Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Krackers87 on November 27, 2003, 11:02:32 pm

Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Krackers87 on November 27, 2003, 11:02:32 pm
(http://swooh.com/peon/Bubsy87/pictures/Alastor.jpg)

Made completely in TrueSpace. The FS upgrade wanted higher poly models so i made this.

Im not done yet.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Liberator on November 27, 2003, 11:13:39 pm
Looks more like the older Cerberus sentry.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Woolie Wool on November 28, 2003, 12:06:53 am
Yeah, it's a Watchdog/Cerberus, not an Alastor.

And what's with the handles? Is some enormous astronaut supposed to pick these up and carry them to where they will be deployed?
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Starks on November 28, 2003, 12:08:54 am
What is the diff between the Cerebus and Watchdog?
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Bobboau on November 28, 2003, 12:21:41 am
some table values
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: diamondgeezer on November 28, 2003, 08:54:06 am
Yeah, the Cerberus takes about two hits to kill while the Watchdog takes a few more. Or possibly the other way round.

Kracks mate, try adding mechanical details like maintainance hatches and what not. Maybe some tubing or cabling or something. Steal ideas from the Mjolinir thread.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Taristin on November 28, 2003, 09:29:24 am
Ok, so it is pretty good, but I hope those handly bits are made from the mesh, and not just glued there...


Not that it really matters to me, but...
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Woolie Wool on November 28, 2003, 04:37:31 pm
Quote
Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Yeah, the Cerberus takes about two hits to kill while the Watchdog takes a few more. Or possibly the other way round.

Kracks mate, try adding mechanical details like maintainance hatches and what not. Maybe some tubing or cabling or something. Steal ideas from the Mjolinir thread.


The Watchdog is the wimpy one, with 20 hitpoints and Terran Turrets. The Cerberus is a little tougher, with more hitpoints and Subachs.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Setekh on November 28, 2003, 07:47:11 pm
I remember these babies from FS1, mostly. "These sentries have been reprogrammed!" Lookin' good, K. :nod:
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: TopAce on November 29, 2003, 04:59:14 am
I really don't know why it is needed to make a small sentry gun higher poly. You won't see those details if you take out the sentries from a distance(>200 metters). Unless you collide with it, you see nothing about those details.

You should do warships more detailed. Like a Hatshepsut, or the Typhon. Or are they difficult to edit?
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: KARMA on November 29, 2003, 11:22:03 am
there are a couple of edges in the main struct that look a bit odd, except this it look nice althought I'd make some little more detailed guns: the barrell for example could benefit of a larger tip, and the turrett base could be less blocky or have more detailes

anyway..topace, you are right, there are more important models that should be redone, but I think that kracker's intention was to gain experience, and the best way to gain experience is to make practice, starting from the very simple models
And don't forget that with lods you will hardly see lod0, there will be almost no performance hit at all from this thing.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Knight Templar on November 29, 2003, 01:21:47 pm
Quote
Originally posted by TopAce
I really don't know why it is needed to make a small sentry gun higher poly. You won't see those details if you take out the sentries from a distance(>200 metters). Unless you collide with it, you see nothing about those details.


For fun?
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: TopAce on November 29, 2003, 01:23:07 pm
Quote
Originally posted by KARMA
...

anyway..topace, you are right, there are more important models that should be redone, but I think that kracker's intention was to gain experience, and the best way to gain experience is to make practice, starting from the very simple models
And don't forget that with lods you will hardly see lod0, there will be almost no performance hit at all from this thing.


