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QUOTE (DarthKev @ Aug 29 2010, 09:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Awesome! Beautiful ships by Meaker and a well balanced fleet by StarSword. Just one question:
QUOTE (StarSword @ Aug 29 2010, 07:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
... many Klavarese pilots have learned to send the ship into a corkscrewing spin while firing all six guns simultaneously, resulting in a hailstorm of gunfire that is nearly impossible to dodge.
Is this inspired by The Last Starfighter? I remember a maneuver in that movie that entailed a fighter spinning frantically and spitting out everything it had as a last resort to eliminate enemy ships. I believe it was named the 'Death Blossom'.
Partially. The other inspiration was this ship: If you go back a long ways in the thread (before my return to the boards this year), the Klavarese were originally going to be Star Wars' Chiss. According to The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels , Chiss pilots also sometimes use this trick in the Nsiss -class Clawcraft (a fusion of TIE fighters and Chiss technology).
EDIT: EVN:UGF reaches page 13! Whoo hoo!
This post has been edited by StarSword : 29 August 2010 - 10:18 PM
Probably won't get much more work done this week, for two reasons. First, we've got a hurricane inbound. Earl's supposed to make landfall in North Carolina as a Category 5 (last time I checked). Probably won't do too much damage (given we're half the state inland), but you never know. Second, I'm going to be upgrading from XP to Windows 7 this weekend.
EDIT: Ok, make that Category 4. I saw a newspaper article.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 01 September 2010 - 06:54 PM
I'm back. I've been very busy with schoolwork over the last month, and then my motorcycle broke down. Pain in the @$$ -- it's going to cost more to fix it than the bike is actually worth. So I'm probably going to end up getting a new(er) bike.
One piece of good news, though; I've got Windows 7 ready now, and I can actually start learning to use Sketchup.
Awesome! The Sketchup part and the part about you being back, not the part about your bike breaking down.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Meatspace news: I promised myself after the previous time my Tempter suffered a malfunction that the next bike I bought would be newer than 1995 model year, and I got lucky: I was able to keep my promise and spend only two grand. Since my '83 Suzuki GR650X Tempter broke down (and will be offline for some time (needing a new stator and starter motor of which both are back-ordered indefinitely), I have now bought a new motorcycle. I am now the proud owner of a '99 Suzuki VS800GLX Intruder.
I've got wheels again, yay. wave flag :hector_bird:
Back to business.
For my next trick, I'll do a quick run-through of the vessels flown by the Axe-tail Imperial Starfleet, Axe-tail civilians, and renegade warriors.
Axe-tail Fleet Carrier: The Imperial Martial Engineering 'Greatsword' Type fleet carrier is by far the most dangerous warship in the Axe-tail arsenal. Capable of taking on Apache -class command ships, it carries squadrons of A5 interceptors and 'Warhammer' fighter-bombers and possesses enough firepower all by itself to turn worlds to slag. Though slow and unmaneuverable, and extremely expensive to build and maintain, its strong defenses, integrated cloaking device, and multiple photon beams and quantum disruptors make the 'Greatsword' fleet carrier the cornerstone of the Axe-tail Imperial Starfleet. Republic Naval Systems' release of the Aegis -class command ship spurred the development of an even more powerful carrier to match the UGN's increasing firepower. Named for one of the twin priest-queens who united the Empire over a thousand years ago, the Imperial Martial Engineering 'Ra'kor' type fleet carrier is designed along similar lines to its Galactic counterparts: a heavily armored long range force projection platform and command and control starship, with multi-mission capability. In order to accommodate this, the 'Ra'kor' type is a full three hundred meters longer and fifty meters broader than the 'Greatsword,' with a streamlined hull to ease the strain on the gravatic drives.
Axe-tail Cruiser: Though it lacks the sheer firepower of the fleet carrier, the Imperial Martial Engineering 'Scimitar' Type Cruiser is a good match for Galactic destroyers, and great minds think alike: the Axe-tail cruiser was designed for similar duties. A pair of photon beams, point defense, and a quantum disruptor give it the firepower to bring similar vessels to their knees, and speed, agility and an integrated cloaking device let it evade larger ships. The biggest drawback is its hefty price tag, though price breaks are possible with the right connections.
