Motorized Patriot

"The MOTORIZED PATRIOT is a testament to the technical prowess and power of Columbia."

- Fink Manufacturing advertisement ""My aim is true, for my eye is the Prophet's!""

- Motorized Patriot battle quote



The Motorized Patriot is an automaton built in Columbia to the likeness of a major figure in American history, and is a part of the "Heavy Hitters" class of enemies in BioShock Infinite.

Overview
The Motorized Patriots were originally built to be tour guides for the city of Columbia, representing the clear system of beliefs of The Founders. With the war between factions, they were reprogrammed by different factions to be destructive foes. Donning American flags with its ruined presidential facade and shouting propaganda, this clockwork enemy is unwavering and brutal. Ken Levine, co-founder of Irrational Games says, "Unlike most of the enemies, he's completely fearless. He doesn't have a sense of self-preservation, so he'll just keep coming at you and coming at you." As the player deals damage to the Motorized Patriot, the porcelain-like rubber Washington mask will fall off, revealing the skeleton-like metal and wooden frame behind the mask.

The player first encounters the Motorized Patriots in a non-combat situation within the Hall of Heroes, similar to the Hall of Presidents in Disney World. Later on the player will be forced to fight them. Unlike other enemies encountered in the game, the Motorized Patriots lack a self-preservation instinct, so they never seek cover under the player's fire. They also tend to be slow turning, giving the player the advantage of being able to outmaneuver and outflank them. The Patriots all share the same vulnerability, which is the protruding gears in their backs. However, despite their seemingly slow and cumbersome appearance, the Motorized Patriots are well equipped to fight on or against enemies on the Sky-Lines. After taking some damage, the Motorized Patriots will charge if Booker is within a certain distance and deliver a melee attack.

The Motorized Patriot has four varieties of its skin: a cracked porcelain George Washington mask; a rubber Benjamin Franklin mask; an Abraham Lincoln devil mask with a complete change of clothing used by the Vox Populi; and the final representing Zachary Comstock in a Confederate-style dress uniform. Beyond these, George Washington variants can be brought through tears. These friendly Patriots have green lights instead of red, and fly normal American flags in place of Columbian ones.

Behavior
The developers simply defined the Motorized Patriot as "completely fearless" and "will keep coming". In-game, the Motorized Patriot is exactly that, choosing to relentlessly charge forward with its pepper-mill blazing rather than attempting to take cover, stopping only to reload its gun. If attacked from up close, it will attempt to bash its assailent  with its pepper-mill, throwing them back several feet. When firing, the Motorized Patriot's speed is slowed down to a sluggish walk, but when it stops firing (such as when Booker is out of sight or behind cover), it picks up the pace and sprints forward with loud, metallic stomps. Despite its mass and lack of grace, the Motorzied Patriot can also leap over gaps and small barriers.

Weapon
The Motorized Patriot features a new heavy weapon, the Pepper-Mill gatling gun known simply as the Crankgun in-game. The Pepper-Mill is usable by the player character, Booker DeWitt, though, outside of rare environment tears, they are only be found on the Motorized Patriot. It can carry 200 rounds, and has 100 bullets in each magazine.

Attacking

 * The Lord judges, I act.
 * For Fatherland.
 * For the glory of Columbia!
 * Reap what you sow.
 * My aim is true, for my eye is the Prophet's.
 * Vengeance is mine sayeth the Prophet.
 * Rejoice, for death has no sting.
 * Mercy belongs to the Lord.
 * We hold these truths to be self evident.

Attacking

 * Red...is the price of liberty.
 * For Fitzroy!
 * For Daisy!
 * The revolution is at hand.
 * The false prophet will fall.
 * Our cause is just.
 * Hide because the world is no longer yours.
 * United by rage, bound by blood.

Comstock variant

 * Mercy belongs to The Lord.
 * The Lord judges, I act.
 * Reap what you sow.

When Player is hiding

 * The innocent have nothing to hide.

When Possessed

 * For family!

Seeing the Player Run

 * Why would you run if you were not guilty?

Behind the Scenes

 * As stated by Nate Wells, art Director at Irrational Games: "...I came up with this idea of this creepily, motorized- like Hall of Presidents animatronic George Washington. It was specifically the face. Specifically, this weird-like porcelain child doll's, you know, poor rendering of George Washington. That kind of clinched it".
 * Originally, the Motorized Patriot evolved from the concept of the Automatic Gentleman. The initial idea was inspired by 20th century fascination with exploring technology into the field of early robotics and complicated machinery, which Irrational Games felt that for Columbia, they would consider their scientific hive-mind imagination to create a servant for the society. As Nate Wells mentions, "There's this fantasy that people of the time wanted these automatons to do things for them. We don't start with a gun. We set the vibe first." Eventually, multiple concepts of the Motorized Patriot's appearance and its Pepper-Mill weapon were conceptualized before being finalized, such as one version had a small altered version of the Pepper-Mill attached to its torso, another had its upper torso mounted on a wheeled platform, and another version was modeled after Abraham Lincoln, bearing his signature "stovepipe" hat.
 * Ken Levine mentioned that the idea for the cracked porcelain face was a reminiscent of his mother's doll from the 1900s that was displayed in his childhood home, which disturbed him, even giving him nightmares; one where the doll flopped its head around on its own, and a follow-up dream where it killed his mom.