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This topic has moved here: Subject: Destiny Discussion: Let's have a chat about Walking Tanks
  • Subject: Destiny Discussion: Let's have a chat about Walking Tanks
Subject: Destiny Discussion: Let's have a chat about Walking Tanks

Before we begin, I encourage you all to open up the following image:Destiny's first piece of Official Concept ArtAs you can see, the concept art depicts several soldiers moving across a wintery landscape. In the background of the art, you can see a large machine that seems to be equipped with an artillery cannon and perhaps a chain gun below the cockpit, and is held aloft by several tube-like legs.

Personally I think the artwork is cool as hell, and for that reason I've made it my desktop background on all the computers I use. Anyways, I was working on a Graphics project in one of the computer science labs on campus when one of my friends noticed my background and inquired as to what it was. I excitedly told him the story of the latest leak and the implications that it might have for Bungie's next game.

He nodded, paused, and said "I think that tank with legs is really silly." He went on to point out that a walking tank just seems bad when compared to the usual treaded counterpart we see in reality. "Why would we start using an inferior kind of tank 700 years in the future?" he asked.

Now, I understand that the entire walking tank thing could just be an artistic direction, but Bungie isn't one to do things just because they can, they seem to do a good job of basing a lot of the things they do in some sense of reality. A grunt's battle harness doesn't just slope up in the back because it looks cool, grunts are unable to breath oxygen so that's where they keep their methane tanks. So if this tank walks instead of rolls, there must have been a good reason for the humans 700 years in the future to design it that way.

So what is that reason? Because my friend brought up several excellent points in the discussion we had. In general, a treaded tank has a larger base and more surface area on the ground than a legged tank does, which gives it better balance. If the tank is moving through an area with a loose foundation and the ground gives away, the treaded tank will likely slide with the ground, whereas the legged tank is more likely to topple over, causing greater damage to the main body of the tank.

Especially since the tank in the concept art is moving across a snowy landscape, it seems more likely to sink into the snow because the tank's legs put point loads on the snow's surface, whereas a treaded tank would act more like a snowshoe, distributing the weight across the surface of the snow and ice.

In terms of combat, a legged tank seems especially fragile because it has weak points in the joints of the legs. A well placed enemy shot would destroy the joint, causing the tank to topple over and become unable to aim itself properly. The Rebels might have suffered a larger defeat at the Battle of Hoth if the Empire did the right thing and build AT-ATs that hovered or rolled over the ground rather than walked, because those types of tanks can't be so easily tripped.

Not to mention, a walking tank seems much more difficult and resource intensive to manufacture, and I imagine that treads do a better job at compensating for the recoil of the cannon on the back. There just seems to be a ton of reasons why a tank with legs seems rather unfeasible.

After several minutes of thought, the only argument I could make for having a walking tank was that if the tank could jump, it would be able to quickly move and position itself over walls and rocks that a treaded tank would have trouble moving around. As awesome as that sounds (if the tank is indeed capable of jumping), it seems like there's still a ton more negatives than there are positives.

Help me brainstorm more positives community! Let us discuss Legged Tanks!

  • 11.30.2012 1:53 PM PDT

DMH | TMA | Blueprint

Can't be too careful with your company. I can feel the devil walking next to me.

It's menacing as -blam!-. No other reasons needed.

  • 11.30.2012 1:54 PM PDT

@trueunderdog

Chapter

Narwhallace Smithington: Gone, but not forgotten. Never approve of anything lil guy. <3
Furious George: The new -blam!-

Big Dog makes creepy noises in your general direction.

  • 11.30.2012 2:02 PM PDT

Metal Gear REX is most boss walking tank ever.

  • 11.30.2012 2:16 PM PDT

Posted by: True Underdog
Big Dog makes creepy noises in your general direction.
I'm quite familliar with big dog, but he is not a tank. I'm not saying legged automations don't make sense in general, just the idea of a tank.

  • 11.30.2012 2:16 PM PDT

Please stop complaining about the 'death of a loved one' it's my job. They probably deserved it anyways. Here's a warning, if you keep making pentagrams out of the neighbors livestock I will personally come to your house and kill everyone you love. Now leave me alone, I got to get back to work.
~M.D~

Oh. You. This has made my day.

  • 11.30.2012 2:21 PM PDT
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They could obviously move around a battlefield easier that a normal tread bearing tank.

What if the legs were magnetic?
Imagine a space battle. A big-ass space frigate has enemies all over it. What do you do? Release the walking tank.

The tank crawls out a port located on on the surface of the ship. The magnetic legs keep it attached to the ship. No explosions or kamikaze fighters could knock it off.

The driver and passengers would be safe. Assuming the tank doesn't blow up.

Maybe the legs are just shock absorbers for their main gun? A tank that big and ferocious looking might fire plasma mortars or hell even cannon balls the size of a small car.

They also could be used to pull things like an even bigger walking tank.

