Project Simulant

Project Simulant
Political
Type	Research unit
Race(s)	Terran
Historical
Status	Destroyed

"The Simulant Project was a mysterious initiative undertaken by a group of commissioned scientists. They created reproductions of various zerg specimens using entirely terran technology (or so they said.) Whether they were successful or not is anyone's guess, as the whole team unexpectedly vanished..."

^(src)

Project Simulant (a.k.a. the Simulant Project) was an illicit terran research program composed of scientists for hire, dedicated to create robotic zerg simulants.

History

The Simulant Project began with the construction of a mechanical drone that could be used during target practice to test alternate combat techniques and weapons, but it soon grew much larger. Another early creation was that of a robotic overlord, which was controlled by a lab scientist, making it a critical safety point in the entire operation. Early on the project, it was agreed that the team would never construct a replica of the ultralisk.

The project moved on, creating other zerg simulant replicas, utilizing both new innovations in terran chemical and physical sciences and repurposed old technology such as that from battlecruisers. The mutalisk struggled with initial weight tests, but its eventual success lead to many new investors for the Simulant Project—some with ulterior motives...

A simulant construct

As the project progressed, it began to suffer various setbacks. The project's queen was the first completed production model to go missing. Loath to publicly reveal their activities, the Simulant Project investigated the matter as quietly as possible. Compounding their woes, engineers began to fall ill while working on the swarm host mechanics. However, its safety systems did not report a problem, and production continued undisturbed, fatalities aside. Researchers failed to create an AI that replicated the infestors neural parasites. They started to remove the infestors from production when, unexpectedly, the AI began functioning perfectly. Adding to the string of strange events, upon completing the brood lord prototype that exceeded all standards, the team went on leave for a celebratory vacation. Strangely, they never returned.

Near the project's end, the directors began to question what they had created and at what cost, and which point the project's owners stopped answering questions. The project came crashing down as chaos overtook the lab, the first sign of trouble being when the Simulant infestation pit stopped responding to maintenance technicians. Among the chaos was a rampaging ultralisk, despite the team's agreement to never construct such a replica. Meanwhile, replica SC2 began exuding a substance identical to creep, but by that point the project was in chaos.

Scanner sweeps of the aftermath of the project's destruction discovered a network of unauthorized nydus worms honeycombing the facility.

Notes

Simulant skinset

A simulant skinset was made available in the BlizzCon 2018 War Chest.

Project Simulant building skins were introduced in the Katowice 2019 War Chest.

Stetmann is based on the Simulant skinset for his Mecha Swarm in Co-op Missions.