How does a gunblade work?

An extract from the Final Fantasy VIII Ultimcia Omega:

"GUNBLADE
Combining the sword with a standard shotgun's mechanisms, the Gunblade is a unique weapon. If you pull the trigger while the bullet is "set," a strong wave of power will travel down to the edge of the blade, raising the attack power of the Gunblade. By pulling the trigger at the right time, one can release a powerful attack; however, achieving competency in usage of the Gunblade is very difficult and therefore requires a high degree of aptitude."

From the sounds of it, the bullet isn't actually fired in any way. Instead, it appears to be lodged in the barrel, so that when the trigger is pulled, the force of the bullet not being able to be fired is transfered to the blade.

Have i got this right, or am i totally on the wrong path?

that sounds a bout right, I think there's an Ultimania Translation floating around here somewhere about the gunblade

I think the one ou're talking about is the one i posted above.

So i suppose that would mean that you wouldn't have to buy any bullets for it.

Another curiousity. As well as the blade being upgraded, it appears that the barrel also gets upgraded, so that by the time you reach Lionhart, it has either a semi-auto, or an auto barrel. What difference would this make to the overall performance to the blade?

I'm an idiot, for some reason I thought that was a different quote, but yeah that was the one I was referring to.

if thats how they say it works then it works that way xD

With just a twinkle of fairy dust and a whole heap of wishing..

you might just turn gay thinking about it.

Wouldn't a bullet firing into your sword hurt your hand more than anything? Well, maybe it just fires and we don't see it

as far as i am lead to belive theres no bullets at all, just that pulling the trigger at the right time sends a shockwave down the blade causing more damage.

This happens cos of whatever happens inside the gun in order to fire a bullet is very forceful and therefore adds more force to the blade.

thats just what i can gather though from what quistis says in the game

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Originally Posted by Super Sepiroth

as far as i am lead to belive theres no bullets at all, just that pulling the trigger at the right time sends a shockwave down the blade causing more damage.

This happens cos of whatever happens inside the gun in order to fire a bullet is very forceful and therefore adds more force to the blade.

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Fair enough, but doesn't there need to be something within the barrel for the trigger to push against to create the force? Otherwise, it would just be a useless clicking sound, with nothing happening.

And where does the bullet come out once its used?

its a revolver, you flip the wheel out to the side for loading or on older versions you just spin the wheel one slot at a time and pull the casings out

     Perhaps the force from the round, when fired at the correct time, actually increases the vector of the blade- IE: when fired in mid-swing, the force from the round transfers into the motion of the blade, causing it to accelerate much more quickly and powerfully.

     This would explain the length of time spent training in the gunblade discipline to master it- it would require precise timing to enhance the attack without either diverting the strike or even completely nullifying it and incredible control to recover from it- with the force induced into the weapon it'd send most people spinning to the ground after an over-shoulder swing.

     However, unlike Irvine, Squall never has to buy ammunition for his weapon, nor do we ever see him reloading after six attacks. Maybe it's just an oversight on the part of the developers (after all, in the grand scheme of the plot and gameplay it's a pretty small detail), but it makes one wonder if the rounds are consumed upon pulling the trigger. Maybe they just need time to "recharge" after expending their force, hence the revolver cycle. However, it wouldn't really explain how the Hyperion (Seifer's) gunblade works, being an semi-automatic design.

     On that subject, assuming this theory is correct, how would a semi-auto design compare to a revolver design? I think it would be far harder to master considering the point (in my opinion, anyway) would be to fire multiple rounds in rapid succession, increasing the velocity of the blade far beyond what the revolver design could achieve. Maybe that would explain why even though Squall and Seifer are evenly matched (or close to it) in Garden, Seifer has a much harder time executing attacks with his gunblade until much further in the game.

     In any case, I'm going to be building a functioning gunblade- or as close to it as I can get without having to register it with the ATF (lol!) so it's a pretty neat coincidence that this discussion should come up as I log into EOFF. I'd like to collect as many theories and ideas as possible.

Like i said in my firs post, maybe the bullets are stuck inside the revolver, so that, although the trigger has somthing to pull against, they won't be able to come out.

or maybe it went like this..

developer1: "Omg i have such a good idea.."
developer2: "Do tell"
developer1: "Swords are cool right? And guns are cool too.."
developer2: "So..."
developer1: "So why not make a gunsword!?!"
developer2: "Thats just stupid.. i mean.. where would the bull-"
developer3: "I like it!!"
developer4: "Me too!!"
boss: "Well then, thats settled"
developer2: "But-"
boss: "No buts.. swordgun!"
developer2(under breath): "retards.."