EDIT:

What if the tank is actually a living thing?
An alien with covered in armor and big ass guns would be easier to produce than full metal tanks.

You tank dies? Just remove the "Tank Top" and attach it to another one of those walking creatures you have in storage. Even it the creature does die you could still have a immobile tank.

The "Tank Beasts" could also be outfitted with other weapons.

[Edited on 11.30.2012 2:29 PM PST]

  • 11.30.2012 2:23 PM PDT

I hope we can drive them..

  • 11.30.2012 2:23 PM PDT

I like shorts. They're comfy and easy to wear.

What if it isn't a tank?

What if... it's armour?

  • 11.30.2012 2:24 PM PDT

// Chapter
// My PC


2/15/12: Francisco Porras, I'll miss you. Rest in Peace.

That middle "leg" looks stationary. Just an observation.

  • 11.30.2012 2:45 PM PDT
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Dead Orbit Is Best Orbit

I already called dibs on them. If you submit to Dead Orbit, I will let you use one.

~DOiBO

  • 11.30.2012 2:46 PM PDT

Posted by: MiloOmega
I already called dibs on them. If you submit to Dead Orbit, I will let you use one.

~DOiBO
My orbit is the best orbit.

  • 11.30.2012 3:02 PM PDT
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I could be wrong on this but I'm sure the "soldiers" in the concept art are aliens and not human. As for whether or not the "tank" makes sense with regards to physics and engineering, (almost) nothing in sci-fi ever does.

  • 11.30.2012 3:09 PM PDT

Ugh...

First on a BWU.. yeah, I'm cool.

ODST;MYTHIC Screenshot winner! One of the first to get their hands on the mythic map pack.

A) My friend made this into a desktop background, this is what I'm using, because it's dark, which works well.

B) What makes you think those are the good guys? Those could be the aliens we are going to fight. 4 eyed helmet points me into "these are aliens" direction.

So if these are aliens, then their planet(s) might be different from ours. Different enough that a walking tank would be better than a tank with treads.

C) Maybe that's not a traditional tank. Maybe it's an armoured lifeform? Big old bug looking alien armour up and used as a tank?

  • 11.30.2012 3:11 PM PDT
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If you look at the concept art closely. The aliens seem to be having a hard time walking on the deep snow. The quadruped battle tank could be used to traverse snowy terrains only.

  • 11.30.2012 3:16 PM PDT

The WorkPLace

Posted by: FALSE R3ALITYx
And Cobravert is absolutely correct.

Posted by: Der Todesengel
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and Cobra."
- Der

Posted by: Hylebos

Help me brainstorm more positives community! Let us discuss Legged Tanks!

*plugs ears*

Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala

I don't like your friend's logic inferring that the AT-AT was a bad idea. My walker is AWESOME!

  • 11.30.2012 3:17 PM PDT
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Destinypedia - The Wiki for Bungie's Destiny
Posted by: DEATHPIMP72
Anyone but Foman. He smells like cheese.

Posted by: SonOfTheShire
What if it isn't a tank?

What if... it's armour?
What if those aren't humans? Who's to say what kind of tech an alien race could be using, and the reasons for it?

EDIT: Nevermind, I see like 781 people said this already in this thread.

[Edited on 11.30.2012 3:19 PM PST]

  • 11.30.2012 3:18 PM PDT

Ugh...

First on a BWU.. yeah, I'm cool.

ODST;MYTHIC Screenshot winner! One of the first to get their hands on the mythic map pack.

Posted by: x Foman123 x
Posted by: SonOfTheShire
What if it isn't a tank?

What if... it's armour?
What if those aren't humans?
What if... the telephones rang?

  • 11.30.2012 3:22 PM PDT

What is love? Baby don't hurt me...

When I saw this thread, the Shagohod from MGS3 came to mind.

  • 11.30.2012 3:31 PM PDT

What if they're houses?

  • 11.30.2012 3:37 PM PDT

Am I supposed to write something funny here?

As people have said, that thing might not be mechanical. It could biological or biomechanoid. Those legs don't look mechanical to me...

  • 11.30.2012 3:39 PM PDT

Posted by: x Foman123 x

Posted by: TH3_AV3NG3R
What house has a rocket pod, has legs, and has a long narrow barrel that probably shoots something powerful?

Sounds like you're describing the lower half of my body, actually.


Posted by: talon2000
What if they're houses?

What house has a rocket pod, has legs, and has a long narrow barrel that probably shoots something powerful?

  • 11.30.2012 3:46 PM PDT
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Destinypedia - The Wiki for Bungie's Destiny
Posted by: DEATHPIMP72
Anyone but Foman. He smells like cheese.


Posted by: TH3_AV3NG3R
a rocket pod, has legs, and has a long narrow barrel that probably shoots something powerful?
Sounds like you're describing the lower half of my body, actually.

  • 11.30.2012 3:50 PM PDT

Hey man, a lot can change in 700 years.

  • 11.30.2012 3:51 PM PDT