Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: MicroPsycho on November 22, 2005, 07:44:11 pm

Title: A new ship model
Post by: MicroPsycho on November 22, 2005, 07:44:11 pm
I began work on this a while ago and I havn't devoted too much time into it thusfar. It's supposed to be a Terran boarding craft/transport. After getting the basic design done (seen below) I finally looked at it as a whole and...well, I honestly don't know what to think of it. It's certainly not the look I was going for and it doesn't really look like it fits into FreeSpace. There's just something wrong with it. So what are some of your thoughts/impressions?
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3594/shot7.jpg)
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/1948/front.jpg)
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4566/frontright.jpg)
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/6742/bottomr.jpg)
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4409/rear.jpg)
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: FireCrack on November 22, 2005, 07:49:16 pm
looks nice, could use some detail uptp though

Also it's rediculously small looking!
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Trivial Psychic on November 22, 2005, 08:00:31 pm
Give it a pair of shoulder-mounted anhedral wings, kinda like some of those Russian helicopter designs.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Herra Tohtori on November 22, 2005, 08:55:50 pm
Nice, but certainly needs something (read:weapons) on sides. I'd recommend adding short bi-plane strycture, with weapon banks or boost engines or something attached to them...

Code: [Select]

Front (rough picture, sry...):

 ___________
|__(:o:)__|
     
Rear
 __________
|__>88<__|    with 8's simulating engines, of course... not actually very exact picture...

[/code

Top view is too much for this kind of graphics to handle...

It somehow reminds me of Artemis' central hull... with tail twisted 90 degrees.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Janos on November 23, 2005, 08:30:04 am
Could be nice as somekind of unarmed/civilian personell transport ship or something.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Trivial Psychic on November 23, 2005, 11:14:29 am
Don't think so.  The style of the cannopy suggests combat visibility for the pilot (or pilots)... someting that civillian designers wouldn't be concerned with.  As for earlier remarks that the cannopy looks too big for the design, I'd say that the cannopy in fact covers 2 seats, one behind and above the other.  This would also take its cues from some helicopter gunship designs.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Galemp on November 23, 2005, 11:26:15 am
I'd say the canopy is way too pointy for a box like that. There are other designs you could consider, notably the Boanerges. Make the nose whatever shape you want, try something different.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: pyro-manic on November 23, 2005, 01:27:49 pm
It needs something to break up the flat featureless bit on top, and it's a bit too boxy, to the point where the fins on the back look rather redundant.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Prophet on November 23, 2005, 02:21:08 pm
But if it's supposed to be a boarding craft it means its primary role is to fly right trought a ships defensive fire. Adding stuff like wings, arms and legs on the roof and bottom only increase the propability of it being hit. And serve no real purpose anyway.
Oh right. You people like to add stuff in to designs because you say it looks cool...
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: ionia23 on November 23, 2005, 02:35:51 pm
Here's what you do with this.

A couple of laser turrets on the sides and bottom and a flak cannon on top. Voila.  Super-Gunboat.  Beautiful design for such a ship.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: pyro-manic on November 23, 2005, 02:45:40 pm
But if it's supposed to be a boarding craft it means its primary role is to fly right trought a ships defensive fire. Adding stuff like wings, arms and legs on the roof and bottom only increase the propability of it being hit. And serve no real purpose anyway.
Oh right. You people like to add stuff in to designs because you say it looks cool...

:blah:

Of course. It's a game. If you were being realistic, you wouldn't put a great big window on the front either, as it makes the pilot very vulnerable.

Nice idea, Ionia. After looking at it further, the kind of "lip" thing around to top is definitely adding to the weird look. Perhaps round it off slightly, or just square off the angles a bit, so the top isn't concave. :)
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Prophet on November 23, 2005, 03:25:11 pm
Of course. It's a game. If you were being realistic, you wouldn't put a great big window on the front either, as it makes the pilot very vulnerable.
That was not my point. My point is that sometimes some people are so keen on adding "details" (as they are called), that the result looks more funny than cool.

In fact the standard response to new models around here tends to be "add wings on it"...
I love models like Aten, Fenris and Hermes. Because they don't have any useless wings or antennas or other silly stuff. They are sleek, simple and elegant.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll spend the rest of the evening drawing the letter "Q", without the little line...
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: MicroPsycho on November 23, 2005, 08:02:26 pm
I intend to add 4 cannons on the front and a turret on top, possibly flat. And it's will have a pilot, a gunner and possibly some other person (nav/comms controller) in the front. And yeah, in case it wasn't obvious, this is the very basic design, still lots of detail and tweaking left to do.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: FireCrack on November 23, 2005, 08:33:46 pm
How big is this thing?
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: MicroPsycho on November 24, 2005, 09:20:48 am
About this big...
(http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/8141/artycompare24bv.jpg)
(http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/9958/artycompare5ov.jpg)
This isn't final though, as I said, there's much work to be done and I'll worry about the scale as I go along, but this is what I'm aiming for. I'm also thinking of giving it an assymetrical design.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Turambar on November 24, 2005, 09:35:19 am
kinda reminds me of a support ship
put 2 lasers under the nose and the rest is ammo storage
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Unknown Target on November 25, 2005, 01:21:32 pm
Looks ok...but needs some vertical/horizontal detailing. It's kind of like a dart right now, doesn't look..."balanced".
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: kasperl on November 25, 2005, 02:41:16 pm
I  prefer the dart look. Make it a bomber, perhaps.

It's different from the standard look of ships, and it does make sense to have a small profile on the front and back. Perhaps remove the round thingys on the side, but had a bottom or top laser cannon (but very small profile.)
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: MicroPsycho on November 25, 2005, 05:47:58 pm
I prefer the dart look. Make it a bomber, perhaps.

It's different from the standard look of ships, and it does make sense to have a small profile on the front and back. Perhaps remove the round thingys on the side, but had a bottom or top laser cannon (but very small profile.)

But I'm not trying to make a bomber, I'm trying to make boarding craft. And those round things are supposed to be docking ports...they need work.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: FireCrack on November 25, 2005, 06:41:40 pm
The cockpit area looks a bit large now...
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: c914 on November 26, 2005, 07:24:11 am
It would look god if midle part with docking bays ware twice width than it is now.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: IceFire on November 26, 2005, 08:05:12 am
I like it...if its meant to be a non-combat ship then it looks quite a bit like some sort of high speed courier vessel and that'd be a great thing to have in some missions and mission designs.  Civil traffic is something extra thats hard to make functional but thats the kind of ship that would work really well.
Title: Re: A new ship model
Post by: Charismatic on November 26, 2005, 10:43:13 am
Could be nice as somekind of unarmed/civilian personell transport ship or something.

-Or armed with a turret or 3.. but yeah. A new Hermies Mk. 2 POD. perhaps?