Does Vanguard have better portal tech than Portal Corp?

[biostem]

Anyone else think it odd that Vanguard can achieve the same thing as Portal Corp, while only requiring small, relatively flat wall-mounted portals, or am I missing something here?  Is it that all portal tech is based upon Rikti tech, and while Portal Corp may have reverse engineered it in the private sector, Vanguard had direct access to said Rikti materiel and a much larger budget?

[TheZag]

I think portal corp uses reverse engineered generation 1 portal technology and vanguard either has operational original components or the portal generator is further under ground and they are using something more refined than gen 1 portals to get just the portal on the wall with the rest of the equipment elsewhere.

 

[Major_Decoy]

16 minutes ago, biostem said:

Anyone else think it odd that Vanguard can achieve the same thing as Portal Corp, while only requiring small, relatively flat wall-mounted portals, or am I missing something here?  Is it that all portal tech is based upon Rikti tech, and while Portal Corp may have reverse engineered it in the private sector, Vanguard had direct access to said Rikti materiel and a much larger budget?

I think that Portal Corp's wall-mounted portals have more options for targeting places? I mean, Vanguard takes us to Praetorian earth and different locations to primal earth, and Rikti Earth (though we never go there), but no odd places like "That one earth where your desire to catch the little red dot ended up killing everyone and turning them into angry restless spirits"

[Major_Decoy]

But then, Portal Corp does use those same massive portals for the static locations like Fort Zulu.

[biostem]

2 minutes ago, Major_Decoy said:

But then, Portal Corp does use those same massive portals for the static locations like Fort Zulu.

Maybe it's just a matter of being "good enough", and I think the military forces there are more like regular army than Vanguard, so maybe it's only under U.S. control?

[Six-Six]

Portal corp bought theirs on line during a promo sale. didn't check the description nor the reviews.

 

[twozerofoxtrot]

Probable answer: Vanguard came later and the Devs didn't want to add more their base just to make comparable sized portals.

 

Lore theory answer: Vanguard has access to portals that you can drive a tank through. Indeed they need them, because they have a lot of tanks! But individual heroes don't so they just use the convenient individual-use portal placed in the center of the base.

 

Meanwhile Portal Corp doesn't have the luxury of making portals in all shapes and sizes. They frequently have to deal with all sorts of extradimensional horrors trashing the place. So they have a one-size-fits-all approach and slot in replacement megaportals as needed.

Edited January 12, 2023 by twozerofoxtrot

[ZorkNemesis]

I think it's mentioned at one point that Vanguard is using Portal Corp's tech, specifically during Serpent Drummer's arc after Portal Corp is attacked by the Rikti is when Vanguard and Portal Corp work together to get something up and running.  Presumably as the narrative progressed past the Second Rikti War the tech was likely improved and was also fitted with some Praetorian goodies too.  It's also possible there's a difference in funding, Portal Corp probably gets research grants from the US but Vanguard is funded by the UN and might have a bit more to work with in the event that the world falls into peril for the fifth time this week.

[Greycat]

Also don't forget the (may it never see the light of day) plans for Lady Grey to have been a turncoat, working for the battalion (also, IIRC, the source of impervium?) so there's potentially that angle for their portal tech. *shrugs*

[Major_Decoy]

8 hours ago, biostem said:

Maybe it's just a matter of being "good enough", and I think the military forces there are more like regular army than Vanguard, so maybe it's only under U.S. control?

Could also be "Okay, we could have three different sizes of portals, but then we're going to need three different sets of replacement parts for maintence. As long as we stick to one type of portal, won't need to deal with Heisenberg compensator type Aleph, type Alpha, and type Eh. Vanguard can use whatever they want to since they've got their own storage bays and repair workers."

[UltraAlt]

I believe you will find that the portals that are used by Vanguard are built by Portal Corp and installed by Portal Corps employees. 

Just look at the logo on the underside of the portals. You can even check the serial numbers.

The units in Vanguard bases are the highest-grade commercial models, but they are not the most advanced portals that Portal Corps has developed.

