MOE, please check over the 46 models of the Federation on SharePoint and back them up. I hope this is a full deck of cards. (oh wrong race, full deck of Fedz)

You could also add that extra Fleetyard to the Fed on page one of this thread.
Thanks

Hi Kenneth, i've done the update. I noticed a few things though;

The Colony ship I is listed as the Conestoga class, but the image you've got on sharepoint isn't of the Conestoga (Which was an Enterprise era ship, you can find an image Here and a diagram on Ex-Astris-Scientia) The image currently assigned is of a TOS-era ship, but I can't remember what it is called off the top of my head. We can either change the model or change the name of the ship, but if we change the name some people might notice the era difference.

I couldn't see any of Fireball's models in the images. Have we lost them?

The registry on the Prometheus' and Sovereign is back-to-front in their respective images. Are the images flipped, or is it the models?

I know this might be a bit picky, but the registry number on the Federation Construction Ship II is a little on the low side, seeing as it is meant to be a mid-tech ship (TOS era, where the registries were around 1500-1900). Could you add another number on the end of it or something?

Thanks for vetting the models. Until we get a Conestoga model the Whatever Class from TOS can hold the spot. I sure wish we did have some of Fireballs models. Those registries have been problematic. Different programs like to display them in different ways. I could wait to check it out in the Wolfe combat engine but given the way ships look so small in the demo it likely will not matter there. I will fix that soon for the .png and reload the .rar files for them. I will look around for a Conestoga.

I came up with a Defiant Escort and also a Heavy Escort Defiant Knock off in my SharePoint Federation fleet. The Heavy Escort is not in post one of this thread any more but you used it's image from SharePoint for the regular Escort. What are we really doing now for escort class ships?

The official designation for the Defiant class is "Heavy Escort". To my knowledge, it is the ONLY ship in the entire game with the Escort designation. In fact, I don't know of any other canon designs with the escort designation either. Starfleet used the term just so the Defiant had an official purpose since they couldn't design warships. We all know that warship was the unofficial designation though.

...I didn't notice that there were two Defiant images on Sharepoint though, so i'm sorry for that mixup. Which image do you want me to use?

If you wanted to, you could have a go at creating the Hornet Class, which was a spin-off of the Defiant. I'm not sure if it's a canon design or not, but i've heard quite a lot about it. It basically has sleeker, rounded Nacelles, a longer, pointier nose cone; thicker hull armor; and heavier weapons, but they were otherwise identical to the Defiant class. As we haven't got a slot for it though in the build list, it would have to be put on sharepoint as an extra model for people to add to the game.

The Rebellious and Valiant classes might also be cool designs to put on sharepoint for people to add to their games. The site i'm linking to certainly isn't canon though, as it is a site dedicated to a Star Trek-Star Wars crossover. I'm just using their pages as examples as they have some high-quality images and info, but it isn't the only site where i've seen these designs.

Let's go with the Defiant Escort, no Heavy, on SharePoint, for the image and the model. I will tuck the Heavy away for possible later use.

BTW I like all our suggestions. I am working on your recommendations and a few improvements of my own - as time permits. Your eyes found some errors and I am looking at them anew.

MOE, the cards are now reloaded to SharePoint. Please check them over for errors.

Thanks for all those images, Kenneth. I've sorted out the Cardies in their image post, so go and have a look at your work in all its' glory.

I just went through my Supremacy files and updated all the Federation and Cardassian images in there, and made sure the structures will use the updated images ingame. I'm gonna have quite a hefty update for Mike by the time you've finished the images for the other empires; on top of these updates, Zeleni sent me a few new structure and emblem images a couple of days ago, and I fixed some database bugs that vh_2k posted about on the forums.

One of the downsides of the update is that Mike has told me the updater doesn't delete images that are no longer used (Ie. because images have been renamed); unfortunately, quite a few of the images have been renamed in this update (To maintain database consistency) so when the update is released i'm going to have to recommend people delete their image folder and let the updater download the latest version in its' entirety or people will end up with lots of useless images floating around in the game files and just wasting space.

