Logistics Showcase III - The Baktoid Multi-Troop Transport news

Not long before the infamous Blockade of Naboo, the Multi-Troop Transport was procured in large numbers as part of the Trade Federation's secret rearmament to ramp up its ability to perform organized ground operations on a large scale. The addition of the MTT, among several other vehicles, into the Trade Federation's arsenal strengthened the logistical capabilities of the Federation and transformed the mostly space-based and defensive Trade Defense Force into a substantial, highly mobile paramilitary force capable of enforcing the Federation's will on an entire planet.

Built out of collaboration with Baktoid Armor Workshop, the MTT is a formidable vehicle capable of smashing through nearly any natural obstacles with ease and even penetrating thick base walls and the like. Its heavy frontal armor is nearly impenetrable and makes it a very important element of the Separatists' logistical arm. It is armed with two medium blaster cannons.

The Phantom Menace was my introduction into the Star Wars universe and the MTT in particular has a special place in my heart. I remember when I first saw the rows of MTTs deploy their legions of battledroids, I was pretty much glued to my TV-screen. I remember thinking how cool it was! I'd never seen anything like that before and I was just hooked. That was it for me, from then on my love of sci-fi solidified into a robot fetish and love for epic laserfests. I would spend the next five years pretty much drawing only robots and the like ... But then two movies later the battledroids are dumbed down to serve as comic relief and lose a lot of their appeal... *sigh* Imagine how you'd feel if the Stormtroopers in A New Hope were replaced by armored Ewoks, that's kind of how that felt to me. This piece of boring personal history is an example of my experiences with the Star Wars universe and how it influenced the way I think and what I think is important to translate into The Clones of War experience! Ultimately, I want to give the players the feeling that they are in control of the movies they so love. That when you look at it in-game, you can feel like someone's watching the movies right now while you're playing it for them. Like the epic toy-box you've always wanted, now made possible by the advances of the gaming industry and the awesome GEM engine. An ambitious goal, no doubt, but one I feel very strongly about.

So the MTT will fulfill the role of what I have decided to call, the Separatists' ‘Heavy Logistics' in the same way as the All-Terrain Open Transport will fulfill the role of Heavy Logistics for the Loyalists. The term Heavy Logistics means that the vehicle is an armored and armed vehicle dedicated to transporting units and/or equipment with a considerably greater operational range than its ‘light' counterpart. So to further clarify, the MTT and the AT-OT will have more ‘fuel' than the PAC or the RTT and so, will need less micromanagement. Unfortunately, this will be offset by a slower movement speed and less maneuverability. Overall, a heavy logistical vehicle has the capacity to be in the front lines of an assault and to carry a considerable force of infantry. Finally, I hope to eventually have a working, animated deployment rack in which droids are loaded and unloaded like in the movies. I admit that it seems like a stretch and I'm not 100% sure if it's even possible, but I have some ideas and I'm going to try to find a way.

With the Separatists' main logistical units out of the way, it's time to turn to the Loyalist Heavy Logistics vehicle, the All-Terrain Open Transport. And you thought half-tracks couldn't possibly get any cooler!