# Vehicle Show and Tell

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [February 11, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207 "2013-02-11T05:22:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 66

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**Author:** ![Lomax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/lomax/32/10294_2.png) [@Lomax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lomax)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1303 "2020-11-11T23:38:07Z")

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Registered here so I could resurrect this excellent thread (hey, it’s a _zombie_ game, geddit?) and show off my WIP mobile base, the **Ursa II** (yes, there was an Ursa I, which I eventually outgrew and stripped for parts). It took me around two in-game seasons of 91 days to get this far:

 ![Ursa II](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/cataclysmdda/original/2X/0/0326665d6565d636f429b2900a5c77e4328fc6c4.png)

The welding rig on the back is a docked single tile vehicle which I use when working on the Ursa, since I’m rarely within range of the fixed welding rig 😃 To reduce weight the inner framework is all made from extra light frames (82 in total; took me _ages_ to collect them all!), surrounded on the outside by a layer of heavy-duty frames with military composite plating (52 pcs, took me _another_ age to collect it all!). The whole thing rests on 12 32" armored wheels, and is surprisingly easy to drive, if a bit sluggish. I had intended to double up the wheels under the main cabin, but found that the vehicle had become too heavy to jack up by then 😃 Energy is provided by 36 upgraded solar panels, and stored in 8 storage batteries. Hope to get to Mechanics 12 some day, so that I can add a gas turbine 🙂

There’s till some room left for adding more equipment and/or storage - but I fear I will eventually outgrow this vehicle too, and am already thinking about what an _Ursa III_ might look like; I may have to go to 11 tiles in width for that… 😲

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**Author:** ![Lomax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/lomax/32/10294_2.png) [@Lomax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lomax)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1304 "2020-11-11T23:57:25Z")

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The “control desks” look pretty neat at night; there’s an atomic night-light in each one for illumination.

 ![Screenshot_2020-11-11_23-50-31](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/cataclysmdda/original/2X/4/45543ef69bcd092f3075a3929351e2158506ea65.png)

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**Author:** ![Lomax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/lomax/32/10294_2.png) [@Lomax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lomax)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1305 "2020-11-12T12:45:45Z")

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If you’re wondering about the unusual looking tiles, I cloned the cargo carrier to a bunch of new parts with different names and sprites to make their contents easier to remember, and added a “control desk” which is just a copy of the normal workbench with a different sprite. I also tweaked the floor trunk and vehicle heater graphics, and made the vehicle heater passable:

![custom vehicle parts](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/cataclysmdda/original/2X/8/8d85f4f614c36cd9b6ceef38dc6d469fea9dcc40.png)

Having differently named storage units is useful when I forget which sprite represents what, as the game will tell me when I put something in the wrong place, e.g. “You put your flamethrower in the Ursa II’s canned food storage” 😃

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**Author:** ![Mantar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mantar/32/42_2.png) [@Mantar](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Mantar)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1306 "2020-11-12T17:48:46Z")

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That’s a pretty clever bit of modding!

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**Author:** ![Colin\_Browne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Colin\_Browne](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Colin_Browne)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1307 "2020-11-12T23:40:00Z")

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Wow. That’s an absolutely amazingly big vehicle. I’m impressed!

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**Author:** ![Lomax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/lomax/32/10294_2.png) [@Lomax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lomax)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1308 "2020-11-13T13:53:44Z")

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Thanks guys! 🙂 I’m already working on the layout for an even bigger, _gargantuan_ mobile base, with separate cabins for four NPCs. It’s still very much on the drawing board, but looks like with will require a footprint of 11x30 tiles 😲

 ![Ursa III](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/cataclysmdda/original/2X/5/54fc90fce85823c3c503ebb726bb49e7bc63d20e.png)

I’ve tried to design the layout with the following goals:

