@darthkev, on 31 January 2011 - 10:39 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Nice! Much better! Also, its body shape tells me it might have space for a few ground troops, maybe a single squad. Does it really, or is that space for storing ordnance and ship systems?
Ship systems and ordnance. The Axe-tails land ground troops using prowlers and shuttles.
My first Axe-tail civilian ship.
Imperial Civil Engineering 'Khanhur' Type Heavy Freighter
Bulk Freighter, Axe-tail Star Empire
Far better defended than the Fatbird shuttles it dwarfs, the Imperial Civil Engineering 'Khanhur' Type Heavy Freighter's only real enemies during the Valeeid Wars were the Valeeid Guardian -class bombers. Nearly indestructible, it is an essential part of the Axe-tail economy. Many civilian captains choose this ship for the reason that it carries much cargo, and for a low price, both up front and in operating costs: due to Axe-tail skill with automation, it requires a surprisingly small crew.
Many politically connected captains have converted part of the Khanhur's cargo space to A5 Interceptor hangars. The modification has proven so popular that Akalias & Sons (in conjunction with the state-owned Imperial Civil Engineering) recently released a dedicated upgrade package for the freighter. It replaces the left-upper lobe of the cargo bay with a fully equipped A5 launch bay, and increases the ship's defenses even further.
Like its Galactic sibling, the Republic Heavy Engineering Superstar -class bulk freighter, the Khanhur is so large that it cannot dock at many spaceports and stations. Instead, it carries a small flotilla of automated freight drones that transfer cargo to and from the mothership.
I'm a lot happier with the Khanhur than I am with the Superstar; I'm eventually going to repaint the latter ship.
Personally, on the Khanhur, you should add a bridge onto the poles coming out the front of the freighter. No offense, but I really don't like the Axe-Tail paint scheme.
@spartan-jai, on 01 February 2011 - 07:16 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Personally, on the Khanhur, you should add a bridge onto the poles coming out the front of the freighter.
Actually, I believe the bridge to be the short tower near the rear of the vessel. If you click on the image to expand it, you can see blue windows encircle it. As for the poles, I believe those are sensor antennae.
@darthkev, on 02 February 2011 - 12:18 AM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Actually, I believe the bridge to be the short tower near the rear of the vessel. If you click on the image to expand it, you can see blue windows encircle it. As for the poles, I believe those are sensor antennae.
Hmm. I had not noticed the bridge in the back. It just seems to me that the 'sensor antennae' are out of place, not really fitting in with the boxy and angular structure of the rest of the ship.
@darthkev, on 02 February 2011 - 12:18 AM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Actually, I believe the bridge to be the short tower near the rear of the vessel. If you click on the image to expand it, you can see blue windows encircle it. As for the poles, I believe those are sensor antennae.
You're two for two, DK. 
Here's a close-up.
Axe-tail Heavy Freighter - bridge.jpg (83.18K)
Number of downloads: 15
I made the bridge by using a pair of Archon Fins as a frame, but deleted them once the command tower's panels were complete.
@spartan-jai, on 02 February 2011 - 01:42 AM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Hmm. I had not noticed the bridge in the back. It just seems to me that the 'sensor antennae' are out of place, not really fitting in with the boxy and angular structure of the rest of the ship.
That had occurred to me. As you know, I've mainly been using Delphi's ship components. The Equipment Block is a versatile piece (I've used it in engines and hull detail, not just as a command tower), but the antennae often aren't that useful for where the component frequently ends up in Axe-tail ships (i.e. as part of the ship's core rather than on an outrigger or tower).
I've been experimenting with some asymmetrical ships for the Axe-tail light freighter (along the lines of the Prisoner and Personnel Transports in Polycon), but haven't come up with anything I really like yet. I'm trying to make use of the outrigger I developed for the Axe-tail heavy freighter.
In other news, I was wandering the X3 forums and ran across this little piece of AI hilarity.
You see, in X3 you can build space stations, and there's an entire class of mission where you get hired to build one to order for a customer. I'm not sure what happened here, but the customer must have made a rounding error or something.
X3's AI may be much more advanced than Nova's, but it still snafus things every once in a while. Another more frequent example is a particular TL-class* ship called the Albatross. Almost every time it undocks from a shipyard while under AI or autopilot control, it runs the masts at its stern into the shipyard and subsequently explodes (along with any station kits it may be carrying). Thankfully, this problem only exists when you're in the same system (X3 has mechanisms to control ships both in- and out-of-sector.)
