User blog:El Alamein/Tripods vs. AT-ATs



It's a climactic showdown between two titanic, beam-blasting behemoths who terrified their opponents with awe-inspiring displays of might! The Tripods, cruel, genocidal conquerors who rained destruction upon the cities of Earth and harvested its inhabitants for their blood, blast away at the AT-ATs, the imposing Imperial quadrupedal war machines that gave the Rebel Alliance hell with its armor and blasters at the Battle of Hoth! It will be a no-holds-barred confrontation, but when the last giant machine has come crashing to the earth and the dust settles, only one will be the deadliest warrior!

Tripods
"[A]cross the gulf of space, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic regarded our planet with envious eyes and slowly, and surely, drew their plans against us."

- The Narrator



The Tripods were alien-controlled machines that descended upon Earth in Steven Spielberg's 2005 War of the Worlds (it is not specifically stated from which planet they originate). The culmination of a 10,00 year plan to conquer the planet, the Tripods' emergence from the ground and coordinated assaults on major urban centers resulted in enormous success for the aliens. Utilizing their Heat Ray weapon and long appendages to great effect, the Tripods were able to withstand dedicated counterattacks by human militaries and rapidly forced the surviving humans into hiding. Eventually the alien invaders controlling the machines succumb to terrestrial pathogens from Earth, effectively ending their invasion.

Weapons
|-| Primary Weapon=

Heat Ray


 * Fired from two individual "arms" (two Heat Rays total)
 * Accurate enough to target individual humans
 * Disintegrates living things
 * Destroys/enkindles buildings/vehicles
 * -| Secondary Weapon=

Appendages


 * 18 tentacles (camera probe on one)
 * Can pick up humans and insert them in cages
 * Strong enough to pick up/throw/batter/grapple large vehicles
 * -| Armor=

Force Field


 * Resists concentrated gunfire, explosives, missiles
 * Surrounds entire Tripod, visible only when struck

Machine
|-| Specifications=


 * 100 feet tall
 * Crew: One alien
 * Three legs, three "toe" clamps on each
 * Deep foghorn-like calls for communication (likely an alien language/battle commands)

AT-AT
"We had the Battle of Gormen won, until the AT-ATs arrived. They came out of the fog and ripped apart the front lines. The locals ran in terror, but the experienced soldiers surrendered. We knew that you can't outrun an AT-AT."

- Major Bren Derlin, Rebel Alliance field commander



The All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) walkers were heavily-armored assault vehicles utilized by the Imperial forces during the Galactic Civil War. Thanks to their imposing size, extensive weaponry and strong armor they posed a serious threat to the Rebel Alliance. They played a central role in the Battle of Hoth, where they overran Rebel trenches and assaulted their shield generator. Under the leadership of Luke Skywalker, the Rebels countered the AT-ATs by snaring their legs with magnetic tow cables and tripping the behemoths, where they lay vulnerable on the ground. Despite this setback, the AT-ATs were able to generate sufficient momentum to enable the Imperial forces to overrun the Rebels.

Weapons
|-| Primary Weapon=

Taim & Bak MS-1 Fire-Linked Heavy Laser Cannon


 * Chin-mounted in dual-barreled configuration (two Laser Cannons total)
 * Damage output ranges from light bolt to heavy concentrated shot (affects fire rate)
 * Can fire in "one-two punch" pattern or both simultaneously
 * -| Secondary Weapon=

FF-4 Medium Repeating Blasters


 * Head-mounted on opposite sides (two Repeating Blasters total)
 * Damage output is medium bolt
 * High fire rate, designed as anti-aircraft weapon
 * -| Armor=

9095-T8511 Grade Durasteel Armor


 * Defends against most blaster attacks
 * Encompasses entire Walker, weak spot at neck and underbelly

Machine
|-| Specifications=


 * 73.8 feet tall
 * Crew: Pilot, co-pilot/gunner, commander
 * Four legs, Durasteel footpads on each
 * Cockpit holoprojector for communication

X-Factors
|-| Combat Experience=

Tripods: 76

AT-ATs: 81

The Tripods clearly come from a warrior species of alien, although the extent of their prior combat experience is entirely unknown. What we do know, however, is that they were able to launch concentrated attacks on Earth and marauded across the entire planet for several days, battling globally against the military forces of the countries they were occupying. The AT-ATs, however, have a significantly greater amount of known combat experience as they were present in many engagements in the Galactic Civil War and beyond (most notably the Battle of Hoth), where they fought against Rebel forces.


 * -| Training=

Tripods: 95

AT-ATs: 82

The AT-ATs and their crew have extensive training courtesy of the Empire, and were able to refine their skills as a result. This training pales in comparison to the thousands of years the aliens have planned their invasion of Earth, though, including burying the Tripods underground with dormant aliens inside centuries, if not millennia, in advance.


 * -| Mobility=

Tripods: 45

AT-ATs: 20

Neither machine is particularly speedy, but the Tripods take a decisive advantage because of the notable flexibility of their tentacle-like legs and the reach afforded them by their appendages. The AT-ATs are significantly slower than the Tripods. They are also somewhat more unstable, because of their high center of gravity, while the Tripods can distribute their weight or rebalance themselves much more quickly with their more mobile legs.


 * -| Coordination=

Tripods: 70

AT-ATs: 83

Although the aliens controlling the Tripods underwent signficant training and preparation in anticipation of the invasion, they primarily operated as individuals or in pairs when invading. The AT-ATs were trained to operate as part of a cohesive unit during a large battle, making them more effective in simultaneous targeting and communications.

Battle
Will be 5-on-5.

Will take place as a result of an alien invasion of Hoth (assume the Imperials have established and secured a base and the aliens have studied the planet before attacking).

To be written

Expert's Opinion
To be determined