Yeah, if you make the LOD distance flag well.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: diamondgeezer on November 29, 2003, 03:03:22 pm
To answer your question TA, I think the majority of peeps here want to see the entire fleet upgraded eventually. This will take a lot of work, and so anything modelers can do to help will aid the process. I also think Krackers ahs made a good choice in tackling the Watchdog since, no offense to him, he's a relative modelling noob compared to the Mjolnir guys. This a is an excellent project for him to build his talents. As you said, this senrty is a very small feature of the game and will hardly be noticed, but it's a small step in the right direction :)

Now, a question of my own - with all this HTL fancy stuff, should the V models have their LOD draw distances revised so that high detail LODs are displayed at greater distances than the defaults?
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Bobboau on November 29, 2003, 03:21:10 pm
in regards to upgradeing poly counts the entier fleet, look at this (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,19133.0.html)
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: kasperl on November 29, 2003, 03:22:47 pm
i doubt it would help much, really. on ultra high detail you don't see much but LOD0 IIRC, and even LOD0 isn't all that detailed on most V ships either.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: TopAce on November 29, 2003, 03:29:39 pm
OK, polycount incease, but what about the textures? I belive the [V] Cerberus texture won't fit the current model completely. Just have a look at the model itself, and imagine the original Cerberus at the same position.

You will see what I say(write :)) ....
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: diamondgeezer on November 29, 2003, 03:30:34 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Bobboau
in regards to upgradeing poly counts the entier fleet, look at this (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,19133.0.html)

... says a man with an ATI card to a man with a GF4 :p

Get this run under nVidia and I'll give you gold :nod:
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Taristin on November 29, 2003, 06:25:20 pm
Ditto.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: diamondgeezer on November 29, 2003, 06:28:15 pm
Look Bobboau! Gold! Beautiful shiney gold! And it can be yours... you know what you must do...

(http://www.dprkorea-trade.com/metals/gold.jpg)
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Bobboau on November 29, 2003, 06:31:14 pm
well it's not my fault, you should have gone with ATI...


nVidia, had a similar technology but it isn't geared at current geometry systems, meaning there isn't a way for this to be simply ported to a similar nVidia system, and it was disabled by many of there recent drivers, so even if there was a way I would no longer be able to use it becase nVidia turned it off, becase nVidia sucks

you should take that gold and go by yourself a nice new ATI Radeon 9800 pro 256 ;7
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: diamondgeezer on November 29, 2003, 06:44:23 pm
Well you know I was considering an ATI, but nothing in my range was in stock so I fell back on the faithful GF4. Oh well, it may not have yon fancy thingy but it is *****in' fast :D
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Taristin on November 29, 2003, 06:45:16 pm
Well, give me $300, and I will go out right now and get it.  Wait, make that $500, because I'll need a motherboard with an AGP slot that isn't fried...
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Krackers87 on November 30, 2003, 11:29:01 am
Quote
Originally posted by Woolie Wool
Yeah, it's a Watchdog/Cerberus, not an Alastor.

And what's with the handles? Is some enormous astronaut supposed to pick these up and carry them to where they will be deployed?


They are Flood lights.

If you look at the texture u can see little white strips, if itll look better i can just make it an upside down u popping out of the hull.

Quote
Originally posted by TopAce
I really don't know why it is needed to make a small sentry gun higher poly. You won't see those details if you take out the sentries from a distance(>200 metters). Unless you collide with it, you see nothing about those details.

You should do warships more detailed. Like a Hatshepsut, or the Typhon. Or are they difficult to edit?


A great man once said, no.

Also another said, small steps.

I still need to get better.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Lightspeed on November 30, 2003, 11:31:56 am
Of course this needs a custom texture once its done.. But who says that can't be done? :)
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Krackers87 on November 30, 2003, 11:32:06 am
Quote
Originally posted by KARMA
there are a couple of edges in the main struct that look a bit odd, except this it look nice althought I'd make some little more detailed guns: the barrell for example could benefit of a larger tip, and the turrett base could be less blocky or have more detailes

anyway..topace, you are right, there are more important models that should be redone, but I think that kracker's intention was to gain experience, and the best way to gain experience is to make practice, starting from the very simple models
And don't forget that with lods you will hardly see lod0, there will be almost no performance hit at all from this thing.


