The only issue I have with the X-1 is that you should change all the other valks to look the same. It looks fine, as does the old design, but when you see both together it's obvious that the X-1 is basically just photoshop flattened and looks cheesy.

Another solution to this is changing it much more than you did. If you change the actual design, and make it flatter, it won't look photoshopped, but look actually like a different (but still related) design. Then it wouldn't appear cheesy. I'm sure this would take a lot of work so I think it'd be best to just eventually make all the valks flattened.

Aye, I think the mission is fine. It's difficult but beatable. Use your speed to your advantage and separate the targets, then pick them off one by one.

As for the valk itself, I havent had too much time with it yet, but I think I like it. The slight reduction in size seems like it should be a perfect balance, not uber by any means, but no longer a giant potato. I do agree that in the future, a new model with the same mesh might be a good idea to avoid that squished feeling that this model has. It does look photoshop squished, but it works well for a quick fix at the moment and should suffice until the devs can get around to a new model.

One question: It resembles the Vengeance in stats. Is there any chance of seeing an X1 model that has IDF Vigilant stats?

I'm curious about the "new shader architecture". Other than the known issues with it, will we see any difference graphically or performance-wise at the moment? Or is it just an engine thing so that more effects will be possible?

Umm.... X-1 guys. X... eXperimental?

This won't remain a one off ship if it's design pans out.

Is there any chance of seeing an X1 model that has IDF Vigilant stats?
Wouldn't it be the X2 then? :D

http://makchuga.tejat.net/uploads/cool_shader.png

The shader bug looks pretty cool on the Vultures. Can we have this as an alternate paint scheme for the vult?

Well, I'm glad things are working out well so far.

I'm a little confused by the "photoshop squished" references. This is a 3D model, guys. I had to go into 3DS Max and change both the visual mesh and the collision hull. The textures (the only part editable with photoshop) are completely unchanged. Soo.. it is a "new model". I agree it isn't the coolest looking, I only spent half an hour or so on it. That, and several hours taken up trying to get the damned valk to export correctly at all (a lot of things have changed in the way we do ships since that was made). So anyway, I can work on something more aesthetically pleasing, or try some different variations in the future, as long as they're all derived from the original Valk (squishing, molding, stretching, whatever). If I deviate too far, the texture coordinates become screwed up, and then I have to potentially redo the UVW mapping, or redo the actual texture.. both of which are very time consuming (basically, making a whole new ship) and I don't have like an entire week to spend on a ship right now. Not if we actually want faction changes to happen, and all this other stuff.

Aesthetics aside.. for the moment, experiment with the X-1 (hey, that's why it's there), and continue on the Valk-balance discussion thread on Suggestions (see, I'm paying attention, even when I'm not posting). Further recommendations, thoughts and conclusions will probably get rolled into other experimental variants, hopefully giving us better balance in the long run.

The shader architecture changes are basically to make the entire system cleaner, for both Ray and myself. It'll make it easier for me to screw around with effects (in theory), and a lot easier for him to work with them, or make new custom shaders I need. In addition, it'll make things like the EMBM (environment-mapped bump-mapping) ice crystals visible on Linux/Mac cards with shaders. Our game has evolved from such an early era (we had a software engine at one time, not to mention Glide support for the 3dfx voodoo) that we've always had a lot of legacy code related to doing graphics. Now he's kind of doing away with the fixed-function-pipeline code (TNT/GeForce era) and making "everything" shaders, which is much more modern, elegant, and flexible (and still compatible with older cards). I'm not sure if this explanation will really mean much to anyone other than me. But.. anyway, it's good! And yes, it could be a little faster in some cases, but that's not why it's being done. It's also basically a necessary adjunct to implementing fog.

The current Mac problem is just a bug, we'll get it cleaned up as soon as we can.

Ah, yeah I guess the photoshop references were just toward how it isn't the coolest looking model, like you said. But this will more than suffice for now, it gives us the collision mesh to test which is what we need. The pretty model adjustments can come later. So thanks! And is there any chance of us getting an IDF Vigilant version to test?

any chance of anyone posting a screenshot of the new ship?

Meh. I'd like to see the new ship and what it looks like.

And, if you get it for doing NOTHING, then, well, you won't value it as much. You SHOULD make it almost impossible to be a top-of-the-line Valk Test Pilot.

