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Author Topic: Adding custom ships  (Read 229458 times)

Erebos

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #180 on: June 10, 2011, 04:20:28 AM »

The devil is in the details. I can put together a sprite, and implement it in the game without difficulty (thanks to those who have already done so), but breaking up the flat areas and gradients with exquisite detail, or pixel-wankery as David modestly calls it, is something I find quite tricky. At least the damage effects look good.

My efforts so far are below, in case anyone's interested. The sprite for the big one is unfinished, and illustrates my point. The small one is the Hoplite I mentioned earlier. I'm considering making it a fighter instead of a frigate so they can be used en masse and in close formation, but I'm not sure whether the fighter AI will use it defensively as intended at this stage – or indeed, whether it would be appropriate to stick a hypervelocity driver on a fighter....


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mendonca

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #181 on: June 10, 2011, 06:38:32 AM »

Love the concept of both ships.

And I know what you mean about the pixel wankery. I have come to the conclusion that there is no substitute but hard work to achieve anything like that provided by Herr Baumgart (which seems a shame).

Avoiding hard work though, I have generally been trying things like working quickly and roughly on a seperate 'details' layer over the top of the main sprite and turning the opacity of that layer down.

If you do a few layers at 30% opacity or something, and then mix up some white and black squiggles and nonsense, it can start to look semi-respectable (still only really semi-respectable, I haven't really nailed any of my sprites yet, I don't think, although some aspects work better than others).

I normally also work with a 'working' sprite being a couple of times bigger (at least) as the actual sprite. That way you can throw some lines in without precision, and then the reduction in fidelity when it shrinks hides some of the roughness. You also get anti-aliased fine details without having to specify pixel by pixel values.

Ultimately though, I still think the pixel by pixel detail is the stuff that turns it from being 'passable' to being 'good'. I haven't really invested enough time at this level myself.
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"I'm doing it, I'm making them purple! No one can stop me!"

Avan

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #182 on: June 10, 2011, 09:45:36 AM »

I run everything through 20+ filter passes, and that's /after/ I get the details on there. Also, my stylistic design is still very different than david's is. :P

I get lazy to the point I save done 'components' of my spirtes (because I do every single little thing in like, 5 layers each), and simply cheat by frankening them together to make new parts and then franken those to make entire ships, only making actually new parts as new designs absolutly require

David

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #183 on: June 10, 2011, 01:04:30 PM »

Hey, feel quite free to take crops from bits of my ship art and adjust the color and shading to make basic texturing for your ships. Some of the larger ships have some big areas to pull from, if you're so inclined.

Heck, I might just throw together some generic ship pieces - been meaning to write a tutorial/style guide for making ships, but I've been crunching on my other game ...
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Trylobot

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #184 on: June 10, 2011, 01:09:03 PM »

Heck, I might just throw together some generic ship pieces - been meaning to write a tutorial/style guide for making ships, but I've been crunching on my other game ...

Yes, please!
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Erebos

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #185 on: June 10, 2011, 04:21:04 PM »

I'd appreciate it greatly if you did.

And thanks for the advice, everyone. I think I'll try assimilating bits and pieces from other peoples' ships, and see how well I can hide it.
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Avan

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #186 on: June 11, 2011, 05:33:52 PM »

Made another missile & launcher set - tzar heavy mrm - for specifically the phoenix, and edited some of the phoenix load-outs (Support is railguns, gauss & heavy pilum launchers; Assault is hephaestus, chainguns & hurricanes; Strike is hellbores, autocannons & tzars -- all other weaponry is the same (PD lasers, dual flak & HILs))

Trylobot

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #187 on: June 12, 2011, 03:43:10 AM »

Dude

Avan



When are you going to let us download your ships and play with them already

Get on the ball man


That is all
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Avan

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #188 on: June 12, 2011, 06:27:35 AM »

 :P
When I'm done with the current set & their missions. They don't even have all their weapons yet.

