The Inspiration Behind the Creatures of Hoxxes IV: Part 1 (Glyphids)

[GIRL]

In real life, I am a person who is fascinated by all kinds of arthropods. I love all of them, so you might think it's weird that one of my favorite games is about endlessly murdering them. But I can overlook that, because the game is just really fun to play. Besides, it's all fictional.

Anyways, because I like studying bugs in my free time, I thought I'd make a post discussing the possible inspirations behind each enemy's design and behavior! Spoilers; There's a lot of stuff that's actually really accurate to real-world bugs, and I'm quite tickled at how much apparent research the devs actually did when designing the fauna of Hoxxes. Someone on their dev team must also be as interested in entomology as I am! So... where to start?

Glyphids - The most abundant and common foe within Hoxxes IV, the Glyphids come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Despite their uniform moniker as a single family, the inspirations for each individual type of Glyphid appear to be somewhat different, and as we'll find, various Glyphids are based on different types of real-world counterparts.

Let's go in order of how the Glyphids are arranged on the Wiki, for consistency's sake. Starting with, fittingly, the humble Swarmer:

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/5/50/Glyphid_swarmer.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20171114165935

Swarmers are, according to the Wiki and in-game entries, the "larval stage" of Grunts, "not yet at the point where they develop any significant armor plating." Comparing Glyphids to their most accurate real-world counterpart, ants (more on that later), this actually doesn't make much sense.

https://askabiologist.asu.edu/sites/default/files/image/ant_anatomy/life_cycle.jpg

Looking at the life cycle of the common ant, you'll notice they're practically helpless until their adult stage. During a regular ant's larval stage, they can barely move, and need to be fed and carried by other ants. It's only in their adult stage that they can move by themselves and develop powerful biting jaws.

However, ants are not the only inspiration behind the Glyphids, because Glyphids are also arachnids. This puts them in the same category as spiders. And if we take a look at what newly-hatched spiderlings look like...

https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/GTY_baby_spiders_lpl_130926_16x9_992.jpg

...There's our answer! Swarmers most closely resemble spiderlings, even down to their pale coloration, indicating that their exoskeleton is still squishy, and not fully-developed - Just like the Wiki says. Although real spiderlings need to mature before they can hunt, this is Hoxxes IV we're talking about here.

Next on the list are the Grunts, and that includes all three variations of them:

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/1/10/Glyphid_grunt.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20190315181221
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/f/fd/Glyphid_Slasher.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/114?cb=20190317135730
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/9/96/Glyphid_Guard.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/115?cb=20190317135635

As I mentioned before, I'm pretty sure one of the main inspirations behind the regular Grunts are ants. The only real difference is the number of legs; Grunts are technically arachnids with 8 legs, while ants are insects, and have 6 legs. But, besides this, most Grunts behave and look more like ants.

For starters, they cooperate like a hive-mind. Spiders rarely cooperate (if at all), and even when they do, it's common for some to eat the other in an act of cannibalism. Spiders also eat each other after mating, made popular by the black widow. Still, this tendency to eat each other may be the inspiration for the Scout's "Pheromone Canister" grenade, which supposedly uses pheromones made by the Glyphids themselves.

https://www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/111219_JB_ant-epigenetics_feat.jpg

Another reason the Grunts are likely based on ants is their class dimorphism. In many ant colonies, the each ant is relegated to a different task. Most ants are "workers," who mainly stay inside the colony, digging tunnels and taking care of the young, or they may venture outside to find food. The regular Grunt is likely a simple worker, forced into combat by dire circumstances.

Slashers and Guards represent the "soldiers," the group of ants whose job it is to protect the colony from invading predators or rival ant colonies. They're usually bigger and stronger, and come in fewer numbers, just like how they appear in-game.

https://www.factsjustforkids.com/images/army-ant.png

This would be the real-world equivalent to a Slasher! You do NOT want to get bit by this one!

https://dailyant.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/pheidolemajors.jpg?w=800

These aptly-named "Bigheaded ants" would be the equivalent to a Guard, their job is literally to seal the holes of their burrow shut with their enormous head and withstand attacks from predators trying to get in.

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6kHRvC82fnubjqhbWnfG3e-1024-80.jpg.webp

This recently-discovered ant species (recently meaning 2003), Martialis heureka, might even have been the inspiration for the Glyphid Grunts in general! It's a blind, subterranean ant, just like how the Grunts are blind and live underground. The Grunts even have a similar yellow-ish pale green body color (not counting the armor), which makes sense for a species that lives entirely underground. Many blind, subterranean creatures wind up being pale in coloration.

https://combineoverwiki.net/images/thumb/f/f9/Antlions_all.jpg/250px-Antlions_all.jpg

Of course, the popular Half Life's Antlions series may have also been a big inspiration for the Glyphids, in-turn affirming my theory that they're at least somewhat based on ants. There's even an "Antlion Worker" which spits projectiles from a distance, just like the Spitters.

