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It kinda looks like a churro. In a good way, but still kinda like a churro.
How do the heat-ray weapons work? In reality, one cannot see heat rays, they aren't part of the visible spectrum of light. Will you make heat-ray weapons in EVN:UGF work the same, or do you have some technobabble to explain why they're visible?
QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 20 2010, 01:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
While the Varellavites are the most prominent race of the Varellavite Imperium, there are three other species with membership (the Obralans, Katagans, and Vhusaeds). While the Varellavites' visual spectrum is centered on the infrared band, the other races' are not, so the heat ray emitter also generates a red "tracer" to aid them.
The other Varellavite fighter is the Theta-Wing. _ Mvleng-Ulngaas "Theta-Wing" Heavy Bomber_ Bomber, Varellavite Imperial Navy
Theta-Wing bombers are slow, unresponsive, and cantankerous, and by all rights should have been consigned to the scrapyards decades ago. Alas, bureaucratic inertia has been the bane of many a military service, but in recent years, with the advent of the E-Wing escort fighter, Theta-Wing losses have significantly dropped.
As with the E-Wing, the Varellavites do not call them "Theta-Wings," but their name in Varellan is near-unpronounceable. From above, they look similar to the Greek letter theta, hence the nickname.
Introduced almost 125 years ago, the Theta-Wing is positively ancient. Still, its payload is impressive, including Kridsatka light rockets (bow-mounted conical launchers), Tharkudit medium rockets (carried in underslung bays) and the surprisingly effective Eyeball missile (essentially a radar-guided ball of microthrusters, launched from the dorsal tubes).
It maneuvers using a variant of vector thrust technology, using magnetic fields generated in the rings on the stern to redirect the plasma plume from the engines. More recent models also feature six side jets to further increase its maneuverability.
Thick armor woven of Obralite, a tough, fibrous mineral from the planet Obrala, completes the package, enabling the Theta-Wing to weather enemy fire long enough to empty its payload into the unfortunate target.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 20 November 2010 - 03:55 PM
I now present my first Orion ship, the Orion Assault Cruiser.
_ Orion Martial Systems C-107 Orion -class Assault Cruiser_ Capital Ship, Orion League Defense Force
The Orion Martial Systems C-107 Orion -class Assault Cruiser is designed with close-range combat in mind, and carries few missile weapons. It relies on its brutally powerful engines and thick shields and armor to defend itself, and can unleash a devastating barrage of turbolaser fire. For long-range combat, it relies on a trio of Orion Interceptors launched from a ventral rack. Though no O'Brien II , it's quite a vessel.
The Orion League is a member government of the UGF with its own independent space force.
I based the design on a crossbow. The turbolasers on the dorsal spine went into my Sketchup component library.
Nice, though I have a few questions about this vessel. First, is that a heart at the front of the spine? Second, is the blue section a cockpit (making this vessel fairly small) or something else? I mean, when I think of cruisers, this is close to the size I think of; a small vessel meant for 'cruising', like a hotrod in space. Most people, though, see cruisers as large, powerful warships, so I'm slightly confused to see this cruiser appear so small.
QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 20 2010, 09:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
In order:
No, that's not an upside-down heart, though it does look like one. It, and the white shape it sits on, are the insignia of the Orion League Defense Force. The blue section is the bridge.
It is a cruiser in the traditional sense, 700 meters in length, which is admittedly fairly small for a cruiser. The bridge is meant to be very large and spacious, like on a Star Destroyer. It isn't the biggest Orion ship; that honor falls to the Warcrad -class battleship.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 20 November 2010 - 10:53 PM
I'm loving the models! Slap some quality textures on those babies and you'll have a nice, finished product.
-JP
QUOTE (Captain Skyblade @ Nov 21 2010, 04:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I actually am texturing them as a matter of course, using Sketchup's base textures (modified as needed). I'm not certain how much detail will be visible at the scales they'll be rendered at.
