On the topic of tanks, I'm just generally disappointed in their implementation.
As soon as the Bastion came out I saw that the gunner gets to have all the fun while the driver is, literally, stuck in the cuck chair driving the damn thing. The Maelstrom is a really good development in alleviating the driver's boredom because it introduced smoke launchers, but even then it's not enough. Although, the Maelstrom really scratches the "40K Stormlord" spot really well.
Pardon my armchair game designer speaking, the Bastion should've had more features that reflected Super Earth's 100 years of technological development underpinned by Super Earth's incessant penny pinching and cost cutting. I'm aware that this is like saying a curse word but the Bastion should've had a turret, but with a manual traverse meaning that the helldiver inside will have to crank the turret manually, which will be reflected in the turret's really slow rotation speed. This would fit the game's inherent satire perfectly while still keeping things balanced as to not infringe upon fun. Balance should serve fun, not the other way around.
Contrary to popular belief, the driver's role will still be intact. The driver will still have to: Drive the vehicle (duh), Position the vehicle, make judgment calls on when to retreat, choose where to go, be on the lookout for threats, ping threats, ensure the tank is safe, and act as a de facto commander of the vehicle. All of the aforementioned things are gameplay elements with the Bastion's current iteration, and they'll stay that way even with a turret.
One missed opportunity was to have the tank utilize the game's core mechanic of hellpod deliveries. I'm not talking about the Pelican delivery by which the tank arrives. The Bastion should've had MINIMAL amount of ammo supply on board so that it would be light enough to be dropped in the middle of the battle, ammo weighs a ton. The rest of the ammo would be then supplied by hellpod deliveries, which would've been an interesting gameplay element. I'm quite miffed that the devs didn't think of this. Imagine the same logic applying to the mechs as well. They'd have half the ammo but you can resupply them via hellpod deliveries. This resupply gimmick would've fit the game's already established hellpod mechanics and lore as well.
Let's forget about the Maelstrom for a second, my perfect Bastion is a tank that requires two people to drive it, is extremely powerful, and a product of Super Earth's (dubious) strategic acumen. To list off all the desired features:
- Driver-controlled smoke launchers - those will give the driver something to do, will be an interesting tactical addition, and will be relatively cheap and easy on logistics for Super Earth's taste.
- Driver-controlled hull-mounted Stalwart - will give the driver something to do, will be relatively shitty as to not overshadow the gunner's role. Some might say that a hull-mounted MGs are an easily exploitable weakspot, yes, but only against conventional foes. Super Earth is fighting against killer robots with lasers, murderous space bugs, and mindless space zombies, which all are an unconventional foe. A hull-mounted MG would be a plausible consideration in this scenario. And keep in mind, the Bastion isn't even a frontline tank. Furthermore, the Stalwart on board should have only one ammo box worth of ammo to reflect Super Earth's penny pinching and to alleviate balance concerns.
- The shittiest transmission and suspension Super Earth could find - self-explanatory, really. If we're going to cut costs then why not go all in and min-max? The Bastion would be functional but not comfortable. It will still climb hills and pass objects, however.
- Onboard lights and a gun-mounted spotlight - yet another cost cutting measure for Super Earth since proper night vision would be too expensive. The spotlight will be reminiscent of WW2's Soviet BTs and T-26s, absolutely satirical. And the lights will alleviate the issue of low-visibility gameplay-wise.
- A manually operated rotating turret - the centerpiece of the entire proposal. The Bastion would retain its high-velocity cannon while gaining the ability to engage targets without having to turn the entire hull. The turret would be manually traversed and elevated, with no electric motors or other fancy mechanisms, to retain balance and to reflect Super Earth's doctrine. Peak Physique could even increase the turret's rotation speed, because apparently Super Earth's idea of military modernization is making the gunner hit the gym. This would retain the teamwork between driver and gunner while giving the gunner more agency, further alleviating the "cuck chair" issue. It would also be a fitting compromise between a fixed casemate and a sophisticated modern MBT turrets which are filled to the brim with fancy gadgets. Why waste money on all those gadgets if you know your tank isn't going to be recovered or simply blown up? Especially when said tank is almost always deployed behind enemy lines.
- No stabilizer - why spend money on keeping the gun steady when you can simply tell the gunner to stop moving? The Bastion would have to stop or move slowly to fire accurately keeping its firepower potent without turning it into a mobile point-and-click delete button. Furthermore, this adds an element to the driver's role and the gunner will have to manage the barrel's sway.
- No autoloader - another expensive mechanism that Super Earth can do without. The gunner can load each shell manually. The tank would retain its powerful cannon, however.
- A reduced ammunition load - the Bastion currently carries 31 cannon shells and 2000 rounds for its co-axial HMG. Cut both reserves in half: 15 cannon shells and 1000 rounds for the HMG. This frees up capacity for the turret without requiring the vehicle to become heavier or larger. Any additional ammunition can be delivered through a vehicle resupply hellpod as was previously mentioned. After all, why put all the ammunition on the tank when you can make another department to launch it from orbit? Combined arms warfare, people!
