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Manticore Artillery Tanks

NOTICE: A recent game update has caused a glitch with the missiles. There is an easy way to fix it: for the MK.II, go to the control panel and search for "go", this will bring up a large list of thrusters. Select all the thrusters and move the "thruster override" dial to the middle, then back to full power. It should read ~ 64MN after you do this instead of 51187MN like it did before.

For the MK.I, repeat these steps and also fix the "up" thrusters in the same way. Sorry for the annoyance and hopefully the devs stop screwing around like this.




Made for creative. No mods. 2-for-1 deal, just delete the red connecting blocks and you will have both MK.I and MK.II versions.


Description:

The Manticore is modeled after a vehicle used by the Imperial Guard in Warhammer 40K. It is a variant of the Chimera light tank, using the same chassis. All of the controls are displayed in front of the driver's cockpit. I have also added steps to the rear so it is possible to climb up to the driver's hatch without using a jetpack.

Features:
- Rotored driving system
- Driver hatch
- Piston leveling system
- Missiles




There are two versions of the tank here, the difference between them is how they fire their missiles.

MK.I
- Designed to hit targets at a range of 1000m (Earth gravity)
- Missiles follow parabolic (arcing) trajectory and come down on target
- Harder to aim
- Better at avoiding automatic turret defenses

MK.II
- Virtually unlimited range
- Missiles launch in a straight line towards target
- Easier to aim
- Does not work well against automatic turret defenses





About the missiles:
There is a 3 second delay for missile launch after you hit the fire button (because I like to get out and watch)

This medium-range artillery tank carries three explosive missiles mounted on a turreted launching platform. Each one can be fired individually, however they seem to be more effective when fired in quick succession. The missiles are tipped with either 4 warheads, or 2 warheads and 2 decoys.




Tips for hitting your target with the MK.II version:
- Pretty much just put it in your crosshairs and press fire. Just make sure you are level with the artificial horizon beforehand.





Tips for hitting your target with the MK.I version: (Again, optimum range is 1000m)


- First off, the missile on the right is a problem child, it typically hits off target despite having the same settings as the other two. This caused me to tweak its settings a little bit, but sometimes it still won't cooperate. Results may vary :)

- It is very important to view the artificial horizon from the main cockpit once you have found a target. If you are not perfectly level, gravity will pull the missiles left or right. Use to leveling system on page 2 of the controls to straighten yourself out......or you will have to compensate by aiming a little to the left or right of your target.

- To line up your shot, you will have to press 9 twice to take control of the launcher and view the camera. Press 8 to unlock the turret and line up your vertical axis, then lock it again. Then used 1 and 2 to adjust height (Press quickly for small adjustments i.e. 1-2 or 2-1)

- The missiles will generally hit a little below where your crosshairs are aiming. If the target is on the ground (i.e. cars, tanks, bunker) then placing the crosshairs right on it should give a good result. Taller bases like the pirate base will require you to aim slightly above the target. You will also have to adjust for gravity strength if you are not on Earth.

- If the target has automatic defenses, fire the center missile (with the decoys) first and then the other two quickly after it. This is usually a successful method of getting your missiles all the way to the target without being shot down.



Driving Tips:
- Rotors only, no suspension for the wheels. Use buttons 1-4 to steer.
- There is a gyro in the hull and hidden thrusters in the tracks to help you climb steep slopes or free yourself if stuck.
- The gyro can be used to help with steering on soft ground


Known Problems
- MK.I has unpredictable accuracy.
- The whole tank seems to wiggle very slightly, I suspect because the launcher has a double rotor mount and has gyros on it. SE physics doesn't seem to like that setup.




Comments are welcome. Enjoy!