Author Topic: The Snail (Read 14188 times)

Combine Crusier · « **on:** May 24, 2007, 08:49:00 AM »

The idea of this is to produce a new potential form of transport so don't club me......Please! Since a snail has no legitamate wheel, track, or leg system it would be easier to armor (hence they have shells).

Snail
Stats: Plymouth / Eden
HP: 980
Armor: Very Heavy
Speed: Slugish (Very Slow)
FP: 2 weapons (On top of shell) -20% ROF (Due to shared components)
Ability: Has 2 sensor globes that allow for improved LOS
LOS: 7 tile radius
Common Ore: N/A
Rare Ore: N/A
3rd Ore: N/A

Sirbomber · « **Reply #1 on:** May 24, 2007, 02:57:19 PM »

For the last time, unless it's capable of travelling on rough terrain, it won't work!!!

BlackBox · « **Reply #2 on:** May 24, 2007, 03:01:28 PM »

How exactly does it move then? I doubt a vehicle is going to have a muscular foot.

edit -- yes, I did research how snails moved before I posted that, because I couldn't remember. You need to do research as well before posting

zanco · « **Reply #3 on:** May 24, 2007, 07:32:22 PM »

Escargot anyone?

And I agree with hacker, before proposing ideas, make sure you have a rather strong knowledge of the concept you are talking about. Use google and and get some more knowledge about how snails move.

Sl0vi · « **Reply #4 on:** May 25, 2007, 06:10:42 AM »

Yeah, I could image an awesome killing machine, laying waste to everything in it's path coming towards your base at 0.012 km/h

edit - there, that should be the correct pace

Combine Crusier · « **Reply #5 on:** May 25, 2007, 07:23:35 AM »

Yes, I know it moves via pulsing muscles. If you attach a minature dozer plow to the front of it, it would flatten the terrain enough for it to move across. By using a system that pulses like the muscles on a snail, you'd have to use a flexible but strong material like Kevlar renforced rubber on the part that will do this. In order to get the pulsing you'd simply have to use hydralics.

Forgive me, I'm only trying to explorer new forms of movement, that are realistic.

Freeza-CII · « **Reply #6 on:** May 25, 2007, 08:30:43 PM »

Such a motion would be highly impractical.

BlackBox · « **Reply #7 on:** May 30, 2007, 08:15:17 AM »

With that reasoning then, couldn't you just attach a dozer plow to a vehicle with wheels or tracks instead? Using hydraulics, or muscle wire, or whatever to basically drag a tank along the ground would be highly problematic and unreliable. (Think of something simple that uses hydraulics, like brakes in a car, and realize how many factors there are that could fail).

Combine Crusier · « **Reply #8 on:** May 30, 2007, 08:35:59 AM »

What if you had devices inside that would push down and back like a person pushing on a heavy box, and the person moved instead? You would have a system of cylinders inside the snail that would touch the bottom material where the muscular movement would be and have the cylinders push the slug forward by applying pressure to the ground behind and below the cylinders thus creating forward movement.

BlackBox · « **Reply #9 on:** May 30, 2007, 09:47:55 AM »

Isn't that almost the same thing as walking then? (Just the "feet" are concealed inside the body)

Psudomorph · « **Reply #10 on:** May 30, 2007, 03:27:06 PM »

I think the important question here is "why?"

Why choose this form of locomotion over any other form?

Each type of movement is developed for a purpose, generally as a response to environment.

The lynx is on a chassis of flexible wheels because that is a simple way to go fast.

The tiger, dozer, and earthworker are on treads because they have to push or pull a great deal of weight, and need as much traction as possible even at the expense of speed.

Spiders and scorpions use legs to give them an advantage on rough terrain, at the cost of overall speed and durability.

What would be the advantages of a snail type of locomotion?

Try as I might I just can't think of any practical purpose for such a thing other than novelty, which is not a good reason. I just can't envision a situation in which it would be advantageous to move this way.
Hydraulic legs would give a similar advantage to treads, namely allowing the vehicle to dig its "feet" in and pull huge amounts of weight, but that is pretty small window of usefulness, and even then there are probably better vehicle designs for it.

In fact, I'm developing a sneaking suspicion that the only reason snails move the way they do is because they didn't evolve far enough to get any better equipment.

Always try to have at least some vision of how an idea will be a significant improvement over what already exists before voicing it. That goes for everywhere, not just this forum or the internet, but for life in general. People want to be able to immediately hear/see how their lives/situation could be made better by an idea you are proposing. It is not enough for the idea to be different, it also has to be something people would want for some reason.

