Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

I'm just curious about what everyone's favorite and least favorite shipsets are (just the graphics).

My favorite shipset is the 'Dra'kol' custom shipset created by Don Phillips (Voidhawk) and Tampa_Gamer for the TDM Modpack. I just drool whenever I look at those ships. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

My least favorite is the original SE4 Terran shipset. It's just so 'blah' to me. Boxy and kind of square. Unsexy. Nothing wrong with it technically, mind you, but it just doesn't have the panache that some of the others do. We must do better for Mother Earth. I really like Hadrian's 'Federal Union' shipset so I renamed the graphic files and put them in the Terran directory of the TDM mod. Looks *sooo* much better.

Anyone else? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

I like the Rage, reminds me of a board game I once had.
The Vandron are also right up there.

I don't really know what I hate the most, but I do know that the terran ships are not blocky enough.
Maybe I've just seen too much B5, and the Jreanar have taken the Trek pressure off http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

My personall Favorite is the original Federal Union. Great retro shipset.

The ones I dislike the most are my pitifull attempts at shipsets, which even now are decaying in the bowels of my computer.

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

Included Shipsets:

I have to say that I like the Sallega the most. Even though they may be a bit blocky, they seem the most logical to me.

And for the ugliest... the Fazrah shipset, UGH! BLECH! WHO THE **** DESIGNED THAT anyways?

Fan Made:
Gryphon Sector Shipset must be the most beutiful I have ever seen, even though it's not compatible with Gold.

I really don't have a worst Fan made Shipset because even if there are some bad points in a shipset, there are other points that make it shine and you have to recognize all the work that is put into it...

... even though I have yet to see a trek set that has met to my liking...

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

There are many really excellent player-made ship sets out there. See for example The USy page, but these are only maybe half of the sets out there.

I don't really have a favourite. My least favourite are the sets that are a mix of all sorts of different sizes and styles and perspectives, with no apparent pattern. I also wish more sets would use a different image for the leader portrait than they do for the population images. Otherwise, it looks like it's an empire of clones of one particular bozo.

PvK

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

Pvk,
Just like the cylons???

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

Well for races that are supposed to be identical-looking it's fine. If the portrait looks like a distinct individual, and the population icon looks exactly the same, then it's not so good. Mainly this happens with humans and near-humans, because we can tell they look like an individual.

For example, the default Terran set... that admiral with the big schnozz is OK for the leader, but having cargoloads of identical population with the same nose and the same medals on their uniforms, is peculiar. Even worse are the ones that use photos of media stars. I kind of like the TOS (Trek original) set, except that its portraits make it look like the "Empire of Captain Kirk Clones!" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

On the other hand, all those Jraenar look the same to me - I guess I'm biggotted. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

PvK

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by ColdSteel:
I'm just curious about what everyone's favorite and least favorite shipsets are (just the graphics).

My favorite shipset is the 'Dra'kol' custom shipset created by Don Phillips (Voidhawk) and Tampa_Gamer for the TDM Modpack. I just drool whenever I look at those ships. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

My least favorite is the original SE4 Terran shipset. It's just so 'blah' to me. Boxy and kind of square. Unsexy. Nothing wrong with it technically, mind you, but it just doesn't have the panache that some of the others do. We must do better for Mother Earth. I really like Hadrian's 'Federal Union' shipset so I renamed the graphic files and put them in the Terran directory of the TDM mod. Looks *sooo* much better.

Anyone else? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif <hr></blockquote>

I think the quality of the SE IV default shipsets is very uneven. The Fazrah and the Ukra Tal have a couple of the plainest (as in undetailed), most unrealistic and uninspiring sets available. Many of the 'monochrome' shipsets produced by teenagers using PovRay are better! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif On the other hand, some of the SE IV default shipsets are really good. The Amon Krie, the Cue Cappa, the Jraenar, the Norak sets are excellent! The Abbidon, the Phong, the Sergetti, and the Xiati are decent. The others like the Terrans and the Sallega are kinda boxy and not too 'sleek and dangerous' looking but not nearly as bad as the Fazrah and Ukra Tal sets. Even the 'green fur' shipset of the Drushocka is better. The Xi Chung is not as cool as an organic shipset ought to be but is also still much better than the Ukra Tal have.