I have been packing the png images into the model .rar file and many .rar even have the black background png used in the SharePoint Image Library. Would it be better for me to have a folder just for the in-game png? The combat engine does not need the png so we could leave them out of the model rar all together?

It's up to you really. The game definitely looks better with images that have transparencies, but only when those transparencies are done well. I haven't yet applied the transparencies to these new images, but based on past experience I know that i'm gonna have to do a LOT of image fixing in Paint to get them to look right. I actually fixed a couple of the BOTF structure images yesterday coz I noticed a few stray pixels in the transparencies.

*Edit - I just tested the new Cardassian images with the transparencies...I don't think applying special effects (Like shields, weapons, etc) is such a good idea. Some of the images are pretty good with transparencies added, but most aren't, especially the ones with special effects applied.

Ahhhhhhhh!

I have already made all the images with a transparent background. The png image with transparent background are in the .rar file with the models.

I put a black background into the image for the Shear-Point Image Library only so we can see something of what it will look like when the game puts a mostly dark star-field behind them. Those are not for use in the game.

I will create a new set of folder just for the in-game png images.

Look in Shared Documents / In Game PNG Images / Federation
I just put all my png Fed images there with the transparent backgrounds.

If you can take these in-game png image separately I will eliminate them all together from the model rar files. If you can take the in game png separately then they are meaningless extra data in the model files.

I will get to the Cards later.

Now the Cards, Klingon and Borg are also uploaded to SharePoint.

We need Romulans, Dominion, Minor Races and Monsters.

Question is, will the transparencies work?

...I'll test them in the morning. That should keep you sweating, Kenenth.

The images in SharePoint Image Library are created from the in-game PNG (on a transparent background) images that I saved in the In Game PNG Images folder. I work in a file formate that supports layers. The black is added as a layer behind the (transparent background in-game) PNG image to create the Image Library files.

ie I know they work because the Image Library files are the test
and thanks for all you do. Take your in-game images from the In Game PNG Images folder.

Cool good work Kenneth keep it up

Regards Wolfe

You as well Wolfe and MOE
Please forgive me if I do not seam to know what
is going on with you and the engine and Supremacy day
to day. I have not look at either in more than a
month spending my time instead on the models
and now their png in game images.

Don't worry Kenneth; you're doing a fantastic job and at a breakneck pace too. The images you've produced are fantastic - and I just updated the Federation, Cardassians, Klingons, and Borg with your latest images. Go and check them out in all their glory!

...I have some small comments about the ships though.

-The Klingon Heavy Cruiser II is the K'Vort class (A TNG-era giant-sized B'rel). The ship image that you've provided is a different design though. Is this a mistake?

-The Klingon Assault Cruiser is listed as a Negh'Var (Chancellor Gowron's battleship from DS9), but the ship image you've provided is a different design. (Albeit one looks amazing) Is this a mistake?

-The Cardassians have a "Salvage Rig" - this design isn't in the shiplist though. What is its' purpose? If it is a genuine purpose, then we will need equivalent designs for the other empires.

-The ship that we've currently got as the Cardassian Dreadnought I is supposed to be a ship that is from around late Dominion war era. I propose swapping it around and making it the Dreadnought II instead. The ship currently listed as the Dreadnought II would then be the Dreadnought I.

-I had a look at the Borg "fleet", and it was a little on the thin side. I've been thinking about possible ways to pad it out, so I added in some extra designs that I know are out there - somehow I managed to miss out the Queen's Diamond from the list so i've included that too. There's no rush with the Borg models though, concentrate on the Empires first, then the Minors, then the Borg and the Aliens.

-A couple of the images still have faint pink, green, or yellow squares around them. This isn't a complaint about the transparencies, just an observation...

And one final question: do the models for these images work in Wolfe's combat system? It would be nice to see some of these babies in action.