Axe-tail Escort Frigate: Imperial Civil Engineering builds the 'Ke'vak' Type Escort Frigate exclusively for the Imperial Ministry of Justice. An integrated wide-field cloaking device enables it to hide ships in formation, making it perfect for such duties as witness protection and escort duty. It is armed with proton burst weapons and Slaughter missiles, with autocannons for defense. Fitting all this equipment into such a small hull, however, severely reduces the available room for modification. The Imperial Martial Engineering 'Sublime' Type Escort Frigate has only been in service for a few years, but it is already displacing the 'Ke'vak' Type. In addition to more powerful engines than the 'Ke'vak,' the 'Sublime' has greater range and stronger defenses. The addition of a photon beam to its armament grants the ability to take on much larger vessels, and of course the wide-field cloaking device gives it the ability to conceal allied ships. All these additions, of course, come at a commensurate price; the 'Sublime' Type is half-again as expensive.
Axe-tail Prowler: To more effectively combat Galactic Prominence -class gunboats, Imperial Martial Engineering created the 'Rapier' Type Prowler in 1001 GSD. This patrol ship has great range and, though not quite as agile or fast as the Prominence , Axe-tail prowlers are better-defended and have a broader selection of weaponry. Though power requirements preclude the use of a cloaking device in a ship this size, the prowler is nevertheless quite effective in its assigned role. The other version of the Axe-tail Prowler is flown primarily by the Axe-tail Ministry of Intelligence. It lives up to its name far more than the other type; while it mounts few weapons, the Stealth Variant is fast and has great range, and mounts a cloaking device. This makes it the recon vessel of choice for the Axe-tail Imperial Starfleet.
Axe-tail Fighter-Bomber: Imperial Martial Engineering designed the 'Warhammer' type fighter-bomber in direct response to the first contact with the UGF in 995 GSD. Though the A5 Interceptor is quite capable of outflying the Black Knight, if the former crosses the latter's bow, it's bye-bye A5. And that doesn't even consider what happens if an A5 tries to take on a Galactic warship. To combat the sudden increase in A5 losses (admittedly partially due to a complacent peacetime officer corps), Axe-tail spies reverse-engineered the RNS Starhawk and mounted similar engines on the two-man fighter-bomber. The rarely seen Class II fighter-bomber eschews a grenade mortar for a third disruptor field generator and a small number of Slaughter missiles. It is a midrange vessel between the standard 'Warhammer' type and the Prowler, and is in high demand. The difficulty in arming it (grenades are easy to handle, but antimatter missiles are not) makes it a poor choice for shipboard duty, however; this type is more often seen in an escort or patrol role.
Axe-tail Interceptor: The only Axe-tail military vessel not made by state-owned manufacturers, the Akalias & Sons Stellar Design A5 Interceptor is a masterpiece of precision engineering. Although lightly armed (only two proton cannons!) and not very well armored, Axe-tail Interceptors are blindingly fast and agile, and can swarm and maul Galactic Black Knights. Often, entire fleet battles grind to a halt as both sides watch dogfights between famed pilots.
Axe-tail Light Freighter: This 300-meter ship is the Imperial Civil Engineering 'Shandu' Type Light Freighter. Fast, agile, and with enough defensive armament and shields to handle just about any pirate, it was designed to resupply Axe-tail bases during the Valeeid War about two hundred years ago, when enemy raids destroyed many shuttles in ambushes along the major trade routes. Although the cheap automated shuttles were somewhat expendable, the warriors and materiel they carried were anything but. Therefore, the Light Freighter was built and equipped with point defense weapons. The renegades often fly these in modified form.
Axe-tail Heavy Freighter: Far better defended than the shuttles it dwarfs, the Imperial Civil Engineering 'Khanhur' Type Heavy Freighter's only real enemies during the Valeeid Wars were the Valeeid Guardian -class bombers. Like most Axe-tail designs, it appears deceptively organic on the outside, but it is purely mechanical. Many civilian captains choose this ship for the reason that it carries much cargo, and for a low price. Due to the Axe-tail skill with automation, it requires a surprisingly small crew. Renegade versions feature a wide variety of extra weaponry and handling characteristics. Often, you'll meet them with photon beams or interceptor bays.
