The Octanian Raider is a bomber aircraft that saw heavy use during the Tunguska Offensive. They are deployed from Octanian Harvester Leviathans. They appear as enemies in both Serious Sam 4 and the expansion pack, Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem.
Overview[]
The Octanian Raider is a small aircraft used by the Octanians, a race of humanoid creatures who have allied themselves with Mental's Horde. Unlike comparable Earth aircraft, the Raider is not piloted by an Octanian soldier, but by a colony of cyber-polyps.[1] The Raider is powered by two engines located on either side of the wing and the body of the aircraft is designed to be nimble and highly maneuverable, which can make it difficult for someone to shoot them down from the ground.
Due to the "pilots" not requiring training, these easy-to-produce aircraft were used en masse to establish air superiority in the early stages of planetary conquest by Mental's Horde, clearing the way for the Harvester Motherships to begin processing the population.[2][3]
Application[]
A fleet of Raiders in Rome.
Used extensively throughout the Tunguksa Offensive, Raiders were commonly deployed into heavily populated areas such as Rome or combat zones to ensure air superiority in the skies.Raiders often fly in groups of up to 5, targeting buildings or random locations and tossing bombs.
After the Alien Artifact Acquisition team succeed in grounding the Raider fleet in Italy with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Raiders are encountered a lot less frequently.[4] It's probable, though that they still remained in great numbers in France and other parts of Europe.
Appearances[]
Serious Sam 4[]
Raiders are commonly seen in large numbers in the first two levels, Death from Above and Death from Below, but are not seen again after the events that take place after Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They appear again in One for the Road where they can be seen bombing a convoy of soldiers in the countryside, and again in Vive la Résistance.
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]
Raiders are much rarer this time around, and only appear in the final level, Crime And Punishment, where dozens of them are released from a Harvester Leviathan to bomb Ustinov.
Weaponry[]
Raiders play the same role as bomber aircraft used by human forces; deploying their bombs on buildings or high-value military targets, such as armed convoys or outposts. These bombs are very destructive, capable of causing severe infrastructural damage or destroying several vehicles, such as when they attacked the Earth Defense Force convoy on their way to the Vatican.[5]
Tactics[]
- Raiders do not pose a threat to the player unless they are right next to the Raider's bomb radius when they explode.
- Their bombs can deal a lot of damage, so stay clear of Raiders when they are about to release them.
- As raiders are very fast aircraft, rapid-firing weapons such as the XL2 Lasergun or XM214-A Minigun are needed to take them down.
Behind the scenes[]
- An unused laser projectile can be found in the game files, suggesting that the raider was going to fire lasers at some point, but was scrapped before the final version's release.
Trivia[]
- Raiders behave just like the Seagull Fighter, a bomber aircraft featured in Serious Sam 2. Like Raiders, seagull fighters only target specific areas with bombs.
Gallery[]
Pre-release[]
Retail[]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam 4 (First appearance)
- Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem
References[]
- ↑ NETRICSA description
- ↑ Serious Sam 4 level: Death from Above
- ↑ Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem level: Crime And Punishment
- ↑ Serious Sam 4 level: The Die Is Cast (Bill Corwin's radio broadcast)
- ↑ Serious Sam 4 level: Death from Above (opening cutscene)
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