Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Axem on May 14, 2005, 07:30:45 pm

Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Axem on May 14, 2005, 07:30:45 pm
A generic transport for the GTVA. Can be used as a passenger liner, crew transport, courier, cargo transport, illegal drug smug...er... :nervous:

About as big as a Satis, lighter armor however, its not meant for the frontlines. But it does have some powerful engines to escape from any hostiles.

No name for it yet, guess its time to browse through Wikipedia's Greek mythology section. :p

Suggestions, and the like are quite welcome. :)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/NarfPics/transport1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/NarfPics/transport2.jpg)
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Mongoose on May 14, 2005, 08:24:13 pm
Nice model, although from the shots above, I'd picture it as being substantially bigger than a Satis.  It almost looks like it could be Aten-sized.
Title: Re: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Trivial Psychic on May 14, 2005, 11:09:03 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Axem
About as big as a Satis, lighter armor however, its not meant for the frontlines. But it does have some powerful engines to escape from any hostiles.

Would you do this by giving it afterburners?  That would give it emergency escape speed capability.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Bobboau on May 14, 2005, 11:14:17 pm
nice, needs more large scale detail, especaly in the front.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Getter Robo G on May 15, 2005, 12:11:40 am
Axem, my suggestion is this...

  See the two top apparent engine looking units?  Is this is a space only vehicle, how about making two more for the bottom hull? Have the ends of these for units be the after burners for great emergency speed or course correction.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Hellbender on May 15, 2005, 03:59:47 am
Actually, has nice clean lines. Doesn't need to be cluttered - no need to add polys just for the sake of adding polys.  A good texture job will be about all it needs. Satis size looks about the proper scale too. Looks fast. That's a good thing.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Raptor on May 15, 2005, 05:49:58 am
hmmm, vaguely simular to B5 EA crew shuttle...

As for role, sounds just like the small transport I'm designing...

Keep going.  Be intresting to see the end result.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Nuke on May 15, 2005, 12:12:06 pm
you might want to put that docking port on top of a short superstructure, like i did on the underside of the rumrunner. it makes the dock look a little sturdyer probibly curving around the front of the dock and stretching back to form part of the tail. i think it would add to the tail poturusion. perhaps giving it a sleek look curving downward into the tail potrusion. also maybey make the sides of the front end abit curvyer while keeping the angular look of the center. i like the slotting on the sides, its a nice touch. i also like the profile of the secondary engines. maybe some space shutte style cargo bay doors on the bottom would be cool as well, perhaps paneling outward abit.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Turambar on May 15, 2005, 12:29:35 pm
it looks absolutely nothing like a penis!!

wonderful

i like it, its nice and smooth, and could easily turn vasudanish with good textures.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: DaBrain on May 15, 2005, 12:34:47 pm
This word is a no-no on this board now...
You might start something with that you know. Even if this wasn't your intention. UT will end up killing us all if we're not careful. ;7

@Axem Looks seriously great. I don't think it fits to the FS2 theme too well though. It needs details, but the basic shape is pretty good. :)
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: TopAce on May 15, 2005, 12:43:59 pm
It could be FreeSpace.
For a basic shape, it's good. Improve on the bottom side and it will be fine.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Roanoke on May 15, 2005, 02:37:20 pm
Put in some Air Lock type structures
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Axem on May 15, 2005, 05:21:36 pm
Well, the overall goal was to make it atleast somewhat capable of atmospheric flight, so that's why its somewhat smooth and doesn't have too many extrudy bits.

Which brings me to my next point.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/NarfPics/transportwithwings.jpg)

Keep?

Now the bottom I still have to work with a bit. Nothing I add seems to work well.

Trivial Psychic: Can the AI use them like that? I only see fighters use them in direct combat.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Flipside on May 15, 2005, 05:24:17 pm
I'd suggest making them either hinge over the back or fold forward against the chassis till they are needed. Bobbs animation code would make that possible and it would look rather cool ;)
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: FireCrack on May 15, 2005, 05:25:42 pm
Fighters use them to close distance, you can see it in many of the vasudan nebula missions such as "Straight, no chaser"

The wings dony liook like they'd allow this ship easy spaceflight, a delta wing design might work better.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: StratComm on May 15, 2005, 05:28:33 pm
No, leave those off.  If you want to put stub wings on it then do so, but leave the huge "SHOOT ME!" wings off.  The overall design looks nice (a bit treky) and I think it'd look fabulous in a white paint job with some texture decals and windows in addition to what's already in the geometry.

