[diamondgeezer]

OK, have it your way

[Raptor]

Although it could be said of me that I design slab sided craft, I have to agree with diamondgeezer, karajorma, and all the other tha have said that it is rather too boxy.  Smooth it around the region behind the missile bays and in front of the engines, take polys out of the turrets bases and the barrels, remove the tubes, and you could create a much more flowing and sleek shaped craft.

Just my two penny's.  BTW this craft, smoothed off, could replace the Boanerges model.  MUCH better armed (but I would include a third missile bay).

[TopAce]

Originally posted by diamondgeezer
OK, have it your way

I am not telling I am not accepting your point, I just want to convience you that poly number is not a serious point for me to base my opinion on a ship's looking. Now leave each other, We both would do better.

[diamondgeezer]

Bah. I can't be arsed to argue with someone I can't understand, but I don't want you to think I'm 'backing down' just because you say so. Thus, I have these last words to say to you, then the debate is over: Ying Tong Iddle-I Po

[Nico]

Originally posted by TopAce


Wrong in your opinion, my point is that how my eye likes it. Expert modellers surely don't like it.

But DG is right. Wasting polys on small details isn't the best way to make a ship look cool. That's the whole feeling that counts. But that's your ship.

[Corsair114]

Abacus' FSDS Pro 2. It exports .mdl files for Microsoft's Flight Simulator 2000, Flight Simulator 2002, and Combat Flight Simulator 2.

Anyways, I'm probably gonna redo the main hull, but for now, here are some pics. The three links will take you to side-by-side comparisons with the original. The pics displayed here are of the current version.

Couple notes: Poly count = 264 now.

I, err, added one minor defensive weapon between the engines. It's not the powerful... actually, it's pretty weak, but I added it 'cause the turrets wouldn't be able to track you if you got right on the bomber's tail so, I'll let you guys judge for yourself.





Comparison 1
Comparison 2
Comparison 3

[diamondgeezer]

Oo... I like that one a lot

[Galemp]

Much, much better use of polygons. Obi-Wan has taught you well.

The cockpit is still too long, though. What's all that space in the neck for? Push the cockpit back much further, or do something funky there. Model some detail in.

[Corsair114]

Model in some details, eh? Ok, I'll see that I can come up with. More missle launchers would(IMO) detract from the design... hrm.  I'll think on it and see what I come up with. Suggestions would be welcome.

[EDIT]
Ok, so an Extra pair of missle bays won't look bad, and it'd give me a reason for a third missle selector(Upper Launchers, Lower Launchers, Foreward Launchers). I'll have pics up as soon as I'm done with the new launchers.

[Taristin]

Cocpit looks way too small... I bet this thing can hold like 400 Tsunami's no prob.

[Corsair114]

The canopy's specs are:

Length: 1.5 meters
Width: .6 meters
Height. 1.1 meters

Which is fine, since only the pilot's head and upper shoulders are exposed. Most of him is protected by heavy armor.

[Corsair114]

Ship Name: GTBx Vulture
Type: Heavy Bomber
Manufacturer: Joint RNI Systems/Nankam Aeronautical
Description: Designed as a replacement to the successful Boanerges experiment, the GTBx Vulture is more heavily armed, armored, and well-rounded. The Boanerges, though a combat-proven failure, succeeded in being an easily maintained(other than its weak hull) bomber. The Vulture has redundent systems for all major avionics with much heavier armor and a slightly improved secondary payload. All of its internal systems are modular, allowing a Vulture to have all of its Avionics replaced in about 3 hours time by a team 3 mecanics.

The biggest improvements, however, are in the self-defense area, particularly the light beam turret mounted between the engines. When RNI first tested this, it found that neither its engines or main reactors could reasonably handle the power output required by the redundant systems and defensive weaponry. So, they turned to Nankam Aeronautical, which provided a new dual-reactor unit and improved engines, giving it much better cruise and max cruise speeds, along with an improved afterburner speed.
Height: 8.1 meters
Width: 11.6 meters
Length: 34.1 meters
Gun Mounts: 2
Missle Banks: 3
Velocity: 60 m/s
Max Velocity: 70 m/s
Afterburner Max Velocity: 95 m/s
Allowed Primary Weapons: Mekhu ML-7, Suback HL-7, Maxim, Prometheus S, UD-8 Kayser, Morningstar, Circe
Allowed Secondaries: Fury, Rockeye, EMP Adv., Tornado, Trebuchet, Stiletto II, Piranha, Cyclops, Harpoon, Helios
Shields: 875
Hull: 625
Power Ouput per Second: 9
Scan Time: 2 seconds
Subsystems: Communication, Navigation, Weapons, Sensors, and 2 Engines

Would I just add a second part flagged as Communication 2/etc.?

