[Woolie Wool]

I don't mean to insult or offend anyone, but many of the Inferno spacecraft, especially fighters and bombers, look crude and ungainly, maybe because many of them are incomplete. They just don't look "right" in the way the FS2 models are--the models don't really have that perfect harmony to the proportions and appearance that makes the whole ship seem attractive as a whole (apparently Volition didn't understand either when it made the SB Shaitan). Compare the SB Vindhyachal to the SB Nahema or the Vesuvius to the Apollo or Myrmidon and you'll see what I mean. Many of the larger fighters and bombers look cartoonish, like well-designed ships that were bastardized by the modeler's desire to make the thing "cooler" by tacking on 10 billion guns and engines and what not. The SOF Chaos and the GTB Sabus look like caricatures of fighters and bombers with their piles of tacked on guns and engines. The ships just don't have that "rightness" to them, that elusive trait that's all but impossible to describe but so essential.

Maybe that's why I sketched a ship and scrapped 8 different designs before completing a drawing--when I drew them, they didn't look right.

[Rampage]

Hmm...  Inferno uses an amalgamation of different models made by MODders from all across HLP.  One MODder may have a completely distinct taste in comparison to another.

The cartoonish characteristics of many Terran fighters come from the fact that their textures are cartoonish. (Most were made by Aldo.)

[Woolie Wool]

Originally posted by Rampage
Hmm...  Inferno uses an amalgamation of different models made by MODders from all across HLP.  One MODder may have a completely distinct taste in comparison to another.

The cartoonish characteristics of many Terran fighters come from the fact that their textures are cartoonish. (Most were made by Aldo.)

I'm mostly talking about the shapes. A real bomber wouldn't have 15 engines sticking out everywhere.

[Woomeister]

Originally posted by Woolie Wool


I'm mostly talking about the shapes. A real bomber wouldn't have 15 engines sticking out everywhere.

the most engines our bombers have are 4. i have no idea where your getting that many from.

[Stunaep]

I've got no problem with the meshes, they look excellent.

What you can obviously understand, what I frickin' hate are the textures on most ships. Hell, I could probably make a better texture job on some of those ships in less than five minutes!
[edit]
I'm looking through the INF database once more, and I'm surprised how consistent and good the meshes and textures of the fighters and bombers are.

And then it all falls down with the capships.
[edit2]
and then there's the Durja....

[Woolie Wool]

The 15 number is an exaggeration used to emphasize my point that some of the bombers look ridiculous:

http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/inferno/INFV4/tech/techsabus.jpg

[SadisticSid]

That's one engine with six exhaust ports. The Sabus does look pretty nice in-game. At least give us the benefit of the doubt until you've played the game (which, God willing, will be fairly soon). The screenshots don't do a lot our ships justice.

Sid.

[Woomeister]

Well Woolie Wool, Stunaep, and anyone else, this campaign is designed to be moddable. If you want to reskin any ships we've already released, we'll put them on the INF archives. Then if people want to replace them they can.

[Rampage]

Originally posted by Woolie Wool
The 15 number is an exaggeration used to emphasize my point that some of the bombers look ridiculous:

http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/inferno/INFV4/tech/techsabus.jpg

If you don't know yet, it's Aldo's trademark to make Terran strike crafts with auxiliary engines sticking out on the sides with long extension arms.

[Woolie Wool]

Some of the Vasudan and Shivan bombers have the opposite problem--where do you put the bombs? The spindly hulls don't have room for ordinance!

By the way, I thought the SF Hydra was the best-looking of the new ships. Some red glowing areas and darker dark gray on the "lizard head" front section wouldn't hurt though, and please make the "eyes" glow red. It would look great.

[Nico]

Originally posted by Woolie Wool
Some of the Vasudan and Shivan bombers have the opposite problem--where do you put the bombs? The spindly hulls don't have room for ordinance!

By the way, I thought the SF Hydra was the best-looking of the new ships. Some red glowing areas and darker dark gray on the "lizard head" front section wouldn't hurt though, and please make the "eyes" glow red. It would look great.

you're talking about bad tastes in ships and you want to give eyes to the Hydra? geez. I agree that the main hull could use more variations tho. But hey, the thing is at least two years old now, couldn't do that good back then.

