistic shooter components. Or being turned into a ragdoll because one of the Automatons was warming up playing Team Fortress 2.

[@PennsyPappas]

The developers for any and al balancing mistakes they made have gone out of their way to ensure realism/believability is present in their game. Another example of this is when they change how much ammo is in a mag theyl more often than not change the magazine itself to indicate if it holds more or less rounds than before. This and all reasons listed in the video are why I love the game so much despite the troubles it has gone through. But a true Helldiver sticks around for freedom and democracy.

[@CheeseDanish85]

True. If a rifle suddenly has a 60 round magazine, they update the model to use a drum mag. Extended magazines for smaller increases, etc.

[@emgee2807]

I do love how the energy weapons all have a consistent theme. Plasma weapons all have a bunch of tubes on them that presumably hold and pump in the hydrogen to create shots of plasma, and reload via. a canister. Laser weapons all have heatsinks and are (understandably) hot! If you're scoped in and about to overheat, the scope will get foggy and blurry due to the sheer heat coming off of your weapon.

[@openthinker6562]

The ship upgrades are also quite hilarious to read about. Some of my favorites include: - Adding in small batches of drugs into the diet of the loading crew to speed up reloading - Flooding the Eagle's cockpit with a special fluid that allows them to pull off more aggressive turns without too much effects from G-Force - Upgrade to the ordinance pods where you reload them from the back instead of the front - literally a subscription to a weather service site to better help targeting crew

[@had_fun_once]

The ordinance pods thing is my favorite. The idea of them reloading their externally-mounted guns in vacuum like Ye Olde Cannon is ridiculously funny.

[@JustTooDamnHonest]

Those ships are worthy of a thumbs up.

[@MaoBZW]

The way their voices react to the action around the hell divers is amazing. It can be a chilly "calling down supplies" when everything safe and sound to a hectic shrieking "CALLINGDOWNSUPPLIES!!!!!" in the heat of the moment. Difficult to describe, you need to HEAR it, and you CAN actually in game! =)

[@bbutler3230]

4:25 The caps are a design hold over from the first game, where the top down nature made it hard to tell where your character was faceing in high intensity scenarios. The caps flowing made almost an arrow silhouette that also didnt effect your hit box

[@Mobius_118]

I'm surprised you didn't make a comment about how the Eagle looks like the lovechild between a Viper and the A-10. Also, gotta hand it to the design team for creating probably the most optimal design for a ground support capital ship.

[@war0129]

Built barebones SD in space engineers. Slaps pretty hard actualy.

[@4life4win]

I am still pissed off about Sony blocking this game from Steam users like me! Estonia and over 100 other nations are still BLOCKED!!!! I want to play this game! But Injustice still prevails...

[@Fantastic_Mr_Fox]

That is effing bonkers and I hope Sony changes their mind sooner than later

[@Mr_Bo6r]

This game is not sold in my country either, but I just bought a steam key from an online store and am enjoying the spread of managed democracy, which I wish you too.

[@ArifRWinandar]

The devs have stated that they won't release the review bomb cape until the PSN situation is solved, so maybe there's still hope.

[@shawnmclaughlin7418]

How is that Sony's fault wouldn't it be your country's fault for not allowing certain games to be played.

[@jameson1239]

@@shawnmclaughlin7418Estonia and other countries could initially play the game until Sony introduced the PSN account requirement and Sony doesn’t allow PSN accounts to be made in those countries

[@mapleman6981]

As well as the Pelican Dropship, they don't show it in the hangar but it is a different transport ship, made for dropping in mechs, equipment, etc.

[@Mirvra]

That's just a variant of the Pelican, it's got the same cockpit, chin autocannon, engine setup, and even the same ''skeleton'' They just tore out the infantry module and instead installed magnetic clamps to hold onto vehicles.

[@SnazBrigade]

one of the little details i like in the guns is that they're not necessarily realistic, but a lot of them are unrealistic in the same way! As if the helldivers universe just has a different history of firearms development than ours, so something weird to us is normal to them and vice versa. the chief example is most guns have their charging handle far forward of the action, including the boltaction on the big rifle primary. it would be a bit ridiculous for us, but if thats the standard, it would be weird to do something else and ruin a soldiers muscle memory; the same way the ak pattern weapons all have the same right hand charging handle despite it being slightly unwieldy

[@Mike5Brown]

The funny thing is the points you pointed out in the ship upgrades really don't come across as satire to me. Adding more guns to the ship to improve firepower really doesn't seem any different than the advanced combat rifle program the pentagon ran Where they ended up finding out that all you need to do is just add scope to the gun you don't need a full new gun (still sad that we lost the G11 aka Kraut Space Magic).