- Crafting should be divided into zones (cooking, chemical/medical and fabrication)
- Relevant materials should be “gettable” from the crafting position
- Relevant recipe books should be “readable” from the crafting position
- First aid and vehicle controls should be available close to entrances
- Storage units should be optimised for advanced inventory management (3x3)
- No external equipment should protrude beyond the framework
- Entrances should be heavily defended
- Crafting positions should be close to windows
- The outline should be more “interesting” than a simple rectangle

It will take an enormous effort to gather the materials for this monster. Can’t wait to get started 😃

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**Author:** ![Miloch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/miloch/32/1339_2.png) [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1309 "2020-11-13T18:58:43Z")

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Nice Lomax! Good to see the old topic in use again! 🙂

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**Author:** ![Lomax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/lomax/32/10294_2.png) [@Lomax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lomax)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1310 "2020-11-15T23:31:03Z")

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Got the outline frame completed after about two weeks of game time - and this time I remembered to fit the wheels before adding too much weight 🙂 I hope 14 wheels will be enough because there will be no easy way to add more later!

 ![Ursa III frame](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/cataclysmdda/original/2X/f/fdb628efaa2d279bce49c8b9d1caec9dc0b2627d.png)

The rest of the framework will be filled in with extra light frames, but I need to find more electric vehicles to scavenge them from. So far I’ve dragged 4 electric cars, one tour bus(!), two APCs and five Humvees to my base, and I am slowly breaking them up for parts. This will take some time…

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**Author:** ![zantanzuken](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zantanzuken/32/10325_2.png) [@zantanzuken](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/zantanzuken)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 6:28am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1311 "2020-11-16T06:28:53Z")

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somethin i’ve been working on as i go from town to town… upgrading it as i find new vehicles to tear apart.

 ![Untitled](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/cataclysmdda/original/2X/4/4f5a26f5408f54b126c37c90c67785a55e15b6b3.png)

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**Author:** ![Lomax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/lomax/32/10294_2.png) [@Lomax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lomax)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 10:22am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1312 "2020-11-16T10:22:38Z")

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Looks tough! What’s JP8 fuel?

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1313 "2020-11-16T14:14:54Z")

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It’s a kerosene-diesel substitute used by the US military to fuel jets and ground vehicles so that the Army only needs to ship one flammable liquid around.

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**Author:** ![zantanzuken](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zantanzuken/32/10325_2.png) [@zantanzuken](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/zantanzuken)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1314 "2020-11-16T17:34:52Z")

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yeah its ‘basically diesel’

… i havent actually figured out if the engine will swap over to the diesel i DO have, instead of only using JP8, so if it doesnt i’ll have to go engine hunting, but i also have spare large electric engines, so i’ll probably still be able to move around regardless.

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**Author:** ![Miloch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/miloch/32/1339_2.png) [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1315 "2020-11-16T20:16:33Z")

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When did they add JP8 in the game? I’ve dealt with that stuff IRL. 😛

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**Author:** ![zantanzuken](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zantanzuken/32/10325_2.png) [@zantanzuken](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/zantanzuken)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 8:22pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1316 "2020-11-16T20:22:33Z")

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i do have on ‘blaze industries’ mod, which adds a lot of vehicle related stuff, so its probably that.

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**Author:** ![GiggleGrassGatherer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/gigglegrassgatherer/32/7743_2.png) [@GiggleGrassGatherer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/GiggleGrassGatherer)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 9:55am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1317 "2020-11-17T09:55:00Z")

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No, JP8 is vanilla. I can’t say for sure but I think it was in some 0.E experimental.

> [@zantanzuken](#):
>
> i havent actually figured out if the engine will swap over to the diesel i DO have, instead of only using JP8

Diesel engines can use diesel, JP8, biodiesel and some other thing I don’t remember now. Some oil, I think. You can select which one to use by “control multiple engines” vehicle command - it’ll show multiple lines per diesel engine with same engine and different fuels.

