[Rampage]

I have finally converted another Taiidani model into a viable Freespace 2 ship.  This time my victim is the Taiidani multigun corvette.

It serves its purpose in the SOC as an escort vessel for large GTVA convoys and frontal assaults against multiple fast-moving targets.

I don't have a name for it yet so you're free to pick one and post it in your reply.

I know that the first thing that popped up in your mind was the renders or screenshots of the model.  Thus, I have created a POF file of the ship with one LOD where its sole purpose is to provide you with a render.

Click Here to Download Model

Post any criticism here.

[pyro-manic]

Pretty cool!

Haven't really played Howeworld, so I know precisely jack about it, but this looks good. Do you have anything in mind for it, or is it going to be a public release?

[Knight Templar]

Personally, I don't think any of the homeworld stuff looks all that freespace cept' for maybe that one Orestes you have, but it feels more like a Hind missing it's blades than it does a space ship to me.

[karajorma]

Looks nice enough Rampage but have you tried it in game? Those guns appear to have intersecting polys on them.

[Rampage]

These are the ModelView32 shots for those too "busy" to open it up themselves.

About the guns, they are designed to be turrets.  So they will actually rotate to track enemies.  There is another version of this ship in its original HW textures that I made last summer, and the turrets performed fine.  I didn't make individual subobjects for them in this POF for it is only a POF suitable for rendering.  The model has no known geometric errors whatsoever, so it should  be safe.  I'm currently planning its release some time next week, so keep your heads up.

Originally posted by Knight Templar
Personally, I don't think any of the homeworld stuff looks all that freespace cept' for maybe that one Orestes you have, but it feels more like a Hind missing it's blades than it does a space ship to me.

People have different definitions for the term "freespacy".  The GTD Raynor, for example, looks exactly like the Vulture from StarCraft.  Again, that was his taste for he modeled the Raynor after the Vulture.  Once more, the nominclature of many fan-made FS2 vessels have detracted from original Volition names.  For example, someone named their new ship the Tennyson and someone else named his the Tallahassee (Spelling?), which distinctively follows American naval nominclature.  So as Bill Clinton words it, "How do you define 'freespacy'?  How do you define 'define'?"

Rampage

[Knight Templar]

well...

If you want an example, I think the Raynor does look Freespachish to me, wether it looks like the Vulture or not. Maybe its the textures, or maybe just the model, but it looks to me like it could be an actual ship (a good one) at that. On the same not, I don't think the Battlecruiser or Wraith would fit to well in, at least with fs2 era ships. The Wraith is too skinny me thinks, but with some tweaking, I think the basic model concept feel whatever you want to call it, could be adapted to freespace.

Another example would be Woomeister's stuff. Most of his ships really feel like they follow the same design lines (yes, given age of the universe as well) as the Freespace series. While he has some models I don't like, they could still fit in.

If you want a contrast, take Freelancer's ships. A direct conversion of them into the FS universe would look really bad imho because they are more artsy and 'atmospheric' looking than FS ships. Now that doesn't mean you can't take them and play with the design feel, make them more freespace-like with the blockier feel and more space warfare, rather than looking nice feel.

So, if you want me to just bring it upfront to you, the Homeworld ships don't have the full Freespace feel for me. But, with a few minor changes, I think they could actually look the part. I.e. the back wings. They don't really serve any purpose in space, not to mention they're rather small to do much. I'd say scrap the wngs, then make a sort of shark tail on the back. And the Cockpit area, it seems like its bigger than the engine. And the whole thing seems like its way small. I don't know how big you intend for it to be, but it looks like Ulysess size. Me thinks it's partially the textures and partially because the thing is kinda 'modular' as in it doesn't really flow from one part to the next, which sems to be the design of Homeworld ships. So i'd make the back 'tail' be a lot longer, like a helicopter or a dolphin sorta.

Overall, I'm not saying your models are bad or anything, I just don't like the direct HW - FS translation, at least my eyes don't. Really, if you just played with the models a bit to make them flow more, changed the textures a lot, it would make a whole world of difference.

[Rampage]

Originally posted by Knight Templar
I.e. the back wings. They don't really serve any purpose in space, not to mention they're rather small to do much. I'd say scrap the wings, then make a sort of shark tail on the back.