[@RedShocktrooperRST]

One of the upgrades is literally switching from muzzle to breech loading.

[@TheNobody1324]

One upgrade literally says they feed amphetamines to the crew to make them work faster

[@Mike5Brown]

@@TheNobody1324 lol oh you sweet boy, I'm sorry I have to let you know about the US military's use of "go-pills"

[@headphonesaxolotl]

Some of them feel genuine (like applying a stronger lubricant to turrets to make them turn quicker) or improving your radar tech. While others feel like they belong in any game where upgrades have funny descriptions. "Years of research determined that (insert fairly obvious thing here) is 50% more productive!"

[@CsDeathshadow]

@@Mike5Brown dude one of the upgrades literally adds HOT SAUCE to make flame weapons more deadly. if you don't see the satire you are just stupid

[@eddieford9373]

5:00 love the shade thrown at destiny weapons. Always thought those were pretty dumb, even if they did look cool.

[@TheVillainInGlasses]

The Handcannons in destiny actually *do* make sense though. Check out the Chaippa Rhino.

[@Vnx]

​@@TheVillainInGlasses Agreed on the Rhino, I came to the comments to mention that. For the curious, the Rhino does the barrel at the bottom of the weapon. What appears to be the hammer above the grip is a cocking lever, with the actual hammer inside the gun out of sight.

[@tigeralbatros9432]

The eagle is a wonderfull cross of an X-Wings hull with straped on wings of an V-19 Torrent and A10 engines. It just works.

[@StacheMan26]

Personally I think the Super Destroyer could stand to be just a bit larger, just enough to give the poor deck crew assigned to the hangar enough room to service and rearm the Eagle without having to winch thousand kilo bombs 30 feet into the air.

[@Mr_Bo6r]

I think 2000 samples and _"optimizing"_ the lunch break, will reload the eagle 5% faster

[@mrsmegz]

All powered by Element 710, or OIL when inverted. Whrre does E 710 come from? The blood of dead bugs of course!

[@mystery_exe]

🤓 Akschually E710 is made by processing and refining whole terminid carcasses, not just their blood.

[@appo9357]

The only good bug is a dead bug. Would you like to know more?

[@BCosby423]

There's a surprising amount of realism with helldivers, even in the gameplay. You feel like a squishy human running around the battlefield. While you sometimes survive absurd things, like being flung halfway across the map and landing on your head, most of the time the damage and physics just feel right. You are incredibly vulnerable, as any soldier in real life is. When your character is hurt, they sound like they're hurt. They're panicking and screaming in pain, and are freaking out when they see their blood or have a limb broken. And even when they're shouting "sweet liberty, my arm!" it sounds genuine. Also, it sounds like they're in a helmet, which is a good touch. Even some of the more ridiculous weapons, like the shoulder mounted autocannon, still look and feel realistic. Would that work in real life? Probably not, given the massive shockwave that would come from having a weapon meant for firing at ship hulls firing right next to your head, and the resulting injuries. But, it feels like a weapon that a military who didn't care much about the well being of their soldiers would give them. Not that the soldiers care in helldivers, they've all drank gallons of the kool-aid that super earth is giving them. But it all adds to the satire, everyone is serious, even though the whole concept is ridiculous. It's realistic people and things fighting for and being used for a ridiculous purpose. It's the world propaganda promises, actually realized. Which anyone in real life would find absurd, but that's the point.

[@TheRyleeFella]

5:50 I get a similar feeling to this when on a planet with the smoke things that puff smoke when they get stepped on. I'm sitting on an objective and hear the puff of smoke to my side. I cant see the enemies but I know something had to trigger the smoke. I check my radar and there's a whole horde I never would've seen.

