Hard Light Productions Forums
Hosted Projects - FS2 Required => Blue Planet => Topic started by: [Wolf]Maverick on August 08, 2010, 12:48:22 pm
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Hi,
here is my first BP: WiH Wallpaper. The Solaris in HD Glory:
(http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/9iq6fki5/UEDSolaris4.jpg)
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(http://blueplanet.fsmods.net/E/Mars.png)
(http://blueplanet.fsmods.net/E/solaris-poster.png)
(http://blueplanet.fsmods.net/E/wih.png)
(http://blueplanet.fsmods.net/E/bpwp.png)
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We need [Wolf]Maverick's Solaris wallpaper in png, it's great but jpg sucks.
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Here is the png Version
(http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/27zbjedq/UEDSolaris.png)
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And a second one, this time an Intro shot
(http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/so5uj5wc/Intro.png)
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Here is another BP:WiH Wallpaper, this time the Atreus and the Toutatis
(http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/7ooo8sxd/BPWiH.png)
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Clse Shot of the Solaris and Karuna
(http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/rxhwnsxe/UEDSolaris3_1920x1080.png)
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Ok, time for new Wallpaper.
First a shot of a Rayner und Titan Destroyer arriving at Saturn
(http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/7bpl5qq4/BP_RayerTitan_Saturn_1920x1080klein.png)
Second, something from the end of WiH Part I. The Indus falling into the sun.
(http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/pzkqtloy/BPWiH_UEFgIndus_Sol_1920x1080.png)
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My interpetation of Noemi Laporte. I might model a Ubuntu symbol to replace the necklace.
(http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/1955/noemim.jpg)
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I like the UEF regulation uniform... :D
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Sara, you continue to impress. This is highly awesome.
Hmm.
Can I get a version of that with a transparent background for wallpapering purposes?
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Sara, you continue to impress. This is highly awesome.
Hmm.
Can I get a version of that with a transparent background for wallpapering purposes?
Wait wait, we're tweaking it. Laporte's not that skinny!
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I know, but I sort of want to put her in front of a background with some UEF ships...
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Will make a PNG when I'm satisfied with the version.
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Holy ****, that's amazing work !
I'll change my wallpaper everyday now ;7
I really appreciate the Indus-into-the-sun one.
Thank you all, very good work. :yes:
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Wait wait, we're tweaking it. Laporte's not that skinny!
Well she does get yelled at by Simms to get her "skinny ass out of the cockpit" so that's up to interpretation :P
EDIT: Some of the imagery in the "fighting circle" fictions is also quite descriptive of her shape and movement.
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Thong & all?
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Thong & all?
The thong has got to go. The character design's been tweaked a lot.
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Thong was more of an inside joke, as the proper version will have something alike to a pilot suit or uniform.
Yes I remember vaguely the description of her standing tall as a raven etc, I'm still fiddling with the appearance. Yesterday I tried a muscular body, today I may try lean but somewhat trained down. If someone can quote (in spoiler brackets) the description again so I don't have to check every mission, they'd be a great help! :)
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I like the UEF regulation uniform... :D
As do I. ;)
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You'll love the Elder in bikini which is coming next then. :nod:
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"Nice flying out there, rook," Simms says. She steps into the ring, lean and long-limbed, her motions laconic.
Across the ring, Laporte matches her. In the shadows of ship's night she is a dusky fey shape, quick and precise, like a raven. "Thanks, boss," she says.
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Yea I found it this afternoon. Will try that too. Make a few versions. Also I want to give Noemi's face slightly more of a unique expression, less generic.
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;7
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From the first mission, I visualized Noemi like that shy, meek girl with glasses that doesn't speak unless spoken to, and when she speaks she does so with a soft, low voice you can barely hear, that just happened to find herself in a fighter.
You know, that kind of girls that can be either a bloodthirsty bringer of death of a sex goddess, or both.
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Actually working on Simms while we speak.
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Can we have a decent-res Ubuntu Earth-Wheel-Olives logo please? with transparency preferably, and no text. I want to make my own WiH-themed background using that logo, and I don't care for the stencil font...
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This is just so awesome.
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Solaris bow is a reskined Orion? If so i love to see this skin on original Orion someday, awesome stuff.
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:eek2: wait... who is making these human models..? and why haven't they jumped on the cutscene remake bandwagon?!
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Solaris bow is a reskined Orion? If so i love to see this skin on original Orion someday, awesome stuff.
Huh? No, I don't think the Solaris shares any mesh components with the Orion.
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It doesn't.
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So there is a coincidence.
Anyway this skin and mesh can be used as Orion MK. *fancy*
(http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/9199/pseudoorion.png)
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It looks... Vaguely like an Orion, I guess...
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Vaguely, as in "different in almost all aspects".
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Are we talking about the shape or something else here?
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I think we're talking about the shape.
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In that case, I can definetely see the resemblance.
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Anyway this skin and mesh can be used as Orion MK. *fancy*
An Orion with a skin like that I don't even think I'd recognize at first.
Which may be a good thing, cuz I imagine it would look awesome.
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:eek2: wait... who is making these human models..? and why haven't they jumped on the cutscene remake bandwagon?!
Because animating entire walking movements is about as painful as angering Lorna Simms. ;) The chars I'm working on take time and end up as head ani's.
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Ok, problem is he said the bow. Maybe the stern looks similar from a side view, but not the bow. And it's definitely not a reskin of the Orion.
Also, utops needs to learn how to phrase a question. Note, this isn't an ad hominem attack; it's something he needs to learn if he's going to continue writing in English.
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I like my Orions voluptuous, looking solid. I'm not fond of the idea of having a slim Orion. The shape may look alike in that edited image, but it's not by philosophy: dense, functional design. I like the Solaris the way it is, as the Solaris. :)
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Ok, problem is he said the bow. Maybe the stern looks similar from a side view, but not the bow. And it's definitely not a reskin of the Orion.
Also, utops needs to learn how to phrase a question. Note, this isn't an ad hominem attack; it's something he needs to learn if he's going to continue writing in English.
Ok i know that Solaris foward part is not reskined Orion, but similiarity between those two give me a picture how Orion may be look in Solaris clothes and i think it's awesome and may be used in future campaigns, that is, if somebody or original creator of Solaris like to create this special flavor of Orion.
Also, if you have only a shadow what i want to say in my engrish, that should be fine. Your sugestion what i should or shouldn't is not in place on international message board,where you are not administrator or moderator. However i take this like a motivation for enhance my language skills. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCspzg9-bAg
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Mod it, make a campaign. :) It's good incentive to learn how to use the required tools. Having a goal always is the way to learn how to use stuff.
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My interpetation of Noemi Laporte. I might model a Ubuntu symbol to replace the necklace.
(http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/1955/noemim.jpg)
:bump:
Any progress on this?
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My impression of Lorna Simms.
(http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/8415/lornar.jpg)
Going to try to continue this week. Am thinking of a remake for Noemi, right now her face doesn't speak or express a lot. Going to think of what makes Noemi look like Noemi and will base a proper face on that. While she's pretty, this Noemi doesn't bring a "wow, that's just like I'd expect her to look" reaction for me yet. Am however happy with Lorna.
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:eek2:
That's good. Very good.
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Hmmm, there's something weird. I don't really like it. Is it beacause of the lighting setting ? the face ? or just simply the smile or all the three.
