- "Looks like the filthy humans have been using something called gorilla tactics. A dishonorable strategy named after one of Earth's most vilest primates."
- ―A Commander giving a lecture to his squad[src]
The Octanian Commander is a high-ranking Octanian soldier that commands squads of Octanian Gamma Troopers. He is equipped with an energy shield to protect himself from attacks and armed with a rapid-firing weapon that fires homing rockets. They are introduced as an enemy in Serious Sam 4, and make a second appearance in Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem.
Overview[]
The Octanian Commander belongs to a race of humanoid polyp-controlled creatures originating from an unnamed planet in the system of Sigma Octantis. They have allied themselves with Mental during the Mental War as part of his goal to eradicate all knowledge from the universe.[1] Unlike many other forces in Mental's Horde, the Octanians follow a strict line of command. They are elite soldiers recruited exclusively from the ranks of the secretive Order of Octus Dei.[2] Like other Octanian soldiers, Commanders are equipped with standard-issue body armor, which provides them with moderate to substantial protection in combat. They also wear goggles and a respirator to help them survive Earth's athmospheric conditions.
Commanders are equipped with a rapid-firing weapon that has been cybernetically augmented to one of their arms. They also carry a deflective energy shield which they will deploy in combat to protect them from enemy attacks. This shield can block multiple rounds from small-arms fire but only to a certain extent. Their shield also cannot withstand explosive projectiles like grenades or rockets.
Application[]
Octanian Commanders are deployed as foot soldiers to take control of human settlements like towns and cities, and will often lead a squad of Gamma Troopers to secure the area and monitor enemy movements. They are also manned at Octanian outposts which they guard from enemy forces.
Appearances[]
Serious Sam 4[]
Octanian Commanders are fairly common enemies, but are far more outnumbered by Octanian Gamma Troopers. The first Commander is seen in the first level of the campaign, Death from Below. Here, he can be heard speaking words of encouragement to a squad of Octanian Troopers. Throughout the game, they appear few at a time as the game progresses, and then in large groups in the later levels. They are usually seen with squads of Gamma Troopers.
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]
Commanders are first encountered in A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails, and then in larger numbers during the mech segment in The Song Of The Stormbringer and later levels. A single Commander is present at the three Octanian outposts in Siberiade.
Behavior and skills[]
When confronted with a target, the Octanian Commander will deploy his shield and open fire at them. Unlike most enemies, the Commander prefers to keep his distance from the player rather than close in on them. The Commander's primary (and only) attack is firing homing rockets from his arm-mounted gun. The number of projectiles fired from his gun is dependent on his range from the target: at far range, the Commander will fire a rapid volley of rockets. At medium to close range, he will fire a smaller volley consisting of less rockets. These rockets are similar to the projectiles fired by the Beheaded Rocketeer, but are faster, twirl around in mid-air and have weak homing abilities. These rockets deal moderate damage upon contact, but can be easily be evaded by sidestepping or hiding behind cover.
When playing on Serious difficulty, the Commander will fire much more projectiles than usual and at quicker intervals.
A Commander's shield can withstand a fair amount of damage. The amount of damage the shield can withstand is indicative of its color; as the shield takes damage, it begins to turn red. It will eventually become a deeper shade of red until it shatters upon receveing more than 140 damage points. If the shield is destroyed, the Commander will immediately become vulnerable, but only for a moment, as he will eventually take out another shield if not killed in time.
Unlike other Octanian soldiers, the Commander does not have a melee attack, even if the player is within point-blank range.
Tactics[]
- When dealing with Commanders, take out any other enemies first, circle around the Commander and past his shield, then quickly finish him off before he turns around.
- This tactic is ineffective against groups, as the player will have to strafe around a single Commander to attack from the rear while leaving the player exposed to projectiles fired by other Commanders.
- The projectiles fired by the Commander can be dodged by strafing or hiding obstacles such as walls or rocks etc.
- While the Commander's projectiles don't deal very much damage (5 per rocket), they always fire a rapid amount of rockets per burst, and these rockets can quickly tear through health and armor if they are not dodged in time.
- It may be tempting to fire at the Commander's shield, but this is actually a waste of ammo. His shield is tough and can take a significant amount of rounds from small-arms fire before it can break. Therefore, it is best to use weapons that fire explosive projectiles, such as the A-24 Devastator (for large groups), pump action shotgun's grenade launcher, MK III Grenade Launcher or XPML21 Rocket Launcher. C-4 Demolition Charges also work well on flushing these enemies out if they are grouped together.
- It should be noted though, that unlike other explosives, grenades fired from the pump shotgun's grenade launcher have a slightly smaller blast radius, so it is best reserved for lone Commanders.
- When using explosive weapons against Commanders, it is best to fire at the Commander's feet or behind him rather than directly at his shield, as it may withstand the blast.
- With other enemies and on lower difficulties, Commanders should be considered a low to medium-priority threat. On higher difficulties, they should be treated as a high-priority threat and eliminated as soon as possible.
Behind the scenes[]
- Early concept designs depict Octanian soldiers, including what could be an early version of the Commander, wearing different clothing and equipped with different weapons compared to the final version.
Trivia[]
- The Octanian Commander is similar to the Riot Soldier, an enemy from Doom Eternal. Like the Commander, the Riot Soldier uses a shield in combat and is armed with a rapid-firing chaingun.
- The "Order of the Octus Dei" is a play on Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church.
Gallery[]
Artwork[]
Retail[]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam 4 (First appearance)
- Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem
References[]