Homeworld:@(0.2.4.0) P#840 - June Update

[Ringleader]

Sure, I was planing on a top, side and front view and also the drone and drone launch.

PS, I really sort of made it at school, so It probably isnt perfect in terms of the overall frigate shape. The parts I mainly tried to convey was the front and sides of the frigate. I tried to incoperate some Kushan drone frigate elements as well as the UHN elements, in addition to this, the frigate (particularly the drone bay) is designed to resemble the sort of automated machine look that the Hiigaran gun and ion platforms possessed. I will provide further angles and detail to key components of the ship to assist with texturing the ship.

I have an interesting idea for the drone that I will incorporate with the drone diagram.

[aquemnun]

Ringleader thats a pretty awesome frigate concept there. I'm wondering will the person who textured the ioncannon frigate retexture the assault frigate to that quality?

[Siber]

Well, it was the same person who did both(Avatar). Remodeling and retexturing the assault frigate is one thing we'd like to do, but we've decided we'd rather make all the unmade ships a reality before retreading old ground.

[doci7]

Remodeling? I can see adding a detail or two to the texture, but remodeling seems unnecessary in my opinion.

[Siber]

I've developed a lot since modeling and unwrapping the assault frigate, and I could do a lot better today. There are a lot of areas that bother me from a neatness perspective, and make the UV mapping more of a headache. Still, onward none-the-less.

[aquemnun]

Fair enough. Out of curiosity which ship do you think you'll work on first: The carrier or the mothership. (probably a stupid question, IMO making the carrier first will allow you to see what shape / size the ships that can build it will be) Regardless of how you intend to proceed, you are all churning out some very VERY high quality work, and I doubt you intend to change that. =P

[Ringleader]

Really? I think the Assault frigate looks really cool, but if your going to make it even more badass then sure, it just kind of seems like a waste of texturing effort, which I assume was long and arduous.

[Siber]

I still like the assault frigate, don't get me wrong, but it'd be hard to deny that the texture and model quality has come a long way since then. We could do better, now. But as I said, it's not something we plan to do any time soon. Too many other ships that need making first.

[gthompsn]

Remodeling and retexturing the assault frigate is one thing we'd like to do, but we've decided we'd rather make all the unmade ships a reality before retreading old ground.

thank you. i have seen a number of mods die off because people endlessly worked and reworked a few of the parts that were most interesting to them so they NEVER got around to the rest of it...

[Vipey]

Siber just add the small texture details the ion cannon frig has and you're good to go. The model is fine.

[Siber]

Myself, I have no experience modifying textures. However, you sound like you know what needs doing, and it sounds pretty simple. Both ships are easily available and modifiable in the latest release. Be sure to share if you get something good!

[doci7]

Well, having a bit of a modding revival here lately. Having put the finishing touches on my Interceptor, and having randomly made a Probe in a few days time, I've returned to the Republican Scout. Still much to do, but good progress was made today, I think:

Here you can see I've started to imitate the 'blue-glow-randomness' of the Taiidan thruster area:

The bottom is still very neglected, but I'm working my way down a bit:

[Overmind5000]

How in the Name of all that is Right did you Texture it?! I must know!

[gthompsn]

@doci7: nice work!

[doci7]

How in the Name of all that is Right did you Texture it?!

To be fair, much of the credit goes to other sources. AvatarII provided the cockpit texture and much feedback, as well as a layer of plating I'll probably use and a very useful set of Interceptor textures to emulate. Siber made the ship all nice and unwrapped, not to mention made the ship itself, which is its own inspiration. Relic provided most of the actual design concepts, as well as a select few of the actual design elements. Myself, I've used all of my knowledge of Photoshop, tons of layers and layer effects, and whatever. No special secrets.

[Siber]

Corrections for the sake of credit where it is due: Ammon Ra made the original mesh, which I modified to an extent, and the original concept that Ammon Ra modeled was drawn by Reiss

[doci7]

Wow, this ship has some history!

[gthompsn]

yes it does. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you guys do next...

[doci7]

So, this Scout is nearly done. Even as we speak the bottom is reaching acceptable levels of detail, and only a few select areas remain that need serious attention on the overall model. That said, I was wondering if the Somtaaw recon you guys had in one of your releases was available for texture work; I'd rather like to texture another of your models, if you don't mind.

[doci7]

I'm teetering on the edge of doneness but I can't bring myself to do any more tonight.

[rifleman101]

Thats a scout? Add in some scouty-antenna or sensors tomorrow.