Next on the list are the Praetorian and Oppressor.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/3/3b/Glyphid_Praetorian.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20171115124247
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/3/37/Glyphid_Oppressor.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20200120172551

There's not really anything to note here that I haven't already gone over... Honestly, the Praetorian and Oppressor were probably just designed by taking the regular Grunts, and upping their scary factor to 11. As far as real-world counterparts go...

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8510/8534256552_cc31fa6f37_o.jpg

I guess the Armored Trapdoor Spiders might've been an inspiration? The Praetorian and Oppressor are much more spider-like than the Grunts, being a lot shorter and bulkier around the middle of their bodies.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/borderlands/images/4/44/BL2_Spiderant_Knight_1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20171212154323

Spiderants (specifically this Spiderant "knight") from the Borderlands series also closely resemble Praetorians, down to the spikes on their exoskeletons. Considering they're also a mix of, well... spiders and ants (ironically with only 4 legs), I think it's safe to say that they may have also been an inspiration on all the Glyphids' designs. Some even shoot webs or acid!

With that out of the way, let's talk about Wardens...

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/e/ef/Glyphid_Warden.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/112?cb=20190317135724

The Warden is a type of Glyphid that enhances the durability of nearby bugs using pheromones, as stated by the in-game data logs. In the real world, it's true that bugs like wasps and ants can give off command pheromones that send nearby allies into a frenzy. I don't think it would make them any more durable, so-to-speak, but perhaps the "durability" in this case refers to mental state. Can bugs even have a "mental state"? Can they feel emotion?

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-85808235000f6cb6a32cdbab637cf40b.webp

Anyways... You may be interested to know that the odd shape on the Warden's back is seemingly inspired by a Cornette (it's a lot easier to tell at different angles), which makes sense, because nuns and medical women would wear them back in the day. It's a reference to how Wardens take care of their allies. It's also in the name, "warden," a place where people would go to be treated for both physical and mental injuries.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/b/be/Glyphid_dreadnought.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20200716213405

I can't really say anything new about Dreadnoughts that I haven't already said about the Praetorian and Oppressor. They're just "Grunt, but big and scary". I will say, though, that the name "Dreadnought" is in reference to dreadnought battleships.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/HMS_Dreadnought_1906_H61017.jpg

With that out of the way, we're nearing the more interesting inhabitants of Hoxxes IV!

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/f/f6/Glyphid_exploder.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/100?cb=20200716131635
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/f/fd/Glyphid_Bulk_Detonator.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/98?cb=20190317135602

Exploders are suicidal bugs that usually don't live very long. According to the wiki, when one does manage to live long enough, it will become a Detonator.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/SObFuul1gEccUQR0NJKbbWhoK52AVSpEaSJF1kilbFz5SVAyz8bdoT2jZDZeBAic8oT4Ng2-ajQSz-e3abcBlOcxR7SEVW7d6srEPNkvo-0DbH3XesygvzNfL7HGAjf2EKtQhm_s

Meet Colobopsis cylindrica, the "exploding ant", a possible inspiration for these two denizens of Hoxxes. As a way to defend the entire colony, these ants will latch onto an attacker, curve their abdomen under their legs and up against the predator, then rupture the entire body part - covering the foe in a sticky, yellow goo. The "explosion" has enough force to kill small bugs, and if it doesn't kill the invader, it will at least make them easier to kill for the soldier ants.

Obviously, they don't "explode" in the same fantastic manner as Glyphid Exploders do, but it's difficult to pass up the idea that the headline "Exploding ant!" wasn't at least a partial inspiration behind these bugs. They're even orange, just like the exploding ant, and having yellow "sacs" on their body, just like how the ant explodes into yellow goo.

However, I think there might possibly be another, more disturbing inspiration for the Exploder and Bulk Detonator... the tick.

https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/fed-female-deer-tick-with-engorged-body-ixodes-ricinus-dangerous-mite-picture-id1162834800

Ticks gorge themselves on blood, inflating to over 10 times their original size. Poke an inflated tick in this state, and it can explode, splattering blood everywhere. Gross. Perhaps Exploders have a diet where they fill themselves with an unstable chemical (assuming they also start out looking like Swarmers), and then pop themselves on purpose! But that's not the only reason I think Exploders/Detonators might be inspired by ticks...

https://www.countynewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/TickQuesting-2-a-.SB_.jpg

This is a tick doing what's called "questing", it's when they stick their front arms in the air and either stand at the tip of a plant, or walk around. The idea is that they'll grab onto the first living thing they rub up against. Headcrabs from Half Life (which are obviously based on ticks), actually do the same thing. It's almost cute in a weird way.