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**Author:** ![Colin\_Browne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Colin\_Browne](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Colin_Browne)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1318 "2020-11-17T15:15:12Z")

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IIRC it’s lamp oil, at a reduced efficiency. Which is interesting, it’s much easier to create than biodiesel, but less effective.

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**Author:** ![Colin\_Browne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Colin\_Browne](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Colin_Browne)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1319 "2020-11-17T15:18:40Z")

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Oh wow. That’s incredible! I’m looking forward to seeing it progress! Seeing your custom modded parts makes me want to make some, too. A custom engine that can use all the fuel types would be interesting… I’ve just never modded CDDA before…

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**Author:** ![Lomax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/lomax/32/10294_2.png) [@Lomax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lomax)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1320 "2020-11-17T15:36:47Z")

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It was pretty easy; I simply copied the relevant bits of JSON in /data/json/vehicleparts/vehicle\_parts.json and edited as needed:

```
{
"type": "vehicle_part",
"id": "cargo_space",
"name": { "str": "cargo space" },
"symbol": "=",
"looks_like": "box",
"color": "light_gray",
"broken_symbol": "#",
"broken_color": "dark_gray",
"durability": 250,
"size": 1000,
"item": "cargo_rack",
"location": "center",
"requirements": {
  "install": { "skills": [[ "mechanics", 1] ], "time": "60 m", "using": [[ "welding_standard", 5] ] },
  "removal": { "skills": [[ "mechanics", 2] ], "time": "30 m", "using": [[ "vehicle_weld_removal", 1] ] },
  "repair": { "skills": [[ "mechanics", 2] ], "time": "60 m", "using": [[ "welding_standard", 5] ] }
},
"flags": ["BOARDABLE", "CARGO", "COVERED"],
"breaks_into": [
  { "item": "steel_lump", "count": [6, 8] },
  { "item": "steel_chunk", "count": [6, 8] },
  { "item": "scrap", "count": [6, 8] }
],
"damage_reduction": { "all": 28 }
},

```

Copy/paste the entire block above and change these two lines:

```
"id": "cargo_space_weapon",
"name": { "str": "gun storage" },

```

Save the JSON file and hey presto, you now have a new part you can install in vehicles. Just be careful to keep commas and curly brackets in the right places - I’d recommend making a backup copy of vehicle\_parts.json before making changes. To get a custom sprite you’ll need to open the spritesheet (/gfx/RetroDays+Tileset/tiles.png in my case) in a photo editor (I use [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org)) and add a new sprite to the end (10 x 10 pixels). Then open tile\_config.json in the same folder and add an entry for your new item, e.g.

```
    {
      "id": "vp_cargo_space_weapon",
      "fg": 3097,
      "rotates": false,
      "multitile": true,
      "additional_tiles": [{ "id": "broken", "fg": 155 }]
    },

```

“fg” is the number of the sprite you want the item to use, starting from top left of spritesheet (yeah, there really _are_ more than _three thousand_ sprites in there). _Note that you need to prefix the item id with “vp\_” (for vehicle part) in order for the game to find it_ (this had me stumped at first). Happy modding!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Lomax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/lomax/32/10294_2.png) [@Lomax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lomax)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1321 "2020-11-17T15:44:09Z")

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Re. your universal fuel engine idea: that sounds a lot like a steam engine, which you _should_ be able to run on anything that burns… 🙂

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**Author:** ![GiggleGrassGatherer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/gigglegrassgatherer/32/7743_2.png) [@GiggleGrassGatherer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/GiggleGrassGatherer)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-show-and-tell/207/1322 "2020-11-17T16:35:33Z")

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We do have steam engines in the game but IIRC it only works on (char)coal.  
There IS a class of engines which can burn both gasoline and all the things diesel can burn, too: the [gas turbines](http://cdda-trunk.chezzo.com/vpart_engine_turbine_large). It guzzles fuel very fast but you can achieve really crazy speed using it.

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