So for now, I prefer the first one. :)
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Hmmm, there's something weird. I don't really like it. Is it beacause of the lighting setting ? the face ? or just simply the smile or all the three.
So for now, I prefer the first one. :)
Likewise.
I think it might be the face, there is something odd about it
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Lorna's face look a bit like a square. :wtf:. I mean, a very serious, not friendly face.
But, in the meantime, that give her a "powerful taste". That's good, according to her character. :nod:
Can't wait to see the new Noemi :yes:
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Well that's what I kinda like about it, I've never really thought of Simms as a cuddly character. :P And I think her demeanour suits that image personally.
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I tried to give Lorna a touch of 'butch', mostly working off a provided concept art. What I find essential in these character designs is to make the character lifelike and believable. I wanted to steer away from the cliché 'perfect boobs, butt and dollface' for Lorna Simms. She still needs some tweaks, however. I think I'll make the jaw slightly longer, that should make her somewhat more slender, but will preserve the tough cookie thing she's got going on now.
Here's a newer Noemi. I think she is more expressive than the old Noemi (which in my opinion was too generic, not showing the young rookie Noemi started off as). I tried to contrast her with Lorna, making her far less gruff and more gentle, making it all the more spooky when this little princess goes on a spaceborne killing spree. :nod: Now I got to find some proper pilot-suit components to put over that protective bodysuit. :mad: Or otherwise make it from scratch. Also squadron patches etc and maybe replace the leather with a more proper fabric such as used in fighter suits.
(http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/663/noemih.jpg)
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Quite good! Definitely a step up.
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Yep.
Although that pose is .... strange.
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Pose is a generic pose available to show the character in a quite neutral stance, to avoid clipping issues which are ironed out manually when you move limps etc. :)
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i only like men
htrrmmrm... I mean, great work!
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Simms' face has something exotic about it which I like...her features are very Gallic (though, that would be better suited to Laporte :P). Lighting and expression is great.
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Is it wrong that I noticed Laporte's hair was breaking a military uniform code before the rest of her body? :P
Teehee.
I agree with Battuta though, definetely a step up. I'd very much like to see her in speed jeans with the relevant badges sewed on when you get to it. Also WRT to replacing the leather, I understand that modern flight suits are manufactured with 90% Nomex or something to that effect to protect the pilot from cockpit fires and the like.
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Very nice work ! :nod:
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Is it wrong that I noticed Laporte's hair was breaking a military uniform code before the rest of her body? :P
I have a millimetred military haircut version of her, but it just doesn't fit her. :P
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Well, this is the UEF and so they might be more lenient with regards to hair length.
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Well, this is the UEF and so they might be more lenient with regards to hair length.
Wouldn't count on that (it's the UEF) being the reason. Many of the UEF's older officers served under the GTA and the military itself is usually kept to pretty high standards.
Though the GTA itself did have a few weird quirks that make it seem rather pre-WWI British, like an officially sanctioned code of sportsmanship.
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Since people started talking about hair.. :P Some of the Noemi Laporte hairstyles, for those interested. Mind the shape, not the colour which can be addapted from red to pink to blue to blonde to black and the rest of the rainbow. I think 5, 6, 9, 12, 13 and 16 work well (counted with rows not columns, from left to right, then continueing one row lower).
(http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/188/noemi1.jpg) (http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/7247/noemi2.jpg) (http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/7356/noemi3i.jpg) (http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2177/noemi4.jpg)
(http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/9713/noemi5.jpg) (http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/3163/noemi6.jpg) (http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/5903/noemi7.jpg) (http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/3555/noemi8.jpg)
(http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/683/noemi9.jpg) (http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/9932/noemi10.jpg) (http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/5044/noemi11.jpg) (http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6371/noemi12.jpg)
(http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5517/noemi13.jpg) (http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9913/noemi14.jpg) (http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1134/noemi15.jpg) (http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/3342/noemi16.jpg)
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I generally agree, though I'm not a fan of 6.
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I generally agree, though I'm not a fan of 6.
I had something similar not long ago, but impractical for a pilot, would take styling mousse, gel, spray etc. Makes no sense. Just gives helmet hair after flying. :P
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12, 13 and 15 are the best ones IMO.
I like better the 7 one, yet it's not that military like, right?
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I like 16.
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Number 5, like in the first wallpapers, seems best to me. Good looking, while still enough negligee to look like a special hairstyle, and military enough without being bland as the shaved one. It also has, at least to me, the most "character".
I have to say I really like the first wallpaper! Maybe change the pants to something more akin to a uniform, or pilot's suit (and, er, hide the panties; nothing against them, just don't fit the military theme), and some minor details, like more Blue Planet military regalia. I like the tank-top, though. Maybe add some texture or textile "wings" to it, like it's military issue underwear.
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They're really sedecimplets. ;)
Will try to work on a proper fiber texture tomorrow for the pilot suit. Am thinking greys, blues and blacks. Alternately kiwi/greens.
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Thinking that 5 or 12 are suitable.
Is it just me, or is she rather crosseyed?
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Improvements.. :yes:
(http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1635/noemilaporte.jpg)
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Now that's a giant jetpack jump in the right direction. :yes:
I think there's still room to play with the face, but the posing and costume (minus shoulder patches) and background are all pretty much perfect.
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The background is the main window from the ISS.
(http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/1635/noemilaporte.jpg)
Just wait until Steele is done.. yep.. Steele. :P
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Whoah, that's great, expecially the Solaris-Destroyer in the background. :nod:
@ The E
Sorry, awesome job with the Solaris-Destroyer and Mars
But I think she looks a bit too old, if I remember right she was eighteen when she joined the UEF-fleet.
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Whoah, that's great, expecially the Solaris-Destroyer in the background. :nod:
But I think she looks a bit too old, if I remember right she was eighteen when she joined the UEF-fleet.
That's one of E's screenies I borrowed. If it annoys him I'll pull it!
As for the age, maybe, can make her look young.
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I'm pretty okay with that apparent age.
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Tried, just gives her puffy cheeks and a fat lip. :P No go, the age quite works. maybe a slimmer nose.
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I can tell you've put a lot of effort into her, and the attention to detail is incredible. However... there's something there in her face that just doesn't look quite right. I can't put my finger on it, but best guess is that something weird either in the eyes or mouth area is just... off.
I don't know really. It could just be the uncanny valley playing tricks on me.
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Wow, this is well done. Really adds a dimension to the character.
Whoever is going to voice act Laporte has a huge role to fill. Hats off to whoever can do it.
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I can tell you've put a lot of effort into her, and the attention to detail is incredible. However... there's something there in her face that just doesn't look quite right. I can't put my finger on it, but best guess is that something weird either in the eyes or mouth area is just... off.
I don't know really. It could just be the uncanny valley playing tricks on me.
A general consequence of Poser (or related software) imo, it always gives that effect.
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Actually looks like a somewhat younger version of maria enriquez from starlancer...
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Odd. I always assumed Laporte was black or at the very least mixed. It's probably not uncommon for native africans to have french names given the colonialism.
Turns out a number of my assumptions were wrong.
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Odd. I always assumed Laporte was black or at the very least mixed. It's probably not uncommon for native africans to have french names given the colonialism.
Turns out a number of my assumptions were wrong.
The French also have french names. :)
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As do Canadians, and Americans.
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And a whole lot of other people as well, thanks to globalization. And that's not a trend that's going to reverse I'm sure.