[aquemnun]

Awesome work doci, great job! =P

[doci7]

Add in some scouty-antenna or sensors tomorrow.

I haven't the authority to do so. Some antennas might be nice, but I don't even know where I'd put them.

[rifleman101]

Maybe a few bulges, like on the later versions of the F-4 Phantom and the spine on the A-4 Skyhawk. Like little radar domes... but different.

[MelvinVM]

The scouts in hw1&2 didn't have antennas too.

[Siber]

Scouts get info by going places fast and taking a close up look, not by having massive sensor arrays.

[doci7]

Okay, I'm calling it done. One last string of pictures in a different color scheme:

[gthompsn]

@doci: wow

[Ringleader]

wicked rad, lets see it next to the interceptor.

upon second glance, the guns seem kind of off, I could show you a gun I drew up for the Republican interceptor, it is sort of like a mini turret.



It is supposed to turn a little bit, like 30 degrees, but I think it will only work if the front isn't so... pointed? The very front of the scout looks a little awkward too, how it is pointed like an arrowhead or something.

[rifleman101]

WICKED SICK!!!!

[Moleman]

indeed very impressive, i love the design as well as the texture job, kudos!

[Ringleader]

Sorry for the long delay, but here is the drone for the drone frigate along with a description. I'll try to get some more views of both the frigate and drone along with a diagram of the launch sequence.

[MatthCoFreak]

Most interesting. The influence of the HW1 target drone is obvious but well-adapted. I don't know if the idea of a jettisoned cruise missile is really doable, along with the idea of a 2 min flight time, but this is a whole interesting concept

[Pouk]

It's the same concept as this . (I don't get it, everyone thinks that this is an interceptor, but I've always thought it's a missile. Just look at it and how it works. Plus here )

[Whisper2Me]

From what i recall, there was an image of that ship with the label "vaygr interceptor"

[Pouk]

I know, I know, but why it disassembly itself like a multistage rocket, since when interceptors do that. There isn't any case where it would be call any different than interceptor, but if it is an interceptor, where is the cocpit and why it lose half of it's body during flight. Actualy, I even wanted to implement this into my mod as an anticap missile, but then I've found out that it's already in other mods and it's fighter everytime.

[MatthCoFreak]

I never saw this concept this way, I always thought it was an interceptor too, thanks to point this out Pouk.

[Whisper2Me]

even todays fighter jets do that, well some of them. Ejection mechanism's are a great example. I would think in space you cant just "eject" with your seat, but the entire front cockpit.

[Ringleader]

It's the same concept as this . (I don't get it, everyone thinks that this is an interceptor, but I've always thought it's a missile. Just look at it and how it works. Plus here )

Thats kind of freaky, I never actually saw that concept art along with the missile diagram part before, I always thought of it as a fighter as well. It is almost exactly like my design, with the gun and the missile stage.

[Pouk]

Ringleader: but your is better, it can shoot and fight, this can't.

[Ringleader]

It looks like it has a gun on the bottom, the little hole.

[Siber]

Re Interceptor: We already do have a republican interceptor, the shared UNH/Republican interceptor. Avatar favors it as an imperial scout design, while I entertain ideas of it as the basis of a bomber chassis. A nice ship, either way.

Re Drone: That's rather drastically different from what we had in mind, not to mention practically impossible to achieve in the engine we're dealing with. Our intent for drones is along the lines of the Somtaaw hive frigate's drones: tiny fighters faintly reminiscent of swarmers.

Relatedly, I'd respectfully request that you leave the backstory to us. Suggestions, framed as such are fine and even welcomed, but the drone backstory above is presented in a way that some might take as "official", when it isn't. I'd like to avoid that kind of confusion.

[Pouk]

Ehm, so would you mind if I would try to use this drone idea? I mean the vaygr "so called interceptor" design, it's no problem here, only resemblance would be that I would (try to) make it shoot and split in a half. I am asking because the shooting wasn't originaly my idea.

[Ringleader]

sure

[Pouk]

ok thanks

[Avatar II]

Ringleader, a thought: We've been working with the assumption that there's two variants of drones; heavy drones with energy cannon (hw1 era plasma bomb launchers), and light drones with one or several light coilgun for general purpose attacks. I've been thinking a bit more about your vertical cruise missile drone, and I think it could easily be adapted to mount a centerline heavy plasma cannon using some of the shapes of the old hw1 era attack bomber.