[@benjyss8594]

You forgot to mention that the FTL system they use is called the "Alcubierre Drive," something that NASA has designed as realistically plausible

[@asArsenic]

You touch on what makes this work so well: Sincerity. From the ridiculous ship-names that someone in-universe probably thinks are really cool and inspiring. To the helldivers blurting out voice-lines they probably picked up from movies or propaganda they watched shortly before making the worst decision in their lives. It's all presented with complete sincerity, never once do they shy away from looking silly.

[@headphonesaxolotl]

Look, just because someone called themselves "Star of the Stars" or something doesn't mean all names are dumb. I think "Leviathan of Honor" is a metal name. (this is a joke)

[@arekkubiak5957]

You managed to put into words the exact feelings the game emanates which I wasn't able to express myself, thank you!

[@samsonchan7496]

Great vid, LOVE the game and super love the Super Destroyer aesthetic! Esp when you had it outside the blackhole that defo isn't making weird noises... Not affiliated, but in the same vein if you wanna know more about the guns of HD2 there's a series of YT vids from gamespot called "Firearms Expert Reacts To Helldivers 2’s Guns" that uses fellow Brit who is err a firearm expert and talks about the guns of HD2

[@akiathered]

A well stated video on why one my favorite recent games is my favorite. Thank you.

[@CheeseDanish85]

Hoojiwana, that bottom "stabilizer" on the Eagle, isn't. It's extra space and hardpoints for carrying Freedom Seeds (bombs).

[@mattheww1930]

I think everyone's mentioned it but the satire is exactly what makes the game great. Add to that the fact that the community also actively helps in forming the lore of the war and you have something that makes sense for everyone.

[@ProphetOfSarge]

HellDivers 2 has a less wacky but still amazing mix of stuff. It’s like an EDF game that took itself about 30% more seriously

[@CorruptionManX]

I would say 60%

[@jack727dave5]

Maybe 40%

[@cbordagesg2]

I really enjoy the stategic part of the super destroyer. Like in most games, a 4 man squad wouldn't realistically be able to pull off these missions. However, the constant support would make it possible. The only thing I would like to see is an escort ship being added for aesthetic and function

[@safebox36]

The VR helmets aren't too out there either, the UK-Italy-Japan initiative for a new 6th generation fighter jet is planning to have a VR-AR hybrid display within its helmet so that the pilot can look around the cockpit windows without needing to look down constantly to check their instruments.

[@commissarfox]

One of the reasons I think the one-liners from the Helldivers themselves work so well is because they don't feel canned, they feel like the culmination of centuries of growing up on propaganda hero-worship films about the very thing they're doing now. Emulating what they saw and heard that motivated them to join the Helldivers. It feels like the ones getting authentic wish fullfilment are the very (airborne marine rangers) infantrymen you yourself are playing. It's neat.

[@reganator5000]

I think part of taking itself seriously is the ways in which they are comedy space-fascists. The system of government being 'managed democracy' makes it very obvious that when they shout about liberty and democracy they're probably not talking about the same thing as us, but they sound close enough to seem realistic. The capes as well are impractical but look cool, and also match into historical bad guys of the same persuasion. That and there's a lot of physical comedy in the, well, physics. You don't have to depict the actual Helldivers as being comedic fools when permanent friendly fire means your squad always will be hillariously poorly co-ordinated to the point of repeated, violent death. Helldivers look like poorly trained cannon fodder because it's funny for the player to occasionally shoot a hellbomb 3 feet away from a friend, or dive face first off a cliff. You can play the scenario completely straight, and the after-action report would still look like they were deploying unprepared idiots.

[@Tyrranis]

Don't forget the slapstick-like comedy of accidentally calling an orbital barrage down on yourself because you got ragdolled before you could throw the stratagem ball.

[@unimportant719]

I mean Super Earth is a technocracy which is why is so fitting for a sci fi setting since is seen as very Futuristic Way of Government Like Super Earth is far Closer to the Tau’s society rather than WW2 bad guys Which makes the world work better

[@graveyardshift6691]

The opening report sequence about Helldiver preparedness lampshades that spectacularly. While an overwhelming majority of the Helldiver Canidates are 96% Patriotic enough to be trusted, only 23ish% are actually capable of the duties of a Helldiver. Which oddly reflects the actual player base...

[@bluephoenix7565]

​@@graveyardshift6691as part of the 23%... Yea.