Axe-tail Shuttle: Though lightly armed, the Imperial Civil Engineering 'Fatbird' Type Automated Shuttle can match the speed of most light freighters, and is more agile. With double the Galactic C-5 Pigeon's shields and armor, it's capable of surviving most attacks these days, and is often used (in a modified version) to land Axe-tail troops on planets. Most of the time 'Fatbird' shuttles operate without a crew, but some private captains use it (mainly as a stepping-stone to a light or heavy freighter).
Axe-tail Scoutship: The Imperial Martial Engineering 'Far Eye' Type Automated Reconnaissance Ship is a unique vessel. Like many Axe-tail war machines, it is a robot, in this case a robotic probe that features a unique outfit package. It includes a powerful sensor array that can even detect cloaked vessels, along with a miniaturized cloaking device that makes it undetectable to conventional sensors. Trouble is, it's cannon fodder (provided you manage to hit it).
The renegades are similar in most respects to the Houseless in stock EVN and EVN:UGF (though there is no literal Auroran government, it having become fully integrated into Galactic society over the thousand-plus years since the Rebel victory over the Bureau, Auroran culture is still strong). They are dishonored warriors, Axe-tails who have committed terrible crimes such as rape, piracy, or attacking civilians. Such crimes aren't enough to warrant execution, but by tradition, such warriors are stripped of all rank and expelled from the empire on pain of death. Over the centuries, they have banded together for survival (partially because the area they inhabit is a wasteland) and now are pirates in all but name. They raid the Klavarese, Axe-tails and even the UGF and independent worlds in the region.
Renegades may be seen flying everything from Galactic open-market warships and modified freighters to Axe-tail cruisers. Carriers, however, require too much manpower and maintenance to be worth the trouble of capturing or stealing one.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 16 November 2010 - 04:24 PM
Yeah, I'm really going to like playing the Axe-tail string. Such awesomely powerful warships are going to be fun to modify and crush fleets with.
Congratulations on the new motorcycle! I know nothing about them, but I'm sure it's impressive.
Status report:
Haven't done much these past few days, but I'm going to try my hand at modeling one of the simpler-looking starships in EVN:UGF, the Kyrzakagalan gun platform. Stay tuned.
Edit: I have good news and, uh, indifferent news. The good news is, I pulled off my first starship from EVN:UGF, using Delphi's components and Sketchup. I'll post it this evening. The indifferent news is, I appear to have mostly mastered Sketchup's basics in the four hours it took me to design the thing.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 26 October 2010 - 04:40 PM
My first Sketchup ship from EVN:UGF. I picked a relatively simple one, and was able to build the model in about four hours of solid work.
Kyrzakagalan Kadush -class Gun Platform
A much more dangerous ship than the basic Kyrzakagalan fighter, the Kadush -class Gun Platform is typically flown by older and more honored Kyrzakagalan warriors. Gun platforms, though slow, can turn on a dime and fire in any direction, and are practically indestructible against anything smaller than a light cruiser. The design was partly the inspiration for the Galactic HB-60 Scallopshell bomber.
I started with a hexagonal hull, added a conical turret emplacement on top, and plopped one of Delphi's turret/command tower/control pod thingies on top of that. I then added five of Delphi's vectored thrust components onto the rear, and started to customize the hull.
Kyrzakagalan ships don't have much in the way of shields, but Kyrzakagalan steel alloys are extremely strong. The angled hull plates also help to deflect fire; this helped inspire the Scallopshell's shape.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 28 October 2010 - 12:15 PM
Nice! Maybe I should experiment with Sketchup's texture options some more, too. I can't quite find anything I'm happy with so far, though.
QUOTE (DarthKev @ Oct 27 2010, 03:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You can probably find more textures on the web, or make your own and import them. This is basically a first draft; I'm going to try and find some that are more realistic before I'm done.
By the way, I notice there aren't that many parts in the 2.0 ship component library. Is Delphi's 1.0 component library still available, and does it have parts that aren't in the 2.0 library?
