Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Vidmaster on September 10, 2007, 12:00:17 pm
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I am currently working on a The Babylon Project Campaign, featureing a story a little different from the usual "EA-Pilot saves the day". There are some interesting places to visit, but: I had to "cut" the most unique and cool one of them, since I there is no model. It is mentioned several times during command briefings and you get to know that you visited it ( refueled on so on) between missions, but you never got a chance to see it.
Now, while the campaign is half done, I started to ask myself: Hey, maybe somebody could help you and the above mentioned place could actually appear in the story. So, anybody who has the knowlegde willing to aid ?
( I have no idea if this is possible. hell, I had no idea how to fred before I started working on this )
Here is what I need:
A sphere shaped big asteroid (best grey), one third is open. There is not actually a cave, but a huge crater or something. Inside, are multiple structures, connected by some pipes and so on, there are docking ports for small and bigger ships. In one structrue a fighterbay to launch shuttles and defensive wings. Maybe some big turrets (EA Nova ?) near the entrance. I think you get the point.
Edit: I won't blow it up. I thought of a beautifull, epic view, not a explosion dummy :D.
A hidden space port somewhere in the void ;7
I don't want to use the Asteroid Base that is already in the game, since it is to small, to "open" and it doesn't fit my, lets call it vision, of the place. Although I have no idea how to create new ships on so on, I dont think it is easy and especially not this huge complex monster :nervous: . If somebody really accepts this challange and wants to help, post here or pm. If required, I will try to make skeetches.
If not, just let the thread die. I said, the campaign works without this too, but it would be nice if... ;7 :nod: :blah: :rolleyes: :yes:
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you are not talking about the Mothership, are you?
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no. it's a station and it won't be an enemy and it won't be destroyed (no additional "break into pieces"-work required).
I don't want to give anything more away. :)
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how much detail does it need?
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well, it is a port. My idea was that you actually escort a ship from outside in the docking area (maybe even a dogfight in it), or the other way round. When I place other docked capships in there, it shouldn't look hidious. So I think, lots of detail.
BUT: If this isn't possible, a lower detail version would also be cool, so I could show a cutscene, were a ship leaves or approches the station. Not as cool as a real mission, but I didn't expect anybody to sell their souls to the devil to create a neat HD render-like model.
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if no one has made it by the time I get my new power supply, I might do some doodling on it.
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thx :yes:
*...eagerly waiting for topgun...* :nod:
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Vidmaster, why dont you draw a sketch, so people better understand your vision
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do you mean a crater like this?
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Maybe use the BtRL project's scar asteroid if they let you.
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1 - can't you do that with a simple landscape texture?
2 - best texture is the included moonrock.dds used on the moonland.pof (seen in Raider Wars mission 15 "Ride of the Valkyrie")
3 - don't use the main turrets of the nova (the actual novas has short guns barrels IMO)
4 - See in "Babylon Project Beta Testing"-Subfoum, there you will find Trashman' Asteroid Base converted for TBP - maybe you can use it (additionally)
5 - can you do the tbl-additions/tbm yourself or do you need help?
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1) no. And I already used the moonscape landscape and the league base as ground base in another mission. Also, this isn't big enough. It would be cool if you could actually fly around the whole thing.
2) see 1
3) okay. the turrets were just an idea.
4) isn't this the base also seen in RW ?
5) i just learned how to fred, I have no idea how to do this.
@topgun: he you really started working on this *rejoicing*, thx :yes: :nod:
I try to skeetch something, but topgun is already very close. Just the hole little deeper and of course not that geometric. The crater filled with different structures (design doesn't really matter, maybe race-mixed) and stuff like that.
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4) isn't this the base also seen in RW ?
5) i just learned how to fred, I have no idea how to do this.
to 4; No ... the asteroid base it RW is the stock TBP one - - as I required a more hidden EA installation for a campaign (which is WIP) I retextured Trashman's one which basically a holed asteroid of 2-3 km in diameter
to 5; if you don't get the model with a tbp/tbm I woould be happy to do that for you :)
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trashmans base is extremly cool, but
- capships don't fit through the door and the main purpose of the "---"station is to refit, repair, and even build new medium capships (no Omegas or things like that). Additionally, it should be a place where people trade (weapons, illegal stuff and so on) regularly.
- it has no structures and buildings
- when Orph has already used it for i guess BH2, it is not a new original megakillercool surprise ;)
Ok, I give it away: The station is supposed to be one of the largest hidden raider outposts in the b5 galaxy, orbiting a green gas giant in a barren system (with no jumpgate -> you NEED to have a jump-capable capship to get there and it's dangerous AND very hard to find, since there is no tachyon beam).
EDIT: like this vvv
is this too complicated ? :nervous:
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Looks like what you want is pretty similar to the Tachyon monster roids of old....
The dome is a exact match anyway....
This is about all I can pull up for you, I can't get a screen capture of the big roid bases
because I don't have Tach installed any longer. As bad as the models are, you wouldn't want
them though.
http://media.pc.ign.com/media/011/011519/img_1233975.html
http://media.pc.ign.com/media/011/011519/img_1346775.html
http://media.pc.ign.com/media/011/011519/img_1228566.html
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you are the Tachyon fan in the forum, if I am not mistaken ? ;) Yep, I imagined a big almost city like base, but are you sure you posted the right screenshots ? You only see a base in the first and it is a starbase.
The "dome" is either some kind of greenhouse or a living area like the ones on Mars. Main purpose is that it looks cool.
