Latest Posts by bytewire - Page 3
Slowed down the body transfer to see all the pretty lights and effects
AL-AN constructing his robotic arms
I once again would like to acknowledge the humorous nature of AL-AN floating whenever he blinks since it isn’t intended to be closely looked at
While messing around in freecam I noticed if you freeze the game speed while AL-AN is loading into his walking animation his hind legs get really fucked up
Majestic creature spotted
Happy new years!!
Robin has introduced AL-AN to sparklers
The transition animation into this teleport that AL-AN does is… not as smooth as the others.
Slowed down view of AL-AN’s teleportation/blink ability
Hello Bytewire, I love your analysis!, and may I ask about architects planet, all what I seen/know about it is picture in ending of SBZ, and interesting, what do you think/know about their planet? ^^
Thank you! Every bit of appreciation I get motivates me to continue posting. I enjoy knowing that people find my posts useful/interesting.
Analyzing the Architect Home World.
Not much is known about the state of the Architect's home world regarding Architect settlements and life on the planet. While the buildings we see are intact, it is not definitive towards the state of the collective. If it still exists. So, instead of this being speculation about whether Architects still operate on their home world, I will go over all the information that I can gather about their planet from what we have seen. I will also use freecam to take a closer look at details you wouldn't normally be able to view.
Let's begin with what we see in the final cutscene.
As AL-AN navigates out of the Phase Gate and through the atmosphere the ship is steered through heavy storm clouds, narrowly being guided through edifices of buildings that form what appears to be a cityscape. The ship breaks through the storm and is met with a harsh sun glare before getting a fuller view of this grand Architect city sitting on an area of high elevation. There are structures much bigger than we see in 4546B, though it's hard to discern their purposes. Despite AL-AN not having been here for a millennium—there is a surprising lack of ruin. Floating buildings supported by cables haven't fallen, multiple Phase Gates are still in operation, and there is no overgrowth of any plant life. I wouldn't necessarily call it 'maintained' but it certainly isn't in a state of desecration.
Now, let's take a look at what can be seen on their home world in freecam.
It's hard to discern the surface due to all the clouds, but if you set the game speed to zero and toggle freecam we are able to see the full skybox. This reveals a lot more information than the brief image you see in the cutscene. As you can see, there are many clouds still, but towards the bottom left they part a bit, and you can see glimpses of the terrain. It is high elevation and rocky. Fitting with the description of Architect bodies being made for navigating rough terrain. Their legs described as being reminiscent of mountain goats. It makes sense that the terrain of their home planet is rocky and mountainous.
Architect buildings seem to focus on vertical structure first and foremost. Whether it be the skyscrapers, grand entrances, or floating platforms suspended by their levitation technology and supported with cables. On many of these buildings there appears to be areas where ships may be docked. Given the ability for AL-AN to integrate himself with the ship, their vessels having the 'blink' teleportation ability, and the use of phase gates, their vertical design seems to account for ability to quickly and efficiently travel between them.
There are also a few buildings you can view that you otherwise wouldn't be able to, though these structures do not differ much from the larger ones that are seen.
The high elevation, the storms we see as we first enter the home world, and the abundance of clouds may indicate a harsh environment. It's most probable that (in the location we see) it is somewhat commonplace for their home world. Architect vessels are adapted for extremes after all.
The unusual weather most likely originates from global temperatures warming due to Architect activity rather than from their star, as the planet's distance from its star seems to be similar to Earth's. This is probably what causes the large amount of clouds. This would make things pretty humid and prone to fast weather cycles.
Their buildings having no windows may be more for practicality in that sense. It'd be a lot less structurally sound in case of extreme weather events if they were to have windows.
Around this concave structure, typically hidden by another building, and here peeking through the clouds, you can see what potentially could be plant life. It appears short, like shrubs and/or small grasses. They appear to be a warmer hue. Reds and oranges rather than green like on 4546B or Earth. If these are plants, that would suggest their star produces more green and blue light that the plants absorb. Adapting to reflect the warmer hues.
