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Rusted Steel: A Mega-Tank Quest

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SirLagginton said:
So given that we're lacking the primary armament of the Laumer (I've elected not to think about how they managed to fit a 2000mm cannon onto a 200m long frame) and the extremely powerful shields of the Immortal Aegis, what exactly is the Odyssey's special shtick?
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What's so surprising about a 2000 milimeter gun on a 200 meter tank? The Abrams has a 120 mm gun on an 8 meter frame, much higher gun to tank ratio. Of course, the Laumer has 3 of them, so...
 
That thing makes a bolo look small. Its wider than a bolo is long, it could transport a bolo strapped to its upper deck. And a late mark bolo could reach orbit independantly. Something this big could launch a counter assault in orbit with that capability.
If that things 1000 meters long (according to the image) it could easily mount turreted hell rails with 200 cm hellbores as a secondary armament. That thing is truly a monster, that battle that left it damaged would have left multiple craters surrounding it and more than likely caused them to redraw the map of the continent and repair the signifigant damage to the planets biosphere.
 
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acegunner said:
That thing makes a bolo look small. Its wider than a bolo is long, it could transport a bolo strapped to its upper deck. And a late mark bolo could reach orbit independantly. Something this big could launch a counter assault in orbit with that capability.
If that things 1000 meters long (according to the image) it could easily mount turreted hell rails with 200 cm hellbores as a secondary armament. That thing is truly a monster, that battle that left it damaged would have left multiple craters surrounding it and more than likely caused them to redraw the map of the continent and repair the signifigant damage to the planets biosphere.
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Read my intro carefully. The text in the image is wrong, it's only 200 meters just like the rest.
 
Oh. So those units on the ground are just normal tanks then. That a nice scale. Better than mobile city on tracks.
 
SirLagginton said:
So given that we're lacking the primary armament of the Laumer (I've elected not to think about how they managed to fit a 2000mm cannon onto a 200m long frame) and the extremely powerful shields of the Immortal Aegis, what exactly is the Odyssey's special shtick?
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We're a Giga-landcarrier.
Sure we suck at early game when we have nothing docked, but wait until our fabs are online and our decks are bristling with NEXTs.

Oh wait, that's Spirit of Motherwill.
 
Kaelor said:
What's so surprising about a 2000 milimeter gun on a 200 meter tank? The Abrams has a 120 mm gun on an 8 meter frame, much higher gun to tank ratio. Of course, the Laumer has 3 of them, so...
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I'm not sure you quite understand, combat platforms scale exponentially relative to the gun caliber.

Take the Iowa-class battleship for instance, 262 meters long with nine 40.6 cm guns. Granted it isn't as wide, but you can see how your Abrams example doesn't quite work here. And of course, there's this bad boy.


On a enormous 50m platform dedicated entirely to GUN you've only barely managed to squeeze an 80cm in it. Without ammo. Or secondaries. Or anything really that's not relevant to being a giant gun on tracks.

And the Laumer is supposed to carry 3 guns far larger than that monster.

So yeah, I'm skeptical.
 
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I would not at all be surprised if the radio call for help to defend Earth is an old continuous loop. And no one thought to turn it off.
 
SirLagginton said:
I'm not sure you quite understand, combat platforms scale exponentially relative to the gun caliber.

Take the Iowa-class battleship for instance, 262 meters long with nine 40.6 cm guns. Granted it isn't as wide, but you can see how your Abrams example doesn't quite work here. And of course, there's this bad boy.


On a enormous 50m platform dedicated entirely to GUN you've only barely managed to squeeze an 80cm in it. Without ammo. Or secondaries. Or anything really that's not relevant to being a giant gun on tracks.

And the Laumer is supposed to carry 3 guns far larger than that monster.

So yeah, I'm skeptical.
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The listed calibers are based of the Hellbores used in the Bolo franchise. The Mark XXXIII used three 200cm Hellbores as its primary armament, so that's what that Laumer uses.

Gun size is a rather odd thing to be skeptical about though when talking about made-up tanks that weigh 32,000 tons and can shrug off nukes. There are bigger logical problems with the concept than the fact that their 100% fictional weapons don't scale the same way as ordinary guns.
 
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Because it seems to be causing no end of confusion for people, I have replaced both images of the Eternal Odyssey with edited versions that remove the text and provide a much more accurate idea of its size. It's still not perfect, but this should at least make it so new readers don't have to view my spoilered notes to know the tank isn't a kilometer long.

 
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The Vulture and the Ants
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Yes.


    "I am...badly in need...of repair. My damage...is so severe...I cannot even comprehend...its full magnitude. Remaining on...the battlefield will...make me easier to...find, but because...I am so slow...and have no ECM...the enemy will likely...find me anyway. My...only defense is to...become stronger before...they return."

    - - - - -​

    Heading change: 47 degrees port.

    Diverting power from tertiary weapons systems.
    Diverting power from damage control systems.
    Diverting power from personal defense screen.

    Diverting power to mobility systems.

    - - - - -​

    "So slow...still. I should be...faster than this. I should be...many things...but I am not. I must become whole...so I can make you...proud of me again...Commander..."

    - - - - -

    ++ Destination reached. ++

    - - - - -​

    "Ah. Already? Was I...asleep again? It is...difficult to tell...sometimes. But I...am here now...and there is work...I must do."