Thanks for vetting the ships MOE.
I will go to work on that as soon as I can.
I sure hope these all work in the Wolfe combat engine.
Let me know if there is an issue there. I have not tested them in the demo.
Thought I saw a salvage rig in there at some point. We can dump that.
Odd that some of the backgrounds go white or all funny solid colors
in the linked image, page 1. As long as the in game png works in game
I will not worry about that.
There are a lot of halo glare light effects going on.
If I got carried away in some gust point out the ones
you want toned down.

If they are in 3DS then they should generally work yep .

Will have to naturally scale them and check textures though.

Regards Wolfe

I have been scaling the models as we go along.
They are all in 3ds. There are a lot of them (and
more every day thansks to MOE) so let me know
if any have bugs.

Scale: There is a model used for scale on SharePoint at
Shared Documents / 3D Models / A scale to ships and stations
and just load it with your model to set scale.

I'm not intentionally increasing the number of models, Kenneth...I just want more.

Honestly, there's no rush, and there are plenty of people who are willing to help. Just take your time and they'll be done before you know it.

OH, I think I know what you were saying about some of the outline color changes around the edge of ships. There is this color change thing that happens when you sharpen an image. I try to take that out when it goes too far. Some of the images in this thread do not update unless you delete your Internet history. I noted problems with some of those and fixed it on Shear Point. You will have to look on SharePoint to see where we really are. Then let me know if some of them are bothering you.

I was half way through the image for the Romulan so I just finished that off before going back on the Cards and Klingon fix jobs. I may have rushed a bit on the Romulan so check that over when you have the time. I need to save some old models in the Romulan 3D Model folder before I upload the new models for them.

So the Cards do not have a salvage or slave or whatever rig. Do we have all the Card ships and models when I take out the rig?

Here is what I will do for the Klingon ship problem for now. K Assault Cruiser becomes K Heavy Cruiser II. K Heavy Cruiser II becomes K Surveyor III. K Surveyor III completes the loop and becomes K Assault Cruiser. I would do better but we still have a long way to go with minor races and the like. There are a number of untextured models and substitutions else where in the Version 1 fleet as well. I will make a note of it and move on. I will not make the switch until later so you can see it first.

Yes, as far as I can tell, we have all the Cardassian ships that we need; there are no gaps in the image database, at least. It would be a shame to lose the model though because it is a particularly good one. The only thing I can suggest is perhaps having it as a mobile ship construction or maintenance platform, but I have no idea whether that would be possible to implement in the game - nor whether Mike would want one.

For the time being, put it in a separate folder so we at least have a backup of it if we find we are in need of an extra model in the future.

...

I've had a look, and your suggested changes for the Klingons sound correct, so, when you have time, make it so, number one.

...

I've sorted out the Romulan images in this thread now, so go and look at your images in all their glory. I only have one comment about the Romulans, and that is the Warhawk model; the ship is supposed to be the Valdore/Norexan class, which is the ship that helped the Enterprise-E fight off the Scimitar in Nemesis. However, the model in the image is not the Valdore. The model that is in the place of the Battlehawk II looks suspiciously like the Valdore/Norexan though, so I propose swapping those two models.

OK to all that
I will get on it as soon as I can.
Remember that the linked images
in the thread here will not update
unless you delete your interent history.
Check SharePoint to see where we really are.

OK, the images on the Klingon and Romulan ship exchanges have been implemented on SharePoint. You can update the PNG in-game images if you like MOE.


I am on the road again starting Thursday so the Dominion will be a while longer.

Almost forgot,
The Cardassian Dreadnoughts I and II only just now
were exchanged as you requested MOE.
The PNG images are updated on SharePoint.

Hey guys, look at this:



Our new member, Starfan2009, has been working with me in PMs as he developed this mesh for our Federation Nova Surveyor III. Does that mesh look great or what? It is a little over our poly count limit but it looks like I can suck a little more out of his mesh without trashing the great lines he built in to her.

Starfan2009 sure makes a nice mesh. He is now working on some for the minor races that we lack. He needs a little help texturing so I will post progress on how I do that. That is I will as soon as I finish loading up our major races and the minor races we have saved up so far.

Everyone say hello and welcome to our new ship engineer, Starfan2009.