The Burst Transmitter is a Monovision creature in Iron Brigade. Based off the always-ubiquitous Resistor Chassis, Burst Transmitters were introduced to the Tube swarms by Vladimir Farnsworth after suffering repeated losses to the Mobile Trench Brigade. Essentially a light artillery piece, Burst Transmitters are one of the first Tubes that will actively go after the player's Emplacements. Because of this, they are a serious threat to the Mobile Trench Brigade's forward battle lines.
The Burst Transmitter emits a loud electrical shrieking when it leaves the safety of the Conduit, and it emits a fearsome electrical wail each time it fires. When it does cut loose, the massive cannon on its back fires a powerful electrostatic grenade which delivers a powerful payload on impact, dealing heavy damage. Though the blast itself is easily avoided, the Burst Transmitter tends to focus on emplacements, which traditionally it can fire on from well outside their range (Laser Turret being the most-obvious exception to the rule). Because turrets can't move, they're easy pickings for a Burst Transmitter on the hunt. If no available Emplacements are targetable, Burst Transmitters will instead focus on the objective, where their cannons can do heavy damage to structures, making Burst Transmitters a serious threat.
As is the case for the Blitzer, Jacob, and Tommy, four variants of Burst Transmitter exist. The first version is encountered during the European campaign; these are the weakest, doing the least damage and having the weakest armor. The second is the African-pattern Transmitter, which has an angular head analogous to a Scarab Beetle's shell and can both deal and take considerably more damage. The third is the Pacific-pattern Transmitter, which is stronger still, and has a wide, wedge-shaped head with a swept-back frill. The final one, encountered only in Rise of the Martian Bear is the Mars-pattern Burst Transmitter, which has a broad, anvil-shaped, swept-back head and angular shock cannon.
Tactics for Disposal[]
Burst Transmitters firing.
Burst Transmitters are similar to Tommys insofar as their tactics are concerned - but their target of choice is different, and Burst Transmitters have two advantages that Tommies do not - long range, and indirect fire. A burst Transmitter can fire over obstacles, which means that cover is often a non-issue, though careful placement of turrets can sometimes avert this. The second issue is that a Burst Transmitter flat-out outranges many turrets, which means that destroying them before they can set up is a key factor. Because Burst Transmitters take a bit to fire, skilled Trench pilots can usually knock them out when they're trying to charge a shot.
Make no mistake - Burst Transmitters are a serious threat to your battle lines, and one of the first tube species that is likely to cause direct losses of your Emplacements. For that reason alone, they're a higher priority than Tommies or Resistors, since those will go right for the objective, whilst the Transmitters will actively target your means for stopping the rest of the tubes. Though they're vulnerable to most weapons, they are strong against Emplacements - with the exception of Minelayers, Prongs, and Camo Shotgun Turrets - they cannot see these emplacements, and ergo, will not target them.
Burst Transmitters are especially dangerous when backed by Jacobs.