You think back in the 50's, that the USAF would have let just ANYONE test-fly the X-1? ("Who's the best pilot ya ever saw?")

So I finally beat the mission. It is HARD. but worth the fun! The ship rocks!

PS I used a strategy that didn't actually involve any real combat. I basically lured the bots to their deaths, something a decent pilot wouldn't fall for. It's a good strategy, but doesn't really test my piloting skills any more than me trying to fight 6 gank bots off. It would be cool to see these test pilot type missions become more of a one on one pilot against pilot mission, to truly test a pilots skill. And, once the AI is a bit smarter, a pilot vs single bot missions as well.

PPS It's awesome to kill afk miners with!

http://www.tumblemonster.com/temps/valk.jpg

[Edit by Lemming, sorry but the image is a pinch too big. I use the term pinch loosely.]

[Edit by tumble: No worries!]

Great pic tumble!

hrm.

well, the ship shows promise. it does look goofy but... that's because we know the puffed up original. it's a bit harder to hit it and with a slight speed bump, it would be the ship it's supposed to be.

the mission to get it, though, is screwed. sometimes, the ships decide, on a whim, to just leave and you have to retake the mission. this, adding to the difficult nature of the mission (with agt/flare gank squads), makes you wonder what's the purpose.

we've been wailing about the valk being a totally inefficient platform and in order to get the ship that promises to fix this, we need to deal with dodging rockets while being agt-ed and ganked by light fighters and then, in a second wave, deal with two screaming skyproms w/ gauss and two light fighters, with no chance of going to a station for a breather.

ouch.

thanks to a friend of mine, i've been able to finally do it by using him as a repair station. friend, i'm with you on the next bitch fest. i'll hold off on any comments about this ship being available to serco ...

so, the ship, per say, does feel right. i haven't done a lot of fighting with it but it already shows it's a bit more apt. i'll do some move pvp tomorrow (i owe someone some pks) and i'll further comment on the performance of the ship. it feels better than the raptor does, even if that one's been a "prototypes" for many months.

can we have it full black? like the vult?

What are the license requirements for the new ship? Probably I can`t do the mission anyway, but it would be even more usless to try if I couldn`t buy one at all. If it needs combat 8 or 9, forget it ...

Things look better with the new shader and seem to run a little more smoothly.

upper case: it's not so hard, just have to use strategy. These are after all stupid AI's ;)

Anyhow, I vote for the devs to cancel the mission if someone else enters the sector. Seems to me like having someone repair you in the mission is a little cheap seeing how this one is supposed to be hard, and it really isn't that hard so long as you take that agt/flare hog out right away.

yun: the lvl requirements are 9/9/6/1. And the mission is hard, if you have trouble with hive bots you will find this quite impossible. Give up now ;p

> yun: the lvl requirements are 9/9/6/1. And the mission is hard,
> if you have trouble with hive bots you will find this quite
> impossible. Give up now ;p

Thanks --- so it`s useless anyway since I`m not going to get combat 9.

I'm a little confused by the "photoshop squished" references.

Hehe, more like Maya squished... :)

I think the mission was too easy overall. I would have like to have seen a three stage mission. The first stage being what we have today. The second being against maybe 15-20 bots in groups of 3, and a third with a small number of really hard bots one or two at a time. Maybe 4 TD bots and a couple of SCP bots with AGT/Suns. The TDs 2 at a time and the Proms 1v1.

Really, should everything in the game just be handed to you? You should have to demonstrate a degree of skill to get a nice ship like that. Fighting off a "gankfest" can be a demonstration of part of those skills. I would like to see most ships require some sort of test to acquire, as opposed to the current system of doing hive skirmish until you have the levels.

As for making it Itani only, no. It would be much better to make it based on faction. Say good Itani faction and bad Serco faction. That would let people align themselves with a nation without having been born there, and change those alliances if they see fit. All Serco/Itani nation specific equipment should have those requirements. The point being that you would have to choose a side to buy the special ships.

The model looks fine to me. Especially since it was already stated to be an experimental craft. I would much rather see someone's time spent on faction or many of the other things we are waiting on instead of making a pretty ship. All that bitching about priorities, then in the next breath bitching about something low priority.

I won't comment on the whining/crying about balance, because that is exactly what it is.

I just sortof realized now, after the fact, that this mission was just a toss in from Inc in response to our requests to fly the new Valk.

So, thanks Inc! And thanks for taking our crap about it too!