[Star Dragon]

I didn't mean to imply that the idea was a bad thing, just that it's easy to let yourself get into that mindset (especially since I was just starting out and had this crazy notion that econimically having ONE MODULAR design could save the builders enourmous sums of $$$$$$$ since the only difference in the ships would be SIZE and any components NOT needed were moved around on the inside (outer had shell cmponents, inner guts had like crew quarters, entertainment units, PX, fitness, ect) This was a couple of years after robotech so although the "city in space thing" had been done I still was looking to put a crapload of military personel and equipment on a ship of appropriate size.

  That way the builders could use a LOT of the same tools to manufacture their fleet and only the scale would be truly different. Though each ship was configured on the inside for mission specific details (like starfleet but BETTER). Within each designation (ie battle destroyer) the crew of one ship had almost ZERO acclimation time need for peak performance as it should be the exact same ship (minus personalization of quarters) as they are on normally). VERy useful in  a massbattle where hundreds of soldiers need to be transferred from a dying vessel and help out OR if they can get a replacement ship from the shipyards ASAP!

  Now I think about it they looked lame, just a pointed bow unit with a space 1999 type hull unit/morelike a huge cargo ship, and an engine block (definately TERRAN since a TERRAN designed this!). One strong feature is if damage was confined to any of those 3 shell components the guts were designed within all three individually and could be completely sealed off and jettisioned. So a replacement module for that calass vessel could be swapped in...

[Black Wolf]

Originally posted by Corhellion
Black Wolf: Don't like em' get the hell outta the thread. You don't have any good comments? Don't comment at all. The designs stay...live with it.

OK. By Good, I'm going to assume you mean constructive, as opposed to mindlessly saying "That's Amazing! How did you get so great!!!" Sure, it's good for your ego, but it's not so good for the creative design process. Anyway, if you'll cast your mind back about a day you'll remember saying...

Well...talk with my friend, the designs were his idea...

In other words, any constructive design criticism would be utterly pointless. But I'll try. The idea behind ships made of boxes is one of pure simplicity being defined as the best design philosophy. Well, there are two problems with that. First, it's simply not true. The weapons on five of the six sides cannot be brought to bear on the opposition, making it an inefficient design in that sense. Second of all, books are, like games and movies and anything else that feature starships outside of NASA and the likes offices, are part of the entertainment industry. They're designed toget peole interested enough to spend their money, and keep them interested long enough that they'll spend more money later on, buying later books or whatever. The storyline and quality of writing is not the major factor in getting this. It's the artwork on the cover, blurb and whatever else the buyer can see within a few seconds of puliing it off the shelf, including size comparisons. This wont help to pull in that interest. In fact, if it was me looking at them, it'd be a strong reason not to buy this book- after all, if that's all the thought the author put into designing his ships, the how much creativity can we expect of him as a writer?

However, I didn't write any of this before. Because I know that there's nothing you can do about it since you didn't design it. But if it makes you feel better:

"OH MY GODZ!!!111 That is the amazingest Chamfereed Rectangle I have ever seened!!!! WOWOWOWOWOW!!!111"
[/COLOR]

[Corhellion]

oi...forget I said anything...

The Earther ships look like that because they use broadside mounted guns...like the old style "British Navy" and the "wooden walls" or...well...Sailing ships.

The tactic they use is to go broadside to the target (say...their port side) and fire their broadside, they then barrel roll to present the other side and fire that as well, rolling again to fire the next round of broadsides. So...As you can see...It was rather thought out as to how the Earther would attack.

Now, for the Genesis (The HUMANS) fleet, they use missile tubes that aim to the front, they use technology given to them by their Krogg Allies. With the help of them, they created a massive fleet of about 2500 ships. The reason for the ships to have them facing forward, is that the Kroggs want them to help them in destroying one of their enemies...and what better initiative to stay and fight is to have the missiles mounted in forward positions...makes them not want to run and hide very easily.

Hope that gives a bit of insight for you.

BW: I'm not even going to reply to that...you now know from my explanation above why they look like that...deal with it, or get out and stay out.

[Lightspeed]

Okay, next time just mention at the first post that you dont want any honest comments.

[Fineus]

I think he assumed that people posting here would be bright enough to post constructive feedback the first time they replied. Evidently you and BlackWolf weren't capable of that.

I seem to recall having to explain this to you before.. please don't make me make a habit out of it.

[Lightspeed]

Oh, I give constructive feedback. There's only one problem. Something needs to be there what can be improved.

Thats not the case here. It would have to be rebuilt from scratch i'm afraid. Read BlackWolfs last reply. Thats basically my oppinion too.

[Fineus]

Then save it, it's not constructive and if I was Corhellion or the guy that wrote it I'd be peeved that my hard work was being slammed that way. You keep doing this and it keeps irritating people. I understand you're a perfectionist but understand that everyone is at a different level of skill that could be better, worse or just plain different to your own.

If all you're going to do is insult someones work without offering them help for improvement or ideas of how it could be better (in your opinion) then keep it to yourself. There's nothing more to it than that and I for one am tired of people being so damned rude to eachother just because they deem themselves better or because they don't like what they see.

That's an end to it. It really is that simple.

