I have two new ships to show off this evening.

** Republic Naval Systems Apache -class Command Ship**
Multipurpose Heavy Warship, United Galactic Navy

These ships are the might of the UGN incarnate. Republic Naval Systems Apache -class Command Ships carry enough firepower to lay waste to whole planets, and are among the most powerful vessels that anyone has ever built. Mounting hundreds of weapons, these ships are primarily reserved for battle group-commanding admirals. The ship is surprisingly versatile, which is a must when you consider that the varied roles of the United Galactic Navy.

The UGN currently has a grand total of thirty command ships of three classes. The Apache -class is the oldest and smallest of these, 7200 meters in length and almost that in wingspan. Its mission role is primarily one of command and control, providing a heavily defended mobile base for the UGN's admiralty. With a crew of over 30,000 officers and enlisted, and the capacity for up to 20,000 additional troops, it can support extended campaigns deep in enemy territory. It also carries a prefabricated garrison that drops into the atmosphere from a mount on the ventral hull, directly below the tailfin.

The Apache -class is now rather old and has largely been displaced by the newer (and larger) Aegis - and Jupiter -class command ships. Still, sterling examples of this venerable vessel remain in service; the most famous of these is the UGNS Allegiance , the flagship of the Fifth Battle Group commanded by the maverick Admiral Walter Farragut.

The initial design for this model, made largely from Delphi's components, was done by Darthkev. I did some very minor refining, adding insignia (the globe-and-anchor of the UGN) and textures and changing the blue paint on the wings and tailfin.

Next, the Foxfire, a civilian heavy fighter.

_ Merlin Starcraft Corporation F/A-80 Foxfire_
Heavy Fighter, Civilian Starship Market

Until the advent of the Black Knight, the Merlin Starcraft Corporation F/A-80 Foxfire was the fighter of choice for the United Galactic Fighter Corps, and remains MSC's sole addition to the super-competitive starfighter market. The X-shaped strike foil wings and vectored thrust give it incredible agility, and modified Gale-class assault cannons and powerful lasers give it great firepower. Unfortunately, the long gooseneck is highly vulnerable to precision fire, and a "fox" pilot who wants to live to retire MUST keep enemies away from above and below.

The Mark II Foxfire was designed to address complaints by pilots that the weak armor on the original left the long "neck" a good target. This version has thicker armor, better engines, and a rack of FlakMeister flechette missiles in addition to the original's Needle launchers.

The Mark III is the latest model, released onto the open market after the Black Knight became standard. It's really more of a gunboat than a fighter, but corporate inertia left it classified as the latter.

MSC made its name building larger vessels, chiefly freighters and light cruisers (including EVN:UGF's version of the Kestrel), and while they'd had fighter designs on the drawing board for a while, the Foxfire was the first to be put into production. The United Galactic Fighter Corps never really took to the fox as wholeheartedly as they had to its predecessors from Magnum Dynamics (the White Lightning and InvisiBlur) or its successor (the Black Knight). They found the weak armor on the original Mark I to be a liability, and its large cross-section reduced its ability to be stealthy. However, it has built a following on the civilian market, particularly among planetary security forces: it is relatively cheap, and quite effective at combating piracy and smuggling.

I first built this as a LEGO model, having envisioned it as sort of a cross between an X-Wing and a goose. (Don't ask me why.) We already had the first edition of the LEGO X-Wing model (when LEGO first started producing Star Wars sets), so I built its back half according to the directions and then built the front half of the fox on my own. This model uses several Delphi components. The engines, for instance, are made out of two Ribbed Hull Blocks (one on top of the upside-down other), with a Large Cannon Housing as the intake and Small Vector Thrust Block as the exhaust nozzle. I used an Arm in the cockpit (the control stick), a Large Cannon Housing fused to one of Darthkev's Gatling guns and a Multipurpose Strut as the cheek-mounted assault cannons, and various other pieces for the laser cannons, seat, and hyperdrive exhaust (which you can't really see, but it's mounted on the stern).

This post has been edited by StarSword : 16 November 2010 - 04:32 PM

First off, great work! The Apache looks much better off with the UGN insignia, and I really like the scales along the Foxfire's neck and underside of the cockpit as well as the 'fire' decal on the Foxfire's rear hull. How'd you manage to produce that?

The Foxfire actually reminds me more of a smash up between an X-wing and a Kestrel, mainly because of the long neck with a bulb at the front end. I suppose it's just as well since they produce the Kestrel, too.