I guess it's the lighting that makes the face look a bit off. The right side of her face shows a line below her eye and the eyelids are also far more visible than on the left side.
Maybe moving the lightsource a bit higher might help, if that's possible.
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Sara, that's amazing! :D The attention to detail's great, and about the age, well, I'd imagine it's a combination of make-up and stress.
One thing though, that flight suit's missing epaulets and rank slides. I'd imagine the prospect of being seen by a superior officer without rank slides on is worrying Laporte sick at the moment. :P
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As do Canadians, and Americans.
Neither of which is located in Africa.
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speaking of which: isn't that a narayana in the background instead of a solaris? :confused:
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Ah, the centrifuge thingy in the centre gives it that look, but I'm pretty sure it's a Solaris.
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what about the triple engine layout and antennas in the rear?
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Ah, the centrifuge thingy in the centre gives it that look, but I'm pretty sure it's a Solaris.
Wrong. It's a Narayana, as seen here:
(http://blueplanet.fsmods.net/E/Mars.png)
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Oh, cool.
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Odd. I always assumed Laporte was black or at the very least mixed. It's probably not uncommon for native africans to have french names given the colonialism.
Turns out a number of my assumptions were wrong.
I'd always imagined her as someone of mixed Asian-African descent, actually.
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Now that I look at the picture again, a few more military dress things. :P (yes, I do come up with these annoying pedantic lists on the internal forum as well)
- Left shoulder usually has the flag of the country sewn onto it. In this case, the Federation coat of arms?
- Left breast is cool, but right breast is usually the home of the Squadron badge.
- Right shoulder is usually home to the squadron flash, like what Laporte has hanging from her left shoulder.
Here's a nice high res picture for reference. They're RAAF pilots on Exercise Bersama Lima 2008, IIRC. (http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2008/oct/20081020a/20081010raaf8164229_0001.jpg)
Don't let the list put you off though, that render remains truly stunning. :yes:
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Damn I think it was a Solaris. The centrifuge let it looks like that.
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They all look vaguely similar, which works out very well.
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Wow! nice screenshot.
Waiting for Steele now ;7
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Wow! nice screenshot.
Waiting for Steele now ;7
Nothing too soon though. May well freeze Laporte and Simms when both are close/good enough to start on the avi heads. Simms has some nice changes also which I'll show later. The avi heads should take a lot of effort but will have very rewarding results. May just sneak a selfportrait in one of those. :P
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Got to say, that's a nice image. The character works for me, and the use of the ISS window was great too. (I know it sounds strange, but it's the white curtains that remind me of warships - which have folded curtains like that in gangway compartments to act as smoke barriers in the event of fire, though I'm sure that in the world of FS they have moved on from such things)
May I suggest in my humble way that a form of rank insignia be added? It would finish off the jumpsuit nicely.
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Yeah, while it looks good, the first thing I noticed was the lack of rank slides. Here's what sub-lieutenant ones look like. :) (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/UK-Navy-OF1.svg)
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Holy **** on a pike :eek2:
It's a bit uncanny valley, but the quality is great. Besides the very useless "make it less uncanny" criticism, I can't even think of something to critizise at the moment.
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Tried an asian version, but just didn't seem right. Will go for a refined face. Will see if I can combine the given pilot suit links with some custom ideas. :)
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(http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x380/Brandon_Rehayem/Pinning-on-her-wings.jpg)
Hmm, I can see her as Laporte. I guess I didn't put too much thought into what she looked like before reading this thread.
*US coast guard helicopter pilot getting her wings.
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Ah, must be the best moment of her life. Good on her! :yes:
But as for her looking a little like Laporte, I dunno, I never really gave much thought to how Laporte looked, and to be honest, didn't really care. :P But it doesn't scream 'Laporte!' at me.
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Experimenting with bringing an Uhlan into Poser.
(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1716/uhlan.jpg)
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That actually looks insanely epic.
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Woah, the Uhlan is a standard-fighter, but I love it. Really awesome picture.
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And used in a cinematic: Clicky! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOH2MPVjpAQ)
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Wow, the lighting is very well done on that one, kudos! Pity about the low-res texture (panel seam pixelization), but nothing's perfect, eh?
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In-game models do that.
What I am interested in however is the background, is that a 3D scene? (And if it is, can I have it for .... experiments?)
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Tried a somewhat Afro-Asian version of Noemi Laporte. I like her, looks convincing.
(http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3509/noemio.jpg)
Wow, the lighting is very well done on that one, kudos! Pity about the low-res texture (panel seam pixelization), but nothing's perfect, eh?
Otherwise it'd take hours to render out if I do it HD. :P I could make entire post-processed poster-sized images with Poser and some Paint Shop Pro, but the rendering alone'd take a day unless paying a render-server to do it for me.
In-game models do that.
What I am interested in however is the background, is that a 3D scene? (And if it is, can I have it for .... experiments?)
It's a hangar render of a lear jet I found. I think google-imaging the word 'hangar' should give it in the results, if you pick large and up as image size.
Other fun news: I can, through a company I know (they offer very-high quality prototype manufacturing services), edit 3d models so that they can be printed and ordered as model kits! I might give a Karuna a try, if I got spare time for that. Got to ask the creator for permission first though.
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That's closer to what I envisioned her as, awesome work.
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Really cool stuff Sara, looks very believeable. Like staring into Laporte's mind. I like the way the hair looks too.
The Uhlan looks like a timewarped space fighter retrieved by norad and stored in an airbase somewhere in Roswell New Mexico. Looks very lifelike.
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Very catlike.
The distance between the nose and mouth sends this one straight into uncanny valley for me though.
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Bloody excellent, Sara! :)
And yeah, what Kolgena said. I think it may be the shadowing on the centre of the upper lip that's not doing it for me though.
That Uhlan also looks like it's hovering, to me. :D
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Tried a somewhat Afro-Asian version of Noemi Laporte. I like her, looks convincing.
(http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3509/noemio.jpg)
Me no like, sorry. Too uncanny valley.
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I'd really have to base her on an actress or such to avoid the uncanny valley zone. If some of the BP team can suggest a few candidates by PM then I could work with that instead.
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Rian had some sketches of Laporte and Simms, didn't she?
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The sketches I saw are mostly outlines, which lack detail to get the realism in there.
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Personally, I see Laporte to be sort of a mix between these three:
(http://blueplanet.fsmods.net/E/laporte.png)
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And used in a cinematic: Clicky! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOH2MPVjpAQ)
Now that's an inspiration for a ship ANI... ;)
Personally, I see Laporte to be sort of a mix between these three:
(http://blueplanet.fsmods.net/E/laporte.png)
I was thinking of something similar with a shade of tan.
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I'd really have to base her on an actress or such to avoid the uncanny valley zone. If some of the BP team can suggest a few candidates by PM then I could work with that instead.
Winona Ryder was bandied about. Only probably less white. I'll see if any other names come up.
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Personally, I see Laporte to be sort of a mix between these three:
(http://blueplanet.fsmods.net/E/laporte.png)
Problem is, only the first one has any semblance of normal human anatomy, and it's a profile.
Sara, when you model faces, are you taking the skull and muscles into account? I think the uncanniness comes from the appearance that a face was taken and smooshed around to look like another face. But yeah, it's ridiculously hard to build a face from the ground up. Modeling it after a real person would be much easier.