Combine Crusier · « **Reply #11 on:** June 01, 2007, 08:20:08 AM »

The idea is to create a vehilce that has no visible weak spots.... the weakest part being only the very bottom that is always in contact with the ground... So this vehicle is capable of having heavier armor than any other present vehicle at the cost of speed. This basically makes it the equivilant to the King Tiger during WWII......

ARES · « **Reply #12 on:** June 01, 2007, 07:40:16 PM »

Well, how about this:
Make a tiger, but have armor plating extend down to the ground?

Mez · « **Reply #13 on:** June 02, 2007, 06:20:26 AM »

Quote

Well, how about this:
Make a tiger, but have armor plating extend down to the ground?

Great, I have to bulldoze a route flat to use them!

Sirbomber · « **Reply #14 on:** June 02, 2007, 10:02:17 AM »

Quote

This basically makes it the equivilant to the King Tiger during WWII......

But this isn't World War II. This is war on another planet in a hostile environment. Just because it works on Earth doesn't mean it will work on another planet.

BlackBox · « **Reply #15 on:** June 04, 2007, 05:48:27 PM »

The other thing is, the bottom of the vehicle would undergo tremendous stress. (Basically it's like you're pulling part of the vehicle with a 'foot' and the rest of the underbody just scrapes along the ground with it).

As far as the durability of the locomotion system, should it get shot or whatever.. first of all, the vehicle isn't going to move very fast (it moves like a snail). Second of all, it's probably a lot more complex than a typical wheel / track system (if it does move like a snail you have complex hydraulic systems to move the 'foot'). Tracks are actually very reliable and pretty hard to destroy compared to other forms of transportation.

Finally I don't think that we really need to justify having a new locomotion system based on the durability of such. (Since a vehicle takes damage as a whole, not in parts unless this is likely to change in OP3).

Combine Crusier · « **Reply #16 on:** June 04, 2007, 06:47:41 PM »

... Agreed... Instead the Snail could use treads, but the armor would still be able to cover the entire area exposed to weapons fire.

Sirbomber · « **Reply #17 on:** June 04, 2007, 08:11:31 PM »

Why would we want a Snail anyways? Who cares how it moves, it would look stupid in combat.

Combine Crusier · « **Reply #18 on:** June 05, 2007, 08:21:50 AM »

So what if it looks stupid it would be more difficult to destroy than a tiger due to the heavier armor and increased HP! Besides the Tiger doesn't look like a cat.... The snail vehicle would only have a shell and protected movement system like a snail.

Combine Crusier · « **Reply #19 on:** June 05, 2007, 08:34:26 AM »

Idea for the Maesis version of the snail

Hermit Crab
Stats: Maesis
HP: 980
Armor: Very Heavy
Speed:Very Slow
Legs: 4 legged
FP: 2 weapons (On top of shell) -10% ROF (Due to shared components)
Ability: Is legged there-for is effected less by terrain change
LOS: 7 tile radius
Common Ore: N/A
Rare Ore: N/A
3rd Ore: N/A

Freeza-CII · « **Reply #20 on:** June 05, 2007, 10:49:56 AM »

umm Combine just because i pulled off the Multiped units doesnt mean that every unit you make with legs is going to work.

Besides you just said this thing has more armor then a tiger and yes it will look stupid. A tiger doesnt have to look like a cat to be called a tiger. It could be because of its stature or the fact it owns all. But with the other units Lynx and Panther there is a simularity. Lynx are small agile cats Panthers are jungle cats but bigger then lynx and Tigers are large cats also found in the jungle/forest.

Sirbomber · « **Reply #21 on:** June 05, 2007, 01:53:51 PM »

And if it has more armor than the Tiger, it moves even slower than the Tiger.
Nobody would want to build something called a "Snail" anyways. They'd take one look at the name and say "I bet that sucks or they'd give it a name like Ownage Snail-Shaped Robot".

P.S. This thing only has one gun I'm guessing?

Combine Crusier · « **Reply #22 on:** June 05, 2007, 02:39:53 PM »

They both have 2 guns.

Sirbomber · « **Reply #23 on:** June 05, 2007, 03:37:51 PM »

This is starting to sound more like a heavily armored guard post. It will have too much wait to move and be too expensive anyways with all the armor.

Fenrisul · « **Reply #24 on:** June 05, 2007, 10:02:11 PM »

Holy crap? I go away for a couple weeks due to work and this is the hottest topic on the forums?

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Author Topic: The Snail (Read 14188 times)