I can make it be LOD 1. Then improve on thew rest for LOD0.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Krackers87 on November 30, 2003, 11:32:46 am
.sorry mistake,  u can delete this post
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Krackers87 on December 02, 2003, 03:08:27 pm
done

(http://swooh.com/peon/Bubsy87/highpolys/turret.jpg)

http://swooh.com/peon/Bubsy87/highpolys/HighpolyTurret1.cob

little more than 1100 polys
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Sheepy on December 02, 2003, 03:35:45 pm
that looks pretty damn sweet, well done :nod:
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: TopAce on December 02, 2003, 03:37:25 pm
The turret is especially nice.
Proceed with this quality.
:yes:
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: diamondgeezer on December 02, 2003, 03:41:48 pm
Excellent progress. I suggest getting an experienced texurer in to really do the model justice :nod:
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: KARMA on December 02, 2003, 03:55:02 pm
very nice.
still the superstructure looks like it is a bit offset compared to the lower struct, but maybe it's just the view angle...
Btw the superstructure is probably as good as it is now,
you may add some details to the lower struct instead, like for example some panels, like you did for the superstructure.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Taristin on December 02, 2003, 04:04:51 pm
My only complaint is the blatant waste of polies on the gun barrels. But I love the turret base. And would even steal it for some of my vessels, if I had a copy...
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: karajorma on December 02, 2003, 04:20:55 pm
It's for HT&L you're supposed to use lots of polys :D

BTW is it me or are the barrels on those turrets not straight? The little projection at the end seems to be a little to the right
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Taristin on December 02, 2003, 04:24:36 pm
I can understand high poly turrets, but not when they hit the middle hundreds. :p

I wonder how many polies that one is...
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Lightspeed on December 02, 2003, 05:05:12 pm
wow, i love it :)
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Shrike on December 02, 2003, 05:06:18 pm
You know, I really don't understand why everyone thinks that just because you can use lots of polygons for models in HT&L means that they should.  It's a bloody sentry gun, you never see them up close.  Who cares if it's super-high-detail?  It's just needless drag on the system.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: karajorma on December 02, 2003, 05:31:56 pm
Since you never see them up close it's not much of a problem then. You'll be seeing one of the other lods all the time except for when you're sightseeing anyway :)
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Stryke 9 on December 02, 2003, 06:14:22 pm
Because it's fun. Who cares about what the end user wants?
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Taristin on December 02, 2003, 06:17:13 pm
That's how microsoft thinks, anyway...
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: KARMA on December 02, 2003, 06:23:27 pm
but we do things for our fun and we are noy payed so we are excused, MS not:)
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Knight Templar on December 02, 2003, 06:23:32 pm
Now we know where Stryke gets his personality.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: WMCoolmon on December 02, 2003, 09:54:09 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Shrike
You know, I really don't understand why everyone thinks that just because you can use lots of polygons for models in HT&L means that they should.  It's a bloody sentry gun, you never see them up close.  Who cares if it's super-high-detail?  It's just needless drag on the system.


Because otherwise it'll look like a piece of crap (More than now, I mean :p ;)) when compared to a high-detail figher.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Krackers87 on December 02, 2003, 11:45:28 pm
i suppose i can add some more, i just wanted to release it cuz i had time.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: diamondgeezer on December 03, 2003, 12:28:44 pm
Well like I said earlier, every little helps in a projct the size of upgrading the FS2 fleet. Do what you can and people will appreciate it I'm sure :)
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Taristin on December 03, 2003, 12:39:28 pm
I didn't realize you released it... sweetness.

Or as the Brits here have been saying... Cheers.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Lightspeed on December 03, 2003, 12:47:08 pm
should I..... texture it? ;)
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Krackers87 on December 03, 2003, 10:08:32 pm
wait a little while, i might add some more features, like a week maybe.
Title: Higher poly Alastor (i think)
Post by: Lightspeed on December 04, 2003, 06:27:41 am
okay, drop me PM if / when you want me to :)