Half Track

[Combine Crusier]

I was thinking, why isn't there any half tracks in the game? They're highly adaptive and have the capacity to mount to guns...

Bulldog: Half Track
HP: 950
Armor: Heavy Reinforced
Speed: Medium
FP: 2 guns all types
Also capable of (when weapon is removed): being an evac transport, Cargo Truck, Convec, and a repair vehicle. (certain modules may have to be added via garage)
Common Ore: 1500
Rare Ore: 650

Good:
A.Provides a very adaptable vehicle
B.Can fill the roles of destroyed vehicles while a replacement is under construction
X.More flexable turret (fires up cliffs)
D.Designed so you don't need to biuld a different vehicle for every role
E.Can construct as fast as a Convec when correct module is installed
F.Adapted at your local garage
G.Useful when biulding a new colony (after it's researched of course)
H.Advanced field repair module would allow it to fully repair vehicles in the field (vehicles are totally inoperable while this is occuring though)

Problems:
A.Requires vast amount of research
B.Somewhat expensive (hasn't stopped people though)
C.Need's to return to garage to be adapted
D.Higher than normal repair cost due to multipurpose parts
E.Longer biuld time
F.Adaptions require some resources (exept cargo truck)

I think that this would be a good vehicle to have in OP3 because survival requires a lot of adaptability and this vehicle is the designed just for that. Also it would be good for colony relocating events due to it's abilities, and can defend the colony after-words.

[Freeza-CII]

where you are right it would/could be versatile in combat or transporting.  There are already separate units for such jobs.

C.More flexable turret (fires up cliffs)

there is no reason to fire UP cliffs because its like any thing is hanging over the edge of them or coming down the cliff face.  Weapons that can fire over things have a natural indirect fire.  

the truth is no one is really looking for new tanks maybe micro units like spiders but nothing major or "uber".

[Combine Crusier]

Understood, so it can't fire up cliff's with direct fire weapons but it isn't like it has 28 guns strapped to a Command Center on wheels.

[dm-horus]

indirect fire means firing in an arc. anything other than line of sight weapons would have this feature, but it simply isnt present in op2. all non-energy weapons from op2 would fire in an arc.

half tracks are usually used when adapting a wheeled vehicle to an all-terrain or offroad purpose. in op2 their vehicles are highly specialized (and only respond to terrain variances by slowing down slightly) so vehicles either have tracks or dont. theyre either all-terrain or theyre not. the presence of half-tracks in other games is mostly due to their cool looks, not because theyre practical.

[White Claw]

I like having all the vechs in OP2. If I had one vech that did everything, I think that would be less fun.

Having a multi-role vech isn't a bad idea. But I don't think having a multi-role vech that can haul ore, be a heavy weapons platform, or a repair vech works for me. Maybe have it able to fully field repair vechs and able to help a convec during construction. Or something that could sample for ore and haul it (like a surveyor / cargo truck).

Or maybe more appropriate, a scout/surveyor combo. Because neither one are very useful alone after they've served their initial purpose.

But again, with all that being said, I like having several kinds of vechs rather than an all inclusive. If we want a changable vech, perhaps make it possible to change the turret type of an existing vech at the garage (for a price). So if you have a bunch of laser/mic sitting around, you could upgrade some to RPG or EMP if you want. (This would probably be more useful in a campaign type of game where units carry over.)

[dm-horus]

Half track locomotion by itself is actually an obsolete technology, especially when you have the option of making a specialized vehicle for a certain task.  

[TH300]

If there wasn't the argument that its more effective use of resources, this thread would have been locked already.
As White Claw said: having specialized vehicles for everything is part of the outpost world. -- I don't really want to change that.

A possible explanation for my position could be that universal vehicles which can be adapted to do anything take up more resources, because they must be given parts which would probably not be needed for only one kind of task. Furthermore, if I construct a cargotruck, I will use it as a cargotruck. If suddenly something forces me to mount a weapon on it, its probably too late, anyway.

[BlackBox]

Well, another reason for specialized vehicles is just because you can design them to do one thing, reliably. Reliability is important, because in the Outpost world, it's a lot harder to fix vehicles than it is on earth.

But yes, half tracks are a bit obsolete. After WWII they went mostly into disuse (though I guess the Israeli army still uses them for carrying telecommunications equipment).

In all reality though, it seems wheeled (or half-wheeled, in the case of a halftrack) vehicles would be mostly useless if you think about what the landscape is probably like. (Look at mars and see how mobile a wheeled vehicle really is). You'd either have to bulldoze or it would have to have a tremendous amount of power in order to enable the front wheels to pull the rest of the vehicle up over something large.

Seems that the most versatile units would be tracked units (but of course, the slowest).

[Combine Crusier]

Hey halftracks are actually hybrid vehicles because they have the wheels of a panter and the treads of a tiger so you have the speed and the weight limit! This means it can actually get to a battle in time to take part and it has the fire power to win! Ex. Surveyor's are wheeled and fast where earthworkers are heavy and slow but can do multiple things! Even if it was only capable of changing weapons platforms, even without that it is still a powerful vehicle because of the hybriding of two vehicle chassis.

The wheels were put in to pull the treads which were implemented to hold the weight. The WWII halftracks didn't have todays motors anyhow, if they did..... they would most likely still be used.

[dm-horus]

halftracks have been proven to be obsolete. its like putting crutches on a wheelchair - if you need one just use ONE and not both at once. if you need the all-terrain ability of tracks, use all tracks. if you need the speed of wheels, use ALL wheels. even if you have a half track it is only as fast as the slowest part, the TRACKS. its also only as offroad capable as the least capable part, the wheels. therefore it is best to just use one or the other. in WWII the advantages of having halftracks outweighed the disadvantages being speed since most other vehicles in the field were just as slow or slower. that wouldnt apply in the future setting of op2. halftracks just dont work. they look cool but thats about it.

[Combine Crusier]

The simple reason tracks are slow...... Look at the M1A1 it goes a top speed of 60 mph! The halftrack uses treads to hold the sheer weight while the wheels improve steering direction so you don't have to have the right tread go into reverse and the left go forward to turn right! Baccc..... Fine... I thought it would be cool looking and nice since halftracks were known to be highly deverse in what the carried (hence a multi roll vehicle).

[Mez]

Topic Closed

Point has been made