Tanks (Tiberium)

Tanks are armored vehicles with treads meant for combat. Historically, Tanks first appeared during the Great World War I, earning their name from the water tanks they were disguised as. Generally, tanks have one or more cannon(s) which did good damage to structures, vehicles, other tanks, but had difficulty accurately hitting smaller infantry, and therefore dealt less damge via shrapnel. However, as even light tanks weigh several tons, these machines can easily crush infantry by running them over. Also, several tanks substitute other weapons, such as a flamethrower, for the cannons.

Against their armor plating, small-arms fire is generally ineffective; however rockets and missiles due greater damage. Also, few tanks have any anti-air defense, and those that due are often still incapable of adequately defending themselves against air attacks.

Early on, tanks were generally classified by weight, lighter tanks being faster and cheaper, but weaker. Unless in superior numbers (which, considering their greater efficiency, was achievable), light tanks could not defeat medium tanks, medium tanks could not defeat heavy tanks, and heavy tanks could not defeat mammoth tanks. Later, tanks were often referred to by their code names.

During the Great World War II, both the Allies and Soviets utilized tanks, however, with greatly different design philosophies. The Allies chose cheaper, faster M2 Bradley light and M1 Abrams medium tanks, while the Soviets chose larger T-80 heavy tanks, and the unrivaled Mammoth tanks. However, the Soviet designs were slower and more costly, and some historians believe their over reliance on brute force was a flaw that helped the Allies win. Both sides also had a specialized 'tank', both of which lacked the armor of true tanks. The allies had the Chronotank, a missile carrier which could chronoshift across the battlefield, while the Soviets fielded teslatanks, which were a lower-yield version of the Soviet Tesla coil on wheels. The Soviets and Allies has equal base defences. Soviets used the anti-tank Tesla Coils and anti-infantry Flame Towers while the Allies has Turrets and pillboxes for defence.

During the First Tiberium War, the GDI chose to follow design philosophies from both sides of GWWII. GDI retained the classic M1 Abrams medium tanks, however, as much of the research was lost, experienced a signficant delay in the production of mammoth tanks, which required significant redesigns for the conflict and only appeared towards the end. Nod, choosing efficiency and speed, used Bradley Fighting Vehicles, nicknamed the Light Tank. Unable to compete with GDI in terms of strength, Nod chose to build highly specialized tanks to supplement their M2 Bradleys. The "Ezekial's Wheel" Stealth Tank had an onboard stealth generator, allowing it to be almost invisible to the human eye, except when firing. The "Devil's Tongue" Flame Tank was a specially designed tank fitted with flamethrowers, which caused tremendous damage to structures and infantry. Both the Stealth Tank and Flame Tank were fairly fragile vehicles. GDI and Nod still had base Defences for ground targets like GDI's Guard Towers and Nod Turrets.

During the twenty first century, GDI chose to phase out their existing tank arsennals in favor of Disrupter tanks and mechanized walkers, such as the Titan and Mammoth MK II. To note, a few abandoned Mammoth Tanks ended up in the posession of the Forgotten and a few belong to GDI during the testing of the new walkers, however, the antiquated systems of these tanks meant that they were no longer as dominant as they once were. Nod continued tank advancement, incorporating higher technology on their stealth tanks. Nod burrowing technology also resulted in the advancement of two new tank types; The "Devil's Tongue" had been upgraded to burrow underground, while the Tick Tank could bury itself to serve as a stationary turret.

After the Second Tiberium War and Firestorm Crisis, GDI chose to scrap their mechanized walkers, which was criticized by many who viewed it as a financially motivated decision. With the only walker still in service the Juggernaut, GDI returned to classic tank designs, returning to the medium tank design for the Predator Tank, and bringing back their classic Mammoths in the form of the Mammoth 27. Both tanks could be upgraded with railguns to increase their lethality.

Nod's Tank arsennal in the Third Tiberium war also brought back older designs. Due to problems with the burrowing technology, Tick Tanks were replaced by a new faster Scorpion Tank; which could be upgraded with dozer blades to increase armor and allow the tank to crush mines and heavy infantry, and laser capacitors based on the Obelisk of light, increasing their firepower. The newest incarnation of the Nod Stealth tank was faster and more heavily armed than before, and the update to the Devil's Tongue allowed for heavier armor at the cost of burrowing ability. Also, both specialized tanks could be "donor" vehicles to an Avatar Warmech. While the tanks would be destroyed and crews would be killed, the Avatar would benefit from stealth generators and a flamethrower.