[@skaianDestiny]

During the Jet Brigade's assault I accidentally toasted my friends twice when they walked into my Scythe/Laser Cannon's beam for 0.2 seconds and instantly ignited. It was very funny.

[@SlimeyZockt]

I love the detail of "Helldivers were harmed during the making of this video, may their sacrifice not be in vain" theme at the start. Nice spin

[@be-noble3393]

Sweet Liberty, Radiators!

[@submachinegun5737]

You know what else has radiators? All the bots! Their non-head weak points are often glowing copper heat pipes to radiate excess heat from their systems

[@shatara42]

@@submachinegun5737 You can even see their small arms venting heat between bursts.

[@Chronohome]

Setting the correct mood in the first 5 seconds. That's a new Spacedock record!

[@plumdowner1941]

5:00 Some revolvers actually do fire from the bottom.

[@GuyWithAHat]

If you look at the hammer of the revolver, it's seated to where it fires the top round, I think the point of the image was stating that the barrel can't be on the bottom when the hammer is on top.

[@mystery_exe]

Not only that, but the depicted Revolver looks almost 100% identical to a rhino revolver (which fires from the bottom) including the hammer placement. And as if that wasn't enough there actually is a bottom firing revolver in Helldivers 2.

[@StacheMan26]

Also, if you look closely, you can see where the rear of the barrel protrudes from the frame and while it is on the bottom, it is just a bit too low to be aligned with the bottom most chamber.

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

@@GuyWithAHat in the revolvers that fire from the bottom chamber the hammer is extended, and it has an external spur that allows the shooter to cock it for single-action.

[@mittensfastpaw]

Ya, this game is just a bundle of well designed fun and I appreciate all of that effort.

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

With most Sci-Fi LASER weapons, they do have Lenses on them, we can't see them however because they are hidden by protective shrouds (tubes) that prevent the Lens from being scratched, broken or fouled by rough handling of the weapon in the environment as the Solder runs, fights and otherwise moves through the terrain... Having a huge glass disk plastered on the front of your gun (as shown at 5:33) is just begging for the Demon Murphy to stick his nose in and ruin the rest of your (now VERY short) life by rendering your gun worthless...not to mention the light reflecting from it revealing your position to the enemy when you're trying to sneak around... 😄😁😆😅😂🤣

[@Betrix5060]

Depending on what the lens is made of firing the laser will be sufficient to clear the lens of all but the most extreme dirt. Shrouds can work but the problem is the shroud can’t be smaller than the lens, and the lens should be as big as possible.

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

@@Betrix5060 Yes the beam can clear the Lens of dirt & contaminants, however, that will risk distorting and/or damaging the Lens because the beam will burn the material off the surface and the heat can damage the Lens requiring it to be replaced... and the shroud while needing to be the same diameter as the lens can be long enough to protect the lens from fouling or reflections and Pistol and Rifle Lenses can't be that large due to weight/bulk restrictions...Soldiers equipment needs to be as light and compact as possible...

[@Betrix5060]

@@HappilyHomicidalHooligan That's why I specified it depends on what the lens is made of. You need the outermost layer to be entirely transparent on the relevant wavelengths and exceptionally heat resistant. From what I can tell this actually is possible, though it wouldn't be cheap. Likely a layer of diamond, or some fantasy material. And your point about the shroud is what I was getting at myself, it would have to be both wide and long to function and that would cripple ergonomics.

[@2Potates]

As an energy weapons nerd it's good to see a game that does laser weapons authentically.

[@kevinzurek3431]

I love the Super Destroyers design, reminds me a lot of a UNSC Frigate.

[@VoidCorsair]

For me, Helldivers 2 is always a unique experience. I wanted a game, where you and few of your friends fight against hoards of enemies. Helldivers 2 does that just perfectly. Almost every moment when i play it is something that looks like from a movie

[@reneantoniorodriguezippoli7561]

I would say that another thing that HELLDIVERS does well is that we are genuinely special forces of the army that fulfill a purpose within the SEAF army. Just think how our main objective is not to kill or occupy enemy territory but to fulfill key objectives that require the interaction of a person, in a very summarized way most objectives are about destroying enemy logistics, taking key resources and securing key structures (for example nuclear missile silos) There is a 100% probability that we are saving blood, sweat and tears for the SEAF when they see the enemy lose their logistics or whatever the HELLDIVERS do to limit their forces

[@lucaballarati9694]

Something a lot of people don't know is that is things can be both funny and serious.

