Z-4190 bubble shield
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Template:Weapon Template:Weapons List The Bubble Shield, otherwise known as Shield Grenade, is a United Nations Space Command defensive device.
Mechanics
On top of the device is a safety cover, which can be flipped up to expose the red activation button. After that, it emits a charging sound and upon resting on the ground for a short time, creates the shield. The shield itself is a Buckminster Fuller sphere made of tessellating hexagons. Note that the bubble-"grenade" won't necessarily rest in place on the ground once activated. In the new Halo 3 ViDoc "Is Quisnam Protero Damno!" released by Bungie.net, the bubble-shield is seen used in the Alpha-stage Halo 3 footage for multiplayer. The bubble-grenade rolls down a hill as the Spartan-II concealed in the sphere back-peddals away from an enemy.
Appearances
It was first seen in the Halo 3 "Starry Night" CGI Trailer. Since Bungie stated that all assets in the commercial were produced by them, it is safe to say this device will show up in the game. Frankie has said that the shield is ONI tech.[1]
It was seen again ingame in the Halo 3 ViDoc "Is Quisnam Protero Damno!". A player deployed it while running from BR fire. The shield successfully absorbed all projectiles and grenade explosions fired.
This "object" is one of the few other deployable things, next to the Trip Mine and a Portable Grav Lift.
Tactics
- A Bubble Shield can be deployed to absorb any weapon's projectiles and grenades.
- Be careful though, the more powerful the enemies weapon is, the less time the shield will stay active.
Speculation
When the staff of EGM magazine played a Halo 3 multiplayer beta, they mentioned that the "x" button had no function. One of the Bungie staff asked to another, "How many times did you press X?" and the other answered "Like 40 times, I wish this was activated." Maybe the shield is enabled by the X button.
It is speculated that with the introduction of the Spartan Laser which is a super weapon by definition, the gameplay may be one sided in multiplayer, so a super defensive option was introduced to balance the gameplay.
Frankie stated that the shield grenade is not necessarily a grenade. This could mean that you can activate it, pick it up again, wait for it to recharge and use it again. It also might have a time limit or a specific amount of damage it can take before it deactivates. It could also simply be a one-handed weapon with one use. This could also mean it doesn't blow up like a grenade would.
Considering humanity's current level of technology, it seems quite possible that as with the MJOLNIR shield system, this was created by reverse-engineering Covenant shield technology. It has been confirmed, however, that the shield grenade is human technology.
Interestingly, the shield does not actually emanate from the grenade. It comes from the Chief's armor, suggesting that the grenade is some sort of power relay or converter.
Sources
- ^ http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=765343
- ^ I can tell you that the HUD shown in the Vidoc isn’t like the one in the current build. There may be more or less items in that “grenade” bar now. It may be gone entirely.[http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?cid=9340 Et Tu Brute?! Posted by Frankie at 12/19/2006 3:01 PM PST]