EDIT: One other question: what's the preferred angle for shipyard pics?
This post has been edited by StarSword : 27 October 2010 - 10:07 AM
Double-posting, because this post is on a completely different topic.
The Kyrzakagalans are a minor government in EVN:UGF, and are basically treated as pirates. They're an entire race of spacefaring nomads that are warrior-dominated. They never surrender, and only take prisoners for slaves.
Based on United Galactic Navy autopsies of slain Kyrzakagalans, it is known that they are mammals along the lines of furry pigs. Males feature endocrine organs that enable them to enter a berserker rage that leaves them invulnerable to pain, and increase their strength and speed by an unbelievable amount; a raging Kyrzakagalan's bare-handed punch can penetrate the plasteel power armor worn by United Galactic Marines. The only sure way to drop a raging Kyrzakagalan is with a headshot. Female Kags are shorter and physically weaker, but tend to be smarter than their menfolk.
Kyrzakagalan warriors are driven to raid by a desire for personal glory; they have no loyalties beyond their chieftain, immediate family, and tribe, in that order. A system controlled by the Kyrzakagalans is controlled only loosely, and named after the tribes that share control over it through a likewise loose alliance. Nevertheless, their presence on the north border of Betelgeuse Sector forces a constant Galactic military presence.
In the past the Kyrzakagalans have inadvertently had great effects on politics. In 172 GSD, a Kyrzakagalan tribe launched a surprise attack on the capital of the Betelgeuse Confederacy that cost half a million lives (and that's only the civilians). The Confederate Parliament responded with a vote of no confidence in its prime minister, declared martial law, and, together with the Corunian Planetary Alliance, launched a full-scale war against the Kags. After six years of fighting, the Kyrzakagalans were defeated, but the new prime minister, Lance Bergstrom, refused to give up his martial power and had the Parliament dissolved by force. So, in other words, the First Kyrzakagalan War led to the collapse of democracy.
During the subsequent rebellion against the Confederacy, the Kyrzakagalans aided the Twin Stars Alliance rebels by pure happenstance; their raids caused far more damage to the Confed than the TSA.
The biggest problem with fighting the Kyrzakagalans is that they are cowards by many standards; if the battle looks like it's going against them, they'll frequently cut and run. The Second Kyrzakagalan War (700-701 GSD) had less of an effect on galactic politics, but illustrated this quality perfectly. Qua-Lak-Mura, chief of the Qua tribe, united most of the tribes with a mixture of diplomacy and intimidation and invaded the Milky Way Union, waltzing merrily through several systems before the Union Navy could respond. The fighting lasted a year and a half before the brilliant Union Admiral Janice O'Brien trapped Qua-Lak-Mura and his elite warriors near a black hole, preventing them from escaping into hyperspace and thus forcing them to commit to a decisive battle. O'Brien's stratagem worked perfectly: Qua-Lak-Mura was killed, and the tribal coalition disintegrated. This battle resulted in the most decorations ever granted by the Milky Way Union for a single battle, including five Medals of Honor, and O'Brien eventually ended up with two entire UGN battlecruiser classes named for her, the O'Brien - and O'Brien II -classes of EVN:UGF.
The Third Kyrzakagalan War (961-962 GSD) was an echo of the first, wherein a strong leader -- in this case, Deli-Kav-Patil -- united many tribes with sheer force of personality. This war also provides some insight into Kag tribal politics: chieftainships typically pass from firstborn son to firstborn son, and Deli-Kav-Patil, being the third son, had little chance of succeeding his father. He orchestrated the assassination of his father and brothers, and was named chief by the tribal shaman. He then united the tribes and attacked the UGF in mid-960, rampaging through several sectors, and using guerrilla tactics to evade the UGN.
In 961, Deli-Kav-Patil launched a bold raid into the heart of Galactic space and destroyed or carried off 80 billion credits' worth of shipping (and killed almost a million people) before the UGN could drive him back. (This spurred the development of a much faster hyperdrive for Galactic warships, a technical advantage the UGN guards closely to this day.) Deli-Kav-Patil then destroyed three border colonies; the Galactic Senate requested the UGN mount a full-scale attack to put an end to the raids.