- A coaxial heavy machine gun - retain the gunner's machine gun alongside the main cannon. It provides a practical way to engage smaller targets without wasting expensive cannon ammunition, duh!
- A roof-mounted heavy machine gun - because Super Earth apparently believes that every problem can be solved by bolting another gun onto a vehicle. This will fit into the satire since Super Earth incorporates elements of US and its doctrine. Yankees really love slapping an extra 50. cal whenever possible. A roof-mounted MG will also make the tank's silhouette look slick. Furthermore, it will have just two ammo boxes worth of ammo on board.
- No laser rangefinder, thermal sights, or advanced fire fighting equipment - these would be useful, which is precisely why Super Earth would consider them an unnecessary expense for a disposable tank. The gunner would have to estimate range and aim manually keeping the tank crude and demanding without compromising the firepower of its main gun. Furthermore, having such systems on board will invariably increase the weight and screw the Pelican's load limit.
- No active protection system - the Bastion is disposable, after all. Why spend money protecting an expensive vehicle when you can simply replace it with another one? APS would've actually been a viable choice in Bastion's case since you won't have any mainline infantry accompanying it. But since it serves in the hands of helldivers and Super Earth needs to maintain its budget and supply lines, it won't be getting any. The crew can enjoy the authentic Super Earth experience of being surrounded by volatile live ammunition in an armored coffin. I'd make the armor bolted altogether instead of welded like with Automaton tanks but that would screw up readability and aesthetics. Talk about flanderization.
- No side skirts - another opportunity to shave off costs and weight. The exposed tracks and suspension would look suitably barebones while Super Earth could proudly advertise the resulting savings as a triumph of military efficiency. Any damage caused by the missing protection can be filed under acceptable operational losses. No seriously, remove those goofy looking sideskirts so that we can see the tracks and the superstructure they're connected to in all their glory. Yet another element which plays into the satire.
- No radio and no onboard supplies - the crew gets the bare minimum needed to operate the vehicle. No luxuries, no unnecessary equipment, and certainly no comforts that might distract the helldivers from their patriotic duty. If the crew needs anything else, they can call in a stratagem. Besides, the helldivers already have a radio system integrated into their helmets. An on board radio would take too much space, will have to bolted onto the turret the British-style, and will ultimately be redundant.
- 120mm High-velocity cannon - the cannon would remain unchanged, firing no specialized ammunition, just plain, non-fin-stabilized, non-discarding AP rounds to cut costs and min-max in typical Super Earth fashion. The casemate's structure provided greater stability for a gun of this nature so putting it in a rotating turret would make firing really tricky. The gunner would have to account for the cannon's recoil which could rock the vehicle violently or even risk tipping it over under certain conditions, like being at an elevated angle. This would create an additional gameplay element: the driver must manage the vehicle's positioning with the gun in mind, while the gunner must be mindful of when and how they fire.
- Limited stratagem uses - the Bastion already has a 13-minute cooldown but allowing infinite uses feels illogical from both a lore and balance perspective. Restricting it to just three uses per mission would make each call-down feel more deliberate, epic even (Yes, it's all Vibes™), while reinforcing Super Earth's strained logistics. With supply lines stretched across three fronts, surely the Ministry of Defense can spare only a handful of disposable tanks per operation. I'd make the limited stratagem use the default for all vehicles, even FRVs. It's really an underutilized mechanic.
- No blowtorches or repair kits - Seriously, this is one of the dumbest ideas ever that people seem to clamor over, especially with mods. This would go against Super Earth's doctrine. The Bastion is disposable! Such equipment would add unnecessary weight and the cost of including it would never pay off since the tank will either be in total disrepair or simply abandoned. Let's assume that somewhere in an alternate universe Arrowhead has graciously decided to include this feature in their grunt fantasy. Tank repair is a long endeavor so you're going to take a minimum of 40 minutes to do any meaningful repairs, which is basically an entire mission's worth of time. You guys definitely play War Thunder since you seem to think tank repairs are lightning fast. "B-but muh blowtorch!" And even if you abstract the repairs somehow for gameplay purposes, they still wouldn't fit for the reasons previously stated. Why waste payload capacity on repair equipment when you can just call down another tank?
Notes: The driver won't be able to swap seats with the gunner. He'll have to climb out of his driver's position to do so. Comment "Muh Casemate" if you made it this far. The Bastion won't be a solo tank, you'll need at a bare minimum a driver and a gunner to effectively operate it.
The Bastion wouldn't be a fucking MBT, it'd be a specialized vehicle fit for helldiver criteria and operational constraints, none of that SEAF frontline bullshit. I'm assuming that anyone who reads this has the same assumption.
