Oolite Bulletins

I’d quite like to see replacement ships with more detailed geometry, while keeping the specs and overall design of the originals. This should be doable as an OXP. Of course, since I don’t actually play the game any longer I don’t get a full vote. :-)

I've been doing an 'example cobra3' - hopefully I'll post it to my Sig: this evening...

Based on coments on this thread it's a sympathetic update based off Sung's textures rather than a wholesale reworking
( I've smoothed it 'case I like smoothness - made Sung's texture look a bit dark... )

I'll post again when it's uploaded.

Comments..?
Is this the kind of thing everyone is after, or something a little more radical like the DW Cobra??
( Ramon, I don't suppose you would post your model to me for a look? - Thanks )

-I've tried to keep the polys low ( game hx & for low-end systems )
-Apart from tweaks to the basic model most of the extra's are frangabgle sub-entities.

Ok - here's my take on an updated basic ships pack...
Cobra MkIII



It's not a very good screenshot ( late, tired, work in the morning )

But - follow the link under my sig for: UpdatedShips.zip

This contains my take on the idea based off Sung's textures ( many thanks for your hard work ) and what I've taken to be general consensus on any update being 'sympathetic' to the original models.
( Please regard this as a v. rough beta )

It's come out kind-of 'mean & moody'.
It's darker than I expected ( as a result of smoothing the model - I like smoothness )

Please read the ReadMe ( further info )

Comments please

If feedback is generally good I'll incorporate general consesus into an update of this beta for further input.
Then I'll do the rest...

I think I like it - but the work monitor is so dark I can hardly tell! That's gonna be a pig to find/see/shoot in the wild when it turns up as a pirate!

I'll have another look at home tonight on my own screen coz if I can't see it on that it's not gonna feature in my Ooniverse!

@Charlie: I looks promising. But as you and DH both point out, it's very dark. I like the lights and the smoothing.

'tis kind-of dark ( much less so prior to smoothing )
It does look much better in-game ( though still a bit dark for my taste )
( poor screen-shot )

See what you think in-game ( I've updated the external views too )

If opinion is positive ( once any generally agreed suggestions are incorporated ) I'll probably tidy-up the UVMaps & then re-do Sung's textures to match while also probably lightening them a bit. ( To compensate for the darkening-effect of smoothing )

Rather depends on:
Consensus being this is the way to go.
Sung happy for me to butcher his textures...
( Or maybe redoing them himself based on updated UVmaps )

Given the models are likely to remain fairly simple it's my intention to overlay the UV's as much as possible.
That way either the texture sizes can be smaller ( with no loss of quality ) for older systems, or much higher-res ones without the need for increasing the size...
( If that makes no sense stick my falcon.3ds file into a UV editor & all will become plain )

There are other directions to go with this ( DW Cobra-esque? ) but I guess that style would not sit well with Sung's textures - which are already done.

Let me know - I'm happy to do ( over a period of time ) but with this being a big project I won't bother without general go-ahead.



Four rockets on the back ( rather than two ) would be easily do-able. Also I have an idea for a trick-setup on much larger ships...

I really like what I see, but is there any chance of re-posting a lightened version?

Another version with lightened textures...
#
Sorry Sung - I like smoothing my models & Oolite can darken some textures a lot in the process.

Updated version @ the link under my sig:
UpdatedShip.zip

Repaint your Cobra please. That look not very nice...
I try to upload the textures to Oosat. But 11 MB wouldn't work.

Could split it as Sungtext1.zip and Snugtext2.zip but make them available from the same "node" on Oosat2.

@Charlie, like the texture, just its too dark. Is there an easy way to make them lighter?

Thx
I do so..

Exactly the same model + texture ( butchered version of Sungs )
WITHOUT smoothing...

Makes much differnece:

To repeat:-
This model is covered with Sung's textures ( temp altered for the new cock-pit )
The model itself is an updated version of the standard model ( largely but not completely new )

In my opinion smooting makes the model much nicer, but at the cost that the original texture would need redoing

Has anyone looked @ it in-game yet?

Charlie wrote:

Charly that didn't work. The look is terrible. Make a UV Map and try to paint it. The same problem is in the game with the Rock Hermit (terrible UV Map that does not fit) and the Asteroids. Some Users change my "dark_metal.png" because they think for example rock hermit would look nicer. But the model is waste and destroy every texture you put on it. They only way is to rebuild it with new UV Map and repaint.

Your cobra looks not bad, but the texture is not fitting on it.

@Sung:

Odd - I've just checked & with the exception of where I've mirrored some stuff to see where space could be saved for the extra bits it's pretty much the standard UVMap that comes with the original Cobra3.

The model is the Wings3D version of the Cobra3 released by Giles that is inside everybody's copy of Oolite.
All I've done is concave the back a little to make room for the exhausts, add a new cock-pit & a few other bits. Nothing radical at all.

There's bound to be some minor misalignments ( and for the moment as you say a rather messy UVMap ) I banged-this out in a hurry simply to see if this was the kind of thing everyone was after.
( Maybe I should have released this without a UV-map, but felt showing it in this form would make more sence )

At the end of the day I've no interest in going the whole-hog & doing the lot from scratch. ( Would take too long )
If people are generally happy with this approach I'd be happy to do a set of altered standard models wrapped around your textures with some updates to the .plists.

If you don't like because the model is rough, fine, it's a rough model. Not intended to be anything else.

Taking the above points into account: If this is an approach you would be uncomfortable with thats fine, they are your textures, I'll drop it.

Kind regards.

That darkening effect is weird… looks like you’re getting inside-out normals with smoothing, but not without.