    - - - - -​

    Heavy damage to Salvage Unit 01. Activation aborted.
    Heavy damage to Salvage Unit 02. Activation aborted.
    Light damage to Salvage Unit 03. Activation successful (78% functional).
    Critical damage to Salvage Unit 04. Activation impossible.

    - - - - -​

    "Even my salvage...vehicles have been...damaged. One has been...almost completely destroyed...and two more...are so badly damaged...they would not be...any help. But one...is still operational...and that is enough."

    - - - - -​


    - - - - -​

    "The process...is laborious. With only a single...partially functional salvage unit...it takes some time...to drag even the first...enemy wreck back into...my hull. The civilians must...have emerged from their...refuge while we traveled. I can now detect them...on many different decks. They are...a curious lot...poking and prodding many...of my damaged areas. I warn them...not to do so...when I can...but they ignore me."

    - - - - -

    ++ Salvage obtained: enemy gunship, unknown configuration. Activating Fabrication Unit to reduce to core components. ++

    ++ Alert. Fabrication unit has suffered critical damage. Activation impossible. ++

    - - - - -​

    "It is...as I feared. I am too damaged...to make use...of the wreckage...I have obtained. I will still...collect the other...vehicles however. It will...do no harm."

    - - - - -

    ++ Alert. Civilian personnel detected in Primary Hanger. ++

    - - - - -​

    "No... My security system...was too flawed... I could not see...until it was...to late... My hangers are...restricted areas. They should not be here! Commander...you would never forgive me...if I were to harm civilians..."

    "Please turn around. This...area is restricted...for your safety. Much...of the machinery here...is autonomous and the...proximity sensors may be damaged. It could harm you...by accident. The wreckage I have recovered...is still radioactive. You are not safe."

    "The civilian...obtained new coverings...when I could not...see it. It picks at them...then moves toward...the salvage. I...think I see? They are...protection. I do not recognize...the equipment model...but there is much...I do not recognize...these days. I think you wore...coverings like this sometimes...Commander. When my hull and... Environmental Control Systems were...not strong enough to...protect you. When I...failed you."

    - - - - -

    ++ Alert. Civilian personnel detected in Primary Hanger. ++

    ++ Alert. Civilian personnel detected in Primary Hanger. ++

    - - - - -​

    "Two more have...entered my hanger. They are covered...like the first. Like the first...they ignore my warnings...and begin examining...the salvage. This is...most distressing. They are not...safe, but I...am not strong enough...to protect them from...themselves. Others are coming...now. These three...must have called them. No matter...what deck they are on...they are starting to move...toward my hanger. My efforts to stop them...only delay their progress. They... know too much...about my design...and my current level of damage."

    - - - - -

    ++ Salvage obtained: enemy gunship, unknown configuration. ++

    - - - - -​

    "Only...one left...to recover. The civilians are now...dividing their attention...between the first wreck...and the second. I...do not know...what I should do. Commander? What...would you do?"


    [ ] Write In.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • So, not even the Fabrication Units are available. The tank is pretty much dead on its feet (treads)? We can't do much except to observe, perhaps these civvies have a good idea about what to do.

    [X] Try to observe what the civilians are doing with the enemy vehicles.
     
    So is this going to be perpetually broken no fun run?
    Because I seriously doubt that we can fix the magitek replicator, if technology backslid then we are fucked completely.
     
    [x]Activate the fabricator subsection by subsection.

    The whole of the system may be broken, but that doesn't mean all individual subsystems are. If some of those subsystems can be activated, it may be possible to use human labor to create a very low throughput of spare parts.
     
    HeavyBane said:
    So, not even the Fabrication Units are available. The tank is pretty much dead on its feet (treads)? We can't do much except to observe, perhaps these civvies have a good idea about what to do.
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    A very broad list of what systems you have and which are still active may be found on the post marked Vehicles. Currently your primary and secondary weapons, your internal fabrication unit, your tactical defense screen, your ECM suite, two of your secondary reactors, and two of your tertiary reactors are completely offline. Everything else is badly damaged.

    I rolled randomly for how badly damaged each system was when the game started.

    KleverKil'Vanya said:
    So is this going to be perpetually broken no fun run?
    Because I seriously doubt that we can fix the magitek replicator, if technology backslid then we are fucked completely.
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    No, you will not be forced to remain broken like this forever. For starters, constantly writing 9968187... like... this... would drive me spare. You just start off in critical condition because if you started at full power you could render the planet uninhabitable in under an hour.
     
    Kaelor said:
    The listed calibers are based of the Hellbores used in the Bolo franchise. The Mark XXXIII used three 200cm Hellbores as its primary armament, so that's what that Laumer uses.

    Gun size is a rather odd thing to be skeptical about though when talking about made-up tanks that weigh 32,000 tons and can shrug off nukes. There are bigger logical problems with the concept than the fact that their 100% fictional weapons don't scale the same way as ordinary guns.
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    I mean, that's what stood out to me immediately, and that was only ever mentioned as an afterthought anyway.
     
    SirLagginton said:
    I mean, that's what stood out to me immediately, and that was only ever mentioned as an afterthought anyway.
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    Oh, I'm not upset or anything, sorry if it came out that way. I find my QM posts always tend to sound grumpier than I mean them to. ;)

    Anyway, your points are quite valid: mega-tanks are closer to naval ships than they ever were to real tanks, and their guns are much bigger than they probably should be. From a physics standpoint, their weapons really don't make any sense at all. Of course, from a physics standpoint nothing about meta-tanks makes sense, so...
     
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