** Unlike the TL, the Khanhur actually can dock at a station in-game.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 16 February 2011 - 04:13 PM
Been a while.
I'm taking a break from the Axe-tails because the light freighter and shuttle refused to come out the way I wanted. Instead, I present the fifth and final Orion League Defense Force ship, the KarHallarn -class battleship.
Orion Martial Systems HC-92 KarHallarn -class Battleship
Ship of the Line, Orion League Defense Force
The KarHallarn -class battleship by far the most powerful vessel in the Orion arsenal, but the Orions departed from their usual ethic of speed when they designed it. The KarHallarn -class is slow, hard to maneuver, and cantankerous, but all the same it is a vital part of the Orion League Defense Force. It carries a dozen Interceptors and four Bombers, and has the distinction of being the only vessel other than the UGN command ship and battlecruiser that can carry Devastator MIRVs.
At 3,250 meters, the KarHallarn -class battleship dwarfs the Orion -class assault cruiser. It carries its fighter bays on the tines of its forked bow. Its namesake was the legendary Orion warrior Varen Harsimili "KarHallarn" Yalandas, who fought in the Orion resistance to the Anz'kalarad enslavement of her people in the decade prior to the United Powers War of 1225 NC to 0 GSD, until her capture and enslavement in 1226 GSD. Full details are available here.
Although I drew some inspiration for the shape from Boron capital ships in X3 , I didn't really have a plan when I built this. It was kind of a zen thing: I basically just drew what I felt like. The result looks pretty darn good, I think.
@starsword, on 30 March 2011 - 06:33 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
I'm taking a break from the Axe-tails because the light freighter and shuttle refused to come out the way I wanted.
If you like, I can try my hand at it. There are some ships left to model for HOTS, and all the weapons, I just don't have any ideas right now for them, so giving those a shot might give me some inspiration.
Quote
Quoted for extreme beauty and awesomeness. Somehow it looks really shiny, to the point of unpolished chrome.
I noticed you were discussing curved hulls in Sketchup some time ago. I have two methods:
1)Do it in Blender: using extrude, scale, and rotate to get the shape I want; and then subdivide/smoothing the shape out. You've got to watch the iterations, of course, since they'll easily overwhelm Sketcthup's face capabilities.
O
@starsword, on 30 March 2011 - 06:33 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
I'm taking a break from the Axe-tails because the light freighter and shuttle refused to come out the way I wanted.
@darthkev, on 30 March 2011 - 07:38 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
If you like, I can try my hand at it. There are some ships left to model for HOTS, and all the weapons, I just don't have any ideas right now for them, so giving those a shot might give me some inspiration.
Go ahead. I'll move on to the Anz'kalarads or something.
@darthkev, on 30 March 2011 - 07:38 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Quoted for extreme beauty and awesomeness. Somehow it looks really shiny, to the point of unpolished chrome.
Thanks. I made heavy use of Sketchup's smoothing and "Anodized Aluminum" texture for this.
Meaker, that first ship looks like a tadpole with guns.
@starsword, on 31 March 2011 - 03:52 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
...
Meaker, that first ship looks like a tadpole with guns.
Yeah, the close-up of the front isn't the best picture of it. I figured you'd get the idea though - it is smooth.
DarthKev and I ended up collaborating to finish the Axe-tail ships.
Imperial Civil Engineering 'Shandu' Type Light Freighter
Medium Transport, Axe-tail Star Empire
This 300-meter ship is the Imperial Civil Engineering 'Shandu' Type Light Freighter. Fast, agile, and with enough defensive armament and shields to handle just about any pirate, it was designed to resupply Axe-tail bases during the Valeeid War about two hundred years ago, when enemy raids destroyed many shuttles in ambushes along the major trade routes. Although the cheap automated shuttles were somewhat expendable, the warriors and matériel they carried were anything but. Therefore, the Light Freighter was built and equipped with point defense weapons.
The Shandu is a close competitor to the NNS Carrack. It carries slightly less cargo (125 metric tons compared to 150), but its combat abilities are somewhat stronger (faster shield recharge, better included ECM and weapons, and improved handling and speed).