I liked the way the Orion Assault Cruiser Came out so much that I built another Orion ship, the Interceptor. _ Orion Martial Systems F-4 Furwin -class Interceptor_ Fast Attack Starfighter, Orion League Defense Force
The Orions have always favored speed and agility over brute force, and the Orion Martial Systems F-4 Furwin -class Interceptor is a prime example. The fighter is lightly armed, but its strength lies in its ability to outmaneuver missiles and torpedoes and other fighters. The dagger-shaped interceptors have long been the staple attack craft of the Orion League.
The Orion Interceptor started out looking kind of like a crab pincer (concept art by Master of Shadows), but I decided that made it look too similar to the Shinobi and completely redesigned it. The final ship looks (I think) similar to a throwing dagger or dart.
I reused the exhaust nozzles from the Orion Assault Cruiser, which were made by taking a cone, made from a cylinder with one face shrunk, and twisting it by rotating said face. The final result looks very cool: Orion_engine_nozzle.jpg (56.65K) Number of downloads: 9
I put two on top of cylinders to bring them out far enough for my taste, colored cylinders and nozzles with Metal Seamed, and voila.
Purdy. I think the thing I like most about the Furwin is its resemblance to the Delta-6 and Delta-7 starfighters from Star Wars. I also find it ironic that, despite this, its creator is a species inspired by Star Trek's Orion Syndicate.
I'm really liking the Orion ships. A lot.
QUOTE (Spartan Jai @ Nov 23 2010, 03:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
In that case, take a look at the bomber. _ Orion Martial Systems B-30 Ovios -class Bomber_ Patrol and Attack Vessel, Orion League Defense Force
The Orion Martial Systems B-30 Ovios -class Bomber was built in recent years to fill a necessary, but previously empty, niche in the Orion League's starfighter forces. It lifted much of the anti-capital ship duty from the Interceptor, freeing them up to take on starfighters. The claw-shaped bomber can deliver quite a variety of weapons due to its modular design; standard Orion fleet models carry two types of missiles, a Tempest assault cannon turret, and a bomb bay.
Though called a bomber, it's actually closer to a missile-centric gunship or patrol vessel because it's designed to be able to work independently for long periods. Of the launchable fighters in EVN:UGF, it has the largest crew (one pilot, one bombardier, and one engineer).
The claw-shaped wings took a long time to get even close to right; I'm still not quite happy with them. And for some reason, the thing's shadow ended up in the wrong place.
The Tempest -class assault cannon, incidentally, is a successor to the Storm chaingun: a point-defense weapon that sprays bullets.
1. It's probably because I don't know what you planned on the wings looking right, but I really don't see anything wrong with them. Though I look forward to seeing what you planned for their appearance.
2. Again, this is probably just because of my impression of the Furwin, but the Ovios reminds me of Eta-2 Actis Interceptors from Star Wars.
I really like it, though. Bulky, but not too bulky. It looks like a bomber/gunship while still looking sleek and fast.
QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 23 2010, 05:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm glad you like it; as I said, I'm not really sure.
I took a page from your book when I designed it, DarthKev, and also added sleeping bunks to it, making it the only launchable fighter with a dedicated sleeping area. (You can actually see them if you look closely; they're set into the aft cockpit wall.) I even added a pillow, which came from the Google 3D warehouse.
I'm taking a brief break from Orion ships to show another ship I've had interest in, the hypergate tender. _ Terran Engineering Corporation U-40 Hypergate Tender_ Unique Cargo Vessel, United Galactic Hypergate Authority
Since most of the hypergates were nearly two thousand years old when the UGF was even founded, their components have deteriorated, which can make them unsafe. The Terran Engineering Corporation U-40 Hypergate Tenders are necessary to keep them running. Even the Axe-tails and Ganba won't attack them when they fly UGHGA transponder codes; they know that hypergates are the only thing that allows them to respond to emergencies quickly. Occasionally they wind up in the hands of private owners, usually after a new model puts the old one on the auction block. They make decent courier vessels.
Hypergate tenders are one of the only non-combat ships in EVN:UGF to be equipped with tractor beams (a total of two generators, one each port and starboard). These are used primarily to separate the hypergate petals to enable large vessels (ships bigger than two kilometers in beam, such as superfreighters, colony ships, and UGN command ships) to pass through the aperture.
