[Flaming_Sword]

If you'll check the textures, the lucy is already kinda purple.

Screenshot was taking using one of the demo missions, with blue sun.

[Stormkeeper]

Hmmm. Well. If it were me, I'd arrange the fighters nicely and place them midway of the Lucy. Makes it look more like a fly by and less of attacking.

[Flaming_Sword]

Fly by was the effect I was looking for

Meanwhile, I almost forgot my graphics settings.

OpenGL 1024x768 32-bit colour
Trilinear filter
2x anisotropic filter
2x anti-aliasing

[Flaming_Sword]

 

The worst screen (in my opinion), though the ship model rotates so you can see it:


Barracks screen showing palette issue when background is tga with pcx buttons (or ani for the loading screen, wrong colour), and buttons that haven't been fixed yet (with transparency for the new backgrounds):


Considering there's about 1800 little pcx files i'll have to convert to tga and fix, I think I'll leave them for the next release unless you guys want to wait a few more months for it.

Templates are available for the screens (but not the buttons, see above), if anyone wants them.

[Mobius]

A few things:

- Are you going to use Shivan pics as pilot pic files?
- I'm sorry but the background interface is a bit confusing: I see a Nahema with Maras behind it and I find it a bit weird...IMO there should be open space in that part of the interface pic.
- I know they may be just a mere example, but...I hope you won't be using those wing names in your MOD.

[Flaming_Sword]

A few things:

- Are you going to use Shivan pics as pilot pic files?
- I'm sorry but the background interface is a bit confusing: I see a Nahema with Maras behind it and I find it a bit weird...IMO there should be open space in that part of the interface pic.
- I know they may be just a mere example, but...I hope you won't be using those wing names in your MOD.

1. Shivan pilot images are still on the to-do list.
2. That's why it's the worst screen. Other screens are nowhere near as badly affected. The templates mean I can redo the screen relatively quickly if I need to. If it needs redoing I'll probably redo the briefing screens (and campaign briefings, possibly debriefings too) for consistency. How badly do people think it needs redoing?
3. Screenshot is from demo mission, no final decision has been made on naming. Options are:

• Functional (current)
• Terran (which make no sense from a shivan perspective)
• Random syllables (language(s) to be chosen)
• Use language, then create names from it (risk of a player actually identifying the language (and words), even if it's something like Klingon or one of the elven ones from J.R.R Tolkein's books)
• Make up language, then create names from it (cool, but requires a lot of work)

There's also the fact that I'm no good at making up names for things.

[Mobius]

2. IMO you can simply use a pic taken ingame without Shivans, only stars and nebulae.

3. Hindu names could work. Remember that the MOD is about the Shivans, ok, but from a Terran point of view...we can't use EM pulses as messages and therefore we can't write "officially Shivan" names.

[Flaming_Sword]

2. That was one of the options considered, yes, but only if enough people hate the current one, the main reason for posting it.

3. Would you name and refer to your ships as deities taken from a culture of an alien race far inferior to your own? . Keeping the name "Shivans" is already stretching it (I made them decide they liked the name, previously having had none), IMO. Terrans in the campaign missions will still refer to shivan ships with the Hindu and demonic names, but you will use different ones.

Remember, this mod is from the shivan point of view, so for all intents and purposes, the player is shivan (text translated from EM pulses as appropriate ). Things would be different if, say, the player was a terran was participating in an (unlikely) officer exchange program with the shivans (a la FS2 with the vasudans).

[Snail]

They're not EM pulses, they're quantum pulses.

[Mobius]

Erm, yeah. I got confused.

The point is that you can't have a 100% Shivan campaign. We, the ones who play, are Terrans and must undestand the mechanics of the battle like in any other campaign with normal messages, normal briefings and so on.

Let's considerate something similar, the Ancient-Shivan War MOD. ShadowGorrath agreed with me that the campaign will be more like a story, told by an Ancient narrator. Things will be explained and the player, a Terran, will experience the events as some kind of spectator. In any case, there will be a Terran approach to the events.

The Shivans are unlikely to possess/contact someone to tell their story, ok(well nobody knows if the Ancients can do that but the idea fits well with the context), but you can always come up with a valid idea.

[ShadowGorrath]

Erm, yeah. I got confused.

The point is that you can't have a 100% Shivan campaign. We, the ones who play, are Terrans and must undestand the mechanics of the battle like in any other campaign with normal messages, normal briefings and so on.

Let's considerate something similar, the Ancient-Shivan War MOD. ShadowGorrath agreed with me that the campaign will be more like a story, told by an Ancient narrator. Things will be explained and the player, a Terran, will experience the events as some kind of spectator. In any case, there will be a Terran approach to the events.

The Shivans are unlikely to possess/contact someone to tell their story, ok(well nobody knows if the Ancients can do that but the idea fits well with the context), but you can always come up with a valid idea.

Waaaait a moment, hold on.

First of all, everything here will be understandable. You will have briefings that can be understood by us mere mortals, you will have CB Animations, you will have pilot/command head animations, and etc. Everything will be understandable.

And I said I will think about it ^^ Didn't agree yet. The main outline of the story is near done, but the begining and the very ending is needed to be though out for now, so there's room to the idea of a terran viewing the events as an Ancient. However, I first want to finish all the base of the mod ( weapons, at least decently bugless tables, everything to look ok, function properly, make command briefing animations, command/pilot head animations, and other stuff ).

In other words- the player IS a Shivan here, in this mod/campaign. That's as much as I can tell without Flaming_Sword firing a BFRed at me for not keeping my mouth shut.

Kapiche? ( or whatever's it spelled )

[Mobius]

We agreed on saying that the idea was good. You're likely to do that, it doesn't mean you will do that for sure

[Flaming_Sword]

Wait, are you implying that playing as a shivan and having text on the screen is an invalid approach? That translation (text and graphics) for the benefit of the player is not allowed? If so, this would likely invalidate vasudan campaigns and mods too (eg. Shrouding the Light, which I've been replaying recently and is a lot of fun).

[Flaming_Sword]

Heh, almost forgot.

I finally got off my butt and released something: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,55031.0.html

[Androgeos Exeunt]

There's no need to double-post.

[NFSRacer]

OK, I'm officially impressed!  I've been craving to play as the Shivan for AT LEAST 7 years now and I finally get to see the Shivan side of the FS2 Campaign!  YEA!!!!!!!!!

[Molybdenum]

I we are going to see Shivan perspective campaigns then i would love one that brings out the Mind Games Shivan theory. Making the Starborn their new nemesis as they leave the Coldraces semi-alone as they seek out the big fish.(and cook stars inhabited by them) Also the possible wrath of those entities would be an awesome element to the campaign. 

if someone doesn't know what I'm talking about then: http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Starborn

[varsaigen]

I have a idea for the loading screen. Instead of a pic, you could have the warp effect for the background.
Another thought, a Shivan control room would look awesome for when you enter the game. Pillars looking a bit organic, and such.

[NFSRacer]

I have a idea for the loading screen. Instead of a pic, you could have the warp effect for the background.
Another thought, a Shivan control room would look awesome for when you enter the game. Pillars looking a bit organic, and such.

Good idea.  Question is how are you going to get it?  I don't mind the screen shot at the main menu, though.

[varsaigen]

h, but the screen for the retail fs2 gets boring after a while and doesn't give you the feel that you are launching from the base into a mission. Now, the vasudan screen did. Also, the terran screen in the demo gave the "luanch from base" feel when I entered a mission. Just a thought.