So, I’m at the point where I want to work on a Deathmobile for my second long-living character. Problem is, I’m not sure what to go with. I’ve been thinking about Fuel, Power, Storage, and all those fun things that are important.
I have a few options
1: Gutted Atomic Mini Tank: I would gut an Atomic Mini Tank north of my base and place some Solar Panels (including a Quantum one I retrieved) on it. I’ve been told Electric power has been nerfed to the point of near uselessness for long-term deathmobile use, but these tanks have “Enhanced Electric Motors” along with multiple storage batteries, and Minireactors if utterly necessary. Naturally, I’d gut this and re-work it so I could add Cargo Carriers and other utilities (like beds, tool stations and seats). Main concern would be finding more wheels, as most of the Tank Treads have been destroyed.
2 Semi Truck: A Complete Semi Truck to the Southeast of my base over by a hospital (given that I’m a fully realized Chimera, clearing this will be EASY if the need arises). Already has beds, AND a working Diesel Engine. My main concern is filling in the back so its more like an RV, but it can’t be too hard, right?
3 Luxury RV: A Luxury RV. Already has Minifridge and Kitchen Unit (I have the former already, and could use the latter) along with 3 working solar panels. This is the furthest from my base, however, in the part of my town that isn’t entirely cleared out (granted I could clear it out in a week, but that’s busywork).
The Semi Truck is likely the best candidate, as it’s made entirely of heavy duty frames, has a lot of room for expansion, and starts off with a powerful engine with a plentiful fuel source. You’re best off taking the kitchen unit and solar panels from the RV, and whatever armor/weapons you can salvage from the minitank (I don’t remember encountering these in the past so I’m not sure what they have) and consolidating them onto the Semi.
humvees or cargo trucks are the favored choices here. big rig is something I’ve done before though, and the easiest option here.
make sure that you ard the wheels and their frames earlier than later. if you make it too big without adding your planned wheels you’ll have to find a boom crane, which is really only found on excavators, which in vanilla are found almost exclusively at abandoned farms (the ones with the huge fenced off fallow fields)
I have a Humvee available, but I hadn’t given it much thought because of space; I tend to play as a bit of a hoarder, so I like to have a lot of room to jam my stuff into. I could always give it more space, though.
I’ve used the Luxury RV in my deathmobile game, and can recommend it for folks who aren’t serious hoarders. It’s slim enough to squeeze through a lot of places that a larger vehicle couldn’t. With a composite ram up front, and the windows all reinforced, I rarely have to do serious repairs.
I haven’t installed all the extra tile-eating tools like the welding rig and stuff, opting to use a UPS charger station on one tile, full of UPS-modded tools instead. Space is still a little tight, even after replacing a lot of aisle with cargo carriers (which has the disadvantage that it takes a while to move over) but I get by just fine. I just have to prioritize whether to take some loot or leave it, because I can’t possibly carry everything. Stuff that’s easy to acquire gets left behind.
It’s solar powered most of the year, but guzzles diesel like there’s no tomorrow in winter.
I have had this issue approximately once. Maybe not even once. My main problem is finding diesel engines, if anything. This is good to know in the future though.
It’s worth noting that Diesel, unlike gasoline, is a renewable resource. That said, even when I’ve had the means easily on hand, I’ve never had to resort to crafting it, as like psyxypher there has always been more than enough diesel in vehicles and gas stations to meet my demands.
Thanks Kobold, you just reminded me that I got Hydraulic Muscles on the character I’m playing, meaning I can move the V12 engine in my shopping cart and thus into my Deathmobile.
One thing I’ve noticed with multiple engines is that stopping becomes so much easier. Three engines and I could start or stop on a dime.
Update: Finished the Deathmobile. She’s a beauty, covered in Upgraded Solar Panels. Doesn’t have much nice stuff inside of her, and I ran a bit thin on resources, but her she is:
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