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For the disambiguation page, see Mobile construction vehicle |
Mobile construction vehicles are the heart of every battle force, regardless of faction.
History[]
The timeline manipulation by Anatoly Cherdenko has also altered the designs, functions and abilities of the MCV. The new MCVs were much more advanced then their timeline-erased predecessors in that they were heavily computerized and had amphibious capability. They can be deployed into a Construction Yard even in water. With the exception of the Imperial Construction Yard, they can also deploy buildings in an area highlighted by a Command Hub, an Outpost or within range of any friendly buildings. All Construction Yards can repack into an MCV, should their position come under heavy enemy fire. Structures that produce ground units, such as infantry or vehicle production buildings, cannot be built on water
Background[]
Allied[]
| “ | Construction vehicle at your service. - Allied MCV driver, serving the free world loyally |
” |
Tactical Analysis[]
- Mobile: Able to traverse rough terrain, the Mobile Construction Vehicle gives the Allied commander the ability to project power across the battlefield. It is also fully amphibious, able to float across open water atop a collapsible air cushion.
- Productive: The MCV is able to deploy into a stationary Construction Yard. In this configuration, it can construct both production and defensive structures. The Construction Yard can also be upgraded to allow its VOIP system to produce the most advanced Allied war machines. And if the enemy gets too close, the Construction Yard can pack back up into the MCV configuration and move to a more advantageous location.
- Unarmed but Dangerous: Neither the mobile or stationary configuration of the MCV is equipped with any weapons. While its sheer mass provides a level of protection against enemy weapons, the MCV requires armed support to stay alive in a high-risk environment. But minor threats beware - MCV drivers have been known to try to crush unwary enemies beneath their massive treads.
- Well Stocked: MCVs are well stocked with parts before entering the battlefield. This allows commanders with the capability to construct a small base and defensive force while they are establishing their supply chain.
Operational History[]
"An excerpt from, Assessment of the Impact of 3rd Generation Supply Management Technology on Global Strategic Policy by Ian Cochran Burke. This assessment was commissioned to investigate the fiscal, diplomatic, and military impact of adopting the proposed MCV Battle Command and Supply System. Burke's assessment of the impact of the MCV on warfare has proved prophetic in light of recent events."
The tactical benefits of adopting the MCV system have been argued extensively by Mathers, O'Donnell, and others (For a complete historical analysis, see Tactical Engineering: A Review in issue 468 of Modern Warfare), and little need be added here. It is worth noting that, while many focus on the MCV's use of Standardised Production Automated Manufacturing (SPAM) Modules for building construction, in fact the technology of fabricating a wide variety of weapon systems from a single universal component is not new.
Traditional production structures (War Factories, Air Fields, and the like) have been using SPAM modules for over a decade: the original SPAM modules effectively redefined mobile warfare by allowing ammunition, and later spare parts and even vehicles to be manufactured on site. A more revolutionary technological aspect of the MCV system is Virtually Operated Industrial Production (VOIP), a system that allows MCVs to remotely enable the production of advanced technology weapons. This same system can now also be found in the Allied Prospector.
But the true impact of adopting the MCV system will be far more subtle. Mathers comes closest to understanding the ramifications of MCVs on the battlefield in his report to the Budget Office (See Cost Analysis: MCV). His premises are correct. The demand for forward bases in the coming conflict (have no doubt about it - war is coming) will far outweigh the number of MCVs we will be able to deploy. As MCVs relocate across the battlefield, the tendency will be to create many small, stationary bases which will remain behind when the MCV departs.
But his conclusion - that these bases will have no military value and will simply be a continuing drain on our resources - is incorrect. Even if it were true, the strategic benefits would still justify moving forward with the program. The flexibility of an MCV - their extreme, amphibious mobility; their ability to carry enough to be able to deploy a small base and fighting force even when cut off from supplies; and of course their ability to quickly construct a large advanced base when well-supplied - will provide commanders with an unprecedented ability to project precise military power.
But the true value of these small bases will come after the war is over. After the main enemy forces are defeated, what will be needed throughout the combat zone is the capability to quickly restore order and provide a focal point for the integration of the recently liberated into Allied culture and society. The bases that will be created across the countryside as a natural result of MCV relocation will serve this function. They, and the MCVs that create them, will be the enduring beacons of Freedom and Justice in the aftermath of the coming conflict.
Soviet[]
| “ | This is my show! - Soviet MCV driver, bringing the 'circus' in town |
” |
Tactical Analysis[]
- I like to move-it move-it: With six independent tread nacelles, the Soviet MCV is extremely mobile, able to traverse any terrain accessible to other Soviet vehicles. It can seamlessly transition from land to water, deploying a pair of ballast pontoons while still in motion.
- We can build it: Like its Allied counterpart, the Soviet version of MCV can deploy into a Construction Yard, both on land or at sea. Able to construct the full array of Soviet battlefield structures, the Construction Yard can easily convert back into its mobile form to relocate to a more advantageous location.
- In the open: The Construction Yard is unable to build an entire structure and then deploy it as a whole. Instead, an external civilian construction team requires it to build structures from the foundation up at a predetermined location. This makes the structure being built vulnerable to attack during the construction process.
