[Lc4Hunter]

Hello together.

This im my first post here and i want to start with a ship i missed so long here, with the best regards of Aken Bosch: The NTF Iceni 
I started the mesh a long time ago and already finished it, based on the current MediaVP-Model.

Because im working on a X-Rebirth Mod where i rebuild every ship again with a much higher polycount i also started the Iceni and i thought: Maybe the SCP-Upgrade Project (i´m a big fan! ) can use the model, too.

Here some first impressions:



The building process has just started and as you can see there are some parts still missing
After finishing the mesh i would like to share it with you for usage.
I´m sure there will be some (hopefully not too much) work for you to bring the ship ingame.

Hope you can give me some feedback what you like/don´t like and what i can improve.

If it interrests you, here you can find the thread (with some other models i´m working on): Link to Forum
I will update all of my threads with current progresses and pictures here at the first post (if the forum allows it from technical site ;-) )

-----------------

12.12.2013 - Added another picture

[Luis Dias]

O_o

What a start man! That's fantastic!

[Rodo]

Looks quite good thus far

There's another HTL'd Iceni but IIRC it's years are already showing up so a new version might come in handy for the MVPs.

[Hades]

We're absolutely interested in this, the current Iceni is showing its age, not only with its mesh but with the texturing and what you have here so far is absolutely fantastic. One thing, your turrets look fairly similar to the ones on my Orion (http://p3d.in/IGlFO) so if you want to use those for consistency I can send you the mesh. Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to.

[Lc4Hunter]

We're absolutely interested in this, the current Iceni is showing its age, not only with its mesh but with the texturing and what you have here so far is absolutely fantastic. One thing, your turrets look fairly similar to the ones on my Orion (http://p3d.in/IGlFO) so if you want to use those for consistency I can send you the mesh. Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to.

Hello Hades *wink*
Glad to read those words from you. You should remember the turrets of course because they´re relating on yours.
If you follow the link at the first post you will see that i also created an Orion that looks very similar to your one. I used your model i could see at the screenshots here to create my version. At the first sight, they look very similar, the differences are the details. Hope that is ok for you.
Well, and please don´t wonder about my Deimos, same story 

Currently, the turrets are just placed there for a better feeling how much space i need at the top of the ship for them.
But later, for the SCP-Version, they can be replaced by yours, sure 
I will (maybe) update them later. But one thing is definitely clear: They have to be smaller (about 80% of the size) then the Orion turrets.

Can you maybe give me an ~ polycount the ship should have for Freespace because for X-Rebirth i can have >100k ?

Edit: And as you can see i also try using rounded edges at the models to give them a more modern look

[Hades]

If you follow the link at the first post you will see that i also created an Orion that looks very similar to your one. I used your model i could see at the screenshots here to create my version. At the first sight, they look very similar, the differences are the details. Hope that is ok for you.
Well, and please don´t wonder about my Deimos, same story 

No problem, it's fine. Though you can use our models from the FSU in your mod if you wish, so long as you give proper credit, there's no need to replicate them, even if your models do look good.

Currently, the turrets are just placed there for a better feeling how much space i need at the top of the ship for them.
But later, for the SCP-Version, they can be replaced by yours, sure 
I will (maybe) update them later. But one thing is definitely clear: They have to be smaller (about 80% of the size) then the Orion turrets.

Can you maybe give me an ~ polycount the ship should have for Freespace because for X-Rebirth i can have >100k ?

Edit: And as you can see i also try using rounded edges at the models to give them a more modern look

Depends on the size of the ship. The Sathanas is almost 300k I think? Frigate/corvettes can be around 50-80k easily, and the Iceni can have more simply because it's a 'unique' ship that is typically only seen once in a mission. So basically, go nuts, I don't think 100k for the Iceni would necessarily be unwarranted.

[The Dagger]

Welcome and thanks for sharing! You have an amazing set of ships over there.  I love to see someone giving the Iceni such a nice upgrade. 
If it's not too much to ask, could we get a better view of the Ursa and Zeus shown here?

[mjn.mixael]

I would love that Ursa for FSU...

