unwitnessed kilrathi capships:

[chuck_starchaser]

I agree on your analisys on the movie: We'll keep the snakeirs for the end, both standard and command: in fact, the command 4 KM long version would be encountered once probably in the last mission and would lead to the destruction of the kalralahr (We will make him a warlord of noble blood, from kiranka) and the halt of K advance.

Okay, I'll commit this to the wiki tonight.

About the carrier: I definately like concept 5, yet I'm unsure of the colors: why not try metal blue instead of green.

Well, I just threw in some color to see how much of a difference it made. Nothing firm. I'm not even happy with the whole concept yet.
Having said that, I think green was the favorite Confed color in WC1; and that only later it changes to blue; but I could be wrong; I have no color memory almost at all.

In the WC0 script, the tortuga pirate base intruiged me, but I like the idea, perhaps a privateering "sub" plot might leed to the destruction of that base...

Sorry, which script?

Besides brad, do you have the movie? Or the confed handbook?
Maybe this could help us for the few missing ships: sivar and spy ship.

I'm working on getting myself the movie. I'll let you know if I succeed.

[starlord]

excuse me: I meant storyline.

[chuck_starchaser]

Sorry, I still don't get it. Where did you see that?

Been reworking the wiki master campaign page
http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/wiki/ ... ign:Master
mostly adding stuff; I still have to convert the pre-2637 chapters from WC'ish to privateerish style.

I have a rough new idea for a pre-war carrier concept, but just on paper for now.

Anyhow, for those who won't click on the link above , what I've done is split the master campaign into two parts: Priv0 and WC0.

Priv0 spans 6 years, from 2631 (3 years after the first Kilrathi encounter) to 2637 (3 years after the battle of McAuliffe), when Chen graduates from flight academy and becomes a Fleet pilot. During these 6 years he makes his living as a privateer, while studying. first Aeronautical Engineering, then Flight Academy studies.

WC0 spans 12 years, from 2637 to 2649, during which Chen first acquires the callsign "Ripper" and later "Bossman". His previous career as a privateer is at least partly what makes his flying style different from that of Flight Academy graduates.

The start of the game is a cinematic of the Iason Incident, followed by Chen's departure from Taiwan and trip to Gemini. There the game starts, where he meets his trainer at the bar, and takes training courses, first to become a turret gunner; then to become an escort pilot, and later to become a chief pilot or lead pilot. The privateer-like storyline begins when he lands in New Detroit and meets a spice merchant named Deiter. Details to follow.
After the (long) Priv0 storyline is complete, Chen gets an encrypted message disc from Paladin, who is on his way to McAuliffe, and who wants to meet him there.
Chen finds himself trapped in McAuliffe and with no choice but to join Confed forces in defense, and next day retaking of, McAuliffe.
For his heroic actions, Paladin invites him to become a Fleet Pilot, and waves his enrollment fees, and makes arrangements for him to be able to graduate by simply passing theoretical training courses, remotely, so Chen goes back to privateering, studying while piloting, and by 2637 becomes an officer. He then gets called into service and WC0 begins.

[starlord]

quote:

2644 Trojan Four Spaceyards builds the first Bengal: Tiger's Claw
Daymon Karnes, at this time considered being a war hero, is MIA when he doesn't return from a standard patrol in
system M-421A. Confederation HQ finds out later that Karnes has turned renegade and begun to establish a pirate
base on Tortuga, a planet in M-421A. Confed declares this fact Top Secret fearing it might have negative effects
on morale.

For the rest: great work!

[chuck_starchaser]

Ah, yes!; I'd read that a while ago, but forgot the name "Tortuga". Thanks!.
Yes; that episode should definitely be addressed, and expanded on, in the plot.

EDIT:
LOL! I had copied that timeline episode into the campaign page, myself, and had totally forgotten about it. Excuse my scattered brains...
I updated the page a little more now. At least I noted in all-caps what chapters are now obsolete and need rewriting or updating.

[chuck_starchaser]

Another concept:

[snow_Cat]

^ - -^ This one I like, is close enough to 'the ship of rails' without breaking the carrier concept.

[chuck_starchaser]

Yeah, I like it best too. I was hoping to come up with something cruder, but getting the WC look is hard enough that if I happen upon it I might as well go with it.
Here's a 4-engine version...



I think I prefer the 2-engine one, though.

But there's another possibility: I could take this 4-engine version, make it longer, and use it for the heavy pre-war carrier; and use the 2-engine version for the light pre-war carrier.