In early March 962, using a munitions convoy as bait, the Fourth Battle Group, led by the Valhalla -class command ship UGNS StarSword (later known as the StarSword -B after the commissioning of the current Aegis -class StarSword -C), trapped and destroyed the entirety of the Tob tribe. Minor raids in retaliation cost 5,000 lives. The war finally came to an end in May of that year, when the United Galactic Marine Corps's Special Tactical Assault Unit (STAU, the most elite of its special ops units), inserted in a captured Kyrzakagalan gun platform, infiltrated Deli-Kav-Patil's camp and assassinated him. As STAU made its escape, the Fourth Battle Group dropped out of hyperspace and finished the job, scattering the Kags to the four winds.
At the outset of EVN:UGF, the Kags are still out there, but compared to the Axe-tails or Balcrusians, a minor threat to Galactic security.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 10 July 2011 - 10:15 AM
QUOTE (StarSword @ Oct 27 2010, 06:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
As far as I know the second collection contains all the parts of the first with the new pieces of the second. The only thing the second collection doesn't include that the first collection does is the model of Delphi's Scimitar, a large heavy fighter. If you have that model, then you have the first collection.
As for shipyard pics, I normally use the 23rd frame of a 36 frame spin or whichever frame is five-eights of the total number of frames if dealing with more than 36 frames. I believe that's what EVN used, too, though I can't be sure.
QUOTE (StarSword @ Oct 27 2010, 07:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
<history lesson on Kyrzakagalans>
You mentioned a faster UGN hyperdrive, something they keep under lock and key to ensure their enemies don't get it. Does this mean Galactic ships are faster through hyperspace than other ships of the same class? Or are there some that are even faster?
QUOTE (DarthKev @ Oct 27 2010, 04:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
WARNING, MAJOR SPOILER!!
Among the biggest advantages the United Galactic Navy has over its foes in Known Space is that its ships can respond to crises much faster. The advanced hyperdrives on Galactic Navy ships enable even the giant Aegis -class command ship to travel through hyperspace in a fraction of the time it would take, say, an Axe-tail carrier. They can also change direction in hyperspace up to four times, jump much closer to the heart of a gravity well, and even consume less fuel (which translates to an effective two-jump increase in a ship's maximum range). These drives come standard on Navy ships, but adding them as aftermarket upgrades is very expensive and requires government approval.
I took Darthkev's version of the Black Knight and refined it some, adding a few details he missed. The final result is almost exactly what I originally envisioned, and even more accurate than the model I built with meatspace LEGOs.
_ Magnum Dynamics, Inc. SF-81A Black Knight Stealth Fighter, and SF-81R Black Knight Stealth Recon Ship_
The Magnum Dynamics, Inc. SF-81A Black Knight is a stealth attack fighter, filling a niche that only a couple of other ships in Known Space share. Speed, armament, and defense: this ship has them all, and mounts some of the best weapons in the Galactic arsenal. Its stealth armor coating absorbs radio waves, making it especially hard to hit with radar-guided missiles, and its fully modular structure makes it both easy to maintain and a beauty to hot-rod. For peak performance, though, it requires an astromech droid (usually an R8 or newer) in an armored compartment in front of the cockpit.
The Magnum Dynamics, Inc. SF-81R, or "Recon Black Knight," is a long-range scoutship that trades missiles for extra sensor capability and better defenses. Its pilots are notorious for being sneaky as hell, especially at chess, poker, and avikasu. You have been warned.
The main modifications I made were:
I may favor capital ships for actual gameplay, but despite the presence in EVN:UGF of the Aegis -class UGN command ship UGNS StarSword as a flagship-type PERS, I don't consider it my NPC ship. The StarSword is just the flag vessel of the Fourth Battle Group, which is just one of the ten UGN flagships that appear, and these in turn are only the first ten of thirty that appear in my original writings. Instead, the Game Master PERS is the commanding officer of the United Galactic Fighter Corps, who appears as a souped-up Black Knight. My comm quote typifies my (and his) sense of humor:
QUOTE (Gen. Aaron J. Davis @ the distant future)
This is General Aaron J. Davis of the U.G.F.C. I will accept your immediate and unconditional surrender.
