Models to spare?

[MonkeyBiz]

So I've got ideas, but no models, and I can't model or skin.

 

So, if anyone has a model for a Interdictor Star Destroyer or an MC80B MonCal Cruiser, please let me know. Thanks!

[Lord_of_the_Sith]

Better if a good Dominator would be avaible.

[DragonShadow]

Both are in the Warlords models, I believe...I know the Dominator is at least...

[swfan654]

so is the MC80

[MonkeyBiz]

Screw it. I'm downloading 3D Studio Max and converting them. Maybe. I'll probably screw it up.

 

*shakes fist in rage*

 

Anyone have a tutorial for hardpoints and whatnot?

[DragonShadow]

http://swgbex.com/

[Lord_of_the_Sith]

The problem is that most ships are avaible only in mods that are workinprogress. There aren't for public use.This is the problem guy. I can't convert and don't have or want spend time to learn 3DS.

Prefer smarter people to do it.

[jedi_consulor]

yes I'm after a good Dominator Model too. I can't model either - but have a copy of 3D Max. Just need to find to to learn how to use it 

[MonkeyBiz]

Honest to God, I really do appreciate the work that these mod teams are doing. The stuff that Legacy of War and Dark Empire etc. is really fantastic. But I would kill for a publically available model pack. No code, just models.

[Lord_of_the_Sith]

I agree with Monkey.

What we need are public models. I would work out the code myself with no problem.

[jedi_consulor]

yes I agree 100% We need some one like Keeper who who would be willing to do them for the community and just release them as model packs. no code just the models ready for coding in 

[swgbex]

I could help you guys convert some.. and release the max files / converted DDS textures.. but if i do i may have to wait on some models since im putting some in mods

[MonkeyBiz]

What we need are models. We've got the tutorial so we can convert them ourselves. I just can't figure out the Homeworld file structure to convert the Warlords models.

[jedi_consulor]

I have to admit I don't really like modelling myself - I am good a coding. I got a copy of 3D Max but haven't really got that far with it - I got half way through doing the Dominator and haven't returned to doing it yet. I don't think I have enough confidence doing it.

 

I actually found the tutorial confusing and I felt that key steps were being missed out. We need a good tutorial that actually explains the steps with out any skipping over any part of the process. It needs to be written clearly for dummy's who have never done a conversion before let alone made their own model.

 

How to create hardpoint's how to make bones - all needs to be explained for beginners too.

 

As for some one doing the models for us. Its the models we need not the resource files if you are releasing anything to the community. There's not much point in releasing resource files if people are having trouble learning how to use Max now.

[Lord_of_the_Sith]

Some help would be really appreciated especially for rare ships like the Dominator

[MonkeyBiz]

Basically, here's what's going to happen.

 

The mod teams will release their mods. Anyone with a decent amount of skill will rip open the mods and steal the models and code. Then they pass it off as their own.

 

Community model packs encourage creativity. Everyone looks at Star Destroyers a different way. Some want them to take up an entire screen. Others scale them correctly. Some give them crazy weapons. Others don't.

 

There are tons and tons of coders, but no models for them to code. Would it be that hard for someone to convert all the Warlords models, give them hardpoints, debris, and proper collision meshes, and have them uploaded somewhere?

[Lord_of_the_Sith]

what I look most to are the SD from steiners especially the new revamped graphic ones which will made the ISD the closest to canon around.

The same for the other ships. Most of the EAW Stock ships are not properly done.

I completely agree with Monkey. Better to have models avaible for all, modders and mod teams included, so that no one could steal the work of the others.

[Mr.Crisp]

Kreeper was doing it for a while releasing models ready for coding. I just wish more people would follow...

[jedi_consulor]

I have been calling for this to happen for some time and I am glad there is a topic finally dedicated to discussing this properly. 'Keeper of the Faith' was doing good work - I feel saddened he didn't go further in doing more models for us to use. I feel the same as anyone else in this topic.

 

I hope some one will do this for us and get these models out to the community like keeper was doing. I agree with you both 'MonkeyBiz' and Dark lord. but unless people take our request seriously we are just basically just talking out load to ourselves.

[MonkeyBiz]

I'm glad there's some support on this.

 

So, here's what I'm doing. z3rox made a post on the Legacy Of War site; of which I will now quote excerpts.

 

"Many a modder has left the community with a bad taste in his or her mouth. The reasons are many but mainly come from mod distrust. No one trusts anyone. The reason for this is simple, "GREED". Some people would rather make a name for themselves or think they are making a name for themselves by releasing as much content as possible. What this does is make other people NOT want to mod and projects that may have been working on something similar to give up. Now, I know some of you are reading this and saying "Well, I would'nt give up. I would strive to make something better than the other guy, etc, etc." Hey, thats fine and dandy. However, not everyone thinks that way. The massive influx of models caused a massive decline in the community also. Why? Again, the answer is simple. Items that people were working on or wanted to work on themselves now became available to all."

 

"Some people came to this community from C&C. Alot of those people were only using EaW as a "filler" till something better came along. Many of those people are already gone. There are many of you who are here because you love StarWars. Thats who is left at the moment. The Starwars lovers among us."