 

You aren't going to see Portal Corps employees in Vanguard bases because Portal Corps portals are installed only when Vanguard bases are locked down at the highest security level. Portal Corps uses the portals in Portal Corps to deliver their portals directly into Portal Corps bases. You don't want some heroes or villains flying (running, jumping) through a portal exit point. It could be disastrous. 

 

The portals downstairs in the Portal Corps building are built with much higher levels of safeguards because they are experimental models of advanced products that have the potential for malfunctioning. If the heroes that uses those portal just asked questions of the personnel at the front desk or waited to sign the disclaimer forms before rushing t through the security checkpoints (what? everyone gets to take a break at some point in their shift. The sign that his posted clearly states that they will be back in 15 minutes!), it all could be easily explained to them that they are risking their own lives to use the technology.

But I guess no one has time to read EULAs any more at any rate.

 

 

[ZemX]

12 hours ago, biostem said:

Anyone else think it odd that Vanguard can achieve the same thing as Portal Corp, while only requiring small, relatively flat wall-mounted portals, or am I missing something here?  Is it that all portal tech is based upon Rikti tech, and while Portal Corp may have reverse engineered it in the private sector, Vanguard had direct access to said Rikti materiel and a much larger budget?

 

Not as odd as the fact that even though these portals can take me seemingly anywhere in the multiverse, I still have to WALK between these stupid Portal Corp buildings all the damned time.   

 

Can't we just flip the switches on THIS one to take us to the next mission?!  Or... low-tech solution: Build some underground tunnels connecting the three building's basements?

Edited January 12, 2023 by ZemX

[laudwic]

30 minutes ago, ZemX said:

 

Not as odd as the fact that even though these portals can take me seemingly anywhere in the multiverse, I still have to WALK between these stupid Portal Corp buildings all the damned time.   

 

Can't we just flip the switches on THIS one to take us to the next mission?!  Or... low-tech solution: Build some underground tunnels connecting the three building's basements?

 

At that point you start to realize that Circle of Thorns is also ahead on portal tech. 

[ZemX]

1 hour ago, laudwic said:

At that point you start to realize that Circle of Thorns is also ahead on portal tech. 

 

I think they just cheat.  How else can they stuff that many Behemoths into their narrow Oranbega hallways?

[srmalloy]

4 hours ago, laudwic said:

At that point you start to realize that Circle of Thorns is also ahead on portal tech.

And they've improved their enchantments, too -- how many people remember, back on Live, when going through a portal on an Oranbega map would sometimes pop you out of a randomly-selected portal on the map, potentially scattering teams across the entire map?

[ZemX]

42 minutes ago, srmalloy said:

how many people remember, back on Live, when going through a portal on an Oranbega map would sometimes pop you out of a randomly-selected portal on the map, potentially scattering teams across the entire map?

 

Hmmm... I don't remember that.  It sounds like fun, actually.

[srmalloy]

4 hours ago, ZemX said:

Hmmm... I don't remember that.  It sounds like fun, actually.

Tell that to the lone level-12 Controller or Defender on an eight-hero team that suddenly finds themselves, solo, facing a spawn of CoT sized for the whole team... and finds that going back through the portal just makes things worse.

[laudwic]

11 hours ago, srmalloy said:

Tell that to the lone level-12 Controller or Defender on an eight-hero team that suddenly finds themselves, solo, facing a spawn of CoT sized for the whole team... and finds that going back through the portal just makes things worse.

 

Show us on this doll where the Circle of Thorns hurt you. . . .

[ZemX]

12 hours ago, srmalloy said:

Tell that to the lone level-12 Controller or Defender on an eight-hero team that suddenly finds themselves, solo, facing a spawn of CoT sized for the whole team... and finds that going back through the portal just makes things worse.

 

I would tell him to pop all the insps he has left and then run through the hallways with his hair on fire looking for the rest of the team.

 

So yeah... fun!

[Grouchybeast]

Portal Corps need to have giant portals because if they didn't, how could large invading forces pour through them to threaten the very survival of humanity?  It's a question of style, really.

Edited January 14, 2023 by Grouchybeast