Just kidding. Man, the look on your face...
Psychologists and sociologists have made millions analyzing and reanalyzing the pilots of the Black Knight, who are as a whole fanatically attached to it. It's been in production for over twenty years now, and every attempt to replace it with a newer ship has been shouted down by the flyboys. Suffice to say that, though it's not the fastest or most maneuverable fighter in EVN:UGF by a long shot, it's one of the best.
Now I'm working on the Ganba command cruiser, and I have determined that you don't actually need to render things life-size. Makes imported Delphi components really freakin' tiny, so you have to find them before you can work with them. I'm definitely resizing the thing when I'm done.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 29 October 2010 - 02:20 PM
QUOTE (StarSword @ Oct 29 2010, 10:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I took Darthkev's version of the Black Knight and refined it some, adding a few details he missed.
Ah, much better than my attempt. Nicely done!
QUOTE
Not that anyone would see the things retracting, anyway. From what you told me, the Black Knight's in-game graphic is fairly small.
Well, you could include their movement into the banking graphics. When the fighter banks left, the fins could move accordingly. When the fighter banks right, they could move the other way. Am I making sense or am I being too vague?
Now I'm working on the Ganba command cruiser, and I have determined that you don't actually need to render things life-size.
I never model anything life-size in terms of Sketchup's measurements. Sure, the final renders will be scaled appropriately for in-game sizes, but they're never to scale when in Sketchup. If I need to determine the actual length of the ship for reality's sake (fighters, for instance) I just scale the little Sang character to the appropriate size.
Couldn't you have even more frames for a firing animation?
QUOTE (Spartan Jai @ Oct 30 2010, 12:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I don't think so, unfortunately. I don't know how the "Extra frames in base image used for" field interacts with the "Unfolds when firing weapons" flag, but my gut feeling is that the two don't work together.
QUOTE (StarSword @ Oct 26 2010, 10:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I love the idea, but to be honest I'm not too keen on the design. The gun platform on top is quite inconsistent with the rest of the ship in visual style. You typically don't want to mix and match visual styles. I'd throw some flat armor plates onto the outside to reflect the rest of the ship.
Also keep in mind that hull plates only deflect fire when attacked from the same plane. If you attack from above and dive towards the ship, it would no longer be angled relative to the attacker.
Also, are the engines on the gun turret, so that it turns like the Pegasus? Because that would explain how it turns on a dime but is slow at the same time, which wouldn't make much sense if the engines were in a standard configuration.
Again, I hate to be so negative, but just remember that if I haven't criticized it it's because I think it's cool.
QUOTE (StarSword @ Nov 2 2010, 09:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Well, technically, you could include those pods in the weapon glow, but they'd have to literally be the glow. Plus, you wouldn't see them retract nor extend, you'd just see them fade into place and fade out with the rest of the glow. So while you could technically make it happen, it wouldn't be pretty.
H.A.V.O.K. Command Cruiser, Verlodra -class
Once again, the Ganba command cruiser, this time as a Sketchup model. I first built it full-scale (all 4700 meters in length), then, when I finished, rescaled the entire ship to about an eighth of the original size.
If you look closely, the bridge tower actually has separate decks. The yellow thing forward of it is a decal of the Ganbar Empire's insignia, a stylized green paw on a yellow field. It's also on the outside face of each vertical fin, although you can't see them from here because the hull is in the way.
One attachment shows a detail of the bow. I used three Small Vector Thrust Blocks for fighter bays; the cones are tubes for the Ganba anti-warship Thunderbolt torpedoes.
The other attachment shows the stern. I made the dorsal and ventral engine sections out of modified Large Hulls with Curvature, and the thrusters out of Small Vector Thrust Blocks attached to an Offset Starship Core.
My having drawn the original concept art on graph paper greatly simplified the construction; I could divide the number of squares by my established values of length, height, and beam in order to determine the positions and sizes of various hull sections and the like.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 04 November 2010 - 01:24 PM