Asymmetrical Ship Sets

[Taera]

oh thanks... i dont have much of the Illea and planning on focusing on different ships but i just might finish it... i can upload the rest of the ships i have (escort - BC) but its all nothing too special, the BC is the greatest of them all.

well ok, the link is:
link

[TerranC]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Humans are very visual and symetrical creatures. It is hard for us to look at an asymetrical craft and not think it's got a problem.

Many architecture is not symmetrical.

Humans are not perfectly symmetrical:
Facial features notably Eyes, Ears, and Nose are not symmetrical.
The human lung, liver, stomach, and kidneys are not symmetrical.

(One kidney is a bit bigger than the other... )

[Pax]

Originally posted by Taera:
oh thanks... i dont have much of the Illea and planning on focusing on different ships but i just might finish it... i can upload the rest of the ships i have (escort - BC) but its all nothing too special, the BC is the greatest of them all.

well ok, the link is:
link

That looks generally good, but you'e right, the BC is the best of them.

I'd say, slightly rework them, with the BC as the "theme defining ship".

For example, perhaps the escort would do better if you took the Frigate hull, stripped all but one of those "nacelle" like protrusions, made it about as big as the round bits on the bottom of the escort, and put it off to one side only.

Then, the Frigate can use two of them, either symmetrically aligned, or both on the same side. I'll assume both to one side.

For the next, the Destroyer; I'd say, two to one side, a third to the next, or, start with the sort of "comm array" outrigger, like the BC has.

Up from Destroyer to Light Cruiser, add an engine to the rear, and put in some weaponry-looking bits (similar to the BC) along with the twin engines.

And so on; every ship progressing along a logical flow, from Escort through BC up to Dreadnaught, and even (maybe) the BaseShip.

Asymmetry is harder to "get away with" in the sense of a starbase though, unless it does not look like it rotates to produe virtual gravity, for the most part.

However, balancing a long, far-from-the-core communications/sensor array, with a closer-in, massive 1/4, 1/3, or even 1/2 circle "gravity ring", could work.

The set, especially following the partially asymmetric theme of the BC, stands to be a GORGEOUS one, and would become one of my perrenial Favorites if you followed it (along the lines of the above, perhaps).

The organics also looked good, but I'm off my "organic ships" kick for the moment.

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by TerranC:

quote:

---

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Humans are very visual and symetrical creatures. It is hard for us to look at an asymetrical craft and not think it's got a problem.

Many architecture is not symmetrical.

Humans are not perfectly symmetrical:
Facial features notably Eyes, Ears, and Nose are not symmetrical.
The human lung, liver, stomach, and kidneys are not symmetrical.

(One kidney is a bit bigger than the other... )

---

Right. Which we have already discussed and I acknowleded earlier in the thread. But haveing one eye a milimeter bigger than the other is not really asymetrical for the purposes of our discussion. That would be like saying a battle ship is an asymetrical design because it only has an airlock hatch on one side of the ventral pod. If it were, would you even notice it in a 36 x 36 bitmap image? What most people are talking about with asymetrical ship designs would be equivalent to a being with two feet on one leg and both arms on one side of it's body.

I agree it makes for interesting and very alien looking ships. But since almost every life form on earth is basically symetrical, or at least tends towards it if possible, we are safe making some assumptions. Not hard cold assurances of course, but if the processes that formed life on earth hold true throughout the universe, you would tend to think that it is common for life forms on other planets to also be basically symetrical.

Geoschmo

[jimbob]

Taera: Hey, nice organic ship set. The black dots are very reminicient of spider eyes, right down to the fact that there are multiple sizes on the same 'face'. I'd use this shipset once it is complete... keep us posted for the release date.
I'm curious if anyone has released a plant based shipset, sort of like the plant guys in Starcontrol (I)?

[Fyron]

Look for the United Flora Empire. It is plant-based. The Cephaleaopia (or so) are giant squids.

[geoschmo]

United FLora is one of the most orignal and cool looking SE shipsets out there. It's one of my Favorites.

[Pax]

Originally posted by jimbob:
I'm curious if anyone has released a plant based shipset, sort of like the plant guys in Starcontrol (I)?

You mean the Supox. they were only in StarControl II, not Star Control I. Fun race, but, a VERY "bit part" in SC2's storyline game, and their ship's ability (the lateral movement) is VERY tough to apply well, as a human player, during a Melee, anyway.

Hmm. Though the lack of variety in Star Control race's "fleets" (each race had a SINGLE ship type) would make it difficult, I'd love to see a Star Control themed mod, complete with shipsets etc. 8) Once could even release the mod as SC-1, SC-2, SC-3, and SC-All varieties (since the mix of available races changes from one SC game to another, usually by addition of new races ...).

[henk brouwer]

Originally posted by PAX:
Hmm. Though the lack of variety in Star Control race's "fleets" (each race had a SINGLE ship type) would make it difficult, I'd love to see a Star Control themed mod, complete with shipsets etc. 8)

The speech files should be fun :-)

I think someone made an Urquan-Kzer-ah shipset some time ago.

[Taera]

Star Control 1 is the game with 4 factions - blue, green, red and grey, everyone with the same types but very different ships and abilities, right?

It shouldnt be too difficult to mod, their ships are rather simple.