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Problem is, only the first one has any semblance of normal human anatomy, and it's a profile.
And? The point is, none of those designs go into uncanny valley territory. If you want real actresses, Winona Ryder or Nicole de Boer are good references as well.
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And for the character's physicality, we've talked about Ellen Ripley the character, Linda Hamilton the actress, or unfortunate collegiate athlete Allison Stokke as examples of women who were very athletic without provoking the usual 'ew a woman with MUSCLES response' that pops up a lot.
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Winona Ryder quickly goes the wrong way in Poser, her big eyes really are difficult to get right in the 3d render. (Poser really needs a more realistic Victoria v5 base already :P).
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Screenshot from Helios, as seen in the techvid.
(http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/4717/heliosbpwih.th.jpg) (http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/4717/heliosbpwih.jpg)
^ Clickable ^
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One Question: The ship starboard from the Helios. Is that a Raynor? It looks like one. On the other side, It looks to small.
Other Question: Did you changed the colors of the Colossus/Helios?
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Everything looks too small next to the Collie.
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Hm, the Raynor is nearly six kilometres long but it is small in the height? Well that's crazy. I didn't care that when I charged the Atreus.
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Hm, the Raynor is nearly six kilometres long but it is small in the height? Well that's crazy. I didn't care that when I charged the Atreus.
It's probably just far away in the shot.
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Hm, the Raynor is nearly six kilometres long but it is small in the height? Well that's crazy. I didn't care that when I charged the Atreus.
What are you smoking? Raynor is 3031.59 meters long. Colossus is 6117.46 meters long, at least the one in FSU svn is.
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Reading-techroom-fail. Sorry for that.
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Yes the Helios uses grey-toned tiles with the blue windows as seen on the Raynor, Titan etc. Also the GTD Invincible (that Raynor) her nose is at the distance where the engine of the Colossus about ends so it's the angle which makes it look tiny. Still the Collie is huge.
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I've just noticed how cool the Raynor looks with it's predatory profile. Oh and shame on you for letting a poor old Fenris in that furball Sara!
Did you alter the glowmap for the colossus then for the blue windows?
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Just threw in tiled windows with it's own glow texture.
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Wait so...you had to make it? Did it take long?
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Wait so...you had to make it? Did it take long?
No.. :) I use the ones from the Titan.
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Remapping a tiled ship with new tiles is easy as pie. You can even do it with fredding only if you want.
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That's how I did it, yep.
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Did you use the texture replacement option to do this?
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Yes. Tcov-something and a capital texture I think, also a Raynor tile map or I might have dropped that one.
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New Laporte! (http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/8834/laporte.jpg)
(http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/8834/laporte.jpg)
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Reminds me way too much of Antti Tuisku (http://suosikki.fi/s/mediagallery/e884ef09-e04e-443c-97d7-210452bf05bf.jpg) for me to like it very much. :nervous:
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She reminded me a lot of the android in Alien Ressurection (though that's likely down to me having watched it last night :lol:).
I definately think short hair combed like here (or in the combed back one earlier, which i quite liked) suits her; dunno why, just always imagined her with short hair in my mind.
Nice model by the way. :)
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These models are great and it's going in a good direction, but is it just me or did anyone else always picture Laporte as black?
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dunno why, just always imagined her with short hair in my mind.
Maybe because it's annoying to stuff long hair into your pilot helmet? :lol:
She reminded me a lot of the android in Alien Ressurection
Apart from the haircut, she doesn't really look like Winona Rider (the actress who plays that robot - however her first name is spelled).
The face looks a lot more realistic than the last one. Apart from the lack of uniform/flightsuit I like it. :yes:
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She reminded me a lot of the android in Alien Ressurection (though that's likely down to me having watched it last night :lol:).
The hair and the sharp features probably do that.
I definately think short hair combed like here (or in the combed back one earlier, which i quite liked) suits her; dunno why, just always imagined her with short hair in my mind.
Nice model by the way. :)
It's just convenient. I keep mine just about as short, can tell it barely needs attention and I'd say it definately would be more comfortable if a pilots helmet is anything like a moped or motorcycle helmet. Very suitable for a pilot. And thanks!
These models are great and it's going in a good direction, but is it just me or did anyone else always picture Laporte as black?
Actually I had an anatomical render where she had a light brown tan. Poser crashed on me before I could save said tan, so I'll reapply it again in a next render. :)
The face looks a lot more realistic than the last one. Apart from the lack of uniform/flightsuit I like it. :yes:
Thanks. Yes the face definately works. With some small enhancements this is probably the one I'll go for.
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Definitely a huge step out of uncanny valley. I quite like it.
The hair looks impossibly neat though. I wonder what could be done about that.
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I know we thought the physique was pretty good, but on second thought, give her enough sandwiches to clear up the boniness around the collar, if possible?
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I like this new Laporte a huge amount more than the other depictions. Keep at it, -Sara-!
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I know we thought the physique was pretty good, but on second thought, give her enough sandwiches to clear up the boniness around the collar, if possible?
What's wrong with the boniness? It's angular enough to be somewhat masculine without appearing anorexic.
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Collarbones are an unfortunate feature of poser. It can be 'shopped after rendering though. For the hair I got an idea I recently experimented with using photos and a clone brush to draw on real patches of hair. Will try that.
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Oooo... That looks amazing! :yes:
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I know we thought the physique was pretty good, but on second thought, give her enough sandwiches to clear up the boniness around the collar, if possible?
Oi, my collarbone shows a fair deal too. :P
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Yeah, I guess that's fair.
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I don't think Ubuntu agrees with big macs.
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Absolutely amazing ! This model is -from far- that I prefer. She has more character and seems more decided, very nice work :yes:
...even if I prefer long hair, it's a little bit incompatible with a military helmet...
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I don't think Ubuntu agrees with big macs.
You just made my latest addition to my sig. :lol:
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The Valhalla weapon-satellite. An experiment of what one can do with some FREDding and SEXP's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3FHN_3INDY
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*Thinks about making a proposal of marriage to -Sara-*
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Fire-beam is my favorite sexp :)
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Looks like the deathstar ray :P
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Thank you Sara, you just indirectly helped me solve a problem relating to X3.
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The Valhalla weapon-satellite. An experiment of what one can do with some FREDding and SEXP's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3FHN_3INDY
That looks mighty cool! :yes:
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It's...mighty huge though. Damn, it's pretty.
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Because Mjolnirs simply don't cut it sometimes. Really awesome.
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Oh hahaha that is awesome
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Initially the GTVA ofcourse planned to build a metal sphere around the construct, seperated by a trenched equator, but after building the Sol gate they ran out of raw resources. ;)
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Yeah, and a Mara would have just sent a Trebuchet down the thermal exhaust port if they had done that.
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If a Trebuchet could turn fast enough to enter the port. :P
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Shivans used to bullseye womp rats in their T-16's back home. They're not much bigger than two meters.
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(http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/f/fd/Picard-no-facepalm.jpg)
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:golfclap: How original. You should watch this kitten movie and try to relax.
(http://thumbnails27.imagebam.com/12616/fe4795126158595.jpg) (http://www.imagebam.com/image/fe4795126158595)
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At last, we need some secret shivan homeworld to blow up.
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the thread says WiH screens/wallpaper, figured i'd put mine up in 1080p goodness now that i removed the text/fps
(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/3849/backroundm.png)
[attachment deleted by ninja]
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Tiny! Host it on imageshack and link with lvlshot.