I do have one problem with the Apache, though it's nothing to do with the model. You mentioned it has 30,000 crew and it occurred to me: I hope you don't have plans for ships in EVN:UGF with considerably more crew members than that. I'm not entirely sure WinNova has the same limitation, but MacNova can't have a value more than 32,767 in a lot of fields, crew included. In fact, about the only fields not limited in this way are the price fields for ships and outfits.

** Edit:** Altered the wording in the first paragraph, for it was implying the Apache had a neck and a cockpit.

This post has been edited by DarthKev : 10 November 2010 - 12:05 AM

QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 10 2010, 12:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First off, great work! The Apache looks much better off with the UGN insignia, and I really like the scales along the Foxfire's neck and underside of the cockpit as well as the 'fire' decal on the Foxfire's rear hull. How'd you manage to produce that?

The Foxfire actually reminds me more of a smash up between an X-wing and a Kestrel, mainly because of the long neck with a bulb at the front end. I suppose it's just as well since they produce the Kestrel, too.

I do have one problem with the Apache, though it's nothing to do with the model. You mentioned it has 30,000 crew and it occurred to me: I hope you don't have plans for ships in EVN:UGF with considerably more crew members than that. I'm not entirely sure WinNova has the same limitation, but MacNova can't have a value more than 32,767 in a lot of fields, crew included. In fact, about the only fields not limited in this way are the price fields for ships and outfits.

** Edit:** Altered the wording in the first paragraph, for it was implying the Apache had a neck and a cockpit.

I think I may have already mentioned this, but the Foxfire also resembles (purely by coincidence) the Ghoral Frigate from Polycon.

You're right about the crew size limitations. Most of EVN's numeric fields are evidently I16 (16-bit integers, or whole numbers from -32767 to 32767), including "Crew." In my original writing, the Apache -class actually has 50,000 crew, and the Aegis - and Jupiter -class command ships take 45,000 (lower number due to increased automation) and 67,000 (higher number due to bigger ship with more systems, and additional support staff needed for increased fighter complement). But I'm cutting the numbers to fit 16 bits.

The scale pattern on the lower half of the cockpit and the flame pattern on the rear hull use the texture image from the "Metal Panel" material, but I changed the color to (in RGB) 158/60/56. The flame effect was an unintentional but very pleasing result of coloring every second triangle section on the hull using the aforementioned material. The pattern on the neck (and the Archon Fins atop the dorsal engines) uses the "Metal Seamed" texture's image, with the color changed to 113/38/38 and the "Colorize" box checked.

Unlike with HOTS' Askan Sabre, the intent for the Foxfire is for the wings to separate when firing. Does anyone know if I can have both this effect and a banking graphic?

As far as I know, it's either/or in terms of banking graphics and folding wings.

QUOTE (DarthKev @ Oct 29 2010, 01:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I never model anything life-size in terms of Sketchup's measurements. Sure, the final renders will be scaled appropriately for in-game sizes, but they're never to scale when in Sketchup. If I need to determine the actual length of the ship for reality's sake (fighters, for instance) I just scale the little Sang character to the appropriate size.

I just realized something I should definitely add to this. If you plan on including the large ship info images in EVN:UGF, and plan on having different ships in the same image, you'll definitely want to keep each model scaled properly. You still might not want to build it to scale right away, but instead build the model and then scale it to the right size once finished.

QUOTE (StarSword @ Nov 10 2010, 12:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have two new ships to show off this evening.

** Republic Naval Engineering Apache -class Command Ship**
Multipurpose Heavy Warship, United Galactic Navy

This is a very good looking ship. Is there a purpose for the wings? I'm assuming it's designed for non-atmospheric flight given that it has a dropship and is huge.

QUOTE (StarSword @ Nov 10 2010, 12:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Next, the Foxfire, a civilian heavy fighter.

_ Merlin Starcraft Corporation F/A-80 Foxfire_
Heavy Fighter, Civilian Starship Market

This is a pretty awesome ship. It just screams "heavy fighter". I love it.

QUOTE (Cosmic_Nusiance @ Nov 14 2010, 05:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is a very good looking ship. Is there a purpose for the wings? I'm assuming it's designed for non-atmospheric flight given that it has a dropship and is huge.

I could make something up and say that the wings are there in case it winds up being forced to land (like Picard's Enterprise -D was after the warp core lost containment in Star Trek: Generations ), but in truth I just think they look good. You're correct in that Galactic command ships aren't meant to enter atmo. The Sigma Shipyards Hamadryad -class command ships operated by the Milky Way Union Navy (and by the UGF in its the first decade) were atmo-capable and featured landing gear, but they were only three klicks in length. From the Vesuvius -class on, the command ships have been just too damn big. They're built in zero-gravity, in the Republic Group's high-security orbital shipyards.