[@ProvingUser]

The bits on the back of the destroyers, the kinda finds ish things? The anglee bits, i think thats the ftl drive bits. Since they use an Alcubierre drive, and for it to work, it would need somethig external and surounding the ship.

[@jetrexdesign]

Great breakdown of great designs.

[@ToawstTheToast]

I know it’s not in your usual topics but I think it’d be really interesting to see you talk about supernatural parts of the genre.

[@GrandSupremeDaddyo]

I'd like that. Maybe something about how to fit fantasy into sci-fi without compromising the sci-fi.

[@SeedemFeedemRobots]

i dont see the Helldivers as "disposable" because "lol throw them out there" as so much as the very nature of their missions is something that incurs such high casualty rates that they kind of have to be, as it selects for hot-blooded and fanatical soldiers who are aware of their odds. a kind of rapid response shock troop as it is established that the Helldiver corps are not the main army as it the SEAF. also the amount of carnage even a single Helldiver has with their SD support makes them honesty very efficient per diver spent. what i like is how reloading is done in stages that can be interrupted but not reset, like new mag is in bot not fully reloaded until the charging handle is pulled. the Punisher Plasma gun is a pretty wacky design, i just think the Punisher's frame is hollowed out to carry completely different components inside it. Also i really wish for alternative cape wearing forms, like the more tutonic style over side of shoulder. capes clearly are an important part of Helldiver culture and their Espirt de corps but having capes worn differently can add so much more dimensions to different "sects" of Helldiver culture. As far as satirical elements goes, i feel like it gives me a bit more of that 2000AD energy with the likes of the Judge Dredd universe which i always thought does satire FAR better then 40k, which wants to take itself too serious despite also claiming its trying to be a satire (grimdark poisoned tryhards).

[@BattleUnit3]

Many Helldivers die doing anything. I asked them to bring me a coffee from Malevon Creek. 10 million died and still no coffee

[@williamchamberlain2263]

Just can't get good service these days

[@Emanon...]

It's because the greedy suitbros didn't have a say on the game itself and left it to the people that are passionate about their art. Here's a basic tip: Quality gaming & reputation > Quarterly earning report

[@LisSolitudinous]

Pelican reminds me of UD-12 Shepherd from Battlefield 2142. Love these two

[@JerichoYeet]

How Eagle-1 pilot could get into her STO-striker spacecraft is either two things. One: The ship crew will turn off gravity so Eagle-1 can enter her STO-striker by via zero-Gs. Or Two: She's incased into the ship's cockpit and can not leave until she parishes or shot down in combat. I'll take the former since its more family-friendly explanation. Just like how all Helldivers are clones but not the same as Star Wars Clones. But, rather your original body kept in a safe place and your subconscious is transfered into the Helldiver's clone body :D

[@headphonesaxolotl]

Canonically, Helldivers aren't clones. But I believe that if you choose to use the same voice/body type, cloning does kind of justify that (since "random body/voice/skin color" is the default setting.)

[@thierrygrise254]

Oh, as far as I am aware, the respawning of Helldivers isn't that family-friendly: Your character actually dies. Respawning is calling another person to fight. That's why the default voice is random, and why the skin color is random on the viper commando armors

[@bobbyweinberg7543]

Spacedock festuring robinswords is something i never expected, and now i want more of it

[@Jacob-pu4zj]

5:01 *cough* Chiappa Rhino

[@KingreX32]

I gotta play this one of these days.

[@Ironislander4302]

Become a Hero, Become a Legend, Become, a Helldiver!

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

Even on my mediocre PC, every battle feels like a cinematic masterpiece.

[@ecyor0]

It's honestly a pretty good "play for an hour in the evening" kind of game, even in solo.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

@@ecyor0 Agreed. I like playing solo while listening to audiobooks. I am currently listening to The Count of Monte Cristo while fighting bots.