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A bit dark, but I do like the light reflecting off the Nelson. :nod:
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Experiment, removing the arms off a GTFr Poseidon, without the yellow freighter markings. Instead, two larger rotating turrets cover it's top and bottom while 6 smaller non-rotating turrets are spread over the hull to allow for overall coverage. The ship functions as a jury-rigged gunboat or light cruiser, possibly with additional armour and would make for a great civilian, pirate or something like a Gef ship.
(http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/8472/poseidon1.th.png) (http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/8472/poseidon1.png) (http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9761/poseidon2x.th.png) (http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9761/poseidon2x.png)
[ CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE ]
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lvlshot, damnit Ninja'd
Looks cool otherwise.
But why is it in the BP board ? You should have put it in Modding.
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That's actually pretty cool and would make a neat Gef combatant.
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lvlshot, damnit Ninja'd
Looks cool otherwise.
But why is it in the BP board ? You should have put it in Modding.
As follow up to the Gef discussion about light cruisers or modified freight vessels. A quick example, put in this topic as it's a screenshot.
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That's a good way to recycle unneeded hulls, make them into something else. :D
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It would really be a nice addition to the Gef arsenal. Maybe a bit overgunned for a juri-rigged civilian ship though. I'd either leave it's armor as poor as the Poseidons or reduce the number of guns.
Maybe remove the guns on the engine block and move those on the "wings" dawn a bit, so they can fire up and down (they already got good front/back coverage). If they get on the tops of the wings, they should have around 200° up/down coverage judged by eye.
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Yea I've even been thinking of reducing the turrets to 1 top, 1 bottom, 1 left, 1 right and giving it a missile turret or cannon on front to strike with. Such a light cruiser probably would have strike capabilities to make it count.
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I think it'd make a fine GEF ship. If you're going to up-armor it, please make it much, much slower. No sense in that thing outrunning Hercs like its freighter progenitor.
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It is more a proof of concept right now, not yet a project or anything. It's very easily doable for anyone with some modding skills as it's an edited Poseidon model from the mediavps. However, if making such a ship I'd imagine a speed of 40-45, given it's slightly larger than an Ursa (but has far more mass) and it probably has a horrid turn rate.
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What about a HTL version using BrotherByron's wip?
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Thought of it but right now no intentions yet of making a project of this. :) Too busy making other FS2 stuff.
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You are actually quite good with character rendering right?, what are you working on Sara, if you are able to tell.
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Finished a Noemi Laporte not so long ago, am now working on a brand new Lorna Simms.
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oh nice :yes:
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Some random screenshots of my rendition of the First Battle of Neptune. The mission is inspired partially by the video on YouTube and partially by my own imagination.
Not sure why these are rather grainy looking...
(http://i.imgur.com/35u0c.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Mv1b8.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/w7Wmu.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZtCLW.jpg)
lvlshot'd. --Vader
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That shot with the Bellerophon is gorgeous.
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Not sure why these are rather grainy looking...
The screenshots were saved into JPEG format which, by default, compresses the file and creates grains, or "artefacts", on the image. You will need to re-save the original screenshots either as maximum quality JPEG images or use a lossless image format such as PNG or BMP.
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Also, consider using the neptune-htsb.pof skybox instead of background nebulae.
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rather new here, well not really, just never post at all but this campaign is quite amazing.
i really like the design of the karuna so heres 2 random shots
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/rokentsu/screen0004.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/rokentsu/screen0003.jpg)
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Damn those are some nice shots.
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Is it just me or do the textures on the first screen seem kinda flat?
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Well, by definition, textures ARE flat...
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Is it just me or do the textures on the first screen make the ships seem kinda flat?
Fixed.... I think.
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It's just a bad lighting angle. Most of the light you see there is ambient or emissive, so there's very little light variation.
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I see... should have noticed that I guess, but I have a bad habit of posting when sleepy. :p
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(http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/7193/charging.jpg)
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Powerful as they are beautiful.
(was that the line?)
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That is correct :nod:
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Erinyes-scheme GTF Nyx (Nyx#SOC)
(http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/2023/ezecsoc.png)
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Nice one, perhaps it could find use in WiH (though so far, there were no SOC Nyxes and I'm fine with that :)).
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I like it. :)
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(http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5517/noemi13.jpg)
This screams flower child.
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Erinyes-scheme GTF Nyx (Nyx#SOC)
(http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/2023/ezecsoc.png)
lvlshotted to not kill the page.
Really like, can has?
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Nice paint job. :)
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Engines now look better yet:
(http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/2023/ezecsoc.png)
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Too shiny, in my opinion. Try giving the engines a shade of grey.
I also noticed that the cockpit has apparently gone opaque.
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I blame the monosmoothing
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Too shiny, in my opinion. Try giving the engines a shade of grey.
I also noticed that the cockpit has apparently gone opaque.
Pretty easy to fix if she overlays a metal detail texture over most of it.
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I blame the monosmoothing
Fixed in SVN I believe.
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The Nyx has an awkward bug in that it reflects differently than other ships. This results in a lot of reflection or barely any at all depending on how you manipulate the shine map. Supposedly what the Battman said it's already fixed in the SVN.
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I think the new Narayana wallpaper is out in moddb
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Best possibly way I got the shine to show less.
(http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/2023/ezecsoc.png)
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A matte paint finish never looks good on any car I've ever seen in Singapore, but it looks great here. :nod:
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Hmm...it does look good, but the silver/gray-thingy right after the cockpit block makes it look kinda...odd. Like it...kinda cuts the fighter in half.
A matte paint finish never looks good on any car I've ever seen in Singapore, but it looks great here. :nod:
Can't help that the gas prices are rising and PAP's going around shouting with their automated megaphones all day long.
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Singapore- One nation under Lee Kuan Yew
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lol there aren't too many decent paint shops in Hong Kong either, just looks at some of the Civics. XD But some of those 1960s Rolls redone look excellent, so assuming they didn't ship 'em off to the UK there has to be someone doing a decent job out there.
I like how the Sara SOC version emphasizes the gun pods. Now that I think about it, does the GTVA still do SOC testing in the BP timeframe?
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lol there aren't too many decent paint shops in Hong Kong either, just looks at some of the Civics. XD But some of those 1960s Rolls redone look excellent, so assuming they didn't ship 'em off to the UK there has to be someone doing a decent job out there.
I like how the Sara SOC version emphasizes the gun pods. Now that I think about it, does the GTVA still do SOC testing in the BP timeframe?
I believe SOC will be conducted all the time, moreso especially against such a 'powerful' opponent like the UEF.
Like the Elder splashing incident.
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SOC yes, but remember in FS2 SOC was testing the Erinyes in the field before they were issued to the squadrons, presumably in secret. I was wondering if that happened with the Nyx (and the other new fighters).
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NARAYANA (click to open for actual size)
(http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/1538/nara.png) (http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/1538/nara.png)
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That's two enormous barrels of death staring you in the face.
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With several smaller barrels of death as well. And multiple VLS' of death.
Have I mentioned I love the Nara?
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That's two enormous barrels of death staring you in the face.
Enormous barrels are enormous. The Kent can just about fit inside!
(http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1195/screen0388.png)
(http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4350/screen0391.png)
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Sadly the only intimidating ship I've faced is the Sathanas jumping into me.
