StarDestroyer.Net BBS

In the starwars.com Hyperspace feature, "What's the Story", where fans can add their own entries to the databank, the newest entry up for grabs is the "Republic Artillery Transport", otherwise known as the treaded tank from Mygeeto.

I know a couple of you were pretty excited about seeing a classic tank in ROTS, so now's your chance to write up a backstory for it!

I have a bad feeling about this...

Given Specs:

Here’s what’s known of this vehicle: Sporting design similarities to an AT-TE, this artillery transport is seen sliding across an embattled bridge during the Battle of Mygeeto. A rocket launched from a towering tri-droid blasts it into the air.

The CG model of this vehicle identifies it only as “artillery transport,” giving some indication of its role. It is approximately 23.8 meters long, 9.5 meters tall, and 10.9 meters wide.

I say we write up a long extensive biography for the designer of the vehicle. I'll start.

His parents killed in a speeder accident, B'li Zhom was found and raised by a family of Wookiees...

DPDarkPrimus wrote:I say we write up a long extensive biography for the designer of the vehicle. I'll start.

His parents killed in a speeder accident, B'li Zhom was found and raised by a family of Wookiees...

...Who lived a cosmopolitan lifestyle common to residents of Nal Hutta. However, this combination of bizarre parentage and surroundings sent Zhom entirely insane, resulting in his eventual design for what could be a main battle tank, but is actually an 'artillery transport'.

Ford Prefect wrote:

DPDarkPrimus wrote:I say we write up a long extensive biography for the designer of the vehicle. I'll start.

His parents killed in a speeder accident, B'li Zhom was found and raised by a family of Wookiees...

...Who lived a cosmopolitan lifestyle common to residents of Nal Hutta. However, this combination of bizarre parentage and surroundings sent Zhom entirely insane, resulting in his eventual design for what could be a main battle tank, but is actually an 'artillery transport'.

Nothing whatsoever about him actually being Force Sensitive, about him later being found by a Jedi and trained, ironically being hunted down and killed by the very machines he helped build in the first place?

You fail, my friend. You fail.

DPDarkPrimus wrote:

Ford Prefect wrote:

DPDarkPrimus wrote:I say we write up a long extensive biography for the designer of the vehicle. I'll start.

His parents killed in a speeder accident, B'li Zhom was found and raised by a family of Wookiees...

...Who lived a cosmopolitan lifestyle common to residents of Nal Hutta. However, this combination of bizarre parentage and surroundings sent Zhom entirely insane, resulting in his eventual design for what could be a main battle tank, but is actually an 'artillery transport'.

Nothing whatsoever about him actually being Force Sensitive, about him later being found by a Jedi and trained, ironically being hunted down and killed by the very machines he helped build in the first place?

You fail, my friend. You fail.

You can't expect me to write it all, ya lazy bum.

What you wrote skips over so much, though. Think of all the details you can add during his childhood and teenage years! Think of all the cliches!

For my entry:

What would be a reasonable effective range for a medium turbolaser turret similar in power (slightly less) to a AT-AT's main guns?

Whatever, heres my "back story":

The diverse and exotic battlefields and vast numbers advantage of the Seperatist droid armies during the Clone Wars required the Grand army of the Republic diversify and specialize in space, and on land. Developed by Rothana Heavy Engineering, the MMFA (Mid-range Mobile Field Artillery) or Artillery Transport as it is often called, is born of this need.
Designed for infantry and armor support, MMFAs are generally deployed with advanced assault units and with field engineering details to provide support while command posts and fixed artillery are installed. Armed with a top-mounted projectile cannon, two forward firing medium turbolasers, and four anti-personnel laser turrets, commanders generally use the vehicles powerful weaponry to soften up entrenched Seperatist positions and disperse enemy tank formations. The MMFA's unusual drive system, consisting of sixteen small, extendable legs, allow forward gunners to easily alter their field of fire and target enemy positions usually out of range. The vehicle's other role, from which it derives the name Artillery transport, is to use its large cargo bay to relocate supplies and ammunition as it positions itself on the battlefield.
The MMFA is operated by a crew of eleven, and measures 23.8 by 10.9 meters.

Noble Ire wrote:For my entry:

What would be a reasonable effective range for a medium turbolaser turret similar in power (slightly less) to a AT-AT's main guns?

That depends mainly on the height above ground. 5 km at 2 m. But I seem to recall that the barrel was elevated, suggesting a projectile weapon with indirect fire. Projectile weapons on the whole seem a lot more common during the CW.