Anyways, if you watch Exploders and Detonators closely, they'll do the same thing - lift their arms up and walk around, as if looking for prey to latch onto and explode. Imagine if they actually could grab you, preventing you from escaping as they murder you. Brutal.

On to the Spitters!

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/a/a3/Glyphid_spitter.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20171115124203
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/6/61/Glyphid_acid_spitter.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/120?cb=20181102070950

There are many bugs in the world that use webs or acid to catch and kill prey. But are there any bugs or spiders that can shoot webs? Yes.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Callilepis_nocturna.jpg

This is a spider from the family Gnaphosidae, a group of spiders which can actually shoot their web, Spiderman-style, to immobilize prey from a distance. Considering the game literally has a feature called "Arachnophobia mode", which changes Webspitters and Acidspitters into moving pictures of kittens, it's safe to say that these two are based on types of arachnids.

...But they're not both spiders. Possibly. The Glyphid Acidspitter might be based on something entirely different - a whip scorpion.

https://www.macrophotobug.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/vinageroon-giant-whip-scorpion-arizona-Mastigoproctus-giganteus.jpg

Not actually scorpions, whip scorpions come in two variants - those with a whip-like tail, and those without (the tailless ones are just called tailless whip scorpions). This is a picture of a "Vinegaroon", a type of whip scorpion that can literally shoot acid. It shoots it from the base of its tail, not its mouth, but the fact that it's an arachnid that also shoots acid, gives it a strong possibility of being one of the inspirations for the Acidspitter.

Let's talk about the Glyphid Menace.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/3/3a/Glyphid_Menace.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/110?cb=20190317135643

To be completely honest, I don't know. This thing has such a weird shape, weird mouth, and weird style of attacking, that I can't find any real-life counterpart.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/02/82/de/0282de347942a358a5fe6071c6675b3e.jpg

If I were to guess, maaaaaybe they're loosely based on "ambush bugs", a type of Assassin Bug (a "true bug") that literally ambushes its prey, similar to how the Menace ambushes the Dwarves. It kindaaaaaa?? has a similar body shape... but it can't shoot "corrosive goo" like the Menace can. Although, I suppose it makes some sense that it could be based off an entirely unrelated bug, since the data log mentions that the Menace is NOT a relative of the Acidspitter, and is, in fact, "an entirely distinct avenue of Glyphid evolution."

Who knows for sure, besides the devs? Because I'm honestly stumped. The glowy bits on the side kind of remind me of how the Half Life 2 gunships (half bug, half machine) look up-close, and I guess both of them shoot you from a distance, so... maybe...?

Uhm... Anyways, apparently posts can be too long, so I'm splitting the rest of this list up into multiple parts! Thank you for reading, I'll see you in Part 2!

Part 2: https://steamcommunity.com/app/548430/discussions/1/2974027084068863746/

Part 3: https://steamcommunity.com/app/548430/discussions/1/2974027084068868753/

[Drain]

I don't think management appreciates you using their forum to dump your ridiculously long walls of text. I don't know of a "right" place to put all that; but this definitely wasn't it.

[King Fossil]

Originally posted by Drain:

I don't think management appreciates you using their forum to dump your ridiculously long walls of text. I don't know of a "right" place to put all that; but this definitely wasn't it.

I don't think there's really any problem with it. Making three threads instead of three posts in one thread is pretty terrible though.

[DJDiceZ]

Aren't antlions actually not ants?

Good job on these posts. It really does seem like Glyphids aren't ants, or spiders, but infact an alien creature with the features of both, both in behaviour and body.

Also remember that we can find spiderwebs in hoxxes. That's probably significant in understanding how glyphids function.

[Nosteru]

I just read halfway yet, but many thanks for this detailed description and your thoughts. I like such stuffs, behind the scenes.

[RaindropperinG]

I do enjoy such type of threads. They can provide quite an interesting read.

Thanks for your work, lad !

[GIRL]

Originally posted by King Fossil:

Originally posted by Drain:

I don't think management appreciates you using their forum to dump your ridiculously long walls of text. I don't know of a "right" place to put all that; but this definitely wasn't it.

I don't think there's really any problem with it. Making three threads instead of three posts in one thread is pretty terrible though.

I couldn't fit them all into one post, there's apparently a character limit... :(