[Lc4Hunter]

I´m not 100 percently sure but i thought the level of detail of the Ursa and Zeus should be the same like in the current Media-VPs. These are mmodels from about 2006.

You can download  all ships in 3ds and max-format from the follwoing link:
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=3388003

Sorry but i just found the german thread. Between a lot of german blabla there is just the Please to name me in the credits when using the models - the usual stuff 
So please feel free to download, take a look at and use the models 

It would be my pleasure 

edit: but anyway i want to rebuild and update nearly all of the models.
edit2: And please excuse my english... it´s not the best, i know.

[SkycladGuardian]

Your Iceni looks great already
Lc4Hunter, I think I've read your name before, have you been on the X3-Babylon 5 Mod team?

[Lc4Hunter]

Your Iceni looks great already
Lc4Hunter, I think I've read your name before, have you been on the X3-Babylon 5 Mod team?

No longer, but i was a member. Well, exactly i founded the mod but i had some personal problems and left the team.
I´m very proud of the work the have done, but to say the truth, i think the mod is dead.
Not enough interest, to many technical problems and limitations with the X3-engine...
The Vorchan and the Warlock are my babys

Edit:
Added a few new parts:


Not really happy with it at the moment. Will see how it looks when i add details to the parts and merge them to one body.

[Lc4Hunter]

Sorry for doubleposting 

Some progress:


Hope the modeified frontpart (behind the nose) is no problem? But i think this looks more modern and much better.
And what do you think about the turrets?
Which ones fits better? The turret i got from Hades (same like on the Deimos) or the other one (not much detailes at the moment).

Another problem: I don´t know which turrets fires which weapon. Especially all the small "things" at the sides are not really clear for me. Is there any information which one is what??

[Lorric]

I suppose you could play the Rebels & Renegades mission, since you get a few moments of quiet before the Vasudans arrive, you could study the ship and cycle through it's turrets.

The wiki tells you the types and number of turrets on the ship, but not their location:

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/NTF_Iceni#Armaments

[Lepanto]

Nice work so far.

Also, to find what turret has what weapon, just compare the POF's turret list to the turret list in the Iceni's table file.

[An4ximandros]

Wow, this is an awesome HTL! Welcome, hope you stay a while.

[Lc4Hunter]

Checked out the weaponplacement of the Iceni in a selfcreated mission:



The placement makes absolutely no sense to me.
Ok, it just has 3 Bgreen, 4 would be more logical but why the hell both missilelaunchers are on the same side?
Another stupid point is, that the large-turrets at the top are just TTs, no THTs...
Maybe there is an error with this?


I wanted to make unique weponmodels for each type, but with this configuration... it makes ot much sense. 

[headdie]

I would be careful with the turret placement.  while it might not make sense it is retail so if you want this in something like the mediaVPs then the model will need to be compatible with retail weapons layout.  There is of course nothing stopping you from making a "fixed" version but something you might want to make a note of.

Also really loving the progress you are making on this and cant wait to see how it turns out

[SypheDMar]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about the nonsensical nature of retail turrets. Anyone with FRED can change the loadouts so that it makes sense. Just don't break retail so that we can get your model in-game.

And I don't think any of us would mind if you changed the default in your mod. I'd like to think that we aren't canon freaks, considering that canon contradicts itself in so many ways.

[Nyctaeus]

I think it's all about retail missions ballance. AFAIK the Iceni used to have different beam layout in every mission. In SOC loop with Hinton and Iceni, it has two forward BGreens to tear Asar to shreds, where in tables these two turrets are standard, yellow blobs. If you want to make custom turrets for every type of weapon used by the Iceni, I think you should place them like the Iceni would have regular, symetrical configuration [like 2 beams on front, 2 for left side, 2 for right or something like that] but leave retail naming convention. Thanks to this, your HTL Iceni would be retail compatible, while new turrets might be used by Freders, who wants the Iceni with new weapons setup.

[mjn.mixael]

To clarify.

In order for a model to be considered for use in the MediaVPs, the turrets need to be in the same locations as the retail model and more often than not, should be the same type. (IE disks for disks, multiparts for multiparts.) You can, however add extra turrets that would be tabled in a special way for FSU. The HTL Typhon does that.