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Author Topic: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)  (Read 13252 times)

ORMtnMan

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The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« on: September 01, 2014, 08:48:06 PM »

The Ashkurr Commonwealth

Welcome, this mod it very much in progress, but this will serve as a repository until it moves from the pre-alpha stages.

Lore

Pre-Collapse
Spoiler
The Ashkurr Commonwealth’s pre-collapse history is spotty at best. The only historical documents remaining are business records and newsletters from a company called Astral Defense Industries (ADI). According to the documents, ADI is (was?) a company that produced midline military equipment. The company was founded by Ethan Coolidge in cycle 2854 (ancients time). Ethan was the son of a co-owner of the company (of which the name is not listed) that designed the venerable Eagle which gets such ubiquitous use in current time.

The Ashkurr system was found by ADI prospectors sometime in cycle 2879. The planets of the system were rich with minerals and ripe for exploitation. The downside was the planets were barren and their atmospheres made it impossible for biological life to survive. So on planet food production and civilian infrastructure was impossible to build. Massive auto-factories were established on the planets and the Ashkurr system quickly became the production center for the company. The civilian population was relegated to orbital stations around the planets and roaming fleets. The deficiency in food production was supplemented by a continual stream of supply fleets, while local food production was established in orbital food yards.
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Collapse
Spoiler
When the Gates ceased operating, operations continued as normal for a short while as it did in other sectors. Unfortunately, at the point the gates went dark, the local food infrastructure was incomplete and insufficient for the requirements of the population in the system. As the food and medical supplies dwindled and gates did not reopen panic spread through the population.

With the absence of any direction from the corporate leaders the population formed its own government, The People's Republic of Ashkurr. In an act of desperation, all the industrial production was nationalized by the regional government. The auto-factory production was refocused from military production to designing and producing civilian and hydroponic craft.
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Post-Collapse
Spoiler
Once supplies and food production stabilized in the system, the government slowly released control of industry to enterprising companies. This decentralization shifted the government away from the communism born from need. This new government was more of a republic and each planet was allowed their own government. The self governing planets established the Ashkurr Commonwealth.

Not every planet was happy with the change in regime and a splinter group calling themselves the New People’s Republic (NPR) which took control of Ashkurr IV. The lack of inter-planet trade (due to the frayed relations between the two governments) and shoddy infrastructure on and around the planet of this new group forced them to resort to pirating and smuggling to maintain enough supplies. The populace would not have accepted the actions under normal circumstances but desperation makes animals out of the most civilized people.

As justification, The NPR raid fleets explained they were liberating supplies from the rich to help the people. In the beginning it was as simple as that. Though time and power of the leaders caused a subtle shift from supplying the people to bettering the lives of it's leaders.

The NPR found it easy to maintain control on the desperate populace by throwing them breadcrumbs from their raids while highly propagandizing them against the Commonwealth and eventually against the other factions in the sector after the system reopened.

The previous brotherhood and relations (more often than not by blood among the leadership) of the residents of the Commonwealth and those of the NPR have prevented any more drastic action than space skirmishes between the two factions.

Around cycle 200, gates to the Ashkurr system reopened and contact was reestablished between the Commonwealth and the other domains of man. Trade was re-established and the Commonwealth entered the inter-galactic conflict shortly thereafter.

The long isolation made the Commonwealth very isolationist and suspicious of outsiders (to the point of xenophobia at times). Few outsider fleets are allowed past the fringe trade stations. That is not to say that the Commonwealth does not have amicable (to friendly) relations with other factions, they are still kept at arms length and heavily monitored if in the Ashkurr System.

The opening of the gates allowed to the NPR to expand its target pool. Npr fleets can be found conducting raids across the sector to bring back supplies to their "people".
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Eventually, this mod will have two factions: The Ashkurr Commonwealth and The New People's Republic.

The Commonwealth is a peaceful, though isolationist and defensive faction whose history of conflict isolation lead to a deficiency on offensive strike craft. The defensive capabilities grew strong due to constant harassment by the NPR raiders.