[@KingreX32]

@@ecyor0 is it available for ps4

[@wilemelliott]

Note on the revolver you had a diagram of with the low bore/high hammer. Those exist. Look up the Mateba Unica 6 and the Chiappa Rhino. I own one of the latter..internally they're a little "different" but they work

[@idontwanttoputmyname403]

One thing I like is that the Super Destroyers…aren’t. But they ARE another class of ship that actually makes sense for how they get used. They’re basically Monitors. Their weapons are primarily for bombarding planets (shore bombardment) and they have lightweight armor since they generally don’t take return fire. They just go where they’re needed to dump fire onto a planet.

[@lordwintertown8284]

G'day SD, The one drawback on the ships are there's no point defend weaponry on the upper hull or on the sides. If the automotons somehow end up in upper atmosphere with the destroyer, the crew would've to turn the ships onto their side so as to unsheath the armament towards the foes. If the ships were a tad longer I could honestly see some levels as defending against boarding actions with objects to save crew & defend vital engineering spaces & with failure to do so results in stratagems not being as effective or not operational in next surface battles.

[@patriciusvunkempen102]

there was a german mach1.5 transport from the cold war era that had actualy downward facing jets for vertical takeoff capabilitys that's not unrealistic, sadly the cold war ended and we never got our faster than sound german troops transport airships

[@MidanMagistrate]

One of my favorite examples of the Satire vs Seriousness of Helldivers is the difference in how Eagle 1, the Democracy Officer, speak to you during missions vs how the Command guy speaks. Eagle 1 is a smooth talking pilot, the Democracy Officer is a proud figure of authority that speaks like he makes propaganda himself, but the Command guy speaks very urgently. "All Helldivers are to enter the extraction radius!" or "Super Destroyers departing, beginning extraction!" Like, he speaks without the usual zeal and satire of the other characters. There's almost always a sense of urgency and seriousness in his voice during missions.

[@thomasp506]

I think the Eagle is the shape it is as a reference to Star Wars. It's a bit of a cross between an X-wing and an A-10 Warthog, and it also has the three folding wing design of Imperial shuttles. Real naval aircraft having folding wings too though, so it's probably a mix.

[@GoofballPaul]

5:28 your comment about lenses on laser weapons intrigues me. Do you have a video that ellaborates on this? Are the lenses good? Bad? Realistic? I can't imagine why a laser would really need a lens. :o

[@beckettshaw660]

At a guess, lasers in real life are light being focused, a lense would help to focus to the light so it’s cool to be visits

[@acidfang1720]

Waiting for the day where Spacedock makes a video on Artillery/Marksman/Sniper ships [Space ships which relies on sitting across the entire battlefield taking pot shots with ridiculously powerful long range weapons (no missiles don't count) for massive damage]. Star Conflict [Yes that old game] actually has a good niche idea for this class of ships with the help of a module called "Shinobi" that teleports you backwards a set distance away so If you get caught off-guard in a close range engagement you can just nope the hell out If you didn't feel like wanting to deal with said problem.

[@Fantastic_Mr_Fox]

The super destroyer actually orbits 1km away from the ground iirc. Look in the wiki it says that somewhere. So not space yet xD

[@jonathankydd1816]

i believe that is only during missions.

[@headphonesaxolotl]

@@jonathankydd1816 Yep. The destroyer probably descends after the Divers deploy, which is also why reinforcing would take much shorter than the initial loading/dive. Good gameplay/story integration.

[@morelstrike]

@@headphonesaxolotl And why it only stays there for maximum of 40 minutes, it's too dangerous to be in range of even flying bugs or bot anti capital ship batteries who probably try to target them after they rapidly descended from orbit. We gotta remember that Super Destroyers are extremely fast, both in FTL and out of it.

[@Betrix5060]

They say it’s low orbit though so something weird is going on with them hovering a km above you in the game.

[@morelstrike]

@@Betrix5060 Tbh, I only saw the Super Destroyer being so low in the training grounds, during normal missions I think it is smaller.

[@theamiralgarner]

I will make sure your democratic officer heard about your video and you get the super credit you deserve. Remember to spread managed democracy

[@gadzilla6664]

Great video. Now do 40k. Personal favorites? Repulsive Class Grand Cruiser: Sleek, actual has radiator fins, pride of the Traitor Legions. Dreadclaws: Because Traitor Legionaries know how to do functional boarding actions. Yes, I'm a filthy Heretic. AVE DOMINUS NOX!!

