[Flipside]

Untextured so far, but I've been working on heavier space superiority fighter, it's going to be fast, hence the rather large engine section (I may lengthen the ship a little, but that hurts UVMapping, and it took bloody hours and is going to need 2 textures already, I'm not doing it again )




I'm yet to model the guns on etc, but I quite like the overall shape of the ship. There is what looks like polygon clash on the wing in the second picture, but it's not, it's because I'm using un-tripled polies, which don't always work properly (hence why D3D triples everything anyway), but it makes the mapping a lot easier

Ideas? Comments?

Edit : It's sitting at 1300 polies atm, partly because it is predivided in places for bevelling up some panels/inlets etc

[Scooby_Doo]

If Uv mapping is a pain and taking too long, then you're doing it wrong :-P

[Flipside]

Not really, I just tend to map each part as I make it, and spend some time getting the most out of the space. There are far faster ways of doing it, but autopackers are notorious space-wasters, can struggle with more than two overlapping polies on the same plane and any automated program means you sometimes have to spend time figuring out which part of the model is which. I like total control when making textures, I almost map on a poly by poly basis.

[Scooby_Doo]

I don't like automappers that much myself.  Especially uvunwrap using an entire section... too many polys.

What I do is take sections like wings, pods, base hull, detail hull parts, etc... if possible use UVmap planar. 
Make sure you set the width/height sizes equal to make the map porportionally correct rather than just use fit. 
Then run the UV unwrap to adjust it to your liking. 

Rescale it to match what you've already done. 
Move it to an area outside the normal (0,0)-(1,1).  Once you've got all the pieces mapped. 
Select everything and rearrange the parts so that they start at (0,0) but don't rescale them down just yet. 
Once they're all in a nice big block then rescale them down to (0,0)-(1,1).

[Trivial Psychic]

Looks like it could be a heavier Loki with Herc-1 influences.

[aldo_14]

If Uv mapping is a pain and taking too long, then you're doing it wrong :-P

Not true.

[Scooby_Doo]

Well i suppose if your doing every little creave with it's own uv space I suppose it can be difficult.
Oh wait.... curved rounded surfaces can be problematic due to warping issues.

[asyikarea51]

Me likes.

Is it Terran? I can imagine it having either 2x3 or 2x4 guns and slotting in as a heavier Loki... along with it having the all-too-familiar face up front. (Or maybe not... IMO with that kind of nose, I don't think the eyes-and-teeth texture will turn out good... Bangwal)

A formidable and fast-moving rival to the Herc II maybe? In any case I like the current shape as it is.

Cockpit!!! XD



That's my comment on it, I guess...

[Flipside]

hehe Thanks

Just an update on the textures so far, still some details to work on...

[asyikarea51]

ZOMG.

Two questions though, is it using weapon models as with the Azaes? (to tell you the truth, i hope not XD) And are the missile pods the two box-thingies that are above the two outermost guns?

[Flipside]

Thanks Nope, it won't have a chaingun, and no, I think those pods would be too far out and too small to look effective, theres a single launcher under the nose, I'm sort of looking for places to stick more launchers though, possiblly in the dark area on either side of the cockpit, or I might move one of the inner guns there and put the second launchers firing points where it was. Still working on details I may still lose that outside 'cannon' completely.

[Prophet]

Why should there be more launcher pods? It looks good as it is...

[asyikarea51]

How about the sloped regions above the four main guns ala Perseus?

The bad thing about it is that the poly count might go up just to make it look good... and even then it might not look that good since those sloped regions are boxy (and aren't in a rounded... sorta shape...) =\

Or what about underneath the four main guns? I see some blank space there...?

Come to think of it, the two outermost guns look too far out to be of any use... Missiles are fine, but if it's unguided swarm rockets ala INF R1 Hurricane...

 

[Prophet]

Come to think of it, the two outermost guns look too far out to be of any use...

Nope. He can use laser convergence.

[asyikarea51]

Well, that's true... but... there's just something about that tag that I'm not too comfortable with. Somehow or another, I feel that it limits weapon range. Not to mention certain situations where the projectiles would crisscross each other... guess I'm used to things flying straight...

Looking at the ship now, if it was me, I would've moved the two outermost guns to the nose area (where those three holes are, but just... "open up"... the top two holes). Something like the firing pattern of the Hercules I.

Or maybe something like the Ymir from the dump, and put the two outermost guns at the regions in between the cockpit and the double side guns... but that don't look as nice as it seems...

But the current positioning of the six guns is dramatic though...

[Flipside]

I'm going to try something, I still have room on one of the UV maps, and with care, you can make a launcher in  under 20 polies, I've probably got around 1700 polies so far, my upper limit is around 2000, so I might look into things, at the moment I'd say it's looking like a 'Heavy Perseus' from the way the weapons are ending up positioning themselves

I'm thinking of putting another launcher above and behind the cockpit, so, rather than most ships which have linked horizontal banks, by using the launcher underneath as well, it'll have an inline vertical bank. Load that up with dumbfires, move the outer guns near the cockpit and just use the outer parts as, possibly some kind of engine. Fast, capable of powerful head-on strikes, but limited missile space.

[asyikarea51]

Inline vertical?

Reminds me of TrashMan's Athena II if you were to edit the gunpoints based on the textures he provided... I got myself 2x4 primaries and three secondaries with some quick editing. I assume you're going to put one of the launchers on the upward slope that's not too far behind the cockpit?

just use the outer parts as, possibly some kind of engine.

This quote reminds me of the Seth... Poor speed, but equipped with an afterburner akin to a laggy turbo kicking in all of a sudden...

[Flipside]

http://www.aqsx85.dsl.pipex.com/Autolycus.zip

Basically a small, light fighter with a lot of kick...sort of halfway between an Interceptor and a Space Superiority, might still be overpowered, Ive not tested combat performance that heavily.

NOTE : To those of you with smaller Graphics memories, this ship will probably look just as good if you halved the size of many of the textures, I only included the original maps to give you maximum detail.

[asyikarea51]

 

Looks like it uses a Ymir-styled gun position after all...

[Flipside]

Yup Not only do I think it looks better, but that ship can deliver a lot of hurt into a small area