[snow_Cat]

^ - -^ Or make an asymmetric two engine model by pulling one of the bays off of the four engine version and folding it in on itself. The resulting ship would be distinct from it's heavy counterpart and show an 'evolutionary step' in ship design.

^ - -^ Otherwise the two would be too similar in appearance. I'd imagine that players would rush to the familiar honey of a light carrier only to realize that it's a heavy carrier with it's full complement ready to trap any devil who might approach.

^ - - ^ .

^- - ^ Never mind, that would open some interesting directions for plot development...

~-.-~ mew *cheerful*

edit:
^ >< ^ doh!

^- - ^ Wasn't the carrier used in 'secret missions' a prewar merchant freighter?

revenge of edit:
^ - -^ This is bothering me. I have to dig out my game books ...

edit:
^- -^ My mistake, was thinking of the wrong episode.

[chuck_starchaser]

^ - -^ Or make an asymmetric two engine model by pulling one of the bays off of the four engine version and folding it in on itself. The resulting ship would be distinct from it's heavy counterpart and show an 'evolutionary step' in ship design.

You lost me, snow cat; you mean like using the same casing as for the four-engine model but just pull out two of the engines?

^ - -^ Otherwise the two would be too similar in appearance. I'd imagine that players would rush to the familiar honey of a light carrier only to realize that it's a heavy carrier with it's full complement ready to trap any devil who might approach.

Actually, I'm working on a new 4-engine model for the heavy carrier, but instead of shrinking the engines, I'm going to enlarge the hull, though not evenly --otherwise, same difference -- but like widen in one place, lenghten in another, while leaving the bridge untouched; so it will look quite different from the light carrier, though it will share a lot style elements. Whether it will look good, that's the million dollar question...

^- - ^ Wasn't the carrier used in 'secret missions' a prewar merchant freighter?
revenge of edit:
^ - -^ This is bothering me. I have to dig out my game books ...

No idea; never played secret missions. And the only books I've been able to get so far are Freedom Flight, Heart of the Tiger, and The Price of Freedom. Six or seven books still to go...
If it was, I'd greatly appreciate a pic or two of it, if you have any; or links of course.
Another thing I haven't been able to find are any references to what kind of station Alexandria Starbase was, in McAuliffe. Haven't found too many links to pics of WC stations. Privateer stations are easy to find, but not WC stations, unless my googling skills need honing.

[snow_Cat]

^- - ^ More than using the same casing- I mean to keep the same parts, but only use half of them making a smaller but similarly atomized ship.

^ - -^ But your plan to use the same chassis you've built and mounting a larger carrier to it is a better one. Economically it is more sensible to build on an existing platform rather than start over from scratch. And given a crunch to field more equipment (y-!) compromises in the field of excellence would be made.

^- - ^ Am I to understand that the heavy carrier would share a frame with the light in it's engines and chassis, but equipped (or burdened) with significantly more equipment.

^ · ·^ I didn't find them, but a thorough investigation of the CIC database revealed that I was thinking of the CIC:Dilligent in place of the CIC:Bonny Heather a refitted CIC:FreeTrader Transport.

^ - - ^ I would be happy to post digitized versions of my materials should I find them. Having relied on gaming as a escape I have accumulated many boxes of such toys.

^- - ^ And Chapters can order you the complete set if you don't mind waiting for it to arrive in your local store (or pay for direct shipping).


edit: (y-!) is one of those words that are inherently funny or offensive depending on the ethnicity of the person speaking. IF you know what word was originally here picture me as an asian with a thick welsh accent eating a jamacian patty.

[chuck_starchaser]

Thanks, snow cat, that'll be great if you can get reference pics for me. Googling for WC references is time-consuming and often fruitless.

Been working on the two carrier concepts in parallel:

I got rid of the vertical struts on the sides, and fixed a few details around the engines in the light pre-war carrier...



And got a new heavy pre-war carrier concept going...

[starlord]

This one is very good indeed: We are getting somewhere here.

I got this email regarding the plot changes, Can we get that person to post here? I'm still unsure about the thing to do myself, yet if fans prefer it that way, they'll have it that way: Vox populi!

I just feel sorry somewhat for the bossman idea: The fact of combining privating and fleet combat would have been unseen before. And I've been working on a fiew quotes and plot questions, like when the team all meet on the tiger claw and they discuss the arrival of blair.

On the other hand, I naturally remain open to those suggestions: I think we will come to what's best for the game.

On the other hand: one thing on which I'm quite adament is the timelapse: The fact of starting before mcauliffe (right during the iason event) and the fact of countinuing up to slightly after custer carnival (up to the establishment of the "front line" in vega sector and the destruction of the kalralahr is something to keep in this game: I found the various chapters and plots/subplots devised by starchaser and shuissi to be great and it is my wish (although I realise I'm just one person after all) to maintain all of this in the game and to leave NO holes in the timelapse.