Imperial Civil Engineering 'Fatbird' Type Automated Shuttle
Light Transport, Axe-tail Star Empire; Landing Ship, Axe-tail Imperial Starfleet
Though lightly armed, the Imperial Civil Engineering 'Fatbird' Type Automated Shuttle can match the speed of most light freighters, and is more agile. With double the Galactic C-5 Pigeon's shields and armor, it's capable of surviving most attacks these days, and is often used (in a modified version) to land Axe-tail troops on planets. Most of the time 'Fatbird' shuttles operate without a crew, but some private captains use it (mainly as a stepping-stone to a light or heavy freighter).
The Type II shuttle is a landing ship for the Axe-tail Imperial Army, and works alongside the 'Rapier' Type prowler in that role. A Fatbird can carry up to thirty Axe-tail warriors and their equipment, or a vehicle and supplies (even up to a 'Tor'khal' Type main battle tank). That's not much, but given the Fatbird's dirt-cheap price the Ministry of Defense can easily afford to buy clouds of the things.
The fatbird is an avian native to the Axe-tail homeworld of Axor Drek which is ironically flightless. The Axe-tail equivalent of the Terran chicken, it was hunted nearly to extinction millennia ago for its sweet, tangy meat. It is now a protected species (though one subspecies is domesticated).
In both cases, the initial design was by DarthKev; I added weapons and insignia.
I'm starting the Anz'kalarad ships now. Should be good.
In EVN:UGF, the Anz'kalarad Principalities, a member government of the UGF, keep mostly to themselves. There's no love lost between them and the neighboring Orion League, but only rarely is there bloodshed (and usually the Orions, formerly a slave race to the Anz'kalarads, are the aggressors). Attempts by the Galactic High Council to mediate have been largely fruitless, and it would appear that the sporadic fighting between the two permanent High Council members* will only cease when both sides wish it.
Anz'vatrin Shipyards S300A Fangship
Interceptor, Anz'kalarad Principalities Royal Defense Force
The basic architecture of the Anz'vatrin Shipyards S300A Fangship has changed little in more than a thousand years; updated shields, weapons, and engines are the only differences between this year's model and the ones that blitzed Tekel House's southern border at the outset of the United Powers War in 1225 NC. The delta-winged Fangship is poorly defended and relies on speed, agility, and its suprisingly strong armament and ECM.
Fangships are used chiefly as carrier fighters due to their short range (three jumps), and as sublight patrol vessels. You can quite easily identify the use of Anz'kalarad ships by their class number: for the S300A, 'S' stands for short-range, and 'A' for Attack.
Unlike many fighters, the Fangship is a single-engine craft, a compromise in design meant to decrease weight. Most other fighters have at least two engines; if one goes out, the pilot can limp home on the other.
The Fangship was originally meant to be dagger-shaped (the "fang" in "Fangship"), but as I worked it developed into a strange cross between a typical starfighter (if there is such a thing) and the F-35 Lightning II (the Joint Strike Fighter). Some detail pieces came from DarthKev's workshop (chiefly the cockpit, the section aft of the cockpit, and the grille on the outer edge of the forward wing lobe). Other details included several variations on the Archon Fin and Archon Plate. The lasers, originally inspired by the X-Wing's, debuted on the Foxfire. I also developed the Needle missile model (below) for this ship (it has eight, mounted externally), and for the tailfins, reused the canard wing from the Kangaroo and Orion Frigate.
Iothe Astronautics AK-3 Needle Missile
Light Heat-Seeking Missile, Civilian Market
The Needle missile holds the United Galactic record for the longest-running production line, having been constructed since the days of the Earth Government by Iothe Astronautics. Despite their small payload and somewhat short range, these missiles can be fired quickly and accurately. Even the smallest of targets find themselves hard-pressed to break the lock, as the Needles will evade asteroids, debris, and even Tempest assault cannon fire!
The Needle missile, of course, originated in EV Override. I borrowed it to use in EVN:UGF, with a slightly different shape. Many ships mount it with internal launchers, but the Fangship carries it externally. My version maneuvers by diverting thrust to the maneuvering nozzles, whereas the EVO Needle has fins.