Compared to a lot of my custom ships, the hypergate tender took a much shorter time to model. This is probably due to the comparative simplicity of its fuselage and components.
Oddly enough, without insignia or tractor beam emitters (or the hatch on the starboard flank), the unpainted hypergate tender looks like a fat-bodied missile, so I saved a copy of it to use as one. Maybe I'll make it into the Devastator MIRV, the Varellan nuclear torpedo, or the Axe-tail Radion missile.
Attached below is a better view of the UGHGA insignia: the UGF's blue and white globe, overlaid with a stylized hypergate. UGHGA_insignia.jpg (41.36K) Number of downloads: 6
This post has been edited by StarSword : 24 November 2010 - 11:26 AM
QUOTE (StarSword @ Nov 24 2010, 08:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
So you did. Although, in HOTS, living quarters are only included with Askan's starfighter classes. Any other fighter requires pilots to sleep in their chairs and grant little room to move around. This is mainly because other fighters aren't meant to operate for long periods of time on their own like starfighters are, instead only going out for short patrols around a system or through two or three systems before landing, restocking on supplies, and most likely switching crews.
QUOTE
<Hypergate Tender>
I know I said I liked the idea before (mainly for the ability to not be attacked by anyone except pirates while flying one) but now I like it even more. Its simplistic design gives it a 'Millennium Falcon' effect of a small, haphazard ship running around on its own, doing various jobs for some purpose.
QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 24 2010, 02:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I don't actually know how to make "do not attack" a property of flying the ship. But I did have the idea just now to turn on the "mines asteroids" flag, so AI hypergate tenders will fly around to different SPOBs in-system. (Your "doing various jobs" comment gave me the idea.)
I like the hypergate tender, too, especially since I spent so little time modeling it.
My third Balcrusian ship, the Moonblaze bomber. _ Kandava 7r9 Moonblaze Tactical Bomber_ Tactical Bomber, Balcrusian People's Navy
Kandava's 7r9 Moonblaze Tactical Bomber is a powerhouse fighter-bomber with impressive armament for a ship its size. Though not particularly durable -- one Balcrusian People's Navy mechanic famously complained that they need repairs after "every damned mission" -- the Moonblaze is the approximate equal of a Scallopshell heavy bomber.
I had a good bit of trouble getting the hull and wing proportions right (especially in the cockpit section), but I think it turned out nicely. I reused the engines from the Marauder for the lateral engines; the dorsal engine is a modification of the engines on the hypergate tender. It's supposed to be somewhat similar to a cross between a bird of prey and a wasp.
QUOTE (StarSword @ Nov 24 2010, 01:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I don't actually know how to make "do not attack" a property of flying the ship.
Oh that's easy. You've already got the UGHGA gövt which is friendly to everyone (sans pirates) so no one (sans pirates) attacks them. Just have the Hypergate Tender use that gövt for attribute inheritance (assuming you have a unique sidebar/HUD for UGHGA ships) and AI combat, then no one (sans pirates) will attack the player while they're flying a Hypergate Tender. It's the same thing that causes Feds in EVN to attack players in Rebel ships even if they have Upstanding Citizen with the Feds in their current system. The Rebel ships use the Rebel gövt for AI Combat so AI ships hostile to the Rebel gövt will attack players flying Rebel ships.
The Moonblaze is nice, but I fail to see the wasp quality. Bird of prey, sure. The customary red tip looks kinda like a beak and the wings definitely look like a hawk's or falcon's. But I don't see anything striking me as even remotely bug-like.
QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 24 2010, 05:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks for the tip.
I don't know why, but for some reason the Moonblaze reminds me vaguely of a wasp. As you say, there isn't really anything insectile about it.
I must be on a bomber craze this week; here comes the Galactic answer to the Moonblaze.