I took that into consideration when I first started to convert my models.  The wings serve their purpose in my campaign, for these vessels are designed for nebula missions and are used by the SOC for such purposes.  The nebula is a dense medium, and the wings serve a purpose of easy maneuverability.

Originally posted by Knight Templar
...but it looks like Ulysess size. Me thinks it's partially the textures and partially because the thing is kinda 'modular' as in it doesn't really flow from one part to the next...

You're right.  HW ships are not very "fluxable".  When I fitted these three textures to this vessel, I kept in mind this very thing.  Unlike the Banshee or the Horae, this line of HW -> FS2 SOC vessels require the "flamboyant" textures because without them the ship won't carry any aesthetic properties.

These comments are just some thoughts.

Rampage

[HotSnoJ]

Originally posted by Rampage

Must...make...ani...

[kasperl]

Originally posted by Rampage


I took that into consideration when I first started to convert my models.  The wings serve their purpose in my campaign, for these vessels are designed for nebula missions and are used by the SOC for such purposes.  The nebula is a dense medium, and the wings serve a purpose of easy maneuverability.

no, even in a nebulae there isn't enough material to get enough pressure to make wings usefull.

[Odyssey]

There is enough material, at the kind of speeds we're talking about. Unfortunately, the idea kind of falls down if you take into account that wings are designed to produce lift - hence, they only work in a gravity field. There is little or no such thing in a nebula, so they are useless - instead of changing the pressure above the lifting surface, due to the behaviour of matter in space the pressure would actually only be modified behind the wing - a backwards pressure drag! (although not one of any significance)
Far from being positive, wings are the least useful thing that you could have in a nebula - the last thing you'd want to do is have thin exposed surfaces contacting nebula particles at high speeds. Also, anything that increases target profile of a fighter as a whole is bad, especially so in a nebula, where shots are often pot-luck.

I think what you mean for those surfaces is not wings so much as 'manoeuvring pylons', on which a small thruster is mounted on the tip. You could explain their wing-like shape by mentioning it is a perfect shape to brace a force on the top against the body of the fighter.

[Rampage]

Originally posted by HotSnoJ
Must...make...ani...

Say, do you have the other three done?

[Rampage]

I have completed the - thing and is ready to release it to the community.

First of all, I will post several screenshots:



You probably can't see the ship very well in the screenshots but I'll tell you what it does:

1. Four FAST rotating turrets that track multiple enemies at a time.
2. INSTANTLY destroys the fastest Shivan fighters, including the Dragon (If armed with Kayser).  (If you think I'm bluffing, then try it out on your own.)
3. Six primary banks and two secondary banks.

Download the - Thing

By the way, I'll require a name for this vessel.

[CateranOverlord]

I'm likin' this "bomber" Rampage.  For a name I would call it the GTB Medea.

[Red5]

How about naming it the GTB Hipparch.  Hipparch is the greek word for a cavalry commander.  According to Thucydides and Polybios (who was one) they ranked no. 2  next to the Polemarch(on).

[Havock]

or gtb kraken, or whatever greeks called big squids

[Woolie Wool]

Originally posted by Odyssey
There is enough material, at the kind of speeds we're talking about. Unfortunately, the idea kind of falls down if you take into account that wings are designed to produce lift - hence, they only work in a gravity field. There is little or no such thing in a nebula, so they are useless - instead of changing the pressure above the lifting surface, due to the behaviour of matter in space the pressure would actually only be modified behind the wing - a backwards pressure drag! (although not one of any significance)
Far from being positive, wings are the least useful thing that you could have in a nebula - the last thing you'd want to do is have thin exposed surfaces contacting nebula particles at high speeds. Also, anything that increases target profile of a fighter as a whole is bad, especially so in a nebula, where shots are often pot-luck.

I think what you mean for those surfaces is not wings so much as 'manoeuvring pylons', on which a small thruster is mounted on the tip. You could explain their wing-like shape by mentioning it is a perfect shape to brace a force on the top against the body of the fighter.

You could also attach missiles and guns to the wings. The configuration reminds me of a StarFury from B5.