[Woomeister]

Originally posted by Woolie Wool
Some of the Vasudan and Shivan bombers have the opposite problem--where do you put the bombs? The spindly hulls don't have room for ordinance!

Actually the only bomber that has this problem is the petbe, but that can't even carry the cyclops bomb. The rest do have enough space, and I'm not making massive bombers so it looks like they have tons of space for bombs

Originally posted by Woolie Wool
By the way, I thought the SF Hydra was the best-looking of the new ships. Some red glowing areas and darker dark gray on the "lizard head" front section wouldn't hurt though, and please make the "eyes" glow red. It would look great.

really?
No offense to Venom but the Hydra is our worst Shivan fighter, The Gorgon is far better looking, and so are the Chimera and Serpent.

[Nico]

no offense taken, was a 10 minutes job ( a request ) ( but I think it's better than the serpent tho, which for me is the worst one ).

[Woomeister]

Plus I know you can do far better now

[Woolie Wool]

Originally posted by Woomeister

really?
No offense to Venom but the Hydra is our worst Shivan fighter, The Gorgon is far better looking, and so are the Chimera and Serpent.

I meant what I said. I love the Hydra. The Gorgon is too spindly and I can't find the cockpit anywhere (on a semi-related note, if you add eyes to the Hydra, you can say they're optical sensors that allow the pilot to actually see out of the thing), the Chimera is too weird for me (and I thought the Nephlim was unconventional), and the Serpent is a hideous ship that disgraces the attractive Basilisk it is based on.

I beg you to put the Hydra up for download! PLEASE!

[Nico]

Originally posted by Woolie Wool


1) I meant what I said. I love the Hydra.
2) The Gorgon is too spindly and I can't find the cockpit anywhere 3) (on a semi-related note, if you add eyes to the Hydra, you can say they're optical sensors that allow the pilot to actually see out of the thing),
4) the Chimera is too weird for me (and I thought the Nephlim was unconventional),
5) and the Serpent is a hideous ship that disgraces the attractive Basilisk it is based on.

I beg you to put the Hydra up for download! PLEASE!

1) well, nothing to say on that, your right, I like it too
2) I think it's great. anyway, I challenge you to find the cockpit on any Volition shivan fighter. you could tell me that, for exemple, it's the front end on the Mara, and I'd just ask an evidence it's the case
3) keep on dreaming, I'll never put eyes on the hydra, that's so cliché, I'm not doing Barbarella ships, thank you
4) weird? it's symétrical, and quite geometric... it's quite common design if you ask me.
5) yeah, I agree, the serpent is crap. then again, it's a volition design and a request, so I can't really be blamed ( well, save for the lousy texture job, probably )

[Woomeister]

2. The Gorgons one of the best Shivan fighters I've seen.
3. It would look really stuipid with eyes.
4. the Chimera is weird and you want eyes on the hydra?

[Tiara]

Originally posted by Woomeister
the Chimera is weird and you want eyes on the hydra?

An eye on a ship is cool! :thepimp:

[Woomeister]

Not for the Hydra

[Woolie Wool]

Just remember that the forward surfaces of Shivan ships usually have red areas where you'd expect windows to be. Take a look at the "cockpit" areas of many Shivan ships that seem to lack viewports--The Dragon has two red strips, the Manticore and Basilisk each have a broad band of red, the Shaitan has three vertical lines, the red stripe that goes around the Scorpion's main pod goes across the cockpit, the Nephilim has a red glowing opening, the Mara, Aeshma, and Astaroth have a patch of red at the bow of the ship, the Seraphim has a glowing red line, and the cap ships all have red "bridge" areas. The only real exceptions are the Rakshasa (no apparent bridge), and the Nahema (the Shivans fitted windows to it). What are all these red areas for? Could it be that these areas contain sensor equipment so Mr. 8-Foot Overgrown Spider inside can see out of the ship? I'm being a bit unfair here. I like many of your ships (the Hydra, Arachnas, and Banshee in particular). I was really nitpicking there, but every little detail makes it that much more immersive.

Inferno is one of the best ship mods out there. It's a refreshing break from your average Manticore-sized GTF Whatever superfighter with 10000 shields capable of 250 m/s without afterburner and capable of firing Kaysers from 16 gun mounts steadily on Very Hard without running out of weapons power and holding 500 Helios Bombs, or some cruiser with 10 million hitpoints and 20 BFReds.