Topic: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points  (Read 21310 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Smiley

  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 332
  • Gender: Male
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #20 on: February 16, 2007, 01:24:11 pm »
I would be in favor of doing away with the "WIP" and "final product" sub boards because that is pretty much the jist of the whole SFC Models forum. Then, you could make "resources" and "permissions" subboards.

I definitely second that motion!

Signature: Terran Empire Relentless: WZ, All Other Models: Smiley

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #21 on: July 17, 2007, 10:53:02 am »
There are actually seperate damage hard points for venting plasma, explosions, etc. as well as the weapons hard points.

I spend ages putting these all in on my own and downloaded models I want to use that have hard points omitted.

It is very laborious but adds that final polished shine to a model, seeing it fire from the correct location on the hull.

The tractor beam location cannot be set but always eminates from the exact centre of the shield hex shape. Kind of annoying as I'd like to position this correctly on some ships.

The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #22 on: July 19, 2007, 05:00:34 pm »
I've managed to discover that the 6 x RDPOINTS in SFC 1 models control the 6 x tractor beam emission points.

The 2 x SPP maybe control wher the shield hex centres and the other where the shield bubble, for showing deflected hits, centres.

I managed to move the tractor emitters on a model in SFC1 whch intriqued me as I thought that they were fixed.

 
The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Offline FoaS_XC

  • Photorps, Sammiches, woot woot.
  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 4571
  • Gender: Male
    • Robinomicon
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #23 on: July 27, 2007, 11:03:30 pm »
I've managed to discover that the 6 x RDPOINTS in SFC 1 models control the 6 x tractor beam emission points.

The 2 x SPP maybe control wher the shield hex centres and the other where the shield bubble, for showing deflected hits, centres.

I managed to move the tractor emitters on a model in SFC1 whch intriqued me as I thought that they were fixed.

 

NEAT! can such a thing be done on SFC 2 or 3 models?
Robinomicon
"When I was 5 years old, my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life."

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #24 on: July 28, 2007, 01:12:47 pm »
I've no idea!!

Be kind of handy if  there was though. I was using the good old, "wonder what this does??" method of discovery.

The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Offline FoaS_XC

  • Photorps, Sammiches, woot woot.
  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 4571
  • Gender: Male
    • Robinomicon
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #25 on: July 28, 2007, 01:59:35 pm »
I've no idea!!

Be kind of handy if  there was though. I was using the good old, "wonder what this does??" method of discovery.



Wonderous. obviously it could be very useful. Good find, man. Keep it up.
Robinomicon
"When I was 5 years old, my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life."

Heavens Eagle

  • Guest
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #26 on: September 10, 2007, 07:06:14 pm »
I made an Acrobat PDF file tutorial back in the EAW - OP days that explained how to apply textures in Max and it also had the explanations for the weapons hardpoints and damage points.  I still have the file but no place to host it currently.  IIRC it is about a 10meg sized file.

As to the tractor points in SFC1 I would have to look into that.  It is possible that the code is still in OP but they just did away with the model points as "not really neccessary".  One way to see if the tractor points work would be to add the same dummy labels to a SFC2/OP model and see if they get used.


Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #27 on: September 11, 2007, 01:15:19 pm »
Some of the hardpoints do have some strange names in SFC 1 and going through them, when putting in the weapons mounts and damage points, does make me wonder what they actually do.

I know that the hardpoints in SFC 1 and later versions are different. To convert a SFC 2 or later model to SFC 1, it just needs to be copied and pasted onto an existing SFC 1 model, the original SFC 1 model deleted, all their the texture appropriately renamed to suit SFC 1 labels and set up all the hardpoints to suit. It takes about half-an-hour to do.

ON some models, it will issue an "Above 88 Textures" warning in the model's folder when run, but this is to warn that the model will slow up the game, which will be noticeable with a few similar models in the game.

Anything with over 7,000 polys will  have SFC 1 struggling.

The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Offline ModelsPlease

  • Retired Model Junkie
  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 4665
  • Gender: Male
  • ModelsPlease
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #28 on: November 29, 2007, 03:55:14 am »
If anyone is interested I managed to changed the HP for planets for SFC1 and SFC2. Yup I actually got them moved  ;). I can send anyone who wants it the .MOD or .NIF or 3D etc..... if anyone is interested in it. I forget now because it was so long ago but someone here at the forums had requested it.

ModelsPlease, resident "Model Junkie" recovering from a tragic crayon sharpener accident.

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #29 on: November 30, 2007, 11:15:29 am »
Could do with a few planets with citu lights on the dark sides.

Maybe a moon or asteroid with the same as with the view of "Asteropolis" behind the USS Marshall in Rich Steinbeck's "Space Flight Chronology.

I'll have a play with the hardpoints on a few planets.

Is there any way off correcting or adding the collision sphere to asteroids or planets. I downloaded a planet pack and some had wrongly set collison spheres, in that the ship had to disappear into the planet before impact occured.

I'm sure the system used in SFC is hardpoint related and might be a function of some of the hardpoints that list up that no one seems to know what function they are supposed to have.

I haven't started to experiment with the hardpoints on planets or asteroids yet.

I wish that there was a list of exactly what some of the bizare hardpoint listings actually do.

The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Offline Red_Sharif

  • Junior Programmer-At-Arms
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 163
  • Gender: Male
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #30 on: November 30, 2007, 02:18:48 pm »
I've noticed that some of the planets, especially the gas giants, are displayed in the game as having been offset upwards so that their bottom axis is on the same plane as the ship model.

Is there anything I can do to correct that?

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #31 on: November 30, 2007, 07:12:19 pm »
Great that some show light on the dark side, as some planets imply being inhabited on a large scale.

I us some of you planets as I was fed up of the same standard collection of Earth and the other Sol system bodies in every scenario.

