EVEN LARGER SHIP: IT LIVES!

[vidboi]

recently i decided to start work on a balanced, stock size fleet that would be good fun to play with in the game

i decided to start with a large cruiser or such like, about the size of the athena. looking for ideas i remembered someone advising me to base a ship on the HMS Nelson, a pretty odd looking Royal Navy battleship from the 1920s. so, i started work...

did i succeed?.. no, in a way. the ship i built consisted of 612 sections and is too large to load in game. i predicted this when i'd finished the engines, taking up 200 size and using about 200 sprites, but nonetheless i kept going, buing the substructure then armouring it over the top. i ended up with a size 400 battleship, the HMSS Trafalgar:

i have now reduced the sprite count to about 390, so it can and will load in game =D

[Kiltric]

This thing if freaking gorgeous. I'm disappointed that you didn't succeed in making something Athena-sized and balanced and whatnot, but even so, seeing this product makes me not care.

In particular, the way you blended fine details into the turrets and mechanisms, but kept large, flat areas and made it look good is particularly impressive. The color and shape are well done, and subtle without being over the top or too ambitious in what you were going for.

Really, the only criticism I have to offer is that the rearmost area, the squarish part that the back four engines are attached to seems just a bit too long. Tucking that in/shrinking it just a bit would help the aesthetic of the ship.

I find that this ship reminds me greatly of the Super Galaxy Dai-Gurren, not really in the design, but just in the feel of the ship, if that makes sense.

[vidboi]

i know what you mean about the covers over the rear thrusters. i added them in late, and i think the ship actually looked a lot better without them, just showing the internals. it'll also reduce the sprite count, which i'm going to try to get under 500

[Bad Boy]

I'm really liking this, very meticulously made.
Looking at the blueprint shot, the uncovered thrusters look better. That said, you could always rework the thruster armour to be less bland and fit more with the main armour bits of the ship.
If you want to cut down sections, you could always do a bit of merging.

Also, could we get an understructure shot that's not blueprint?

[vidboi]

i've removed the armour, i'm working on merging the sections, and here's the original screenshot:

[vidboi]

UPDATE: sprites have been reduced and merged, the section count is now 395, meaning it should load in game...

...and then...

ERRORRRRRRRRRRRR D=

stupid depthed weapons >.<

anyway, i shall fix, and then should be able to produce a download~

[vidboi]

IT LIVES!

check the first post for a download

[Silverware]

Just wow, that things awesome! Will you keep going with this style?

[Exethalion]

Fantastic work.

In true Nelson style make it sluggishly slow and only have armour around the fore main armament. Then be pissed off that barely anyone else even bothered to adhere to the treaties.

[InsaneCat]

And vidboi owns all in shipmaking. again.

[vidboi]

thanks for the comments guys, in responce to the questions: yes, it is pretty slow already, it probably has more armour around the central sections, but i can't be bother to go through every single section and change the hp. and i may plan on making an escort fleet for this, and maybe some enemy fleets if i can be bothered

[Rugdumph]

That is some real epic work vid! Love the blue/blackprint shots. At first I was gonna say something about the main engines looking abit odd so far out underneath the smaller ones but now I can kinda picture how it'd be in 3D in my head and it's actually pretty cool.

[Kiltric]

Vid, a couple things about the sprites you included. What you included in Arc_turrets (CE-Twin-Bottom.png) and Arc_weapons (some chunks of HM weapons) Where did these come from and why are they in Arc's folders?

Also, the name of the fraxy folder is Fraxy Sprites not Fraxy, so that 112 is coming from the wrong place.

[jwa8402]

Gorgeous! A true battleship...I love all the heavy guns and the streamlined look. I agree something could be done about the engines, but its not a critical fault. A support fleet of destroyers and frigates in this style would be awesome.

[vidboi]

Vid, a couple things about the sprites you included. What you included in Arc_turrets (CE-Twin-Bottom.png) and Arc_weapons (some chunks of HM weapons) Where did these come from and why are they in Arc's folders?

Also, the name of the fraxy folder is Fraxy Sprites not Fraxy, so that 112 is coming from the wrong place.

arcalane's turret sprites an other "crap": viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3463

and i have 4 different fraxy folders in my custom sprites folder. i'm not entiely sure how they all got there, but the one called "fraxy" is complete and the first so i use that =P

Gorgeous! A true battleship...I love all the heavy guns and the streamlined look. I agree something could be done about the engines, but its not a critical fault. A support fleet of destroyers and frigates in this style would be awesome.

thanks, i've changed the engines a little my removing the armour over them, i should post a new screenshot.

also, i'm currently working on an escort destroyer, and more ships should be in the works