After reading some recent marine TMs, mostly relating to medical, I have come up with a concept for a fairly major marine addition. A general purpose truck that can be purchased for intel in the techtree. Depending on balance decisions, it can be multiple times (with a cap at either 2 or 3) with 3 possible configurations. Each person would trigger open a slot for a Truck Driver that would either be open to to ghosts or a lobby screen spawn. The USCM Truck Driver would be a Lcpl or Cpl and would come equipped with a standard Mk2, engineering equipment and welding protection. They would wear an engineer It would be 2x3 tiles. Unlike other vehicles the interior would not a seperate area. Instead it would behave more like a moving tent. Depending on balance decisions occupants may or may not need to be firmly seated in the truck for it to move safely. The truck would not take slowdown on regular weeds, but would struggle on stronger weeds.
The truck always come equipped with storage across the truck for 4 objects: spare wheels, a jerry can of fuel, an entrenching tool, and a fire extinguisher.
It comes with 2 wheel options:
USCM G5454 all-terrain tires: these are the standard option, fastest on roads these will be substantially slown down by driving across dunes or deep snow. Will struggle on thick weeds.
USCM G5587 caterpillar treads: sidegrade for the Truck that has a slower speed in general but is not impacted by terrain debuffs, such as dunes, or deep snow, they are still slowed down by thick weeds, but not as substantially.
Acid will degrade wheel health, truck drivers will spawn with a spare.
The three possible configurations:
Logistics: this set up has a 4 tile (2x2) open flat bed in the back, and can fit 2 occupants. It comes equipped with a telephone, a fulton dispenser, and a mounted M56D that would be deployable when stationary (or not, if people believe people wouldn’t try to push the machinegun truck with the front). My intention for this is to encourage logistics between FOB and the front, as currently there exists a major disconnect in many rounds because of backliners. This will make req crossing the no mans land between FOB and the front less of a easy target. Because of the fulton dispenser it could also be used as secondary intel drop off point/intel support. Intended crew: 1 driver, 1 guard/passenger/gunner/logistics personnel.
Ambulance: This would come with a soft-top 4 tile (2x2) semi-enclosed treatment suite. This treatment sweet comes with either an operating table or operating table (TBD), a telephone, and some storage space. It may also come with a mounted M56D, if this machinegun is added onto the vehicle, it may be limited to facing the rear of the truck, unsure as of yet. Intended occupants: Driver and passenger/gunner up front. Medical personnel and patient in rear.
General Personnel Carrier: This variant has a 4 tile (2x2) set of seats with secure buckles that can fit a large amount of people. This will be the only set up purchasable from the ASRS and not from the techtree. It will have space for between 10-14 people. If this set up is purchased from ASRS, it does not come with a driver, but a pamphlet and spare wheels. People at the rear of the truck will be able to exit extremely quickly, people sitting closer to the cabin will either have to wait to exit or climb out the sides. This variant is designed to carry a squad of marines.
Truck burn fuel as they move, and more needs to be purchased from the ASRS, but can be exchanged between trucks.
If the cabin is struck with extensive AP, incendiary, or high explosive ordinance, it may be prone to catch fire or in extreme incidents, explode.
All of the trucks have horns and can be renamed.
Generally good idea (I think geeves once did a similar PR?), but it should be available at the start of the round instead of being a tech tree or req purchase, so you don’t have to wait for VCs and people can easily roll for them instead of having to wait in the lobby/dchat for command to buy it. With it available at roundstart, the req pads should be removed so it becomes necessary to use rather than a funny vehicle which is ultimatively a waste of points (basically the mentioned PR with some more options). @pablo_excavator, civ13’s vehicles work similary to moving tents, through they don’t move as smoothly (they don’t move smoothly at all) as CM’s multitile vehicles with seperate Z-level.
USCM G5587 caterpillar treads: sidegrade for the Truck that has a slower speed in general but is not impacted by terrain debuffs, such as dunes, or deep snow, they are still slowed down by thick weeds, but not as substantially.
Seems like a noobtrap to get people to drive onto weeds and get walled in by a whisperer/ovi queen.
Inb4 you say “Oh they won’t be driving on the front and ramming xenos!” They will. People do it with the ARC, they did it with the APC, they’ll do it with this thing.
All kinds of yes.
Macking it a tectree purchase gives it a nice balance. Round start vehicels are a bit problematic after all, being that they are a flat buff.
And fun vehicels are always cool.
+1
You can just do it like its with the ARC and just let already existing roles drive it. The ARC can only be driven by like, 6 people at max i belive (SOs, XO, CO). And it works out fine, so no worrys about the other jobs being understaffed.
Let any engi drive it, and a CT/Doc be in the back.
No people stting around as ghost looking to hopefully drive it.
But then it would cause issues with CTs joining only to drive the truck and refusing to do anything else, possibly fighting each other over who becomes the truck driver, similar to POs before the role was split up.
I have considered this. If people do that, people do that. They die. The noobtrap caught them ig, they won’t do it again. I’m mostly worried about prevent people from trying to actually use it for frontline combat.
First of not CTs would drive the truck, but are in the back. Just like the Docs would be in the ambulance version.
But to anwser your question:
Does it cause those problems with the REQ tent?
Because the Logistic version of the Truck will likly be similar to a mobile REQ tent.
Ordering supplys and handing them out.
They cant just deploy on their own, so running off to be in the Truck without any notice is a no.
Any shipside personal needs permission from their superior officer after all if they wish to deploy.
And if that permission can be reclined at any moment, if they dont come back the MPs are on their ass and possibly, tepending on their behavior, even admins.
Also, like i mentioned the ARC exists. And that vehicel has only 6 people that are even able to drive it at MAX each round. Most rounds less, because that requires a full CIC.
And it doesnt have that problem of SOs only joining to drive the ARC, and then not doing their job when they cant drive it. They migth be butthurt about it, but there wont be a big figth about it.
Yes, SO need to follow the rules even more wich is one reason why this doesnt happen with the ARC.
But even CTs can be arrested by their supperior officers for not manning the line or just ignoring their orders. So if a CT feels butthurt and doesnt want to do REQ work, they are arrested. If they cryo, CT slot open.
So no, i dont belive that would really be a problem. Because there is nothing that would point to this being a problem. All other similar cases show this not really a thing.
so…more cargo techs joining and reliably driving supplies to the front, even fighting each other for the privlege? son if you presented this to any officer/logi man in the armed forces they would laugh until their teeth fell out