Cores
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| “ | Do you see that thing that fell out of me? What is that? It's not the surprise... I've never seen it before.
— GLaDOS
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” |
Cores (also referred to as Spheres, Personality Cores/Spheres, or Personality Constructs) are softwares containing advanced artificial intelligence, mostly unique for their ability to express emotions.
Each unique core is downloaded into individual androids and other sentient machinery in the Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Center, such as the Turrets, Atlas, and P-body.
The raw spherical appearance of the cores are heavily featured throughout the finale events of both Portal and the single-player campaign in Portal 2.
Function
Developed by Aperture Science technicians, GLaDOS is the earliest known personality core - specifically designed for becoming the Enrichment Center's overseer. The later cores however, were initially given the purpose of counteracting GLaDOS' merciless behavior, such as flooding test chambers and other vital parts of the facility with neurotoxin, and her attempts to seize control of the Enrichment Center.
Often present in the form of spherical shapes, these cores are a more simplistic design as their purpose had been more at hand instead. This contrasts with the majority of the designs of Aperture androids in the Enrichment Center that are personality core-based such as Atlas (enclosed core design), P-body (core inputs), and all types of Turrets (also core inputs).
After the events of Portal, it became apparent that the other unused cores kept in storage have been reactivated by the facility to maintain the Enrichment Center. Under unexpected circumstances, these cores have failed to do so and have became corrupted within the many years passing after the events of Portal and the beginning of Portal 2. It is unknown if other cores, besides Wheatley, had undergone a similiar fate.
Personality Cores
As the name implies, each core has its own unique personality and behavior, which can be incorporated into the central core when they are physically attached to it. However, when a personality core did not affect the emotions of a current central core, the core would then be deactivated and kept in storage. This storage was later reactivated after the destruction of GLaDOS in Portal, but ended up as a disaster years later in Portal 2, as most of these cores have either corrupted or became damaged.
During the conflict with GLaDOS in Portal, whenever Chell would drop a personality core into an incinerator, not only did GLaDOS experience pain when they are destroyed, she also began to lose some of her reinforced prominent personality traits. These include as her references to cake, her bitter sarcasm, and her moral values, which resulted in a much stronger desire to kill Chell.
Central Core
The Central Core is the highest rank of all Aperture androids in the Enrichment Center, given to personality cores that are hardwired into the facility's mainframe body.
A central core is the rank of power to control and regulate the entire Enrichment Center, is capable of overseeing all events occurring within monitored areas of the facility, creating and stockpiling test chambers, constructing and dispensing Turrets, and activating core functions among other things.
During the events of Portal 2, it becomes apparent that any form of personality core would be more than qualified to be hardwired into the mainframe to become a central core. This is a feature preset by Aperture as a means of replacing rogue or simply corrupted central AI; and if the central core happens to disagree with their impeachment, a Stalemate Resolution Associate will have to force the replacement procedure.
GLaDOS, whom was designed with the sole purpose of being the central core herself; did not need to possess a spherical shape like other personality cores.
Morality Core
The Morality Core is one of the more important cores attached on GLaDOS in Portal. It is a core with a purple 'eye' and two dots just beneath it. It was installed onto GLaDOS some time before GLaDOS awakened Chell, in order to prevent her from filling the Enrichment Center with neurotoxin.
It also seems to be what allows GLaDOS to keep her weapons under control, as she stated that she was unable deactivate her rocket turret once the core was incinerated.
It is the first core collected and incinerated by Chell, which causes GLaDOS to begin losing her moral traits and once again start filling the room with Neurotoxin. Unlike other cores, the Morality Core is mute. The disposal of this core is reflected in GLaDOS' apathetic attitude and utter disregard for life in the end of Portal and prevalent in Portal 2, though how much of this was under the core's control is uncertain due to the resurfacing of these emotions in GLaDOS after re-discovering her Genetic Lifeform component; Caroline.
Curiosity Core
| “ | ” |
The second core attached to GLaDOS is the Curiosity Core. It is the core with an orange 'eye' and four dots beneath it. It has a tendency to constantly ask questions, ranging from its surroundings, to Chell, to where it is going.
Intelligence Core
| “ | Fish shaped volatile organic compounds and sediment shaped sediment.
— The Intelligence Core
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” |
GLaDOS' third core, the Intelligence Core (also known as the Logic Core), has a blue 'eye' with a huge pupil with six dots beneath it. It rambles on about an odd recipe for a rather unique kind of cake, which is the cake shown before the end credits of Portal. GLaDOS does not make references to Cake in Portal 2, and it is presumed that this is because the Core was destroyed in Portal.