One worry I have above all others about your republic interceptor concept is that it isn't possessing big guns; the original has as its primary distinguishing characteristic from the scout its monster cannon. While I'm at it, I always liked the "tail" that came out from under the engine.

In the current fiction at the very least the Republic fleets deployed around Higaara have the hybrid interceptor as their primary strike fighter to make it easier to trade replacement parts, ships, and pilots with their Higaaran allies. There's no reason for their rimward fleets to make the same concession so there's certainly room for a more Taiidani flavored interceptor in the Republic's lineup. Truth of the matter is, if we get a sweet Taiidani-looking interceptor concept, we'll probably turn it into an Imperial-faction ship just 'cause we haven't got as much for them figured out. I personally think the ratio of gun : engine in your concept isn't high enough to classify it as an interceptor... would you be all right if we worked to develop it into an Imperial scout?

Also... where's the cockpit?

[Ringleader]

Sure, I can work on more drone concepts as well as fighter concepts flavored more so towards the original interceptor. I understand what you are getting at with the drone having a plasma cannon, seeing as the original HW Kushan attack bomber sort of had that rounded square look. I originally wanted the attack drone to look like the original target drone from HW. The thing is, with plasma canons, the drone is pretty tiny, so I dont know... also it was supposed to be the UHN equivilent to a torpedo frigate/missile frigate, but with more dynamics, so definitely a rail gun, because if it had a plasma cannon (anti capital that is), and its secondary attack was being an anti capital missile, it is sort of a double anti capital weapon with no clear advantage of one approach or the other. If you are going to omit the missile ability of the drone and give it a plasma cannon only, then it is basically an anti capital weapon only, and I figure that your ion canon frigate already fills that slot comfortably.

That interceptor was originally intended for another mod that also used Tii Republic ships, I only displayed it here to provide an alternative weapon type for the scout (which I think looks a little awkward). I imagine the Repubicans (at least the Republicans for the other mod) to be more technologically advanced then the Imperialists, relying more so on smaller, and more advanced weapons (such as the gun turret on my interceptor concept) then the big artillery guns of the original HW interceptor. To provide further contrast of this principle, I had modeled a cruiser that I hoped would someday make it into a mod (unfortunately I accidentally reformatted my drives without backing it up).

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...der_O/HC-1.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...r_O/HCrear.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...cruserrear.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d..._O/cuiser2.jpg

This ship combines aspects from several HW and HW2 ships, but the main focus of it was that the weapons were few, and powerful, similar to how the interceptor concept shows a fighter with only one weapon. I assume that the ship in Norse's sig is an Imperial Cruiser, and the differing elements I was shooting for was that his ship had a lot of weapons spaced more so along the entire body, and it also had fins. I imagine the Imperial Tiidan archetype would be a ship that has a lot of weapons and fins, while the the Republicans are more conservative with their weapon and shape layout (no pun intended).

I would prefer holding off on making that the imperial scout, because when I make the Imperial interceptor concept, it may change your mind on the matter. In the fighter concept, the cockpit is internal, it is supposed to give that advanced, predator spy drone look to it, while still having a pilot.

I am not quite sure if you are trying to have a fleet of ships that is sort of like a conglomerate of Tiidan and Kushan ships? (where some ships are clearly Ti, and others clearly Kushan) or is each ship supposed to be like a hybrid between the two factions?

P.S. I am reworking on that cruiser, (better then before) if you are interested, and also here is the destroyer concept for that same mod I was talking about earlier.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d.../Destroyer.jpg

[doci7]

I am not quite sure if you are trying to have a fleet of ships that is sort of like a conglomerate of Tiidan and Kushan ships?

To the best of my knowledge the Interceptor is the only hybrid design they have planned.

[Jake]

That's a point, actually. Are we going to see any more joint projects in the manner of the interceptor, or maybe a few bootlegged designs turning up in the Vaygr ranks? It would cut down the number of hours you have to spend modeling quite considerably, and art would definitely be imitating life.
I just hope the Hiigarans and Taiidani are better at delivering their joint projects on time and on budget than the Eurofighter Consortium...

[tadamir]

Ringleader, I'm not sure about that Cruise Missile Drone, I couldn't help thinking of Deadly Sunfish!

The Cruiser concept is amazing though, especially the latest one (Destroyer?), very reminiscent of the Bad Guys' spaceships from The Fifth Element, niiice.

Your rough pencil concepts are very interesting pieces of art, if the in-game models ever get as good looking as the pencil roughs I suspect there will be a lot of happy HW fans out there, myself included.

Keep up the good work folks!