- Large and In Charge: The MCV and Construction Yard are both unarmed and are vulnerable to attack from a variety of enemy units. Commanders are advised to provide military escorts to ensure that this important vehicle/structure is not destroyed. Of course, enemy ground units would do well to avoid being run over by this gigantic vehicle - being run over by an MCV leaves quite a mark.
Operational History[]
The world got its first view of the new Soviet Mobile Construction Vehicle in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake near the small hamlet of Smedznegorsk, Ukraine. Aid organizations and media crews broadcast images of an immense vehicle and its incongruously small crew distributing prefabricated building components to the residents of Smedznegorsk.
With thousands left homeless and quickly darkening clouds on the horizon heralding the approach of a massive ice storm, initial coverage of the government aid effort began suggesting that it may have been too little, too late. Cameras continued rolling in front of speechless reporters as, moments later, a miniature city sprung to life from the wreckage. The structures themselves were grey, drab, and cookie-cutter, but they were warm and dry, a welcome replacement for the piles of rubble that were formerly homes and businesses.
Soon MCVs were seen across the periphery of the Soviet Union, spurring the economy in even the poorest areas of the Union. Although obviously modelled after the Allied MCV, the Soviet Union insisted that their new vehicle was designed purely for internal reconstruction efforts, pointing to numerous investigative reports showcasing the use of the MCV in the field.
Manned by civilians, Soviet MCVs appeared to be operating completely without military support and apparently lacking any sort of automated construction capability. In light of this coverage, the vehicles seemed poorly suited to military ventures. Since the Soviet military seemed to be continuing to use traditional base-building methods, many media outlets began to openly doubt that the Soviet MCV had any military utility at all.
This was dramatically disproven during one of the opening conflicts of World War III. During the uprising in the ancient Central Asian city of Samarkand, Allied observation planes captured footage of a Soviet MCV, which had been rebuilding a nearby province, quickly packing up all modules and civilian workers and veering outside of the reconstruction zone.
In a devastating surprise offensive, Soviet forces appeared several days later from an entrenched firebase a short ways to the north, successfully aiding the civilian uprising and pushing the Allied presence out of Samarkand. Their secret revealed, the fleet of Soviet MCVs sprung into action. Almost overnight, a constellation of military bases sprung up around the world - each centred around and created by an MCV - spawning the first wave of Soviet forces to threaten to overwhelm the Allies.
The Soviet MCV has since become an iconic figure of the people's uprising. When not engaged in combat operations, the vehicles and crews continue to serve communities destroyed by the ongoing conflict, and the grey monolithic structures first seen in Smedznegorsk now shelter countless numbers of the displaced and homeless. With each village rebuilt, the Soviet army is bolstered by the impassioned and the disenfranchised, often leaving each area with another full complement of trained workers.
The MCV crews remain civilian and have little difficulty shifting back and forth between their roles, working alongside military personnel to build a new base one day, and the next day rebuilding a civilian school. Like the military conflict, the battle for the loyalty and sympathies of the civilian population rages on, and the crews of the MCVs are on the front line in both fights.
Imperial[]
| “ | This location is approved. - Imperial MCV driver, expanding the Empire's borders |
” |
Tactical Analysis[]
- Fully mobile: Like its Allied and Soviet counterparts, the Imperial MCV is extremely mobile, able to traverse difficult terrain on land as well as set out to sea in an amphibious operation.
- Fully transformable: Also like its counterparts, the Imperial MCV deploys into a Construction Yard in order to build any structure needed to wage war against enemies of the Empire. Fully functional on land or sea, the Construction Yard can reconfigure into its mobile form just as easily.
- Fully fecund: Unlike its counterparts, the Imperial Construction Yard does not build structures directly. Instead, it carries a large deployment of mobile Nanocores. These Nanocores can deploy anywhere on the battlefield, regardless of the distance from the MCV that created them.
- Fully flexible: Commanders must carefully weigh the risks of leaving their MCV in one location and relying on the mobility of the Nanocores to expand their base. The extreme vulnerability of the Nanocores in transit - they are unarmed, like the MCV, and lack the extreme mass and armour to survive serious attacks - means that the wise commander will consider relocating his MCV closer to the Nanocores' ultimate destination.
Operational History[]
Not all of the casualties of the recent war have seen combat. Consider the case of Bart Truxton, imprisoned for carrying out espionage for the Empire of the Rising Sun. Though Truxton was recently exonerated, the full details of his story are so fantastic, so utterly unbelievable, they seem literally ripped from the pages of a modern science fiction novel. More and more evidence continues to surface that confirms the story and demonstrates the immense complexity and effectiveness of Imperial espionage activities during the war.
When the first MCV flying the sunburst flag of the Empire of the Rising Sun rolled ashore at the Battle of Green Island, Allied security recognized that a catastrophic breach had occurred. There simply had not been enough time, argued top military intelligence officials, for the Japanese to have developed their own MCV since the Allies had publically revealed their own vehicle - they must have had someone on the inside. Through a painstaking investigation, security personnel tracked down video tapes of Truxton apparently stealing detailed technical documentation about the Allied MCV from a German lab and transmitting it to a ship waiting offshore (later determined to be a Yari mini-sub). A military tribunal convicted Truxton to life in a high-security prison.
