Medium Rover Useless?

[Bomoo]

The tractor has a niche role as a cave resource hauler, and the large rover has its role of overland all purpose vehicle. But what does the medium rover have?

I've tried it in the cave hauling role, thinking to upgrade from the tractor, but it is spectacularly terrible at that job. The connection between the chassis seems not to be able to twist very much, which almost single handedly cripples it on twisty cave ramps. Even more so is its seeming inability to turn nearly so tightly as the tractor is able to. I just barely managed to get it out of my cave system, a trip that the tractor makes without breaking a sweat.

Maybe needless to say, it's likewise junk in the overland role. Sure, it's fast, I guess, but considering it's on the same tech tier as the large rover, why would you ever waste bytes + resources on building one when you can build something better?

Has anyone found a good use for these things?

[Kaybe]

Medium rover I'd say really shines when you need a quick rover on a different planet. A packaged medium rover occupies a single medium slot. So if you have a large shuttle with a pair of large storages, that medium rover is only occupying 1/8th of the space.

On the other hand, a packaged large rover occupies fully half of the shuttle as it needs to sit on one of two available large mounts. So basically, you can have a full train of 4 medium rovers in the same spot as only a single large one.

Medium rovers also burn through power less quickly, namely half the speed of a large rover.

Now if you want to talk completely useless, there's the medium shuttle. In fact, once you get the large shuttle, there is absolutely no reason ever to use a medium or even a small shuttle aside from having a backup emergency vehicle in case your primary shuttle got stuck without fuel somewhere.

[Bomoo]

Originally posted by Kaybe:

Medium rover I'd say really shines when you need a quick rover on a different planet. A packaged medium rover occupies a single medium slot. So if you have a large shuttle with a pair of large storages, that medium rover is only occupying 1/8th of the space.

On the other hand, a packaged large rover occupies fully half of the shuttle as it needs to sit on one of two available large mounts. So basically, you can have a full train of 4 medium rovers in the same spot as only a single large one.

Medium rovers also burn through power less quickly, namely half the speed of a large rover.

Well, if you're using the large shuttle, why wouldn't you just bring a large rover chassis + a large storage with a bunch of crap on it? You could kit a single large rover chassis pretty much completely with just that space restriction. If you have RTGs unlocked and crafted, and you're going around chasing big purps, isn't a single chassis all you really need?

I mean, the alternative is going to a planet to set up a base to use for your big purp chase, in which case you're infinitely better off making a rack of 4x aluminium alloy + 4x rubber, taking that to the other planet, and crafting a pair of large rover chassis on the spot. Heck, if you're doing it that way, you don't even need the large shuttle to carry enough to build a pair of fully kitted large rover chassis, a medium shuttle is plenty.

Originally posted by Kaybe:

Now if you want to talk completely useless, there's the medium shuttle. In fact, once you get the large shuttle, there is absolutely no reason ever to use a medium or even a small shuttle aside from having a backup emergency vehicle in case your primary shuttle got stuck without fuel somewhere.

I agree completely. Something they could do to fix that might be reducing fuel consumption for the smaller spacecraft. Further, they might buff the cargo compartment of the medium shuttle from a pair of T2 sockets to a T3 socket.

[Zarinthal]

if the fuel/power cosumption rates of each vehicle were based on weight of vehicle AND cargo, then I could understand

[Dragorin]

I can pack a whole base onto a large shuttle. If it takes more than 2 slots and isn't a storage item than it doesn't go on my shuttle. I take resources to make it instead. So in the same slot you put a medium boxed rover I can put a storage with the mates to build two large rovers. Only boxed items I take are ones that only take up one slot.

Back on topic. I tried a large rover setup last night and it was ok until I got out to do something and then the thing wouldn't move until I restart Astroneer. So yeah that got old quick. Have had a few issue like that with other vehicles but not every single time I exit like I did with the large rover. So right now Medium rovers are working better than large for me.

[Bomoo]

Originally posted by Dragorin:

I can pack a whole base onto a large shuttle. If it takes more than 2 slots and isn't a storage item than it doesn't go on my shuttle. I take resources to make it instead. So in the same slot you put a medium boxed rover I can put a storage with the mates to build two large rovers. Only boxed items I take are ones that only take up one slot.

Yep, I do the same thing. But I'm saying you CAN bring a packaged large rover + all of its fittings in a large shuttle's cargo bay, removing the need to set up a base on the other planet. Just unpack everything, fit it, and drive.

Originally posted by Dragorin:

Back on topic. I tried a large rover setup last night and it was ok until I got out to do something and then the thing wouldn't move until I restart Astroneer. So yeah that got old quick. Have had a few issue like that with other vehicles but not every single time I exit like I did with the large rover. So right now Medium rovers are working better than large for me.

Hum. For me it's the reverse. Tractors and medium rovers have been buggy as hell and routinely refusing to budge when I try to drive them. Large rovers, on the other hand, have been almost completely reliable.

[Nick]

Maybe I'm playing the game wrong, haha. I build a new base on every single planet I go to, so if I ever need anything anywhere I have it already setup and extra resources all over the place. I am working on progressing to the medium shuttle at the moment but I'm a little sporadic in my progression chain.

[Bomoo]

Originally posted by X1|Nick:

Maybe I'm playing the game wrong, haha. I build a new base on every single planet I go to, so if I ever need anything anywhere I have it already setup and extra resources all over the place. I am working on progressing to the medium shuttle at the moment but I'm a little sporadic in my progression chain.

I do the same thing! So if you're doing it wrong, I guess so am I. Strictly speaking it's probably faster just to bring a packaged rover and blaze straight for the nearest portal, then blaze down to the core, but where's the fun in that?

[Bomoo]

Incidentally, here's how I had it set up for its first and only cave trip. I think if I were to use it for caving, I'd have to dig an entirely new network of ramps, which is a little bit tiresome. Just bring the tractor instead, I reckon.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1661135466

[kopiC]

There are so much resource, you can easily build settlements at every gateway.

I agree with Bomoo, Medium rover makes better cave trailer. Don't have to dig a big tunnel.
Tractors are better for one-way trip, since you can pack it up after done.

[Potatoeditsofficial]

Use it for scrapping also hehe I'm late to this

[Zarinthal]

Delicious 4 year necro nomnomnom

[Bomoo]

Originally posted by kopiC:

There are so much resource, you can easily build settlements at every gateway.

Yes that's one of their most severe major design mistakes in post-SEA astro, making resources so obscenely abundant you might as well be inputting infinite money cheats or something. That and their persistence in NOT introducing custom worldgen options to remove said obscene resource abundance and you've got a boring and uninteresting gameplay experience.

[Drinkcup]

most of the vehicles become useless after you find the one or two you like best. tbh i mostly just hover and train. best speed, and easiest repeatability.