Another 'new enemy' - the armored Skyline train

[watchman]

An armored train that moves slowly along the skyway to instill fear in the 'establishments' enemies.


It may not have to actually move in the game (actually would look clumsy to animate with those lionel track sharp curves) - could be sitting in the 'inner' areas of the 'founders base (or whatever) or could be sitting in one of the stations.

Big cannon on the front and turrets, rivetted boiler plate armor (grey iron, mostly bullet-proof), lots of flags (ever see the train in the movie Dr Zhivago...) , made up of several train cars, steam pouring out of a short(armored) stack, firing slits, some kind of distinctive steam whistle (which itself can send enemy fleeing in terror).

And as usual has only limited uses in the real world - but looks impresssive.

Destroying/disabling it to 'get by it' would be the local scenario (may have to go back someplace else to get something that could 'handle it' (maybe get a freight train and 'casey jones' into it. )

Without having to do move animations, it may be easier to develop the assets for it in the extra months and have it added to the game.

[losstarot]

Not bad, and you'd be pursuing on one or two parallel skylines for instance, alternating between those when it uses either its turrets or the boarding passengers get the urge to stop you from disabling the train. Now this would be a good use of skylines and a good test.

[watchman]

Or pursued or you'd be flying along a skyline and come upon a wall of metal on the 'track' (and have to jump off)
Being in a more 3D environment (up in the air) the 'turrets' have to face all directions (maybe more like the B17 bomber with guns out of all sides)


http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/t...ored-train.jpg
http://www.the-blueprints.com/bluepr...ored-train.png
http://moi3d.com/gallery/images/render15.JPG
http://kissmeimirish21.deviantart.co...rain-166140216

Just YAHOO "german armored train" images to get similar

Of course the Infinite one wouldnt be quite as fancy or modern looking but would have that same look to it.

Not quite as crude as this :

http://www.bravoartillery.org/A_Civi..._railroad..jpg



Another 'scenario' would be a Vox Populi riot or whatever and 'The Train' chugs in nearby and disgorges 'Founder' troops (or are they 'police' ) and a major battle erupts that Bookers best strategy is to "get the heck away from it".....

[losstarot]

Might be worth doing something similar to your pics in terms of armor plates indeed.

On a totally unrelated note, when will you use an avatar pic watchman? you know, to be friendlier, less cold for instance

[watchman]

They have pretty restrictive defaults

General Settings | Thread Display Options | Show Avatars [X]No is default.....

will have to find appopriate 80x80 pixel thingee.



Armored trains were never horribly effective because the tracks were always vulnurable and the armor to stop bullets is prohibitive for normal trains ( a locomotive is a huge bomb just waiting for machine gun bullets to let the pressure off and have it spectacularly explode in a massive steam explosion).

But in this game the 'Armored Train' ("Freedom Train", Victory Train, Train of State, Founders Express, Mobile Security Platform Mk2, Portable Fortress ...) would be something that looks menacing and not so easy to fight with hand weapons.

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Reason that Vox Populi havent destroyed every Skyline track in Columbia -- they use it more frequently than the Founders do to 'get away' from the establishment forces or to suddenly arrive for the guerilla type attacks they make.... And the founders havent simply shut the system down (except when they have a train to move) because the 'fighting' is only really starting when Booker arrives (or the place would already have been thoroughly wrecked before he got there)

[watchman]

Columbia Founders Skyline Armored Train

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8824/juggernaut.png

.
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The Columbia Skyline is powered by a pair of moving chains and that is what the vehicle locks onto (onto the top edge of the chain so that the chain can be supported from underneath by whatever hold it up/drives it -- which is not exactly there in the pictures). The Vehicle is suspended from between the two chains (like the columbia freight trains).

The armor is fairly thin (less than 1/2 inch thick steel) probably enough to stop most bullets. The car bodies is pretty small so as to not weigh too rediculously much (1/2 inch steel plate weighs about 20lb per square foot).
The track allegedly supports those 'freigh' trains so would have the capacity for some substantial weight.
Tanks are usually pretty cramped inside

The Maxim Machine guns existed easily by 1912 (and actually long before that). Several turrets offer 360 degree firing arcs.

Firing the 75mm cannon (rapid fire recoil type) might be interesting when fired as 'broadside' making the whole train swing a bit.

The wide gun arcs cover all sides and up and down angles. There are also hand weapon firing slots all round.

Getting good firing visibility is always a problem and having too many viewing slots are a weakness. Some of the crew firing positions probably would not be too comfortable and the noise when a number of the guns are firing would probably be deafening.

The cars have armored connecting passageways that would work on fairly tight curves (not quite the toylike ones shown in the trailers).

There is a power source to actuate the few hydraulics/pneumatics/electrics and the hopefully terrifying steam whistle.

If I was to improve it, I would have a mechanism that would be able to traverse an unmoving Skyline chain (so it couldnt get stuck if the system shutdown). It probably could use ALOT of ventilators (hadnt added them yet).
Flagpoles and flags arent shown.

As with most trains the track is always its chief vulnerability.

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The diagram doesnt really show how boxy the thing would be (add rivets all over to give it that old time /steam punky era look).

The coloring could be just steel/iron grey metal, or it could be painted in red-white-blue with a few marrings of bullet/burn marks to show its recent use. Painting 'nose art' on it might be a bit much as would 'kill' talleys.


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Of course this could be the Deluxe' model, and a simpler one would have no turrets, only a couple of machineguns (or none) and lots more firing ports/slots for troops inside. Of course, the opposition would try to quickly melt away from the 'withering fire', but breaking up crowds or handling snipers/holed up shooters (and generally being menacing) is really what its intended for.