The sky that we are able to see is a colder shade of blue that fades to a more purplish color as you look up. This could be due to a higher argon content in their atmosphere, or it could be due to the way the light reflects through the numerous clouds and various gasses present. As for the atmosphere itself, it's probably safe to assume that it would be breathable for humans, but with a lesser oxygen content, partly due to the elevation, partly due to the general makeup. (I wouldn't imagine AL-AN taking Robin along if he knew she would asphyxiate lol)
Next are some small, unclear details, but ones I felt worth mentioning.
There is what might be either a distant star, another planet, or a small celestial body that orbits the Architect home world. It is uncertain, but it is distinct within the top right corner of the skybox.
Looking down towards the middle there appears to be a potential body of water. Whether it is a lake or an ocean is unclear as the clouds don't part enough to see it in full.
There are more mountains behind the second phase gate in the horizon that don't appear to have any structures near them.
This concludes the main things that I noticed. Anything else would be too grand of a speculation, and I do my best to keep my posts within canon territory.
I hope that this was helpful information about their home planet! I can also cover more Architect-specific parts in another post if wanted, but I tried to focus on the planet itself while also discussing the Architect—well—architecture. Just like the rest of the info about Architects, their home world is shrouded in ambiguity.
A removed conversation between Robin and AL-AN that remains in the games audio files.
It’s a very interesting interaction, but I do see why they opted to leave it out. Though it is nice to see a longer conversation between them. Especially one where they talk out their reasonings for differing views, and one where Robin ends up expressing empathy for AL-AN.
Transcript under the cut
AL-AN: Thank you for undertaking the quest for an alternative storage medium.
Robin: I would really love it if you could stop referring to me as a storage medium.
A: Not you. Your body.
R: My body is a significant part of who I am and how I experience life.
A: It is different for us.
R: Clearly. Or you wouldn’t have been hanging out in that sanctuary waiting to hitch a ride with me.
R: How did you get in there anyway?
A: We came here in search of a cure for the Kharaa bacterium.
R: What? Thousands of years ago?
A: I do not experience time as you do, but yes, that is technically correct.
A: My body was infected before a vaccine could be developed. I uploaded my consciousness to the sanctuary for storage.
R: What happened to the others?
A: Some left, others perished. Over time my connection to them grew weaker… I cannot sense them now.
R: AL-AN… I—
[missing piece of dialogue]
R: Yes okay, but— what I was going to say was… I’m sorry.
A: …Why? You have done nothing wrong.
R: Not sorry like an apology. Sorry like I feel empathy.
A: Are all your human languages so… confusing?
R: All the ones I know are.
Body transfer scene from the old story.
Most of the animations are the same, but AL-AN does display some unique color changes and animations that aren’t seen in the final story.
He also lacks the voice filter once he has his own vessel.
Christmas with Robin and AL-AN
Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates!!!
Heres a cute short thing with Robin and AL-AN
She dressed him up, he doesn’t enjoy it
Better look at AL-AN walking after he is transfered into his vessel
Love his little head movements
i know he probably doesn't need it but it would be cute:
AL-AN big stretch
Streeeetches!
Another AL-AN sketch
He is so shaped
Closer look at the hologram AL-AN types on
Your analysis-style posts make me sooooo happy!!! I'd love to hear if you have any opinions about a few of the voicelines at the beginning of the 'hope' conversation. Specifically when Robin talks about a hypothetical where the Architects have gone through a 'system update' which is why Al-An can't hear them.
Al-Ans responding voiceline just feels/sounds so hopeless? I know its probably because Robin threw out wildly differing numbers but it still gets me a little bit. Even the fact Al-An doesn't outright refute the idea, like he could actually have gotten left behind in his 1000 year isolation, that thats a real issue he might have to face..
Thank you! Analyzing media is something I very much enjoy, and I’m glad that others are getting something out of it! Here are my thoughts on the hope dialogue.
The Hope Poem dialogue between Robin and AL-AN is one of my favorite parts of Below Zero. Not only is it an absolutely classic poem, but it is also a clear show of Robin's empathy towards AL-AN. It’s part of her realizing that he isn't just an unthinking alien; it’s part of him realizing that she isn't a lesser being. It’s what ultimately drives them to emotionally connect.