Of the third-party shipsets I've seen, I'd have to divide them into two classes. Derivative designs based on a SciFi show or movie, and original designs. The derivatives are hard to judge. The movie/tv show they come from is going to heavily influence your opinion regardless of the quality of the shipset itself. And anyway, how much credit do you give to an artist for skillful video capture? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Or for seeing a ship in a movie or show and making a good copy in a modeling program? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Some of the Trek and B5 sets are nice, but that's more of a tribute to skill at copying than at design. Not that copying a design isn't a lot of work, too.

Some of the original shipsets are about as good as the best ones in the SE IV default sets, though. I like the Ixaris, for example. And the Cephalopeians are a cool 'novelty' design. I can't say I've seen any originals that I like as much as those four best SE IV defaults, though.

[ 01 April 2002: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]</p>

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

I must admit that the most fun I ever had was combining two different Borg technologies. 0ne was an assimilation trait; the next was Borg technology (researchable). It was so much fun to just plow thru the galaxy combining the two, It is to bad that no one ever made a mod combining the two together. They would have been a very tough race! They are both in the AI/race shipset. Combining the two sets would make for a very tough race indeed. With the Malfordian facilities, they would be a tough fight With the mod authers blessing I would love the best of these to be combined, almost instant regeneration, ability to have a huge resource base! The Borg the way they were meant to be!

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

In reviewing these, I notice that the Praetorians actually have a separate baseship image in Gold! Neat!

Interesting, Baron, to hear some different appraisals than I might give, in some cases. After inheriting the Ukra Tal in our test Gold PBW game, I actually got to like that ship set pretty well. Some of the ships are pretty flat and omelette-y and homely, and I guess it may not've required a lot of technical skill, I admit, but I do like the battleship, space station, battlestation, destroyer, starbase, and the portrait.

I think I prefer the Ukra Tal to the Xi Chung.

I like a lot of the Cue Cappa, but I don't particularly like the main warships, although that's personal preference rather than thinking they're not well done (they are). I fill similarly about the Krill and Abbidon (well done, but I don't really relate to their warships).

I actually like the Sallega, but think the mini images are too small - the small ships are nearly invisible on the starfield.

After checking out the sets on The USy page, though, I think there are a few that are at least as good as even the best ones that come with the game. At least, to my own tastes.

Some of the nicer ones on that page: Angellicans, Vidrihne, Darlok, Federal Union, Gryphon Sector, House of Aleskander, Nloam, Nostropholo, Pacea One, Rintax, Aquilaean, Tlaxcalan, United Flora, and some others seem more or less top rate to me, and I'd prefer all of those to playing the Cue Cappa or Xi Chung.

Well, enough sharing of tastes... back to work...

PvK

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

"but think the mini images are too small - the small ships are nearly invisible on the starfield."

Yup.. Geo actually ignored one of my ships in Dimension X for the longest time. I'm sitting here wondering, "why isn't it dead yet". I found out when I asked if he was blind- my ship died shortly thereafter, since he knew there was something there to look for..

Phoenix-D

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

My Favorites are Nostropholo and Taeron.
I like Zedron ships too, but race picture is just plain ugly. And out of style as well.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:



Of the third-party shipsets I've seen, I'd have to divide them into two classes. Derivative designs based on a SciFi show or movie, and original designs. The derivatives are hard to judge. How much credit do you give to an artist for skillful video capture? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Or for seeing a ship in a movie or show and making a good copy in a modeling program? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Some of the Trek and B5 sets are nice, but that's more of a tribute to skill at copying than at design.

