[Black13]

You know the white one, that is almost a fighter in FS2 - well, why are there two versions in the game (by the end of the game) yet there is only one description.  

Is there an official classification for this vessel and what its purpose is?

[pyro-manic]

That's the Artemis D.H. It's supposed to be an upgraded version of the standard white Artemis (faster, more maneuverable etc.). You get it if you complete the first SOC loop IIRC. Same for the Ares (a heavily modified Herc 2) if you do the second SOC loop. I don't know if it's actually different (I'd need to check the tables), but it's supposed to be better. It's a bonus for people who do the extra missions.

[Black13]

wow! i had no idea that the SOC missions were worth something other than white knuckles and a lot of sweat

the first game featuring "unlockables"?

[FireCrack]

The DH is faster and more manuverable.

[Kie99]

It isn't, its exactly the same.  Its meant to be faster and more manuverable though, forgot to change the tables.

[pyro-manic]

Well I'll be jiggered - he's right. Strange - I know it feels better to me than the standard one....

The only difference I could spot is that the DH has a couple of lines in the table called $ND, with three terms in each. I don't know what they mean though...

[Taristin]

I think ND are the no damage tags... where at certain distances, they don't show the damage trails streaming from them. But I am most likely wrong.

[aldo_14]

$ND, I believe, is no-dim.  In Glide mode, pixels - on the textures - with the colours defined by ND are not shadowed or darkened; i.e. $nd 255 0 0 would mean red bits appear to glow, same as on a glowmap with the SCP.

This didn't work in DirectX, though.

[Nuke]

actually the nd (no dim) tags were for setting fullbright colors on the models, back in the days of glide. they didnt seem to work in any other api iirc. now we just use glowmaps.

[Goober5000]

According to the code, $ND specifies "nondark" pixel colors.  I have no idea what that means.

[Gregster2k]

Well, I would think that is something is NON dark, then it must not be dark, ever. So, it's bright. I agree with what they said above, because I am an ex-3dfx fanboy (used a Voodoo 5 up until the release of Battlefield 1942) and I know what FreeSpace looked like on Glide. (way better than Direct3D vanilla FS2 i'll tell you!)

[Taristin]

Originally posted by Goober5000
According to the code, $ND specifies "nondark" pixel colors.  I have no idea what that means.

Oooh! Are these in FS1, also?

This is how glowmapping was simulated on the Fenrii in FS1! The white pixels were specified, and they glowed bright white on the dark sides of the cruisers!

And now it makes sense that the pegesus has it too, althoug commented out!

[Setekh]

Originally posted by pyro-manic
Well I'll be jiggered - he's right. Strange - I know it feels better to me than the standard one....

Placebo-mber.

[Goober5000]

They aren't in FS1.  I didn't think FS1 had glowmapping.

[pyro-manic]

Originally posted by Setekh


Placebo-mber.

Must be....

[Taristin]

Originally posted by Goober5000
They aren't in FS1.  I didn't think FS1 had glowmapping.

When I played through, the dark side of the Fenris always had it's white windows illuminated.

[Nuke]

doesnt anyone read my posts, i know exactly what nd was used for. i used that tag on of my early mods before glowmapping was introduced.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Black13
the first game featuring "unlockables"?

The Ares is also unlocked by completeing Lions Den (In the second loop).