Robin, as she further explores and finds artifacts, comes to learn bits and pieces about AL-AN and Architects. Understandably frustrated with him at first, but as more details emerge, she sees that this isn't just a one-dimensional being of logic but instead a person who is isolated and in an unfamiliar situation. Someone dealing with the implications of potentially being the last of their kind.
He is part of a race so technologically advanced that death is an unusual circumstance, and even in death their memories and contributions are uploaded to the network. Their ideas live on ad infinitum. It makes sense that he wouldn't understand how to deal with being disconnected from the collective.
Robin picks up on notes of AL-AN’s unsaid distress. His expressions are subtle, but humans thrive with subtlety. He has lost the life he knew and is thrust into this completely foreign situation. Understandably, he is pessimistic about this, so when he begins to voice these complicated feelings that come with being isolated from the network for so long, she comforts him. Trying to broaden his perspective and promote optimism even if it might be illogical. To encourage him to keep looking despite the dim situation. Her stubbornness is more so perseverance above all things. The drive to keep going even if it's hard—even if it hurts.
“Call it whatever you want if it keeps you from lying down and giving up!”
The whole conversation about hope sparked because AL-AN mentioned his feelings about being unable to discern remnants of the network. Not knowing if his species is alive or dead: Not knowing how to cope with a situation so alien to him. That feeling of emptiness he experiences when not being connected to his network. Of course, in a situation so improbable, he would be hyper-focused on everything that could go wrong. Preparing for the worst outcome.
AL-AN is used to seeing things as purely logical. Relying on statistics and probability to conduct his actions. It's drilled into him through his own experiences that it is inefficient to do anything else. After all, let’s think about what happened last time he did something impulsive.
AL-AN doesn’t have a definitive answer to the fate of the collective. He has no idea what happened and is searching for any traces. Paralleling Robin’s situation with Sam. They are so entirely different but they're both looking for answers and dealing with loss. Robin, despite everything she is already going through, chooses to console AL-AN. Goes out of her way to scan artifacts and build a new vessel he can inhabit.
Existence as an individual is complicated for him. It’s stressful having to fully rely on such an unfamiliar being, one so argumentative at times. A member of a species he does not understand due to their vast differences, but one who nonetheless is comforting in a moment of vulnerability. One that absolutely does not have to, yet because their circumstances are similar, expresses empathy.
I think this sticks with him.
Hope is human. Robin sharing the poem with AL-AN is sharing herself with AL-AN—her empathy—an integral part of who she is. It is her expressing herself in a very human way. She mentioned that Sam loved that poem. She is offering to share this raw part of herself. It’s her attempt at confiding in AL-AN’s loss with her own. To express and be vulnerable with her own grief to comfort him. A small reminder to AL-AN that he is not alone in this situation. It is an unfortunate aspect of life, but what pushes one to continue on.
He may not fully understand humanity, but ultimately he tries to connect and communicate with the only person he has left. Robin is the only other sapient being he has talked to in a millennium. AL-AN adding hope to the databank is a genuine attempt at understanding her for who she is instead of just a means to an end.
Hope may just be a survival instinct, but Al-AN realizes the impact it has on him. These emotions are real; they are important. Mimicking Robin finishing Sam's work, AL-AN seeks to get closure of his own by abiding by Robin's direction to not give up. Going to his homeworld despite all the improbabilities. To see for himself the fate of his people. Because now he has someone. Even if his species did not survive, he still has a reason to keep going.
AL-AN has found hope. Robin is a string no louder than his own. Her story is now intertwined with his. She doesn’t ask of him and provides reassurance even when things seem bleakest. Throughout everything that happens, Robin certainly never gave up on Sam, and she never gives up on him either, so he won't give up on himself. It'd be illogical. He managed to survive after so much. While the future is uncertain, AL-AN chooses to continue on that path forward with her. Robin is the personification of hope for AL-AN.
“With you, I am ready to face whatever awaits.”
What's wrong with you... why are you blue?
Dialogue for scanning AL-AN before you transfer him into his vessel
Dialogue for scanning AL-AN after you transfer him into his vessel
AL-AN on the surface of sector zero
I drew AL-AN resting in a grass field :)
AL-AN doodle
