User blog:Willbachbakal/Singleplayer Weapons: Camera

Back! As promised, the final singleplayer weapon blog post. This one will focus on the most original of the weapons in BioShock: the Camera. It's arguably the most useful weapon in the player's arsenal, allowing you to unlock powerful bonuses as you progress. However, it has two main pitfalls: on one hand, it's not actually a weapon, and only has one use. The second is that, once you've fully researched every enemy in the game, the Camera simply takes up space in your inventory, and no longer serves a purpose. Basically, it's a one-trick pony. For it to be a genuine part of the player's arsenal it would have to become more than just a simple research tool.

Description

 * Clip Size: One round.
 * Ammo Carry Capacity: ∞/∞/50

To keep with the times the Camera would look more modern, adn slightly more compact. Research works like in BioShock 2, but with a few differences: for instance, you'd gain a hefty research bonus when hacking Security Devices, so you don't have to destroy them. Also, you'd be able to research Little Sisters: instead of getting points for damaging them, you increase your score by focusing your Camera as much as possible on her (you don't gain much when not in combat, though).

Ammo Types

 * Recorder: The Camera's primary mode, used for researching enemies. See above for proposed changes.
 * Control Panel: Secondary mode for the Camera. Accessing it opens up a map of the level, and allows you to assume direct control of a friendly Turret or Security Camera within the level. When controlling the device its speed, health and damage output are increased, and it heals over time.
 * Film: Inventable ammo for the Camera. Works like the Research Camera in the first BioShock, but doesn't pause the game after taking the snapshot. Also, instead of granting you a research bonus, taking an enemy's picture assigns them a random debuff which will grant you a permanent advantage over them in combat. You can only apply a single debuff to any given enemy. The debuffs are as follows (Debuffs in red are exclusive to Splicers, those in blue are exclusive to machines and those in green can only occur on armored enemies):
 *  Weak Ankles : Shooting the Splicer's legs cripples them, reducing their movement speed and jump power.
 *  Brittle Arms : Shooting the Splicer's arms permanently reduces their accuracy, and severely diminishes the damage from their melee attacks.
 *  Fractured Cranium : Shooting the Splicer in the head deals additional critical damage.
 *  Processor Lag : The targeted Security Device has its reaction time delayed.
 *  Short-Circuit : The targeted Security Device occasionally deactivates for half a second before rebooting when in combat.
 *  Exposed Panel : The targeted Security Device is much easier to hack.
 *  Traumatized : The targeted armored enemy is more vulnerable to stuns: they stay stunned for longer and take extra damage while stunned.
 *  Leaky Tank : Shooting the targeted armored enemy's oxygen tank causes it to explode, dealing critical damage.
 *  Slow : The targeted armored enemy has a reduced attack rate and reaction time.
 * Flammable: The targeted enemy takes extra fire damage and stays in flames for longer when set on fire.
 * Hypothermic: The targeted enemy takes extra ice damage and stays frozen for longer.
 * Epileptic: The targeted enemy takes extra electrical damage and stays shocked for longer.
 * Sickly: The targeted enemy's maximum health is reduced.
 * Filthy Rich: The target enemy drops significantly better loot upon death (more money and ammunition, rarer U-Invent parts, etc).
 * Short-Sighted: The target enemy's accuracy is reduced.
 * Accident-Prone: The target enemy is more likely to run into traps and environmental hazards.
 * Clumsy: The target enemy is likely to accidentally deal damage to themselves from their own attacks.
 * Hits Like a Girl: The target enemy deals reduced melee damage.

Upgrades

 * Upgrade 1: Flash Bulb . Taking a snapshot or a recording will temporarily blind all nearby enemies in front of the player.
 * Upgrade 2: Protective Panel . While taking control of a machine, your body takes significantly less damage from attacks and notifies you of nearby enemies.
 * Upgrade 3: Genetic Database . Allows you to take two different snaps for each enemy, thus giving them two different debuffs.


 * Upgrade A: DNA Extractor . When in Recorder mode you are able to see enemy trails (i.e. where they went in the last few seconds). In addition, killing an enemy while researching them (even if they're fully researched) will give you back a small amount of your health and EVE proportionate to your research score.
 * Upgrade B: Adaptive Lens . Taking a snapshot of an enemy while they're performing an attack will cause said attack to backfire. In the case of an offensive ability, the enemy will inflict it on themselves, in the case of a buff (i.e. healing, invisibility, etc.) it'll cancel and the enemy won't be able to reapply it for some time. If the ability is movement-based, as is the case for the Brute's charge or the Spider Splicer's leap, then the enemy will crash (to the floor or against a wall) and take minor damage.
 * Upgrade C: Total Control . Unlocks the full potential of the Security Device you're controlling, granting you an extra ability usable by pressing the Plasmid attack button. The abilities are as follows:
 * Security Camera ability: Mugshot. Takes a snapshot of the targeted enemy, giving them a random debuff (see above).
 * Machine Gun Turret ability: Burst Fire. Temporarily doubles your Turret's fire rate.
 * RPG Turret ability: Lock-On. Locks onto an enemy, causing all of the Turret's projectiles to inerrantly home in on the target even when they're behind cover or out of firing range.
 * Flamethrower Turret ability: Napalm Bomb. Expels a glob of napalm, igniting all enemies in the projectile's blast radius and setting the target area on fire for several seconds.
 * Crossbow Turret ability: Spread Shot. Holding the Plasmid attack button allows you to select up to five different targets. Upon release, instantly and simultaneously fires a bolt at each of them.
 * Seismic Turret ability: Area Freeze. Expels sub-zero coolant from the Turret, freezing all nearby enemies. Non-armored frozen enemies caught in the Turret's shockwave will shatter instantly.
 * Hive Turret ability: Manual Override. Forces every deployed mini-Security Bot deployed by the Turret to shoot in the indicated direction at an increased fire rate.

Whew. Finally done, been writing this since yesterday. Now that I've finished my singleplayer arsenal in it's entirety, I have absolutely no idea what to do next, so just post in the comments section what you'd want me to do in my next article. I can do the Gene Tonics sections for both the singleplayer and multiplayer, elaborate on the singleplayer campaign's storyline, or even start adding content to the Co-Op section. Take your pick!

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