Vehicle Balance/ Solar Roller Advice

[RedPine]

I’m trying to make a large (7x11), light but usable solar roller. I looked at the stats for some of the vehicle parts and found a LOT of unintuitive things… like Quarterpanels being lighter AND having more HP than Light Quarterpanels. I’ve listed what I have so far below, any further suggestions? I’m particularly concerned about using handles as frames. I haven’t gotten far in the game and I hear there are things that lob rockets at vehicles (haven’t tried PK’s yet, I’ll give Wander+Static a go before I jump into that pit).

My Questions

Handles as Frames: Worth it for the weight, or asking for trouble?
Military Composite as Armor: Does anything deal enough damage for this to be worth it on anything besides a frontal ram? Can damage from ramming bushes/zombies penetrate past the third layer of armor? If I put Military Composite on a Handle frame, which will break first: the Handle or the Military Composite?

My Notes:

Cargo Spaces have the WORST weight to storage ratio. Floor Trunks have the BEST weight to storage ratio AND the most HP. Floor Trunk battering ram, anyone?
Chiten Plating is the lightest armor at 2kg with a whopping 500 hp. Next step up is Superalloy (900hp) and Military Composite (1600hp), which weigh 5-8 times more.
Best Turret is A7 Laser, at 3kg with practically infinite ammo. Next lightest is the RM614 LMG at 4.6kg (rare caseless ammo) followed by the M249 (common .223) and the m60 (overkill .308) Honestly, it would be more space/ammo efficient to skimp on vehicle turrets and lug around inactive turrets using the plentiful 9mm.
Best Ram is the Blade, it’s as light as the Spike but more damage and hp.
Best Board is Stow Board. As much weight/hp as a regular board. Use Heavy Duty sparingly as it is 10x the weight for 4x the hp.
Best Panel is Quarterpanel, as I mentioned earlier.
UPS station with all tools is lighter and more space efficient than vehicle rigs.
Power difference between Upgraded Solar Panel and Reinforced is negligible, but weight is double.

[Vastin]

Military composite does have its uses - mainly for keeping brutes from quickly knocking a hole in your vehicle. Not sure even that stuff will stop a hulk for more than a turn or two thought, as they can practically walk through building walls without slowing down. I generally don’t wait around for them to try, so I’m not sure how long it’ll actually last.

Oh, and yeah, a UPS recharging station stacked with tools is vastly more space/weight efficient than any of the built-in modules/kitchens/etc, which the exception of the mini-fridge, which doesn’t have a tool equivalent. Everything else does.

[Logrin]

Also, as far as I know heavier vehicles hit harder, which can reduce the damage you take overall by destroying what you hit in less impacts. Really wish armor had ARMOR points instead of HP, reducing damage to the parts it protects rather than soaking some of it. I just can’t picture something made of flesh beating the doors off a tank.

That said if you’re looking to save weight go open air, zombies only damage parts they can’t walk over, so if you’ve got a ups station+tools you’re less vulnerable to crafting station assassination. You could probably get by with just a frontal facing shield of boards directly in front of the driver to protect from gunfire.

Another way you can make loading loot easier as well as lightening the load is if you leave a line of open space up the back, letting your roll a shopping cart or looting vehicle right up the center. I experimented with that once.

[deoxy]

[quote=“Logrin, post:3, topic:13176”]1 )Really wish armor had ARMOR points instead of HP, reducing damage to the parts it protects rather than soaking some of it.

2. That said if you’re looking to save weight go open air, zombies only damage parts they can’t walk over[/quote]

3. Amen! Preach it!

4. not entirely true, but they are much less likely to bash stuff they can walk over, and even less likely to bash stuff they can walk over without being slowed down.

[DeclanFrost]

[quote=“deoxy, post:4, topic:13176”][quote=“Logrin, post:3, topic:13176”]1 )Really wish armor had ARMOR points instead of HP, reducing damage to the parts it protects rather than soaking some of it.

2. That said if you’re looking to save weight go open air, zombies only damage parts they can’t walk over[/quote]

3. Amen! Preach it!

4. not entirely true, but they are much less likely to bash stuff they can walk over, and even less likely to bash stuff they can walk over without being slowed down.[/quote]
   2 true. I’ve seen zed bashing frames in cities.