I hope what I wrote here will make sense to you all.

[chuck_starchaser]

I think we're pretty much on the same page. I too feel sorry about letting go of the idea of combining privateering and fleet combat, and maybe we'll find a way to put them together again.

How about this?: Why don't we just work on things in such a way as to leave open the question of who the character is, or whether it is the same character that does the privateering AND the fleet service. Perhaps as we begin to fill in the details of both stories and campaigns, some better idea of how to combine them might come up.

Yesterday I started transferring what I've written for a priv0 plot into a wiki page of its own:
http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/wiki/ ... Background
I will modify the introduction to state that the question of whether this is a different character from WC0's character is left open for the time being.

[snow_Cat]

^ - -^ I've found my WC 1, 2, Academy and Privateer boxes and manuals, I have not yet found the novels, 'technical supplement', game disks, add-ons or file-format guide.

^ - - ^ ... I'm taking requests to in another thread here to avoid unraveling this one.

^- - ^ Good work bravo-tango-whiskey.

[chuck_starchaser]

Hahaha, thanks; I replied to the other thread.

[starlord]

AAH, I'm torn!!!

Must I read the plot in order to give my point of view and completely BLASt to sithmereens all the suspense, or should I settle to wait for an indeterminately long time while not thinking about it and then have the priviledge to progressively discover everything?

Oh well! I think I'll read the plot

[chuck_starchaser]

LOL
Well, keep refreshing the page from time to time, as I'm still editing. Haven't even finished listing the characters, yet.

[starlord]

In Wc0 though, the timeline seems to end at the custer carnival. Shall we plan a few missions in vega sector (including the destruction of the kalralahr and the halt of K advance in the sector) and end the plot around, say, 2952?

[chuck_starchaser]

Sure, why not? If it's not in WC1, can't hurt for it to be in WC0

Man! I'm so happy snow_cat found those WC4 models for us that include the Pre-WC1 Concordia class original mesh. We're going to have the most accurate Concordia in all of WC fandom.

I'm still working on Priv 0; don't mind me; just that I got into it and now I'm on a roll; and don't want to waste the creative momentum.

Sorry about the halt in modelling; as I explained in the other thread, I'm having videocard blues when trying to use Blender. My gpu fan died, once, and the overheating seems to have caused partial damage. Probably by wenesday or so I'll have my new videocard; --an NVidia 8800 based card. Should be able to model 5 times faster...

[starlord]

Unless you expected me to say: "WHAT? this is unacceptable, you'll be whipped 10 times, slave!", then don't justify yourself: We all got lives, you know...

[chuck_starchaser]

Not me; I got no life whatsoever; can't wait for the store to call me. Anyways, gotta run to work (if you call that "life"...)

[snow_Cat]

^ · · ^ ...

[chuck_starchaser]

Anyways, I passed by the store; same story, tuesday or wednesday night I'll have the video card. For the record, it's an 8800 GTS, 320 megs. Pixel shader 4.0, and with the new Quantum thing, the physics extension.

Been doing some more work on the Priv 0 wiki page; got started with the actual plot.
http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/wiki/MOD:WCU:PR0

And I just watched the movie. For some reason, VLC media player was only letting me see the first 20 seconds or so, but then I used the standard DVD player and it worked fine. I'll reserve judgement on the movie...
No, I won't. The story/plot was crap. Dialogues were crap. The acting was the best under the circumstances; I'd say superb, for such crappy script.
The science was crap (sounds in space?). The kilrathi faces were crap. The ship models were crap. Special effects were crap. Did I miss something?
No, the kats did: They never score a hit in the whole movie, just about.
Just the numbers of dralthis were awsome; --thought it was the nephilim...

But anyhow, I'll be able to mine it for screenshots, which is what matters, like the spy ship and the snakeirs. Maybe some station greebling ideas from the Pegasus. Maybe there's something to see on the Diligent.

[starlord]

remember also to grab the sivar: we'll need that baby.

If you've lost track, the sivar dreadnaught is the one that lanches torpedoes on the tiger's claw in the middle of the movie. It is escorted by 2 ships (some say ralari destroyers (?????) and it is taken out by a full torpedo salvo (4 I think) from a broadsword (?????) flown I think by paladin.

Oh and you're right: the movie is crap...

As for the snakeir: the 945m version and the 4Km version are identical as far as design is concerned: only one is a scaled out version of the other.