Needle Missile.zip (40.25K)This post has been edited by StarSword : 01 July 2011 - 12:24 AM
@starsword, on 02 April 2011 - 02:59 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Some detail pieces came from DarthKev's workshop (chiefly the cockpit, the section aft of the cockpit, and the grille on the outer edge of the forward wing lobe ).
Not quite on the bold section. Delphi made that grille piece, but he never released the piece individually. It's included as part of the Enclave wing sections, however, and that's where I got it.
Now, is Iothe Aeronautics a human company that the Anz'kalarads stole/bought the Needle from, or is it an Anz'kalarad company?
@darthkev, on 02 April 2011 - 04:00 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Now, is Iothe Aeronautics a human company that the Anz'kalarads stole/bought the Needle from, or is it an Anz'kalarad company?
Yeah, Iothe is human-owned (based on New England in Wolf 359). Originally the Fangship used a similar Anz'kalarad missile, the Thorn, but they were forced to switch to the Needle when the Thorn's manufacturer collapsed during the Depression like so many engineering and manufacturing companies.
Because of Iothe's business model (designers paid for by royalties), the Needle is a very common weapon, manufactured all over Known Space and available almost anywhere in the UGF, on independent SPOBs, and in the Turadoc Consortium.
Also, I'm trying to reach Kamisama so I can use his Claimer design ...
... for the Anz'kalarad bomber, the Gunstar.
Individual Anz'kalarad ship classes don't look a lot alike (no general pattern in design) because each shipyard is independently owned and operated by the system's governing prince. When the APRDF seeks a new ship design, it solicits bids and prototypes from any shipyard equipped for that class of ship.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 02 April 2011 - 04:33 PM
I discovered a way to improve the performance of SketchUp on my computer (already much better than any other box I've run it on): turn on hardware acceleration.
No, really. I didn't know that it was off by default. On a whim, I looked it up on Google and came up with this page, which tells you how to activate OpenGL hardware acceleration.
With HA turned on, my computer was able to render the following ship in about a second.
Anz'kalar Shipyards L806D Calamity -class Destroyer
Fire Support Vessel, Anz'kalarad Principalities Royal Defense Force
The Anz'kalar Shipyards L806D Calamity -class Destroyer is primarily a long-range escort. During the United Powers War its ancestors shelled Vella Mundokiir Tazkarm and Federation Admiral Tomas Rodriguez from orbit in the Tekel Reeva System, but the Calamity -class destroyer has yet to be used in a major campaign. It's not for lack of firepower, however, only lack of foes.
The newest ship from the Anz'kalarad homeworld's shipyard, the 375-meter Calamity -class destroyer is fast and agile at the expense of some shielding and armor compared to the previous Anz'moria-built Magnetar -class. Its armament is centered around missiles: it carries multiple Corona and Stingray missile launchers to eliminate threats before they can close to energy range.
Where the S300A Fangship's class designator means "short-range attack ship," the L in the L806D destroyer means "long-range," and the D stands for "defense." ( Not "destroyer," underline.)
Before starting work on this, I disassembled the Athens -class frigate included with the Delphi component library, saving several chunks as components. I used several in the Calamity -class destroyer. I also reused the outriggers from the Axe-tail Khanhur -class heavy freighter, stripped of textures and recolored.
This post has been edited by StarSword : 04 April 2011 - 11:04 AM
@starsword, on 03 April 2011 - 08:07 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
... Vella Mundokiir* Tazkarm...
Where's the footnote? 
Also, is there some significance to the red sections? Shield emitters, weapons systems, ECM? Purely decoration?
@darthkev, on 03 April 2011 - 08:22 PM, said in EV Nova: United Galactic Federation:
Where's the footnote?
I put a footnote on the DeviantArt page to explain the meaning of "mundokiir," but left it out over here because presumably everyone who reads this forum has already played the game and knows what a mundokiir is. (If you don't know, check page 2 of the Auroran preamble.) But I guess I forgot to delete the asterisk.
Quote
Also, is there some significance to the red sections? Shield emitters, weapons systems, ECM? Purely decoration?
The red sections are just paint, but it signifies that it came from the Anz'kalar shipyard. Green, white, and gray are the colors of the Anz'kalarad Principalities. That shade of red is the color of House Kalar, the ruling house of the Anz'kalar System. By contrast, the blue on the fangship indicates House Vatrin of Anz'vatrin.
