mikker Posted September 25, 2004 Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 (edited) A big problem is: how do you transport all the stuff you gain in battle with you? It can't be in the XC-11, so where does it go? What about this: Its called SkyCat. http://www.atg-airships.com/assets/skycat_20_03.jpg Its a crossbreeding an airship, a plane, a cathemaran, and a hovercraft. This above one is called the skycat 20. They are also planning a skycat 200, and the skycat-1000, which is bigger then the hindenburg. SkyCat 20 Length 81m Width 41m Height 24m Total volume 32,000m³ Maximum payload 20,000kg Payload deck length 22.3m Payload deck width 3m Payload deck height 2m Cruise speed 130km/h Maximum operating speed 148km/h Range with maximum payload 2,268km Ferry range 7,408km Altitude ceiling 2,745m SkyCat 200 Length 185m Width 77m Height 47m Total volume 4557,500m³ Maximum payload 200,000 kg Payload deck length 49m Payload deck width 7.5m Payload deck height 5m Cruise speed 139km/h Maximum operating speed 166km/h Range 5,970km Altitude ceiling 2,745m SkyCat 1000 Length 307m Width 136m Height 77m Total volume 2 million m³ Maximum payload 1 million kg Payload deck length 81m Payload deck width 12.2m Payload deck height 8m Cruise speed 185km/h Maximum operating speed 203km/h Range 7,400km Altitude ceiling 2,745m fun stuff, eh? more about it here. It would require a small fee for bringing the stuff home, but its very little. And if we add in xenium engines, and antigrav technology, stuff can be brought home faster! This would require that those flights are tracked, like your crafts or an ufo. This means that they can be downed / forced down by ufos, giving us another mission type! Edited September 25, 2004 by mikker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex the greater Posted September 25, 2004 Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 no thats not subtle enoughthe job is handeled by X-recov after you secure the ariea thay show up in sevral un-marked semi trucksand huall the hole thing away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted September 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 how would those trucks be able to cross continents? And wouldn't someone notice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakeman Posted September 25, 2004 Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 If they move that low to the ground, they're probably under most radar detection. If not maybe we could shell out more money to make stealth versions to increase salvage recovery odds and/or could be good for patrolling by that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex the greater Posted September 25, 2004 Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 the trucks tralers can be loaded onto trains boats or plains cyvalyan transports are cheap and dount atract unwnated attention Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted September 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 the trucks tralers can be loaded onto trains boats or plains cyvalyan transports are cheap and dount atract unwnated attention If they are all the rage in 10 years + for use with heavy transportation, and if they are painted like the commercial ones, plus that no ufo is hanging beneath it, it shouldn't attract attension. Also, this ship can go 2 km into the air, which is alot. And why should it go below radar cover? Unless its on an opposing country, of course... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex the greater Posted September 25, 2004 Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 i really dount think a blimp is nessary and i doubt zeplins will become mainstreem in just 5 YEARS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakeman Posted September 25, 2004 Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 Well, mainstream or not, I think it looks cool. What's more I like that its based in reality (generally speaking, I think its easier to impliment new and far out tech when you start from a place of a bit of recognition with what's presented). Maybe this could be that slow transportation back we were discussing in the pilot thread. i.e. you beat back the aliens and for whatever reason cannot pilot back or have no pilots, so you take the liesurely salvage blimp ride back with the engineers. Besides, about civilian transports, if this were to become common place in the future, its not hard to believe you'd see commercial versions spring up. They simply wouldn't have any military grade bells an whistles unless you disguise one (which I'd guess you have to if detectability is an issue what with your guys an items being vulnerable and whatnot). My guess is, given a choice, X-COM operatives would want the most direct way back as possible, regardless of the speed with which the craft travels in an emergency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex the greater Posted September 26, 2004 Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 yah dut in 4YEARS we will still use trucks and boats but we wount use blimps at least not cyvilyans and pepple would notice a blimp but no one gives a truck a second glance and blimps are easy for the aliens to shoot down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted September 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 why wouldn't anyone give a truck a glanse? A truck caravan that passes through and you have no idea what they are doing. If a plane passes over your head at home, do you think about it much? No. Besides, if its 500m up in the air, you iwll have troubles seening what the heck it is. A truck cravan looks suspisius, unless you live near a military installation. And that is right in front of you. Besides, i find this method to be quite slow, because its a ground vehicle. They can get stuck in trafic, and need to use boats. also, its in 10 years, not 4. Thet will start in a couple of years, so that 8 years of development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuoppi Posted September 26, 2004 Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 This would be one way... although i think that traditional truck - cargo plane is better. This would suit in initial phase of operation, to get containers and dismantle team from road to crash site and then lift the containers already loaded with UFO parts to trucks. The thing has no hard fuselage so if properly modified it would fit in a container itself, and be transportable in truck. A helicopter would do the same trick though, both have their advantages and disadvantages. Even a battleship would not take too many standard cargo containers to store when dismantled, and who is suspicious about few trucks hauling some rusty containers to airfield? A combined military transport operation could take some crates from anywhere to anywhere in just few days. Most of the time would be consumed in taking the UFO into pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted September 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 hmm....I agree, but doesn't cutting the fusalarge into pieces make the research harder for the scientists? