Oolite Bulletins

Hej,
this work in process aims to provide some of Griff's other extra or alternate vessels (and maybe accessories like the new rocks, later) to go along with the new v1.80 shipsset on computers without a shader capable graphics card..

After my first miserable tries to understand how these textures are to be recomposed I had contacted "Captain Solo", whose Griff's no shaders ships are used as default in Oolite, nowadays. He was so kind to help me to sort things out, gave me a detailed instruction how to convert/combine the original marvelous textures, so they work out on low-end machines like mine. I just changed a few things to add the engine glows and such, too.

So most credits have to go to Captain Solo who helped me tremendously how to compose Griff's awesome textures to no shadered ones, and of course to Griff for his great ship designs. My only work was merely some GIMP work and some simple shipdata/shipyard editing.

without much further ado:

* Missing coreships:
Fer-de-Lance, old variant
Cobra MK3, default scuffed variant
second variant Python from Oolite default shipset now made player buyable
organic Thargoids and Tharglets, NPC-only
Gecko, normal variant, NPC-only
Sidewinder from Oolite default shipset now made player buyable

* Alternates:
alternate Cobra MK3, scuffed and clean variant, with alternative start choices (inspired by startchoices by spara).
alternate Cobra MK1, older scuffed texture and the current clean one
alternate Mamba
alternate Fer-de-Lance
alternate GALCOP Viper (NPC only)


* Extras:
Elite2 Griffin MK1
Amiga Elite Wolf MK2
Ophidian
Elite2 Bug, two variants, older scuffed texture and newer clean one
Gnat, light/dark and dark/light
Hognose (NPCs only)


* Accessories:
Cargopods
various asteroids, boulders and splinters

* Other
Dertien's Z_Groovy Viper Raider
Dertien's Z_Groovy Cobra AC
Dertien's Z_Groovy SML and systemstations
Dertien's Z_Groovy Sidewinder Variety Pack
Dertien's Z_Groovy YellOo Cab Moray Starboat
Dertien's Z_Groovy Cobra Mark III Variety Pack

Changelog and screenshots are now updated on the  wikipage.

All currently converted ships can be downloaded as individual OXPs on my box account, OXZs available via the ingame expansion manager.
Commanders using the testing versions are adviced to update to the realease versions, too. Have fun.

Looking good

Although I'm fortunate enough to have shaders these days, I like to use Capt. Solo's versions as 'rusties' alongside the fully shadered versions. That might sound like I'm doing them a disservice but the fact is they look so good I'm still using them even on a computer with shaders...

Your work here will add nicely to my collection.
Thanks

thanks a lot. Actually the gpu on my notebook supports shaders but my framerate drops to 15 fps even with simple shaders, so I downgraded to normal detail which gives me 35 to 45 fps. Solo's shipset was a blessing for me, making it default for 1.80 even more so (I know, some would disagree).

I'm currently working on Griff's Mamba with the alternative texture from 2013 and the alternative Cobra Mk1. Trying to adjust the brightness of those two compared to the clean cobbie 3. Guess Hognose and Gnat are next, then Bug.

Awesome work Amah! these look great, really smashing stuff please feel free to rework the base skin textures even further, especially the brightness/contrast levels as without shaders to fix things on the fly in game the original textures can look really dark in game

Thanks:-) But I have to return all the praise to you and Captain Solo. Your ship designs are just awesome, and all the details are mindblowing. One of the interesting things is the way in how clever your textures and each rgb channel in it work together. I wasn't content with the things I figured out on my own, which left me on a flat/dull design. So I contacted Solo and he lead me on the right track. The first time I followed his instructions on the wolf I went just wow.

About the brightness: I'll try to adjust the cleaner ships to the clean cobbie3 and the scuffed part to the scuffed one. I'm trying not to lose to much "grime" when I brighten them up (one of the problems I had with the cobbie). I think I'll keep the wolf dark bluegray as it is now, after all it suits its role as a pirate iirc from the shipdata. The mamba was a bit too bright, the cobbie1 was way too dark. I'll them test a bit ingame, and upload them in the next couple of days.

two more ships released: Griff's alternate Cobra Mk1 and his extra Ophidian. Updated the texture of the clean Cobra Mk3 to add some dirt . Screenies on first post.

Have fun.
Amah

just bulk uploaded following new and updated ships:

* alternate: Fer-de-lance (new)
* alternate: Mamba (new):
* alternate: Cobra Mk1 (updated), two models with the current clean texture by Griff and his older scuffed texture found in a backup.
* alternate: Cobra M3 (updated), changed diffuse texture.
* extra: Ophidian(updated), changed diffuse texture
* extra Bug (new), also two variants - the current clean version, and an older one from an backup.
* extra: Gnat (new)

pictures on first post, have fun

These look really nice. Good job

Thanks a lot, and concerning your classic shipset project: Also well done, right on commander!

Anyways, Griff's models and the level of details in his textures is amazing, I just wanted to try to make them work on low end machines. And Solo's instructions how to he did it for his default shipset, was an eye opener. So, I'm just happily GIMPing my way along the missing ships, now.

IIrc, there's the Hognose, an alternate Viper (possibly with flashers), a missing Sidewinder_alt, the old scuffed cobbie mk3. Don't know about the funky Thargoid model, I think it lives on the shader effects, so it will probl. look boring. Hires system stations would be nice. The test asteroids Griff posted on his thread would also be nice... Zz_GrOovie had some nice repaints and his SML Stations would be intersting etc. etc...

Keep 'em coming.

They all look great. Credit to you, Griff and Solo for all the work and 'methodology' that went into this

thanks a lot. I'm looking forward to your very interesting rescale project btw...

Ok, to everybody something for the weekend. Just uploaded two NPC ships: the alternative Viper and the Hognose. Because of bugs I had to update the Bug and Cobra Mk1, too.

have fun

Wow! Looking very good. Excellent work!

Thank you very much, Beatnik. I do my best



That's what I'm currently up to: "Rocks and Diamonds" . I'm recolouring the docking areas of the coriolis to match the shadered one, this will take some more time I guess. And I'm working one by one on the textures of Griff's new asteroids.

Later this week, I think I'll release his new cargo pods. Those are finished, but need some testing.

Just released the new asteroid models and cargopods by Griff. Fixed lightmap of the alternative Viper. Screenshots in the first posting

have fun

First of all thanks a lot to everyone who is using the ships and accessories I converted so far. In case you find a bug just contact me.

I'm currently going back to the coreships by Griff and started to convert the ones that are missing in the default shipset of Oolite v1.80 (iirc: scuffed cobra3, , the older fer-de-lance, nodecaled gecko, the organic thargoids).

Some ingame shots of the noshaders scuffed cobra3 and the old fer-de-lance:


The diffuse textures are a compromise between Solo's softer textures and the harder/grimier ones I tend to like. They still needs some testing, now. I'm thinking about giving scuffed cobra3 a startchoice as well.