The New People's Republic resorted to piracy due to the insufficiency of production on the planet they managed to gain control of. They espouse ideals of communism and spreading wealth equally, though, the People they "protect" more often than not are victims as well. Anyone who is an easy target usually ends up being one.

If you are at all interested in how these faction interact
It is listed here:
If you have any corrections (or wish to be added) to that info, let me know.

Weapons
Spoiler
Valhalla Ballistics Series
Spoiler

Tyrfing Machinegun

The Tyrfing Machinegun is the primary Valhalla ballistic weapon designed by ADI. It uses a lighter round than standard production machineguns increasing the speed and range of the round at the expense of hard impact. The cycling mechanism also requires a slightly higher flux than standard MGs to reduce jamming.

Hrotti Rotary Flak Cannon
(Dual version in progress)
The Hrotti Rotary Flak Cannon is the next in the Valhalla lineup. It features three rotating barrels that fire 30mm flak rounds. The Hrotti focuses on creating a wall of fragments to dissuade fighters and missile from approaching. The rotation system makes it a drain on flux systems however, so long continuous bursts could put the user in a bad position. It comes in two layouts Single and dual. The single is able to fit on medium mounts whereas the dual requires a large mount. (The Dual image is in process atm)

Dainsleif Autocannon
(Quad version still in progress)
The Dainsleif is main ship assault weapon of the Commonwealth. It fires 30mm rounds and uses a coil assist system to launch the round farther than its standard counterparts. Unfortunately the coil power system drains a bit on flux and limits number of cannons that can fit on one mount. For example, the medium vairnat is limited to 2 cannons as opposed to 3 on its counterpart. It comes in three standard sizes, the small mount version with 1 cannon, the medium mount with 2 and the large mount version with 4 cannons. The last of which is rarely used due to cost and rarity.
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Ships
Spoiler

Drones:

Cargo Drone
Spoiler

The cargo drone was developed to unload and load cargo vessels. A minor shield was added to the drone to improve the longevity of the drones in the sometimes harsh conditions of the Ashkurr System. In a pinch they can provide a minor screen for cargo vessels, though their mini-flux cores is not meant to withstand prolonged assault.
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Mining Drone
Spoiler

The Mining Drone is used to provide a more accurate and nimble mining operation than using larger craft. The hard minerals and asteroids of the Ashkurr system required the mining drones to be retrofitted with a stronger chlorine based laser (most mining lasers are fluoride base) similar to that of combat lasers. The beam is kept small for pinpoint accuracy. The Mining drone has also been affixed with a light shield to protect it in the environments it mines in.
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PD Drone
Spoiler

The Point Defense Drone is mounted with a single Tyrfing LMG and is meant to intercept incoming missiles. This drone is employed solely by military carrier craft that require additional protection. The drone is unshielded and not meant to take direct attack.
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Shield Drone
Spoiler

A drone affixed with only a strong shield generator, it is used in some military cargo and transport craft to provide additional protection.
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Fighters:

Baselard Interceptor
Spoiler

The Baselard is the lightest fighter class employed by the Commonwealth, It is mounted with a dual Tyrfing MG and relies on large numbers to take down opponents.
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Epee Strike Fighter
Spoiler

The Epee is the cheap (One Step up from the Baselard) combat fighter used in most Commonwealth fleets. Used mostly for screening transport craft, life expectancy of Epee pilots usually is not very good. It uses a Shrike SRM Pod and a Tyrfing LMG.
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Estoc Missile Craft
Spoiler

The Estoc is effectively a flying missile launcher. It's low armor and minimal non-missile weaponry make it more effective as a launch and run craft. During the Isolation period, the Estoc saw very little usage as it was picked apart easily by NPR harriers.  Is is armed with 2 Osprey MRMs and a Tyrfing LMG.
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Pelte
Spoiler

The Pelte is the a defensive fighter craft. It is not often used due to poor design, but several have made their way into civilian and defense fleets. It is large, heavy (for a fighter) and not very fast. It sports a dual Tyrfing LMG on a turret (uncommon in fighter sized ships). It is unable to mount any other weapons due to the turret mechanism and the small shield generator.
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Rapier Heavy Fighter
Spoiler