Something that size crashing in anything but a controlled fashion would be catastrophic for a habitable world, akin to a large asteroid collision.

Tonight, I bring you a new fighter, the Balcrusian Sunflash.

_ Kandava 4c4 Sunflash_
Unmanned Light Interceptor, Balcrusian People's Navy

Kandava 4c4 Sunflashes come in two types. Far more common is this type, flown by a high-tech droid brain programmed with the latest tactics and also containing ways to counter them. Singly, they are cannon fodder for Galactic Black Knights, but it's rare to get one alone. The drone Sunflash is specialized for ship- and planet-based operations, as it carries no hyperdrive. Still, it is cheap and easy to build; most Balcrusian worlds have at least one Sunflash plant.

The manned version is much rarer, but better-equipped than the drone. In addition to all the armament of the drone, the 4c4M carries micromissiles for fighter-to-fighter combat. It is a great threat to freighters and fighters; however, its weaponry is of little use against capital ships, which are liable to plow straight through.

Not much left to say about the Sunflash. From above it looks vaguely similar to an ocean sunfish, which is one of the two sources for the name. The other source is Mossflower by Brian Jacques, wherein Sunflash of Salamandastron was a mace-wielding badger (no joke; it's part of the Redwall series)

The sprite for the manned version will have a cockpit.

The basic Sunflash is unmanned for a very simple reason: Balcrusians' low reproductive rate means they don't have the manpower to spare for heavily manned ships, let alone to have enough starfighters for their war efforts. The Balcrusian solution is automation. The rarely seen manned Sunflash is used by specially trained Balcrusian wing commanders to boost the efficacy of the drones; they work that much better with biologics leading them.

The spikes near the engines are launchers for a unique weapon of the Balcrusians, the Blade-Cutter. These are unlike anything else in the game, simply razor-edged flying blades flung by a catapult. This simplicity belies its effectiveness: the catapult sets the Blade-Cutter spinning at over eighteen thousand RPM, and while the blade has no guidance and is ineffective against shields, it will cut straight through all but the thickest armor. Frequently used on strafing runs against infantry and armor formations, they have also been put to use against warships.

This post has been edited by StarSword : 14 November 2010 - 07:58 PM

One more ship for tonight, the Aegis -class command ship.

_ Republic Naval Systems Aegis -class UGN Command Ship_
Multipurpose Heavy Warship, United Galactic Navy

The second-newest class of UGN command ship, the Republic Naval Systems Aegis -class Command Ship is a behemoth at nearly eight kilometers long and six in wingspan. It carries nearly half-again the firepower of the older Apache -class, its defenses are thicker than any craft ever built, and it is also fully equipped to mount ground campaigns. Aegises have rarely been defeated by anything less than six Ganba command cruisers working in tandem.

The Aegis -class was introduced in the year 998 GSD (Galactic Standard Date), three years after first contact with the Axe-tail Star Empire and only four years before the start of EVN:UGF. The most recent addition to the class is the UGNS StarSword (the fourth command ship to bear that name), flagship of Admiral Sami Abdul-Wahid, following the retirement of the Valhalla -class StarSword -B (last of the Valhallas ).

To be precise, the Aegis-class is 7.9 kilometers in length.

As should be fairly obvious, the 3D model is merely a modification of the Apache -class. The challenge for me as an artist was to make it different enough to tell the two apart, but not so different that they look like two entirely different designs. Starfighters being a notable exception, different generations of Galactic military craft don't generally differ a whole hell of a lot; the UGN prefers an iterative approach to technological advancement, and only makes drastic changes when circumstances require (which is rare). Call it gradual evolution or bureaucratic inertia, whichever you like.

This post has been edited by StarSword : 15 November 2010 - 05:57 PM

Should I assume the Valhalla and Jupiter Classes also look a lot like the Apache and Aegis? I'm also going to guess the Hamadryad and Vesuvius Classes were far enough back that they look almost nothing like the current model.

QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 15 2010, 12:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Should I assume the Valhalla and Jupiter Classes also look a lot like the Apache and Aegis? I'm also going to guess the Hamadryad and Vesuvius Classes were far enough back that they look almost nothing like the current model.

Yes and yes, although the Valhalla , Hamadryad , and Vesuvius -class ships will not be making appearances in EVN:UGF. Apart from a few left as museum pieces, all the command ships earlier than the Apache -class have been broken up and recycled.

EDIT: I'm not sure if I'm going to include the Jupiter -class. I haven't written a SHIP resource for it yet, but I could if I wanted. If I were to add it, the class would be made available by a CRON after several years of gameplay.