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Needs more OptiNarayana IMO :P
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(http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/1538/nara.png) (http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/1538/nara.png)
THIS! IS! WALLPAPER!
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THIS - IS - A GOOD - CALL!
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Trying a previous-present day style Battleship, using a Solaris as basis with many cannons. Bit of a fun experiment, nothing serious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTyWP4wXZxo
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Jesus, the Solaris took a level in badass.
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See, when the tech room said turreted railguns, thats kinda what I was expecting. And it was beautiful.
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I wish that the big pulse guns on the Titan and Raynor looked a little better. . .
The Solaris could definitely use some tails on its gattler turrets apparently.
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If you give the Solaris gattlers a trail it will look like a beam due to their high fire-rate.
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If you give the Solaris gattlers a trail it will look like a beam due to their high fire-rate.
Nope; look at the Gattler Turret stats. Lethargic rate of fire.
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If you give the Solaris gattlers a trail it will look like a beam due to their high fire-rate.
Nope; look at the Gattler Turret stats. Lethargic rate of fire.
Yeah, but look at it in-game.
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If you give the Solaris gattlers a trail it will look like a beam due to their high fire-rate.
Nope; look at the Gattler Turret stats. Lethargic rate of fire.
Someone fails to understand burst fire.
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lmao, I didn't notice the burst tag XD
Also, for some reason, in my 3 second FREDed Raynor / Solaris, the Raynor failed to fire its pulse cannons at the Solaris - it definitely had a clear line of sight, and did shoot at bombs, when they were present.
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The Solaris puts out so many torpedoes that the pulses were probably all busy feding those of and didn't have any time left to shoot at the ship they came from.
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30 shots per second is lethargic?
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30 shots per second is lethargic?
lmao, I didn't notice the burst tag XD
The Solaris puts out so many torpedoes that the pulses were probably all busy feding those of and didn't have any time left to shoot at the ship they came from.
That was not it - the turrets would revert to default position during periods of time when there were no bombs in the air.
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Probably too short range. Pulse turrets are made to shoot at cruiser-grade ships and below, they're not supposed to do much good in large ship-to-ship engagements.
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Trying a previous-present day style Battleship, using a Solaris as basis with many cannons. Bit of a fun experiment, nothing serious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTyWP4wXZxo
You're using the wrong ship, use the GTD Hecate~! It has hugeass battleship-esque turrets! Putting Nara guns on it is definitely worth it.
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You're using the wrong ship, use the GTD Hecate~! It has hugeass battleship-esque turrets! Putting Nara guns on it is definitely worth it.
Why not use the Orion instead, then? It has the battleship-esque turrets without looking stupid like the Hecate does. :P
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Well, imo, the Hecate looks just great, I like the overall design, but the placement of its weaponssystems are...crap as well as how easy her prow based weaponry is destroyed...
Also, give a Titan mass drivers looks just awesome:)
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Nope; look at the Gattler Turret stats. Lethargic rate of fire.
Incorrect. That's not how it works. It has a salvo fire time which is very rapid, and a between-salvos fire time, which is the 'lethargic' one you see.
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lmao, I didn't notice the burst tag XD
Also, for some reason, in my 3 second FREDed Raynor / Solaris, the Raynor failed to fire its pulse cannons at the Solaris - it definitely had a clear line of sight, and did shoot at bombs, when they were present.
Sometimes I got to turret-free-all a ship to actually fire at enemy ships, regardless of beam-free being set by defeault. It tends to solve my problem in that situation.
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(http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww286/TSADestiny/screen0040.jpg)
This is how I imagine the SOC to 'scramble' their fighters immediately after jumping in, just...jettisoning themselves off the docks and engage engines without any delay like launching out of the fighterbay. It's a really, really, really pretty way to transport fighters into a battle or moving them from Delta Serpentis to Sol because being able to see the things you transport is really cool.
Here (http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww286/TSADestiny/screen0038.jpg) are two (http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww286/TSADestiny/screen0039.jpg) not-so-good shots, I guess...
...apologies that I can't find a thumbnail-thingy for photobucket.
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lvlshot. It loves you too.
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That's actually a really cool screenshot.
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Dem old-school SOC hardasses be flying Herc1s. :lol:
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I figured it would be kinda bland to stuff it full of the newest fighters...but hey, it's SOC! That one particular pilot might prefer having a six-gun bank while not being a potato, even though with lesser energy recharge and missile storage compared to the Ares on the other side, or the Hercules Mk.II. Another one might like the Loki's high speed and...well. <Insert reason for Draco, Atalanta, Perseus, Pegasus (of course!)>. Rhea and Artemis DH for bombing stuff bigger than a fighter/bomber suited for SOC ops...and maybe that one pilot loves his Erinyes too much.
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but hey, it's SOC! That one particular pilot might prefer having a six-gun bank while not being a potato
***MatthTheGeek points to both the Aurora and the Atalanta***
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...while having the feel of a heavy assault fighter...?
...I must've messed up my settings to make the fighters look so terrible there.
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...while having the feel of a heavy assault fighter...?
The Atalanta can actually do everything the Herc 1 can except match its shields and secondary diversity. Its hull is tougher, it's way more maneuverable, iirc it can carry more missiles (but only gets one bank), it has the same number of gunbanks, it's faster. It just has slightly weaker shields.
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Well, comparing a Great War-era fighter with a post-Capella fighter, the Atalanta logically beats the Herc on paper and in practice, with many things to factor in. I should've replaced the Herc with the Aurora, but FRED's ship dropdown list is so messy and I kinda like the blockiness of the Herc I. Hell, that Herc 1 survived an atmospheric re-entry and landed upside down all in one piece, with only it's nose bent.
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Hell, that Herc 1 survived an atmospheric re-entry and landed upside down all in one piece, with only it's nose bent.
Chances are, so could most FS fightercraft, given the yield on the weapons they regularly tank multiple hits from.
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Don't forget experiance. That SOC pilot probably flew that particular fighter for decades and modified it here and there. He knows every oddity and nook and cranny of his fighter. By now it's more like an extention of himself than a ship he sits in.
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In other words: Balls of STEELE.
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Don't forget experiance. That SOC pilot probably flew that particular fighter for decades and modified it here and there. He knows every oddity and nook and cranny of his fighter. By now it's more like an extention of himself than a ship he sits in.
Just out of curiosity, how many 50+ SOC pilots do they have running around? :D
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50+? I dunno. Xinny and Zero could have conceivably only been 40 or so during WiH, and there were Herc Is still in service with at least the NTF during their early service. 40 isn't (I think) very old in a highly advanced society such as that of the GTVA/UEF.
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Oh yeah, I didn't take into account the possibility of lengthened lifespans. Still, I highly doubt that any SOC pilots still fly around the Herc 1. I don't care how familiar with it they may be, next-gen fighters are simply superior and in all likelihood easier to maintain at this point in time, and the military couldn't give less of a crap about your soft spot for old tech when you work as a high tier military asset on sensitive black-ops missions.
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Easier to maintain? I think not, actually. With something like the Anemoi able to machine any parts you need, and a design like the Herc having had enough time for any and all technical issues ever to be ironed out in the basic design, I'd buy a Herc still having a billet or two in SOC units. Hell, I'd buy a Herc I in an SOC unit being as capable as, or even superior to new ships in several respects, due to upgrades and refits over the 50+ year service life.
