MBT-6 Predator
From Command and Conquer Wiki
| MBT-6 Predator Tank | |
|---|---|
| |
| Unit | |
| Affiliation | |
| Role |
Main Battle Tank |
| Armament |
150mm Cannon/Railgun |
| Protection |
Medium |
| Production | |
| Cost |
1100 |
| Build time |
0:11 |
| Produced by |
War Factory |
| “ | Predator crew ready to roll - Common response by Predator tank commanders | ” |
After reevaluating the performance and costs of maintaining Titans as a main battle vehicle, GDI engineers designed a new tank to supplement the walker and later replace it after the Second Tiberium War. Expensive to maintain, with complex and often vulnerable legs, the Titan could also not be transported by GDI's new Ox aircraft. Hence the 65 ton Predator, which resembles a conventional battle tank, currently forms the backbone of GDI armoured corps (compared to TW1 M1 Abrams it is actually lighter by 2.6 tons).
It is effective against most armored units, with speed guaranteed by four articulated sets of treads. The tank's main armament is a powerful 150mm cannon upgradeable to a high velocity railgun, granting it exceptional firepower to direct against enemy units, including its counterparts, the Nod Scorpion tank and Scrin Seeker. Originally, the tank was designed with a fixed rocket pod, similiar to those on the Mammoth tanks, but eventually it was removed. Predators represent the finest and most powerful armoured unit available at Tier 1. The Scrin Devourer Tank is, however, superior to the Predator in most respects, with the possible exception of armour. Devourers have superior range, weapon firepower (especially when charged with Tiberium), weapon range and mobility. It should be noted, though, that the Devourer is a Tier 2 vehicle and is also more expensive to construct than the Predator. Also, the Railgun Upgrade for Predators does redress the balance somewhat, though it does nothing about the range, or speed advantage of the Devourer tank. It is left in the dust by it's competitors, being a good deal slower than the Seeker, the Devourer, and the Scorpion.
The tank has a crew of four; a driver, gunner, commander and combat engineer. The commander is the one who speaks when the unit is clicked on. Its armour is highly resilient, in particular when compared to the comparatively thin armour of Nod's equivalent MBT, the Scorpion tank. However, the tank requires support from other units when facing significant enemy firepower, in particular air power, against which it has no defence. Similarly, enemy armor of the higher tier (such as the Avatar) can be problematic for the Predator to deal with. Fast and hard-to-target infantry can be dangerous to the tank too, if they possess proper anti-tank weapons.
Contents |
[edit] In-game
| “ | Reload, RELOAD! - A Predator tank on the assault | ” |
The MBT-6 Predator is GDI's Tier 1 tank appearing in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. It's the basic workhorse of the faction, with a decent lifespan and a powerful primary weapon (the 150mm cannon) which can be upgraded with a railgun from the tech center. The predator is the heaviest Tier 1 tank in the war, and it is capable of easily dispatching Tier 1 vehicles such as the Nod Scorpion tank and the Scrin Seeker. As with most other GDI vehicles, it can be shuttled across the battlefield by V-35 Ox.
[edit] Tactics
Deadly in large numbers, probably the most feared unit in the starting of the game. It armor and firepower is unmatched when battling 1 by 1 against Nod's Scorpion Tanks, or Scrin's Seeker. It is quite an effective unit when combined with APCs and Missile Squads, but it is quite useless even if it is upgraded with a Railgun when your enemy has walkers and air units (especially bombers, such as the Vertigo). Combined with this and because of the fact that Predator tanks can be crushed by large walkers, therefore, careful usage and micromanagement of the Predator is required if used to face off against Walker units.
[edit] Assessment
Predator's good points:
- Probably the best tier 1 vehicle in the war.
- Superior firepower and protection to it's rivals.
- Available at a relatively low tech level, albeit at a somewhat high cost.
- Has the extremely powerful railgun upgrade.
- Can be carried by V-35s
- Fights extremely well in large numbers.
- Can be used as a cheaper, more flexible version of the Mammoth Tank, albeit without AA capability.
- Can rip straight into an enemy base if deployed if spammed
- If properly micromanaged, a 4 or more Predators can kill an Annihilator
Predator's bad points:
- Nearly useless against infantry (though this can be slightly offset with the railgun upgrade) and vulnerable to anti-tank infantry, such as Scrin's Shock Trooper and Militant rocket squad units.
- Somewhat expensive for a tier 1 vehicle (1100 credits) but cheaper than Titans.
- Relatively slow compared to other Tier 1 tanks.
- Fully vulnerable to aircraft
- Outranged by Avatars and other units.
[edit] Development
Originally, the Predator was to be outfitted with a rocket pod, similiar to the ones on the Mammoth 27. For reasons unknown (balance probably) this feature was removed.
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