[RedPine]

[quote=“Logrin, post:3, topic:13176”]Also, as far as I know heavier vehicles hit harder, which can reduce the damage you take overall by destroying what you hit in less impacts…

That said if you’re looking to save weight go open air…

Another way you can make loading loot easier as well as lightening the load is if you leave a line of open space up the back, letting your roll a shopping cart or looting vehicle right up the center. I experimented with that once.[/quote]

Open air sounds nice, but I need maximum solar panel coverage. That means I need to install frames as a bare minimum, with floor trunks if I need storage. The actual driving seat will be a 1x3 area surrounded by boards/curtains and at least one layer of frontal ram. That said, the idea of leaving an aisle of empty space so I can drag a 1x1 lootbike through it sounds convenient so i might try that.

I’m not to worried about hulks. I already have enough water cannons to stunlock (and kill!) zombears provided I have enough ammo (2x60L), and I doubt a hulk would fair any better. Between my existing setup and the A7 Laser I found, plus setting up a few inactive turrets I stole from labs whenever I’m camped in a city, plus the awesomeness of Metabolic Interchange + EMP Rifle/Makeshift Fusion Blaster and 800 flour, I’m not too worried about combat power.

Below is my current plan (turrets omitted)

---

T-"""-T
=-BSS-=
=–/--=

T====T
======
======
=T==T=

• Board/StowBoard/Quarterpanel
  = Light Frame/Floor Trunk
  B Bed
  S Seat
  / Door
  _ Empty Air (for convenient loot transport)
  T Turrets (currently Water Cannon, replace with Laser when available)

For turrets, I would have at least 6 water cannons lining the edges, the one laser turret I’ve found, and 4-8 deployable turrets surrounding when parked. I could line the edges with stow boards, but I think that would block turret line of sight.

[KliPeH]

Another way you can make loading loot easier as well as lightening the load is if you leave a line of open space up the back, letting your roll a shopping cart or looting vehicle right up the center. I experimented with that once.

Interesting. So basically, just space with no frames or anything, to drag your cart into while you unload your loot? Because as far as I’m aware you can’t mount a vehicle on another vehicle. I want to take my shopping cart with me while I drive but don’t know how.

[Comassion]

You can disassemble the parts of the shopping cart and store those in the car, then re-build it on arriving at your destination. That’s the only way I know how to do it.

[DeclanFrost]

Foldable vehicles might be worth looking into. Never messed with them myself, other than foldable bikes, but I think blazemod adds more foldable vehicle parts.

[mlangsdorf]

In blazemod (if not mainline), you can make folding light frames, folding light wooden frames, folding wire baskets, and castors fold. So you can just make a folding cart and use it for all your looting and then fold it up and stow it in your vehicle. It’s enormously useful.

You can even use a folding cart to explore labs and other multi-level structures, though it tends to be a pain up the tail to unload a cart, fold it up, carry it up a set of stairs, unfold it, reload it, and then move it to the next set of stairs through 3-4 levels of a large lab.

[gakm4]

The base game has a folding frame and basket so you can have a foldable shopping cart in vanilla.

[proxiehunter]

[quote=“mlangsdorf, post:10, topic:13176”]In blazemod (if not mainline), you can make folding light frames, folding light wooden frames, folding wire baskets, and castors fold. So you can just make a folding cart and use it for all your looting and then fold it up and stow it in your vehicle. It’s enormously useful.

You can even use a folding cart to explore labs and other multi-level structures, though it tends to be a pain up the tail to unload a cart, fold it up, carry it up a set of stairs, unfold it, reload it, and then move it to the next set of stairs through 3-4 levels of a large lab.[/quote]

Cargo container, folding frame, wheel chair wheels. Folding cart with a 250 liter capacity. And it can hold a hell of a lot of weight before slowing you down if you have a decent strength.

[TheFlame52]

Someone is using the name I give my cars as a general name for all custom solar-powered vehicles? I’m honored!

Your notes in the OP say that you don’t really need anyone’s help making a really light vehicle. If you want it lighter, leave off the armor in the center of the vehicle. Also, have a folding shopping cart like other people are recommending.

Post pictures when you make it!