Hovercraft!

[Vandala]

I'm kinda surprised this hasn't been suggested before, at least, the search didn't show anything.

It just came to me just now as I'm playing that some kind of hovercraft platform/vehicle would really fit kenshi. This could be the vehicle for the kenshi world, given how hilly, sandy, and wet this world is, some kind of hovercraft would work I think. I don't know if it would be easier to implement then more traditional wheeled vehicles, I think it might? A hovercraft is basically just a platform with some very powerful fans and a rubber skirt that glides over terrain.

One of the benefits would be the minimal interaction with most of the normal units in the game, given that it would not have the ability to crush them, most units would simply be temporarily knocked prone while still being able to do what units are normally able to do while prone as the hovercraft glides over them. This might not work for some of the larger units like the beakthing and maybe the gorrilo? Leviathans of course would have to be avoided, those are too big to do anything to. Then again, maybe only the largest creatures can simply count as impassible obstacles while all other creatures are ignored and passed over, the beakthing can probably just get a special animation where it lowers its neck to avoid getting hit by the hovercraft.

While it would be cool to mount weapons like crossbows on the thing or allow it to carry a squat of crossbowmen I don't know if that's a good idea to allow, it would depend on how you want enemy melee units to interact with it. If the hovercraft is easily board-able by any unit then there is no problem, but if this is not possible for some reason, then it might be best to not allow any kind of weapon to be used from or on the hovercraft, to avoid exploits.

As for fuel, we already have fuel in the game so that problem is already solved.

The hovercraft should be able to carry some amount of cargo, this is very useful for players who want to go at it solo (as in playing with only a single character for the whole game), given how little cargo a single character can hold even with the largest backpack.

Having a vehicle that can just as quickly traverse water as well as land will be very convenient for players that want to explore those hard to reach islands across acid seas.

I would love to see some kind of open topped cargo/troop transport big hovercraft in kenshi (most likely kenshi 2 of course), I have a feeling that it would really fit the look and terrain of the world. Imagine it, the roar of its fans, the sand it kicks up all around it, its massive frame able to hold your whole squat of 30 men, to me that sounds awesome.

Of course you don't have to go with a massive hovercraft, you could also go for one of the smaller versions that's just for one or two people with some cargo.

I have I've given you something new to consider, good luck with it.

[Vandala]

Think something like this, but more open topped and a lot rustier with random assortments of iron plates and spikes and barbed wire. XD

I don't know about you but I think this could really work, at least in terms of looking like it belongs in the kenshi world.

[Vandala]

One way to make it even more special is if there was only one of these things in the world. It would sit somewhere in a remote place, abandoned and broken, and only with a high enough engineer or robotics skill could you fix the thing, you would of course have to travel far and wide for the right components.

And if you do include some way to damage it, have it simply crash again instead of being completely destroyed, that way you can/have to fix it again.

Come to think of it, if you ever consider adding other vehicles, you could do the same for them, have them be something special that you can find and have to fix before you get to use it. An old off-road moterbike, a dune buggy, a one person hovercraft, etc All things that would be neat to have as special rewards for exploring which in turn help you with exploring the world further.