This post has been edited by StarSword : 15 November 2010 - 09:21 PM

QUOTE (StarSword @ Nov 15 2010, 02:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

... although the Valhalla , Hamadryad , and Vesuvius -class ships will not be making appearances in EVN:UGF.

I figured that went without saying, since you mentioned the retirement of the StarSword-B, a Valhalla Class vessel (and presumably all other Valhalla Class ships before it), and the Hamadryad and Vesuvius were both before the Valhalla.

I like how the three classes of command ships seem to have their own distinct strengths. You've described the Apache as a well-rounded vessel suited to many roles. The Aegis sounds like a juggernaut that relies on defense with it defenses that are "thicker than any craft ever built". I'm guessing the Jupiter specializes in firepower. Very well thought out.

Allow me to present my first cargo ship, the venerable Carrack.

_ New Netherlands Spaceworks Carrack -class Light Freighter_
Civilian Cargo Vessel

New Netherlands Spaceworks' classic Carrack -class Light Freighter is one of the most popular models around. Modification is made easy by its modular construction, and its range enables it to carry large cargoes quickly and safely to all corners of the galaxy. Well armed compared to competing craft like the Kangaroo, and with a much bigger hold than the AG-4400, the Carrack has been flown for generations.

The Carrack has spawned several variants, one of which, the Carrack-B, or "Heavy Carrack," serves UGN battle groups as fleet tenders. A well-armed long-range freighter that carries supplies and ammunition for long campaigns, it combines the modular construction of the Carrack-A with the lethal jammers, weapons, and shields that are common to all Navy ships.

Originally the Carrack was going to be EVC's Argosy; you can see some similarities in its basic shape.

One more freighter, the Superstar.

_ Republic Heavy Engineering Superstar -class Bulk Freighter_
Civilian Bulk Freighter

The most popular bulk freighter in the UGF, the Republic Heavy Engineering Superstar -class Bulk Freighter is slow and poorly armed. Nevertheless, thanks to surprisingly strong shields and armor (the thing is practically indestructible), these two-and-a-half kilometer craft form the backbone of the Galactic merchant marine, carrying thousands of tons of freight to all corners of the UGF.

The second version of the Superstar has had much of its cargo bay stripped out, leaving a substantial amount of bay, but making a great deal of room for armament. It carries two Dynacrosses and two turbolasers, in addition to Corona missiles and an ion cannon. It's still not much of a warship, but can handle most pirates.

This is all Delphi parts.

I really like the Carrack, it gives me a sense of EVC's Argosy meets cruise liner. Very stylish. If I remember correctly, there's a pirate variant, too, right? Though I bet those pirates have found a way to mess up even this beauty.

However, the Superstar doesn't sit well with me. You say it's a popular craft, but the current paint job gives me the impression of an old, run-down, rusty hauler. Is this intentional or just an unfortunate side effect of the first draft paint job?

QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 16 2010, 03:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I really like the Carrack, it gives me a sense of EVC's Argosy meets cruise liner. Very stylish. If I remember correctly, there's a pirate variant, too, right? Though I bet those pirates have found a way to mess up even this beauty.

However, the Superstar doesn't sit well with me. You say it's a popular craft, but the current paint job gives me the impression of an old, run-down, rusty hauler. Is this intentional or just an unfortunate side effect of the first draft paint job?

Yes, there is a pirate variant, and it looks worse. (Haven't decided yet how much worse.)

And you're right, the Superstar is only on its first-draft paint job. I threw it together in about an hour total, but I'm going to work on it some more.

Meanwhile, my first Axe-tail ship.

_ Akalias & Sons Stellar Design A5 Interceptor_
Light Attack Fighter, Axe-tail Imperial Starfleet

The only Axe-tail military vessel not made by state-owned manufacturers, the Akalias & Sons Stellar Design A5 Interceptor is a masterpiece of precision engineering. Although lightly armed (only two proton cannons!) and not very well armored, Axe-tail Interceptors are blindingly fast and agile, and can swarm and maul Galactic Black Knights. Often, entire fleet battles grind to a halt as both sides watch dogfights between famed pilots.

The A5 is, in fact, the fastest ship in EVN:UGF, with a speed value of 700.

The ship is mostly Delphi parts, with some tweaking. The cockpit, for instance, is a pair of modified Angle-Cut Light Struts, and the main hull is a Fork.

For the textures on this one, I went with (get ready for it) mostly floor tiles!! That's right, the ceramic things you put on bathroom floors and the like. Turned out quite well, I think.

