This is an old revision of the document!
Ground Propulsion
The wheel has been around since the dawn of recorded history. The skid goes back even further. So long as there have been people who build things, people have built things that make moving other things easier.
To determine how large a motive drive-train you need, you must first decide how fast you want your vehicle to be. Choose a top speed in kilometers per hour. To find the power required for your desired speed, multiply the speed by itself, and then by the mass of your vehicle (in tonnes). Then divide by the suspension factor (SF) for your motive drive-train, as found on the table below.
| TR | Type | SF | Mass (kg) | Cost (₠) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -5 | Skids | 90 | † | † |
| -4 | Wheels | 160 | 1.8 × Power + 36 | Mass × 5 |
| -2 | Wheels | 360 | 1.8 × Power + 36 | Mass × 5 |
| -1 | Wheels | 650 | 0.9 × Power + 18 | Mass × 5 |
| 0 | Wheels | 650 | 0.45 × Power + 9 | Mass × 5 |
| -1 | Tracks | 250 | 2.5 × Power + 60 | Mass × 10 |
| 0 | Tracks | 360 | 1.5 × Power + 30 | Mass × 10 |
| 0 | Legs | ‡ | 2.7 × Power + 120 | Mass × 25 |
| +1 | Legs | ‡ | 1.35 × Power + 60 | Mass × 25 |
| +2 | Legs | ‡ | 0.5 × Power + 30 | Mass × 25 |
†Skis cannot be powered, but are included here for their Suspension Factor. ‡Regardless of TR, suspension factor is 160 for two legs, 250 for three legs or 360 for four or more legs.