SEV shipset specifications?

[henk brouwer]

Several months before the release of SEIV, Malfador set up a page with exact specifications on what was needed to build a seIV shipset, this page can still be found at: http://www.malfador.com/se4race.html

I was wondering wether it is possible to have a simillar page with instructions on what is needed for a seV shipset. With SeIV the page really helped in starting up the shipset moddeling community, several shipsets were completed before the game was even released ( the first versions of the Pyrochette, United Flora, and Taera shipsets among others if I remember correctly).

SeV shipset modelling will be quite different from SEIV modelling, shipset builders will have to use different programs, and models can't have too high polygon counts. If we can only start practising and experimenting with building shipsets on the day the game is published, it will probably take quite a while before any new shipsets are released. Releasing shipset specifications now, will not only help shipset builders to kill time while waiting for SEV, it will probably guarantee that some nice new shipsets will be finished even before the game is released. In the meantime the starfury modding community could benefit as well from the new ship models.

What do you think?

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Yeah, that would be neat.

However, good chance even Aaron doesn't know what they'll be in the end.

[Randallw]

From my own experiments I am thinking you can reduce the number of polygons by not mapping the bottom of the ship. I don't know if the game will show the bottom side anyway.

[David E. Gervais]

Hi, Henk

FYI: I wrote a tutorial on making a .x file model that is compatible with se5 in the spaceempires.net newsletter. (April edition I believe)

Also, I'll let Aaron know about your idea to have the specs regarding se5 ships posted on his site.

Right now I'd say that keeping the poly count on the models at about 1000 (+-500) would be ideal. But I have inserted large poly models in the game (25,000+) and it works, the only thing is the framerate takes a hit. the bigger (faster) your system is,. the more polygons it can handle.

The real test in the game is when large fleets encounter and do battle. I'll mention t to the beta testers to see if they can manage to grab a screenshot or two with large fleets in action.

One more note about models.. The better you are at texturing the less poligons you need. Much of the detail can be done on the textures.

Anyway, the basics right now are .x file format, textures are 256x256 (but can be larger depending on Video Ram available) and the current poly count for the game models runs from 500 to 1500 approximately.

I hope this little bit of info helps. Now run over to se.net and read my tutorial and give me feedback, Thanks.

Have a great day, Cheers!

[henk brouwer]

Very usefull information, thanks David ! .

I'll start downloading the different programs for the tutorial, I'll let you know how it works out.

Henk

[Fyron]

SEV will use a similar engine to Starfury. I think you can test them in the demo, but am not positive. If your models work in Starfury, chances are they should work decently in SEV. Perhaps a little tweaking, but I imagine they should be fine.

David's "X Factor" article can be found here:

Space Empires.net Newsletter - April 2005

[Phoenix-D]

Be careful about not doing the bottom of the ship- that DOES show in Stafury in certain camera views and when the ship turns, and I imagine it'll be the same in SE5.

[Randallw]

Ok thanks, just a thought.

[TurinTurambar]

When ships explode in Starfury, they flip end-over-end before "detonating." You definitely see the bottom of the ship.

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[boran_blok]

on that note, some more variation in the dying sequences would definetly be nice, in fact maybe make dying sequences part of the shipset specifications with multiple possible death animations. (I think the concept of a full physics engine will be a bit too far stretched for SEV, maybe for SEVI )