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I still doubt it. Newer generation ships are capable of taking advantage of technology that great war relics do not, and they likely aren't capable of doing so barring massive redesigns such as the Ares. I'm not trying to say that the Herc 1 and its great war counterparts have been completely phased out of the GTVA, as they likely act in a position equivalent to a National Guard Air Force, but IMO the idea of that the SOC or any frontline fighter squadrons still use the old horse is absurd. Theres tech out there that is simply better and assets such as the SOC need said tech in their line of work.
That said, I would admittedly love to see how a current generation Herc refit would perform.
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There's a reason you don't see aces today flying Spitfires, after all.
About the SOC getting better stuff, didn't the GTVA also use them for testing purposes?
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But if there is any place the GTVA uses old fighters still, it's the SOC. Surely it's hard to do an undercover job in a fighter that is so new that no regular wing got access to them.
A Herc on the other side would let the SOC operative blend in well with the local pirates, mercs or private security company.
Sure they have some missions like "Into the Lions Den" were they need state of the art equip, but they also infiltrate, like the NTF spy loop.
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There's a reason you don't see aces today flying Spitfires, after all.
About the SOC getting better stuff, didn't the GTVA also use them for testing purposes?
It's also a fictional game, with technology that hasn't stagnated, but certainly isn't advancing in comparable leaps and bounds of destructive power or durability. You can just take a look at how a Herc I stacks up with no modifications to see that.
A one-off upgraded Herc seeing service with an SOC squadron isn't so far outside the bounds of possibilty.
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One possible explanation is that the UEF ECM doesn't affect older avionics.
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Newer ships may not be terribly tougher or more powerful than the Herc (though in a fight between a Herc and an Atalanta, I'd give it to the Atalanta damn near every time,) but the added ECM, Stealth, and targeting capabilities are where the next-gen fighters really come into their own.
One possible explanation is that the UEF ECM doesn't affect older avionics.
This is actually a fair point. I'b be willing to bet the GTVA could employ older fighters in a fashion similar to the Viper Mk II's in BSG. They'd be even more hopelessly outclassed in a dogfight by the UEF fighter corps, though.
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Even the newer fighters are cut down in swathes by the UEF...
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Renewed Apollo ftw :cool:
God...I would actually kill for a repolished model, with new table etc and able to use balors :)
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50+? I dunno. Xinny and Zero could have conceivably only been 40 or so during WiH, and there were Herc Is still in service with at least the NTF during their early service. 40 isn't (I think) very old in a highly advanced society such as that of the GTVA/UEF.
Just on this point, I believe a study done by the RAAF showed that the older you get over 22, the more unlikely you are to graduate Fast-Jet conversion and OPCON. Actually it may have been the former but that doesn't exactly matter given the context.
Part of being a good FJ pilot is being able to think ahead of the aircraft - as you get older, this skill will generally worsen. 5 seconds behind the aircraft is passable on a trainer, can get you into sticky situations with middle of the range fighters and will be fatal at top of the line fighters (So I hear). I'd hazard a guess that even in a society where people live longer, you couldn't realistically expect pilots to safely operate their fighters beyond about 35 years old, especially in SOC when flying at the very best of one's ability would mean these pilots would have to have been young. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Snipes was in his late 20's.
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That's actually a really cool screenshot.
Yeah, it's pretty awesome.
Please have the Tevs do something utterly badass like that in WiH 2 or BP3. Jump a ship through, have it disgorge a compliment of fighters immediately from it's docks, and then launch others from the Fighterbay.
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This is actually a fair point. I'b be willing to bet the GTVA could employ older fighters in a fashion similar to the Viper Mk II's in BSG. They'd be even more hopelessly outclassed in a dogfight by the UEF fighter corps, though.
Probably they're there for a special profile mission that doesn't involve straight-up fights. Maybe they just get in, splash the Oculus and get out quick, something like that.
Just on this point, I believe a study done by the RAAF showed that the older you get over 22, the more unlikely you are to graduate Fast-Jet conversion and OPCON. Actually it may have been the former but that doesn't exactly matter given the context.
Part of being a good FJ pilot is being able to think ahead of the aircraft - as you get older, this skill will generally worsen. 5 seconds behind the aircraft is passable on a trainer, can get you into sticky situations with middle of the range fighters and will be fatal at top of the line fighters (So I hear). I'd hazard a guess that even in a society where people live longer, you couldn't realistically expect pilots to safely operate their fighters beyond about 35 years old, especially in SOC when flying at the very best of one's ability would mean these pilots would have to have been young. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Snipes was in his late 20's.
Still doesn't take into account improved life expectancy etc. that the GTVA (and UEF) probably has at that point. A certain centenarian plays a role in WiH, remember.
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I think the Oculus splashing can be quite reasonable. If the Hercs carried some TAG-As along while/after blowing up the Oculus and had time/hull to spare, they could TAG any nearby ships and jump out. If somehow they have no fighter cover left for various reasons, Calder'll really have his blood vessels burst. "They were defeated by...Great War relics...?! What bull**** is this?!
Thanks for the praise, Battuta and Ravenholme~ Although, to get the full effect of fighters just launching off the docks, you'd actually have to be extremely close to the ship. Hopefully as an allied fighter in trouble, with a SOC Diomedes jumping out a few meters beside/perpendicular to you.
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The tech description mentions that the old Herc Mk. 1's are now used in security operations or even as targets. I guess it may make a good trainer also.
Summed up some of the old FS1 era fighters using the BP tech description:
GTF Hercules: Target practise (presumably as drones) and security operations (I imagine defending low-profile depots or civilian spacelanes). Retired from the front-lines. No longer produced.
GTF Ulysses: Seems to have served and may still serve as combat evaluation fighters. Retired from the front-lines. Produced still, but in small numbers.
GTF Loki: Most spaceframes were sold off, I assume to mercenaries or civilian contractors. Presumably retired from the front-lines, but not all spaceframes were sold. No longer produced since the NTF rebellion.
GTB Medusa: Described as an obsolete bomber, it's only mentioned in the past tense. Probably no longer used on the front-lines. Presumably no longer produced.
GTB Ursa: Still in use but considered a dead-end design-wise. Still in use on front lines. Perhaps still produced for it's role as heavy bomber, unless only previously produced Ursa's are used.
GTB Zeus: Has been used for a while as Trebuchet delivery system, now is a training target (presumably as drone). Mostly removed from service, very likely no longer serving on the front-lines. Assumably no longer produced.
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Still doesn't take into account improved life expectancy etc. that the GTVA (and UEF) probably has at that point. A certain centenarian plays a role in WiH, remember.
Actually I did. Currently the retirement age among FJ pilots is closer to 27.5 or a little below (would certainly be if we had something similar to the SOC, where an extremely high standard of flying is expected), and 30 is stretching is. I'd guess the mean to be about 35 in WiH world, with a standard deviation of 2/3 years. Although I'm getting the feeling that that may still be on the lower side. Can anyone give us the life expectancy?
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Assuming Xinny and Zero were 20-25 during Into the Lion's Den they're 38-43 during the events of WiH, so it's no wonder they called each other 'old man'.
In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't on any form of active flight duty until Al'Fadil was captured.
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Yeah man, that would make a lot of sense.
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If one hopes that they're genius 18-year old prodigy pilots...but those two years don't matter, does it? Hmm...might as well toss something new in!