EDIT: And I'd say don't go delta.  That doesn't look very Freespacy, IMHO.  I see this as some kind of successor, at least in spirit, to the Chronos, so you might look at it for some ideas when it comes time to texture it.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Flipside on May 15, 2005, 05:29:19 pm
Well, the wings won't have any effect one spaceflight, I'm just thinking you don't want those things jutting out in space when you are escorting it, it makes for a bigger target, and increases the possibility of collisions, specially when manouvering in tight areas like asteroid belts, or in docking manouveres.

Edit : Posted at the same time as Stratt ;)
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: KARMA on May 15, 2005, 05:32:40 pm
btw, I see some useless edges that should be cleaned

I like it more without the wings, unless you make em rotateble
You should add at least a main door, and probably a docking system.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Liberator on May 15, 2005, 08:16:09 pm
Looks more BSG that FS2
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Axem on May 15, 2005, 08:25:53 pm
Rotating wings eh...?

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/NarfPics/transport2-2.jpg)

I also have a pic with them unfurled, but photobucket isn't letting me upload it for some reason. :wtf: But hey, there's already a pic with the wings out. It's just that they're not as big now.

Now is it possible to have a rotating subobject on another rotating subobject? The outer part of the wing rotates on the edge of the inner wing, which rotates around that cylinder along the hull. If its not possible, I'll get rid of the outer wing part.

I'll see what I can do about adding a door or something, but there's already an airlock/docking port on the top of the ship, but I think I'll probably texture something in.

And for a paint scheme, I was thinking of something like the jet liners today, white with some coloured highlights.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Nuke on May 15, 2005, 10:14:01 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Axem
Now is it possible to have a rotating subobject on another rotating subobject?


yes, remember the rumrunner's fighterbay doors.

as for the wings you could have the forward swept wings fold into a delta wing config. but i really dont see any chance to actually deploy them. as you really cant re-enter in game. i use alot of wings in my models mainly because its a good place to mount weapons.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Anaz on May 15, 2005, 10:30:34 pm
sciscor wings would be really cool on that.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Trivial Psychic on May 15, 2005, 11:23:48 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Axem
Trivial Psychic: Can the AI use them like that? I only see fighters use them in direct combat.

Well, you mainly don't see them because I've never encountered a transport that had afterburners.  An interesting test for this would be to alter the table on an existing transport to give it afterburner capabilities.  Place it in mission with waypoints to follow, then have hostiles jump in later and see what it does.  It may not use afterburners when on a waypoint course, but I'm betting the ai-evade-ship sexp would get it to use them.  You may also want to wait for a specific time in mission before it uses its afterburners, say when hostiles get within 500 meters or something.  You could use a cap-waypoint-speed sexp and then disable said sexp when an enemy gets within that range.

As for the wings, perhaps you might like to take some pointers for stowage from the Argo shuttle, seen in Star Trek Nemesis.
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Grimloq on May 18, 2005, 06:58:32 pm
What's 'delta wing configuration'? *Feels like an idiot*
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Trivial Psychic on May 18, 2005, 07:27:34 pm
You ever seen a picture of a Concorde jet?
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: FireCrack on May 18, 2005, 07:50:36 pm
Or a space shuttle.


Basicly triangular wings with a shorter wingspan but a larger wing "Length"
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: WeatherOp on May 18, 2005, 09:13:06 pm
Like this, on the Mirage 2000, I like Delta wings, their cool.:D

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=Dassault%20Mirage%202000&distinct_entry=true (http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=Dassault%20Mirage%202000&distinct_entry=true)
Title: Small Transport WIP
Post by: Nuke on May 19, 2005, 04:30:30 am
delta wings generate a vortex effect above the wing to create low presure rather than just thinning out the air in the traditional way, makes high speed flight a little bit more stable but requires a very high angle of attack to function properly at low speeds.  the high angle of attack will cause the wings to be less stable during takeoff and landing or in the case of the sr-71 during refueling manuvers.. this is why the concorde nose has to be lowered, its too long and the plane comes in at a very high angle. the shuttle has a stuby nose so it is less in the way. delta wings are almost mandatory for supersonic flight.