Anger Core
| “ | *Snarl* *Snarl* *Growl*
— The Anger Core
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” |
The last core attached to GLaDOS is the Anger Core. It has a red 'eye' with eight dots beneath it. It is also referred to as the Emotion Core. Rather than speak, the Core snarls and growls ferociously at Chell. (These snarls and growls were later used in Valve game 'Left 4 Dead'.) Once Chell puts the Anger Core into the Incinerator, GLaDOS begins to implode. In Portal 2, GLaDOS, due to the loss of this core, sounds very mellow, and barely expresses any emotional indications of hostility.
Wheatley
| “ | One minute ago. Less than one minute ago you solved this puzzle. Now you're having problems.
— Wheatley
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” |
The main character of the single-player campaign in Portal 2, Wheatley, also known as the Intelligence Dampening Sphere, is portrayed as bumbling, chatty, desperate when things did not catch up to his expectations, and often hesitant. He is the first character to have interacted with Chell in the game, and is one of many cores seen awakening at the end of Portal.
It was not long before it was revealed by GLaDOS that Wheatley was originally designed by the Aperture Science technicians with the express purpose of rendering GLaDOS less dangerous during her initial activations, via attaching Wheatley onto her to generate an infinite stream of flawed suggestions to distract her.
It was thought that this would prevent her from killing the scientists when activated and improve the operations of the facility. According to GLaDOS, Wheatley is "the product of the greatest minds of a generation working together with the express purpose of building the dumbest moron who ever lived".
Corrupted Cores
Due to technical difficulties over time, a core may be automatically labeled as a Corrupted Core and would be subject to disposal. However, if the corrupted core is the central core, a substitute core must be present in a core receptacle in order to initiate a core transfer. Once a substitute core is found, both cores must agree or disagree to the core transfer procedure. If one agrees while the other disagrees, the transfer process cannot occur unless a Stalemate Resolution Associate is present in order to press the stalemate resolution button, which will initiate the core transfer process once the Associate has returned to the core transfer bay.
During the fight against Wheatley in Portal 2, GLaDOS drops three of these cores to Chell for her to attach to Wheatley in order to make him corrupt enough to initiate another core transfer procedure.
All three Corrupted Cores are voiced by Nolan North.
Space Sphere
| “ | ” |
The Space Sphere is one of three active, corrupted cores. It speaks rapidly, and possesses an unhealthy obsession with space. Its key personality trait is its often-repeated desire to travel to outer space. It finally gets to live its dream of going to space when it is sucked through the portal that connects the remaining blot of Conversion Gel to the surface of the Moon. The Final Hours of Portal 2 reveal Valve's inspiration for the Space Core: an Oregon Coast Aquarium ad with a goldfish rapidly and repeatedly humming, blurting, and stating that he would like to go to the aquarium, much like the Space Core does. It is speculated that the Space Core was to be Aperture Science's head of a space program.
Adventure Sphere
| “ | Do you have a gun? Because I should really have a gun. What is that thing you're holding?
— The Adventure Sphere
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” |
The second corrupted core, the Adventure Sphere (or as he calls himself, Rick) speaks like a stereotypical soldier. Upon seeing Chell, he starts to swoon over her. He even tries (unsuccessfully) to convince Chell to take a "lady break" while he deals with Wheatley. After shooting a portal on the moon, an observant one can see Rick fly off of Wheatley. It is speculated that the Adventure Core was to be in charge of Aperture Science's defense, army, navy, or air force program.
Fact Sphere
| “ | In 1948, at the request of a dying boy, baseball legend Babe Ruth ate seventy-five hot dogs, then died of hot dog poisoning.
— The Fact Sphere
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” |
The Fact Sphere is the third corrupted core. It constantly states several random, twisted and not entirely true "facts" related to history, the current situation, as well as apparent facts about how right and handsome it is. It is speculated that the Fact Core was supposed to be Aperture Science's ultimate portable encyclopedia being able to store, sort, and access massive amounts of data holding facts and information pertaining to almost anything remotely fathomable to the Aperture Science scientists.
Trivia
- The bomb model used in Portal 2 is named 'personality_sphere_angry' within the game files, suggesting the Anger core was to make an appearance in the sequel.
- In early screenshots released prior to the Portal 2 E3 teaser trailer, the texture of personality cores were yet to receive detailing and minor scratches, as the textures of the plating were matte white. Since then the textures have been greatly improved, and compared to Portal, the Cores from then to the retail version have a wider range of emotions.
- Several unused textures for the personality cores with eyes colored similar to those of the Portal cores can be found in the Portal 2 game files, further hinting at a reappearance of the original cores.
- The bomb model also possesses various typical personality core animations that can be viewed in the Model Viewer in the Authoring Tools. These include a stationary animation, a test animation where the core aimlessly looks around, and an angry animation where it twitches violently.
Gallery
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See also
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