The Rapier is the only fighter employed by the Commonwealth that focuses on larger craft assault. It was so effective at taking down NPR raiding craft that it found itself used in most (if not all Commonwealth fleets). It is mounted with a Dainsleif AC and a dual Tyrfing LMG
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Dirk Strike Bomber
Spoiler

The dirk strike bomber is one of the signature Astral Defense Industries fighter series. During the Isolation period of the Ashkurr commonwealth, the bomber had very sparing usage due the lack of open warfare in the system. With the opening up of the system to the rest of the sector, the production of this craft has ramped up for use in Interdiction Fleets. It sports 2 Vulture Ion Bombs and a Tyrfing LMG.
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Buckler Point Defense Corvette
Spoiler

The Buckler is the largest of the fighter class employed by the Commonwealth. It is loaded for bear to provide point defense protection to important fleets. Its compact size and heavy loadout make it difficult to produce and as such is not very common. Even with it's size and loadout, it is not effective against larger craft. It uses a dual and two single Tyrfing LMGs and sports a miniaturized version of the Castle Defense System.
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Frigates:
Katar Patrol Craft
Spoiler

The Katar has been used in the Ashkurr system since it was first settled. Its light weight and high speed made it incredibly useful in patrolling ahead of trade and transport fleets or as a policing craft. The light weaponry makes it unsuitable for sustained combat, however.  It employs the Engine Arrest System which uses a small guided missile to cause an overload in a targets engine, rendering them inert.
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Targe Light Fleet Defender
Spoiler

The Targe is effectively a lighter version of the Aegis Fleet Defender. The smaller size and lighter armament make it less effective in protection than the Aegis so it saw less usage in the Isolation period. Its higher maneuverability makes it more helpful in fast moving maneuvering fleets. The smaller size, lower resource requirement and ability produce much more cheaply than the Aegis made it more popular for trade fleets on long range operations. It uses the same Castle Defense System as the Aegis.
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Claymore Heavy Assault Frigate
Spoiler
**Image is a work in process**

The Claymore is the lightest assault craft of the Commonwealth. It's limitation to all light weaponry limit it's damage potential, but its speed and maneuverability made it effective in hunting down NPR raiding fleets.
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Porter Construction and Repair Rig
Spoiler
**Image is a work in process**

The Porter is a mobile repair station and production facility (though light production only). It sports Cargo drones and if used in a fleet can repair other craft.
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Arrastra Mining Vessel
Spoiler
**Image is a work in process**

The Arrasta is a hardy mining vessel. It uses mining drones instead of on board mining equipment. This allows for more precise mining at the cost of storage space. It is lightly armed itself, but has heavy armor and shields to deal with harsh environments and the drones can act as protectors in a pinch.
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Destroyers:
Aegis Fleet Defender
Spoiler

The Aegis Fleet Defender is the most common ship after the Katar. Its wide coverage arc and standard point defense armament coupled with heavy armor and shielding make it a near requirement for the defense of Commonwealth fleets. The focus on defensive abilities while maintaining a smaller profile detract from the maneuverability of the craft. It can move forward at fairly normal speed (to keep up with the fleets they protect) but turning is incredibly slow. It employes the Castle Defense System which reroutes power from engines to the shields, eliminating forward/backward movement and reduces turning speed drastically to improve the strength of the shields. The System still causes a higher drain on flux than the just the shield, though.
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Trebuchet Missile Carrier
Spoiler

The Trebuchet was a model designed by ADI to be a light long range support craft. Its missile payload could be modified to be a variety of ranges but its slow turning speed, light shielding and low defensive cability make it ineffective for short range support. The Trebuchet saw sparing use during the Isolation period but with the opening up of the starsystem it became a much more useful.
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Caravel Transport Craft
Spoiler
**Image is a work in process**

The Caravel was meant to be ADI's entry into the luxury cruise liner industry. Though, the design did not get out of the prototype phase before the gates closed.  The Isolated people of Ashkurr and the Commonwealth that came after did not have much use for a luxury cruise liner. The ship design was repurposed (and made more spartan) to act as a personnel and cargo transport.
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Palisade Escort Carrier
Spoiler

The Palisade is the light carrier option offered by ADI. It features a single flight deck with a higher speed an maneuverability than most carriers of the same size. It suffers in the armor and defense because more of the compact space is taken up by the docks, engine power and the EMP system. The Palisade is used often by the Commonwealth as its speed allowed it to outrun good portions of NPR raiders while still providing support to fighter squadrons.

