“
Put simply, it's a co-opted mining rig that's been changed into an armored vehicle -- bigger and tougher than any tank we have in our arsenal. The Chinese fitted the vehicle with multiple weapons, reinforced the armor and outfitted them for long range.
”— Lt. Morgan
The Chimera is a modified mining rig[1] with a mounted laser cannon, acting as a Chinese battle tank in the Fallout 3 add-on Operation: Anchorage.
[edit] Characteristics
[edit] Specifications
The Chimera is basically a low chassis propelled by screws, with a laser cannon jury-rigged to the drill tower. Originally, it was used for oil drilling in the Alaskan tundra.[2]
Chimera tanks are roughly on par with sentry bots and deathclaws in terms of durability and combat threat, although they are significantly larger and more imposing in appearance. They are equipped with a unique laser weapon similar to Liberty Prime's eye laser. Chimeras take slightly increased damage when shot in the screws, and noticeably increased damage when shot in the cannon or radar antenna.
[edit] Gameplay attributes
Unlike standard armored fighting vehicles, the Chimera can be damaged with infantry weapons such as frag grenades.
[edit] Simulation accuracy
It was included in the Anchorage Reclamation simulation created by VSS at the behest of General Constantine Chase. Its actual deployment in Alaska is dubious, as unimplemented voice clips of VSS technicians in the add-on suggest that their presence is an outright fabrication[3] by General Chase.
[edit] Statistics
- The Chimera turret cannot fully rotate, making the back of the vehicle a weak spot.
- The Chimeras are fully automated, and so are technically robots. Therefore, they can be disabled with the Robotics Expert perk.
- The screws spin the wrong way. When a Chimera moves forward, the screws spin in such a way that the vehicle should move backwards.
- At the Chimera Depot, there are Chimeras with derricks instead of lasers. These are probably still in the process of being converted into tanks.
- Chimeras killed with the kill console command will remain intact and can be searched. They contain 100 microfusion cells.
- Walking into a Chimera while crouching will cause you to fall down and take damage.
[edit] Appearances
The Chimera tank appears only in the Fallout 3 add-on Operation: Anchorage.
[edit] Behind the scenes
- The Russian and German military did toy with the idea of using screws for treads.[4] The Russian vehicle named ZIL-2906, was designed to rescue cosmonauts in extreme off-road conditions.
- In Greek mythology, a Chimera is a monster with the body of a lion, the heads of a goat and lion, and a snake for a tail. In biology, the name has been used for any organism that appears to have a combination of traits of others. For the vehicle, the name is appropriate, as it is a combination of various pieces of civilian mining equipment and military hardware.
- Xbox 360
Sometimes when a grenade is thrown beneath a Chimera, it causes the vehicle to float several yards above the ground.
- Xbox 360 The tanks may not be hostile towards the player when first encountered.verification overdue, remove
- Xbox 360 Attacking a Chimera with a sniper rifle while in sneak mode may cause the tank to clip into the floor.verification overdue, remove
[edit] References
- ↑ Mentioned in an intelligence report in the sim
- ↑ Evident from the way deployed Chimeras look in the depot
- ↑ See: DLC02HolotapeOfficeRecording02: "Chimera Tanks? Come on, man, even you have to admit these are sheer fantasy."
- ↑ Wikipedia:screw-propelled vehicle