[ 29 March 2002: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]<hr></blockquote>

How would you classify my "Soul Hunters" ? I resent the notion that all I am good at is just plain plagiarism. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

I think the Soulhunters are in a class of their own. Though it is based on a ship seen in the show, you used that to extrapolate out an entire ship set. Where the Narn/Centauri/Others already had a complete range of ships to use to create a shipset. I actually thought the Soulhunters were well done and have a slightly menacing look to them.

My favorite shipset in the original game is the Amonkrie. The Krill are probably my least favorite - too bland!

My favorite fan set was the Narn and EA sets (from the series catagory), my least favorite are the hodgepodge sets that don't have any cohessive feel to the set (unless that was their goal - a chaotic empire?).

Probably the most creative set I have ever seen was the Lego one http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

My favorite is the Sharlon.

My least favorite is probably the Xiati, because they're nearly impossible to see.

I'm the exact opposite of oleg; I really like the Zedron race portrait, but am at best indifferent to the shipset.

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

Developing a scifi theme based Ship set is no easy task. Weather or not they warrent specific credit for being a good set, well HELL yes they do.

The question was not about what set "original" set do you like best, but :

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>I'm just curious about what everyone's favorite and least favorite shipsets are (just the graphics).<hr></blockquote>

I took this to mean that EVERYTHING regardless of origins was to be considered. Quite frankly, I am getting sick of hearning people ***** that the Trek/B5/SW sets are not original enough. Excuse me for saying this, MANY OF THE SHIPS in these sets are original! A great many hours went into creating, developing, compiling, etc these sets. To dismiss them as "skillful video capture" is insulting and hurtful. (Dispite the http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif face )

Those sets were developled because PEOPLE wanted them, and now they are considered second class?

Come on, all because the person who developed those races for SEIV may not have created all the images, does not mean that they did not spend considerable time making them for SEIV. To dismiss them as unworthy of consideration is indeed unforgiveable.

However, I agree that races developed from exsisting images should be judged on those marrets, and those created using a 3d program should be consider on that. However, since the discrimination has begun, any set created with DOGA should also be in its own catagory since the many of the images are built from exsisting images within the DOGA program's library.

So the way I see it, you have five seprate catagories from which to judge five seprate favorates from;

1. Original Game Races
2. Original Sets created using a 3d program
3. Sets created using DOGA
4. Sets created using exsisting images (Regardless if they have original images created by using 2 & or 3)
5. Hand made drawn images. (Rare)

So from that I now will now post my Favorites.

1. Xaiti
2.
3. Starwolf
4. Dominion
5.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>I kind of like the TOS (Trek original) set, except that its portraits make it look like the "Empire of Captain Kirk Clones!" <hr></blockquote>

You can always change the race image. I have considered posting several differant Star Trek Race portraits for use with any Star Trek Set. You just pick the one you like, rename it, and your there.

[ 31 March 2002: Message edited by: Atrocities ]</p>

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

Favorite Shipset: The Y'Gathian Freestates as done by Andres. (damn fine set, still my top favorite after all this time).

(runner ups: The Slaneesh(sp?), Classic Star Wars Empire1, Solarion, Rage, The EEEvil......)

Least Favorite: None really, all are just reflections of the shipset designer's aim/desire. I can't really say "That is crap!" cause I can barely draw a stick person. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif That being said I just wish the Sagella/Praetorian shipsets ships were bigger on the main map.

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

Atrocities,
Re: your post from: 31 March 2002 18:18

Thank you, well said.

I just like the ones that:
Are easy to see
The ships seem to have a continuity from one to the next.
Cool looking is nice but not a requirement.
Source and skills of designer/artist are moot to me.

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

Favorite: hard to say...most sets have something going for them. My first was cobbled from Online pics (any of you tried getting rid of a starfield so the pic will work, not to mention oriented properly?) That said I like the DOGA based ones since they show some talent but didn't cost the aurhor an arm and leg for the program: I guess Atrocitie's Dopplegangers are my Fav there.

Using other graphics program: The Rage...darn nice set.