_ Mavon & Slan HB-60 Scallopshell_ Heavy Bomber, United Galactic Fighter Corps
Mavon & Slan, the Varreneeshee company that created the Milky Way Union's B-28 Banshee bomber, has done it again with the HB-60 Scallopshell. The dense, rounded tritanium hull makes most physical weapons simply glance off, and hides a surprising array of weaponry. This version specializes in missiles.
All Scallopshells have a defensive laser turret and offensive heavy lasers, but their secondary armament varies depending on missions. Two common loadouts are 40 Striker missiles and 10 Tesla EMP missiles, or 30 Corona missiles and 26 C7 freefall bombs.
This one took a lot of tricky arc-work to get right. The odd curvatures required to make it look like the concept art ate up a lot of modeling time.
Funny thing happened when I was building it (in between baking pies for Thanksgiving). I had it (I thought) all the way finished, then I realized I'd completely left off the wings. Go figure.
Looks like something I'd see in an old 60s sci-fi flick. Groovy.
QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 25 2010, 12:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Now that you mention it, it does resemble some of those old-school rocket ships. I was worried about the design (took me forever to get it like I wanted on paper), and I'm quite pleased with it, especially because it's a ship from a major mission string.
_ Cobian Design Collective R-46 Starchaser_ Civilian Long-Range Courier
The Cobian Design Collective created this little scoutship decades ago. The R-46 Starchaser's armament is light and its defenses are thin; it relies on its speed and powerful navicomputer to escape. This is a favorite of the Lanvar-Ozians, many of whom are explorers and scouts by trade. It's rare to see them in Coreward areas, but the ability to carry 40 metric tons of cargo over a hundred parsecs on a single tank cannot be discounted in sparsely populated Rimward regions.
One of the things I found odd about the stock EVN scenario is its lack of a small long-range cargo ship a la the scoutships of Escape Velocity Classic and EV Override. EV Nova, however, doesn't have one (unless you count the Federation Scout Ship, which is only available to purchase if you enter the Federation mission string). Therefore, I decided EVN:UGF needed one, and the Starchaser was born.
Ooh! A smash up between EVC's Rapier and Clipper! I like! I also understand the resemblance is more than likely accidental.
I think the main reason EVN didn't have any small courier vessels was because there weren't any long stretches of territory one might get stuck flying through often. The two main areas of space most people frequented were the Federation and the Auroran Empire, both of which had no more than 1 uninhabited system between any two inhabited systems (except for the Dust Belt in the Auroran Empire, location of Houseless). Plus with Hypergates, it took no time at all to get almost anywhere. There wasn't much of a need for long-range courier vessels. Plus, for the most part, Starbridges and Valkyries served that purpose well since missions didn't usually have more than 20 tons of cargo to move.
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
I hereby introduce the UGN Destroyer.
_ Republic Naval Systems Anaconda -class Destroyer_ Destroyer, United Galactic Navy
The Republic Naval Systems Anaconda -class destroyer is the newest type of destroyer used by the United Galactic Navy, having entirely displaced the old Galaxy -class. Fast (for a capital ship), well-armed, and heavily defended, the Anaconda excels at blockade tactics, and can chase down blockade runners and haul them in with multiple tractor beams. It also mounts a Black Knight bay with two fighters.
The Heavy Weapons Version of the Anaconda -class destroyer carries no fighters, but instead mounts heavier and more damaging weapons such as the Stingray missile and Devastator MIRV. A truly terrifying starship, the most famous of these is arguably the UGNS Relentless , part of the Fourth Battle Group since 992 GSD.
As its name suggests, the Escort Carrier variant of the Anaconda -class destroyer carries a larger complement of fighters, including two Scallopshells. These aren't used often, as their long-range armament is somewhat lacking.
Taking my cue from DarthKev's rendition of the Apache -class command ship, I carefully constructed this ship from Delphi components. I think it turned out well, even has a little bit of snakeyness to it. It originally had a second pair of Archon Fins atop the hull (mirroring the two under the chin), but I took them back out after getting a second opinion from my cousin, who agreed that it looked better with just the pair under the chin.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 25 November 2010 - 07:52 PM