[@Marconius6]

One of my favorite things is you can actually see the destroyers in low orbit above you during missions; and the orbital strategems are actually fired from the guns!

[@dadbear5316]

I had a dream a few years ago about what I thought was the perfect insertion aircraft, and the pelican is exactly what I saw

[@Certago]

Beautifully designed game that is paying crazy attention to all the details.

[@j.j.410]

Battlezone intro theme holy crap XD that was a throwback XD

[@pierceplaysstudios245]

Im making a sci-fi military universe, and the Helldivers aesthetics is very similar to what I'm going for. Relatively sleek and clean with that sci-fi look, but also the realism feel and vibe, too

[@Fantastic_Mr_Fox]

'Sleek' not 'sleak' 😉

[@pierceplaysstudios245]

@Fantastic_Mr_Fox didn't notice that, thanks

[@mystery_exe]

Does it have a name/any content yet?

[@pierceplaysstudios245]

@mystery_exe I'm currently writing the first book. The name for now is War and Diplomacy but I'm not sure about it

[@mnxs]

​@@pierceplaysstudios245That sounds like a Dostoevsky novel, and I don't mean that in a good way at all. With that title, I'd expect something rather dull, and possibly obnoxiously self-important. Even for non-fiction, it'd be a bit much (unless it was _really_ good). I'm assuming the book deals heavily in the topics of, well, war and diplomacy, but I think you should keep that as a working title and come up with something more specific to your story; with that title, it sounds like you're writing a thesis, the end-all be-all treatment of the subject.

[@DrlftySwlfty]

The Pelican has 8 engines. But where does the fuel go to keep them all working? 💀

[@unimportant719]

The Wings probably After all the Pellicans are deployed only on request They don’t need to be flying for long periods of time

[@negative6442]

Good point about the game taking itself seriously, even with the funny voice lines. Nothing quite like getting hit with a rocket and going "ah fuck" while my diver screams "SWEET LIBERTY SAVE MEEE!"

[@frankharr9466]

That's pretty neat. Thank you sharing.

[@poprocket2342]

Helldivers is a work of art. It somehow manages to feel both like a piece of it's own propaganda and then a realistic view of the experience of a helldiver, often in the same mission. You get the super macho power fantasy "super earth is great" and then the enemy numbers will keep increasing, your ammo will start to run out and your guns will feel like they're not doing enough to the really big enemies and suddenly youll realise how small and squishy you are

[@grey-1206]

You should look at the fully upgraded version of the ship. It actually adds new things like more cannons and such in the front

[@Fireheart318]

4:58 Some people in Destiny have the ability to mess with the rules of cause & effect, like being able to go up and not come down, or shoot four bullets and get two back. This ISN’T one of them! It’s shown multiple times that most weapons in Destiny are just normal weapons, and it’s implied that guardians somehow give weapons their “paracausal” abilities via a separate mechanism. If they wanted, a guardian could probably ignore traditional reloading and just teleport ammunition from their backpack into the chamber of their weapon, scavenge it from surrounding materials, or even just generate it from thin air! In fact, that’s exactly what certain weapon perks do! Additionally, Omolon weapons shoot liquid ammunition, which removes the need to feed ammo in a straight line. The same thing goes for energy/laser weapons. There are no words to describe how annoying it is that Bungie has MULTIPLE excuses that could allow them to make weird designs that still make sense in-universe, and yet they STILL find a way to mess up in every way possible by sheer laziness!

[@TH3SHUR1F]

6:22 Should’ve shown the full clip with the tank slowly rounding the corner. 😆

[@mechmain]

Man, we needs to see an overview of the automaton weapons and vehicles!

[@sylak2112]

Because guns on ships are like cowbell bell to music, always need MORE!

[@niliq]

The Eagle design actually makes more sense the more you think about it; the downward-facing stabilizer would work just as well as an upward-facing one, we just don't do that on modern planes because they have to take off from runways and you probably don't want the thing that you steer with scraping along the ground. So then why not just have the Eagle dock upside-down? After all its in zero-G once it gets into orbit so there's no reason it couldn'r. But the bombs have to go on the bottom because of gravity, so having it dock the way it does leaves more room for more boom.

[@temperspace]

My favourite armours descriptions goes like "tested against 4km of fencing without losing efficiency"