Gunblades confuse me

[DJZen]

Hmmmm, good point about the shrapnel spray.... How could I have not thought of that? Anyway, I don't happen to have a good picture of Seifer's gunblade on hand.....

I'm just gonna have to explain this the way I explain everything in Final Fantasy: MAGIC.

[Big D]

This is VERY easy to overlook, but Seifer actually fires his weapon in the intro FMV - he just does it too early and avoids blowing Squall's brains out. You have to go frame-by-frame in the clip with a close-up of Seifer beginning his down-swing. He fires, and you can clearly see where the bullet and shell are expelled.

[Advent Child]

as far as i can tell when you pull the trigger there's just a light explosion. it doesn' actually SHOOT stuff.

[Big D]

A gun that's loaded with bullets but produces nothing but a useless explosion would be completely pointless. The explosion would be closer to the user's hands than to his enemy. The reason gunblades are so powerful is because they slash and shoot the enemy. Double damage - the large, blood-letting wound created by the blade, and the deep, organ-mashing hole made by the bullet. Nasty, but undoubtedly effective.

[Kimera 726]

Here are some screenshots of the duel btwn. Squall and Seifer. I had to shrink the images just so to keep the quality "ok".

[Big D]

Very nice pictures!

[Kimera 726]

thx. I actually like Seifer's design of the gunblade actually, since you don't have to reach so far up to pull the trigger. The only problem with it is that if you wanna swing in a downwards motion, it wouldn't be as effective as Squall's gunblade since the position of the wrist gives less force. Then again, it's pretty easy to grip, which is probably why Seifer only holds his Hyperstalion [sp?] with one hand.

Originally posted by Akumaou812
I now see how a gunblade is used, Kimera did you do research on this or somethin'

Actually I cosplayed Squall in 2000. :O_O: Getting the gunblade pt was hard, maybe even incorrect.

I always thought Squall's gunblade had a barrel, but it doesn't look it does in the 6th image (scroll up). Maybe it doesn't use a barrel, and the tech world of FF8 has some strange stuff. Just a theory. Still, a weapon like that wouldn't be so far fetched. I bet even I could construct one right now and get it to work.

Originally posted by Al Bhed³
Gunblades confuse me too. It's physically impossible to actually shoot one of those things. You can also imagine how hard they are to handle, at least with a bayonet you had more than one place to put your hand.

Consider the fact that Seifer actually puts his hand on the back of the blade (the part where it lengthens in a straight line). Squall does put his hand on that part too, but it's only for a split second in the opening FMV. I could get a pic of that if ya like.

So yeah, gunblades WORK.

[Big D]

Squall's gunblade is made to be used two-handed, as can be seen from the design of the handle. The handle's also not at too steep an angle to the blade, so it'd be less difficult to swing. Seifer's Hyperion, however, would be a real challenge, since it's clearly a one-handed design. The handle's almost at a right-angle to the blade... that's probably why Seifer always takes those 'roundhouse' swings with his weapon, and why he braces his free hand against the back of the blade when he parries - it's the only effective way to use it. Try holding a golf club by the head - an old one, not a light new graphite one - and you'll have some idea of what the Hyperion's like. It's only advantage over the revolver is that the gun aspect would be easier to use - bigger capacity, simpler action, better 'swing' for taking a shot.

Edit: Your new sig is freakin' hilarious, by the way.:bgl:

[Blackmage]

Hmm...intriguing topic in the end. Although, I always thought Squall's gunblade indeed had a barrel that ran the entire length of the top of the blade, as pictured in the attached picture, taken from the intro FMV. *shrug*

[Spatvark]

I remember a debate very similar to this taking place in the writing forums of FF:WA. Basically, it was decided that Gunblades do NOT fire bullets, they have explosive capsules which cause the blade to vibrate whilst in the oponent, thus causing MORE damage. I like that theory...

[S2Knight.F]

guys, recall the first battle u encountered, as it started, QUISTIS told Squall, actually u, to press"E" to touch off trigger in order to increase injury of enemies. I ever tried to do this sometimes, but the effect is not as good as i think.

anyway, gunblade is extremely awesome, i like it

[Big D]

Originally posted by Purgatory
I remember a debate very similar to this taking place in the writing forums of FF:WA. Basically, it was decided that Gunblades do NOT fire bullets, they have explosive capsules which cause the blade to vibrate whilst in the oponent, thus causing MORE damage. I like that theory...

This is a fairly absurd notion... the real-life gunblades (used for a brief time before firearms took over from swords) fired bullets into the opponent; this whole 'vibrating blade' nonsense is just ridiculous.

[Spatvark]

And they were replaced, weren't they, and as such, we can clearly deem that gunblades which fire bullets into the opponent are crap in comparison to guns. So, ask yourself, why do Squall and Seifer both use them? Because FF8 Gunblades do not fire bullets.

Of course, that's not really logic but mweh. But calling it absurd? Not really if you consider the physics of the situation.

[DJZen]

I'm tellin' ya, magic...

I'll say again that I don't have a convenient pic of the hyperion handy, so I can only speak for the revolver. The revolver clearly has no barrel. However, if it did, firing a bullet straight forward would be pointless. While the revolver has a pointed tip, it is clearly not designed for thrusting. It has a huge blade that is clearly made for slashing. Regardless of the designer's intent, Squall slashes with it.

Why does this matter? Because slashing forces the blade's end to point upwards, AWAY from the object being slashed. This would mean the barrel of the gunblade would also be pointing away, causing the bullet to go flying off into the distance. The only way for the barrel (assuming one existed) to be pointing toward the object would be to thrust with the blade, putting the end of the barrel INSIDE the enemy. I've heard jamming a gun is a good way to wreck it. Even if it didn't, Squall never thrusts with the revolver, he only slashes with it.

The way I see it, this can't NOT be explained by magic.

BTW, I'd like to see pictures of some of these original gunblades if anyone can point me to 'em.

[Big D]

In the opening FMV, there's a picture of the interior of Squall's gunblade case, including a swag of spare bullets. They're actually full bullets, too, not just blanks - clearly something does get fired out of the weapon. There's not really a barrel as such, but evidence suggests that the bullet is fired out of the chamber, just to the side of the blade. This would make it possible to shoot an enemy whilst taking a swing at them... as long as it could be timed correctly. Hence gunblades' reputation for being difficult to use.