DarkStar076

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #189 on: June 13, 2011, 02:42:02 AM »

My first attempt at adding a custom ship took me around 4 hours from start to playable. (Much was learned in that time) In this session I only used stock weapons for now but maybe when i have finished all my other projects i can dive head first into modding Starfarer :D

Hopefully in future versions of Starfarer I can add a chargeup effect to the axial mount beam weapon ;)
I would also have to make the Wave Motion Cannon turret look like the bow of the ship so it blends in. . .


« Last Edit: June 13, 2011, 02:49:22 AM by DarkStar076 »
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Avan

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #190 on: June 13, 2011, 07:05:53 AM »

Added a minigun weapon: it shreds frigates and fighters, and I disabled the PD function on it because the AI failed to handle it very well due to the chargeup time (it charges (barrel spin-up), then has continuous rapid fire)

Added a modified 'tinkered' autopulse cannon (chainpulse): unlike the normal autocannon, it doesn't stop firing and has an 'infinite' (23 hour, 20 minute) long interruptable burst (sorta like the minigun), and it turns a tad faster given the cropped barrel, but because of the modifications, it loses a good amount of range and accuracy, and it failed to be a very effective weapon against fighters and frigates, and is not very good even vs. destroyers at its max range, but if you can get enough on the same ship all firing at a cruiser or large capship, they are quite good, especially since the enemy ship is unlikely to escape out of range (not easily anyways, unless its an Apogee, may a Conquest, or a Phoenix). They will also build up your flux quite quickly, so their firing mode is not actually infinite (only a Conquest or a Phoenix can fire a single cannon indefinitely with shields down. None can do so with two, and only the Phoenix can do one indefinitely with shields up)

Letsparty

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #191 on: June 13, 2011, 10:41:33 AM »

Added a minigun weapon: it shreds frigates and fighters, and I disabled the PD function on it because the AI failed to handle it very well due to the chargeup time (it charges (barrel spin-up), then has continuous rapid fire)

hmmm
if i understand you correctly this was because the AI did not take into account the charge up time before fireing
a modification to the AI to take into account charge time might not be bad
convert charge time into travel dist for missiles and tell AI to commence fire at normal + travel dist for such weapon  :) 
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WARNING objects in sniper scope may appear closer then they actually are.

tinsoldier

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #192 on: June 13, 2011, 11:32:03 AM »

My first attempt at adding a custom ship took me around 4 hours from start to playable. (Much was learned in that time) In this session I only used stock weapons for now but maybe when i have finished all my other projects i can dive head first into modding Starfarer :D

Can you get a pic of it damaged a bit?  I <3 dmg pics.
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Avan

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #193 on: June 13, 2011, 01:03:03 PM »

Added a minigun weapon: it shreds frigates and fighters, and I disabled the PD function on it because the AI failed to handle it very well due to the chargeup time (it charges (barrel spin-up), then has continuous rapid fire)

hmmm
if i understand you correctly this was because the AI did not take into account the charge up time before fireing
a modification to the AI to take into account charge time might not be bad
convert charge time into travel dist for missiles and tell AI to commence fire at normal + travel dist for such weapon  :) 
Yeah, its also not very good at detecting when it should continue firing in order to avoid the chargeup

Letsparty

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Re: Adding custom ships
« Reply #194 on: June 13, 2011, 01:10:48 PM »

Added a minigun weapon: it shreds frigates and fighters, and I disabled the PD function on it because the AI failed to handle it very well due to the chargeup time (it charges (barrel spin-up), then has continuous rapid fire)

hmmm
if i understand you correctly this was because the AI did not take into account the charge up time before fireing
a modification to the AI to take into account charge time might not be bad
convert charge time into travel dist for missiles and tell AI to commence fire at normal + travel dist for such weapon  :) 
Yeah, its also not very good at detecting when it should continue firing in order to avoid the chargeup

hmmmm

when target destroyed
   check next target closer then (range+charge range)
        if turn turret to enemy time = less then 3/4 charge up time then
            continue to fire while turning turret
 ;)
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The sniper rifle. For when you want to reach out and touch someone.
WARNING objects in sniper scope may appear closer then they actually are.
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