Definately well needed!!

 
The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #32 on: December 01, 2007, 12:39:42 pm »
Make sure that some run in SFC 1.

I wonder is SFC 4, if it ever appears,  will allow moving weather systems..... now there would be something!! :o

The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Offline Red_Sharif

  • Junior Programmer-At-Arms
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 163
  • Gender: Male
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #33 on: December 02, 2007, 06:12:17 pm »
Make sure that some run in SFC 1.

I wonder is SFC 4, if it ever appears,  will allow moving weather systems..... now there would be something!! :o



Personally, my wish list for SFC4 would be: Andromedans, Neo-Tholians, and the return of the 'legendary officer'. A stronger game engine would be nice, but don't mess with the mechanics of SFC:OP. If I could have that, I'd be a happy camper.

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #34 on: December 02, 2007, 06:35:15 pm »
The maps being a cube instead of a flat square, 3D movement and firing arcs, ships arriving into a scenario from Warp, gravity effects fromplanets and stars, and the ability to add in weapons tables (new weapons) into the game engine.

Above all more of the intricacies that were missed out from SFB rules, such as scout ship functions and better cloaking stelth for the Romulans and Klingons (hey, the ships totally invisible but the enemy can still see my "marker flag" giving me away if they look in the oposite direction!!).

Troop landings on planets (these were just dies roles per turn to represent the ground battles. First to run out of people lost!!)

SFC 4 should be SFB in 3D!!

The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Heavens Eagle

  • Guest
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #35 on: December 02, 2007, 07:25:42 pm »
Dream on McDuff on any new SFC.  SFC3 was half done at best and pushed thru.  Supposedly there was going to be a source release at some point and the community would have fixed and opened up much of the problems you are bringing up. Alas the Quicksilver part is where the biggest problem is (that is the huge compressed file with all the game info).  As there has been no way to mod THAT file, there will be no way to do much else.

SFB4 is just a pipe dream. 

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #36 on: December 02, 2007, 10:42:20 pm »
SFC 3 is based more on ADBs new Commander board game than SFB, unfortunately.

Would Legacy have sucked if there hadn't have been SFC for it to be found wanting against??

We have Legacy here on X-BOX 360. I've never played it, having watched my son playing it and thinking that it is just a pretty 3D starship dogfighting game full  of howling and grating inaccuracies, but that's just my oppinion.

If I wanted 3D dogfights I'd go and play Red Baron 3 online, which is the best and most challenging of the prop job dogfighting games even online.

For all we know, they're secretly beavering away at SFC  4 as I type this, having maybe learnt from the SFC 3 experience.

Why did they rudh out SFC 3 early in the first place?? There wasn't any competition to SFC OP so why??

The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!

Offline ModelsPlease

  • Retired Model Junkie
  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 4665
  • Gender: Male
  • ModelsPlease
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #37 on: December 11, 2007, 01:17:35 am »
Quote
Why did they rush out SFC 3 early in the first place?? There wasn't any competition to SFC OP so why??

It was a TMP based game. We the community added all the other eras to SFC1 and SFC 2 EAW/OP. SO...... enter SFC III with it's TNG designs.

ModelsPlease, resident "Model Junkie" recovering from a tragic crayon sharpener accident.

Offline GotAFarmYet?

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 1188
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #38 on: December 12, 2007, 12:31:07 am »
SFC 3 is based more on ADBs new Commander board game than SFB, unfortunately.

More so on BC prbably as well as Armada. Allot of the mods that have been worked on address this but it still seems to be a 2D shooter that just did not have the charm for me as well

Would Legacy have sucked if there hadn't have been SFC for it to be found wanting against??

It would have been compared to BC at that point and BC was by far better that SFC 3

We have Legacy here on X-BOX 360. I've never played it, having watched my son playing it and thinking that it is just a pretty 3D starship dogfighting game full  of howling and grating inaccuracies, but that's just my oppinion.

add pretty close to accurate too, it will be up to their community to customize the game and complete it. They have the ppl they need there is the developers will help support some of it.

For all we know, they're secretly beavering away at SFC  4 as I type this, having maybe learnt from the SFC 3 experience.

Nope Activision and paramou nt had a falling out of sorts like Interplay did

Why did they rudh out SFC 3 early in the first place?? There wasn't any competition to SFC OP so why??

Cost
It was costing the publishing company money having ppl work on it and dead lines that were set had been missed not by much but by enough.
Companies are basically three groups:
Visonaries; that point were they they think the profits can be found
Engineers; that build the product that was request as close as they can based on the bean counters giving them the time and money
Bean Counters; these are the ones that run everything based on profit margines. They control costs by cutting things down to a minimum necessary.

When it came clear that the profit might be less than the costs if they game got released after X-mas, they cut their loses by having the game released incomplete but working. Part of that profit went into a patch to fix it to a minimum and then took what they had left to other avenues.
People always said they wanted the government to listen to them and now the government is listening, taking notes and names...and coming to see you soon!

America-Not the land of the free anymore...
 Its the land of the freeloaders

Remember the axiom of big government bureaucrats: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. When, finally, under the crushing weight of taxes and regulation, it stops moving, subsidize it.

Offline Panzergranate

  • Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2892
  • Gender: Male
  • Aw!! Da big nasty Klingon L7 killed da kitty kat!!
Re: Joints, Hardpoints and Damage Points
« Reply #39 on: December 12, 2007, 09:13:47 am »
Activision is one of the oldest games software companies going.

I have a game upstairs, that my brother bought in 1977.

It is an old E2PROM cartridge for a Radofin 1296 games console. This us what Atari copied for their carrtridge game system a few years later.

The Klingons have many ways to fry a cat. I prefer to use an L7 Fast Battlecruiser!!