Energy Golem Targeting

[SmartyPants]

Can anyone think of a technological explanation to why energy golems targeting in limited to four directions?

[Chocobo_Fan]

Because Craig could not (or didn't want to) implement a diagonal shot feature?

[SmartyPants]

Well, duh!  I looking for a non-game mechanic explanation.

[Steelfist]

A tough question.

I would suppose the reason be a matter of processing; presumably an energy golem brain is essentially a computer (Suggested by Dorgon's dialogue), and is fairly basic. A possibility is that the Golem can only process four possible courses of action per turn, so processes the four primary directions of attack and decides upon one, calculating all the variables (the number of enemies it is possible to hit, the health of enemies, etc) to make its decision.

As theories go, it's fairly rudimentary, but it's the only theory I could come up with.

[SmartyPants]

That is better than anything I came up with.

[Duskling]

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that it has only one eye (Or whatever you'd like to call it), making fire that requires peripheral vision more demanding for the fairly basic (As suggested by Steelfist) brain-processor of the golem.

[SmartyPants]

Similar to Duskling's idea, I assumed that energy golems can see long distances, but suffer from tunnel vision.

[ArtDrake]

Or perhaps it is because the Energy Golems' laser mechanism relies on forming constructive interference with the earth's magnetic field, and so can only be operated in parallel or perpendicular to this field, whereas as the laser is pointed away from these ninety-degree increments, its power drops off sharply, explaining why it only fires North, East, South, and West.... ?

[SmartyPants]

The issue with that theory is the magnetic fields don't run directly south to north.

[Steelfist]

Nor may the battlefield; who is to say that the battle is always aligned with a compass?

[Ertxiem]

OK, let's make up a theory.

I will assume, based on nothing, that during the the build up of power just before the discharge some vibration is created (at the natural frequency of vibration of the energy crystals).
In order to keep the energy golem targetted, it stands on a cross-shaped platform (like a + sign) when looked at from the top. When we look at it sideways, it's V-shaped. This limits the vibrations to be mainly in the vertical direction, but the golem's heavy weight (Dorgon is slow, remember) makes the vibrations of small amplitude and not affecting significantly the accuracy.
The cross shaped platform allows to turn the golem to only one of 4 directions at a time, fixed before the battle by the mechanics to the directions where the enemies will most likely come from.
The golem has an hydraulic mechanism that helps it rotate in the base, but the heavy weight of the base, where the energy capacitors are stored, makes it difficult to move the golem significantly during the course of the battle or even rotate it.
Some attempts to create golems on a free rotating platform were made, but the vibration during the charge up phase made the firing accuracy terribly low, so that idea was discarded.
Instead of it, some wheels were placed below the base that allowed movement on one direction. Later on, a prototype where a steam engine was connected to the wheels tus allowing movement was created, and Dorgon was born. Note that moving the wheels at different speeds we can rotate Dorgon in any direction. However, Dorgon's targeting system is the best we can find in energy golems. This system is made to fire in only 4 directions, so Dorgon cannot (at the moment) follow a target and fire at it out of the 4 main directions.

End of the made up theory.

[Steelfist]

While I like your theory, Ert, I can't help but feel it might be better to stick to a simpler ones until the facts demonstrate they are untrue.

[Ertxiem]

Ah! Occam's razor. I agree with it, but I wasn't aiming at simplicity.