Lol Ak, that's classic...

Anyway, I was thinking, have anybody played Devil May Cry 4 yet? Nero had a sword called "The Red Queen" and it can charge by continously pulling the valve by the handle making attacks flamed and much more powerful. Maybe the gunblade was going on a similar sloop of an idea. I mean, I know you have to pull the trigger on the gunblade every time you strike instead of just charging it like the Red Queen, but it's still sort of like charging the blade for an increased attack.

developer2: "Ok I have called everyone here because of the gunsword."
developer1: "What about it?"
developer2: "It's just stupid! The name alone-"
developer1: "How about gunblade then?"
developer3: "I agree, that much better."
developer4: "Good call, developer2"
developer2: "But thats not what i mean-"
boss: "It's settled then. It will be called the gunblade."
developer1: "I'm glad we caught it early on."
developer2: "But.." *headdesk*

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Originally Posted by Soulforge

in any case, I'm going to be building a functioning gunblade- or as close to it as I can get without having to register it with the ATF (lol!) so it's a pretty neat coincidence that this discussion should come up as I log into EOFF. I'd like to collect as many theories and ideas as possible.

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could you provide production notes as this interests me

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Originally Posted by Namelessfengir

could you provide production notes as this interests me

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For sure- hit up my deviantART account for production shots and such. I'll be posting as soon as I start work on it- as for now I'm looking over various revolver designs and drawing up plans.

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Originally Posted by jammi567

From the sounds of it, the bullet isn't actually fired in any way. Instead, it appears to be lodged in the barrel, so that when the trigger is pulled, the force of the bullet not being able to be fired is transfered to the blade.

Have i got this right, or am i totally on the wrong path?

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Thank you for the excerpt from Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania.

Your theory on how the gunblade functions sounds correct. I think it is necessary to keep in mind that the weapon was likely drafted without practicality in mind. I remember hearing complaints from the fan community several years ago about how unseemly the gunblade and blaster edge are.

ok i realize this is about the gunblade... but has anyone figured out the exact time to hit the trigger for quistis, rinoa, zell, selphie and the sniper character you get later in the game???

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Originally Posted by Vaan1980

ok i realize this is about the gunblade... but has anyone figured out the exact time to hit the trigger for quistis, rinoa, zell, selphie and the sniper character you get later in the game???

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Hitting the trigger does nothing for them. It only works for Squall and Seifer. Period.

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

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Originally Posted by Vaan1980

ok i realize this is about the gunblade... but has anyone figured out the exact time to hit the trigger for quistis, rinoa, zell, selphie and the sniper character you get later in the game???

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Hitting the trigger does nothing for them. It only works for Squall and Seifer. Period.

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if you dont know irvine's name, then you shouldnt post in this forum.

Gunblades have a gun-like handle which contains a firing mechanism but are not considered projectile as the firing mechanism only makes the blade vibrate causing extra damage, and does not fire any actual shells.

Of course, you could make a gun blade that can actually shoot, such as Yazoo from Advent children, but it doesn't work the same, that's literally a gun, and a blade.

THE JACKEL

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Originally Posted by Aerith's Knight

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

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Originally Posted by Vaan1980

ok i realize this is about the gunblade... but has anyone figured out the exact time to hit the trigger for quistis, rinoa, zell, selphie and the sniper character you get later in the game???

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Hitting the trigger does nothing for them. It only works for Squall and Seifer. Period.

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if you dont know irvine's name, then you shouldnt post in this forum.

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give me a break it's been several years since i've played FFVIII and i haven't gotten to the point where he joins back up with you....

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Originally Posted by Aerith's Knight

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

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Originally Posted by Vaan1980

ok i realize this is about the gunblade... but has anyone figured out the exact time to hit the trigger for quistis, rinoa, zell, selphie and the sniper character you get later in the game???

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Hitting the trigger does nothing for them. It only works for Squall and Seifer. Period.

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if you dont know irvine's name, then you shouldnt post in this forum.

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If half of your posts are going to be spam or something "Funny", then you shouldn't post in this forum. :thumb:

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Originally Posted by Raebus

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Originally Posted by Aerith's Knight

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

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Originally Posted by Vaan1980

ok i realize this is about the gunblade... but has anyone figured out the exact time to hit the trigger for quistis, rinoa, zell, selphie and the sniper character you get later in the game???

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Hitting the trigger does nothing for them. It only works for Squall and Seifer. Period.

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if you dont know irvine's name, then you shouldnt post in this forum.