Least favorite: Praetorians (just too darn tiny for my old fart eyes http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif )

[ 01 April 2002: Message edited by: pathfinder ]

[ 01 April 2002: Message edited by: pathfinder ]</p>

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

Thanks, Val. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Sorry for not contributing to Bab5 mod. I am totally enchanted by Proportions mod right now. Very neat concept, in line with what I always thought about wars in Babylon 5 universe : Battle of the line, Narn surrender after homeworld bombardment, etc.

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

...skillful video capture?
AFAIK no one used video capture directly to make a shipset. But in some cases are based on pictures found on websites or software originally captured from video.
Seeing a ship in a movie or show and making a good copy in a modeling program is much harder than you imagine.
...more of a tribute to skill at copying than at design?
No shipset is desingned from nothing. What the different between copying copying details from here and there and an entire ship (that in most cases is much more detailed than ships desinged specially for SE4).

Just like with original desings there are good and bad sci-fi based shipset.

If you're not interested in having a particulae shipset because you like their role in your favourite sci-fi show/movie.
Then just judge it by the graphics (and if they are clean ect). Who are you to judge the author's imagination.

I like playing sci-fi crossovers, in fact I prefer AI of those races to be a faithful roleplayer rather than a competitive adversary.
But I also do like original races.

I don't see the point of diferencing shipsets modeled in doga or other programs. Well doga can be more limited that other programs, but some modellers managed to make really impresive ships with it.

Some things I want in the graphics, regardless of their source or modelling method are:

*Realism: realistic ships that actually look like something floating in space and not like a crude image in my monitor.
*Giant Ships: starships are supposed to be very big. When you look at the ships (at least the biggest ones) you must be able to imagine that they are several hundred meters long.
*Sizes Differenciation: This applies specially to the minis pictures, some artists seem to to pay enough attention to.
To make it easier when playing, not only for example the destroyer must look larger than the escort and smaller than the cruiser, but also look of the same size of the destroyers, escorts and cruisers of other races.
*Clean graphics: Ships masking correctly when placed over the backgound, no visible pixels, ships fittining complete inside their areas, ect.
*Originality: Normally I like classic looking starships and never complain that a shipset is more of the same. But I must admit that some original ideas / different looking shipsets have extra points for that.
*Faithfully Copy: If we're talking about a sci-fi based shipset then I want just the opposite. I want the shipset to copy everything from the source as faithfully as possible. That ships are used for similar functions and of similar sizes of the original ect.

I don't think that all ships have problem with different styles and perspectives. You never see many ships at once, so different angles in the perspective don't matter at all if every one of them looks fine.
Some resemblance of general shapes and color scheme is good to identify different races, but a having a whole race building all ships alike during its entire existence (and BTW of the same colour of their skin) doesn't sound very realistic.


Check my race directory. I attempted to list all existing races there.


Some of the shipsets I like most

Angelican Regency (although I don't like the race portrait their ships are ecellent)
Federal Union (the original not the Junon variation)
Nostropholo
Y'Gathian
Tylmai
House of Aleskander
Empire1 (soon to be the only empire shipset)
Earth Alliance
Jraenar
Xiati
Amonkrie
Ixaris
Norak
Xi'Chung
Tlaxcalan
Cue Cappa
Dra'kol or Darlok (why does that race appears in different places with different names?)
Terrans (I like how they look, however they have a problem of sizes differenciation. ISTR that the author of this original race had posted a message in the yahooGroups telling he was re-rendering the shipset changing the camera angle and other details and making it look much better.)

BTW, the Praetorians always had the baseship picture, but it was not used until the new manin/alternate bitmap feature in gold.

Why does everbody like the Rage so much.
I love their ecellent AI and speech. I copied their AI files to other good looking shipsets without AI.
But you like the graphics of their ships?? are we talking about the same shipset here?? How can you like those green and gold ugly things that look like curtain ornaments rather than starships???

Re: Favorite/Least Favorite Shipset Poll
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Dra'kol or Darlok (why does that race appears in different places with different names?)<hr></blockquote>
The author had to change the name to have the set put on the Gold CD. Darlok is a race from Master of Orion.