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Centurion remodel

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Jun 07, 2008 toshiro link
Hmm, it might look a bit like the A-Wing, true. But I was not thinking about that kind of fins, for my taste, they're overpowering. I'll see if I can whip up a pencil sketch of how I thought them to be, scan it and throw it on here.

That said, I think asymmetrical fighters would be tough to design, much more so than an almost automatically aesthetic symmetrical design.
Jun 07, 2008 Azumi link
Oh, sorry. Wasn't meant for being trollish or anything.

I was merely being my pessimistic me. Last time there was a new ship was the craptor, and that was in the last century, or it feels that way. Merely warning you of getting your hopes up. The problem with not having English as first language I think...

And, stay off my Rev C:)
Jun 07, 2008 Fediroc link
Sorry for assuming you were a troll, Azumi. My hopes are to finish this model, the next, and the next after that. Nothing more, nothing less.

Some may ask, why do it? Real, honest discussion about what the player want and a visualization of it -may- help the next artist working for guild, or at least give them a few ideas.

Wait, you wanted me to stay off your Rev C? oops. May I suggest a bleachbath for your fighter. Or maybe a low-orbit skip, they say the heat generated by friction with the atmosphere at that speed makes a great disinfectant. :P

In other news, my work has been set back. Last backup was last night, and this evening todays work corrupted. Most of it was texturing work, so the changes to the pre-UVed stuff is no problem, but the engine and thruster pack UVs were lost.

Damn.
Jun 07, 2008 toshiro link
That sucks :( I honestly feel sorry for you (I have had the same happen in some coursework of mine... suddenly Catia didn't want to open stuff anymore).
Jun 07, 2008 Fediroc link
Starting to make back what I lost yesterday. Took advantage of the rollback to create a new engine mesh. Here you see it with just it's bumpmap applied. Trying to tone down the map, don't want it to be so.. in your face.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn163/Fediroc/Alpha4a.jpg
Jun 07, 2008 toshiro link
It certainly looks very nice :)
I've dubbed it 'Kris' in my head already...
Jun 07, 2008 Dr. Lecter link
It still looks like someone sliced a rag in half.
Jun 07, 2008 ingoguy15 link
It does, but a Rag sliced in half is very cool
Jun 07, 2008 Professor Chaos link
Unless you're in it when it's sliced.
Jun 07, 2008 Fediroc link
Update to alpha 4, less incomplete engine texture.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn163/Fediroc/Alpha4B.jpg

I've got it on my mind to remove the horizontal winglets and replicate the engine thrust buffers(the fins). Those use the grav-drive magicology to direct the thrust in up to a 30 angle, up or down. Adding two to the sides would make it true thrust vectoring, and decrease the frontal profile.

Thoughts?
Jun 07, 2008 Professor Chaos link
It looks better each time. I think removing the winglets is a good idea, as well as distributing the maneuvering thrusters. Keep the ones in the middle, but with fewer nozzles. Then they won't look so much like tumors (though textures minimize that impression).
Jun 08, 2008 Fediroc link
Oops. Forgot to post the last of the Alpha 4 set. Sorry.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn163/Fediroc/Alpha4D.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn163/Fediroc/Alpha4C.jpg

Coloring to engines added. Some other stuff. I'm now onto Alpha 5 out of 6, which will feature: An attempt to be rid of the zero-lift-creating winglets, a cockpit texture that doesn't look like ass, and de-tumorfying the manuvering thruster packs.

I should mention that there is a technical reason to keep all the thrusters in the same location: Armor. centrally located thrusters is by no means the most effective way to create manuvering thrust, but when you've got big armored foils, you may as well try to put the relatively delicate thrusters in the center.

This led to some delicate modeling. I needed the minimum amount of thrusters to create enough possible thrust vectors with the maximum of potential thrust. As you can guess, you activate all the fore-most thrusters and you will get the equivalent of de-acceleration(or backwards movement). While if you only engage the top fore-most thrusters, you will get negative pitch. ect ect.

I am going to attempt to put another thruster bank behind the cockpit, but no promises on how that will look.
Jun 08, 2008 yodaofborg link
Sorry to be so blunt, but I actually prefer the current Centurion. The one you are making looks like a confused toy. (Am I a space ship, or am I a racing car, BRUUUUUOOOOM!)
Jun 08, 2008 Fediroc link
Huh. Yoda, I respect your opinion, and I'd love some clarification. As of Alpha 3, you liked the model, and now all that's changed is the engine exhausts.

I'd help me greatly if you'd walk me through what changed that you don't like.
Jun 08, 2008 yodaofborg link
Well, it looks ok, but the more I see these *thrusters* in the front of the ship, the more I think of a cheesy chevy with a raised engine block.

Its not that I don't like it, its just looking very toyish. (like most of VO's current ships, as it goes)
Jun 08, 2008 Fediroc link
Do you think it'd look better if the sections where the thrusters are set in was patched over, and just the thrusters poked out? I mean, they ARE thrusters, no matter what they're going to have to poke out a -bit-.

Now that I look at it from your point of view, yeah, it does seem to be flashing the low-poly guts of the thrusters instead of just the ejection cones.

side note: patching over would decrease the polys, which are currently sitting pretty at about 3/4 what the revenant uses per my limited information.
Jun 08, 2008 yodaofborg link
Well, you could try it and see what people think. :)
Jun 08, 2008 Lord~spidey link
I like it but i dont think its a great remodel for a centurion

it doesn't look like a light ship at all
if yer going to make a "centurion" remodel i would start by taking the current centurion and remaking it like that instead of starting from scratch.
Jun 08, 2008 toshiro link
Fediroc's intent, as I understand it, was to not reiterate the old design, but to create a new one (which is about a hundred times more difficult).

I don't think it could replace the centurion, either (I also pointed that out earlier in the thread), instead it could replace the warthog (seriously).

As for the thrusters being detached: I am in favour of that, coming from heat disspiation theory: We have no visible radiators besides the thrusters themselves, so an internal cooling cycle can be ruled out. Thus, the thrusters must rely on black body-radiation to dissipate heat to the surroundings (remember, we're in space), thus they should be as little encumbered as possible.
Jun 08, 2008 Fediroc link
Well, lots of people have spoken already, and said that it doesn't really resemble the Centurion.

Personally, I think that's a good thing, but the majority vote is for this to be something else.

As far as size goes, by my guesstimation this thing is already tiny. If you were to put a human figure in that command pod(and it is cramped in there), you would notice that this thing is quite a bit smaller than, say, an F-15. Smaller than an F-16, as well. A touch smaller than a F-5. Hard to get smaller than that with all the space-capable equipment.

But I do admit that I set out to change the overall shape of the Cent, and to attempt to make it less buck rogers style. If you read back, I've already relented and I'm just calling it the Centurion remodel due to internal reasons.(over 300 files titled centurion in one way or another). I'll wait until it is complete to attach a firm name to it.

Warthog is out, already have a design for that in mind. Smallest ship with a large slot deserves some -special- attention.

Vulture is out as well. Have a clearly defined idea of how that will go.(Vulture purists, don't worry, overall shape won't change much)

Actually, now that I think of it, maybe I should decide what it shall be now. The cockpit defines size of ship, and that is still unfinished. Anyone care to take a crack at what it should be?