<< offtopic
Is Tachyon really so good ? If yes, I guess it was a commercial game and therefore you don't have a free download for me ? :D :cool:
>> / offtopic
What do you think, topgun, is it possible to create something like that ? Not that it has to be exactly like this, you could simplify the buildings and remove the turrets and so on and remember, the whole thing don't need subsystem targeting, damage effects and stuff. But nevertheless, it seems to me that it will be painfully difficult.
So, still on board ? I wouldn't be offended if you bail out...
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Well I'm probably one of about 10 here... But I'm co-leader with RazorsKiss
for the FringeSpace mod to bring Tachyon back from the grave.
Yes it was a good game, excellent flight model, yes it was commercial, it had hundreds of players much
like FS2 for a long time. It's been largely dropped from NovaLogic support point of view
as it was more a project from a group of employees at the time... this last year they
patched it very likely due to GameTap, and killed off all player hosted games. So it's
basically a dead game. The code was extremely buggy, as were the models. That's
why it's been necessary for us to rebuild from scratch.
I'll go get you a proper screen shot... I tried browsing my models
from Tach but they are all in pieces... so that's no way to make a decent capture.
Edit - I had to install a mod or two in order to get Tach to load, and as a result it looks like my
display settings were fried in the process... so these pics having lighting, fog, or background issues.
But you can probably get the idea none the less.
12 JPGs including one of the dome bases.
http://files.fringespace.org/jgz/Misc/RoidnBase%20Examples.rar
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there is something I am concerned about. If I put this "dome" detail in the 'roid itself wont look too real. I might be able to compromise though.
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some of the structures (or parts of) look quite fitting, but I don't think it would fit if you put a model like this in freespace.
Topgun, if making the dome creates problems, just ignore the whole dome idea. I never dreamed the whole station could actually be made, so it won't be horrible to change the desgin as long as the basic idea is not altered.
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hey, on the TBP stock base, there is a dome like structure, the subsystem reactor ! After all, that base has some cool structure on it. But its far to small and to exposed. Maybe you could nevertheless hijack some of the buildings ?
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uummmm...
maybe you could do some of the surface structures as two or three seperate objects... I have "heard" *some* campaign designer wanted to have such a dome for one of this missions
also this would help recyleing this asteroid base in other campaigns
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now there are even two people interested in what you manage to create, topgun :D
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great, now pepole are counting on me :doubt:.
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yeah, you shouldn't have agreed in the firstplace. :lol:
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just a question: are you now working on this or not ? :nervous:
the WIP campaign is nearing its completion and I would like to know, if I can look forward to that model or not.
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by when do you need it?
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HERE (http://hades-combine.com/web/index.php?ind=downloads&op=entry_view&iden=148)'s one you may want to look into. Its quite an old model, and some documents actually list it as a corvette, but others as a station. Its more of a couple asteroids and other structures attached to each other.
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I considered re-mapping this one for TBP a while ago... but it is not what we are looking for
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it awesome cool, but I have to agree with Orph3u5. ( thank's for that "we" in your post :) :yes: , it remembers me of your offer to help. )
problems are:
- it has engines
- it is too exposed
- it is too small
- it is more Freespace like, not B5
nevertheless, it is cool. *making a note* . ;7
@topgun: of course, the sooner the better.
7 of 9 missions are scripted and finished, number 8 is being tweaked tomorrow and 9 is currently in planing stage. But I will add at least two missions (one cutscene) if you manage to create that monster of a model.
After that, I will let a friend beta test, as well as (try to) balance the difficulty. Last step will be to get some poor lad here to test it too and help me a little to remove grammar (and of course the unavoidable typing) errors. After all, I am not a native speaker. I am German and my mother tongue is therefore German, I just normally learn English at school (but I am pretty good :drevil: :nod: :cool: ).
EDIT: missions 1-8 finished, tested, ready :) Having some problems making the last mission a crecendo. I cant put in a major battle storywise here and the current mission is not fitting for the final one. :doubt: :rolleyes:
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progress update, topgun ? Have you started modelling ?
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I am having computer issus, so it is going slow. but yeah, I started modeling. I am still making the crater. is it going to have like suport beams or something? I need to know to make it acordingly.
PS: this thing wll probably be best for an up-close cutscene, as I am not going to do LODs or detail boxes. it will have about 10k-20k polys maybe more.
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Cutscene is fine, but of course flying around would be even more awesome ;)
I don't know much about modelling, I have no idea what your statement exactly means.
since I am not sure, I just repeat the following:
- it doesn't need to be targeted
- it doesn't need to blow up
- it doesn't need to have subsystems, weapons and stuff
- turrets would be cool, faked defense towers (not real turrets, just model parts that look like turrets) are okay, too but you even may ignore making them
- cutscene is sufficiant for the campaign
by the way, all 9 missions are finished. Orph, would you volunteer to test it and help me with the balacing ? Your DoW has that nearly perfect pacing, so... :nervous: :nervous: :nervous:
so, you could say that it is BETA now. Still thinking about the name.
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by the way, all 9 missions are finished. Orph, would you volunteer to test it and help me with the balacing ? Your DoW has that nearly perfect pacing, so... :nervous: :nervous: :nervous:
I'll see... PM me
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Orph has finished testing, I rebalanced the whole campaign and now Macfie does the final check. Look forward to a release soon.
How's it going, Topgun ?
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need to make docks and turrets. If you want release anytime soon then I suggest you forget about it. it will take a while (I warned you).
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ooh, okay. Delaying release and starting to Fred the sequel.