(http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww286/TSADestiny/BadAA.jpg)
I only realized that it was AA that made my still shots look so horrible. It looks even better in FRED! (http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww286/TSADestiny/FRED.jpg)
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Nice one Destiny...actually, freded properly, the Naras should be able to simply snipe at the shivan beam turrets...It's damn worth a try^^
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Oh you should've seen how many shockwaves when I forgot to add 'play dead' to the initial orders...well, I'm sure everyone's done this kind of thing at some point of time.
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Still doesn't take into account improved life expectancy etc. that the GTVA (and UEF) probably has at that point. A certain centenarian plays a role in WiH, remember.
Actually I did. Currently the retirement age among FJ pilots is closer to 27.5 or a little below (would certainly be if we had something similar to the SOC, where an extremely high standard of flying is expected), and 30 is stretching is. I'd guess the mean to be about 35 in WiH world, with a standard deviation of 2/3 years. Although I'm getting the feeling that that may still be on the lower side. Can anyone give us the life expectancy?
I think 27.5 is the cut off for recruitment not retirement. At least that is what it says here (http://www.airforce.com/contact-us/faq/eligibility/#qualifications-to-fly).
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Oh you should've seen how many shockwaves when I forgot to add 'play dead' to the initial orders...well, I'm sure everyone's done this kind of thing at some point of time.
Just tried it with the third fleet...pretty sick, apart from lag, 'cause I added some shivan strikecraft...
But why the heck is a sathanas beam cannon able to shoot at two ships at once?
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Thats pretty epic Destiny. And thank you for the tech room summary Sara, I was hoping someone would post something like that up.
I'm admittedly curious as to why the GTVA hasn't managed to produce something better than the Boanerges so they can finally retire the Ursa.
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Thats pretty epic Destiny. And thank you for the tech room summary Sara, I was hoping someone would post something like that up.
I'm admittedly curious as to why the GTVA hasn't managed to produce something better than the Boanerges so they can finally retire the Ursa.
Post-Capella doctrine places the anti-warship role mostly in the hands of warships. And it's lucky they made that decision come the War in Heaven - look at what Slammers can do to wings of heavy bombers!
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Post-Capella doctrine places the anti-warship role mostly in the hands of warships. And it's lucky they made that decision come the War in Heaven - look at what Slammers can do to wings of heavy bombers!
I understand that well enough, I'm just surprised the TEI didn't call for a better heavy Bomber design that could have been put through a limited production run and used situationally. You can never be too prepared, especially in this case.
(I know, you guys were limited by what assets were available and all. Just some musing in an attempt to alleviate boredom and all.)
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Post-Capella doctrine places the anti-warship role mostly in the hands of warships. And it's lucky they made that decision come the War in Heaven - look at what Slammers can do to wings of heavy bombers!
I understand that well enough, I'm just surprised the TEI didn't call for a better heavy Bomber design that could have been put through a limited production run and used situationally. You can never be too prepared, especially in this case.
(I know, you guys were limited by what assets were available and all. Just some musing in an attempt to alleviate boredom and all.)
No, there definitely were heavy bombers we could have gone for, but the conclusion of the TEI was that the whole heavy bomber role as it existed was fundamentally misguided. A lot of the BP2 tech descriptions talk about the move to a more agile, fighterlike bomber force; thus the Rhea.
On the gameplay level a lot of this has to do with the fact that the primary way to stay alive is to have agility and speed, not hitpoints. If and when heavy bombers do make a reappearance, the only way they'll have a niche is if they go in the direction of the Seraphim, only with even more turrets. Internally we refer to this as the 'fortress bomber' concept.
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The Rhea's a curious specimen...
Less capacity than Herc2s/Ares :/
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Assuming Xinny and Zero were 20-25 during Into the Lion's Den
Too young for Special Forces, isn't that?
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No, there definitely were heavy bombers we could have gone for, but the conclusion of the TEI was that the whole heavy bomber role as it existed was fundamentally misguided. A lot of the BP2 tech descriptions talk about the move to a more agile, fighterlike bomber force; thus the Rhea.
On the gameplay level a lot of this has to do with the fact that the primary way to stay alive is to have agility and speed, not hitpoints. If and when heavy bombers do make a reappearance, the only way they'll have a niche is if they go in the direction of the Seraphim, only with even more turrets. Internally we refer to this as the 'fortress bomber' concept.
Interesting, but don't many of the UEF bombers qualify as Fortress bombers, with the logical extreme being the Vajra? Granted, they have their logistical drawbacks, but it still seems like a valid proof of concept for GTVA R&D. (Though IIRC the Vajra hasn't seen action yet, and it will be hilarious to see the looks on the Tev captains faces when it does, assuming it's successful of course.)
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Assuming Xinny and Zero were 20-25 during Into the Lion's Den
Too young for Special Forces, isn't that?
Special forces has no lower bound age requirment other than "has completed <x> training" and "be enlisted."
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Thats pretty epic Destiny. And thank you for the tech room summary Sara, I was hoping someone would post something like that up.
I'm admittedly curious as to why the GTVA hasn't managed to produce something better than the Boanerges so they can finally retire the Ursa.
They have all along, it's called the Sekhmet. It's a shame the Terrans are too proud to use Zod designs..... :P
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Or simply don't have the rights to do so. Remember that the Tev-Zods relations aren't exactly at their best...
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I think 27.5 is the cut off for recruitment not retirement. At least that is what it says here (http://www.airforce.com/contact-us/faq/eligibility/#qualifications-to-fly).
27.5 is the cut-off age in a few modern Air Forces, and from memory it's even lower in the RAF (they actually prefer non-uni grads, they prefer to get them that young). I know with some certainty though that that's also fairly close to the mean age that pilots start to retire from FJ's, though. Perhaps the numbers are related? I don't know for sure, although I could hazard a few guesses.
Assuming Xinny and Zero were 20-25 during Into the Lion's Den
Too young for Special Forces, isn't that?
Special forces has no lower bound age requirment other than "has completed <x> training" and "be enlisted."
Yeah, but I believe he has a point - the current SASR in Australia has a mean age of 30, life experience being a highly valued trait in operators, it seems. But I think that'd be negated by the fact that when it comes to FJ's, and recruiting top of the line pilots for SOC, they'd have to be reasonably young to still be current pilots (I'd guess 24.5-26 on average) and experienced. I'd say maybe 1500+ hours in FJ's and have shown a lot of potential. The British Red Arrows have similar requirements and most of their pilots are Flight Lieutenants (Army equiv : Captain, for those who aren't sure).
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It's sci-fi, for all we know we don't feel 27.5 until we're 37.5. :P I can imagine Freespace may hold different numbers entirely.
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Yeah, that's true. We won't be able to make a hard and fast judgement on it until we're given specific figures as to the life expectancy.
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I wouldn't be surprised even if they shove the best-of-the-best in stasis until needed again. That'd be able to make a plot by itself.
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Aw, I dunno, good pilots are always there (a matter of the op.conversion unit passing the right people), people like Joker in ME rarely exist, and in fact I would say, don't. Pilots are only as good as their training and their experience. You need natural talent to get there in the first place, but ultimately experience is basically what counts - flying favours those who let their intuition develop in the cockpit. You have people like Matt Hall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Hall) who come about as close as you can get, but then again, he started flying when he was basically a little kid and was taught by his father, a pilot himself. All about experience and training.