[Star Dragon]

My comment on ships was about MY OWN (want to be certain that all are aware I was not directing that at anyone else in case someone gets the wrong impression from my Previous post).

   At least there is a solid explination of why those ships look as they do, now if only FS Terrans had an excuse (points at Colossus)...

[Black Wolf]

Originally posted by Kalfireth
I think he assumed that people posting here would be bright enough to post constructive feedback the first time they replied. Evidently you and BlackWolf weren't capable of that.

I seem to recall having to explain this to you before.. please don't make me make a habit out of it.

Thunder... he didn't design them. What's the point of offering constructive criticism when the person we're offering it to is in no position to change the designs? My comments weren't directed at him ( I thought I made that clear ("No offense to you) but at the person who designed them in the first place. And you can't tell me that that person did a  particularly good job.

[Fineus]

He's modelling them and asked for feedback...ergo he's going to create them in some form. My point stands.

[StratComm]

OK, since this has gotten so out of hand before I could say anything, I'm going to pretend that the last page or so doesn't exist.

The designs as they exist right now are too simplistic.  The red ones just need detail in a general sense, make the top more articulate, provide some interesting texture, and pretty much doing whatever adds to the semi-organic form.  They look like a claw of some kind, which can potentially be good.  The white ones, on the other hand, need a good bit of work.  I have nothing against a rectangularly-shaped ship, there is nothing in space that really requires aerodynamics.  That said, it still needs more variety than a simple rectanglular prism in its fundamental shape; perhaps a depression running around its circumference in one direction, or some splits in the armor plating that let techy stuff peek out (perhaps a good place for guns, if you can arrange it that way), armor plates period (i.e. modelled, not textured), more breaks on the large surfaces to distract your eye from the regularity, and lots and lots of small greebles.  Still art will be held up to much higher levels of scrutany than moving media, so you've got to pour on the detail.  Book art is no place for the low-poly model, I'm afraid, and right now that's exactly what you have.

[Corhellion]

*sigh*

Alrighty...I'll make it simple...The ships in the books...are unique.
-----------------------
The Earther ships (greyish white rectangular ships): use broadsides and energy cannons, they are basically perfectionists when it comes to space travel, no "greebles" on these ships, asside from the windows, cannon hatches (the grey inset panels), bay doors and hull  plating, there is no revealing tubes/vents/anything like that. Their ships are based on the British Navy of old (the wooden walls/rated ships of war) which is unique in many ways...to many to list.
-----------------------
The Human ships (the reddish brown "spear shaped" (not claw shaped) ships): the depend on forward firing missile tubes to attack other ships. They basically go in shooting and keep going in, no retreating or else their vulnerable aft section gets hammered.

Read the Books. Don't judge a book by it's modeler...I am just a "noobie" modeler afterall...But still...Read the books...everyone who has read them...has said nothing but good things about them.

And...The designs stay for the last time...alright? It's like the Hades or Colossus... of people complain about them...but they get the job done...Live with the designs or don't post here...They're not changing...the author has approved of them, and he has the final word as to wait need changing and what looks good. It's like Lightspeed helping some people out in making maps, he gives advice as to what's good...and what's bad, and how to change it...they do, and it gets better.

Cor

[Ghostavo]

Originally posted by Corhellion
Colossus... of people complain about them...but they get the job done

oh wait, you're serious?


Any ship you build that is 6km long and has multiple beam cannons can beat the sh*t out of any 2km ship (no uber designs).

[StratComm]

Originally posted by Corhellion
*sigh*

Alrighty...I'll make it simple...The ships in the books...are unique.
-----------------------
The Earther ships (greyish white rectangular ships): use broadsides and energy cannons, they are basically perfectionists when it comes to space travel, no "greebles" on these ships, asside from the windows, cannon hatches (the grey inset panels), bay doors and hull  plating, there is no revealing tubes/vents/anything like that. Their ships are based on the British Navy of old (the wooden walls/rated ships of war) which is unique in many ways...to many to list.
-----------------------
The Human ships (the reddish brown "spear shaped" (not claw shaped) ships): the depend on forward firing missile tubes to attack other ships. They basically go in shooting and keep going in, no retreating or else their vulnerable aft section gets hammered.

Cor

That's precisely what we are trying to do, but something has to be done about the chamferbox of death right now.  Simplistic, elegant, whatever; none of that relies on using a primitive for a ship's underlying shape.  I've given you some specific suggestions already as to what I would think would improve the appearance of those ships, but the general principle still stands: make them more detailed.  Give it some variety.  I'm not saying make it look like an Imperial Star Destroyer, for crying out loud.  But you apparently don't want any advice so do with them what you will.

[Krackers87]

Originally posted by Black Wolf



"OH MY GODZ!!!111 That is the amazingest Chamfereed Rectangle I have ever seened!!!! WOWOWOWOWOW!!!111"

Roflmao!

The whole barrel role thing doesent seem like the most practical idea, as doing that would expose the crew decks, which im assuming are much more lightly armored than the battery sides from the placement of the windows and such, also, they would need 2 more sets of engines to perform such a feat, 1 set to rotate one way, the other to slow down the rotation and turn in the oposite direction.

In addition if one of the 5 engines gets disabeled, especialy any 4 of the 2 sets that perform those barrel rolls, that ship is screwed, or at least in a bad condition.