Cruisers:
Petard Siege Craft
Spoiler
**Image is a work in process**

The Petard is (was) a prototype ship of ADI. It was a ship designed around the enormous Mars Siege Cannon. The Petard never left the prototype phase by the time the gates closed so it was never formally produced. During the Isolation period the residents of the Ashkurr system had no need of such a destructive weapon, so the Petard went unproduced and unfinished. Once the Commonwealth was opened up to the rest of the sector, they saw the need to dust off the old schematics and prepare it for possible production.

The Mars Siege Cannon was designed for firing upon large immobile objects like space stations and planetary structures. Also, as it never left prototype it was never optimized. Woefully inefficient the Mars Siege Cannon tends to heavily drain the flux core of the Petard leaving it without a shield for some time. It operates by taking an enormous Infernium shell, superheating it then using a combination coil/rail system launch the projectile at a high velocity at the target. The entire process takes a long time to complete and due to design flaws can't stop once started. Which is why it is more effective at hitting slow or immobile targets. The Petard also has a slow turning radius due to most of the space being devoted to the cannon's systems and ammunition (of which there is only space for 5 shots). The cannon is also slow to reload as the chamber needs to cool down from the heating process before a new round can be chambered.
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Priwen Planetary Defense Craft
Spoiler
**Image is a work in process**

The Priwen is the largest defensive craft employed by the Commonwealth. Huge Size and defensive setup make it most effective for protecting capital ships, stations or planets. Its low speed make it ineffective for protecting trade fleets which require more agile defenders.
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Thanks to:
Alex for making an awesome game
MesoTroniK for providing a lot of helpful criticism and suggestions. Also, for being from the States AND being both a scholar and a gentleman.
Debido for invaluable coding help.
THe community for pushing me to do my own art (instead of kitbashing)
Valkyrial for making a awesome mod that inspired me to start modding (I just liked the style but eventually it wasn't enough for me)
The community for being supportive and providing other art advice!

THANK YOU
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« Last Edit: November 14, 2014, 01:52:51 PM by ORMtnMan »
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Creator and lord of The Ashkurr Commonwealth

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haloguy1

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2014, 09:13:36 PM »

Oh wow cool another mod cant wait to try this out, ships soo far look awesome. :) :D
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ORMtnMan

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2014, 09:45:46 PM »

Thanks, support means a lot and gives me motivation to keep it up!

I very much intend this to be a community based mod, so input/suggestions is welcome. I already run most of the sprites past the artists of this forum.

Anyway, I hope to keep it going. There is a myriad of mods out there, but mine may be a bit (with everyone's help) different than the others out there.

I aspire to one day have this page moved by Trylobot or Mendoca (or one of the other moderators) when I actually make something of this besides some sprites.
« Last Edit: September 01, 2014, 09:48:29 PM by ORMtnMan »
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Nanao-kun

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2014, 11:59:04 AM »

I really like the Aegis.
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ORMtnMan

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2014, 07:20:44 PM »

Thank you!

I was very happy with it as well. I have some cool ideas bouncing around in my head for new ships (cool to me at least...)

I updated the main post for lore on the ships.
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kazi

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2014, 08:58:27 PM »

The Dirk sprite is fabulous. The lore is pretty good too! If you're going for a distinctive look, I would try to stay away from kitbashing as much as you can, it ends up looking very similar to other stuff due to the sheer amount of bashes on this forum. Anyhow keep it up!
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ORMtnMan

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2014, 09:22:08 PM »

Thanks for the support Kazi! It means a lot to get praise from one of the great artists of SS.

I do intend on making non kitbashed ships. I just had a couple sitting around that I made a while ago and was very attached to so I have been cleaning them up to add into the faction...
That is why I am posting these so quickly...