It was not until Allied scientists unlocked another mystery of the war - a high-level Imperial encoding process nicknamed"Wistful Blossom" - that the depth of the subterfuge began to become clear. A vast amount of encrypted Imperial information had been intercepted by the Allies in the course of the war, but much of it lay undeciphered in vast databanks. Once "Wistful Blossom" was cracked, a specific division of Allied intelligence was formed with the singular goal of piecing together the fragments of Imperial communications. A year and a half into that process, they decrypted a set of transmissions that told a shocking story.
The Empire of the Rising Sun had deployed an astoundingly lifelike robot, modelled as an exact duplicate of Truxton, to steal information about Allied vehicles. They had also deployed three other robots to observe the real Truxton extensively, gathering all of the personal, professional, and private data required to fashion a realistic facsimile.
These robots then recruited Truxton for a weekly poker game, during which time the doppelganger Truxton obtained the real Truxton's security card and carried out the espionage. All of the robots were then ordered by Imperial high command to initiate self-destruction sequences --- remains of one were found in a warehouse fire, although its exact nature wasn't understood at the time - destroying both evidence of the deception and Truxton's alibi simultaneously.
Upon first being presented with the news of Truxton's unwitting participation in the traitorous activities, the Allied military chafed. It was nigh unthinkable that a plan this elaborate could have occurred under the watchful eye of the Allied military. However, further corroboration came when another set of transmissions was deciphered detailing a similar operation in the Soviet Union. (Unfortunately, Maxim Novikov died in a Siberian gulag before his name was cleared.)
While the stolen technology undoubtedly aided the research efforts of the Imperial MCV program, their vehicle is anything but an exact copy of the Allied and Russian versions. Instead, the Japanese engineers used the acquired designs as a springboard for their own ideas, coming up with a system that is well-specialised for their own military doctrines, and applying the same creativity and attention to detail that Imperial spies used to gather the information in the first place.
Ability[]
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Unpack | Transforms to a Construction Yard, which can create other military structures. |
Quote[]
Allied[]
Upon exiting an Armor Facility or Seaport[]
- Construction vehicle, at your service!
Select[]
- What is your request?
- Yes sir?
- What can we do for you sir?
- Where do you need us?
- Construction services!
- Thank you for waiting sir!
- Where is our destination?
Moving[]
- Indeed!
- As requested!
- Full ahead!
- Right away!
- We'll get right on it!
- Received!
- A fine proposal!
Moving to land[]
- We'll go by land!
- Returning to land!
- You prefer the land?
Moving to water[]
- We'll go by sea!
- Proceed into water!
- Naval systems all ready!
Deploy[]
- Ready for installation!
- Prepare to deploy!
- Deploying as ordered!
- Setting up!
Retreating[]
- Yes, I concur!
- Much better!
- We can still save it!
- Hurry! before we're finished!
Under fire[]
- Sir, they are attacking us!
- How dare they harm us!
- We're unarmed!
- What savages!
- We'll need to deploy soon!
Soviet[]
Created[]
- I present to you the MCV!
Select[]
- Let us take it to the road!
- Listen up everybody!
- This is my show!
- Quiet down!
- With great pride!
Moving[]
- Keep it moving!
- We're almost there!
- Our next stop!
- Make way!
- Gently!
- We're coming through!
Moving to land[]
- This land shall suffice!
- To the water front!
- Solid ground!
Moving to water[]
- Seal up the ports!
- Let us take to it the seas!
- The waters will be our stage!
Deploy[]
- We're on!
- Prepare the grounds!
- It will be grand!
- Okay, show time!
- The stage is set!
Retreating[]
- Save everything!
- The show must go on!
- Our work here is done!
- A more friendly audience!
- Bring everything in!
Under fire[]
- We're been sacked!
- Somebody, help us!
- They ruining everything!
- What's happening?
Imperial[]
Created[]
- Nanocore production, standing by!
- A site must be secured!
- Imperial MCV, verified!
Select[]
- Ready for your request!
- Do we have orders?
- There are rules, you know.
- Observe the proper procedures!
- Every plan must be affirmed!
Moving[]
- I see!
- That may suffice!
- Do not tarry!
- For your request!
- Proceeding!
- With expediency!
Deploy[]
- Examining plans!
- Securing permits!
- This location is approved!
- Ready the guide lines!
- This will suffice!
Retreat[]
- Hurry!
- We must get to safety!
- Are they following us?
- We must set down and repair!
- Anybody there to save us?
Under fire[]
- They are firing at us unprovoked!
- Don't they know we're unarmed!?
- We are in danger!
- Somebody protect us?
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Both of the Allied MCV's primary systems are RTS in-jokes.
- SPAM is a reference to "spamming", which, in the context of RTS games, refers to the act of attacking with a large number of a single unit.
- VOIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol" in real life. It is a method for transmitting audio signals over the Internet, and is commonly used for the voice chat function in online video games, including Red Alert 3.
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