 

"What I mean is for mods to drop the "Coldwar" mentality. We have to learn to trust each other. We have to learn to be honest and to not be greedy and selfish. As a Co-Leader of LoW I have already done that by forging solid relationships with IA2 and Dark Empire. We are all "friends". Are we "sister" mods? No, we are not we each have our own plans and ideas, however I can go to those mods and they can come to us for help, assistance, models, code, skins etc, etc. Some dont agree with this. I say stop being selfish. Ask yourself what can you do for the community rather than yourself. Some of you are saying "Whoa, z3r0x like your one to talk about community". Your right, I'm guilty of selfishness, rudeness, and many other things. However, in my defense all I have done I did to protect my mod team OR right a wrong that was against others."

 

"There should be a sharing of ideas. Not to steal but to better understand. Alliances can be forged maybe new friends also. Together we can re-build and breathe life back in to the community."

 

I'm calling out Dark Empire and Legacy Of War. Hold true to your own ideals, and release high quality models for people to use. There are a lot of coders like myself that have no interest in starting a big mod team, and would rather just make our own for our own enjoyment. Consider it a challenge.

[Kelathin]

about model packs... it isn't that we don't want to not share to the commmunity. Alot of Dark Empire, most of Dark Empire stuff will become free release, on the release itself.

 

started a competion where modelers can do models or xml codes and other things all aimed at free release.

 

The problem is, that there are alot of distrust. If the community had 2-3 skinners willing to join DE, I would gladly let a modeler do a model and release it for the community every 2-3 weeks.

 

At monkeybliz earlier post. EaW stock models are properly redone. look at agd models, no bump maps, light maps. If models are done right like total realism, they blow stock models away cause of better models.

 

z3r0x, bryant, and myself are all good friends cause of that night.

[Empireftw]

Yes but thier is 1 thing called over used model, lets say i make a much improved sdder model for a big mod that i plan to make, i free release it. I continue along this path until all my models are free released then when i finnaly put out my mod no one downloads it because every other person has used it in their mods so why use mine? That is one reason why people dont free release models.

[MonkeyBiz]

The whole point of a mod is to share your vision of what the game should be with the world. The models are a small part of that. For example, the way I have the ships in my personal mod balanced would make a lot of players crazy. Especially Imperials, because my fighters have proton torpedoes. If I handed over every model, but not a shred of code, to a room full of people that know the XMLs, they would all come up with something completely different.

 

The models allow us to assemble different mods in different ways. In my own personal mod, I use models from five different mods. I used their code as a base, but in the end I end up ripping most of it out, redoing the hardpoints, and making my own Text file.

 

Without the models already released, we couldn't do what we've done. But it's not enough.

[Kelathin]

problem is, that though. Dark Empire did an old Eclipse, it was better than AGD's old Dark Empire SPG Eclipse, but problem was everyone was download AGD and not using our Eclipse, despite it having more hardpoints and engine glows and it better model. So releasing a model first is rather important to alot of mod teams.

[jedi_consulor]

'z3rox' he was spot on with what he said. I remember we were talking about that in a topic a while back where we both basically felt the same thing was going on. There was much to put down the idea of such a cold war existing and greed in the community - but there was those of us who like me and z3rox felt differently.

 

Monkeybiz hits the nail on the head with what he says. People should be and need to be releasing good quality models and even re modellings of stock EAW models and of course from Warlords to the world. I asked some time ago this should be done for the greater good of the community. Not some greedy isolated group thinking they are making a name for themselves. SPOT ON. I agree with that 100%

 

If people had the models to use for themselves in public or private mods - from people who who are releasing them to the community. People would indeed come up with their own variations of xml coding for each of these models to work in game as they want it. Right now we have a situation of peoples code being ripped and 2-3 versions all feeling the same as each other.

 

Incidently I coded and released several of Keeper of the Faiths model code for readyness for playing in EAW. I was furious to find code for one of the models were posted on a forum. The other nasty half of this is people who just can't be bothered to read a text file properly and understand it was for private use.

 

But all that coding for Keepers models was actually done to how I thought that model should work in the game and what its ability's should be.

 

On another note,.

 

When people write a new unit into EAW adding effectively say a new model to the game there is really only so many ways you can write an xml entry for it. Now, the thing is people who often go on about people ripping code, - just remember this is not technically our code to begin with. There is only so many ways you can tell a unit to do some thing in the game and it has to be to that ridged code. I.E There is only so many ways XML code can be written to get some thing to work the way you want. Otherwise we run into errors, - the game not loading - bad coding errors in grammar etc.

 

@ Kelathin

 

I know we have basically discussed this before in the Community Project Topic - and I know you said it then that the SPG team would release the models to the public after its finished its release.

 

Heres my take on this so please bear with me.

 

1) Is it not a little too late ? - by this time people will have ripped out the models and code already from the mod you have worked so hard on. They would of by then already been imported to peoples mods in any case,.

 

2) Don't get me wrong I do appreciate the kindness of the SPG Team, even though it may come too late in the fact of point 1 I made.

 

3) A Competition is always a good idea. I think and feel the community has lost a lot of good modellers - we have plenty of XML coders but have lost a few skinners and Modellers. Trying to encourage them to come back and do stuff for the community as a whole would be a great thing. Especially if they know there is reward for this at the end of it,.