This post has been edited by StarSword : 20 November 2010 - 11:16 PM

Floor tiles? Wow. Amazing what you can do with a little perspective manipulation. Can I get a better look at that emblem on the A5's wings? I assume it represents the Axe-Tail Fighter Corps.

QUOTE (DarthKev @ Nov 16 2010, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Floor tiles? Wow. Amazing what you can do with a little perspective manipulation. Can I get a better look at that emblem on the A5's wings? I assume it represents the Axe-Tail Fighter Corps.

Actually, it's the flag of the whole empire:

Axe-tail fighter pilots are part of the Axe-tail Imperial Starfleet; same goes for most of the other fighter pilots in the game. The exception is the United Galactic Fighter Corps, which, while officially a separate service with a general on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is still for all intents and purposes part of the Navy.

This post has been edited by StarSword : 16 November 2010 - 05:27 PM

Wow Star Sword, I'm pretty impressed by what you've done with your styling. Now, I'm not sure how confident you are making your own textures, but that's easy enough to do in GIMP/Photoshop that you might give it a try. Also, CG Textures, and other free texture sites, exist to give you more options to get textures in your model. You might find something you like - but I've got to say your use of regular building materials as textures in the models (especially the axe-tail ship) is pretty impressive.

The only advice I'd give is that you should come up with a more comprehensive color pallate - most of the textures in stock Sketchup can have their colors edited, and even matched, inside sketchup to good effect. Coming up with colors that different nationalities/shipyards/whatever use would help your plug.

QUOTE (Meaker VI @ Nov 17 2010, 11:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow Star Sword, I'm pretty impressed by what you've done with your styling. Now, I'm not sure how confident you are making your own textures, but that's easy enough to do in GIMP/Photoshop that you might give it a try. Also, CG Textures, and other free texture sites, exist to give you more options to get textures in your model. You might find something you like - but I've got to say your use of regular building materials as textures in the models (especially the axe-tail ship) is pretty impressive.

The only advice I'd give is that you should come up with a more comprehensive color pallate - most of the textures in stock Sketchup can have their colors edited, and even matched, inside sketchup to good effect. Coming up with colors that different nationalities/shipyards/whatever use would help your plug.

Thanks for the tip on finding new textures; I'll have to check that out. As for using different colors for different nationalities etc, I'm already doing that to some extent. For the most part, Galactic ships all have the gray-blue color (wings on the Apache and Aegis ) somewhere. The Corunians use green paint (Durandal), and the Axe-tails make their ships out of yellow metal alloys.

QUOTE (StarSword @ Nov 17 2010, 07:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the tip on finding new textures; I'll have to check that out. As for using different colors for different nationalities etc, I'm already doing that to some extent. For the most part, Galactic ships all have the gray-blue color (wings on the Apache and Aegis ) somewhere. The Corunians use green paint (Durandal), and the Axe-tails make their ships out of yellow metal alloys.

And the Varellavites use brown, as you'll see in this post.

(DeviantArt is effed-up for some reason right now, so I'm linking this one to my Flickr page.)

_ Mvleng Ulngaas "E-Wing" Space Superiority Fighter_
Primary Attack Fighter, Varellavite Imperial Navy

As dangerous as the payload of the Theta-Wing is, the bombers are too slow to have a chance against Galactic Black Knights. Thus was created the E-Wing fighter. Though still somewhat slow for an interceptor, these craft have taken much of the dogfighting off of the shoulders of the hapless Theta-Wings.

At the start of EVN:UGF in 1002 GSD, the E-Wing is almost forty years old. It was a contemporary of and good match for the F-83 White Lightning, a powerful fighter-bomber formerly used by the United Galactic Fighter Corps. However, the Varellavite Imperium is poor compared to the UGF, and as its sovereign, Emperor Kulush Korrist, has aged (and lost power to the Masterminds), the Imperium has stagnated.

"E-Wing", of course, isn't its actual name, but rather what Galactics call it. Its real name has six syllables and way too many consonants.

This one is almost all me. I used only one Delphi part, the antennae from the front of the Equipment Block. They form the Lava -class heat rays on the front of the outer fuselages. (The "heat ray," the main Varellavite energy weapon, is a high-powered infrared laser that literally melts and/or incinerates its target. For obvious reasons, it requires an advanced cooling system.)

The cone on the front of the center fuselage is the launcher for the E-wing's secondary weapon, a launcher for Kridsatka light rockets. As Varellavite technology is low-tech compared to Galactic, they find guided weaponry difficult to build (they only have three types of homing weapons, all poor compared to equivalents from other governments), but they have honed unguided rocketry and heat manipulation to a veritable art form.