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If half of your posts are going to be spam or something "Funny", then you shouldn't post in this forum. :thumb:

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lol and what would that comment be xD

without spam, this forum wouldve died a long time ago. :)

and yes, i count FE's theories as spam.

and for this topic as well.. how does it work? Its a freaking video game filled with magic, for all we know faeries are stored in the bullet chambers. xD

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Originally Posted by Aerith's Knight

and for this topic as well.. how does it work? Its a freaking video game filled with magic, for all we know faeries are stored in the bullet chambers. xD

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My thoughts exactly. Once a video game world strays in any aspect from the realities ans laws of magic and physics in our world, one shouldn't expect any aspect of that game world to be explained with the realities of our world.

There is a reason it's called fiction.

I always assumed that the gunblade would act like a normal sword, but if you pulled the trigger as you were landing the blow, it would shoot a bullet as you brought the sword down and thus increase the damage as it were.

this is what i think. a gunblade is a lot like the vibroblade from star wars. when you pull the trigger of the gunblade, bullets filled with kinetic energy emit the energy into the blade, causing it to vibrate extremely fast thus making cutting things easier. for those who wish to argue about the bullets and reloading this i how it works. when ever squall swings his gunblade the kinetic energy he creates fills any empty shells in the cylinder.

mind you this is only an idea of how it works.

Squall's Gunblade case has spots for three bullets iirc. Which means he doesn't consume them, but may need to replace after continuous use. So the shockwave theory is the one I support.

Alternatively, it may have been a gun converted to a gunblade somehow, and they decided to keep the barrel. It could even be purely aesthetic, to increase sales! You never know. :p

Also, for reference (and I know the posts are old and that this thread has been bumped but it's interesting so I'm allowing it), nobody outside of staff can tell someone they can/can't post in a forum. Also, anyone who doesn't know the Irvine's name is still welcome to post in this forum so long as they follow the rules. Saying otherwise is just silly. :p

I know i'm just the guy who can't spell Sephiroth right, but why are you talking about supporting theories about the weapon? Its not like quistis is going to lie to you about how it works. Just start the game and read what she has to say. You'll get your ansewers

SS Out

She's very vague in her description, so there's a lot of room for people to theorise. Besides, creating theories is fun in itself. :D

The gunblade was conceived by Tetsuya Nomura, a man who freely admits that his creative process intentionally disregards practicality and feasibility, because those things aren't cool.

The Gunblade is possible. There are verities around Cold War, and either bicentennial or industrial revolution eras. With Gun chambers within stationary knife/saber handles. Just this gunblade pushes the concept, but ultimately, is similar to a long barreled pistol.

when it comes to nomura its best not to ask questions, cause you may find an answer.

A quote from my rant in an FF7 thread: When you offer no explanation for anything, then it is indeed "just a game." But when you start explaining things, you're audience starts to form questions. Your explanations have to answer those questions.
This leaves the gunblade open to theory and conjecture because it is given not only a history but a partial explanation of its function.

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Originally Posted by Flying Mullet

Once a video game world strays in any aspect from the realities and laws of magic and physics in our world, one shouldn't expect any aspect of that game world to be explained with the realities of our world.

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The laws and physics of our world may not openly apply, but they can be theoretically applied to allow us better understanding of the world within the game.

Personally, I think whomever said it was right "The barrel is an aesthetic detail." The barrel on Squall's gunblade represents his personality (like the lone gunman with a pistol), just as Seifer's gunblade represents his personality (like a maniac with an uzi).

If that's not sufficient explanation then here's this: the barrel's are loaded with magical Ether Bullets, which must be given time to recharge. There. Happy?

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Originally Posted by Necronopticous

The gunblade was conceived by Tetsuya Nomura, a man who freely admits that his creative process intentionally disregards practicality and feasibility, because those things aren't cool.

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Actually, when you create things with disregard of physical practicality, you actually open doors which were previously not even known to exist. For all we know, the gunblade could be the defining weapon of World War III.

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Originally Posted by Zechs

The Gunblade is possible. There are verities around Cold War, and either bicentennial or industrial revolution eras. With Gun chambers within stationary knife/saber handles. Just this gunblade pushes the concept, but ultimately, is similar to a long barreled pistol.

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Any rifle with a bayonet can become a gunblade in the hands of the right handler.

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Originally Posted by jammi567

I think the one ou're talking about is the one i posted above.

So i suppose that would mean that you wouldn't have to buy any bullets for it.

Another curiousity. As well as the blade being upgraded, it appears that the barrel also gets upgraded, so that by the time you reach Lionhart, it has either a semi-auto, or an auto barrel. What difference would this make to the overall performance to the blade?

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Well if it WAS full automatic the result would be far more pulses instead of just one and in theory would make it stronger?