Of course, you're here for the pics, right?



So, umm, whatcha think?

[Raptor]

Well, the model is looking a LOT better, much more in keeping with fs2 era stlying.

However, there are a few bits I'd change.  The cockpit still seems very, squared off, and tight.  Not much room in it.  try sweeping the whole nose abit more, top and bottom, and more the canopy back a bit, so the rear is just under the top guns.

The gun turrets are now a bit too flat. The bases need more bulk to them, IMHO. Try working from same desgin as the Medusas turret.  Remember whem it comes time to pof it, that they are the right way round.

The engine exhausts seem very small.  Too small. Maybe thats the look your after, but I'd deepen the exhausts, in fact the whole engine block. Check out the engines of the Saturn V rocket.  Crude compared to FS ships, but it shows the point: big engines need lota ehaust space.

Personally, I wouldn't have a beam cannon on it.  Beams are real kick ass weapons, but GTVA versions are still kinda crude.  I wouldn't put a beam on anything smaller than 100m.  You can still use the aft turret, but replace the beam with a missile bank.  Now that would be a surpise.

Zeta 2: "Zeta 3, that bomber is making a run on the convoy. Stop him!"
Zeta 3: "Roger that, I'm on him"
Zeta 2: "Watch out for those turrets! Their wearing your shields down!"
Zeta 3: "I know, I can handle it!"
Zeta 3: "I'm on his tail. Bye by..what the?"
Zeta 2: "3, come in! What was that?"
Zeta 3: "He just fired a Harpoon at me! Shields are down, hull buckled, weapo..... oh no...."
Zeta 2: "Zeta 3 is down!"


Now add a second gun bank under the belly, and you'll have a really good replacement for the pile of junk Boanerges.

Say, once you have this finshed (ie POFed, LODed, mapped, shielded etc)  are you going to release it publicly?

[Nico]

the cockpit seems tight, or maybe the bomber is huge?

[Raptor]

Originally posted by Venom
the cockpit seems tight, or maybe the bomber is huge?

Tight, as in, not much space inside for the pilot. ATM, it kinda looks like his/her feet would be up against the lower nose plate.

Or maybe it is just that the craft is huge.

Maybe all V fighter and bomber craft should be rescaled to their cockpits, about 50% would you say?

[Corsair114]

Dimensions for the canopy part alone were listed a few posts ago. You're right about the ccockpit being pretty tight, just enough room for the pilot, his necessary instruments(I'm guessing a HOTAS control setup and voice-activated communication are probably standard in all GTVA fighters and bombers), and his HUD. Also, it's down front to allow for the avionics to easily be reached via the side-board weapons loading mounts. It also looks better this way.

Think of it like this: Where the Boanerges was a major foul up(and ugly to boot, kinda), this thing shines like Capella(and is sleek, kinda like the Perseus).

To put it simply, any part od the ship that is not Avionics, weapon bays/weapons, the engines, or the cockpit is armor.

About how powerful is the smallest/weakest Terran beam turret? I'm guessing not terribly powerful, especially if it were made to fit on a bomber.

If I were to replace it with something... I suppose I could replace it with a Maxim turret. Not really powerful, but it'll bounce anything that gets too close to the bomber's rear end around pretty nastily. I suppose throwing a couple 'poons out the back would work, as well.

[diamondgeezer]

I fail to see the problem with the Boanerges. I can barely kill the Ravana in the alternative offered ie. the Medusa. All the Boanerges wanted was a couple of turret on it, and from a fiction point of view it would be easy enough for engineers to fit them in the field...

[Carl]

just make the cockpit bigger. what is the poly count on the newest version? you have to try to keep it below 800.

[Nico]

Originally posted by Raptor
Maybe all V fighter and bomber craft should be rescaled to their cockpits

Yes, they should.

[Raptor]

Originally posted by Venom


Yes, they should.

Ahh, but who would undertake such a massive task?