I know PS1 and PS2 have medium battle tanks...

[super pretendo]

but why no "heavy" battle tanks? medium doesn't mean much without anything to relate it to. I think a sort of "super-vehichle" would be cool. Think leviathan from unreal 2004, or baneblade from warhammer. A very large, heavy and unwieldly tank with many heavy hitting weapons on it, that require players to use each of them. With the new resource system, it could use a very large amount of resources compared to other vehichles, but be a terrifying sight, or perhaps even have battlefield command bonuses depending on the certification of the pilot.

[Coreldan]

The more correct full name for MBT is Main Battle Tank, not Medium Battle Tank.

This shouldn't just be my opinion, quick googling shows some proper hits for "main battle tank", but googling medium battle tank mainly gives you the main battle tank results

That said, correctly implemented I guess there could be room for a heavier tank too... Just a bitch to balance I guess.

[super pretendo]

I think the way to balance is to make it a not exactly cost effective thing; make it much harder than getting even multiples of the lighter tanks that would together be stronger, but make it have unmatched power, strategic importance (command bonuses etc) and sort of "fuck you" power. This is how titans in eve are, their cost doesn't really justify their existence, but they still exist and do well.

[SKYeXile]

Originally Posted by Coreldan

The more correct full name for MBT is Main Battle Tank, not Medium Battle Tank.

This shouldn't just be my opinion, quick googling shows some proper hits for "main battle tank", but googling medium battle tank mainly gives you the main battle tank results

That said, correctly implemented I guess there could be room for a heavier tank too... Just a bitch to balance I guess.

This is by todays standards, who knows what the future holds, especially in a scifi game, MBT used to be "medium battle tank" the panzer and shermans making up the bulk of those, they're medium when compared to the much heavier tiger series and IS'. who knows what tanks are still back on earth? these tanks when compared to them could very well be medium tanks.

[Lonehunter]

I'm pretty sure in Planetside it was for Medium Battle Tank, the arguement for getting an actual Heavy Tank has been around a while.

When I say Heavy Tank, I'm thinking about the LANDKREUZER



Which was never actually made lol

[Traak]

http://www.planetside-universe.com/f...ht=landkreuzer

[Traak]

Originally Posted by Coreldan

The more correct full name for MBT is Main Battle Tank, not Medium Battle Tank.

This shouldn't just be my opinion, quick googling shows some proper hits for "main battle tank", but googling medium battle tank mainly gives you the main battle tank results

You should have seen the shriekfest that started when I mentioned that in another thread.

[super pretendo]

BUMP for superheavy but rare tanks!

[Xyntech]

I've brought up some suggestions for how to balance the implementation of large, powerful vehicles into the game.

Bottom line, they need to be hard to acquire, even late in the game when everyone has access to pretty much everything. BFR's and Orbital strikes failed in that regard. In addition, they also need to still not be overpowered, despite how hard they are to get.

Allowing super vehicles to act sort of like foritified mobile towers would in my mind be a good way to make their rarity be valuable and worth trying to attain, while keeping them from becoming nothing more than a killwhores wet dream.

You could have Heavy Battle Tanks, Sky Ships, even large air craft carrier style boats if they ever add naval combat.

Adding in additional balance factors, such as limiting how many super vehicles each side can have per continent, or allowing enemies to break in and take control of the super vehicles would be other ways of keeping their power somewhat in check.

As long as neutralizing their impact on the battlefield was quite feasible, and the super vehicles traveled rather slowly, I'd love to see them act as mobile spawn points, weapons platforms, resupply platforms, etc. A mobile tower in pretty much every sense of the word.

[super pretendo]

I agree; the support factors could be their main purposes, along with being a platform for super heavy weapons controlled by maybe half a dozen or more players. But I will repeat; it should NOT be cost effective in any way shape or form; it should be as hard to get as as many smaller tanks that would total Much more of its firepower. But it's advantage would be as a command platform that provided bonuses and support. Perhaps it would require or be very augmented by a very high ranked command player.

[Erendil]

Originally Posted by Lonehunter

I'm pretty sure in Planetside it was for Medium Battle Tank, the arguement for getting an actual Heavy Tank has been around a while.

This. Within the context of the Planetside gameworld "MBT" has always referred to Medium Battle Tank. Just go here and read the description of the Van/Mag/Prowler.

In the early days I remember the official boards having multiple threads asking the Devs for Heavy Tanks. We were delighted when one day they told us Heavy Tanks would be coming. Then we found out their idea of a "Heavy Tank" was the BFR...

I think the concept of a HT could work in PS2. But along with their rarity, the crew requirements need to be carefully balanced for the amount of power they bring. This is another area where BFR's utterly failed.

[super pretendo]

for inspiration
Leviathan:

Baneblade:


I even think the name Leviathan would fit into Vanu naming scheme due to the cosmic/transcendent implications, Landcruiser would fit into TR because it's a bigger prowler, plus TR are the authoritarian professionals, and Bane could be NC because... well because the Baneblade is cool

[Traak]

Originally Posted by Erendil

This. Within the context of the Planetside gameworld "MBT" has always referred to Medium Battle Tank. Just go here and read the description of the Van/Mag/Prowler.

It says Medium Tank. Nowhere in any Sony literature, at any time in history has the acronym MBT been used, period.

The acronym for Medium Tank, if it existed, which it doesn't, would be MT.

[ThirdCross]

Originally Posted by Traak

It says Medium Tank. Nowhere in any Sony literature, at any time in history has the acronym MBT been used, period.

The acronym for Medium Tank, if it existed, which it doesn't, would be MT.

Well the page he linked to has the type of the tanks listed as "medium tank" but in the descriptions they refer to them as the "main battle tank" for each empire. Main battle tank (MBT), so the acronym isn't used but the potential is there.

The manual also refers to them as medium battle tanks.

Edit: Here's another manual on their website that refers to them as "assault tanks"
Link

[Erendil]

There's also, for example, a transcript of this old HomeLAN interview with Dave Georgeson, aka Smokejumper, the original producer of PS1. The interview was about the introduction of BFR's, and in it he states:

Smokejumper Wrote:
We've always intended to add 'heavy battle tanks' because the biggest tanks in the game currently are described to the players as 'medium battle tanks.' I've worked on a bunch of giant robot games, including some of the "Mechwarrior II" series and "Heavy Gear" series. I even ran a paper game company (way back when) that tried to compete with FASA (unsuccessfully) with a "Mecha!" game. So...heavy battle tanks being designed by a guy with giant robot experience. You come to your own conclusion. Wink

The official boards were also plastered with posts from both Smoke and Spork referring to them as Medium Battle Tanks again and again.

So yes, PS1 had Heavy tanks of a sort: BFR's. And yes, I think they could work in PS2 at some point - so long as they're properly balanced for availability and strength vs manpower requirements. And more importantly, so long as they don't make the existing vehicles obsolete like the original BFR's did to every other ground assault vehicle in PS1 when they were introduced.