I only have a 2 more kitbashes, one of which I have just added to the main post.
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Tartiflette

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2014, 11:59:52 PM »

Those ships are really good, solid design, great depth (the one thing that gives everyone trouble on their sprites and you aced it) clean technique... This is really promising.

But, sorry there is a but ^^ I feel that recently your style shifted to a more and more... Cartoony style? That's not the right word but I can't find any better. Your ships are becoming cleaner and cleaner, they lost a great deal of their dirt and weathering. From trusty old war machines they have been turned into clean expensive cars... Also what used to be subtle contact shadows between armor plates is looking more and more like a sharp outline.

It's not really a problem, just a feeling I felt like sharing. In fact it reminds me of the difference between the gritty dirty ol' Starcraft 1 and the much more colorful chubby Starcraft 2: the technique vastly improved, but it lost some charisma along the way. (And before getting put to the stake, yes it's my personal opinion ^^)

Great work nevertheless! I'm eager to see what you come up with when not kitbashing, and I'll closely follow how this mod evolve.
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ORMtnMan

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #8 on: September 03, 2014, 06:42:03 AM »

Tartiflette,

Thank you for your for the support!

Looking at my sprites, they do look a bit cartoony... I tried having more texture grit but somehow it made it look like a color pencil drawing... how do I avoid that?

I am trying to at least fit into the SS aesthetic, because I know I get bothered (and usually won't download) mods that depart too much from that.

I am VERY new at spriting (and art in general) so I know I have a long way to go, which is why I seek (and love receiving) help from the much better artists of this forum. So, moral of that story is don't feel bad about giving opinions or suggestions. I want them!

Thanks again to all those who have been helping me so far!

EDIT!!!!!:

So, Debido on the Spriter's Judgement Thread opened my eyes to the iceburg that is sprite art. I only saw the tip of that one... So I will be jumping down the rabbit hole and designing sprites from the ground up, starting with the ones I already have (which I never seem to be done with ;) ) If my experiment turns out to be horrible or I get a huge outpouring of people saying how much they like my original sprites ;D, I will go back to what I was doing.

Anyway, wish me luck! I have no idea how long it will take me to do any of this, so bear with me.
« Last Edit: September 03, 2014, 12:23:02 PM by ORMtnMan »
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Creator and lord of The Ashkurr Commonwealth

Sprite artist and designer for Naysmyth Armouries

ORMtnMan

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #9 on: September 03, 2014, 08:26:29 PM »

Alright,I know I am double posting but it is my thread :)

I have made the executive decision to keep you apprised of my art odyssey in a tutorial style format. I will keep adding to this post as I complete more steps on my art journey. Maybe, just maybe, if I am successful, this could help someone.

The tutorial has been moved here:
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8210.0
« Last Edit: September 11, 2014, 10:24:23 AM by ORMtnMan »
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Ryxsen1421

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #10 on: September 03, 2014, 09:11:22 PM »

You know, I don't think having too many spoilers are necessary. This is your thread after all, it's up to you how you'll manage it.
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ORMtnMan

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #11 on: September 03, 2014, 09:25:08 PM »

You know, I don't think having too many spoilers are necessary. This is your thread after all, it's up to you how you'll manage it.

Fine! :)

Ugh, kit-bashing is soooooo much easier...
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Creator and lord of The Ashkurr Commonwealth

Sprite artist and designer for Naysmyth Armouries

ORMtnMan

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #12 on: September 04, 2014, 09:10:01 PM »

« Last Edit: September 11, 2014, 10:24:00 AM by ORMtnMan »
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Creator and lord of The Ashkurr Commonwealth

Sprite artist and designer for Naysmyth Armouries

ORMtnMan

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #13 on: September 14, 2014, 08:22:09 PM »

OP updated,

I finished the sprites for all of my intended fighters... low hanging fruit I know but I was lacking in motivation to work on my larger ships.

If you guys have any ideas or suggestions. let me know!
« Last Edit: September 14, 2014, 08:25:51 PM by ORMtnMan »
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maximilianyuen

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Re: The Ashkurr Commonwealth (WIP)
« Reply #14 on: September 14, 2014, 10:58:19 PM »

Congrat on the good mod finally out, but a bit let down by the imagevin process :p
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Fleet construction in progress.
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