Noble Ire wrote:Whatever, heres my "back story":

The diverse and exotic battlefields and vast numbers advantage of the Seperatist droid armies during the Clone Wars required the Grand army of the Republic diversify and specialize in space, and on land. Developed by Rothana Heavy Engineering, the MMFA (Mid-range Mobile Field Artillery) or Artillery Transport as it is often called, is born of this need.
Designed for infantry and armor support, MMFAs are generally deployed with advanced assault units and with field engineering details to provide support while command posts and fixed artillery are installed. Armed with a top-mounted projectile cannon, two forward firing medium turbolasers, and four anti-personnel laser turrets, commanders generally use the vehicles powerful weaponry to soften up entrenched Seperatist positions and disperse enemy tank formations. The MMFA's unusual drive system, consisting of sixteen small, extendable legs, allow forward gunners to easily alter their field of fire and target enemy positions usually out of range. The vehicle's other role, from which it derives the name Artillery transport, is to use its large cargo bay to relocate supplies and ammunition as it positions itself on the battlefield.
The MMFA is operated by a crew of eleven, and measures 23.8 by 10.9 meters.

I'd buy it.

From what I could see, the top gun appeared to fire several rapid laser bolts, not projectiles. And the guns on each side seemed almost as long as the top gun. They might be used for projectile weapons while the top gun is used against line-of-sight targets.

Add that it´s used by the Empire twenty years on (just to piss off people who refuse to accept that the Empire mostly uses CW-era vehicles).

EDIT: If anyone could provide screencaps of the weapon being fired, it could help judge what the shots were. As well as the first shot of Mygeeto, to see if there are arching shots in the background (that was an enormous battle, it might be hard to see).

MMFA (Mid-range Mobile Field Artillery)

I´m sold.

VT-16 wrote:From what I could see, the top gun appeared to fire several rapid laser bolts, not projectiles. And the guns on each side seemed almost as long as the top gun. They might be used for projectile weapons while the top gun is used against line-of-sight targets.

Add that it´s used by the Empire twenty years on (just to piss off people who refuse to accept that the Empire mostly uses CW-era vehicles).

EDIT: If anyone could provide screencaps of the weapon being fired, it could help judge what the shots were. As well as the first shot of Mygeeto, to see if there are arching shots in the background (that was an enormous battle, it might be hard to see).

MMFA (Mid-range Mobile Field Artillery)

I´m sold.

Yes, but the problem is that projectiles often look like blaster bolts too. It's hard to say what's what. Caps would do good.

Wait, why legs? Has it been confirmed to be a legged vehicle?

Yes! Pics! I have seen glimpses only.

Grandmaster Jogurt wrote:Wait, why legs? Has it been confirmed to be a legged vehicle?

Yep. The screen shot and multiple angle diagram they provide members with is pretty clear on that.

So how many legs does it have?

Edit: Only picture I could find with it shooting: http://starwars.wikicities.com/wiki/Image:Tank.jpg

Looks more like a laser bolt than a projectile (the AT-TE´s projectile on Utapau was more rounded)

Suggestion
Armed with a top-mounted projectile cannon, two forward firing medium turbolasers, and four anti-personnel laser turrets, commanders generally use the vehicles powerful weaponry to soften up entrenched Seperatist positions and disperse enemy tank formations
Change tanks to "armor" considering the amount of zany vechicals running around in SW.

VT-16 wrote:So how many legs does it have?

Edit: Only picture I could find with it shooting: http://starwars.wikicities.com/wiki/Image:Tank.jpg

Looks more like a laser bolt than a projectile (the AT-TE´s projectile on Utapau was more rounded)

Given the flash visible at the barrel, i would have come to the opposite conclusion - that it is a projectile-weapon.

So how many legs does it have?

Sixteen, eight on either side. The reason you can't really see them in that screen shot is because of their odd, very thin shape.

Suggestion
Armed with a top-mounted projectile cannon, two forward firing medium turbolasers, and four anti-personnel laser turrets, commanders generally use the vehicles powerful weaponry to soften up entrenched Seperatist positions and disperse enemy tank formations
Change tanks to "armor" considering the amount of zany vechicals running around in SW.

Good point, and I did use term earlier. I shall take that under advisement.

Noble Ire wrote:For my entry:

What would be a reasonable effective range for a medium turbolaser turret similar in power (slightly less) to a AT-AT's main guns?

The AT-AT mounts heavy lasers; the term turbolaser only seems to come into play for quite heavy guns, the weapons on walkers, fighters and smaller ships like the Falcon are all called lasers or heavy lasers