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex the greater Posted September 26, 2004 Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 (edited) when i say trucks i mean normal civlayn trucks not canvas top milatary style trucks when a truck drives thro town nobody cares but when a blimp goes by eveyone says look its the goodyear (or xcorps) blimp and cuting the ufo into pecies wount be a prob for the reacerchers beacuse the recovery teem recorder whare evey wield and rivet went so the scintest can reasemble it Edited September 26, 2004 by alex the greater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted September 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 i totally see your point now. however, alien alloys arn't just pieces of metal with bolts in 'em. We don't know how to put things apart we don't know of, and things might be trasted. Rather put the entire ufo in one bit, and let the scientist team dismantle it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuoppi Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Then transport the scientists to site, they are part of the team. There is practically no way to transport intact UFO:s larger than med-scout. There would be very few labs that can house such large objects, so they would have to be pieced anyway before thorough research. Alien Alloys are not indestructible, just hard. Anything that can be constructed can be dismantled with far less effort. (Very few is less than few, am i right?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astral Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Helicopter is the answear for this prob on earth !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 I always assumed they cut the UFO into pieces, because they can always put some pieces back toghether afterwards, like they do for crashed airplanes... Besides, why do you think that we get "units" of Alien alloys in storage ::And let's face it. A Chopper coming to get the pieces, lands on an airstrip, hauled off by cargo plane, then trucks take it to the final destination (assuming it's not the south pole, in wich case they parachute the whole thing) IMHO, a few unmarked (or marked unconspicuously) are FAR more discrete than futuristic (and bloody SLOW) blimps, however cool they may be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex the greater Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 (edited) yah at the crash siteall items are loaded into explosives contaners (just incasecorpses are loaded into a frezzer truckthe ufo is scaned whith a laser wand (accruite to a .0000001th of an inch) and cut into peices than loaded onto a seprete truck (unless it is small than it is just packed onto the truck holethan the hole convoy drives sails or flys to the nearist xbase Edited September 27, 2004 by alex the greater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stow Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Lighter than airship technology was abandoned for long range travel in the 1930s because of its dangerous nature. Its slow and highly suceptible to inclement weather. It is still used for low cost observation at short ranges though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted January 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Lighter than airship technology was abandoned for long range travel in the 1930s because of its dangerous nature. Its slow and highly suceptible to inclement weather. It is still used for low cost observation at short ranges though. It has been fixed. The Skycat is diffrent. It doesn't use hydrogen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinzon Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 wow i never thought about it... how the ufo gets to your base... but then againg do we really want it to take sevral days for the ufo to arrive? in each x-com a succsful mission was like a present full of goodies and presents for the diffrent divisions... Sometimes the immedeat return of artifacts was the only reason you stayed alive... or is this just HOW they do it? In that case mabe the grunts themsleves cut it into peices... and then take whatever they can... and the rest is given to the goverment secret ressearch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted January 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 i think you COULD be able to take some equiptment with you on the craft. Maybe like, xenium and alien equiptment (if researched)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakeman Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 (edited) I still think this idea is plausible. Even if you can't control the delivery mechanisms relating to salvage like before (as a 'pedia entry-type thing explaining the how-its-done), this still sounds like one good method to institute standard supply missions for your side ala another vehicle option. At least, looking at it as one additional way besides trucks, boats, planes, & helicoptors. Plus as you said, its based on current real research. Granted, its applications are limiting, but so's your early game adventures.. Anyway, I'm always interested in how tech progresses through a game, and also how we weigh what to use what where based on the general current state of things at the time, and also examining things from a bugetary perspective for X-COM. I sort of enivision this blimp tech as a new low cost way of achieving certain aspects of their overall strategic mission, before you introduce more researched Earth tech, alien tech, or hybrids later on. I wouldn't necessarily place this Earth tech though on the high end of Earth tech you can do for this mission, but certainly one stage of it somewhere in that scale. Edited January 8, 2005 by Snakeman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qonfused Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 how about: the troop carriers have a colapseble container, that they put all the recovered stuff in, and upon returning to the base, they fasten the container undernethe the troop carrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted January 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 how about: the troop carriers have a colapseble container, that they put all the recovered stuff in, and upon returning to the base, they fasten the container undernethe the troop carrier. you mean like the dropships in hl2? Could work for the scouts, but what about larger ufos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[dipstick] Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Maybe just have a locator on the geoscape indicating progress on removal. ie small scout takes minutes to recover, while a b-ship takes a couple of weeks? That would be more realistic - you can even send engineers to the site to speed it up?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted January 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Maybe just have a locator on the geoscape indicating progress on removal. ie small scout takes minutes to recover, while a b-ship takes a couple of weeks? That would be more realistic - you can even send engineers to the site to speed it up?? great idea! And you don't even need to know HOW it's t ransported! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakeman Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 It could be one of your behind the scenes sort of thing, yet you still have to delegate the transport vehicle doing the salvaging along with the engineering group (to speed it up). Nice thought there dipstick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARAK Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 You guys never heard of Fed Ex? That's why it's at your base so quickly. Overnight shipping. They just cut it down to size, and fedex it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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