TF facelift goes beta

[raingriffin]

Here's my new year package gift to the community... a little late, 'cause of ...things happening.

I'll try to keep this thread short, i'll post some pics, ask you something in turn blah blah.
So basically i decided to put the work i've done so far in game for some real testing by the community. According to the results of this testing session i'll polish them up and in the end we'll all decide if they should be used on the main games.

So what's in the box? Mostly TF models.

-2 new scout models (one from me and one from Ramaglor's modelling)
-2 new SF models (one from me and one from rama again, it's the squidship, it's currently tagged as sf only because it has three very apparent gunmmounts, where the normal fig would have 4, if we all decide it's ok as fig, i'll just add a gunmount)
-1 new fig (ex int model by me)
-1 new SB model
-1 new int model (which seems to be the main character of the pack, or better, the one the most people asked me about)

-Some rough fixes for the gt doors of pali res and garr, but as i said they're still rough along the edges and are not to be taken as definitve answers. They too need testing (i roughly fixed the rix exp too but i believe compeller's patch to be way better, so bear with it cause i didn't have his patch or i would have used that one instead).

-A new IC fig hitbox, on request.

Note about the model hitboxes: i know some of you may have read about the deep criticism concerning the hitboxes in allegiance. It's mostly true, MS devs didn't really put much effort into creating hitboxes, mostly, i think, because Alleg was still in its early stages. I put some efort into doing the hitboxes so you all should be able to enjoy shooting what you see and not an arbitrary invisible shape drawn roughly around the model (or just arbitrary and huge).

So how does it work...
Thanks to Sai for putting the stuff on the beta server and available to be tested anytime. You just have to install FAZ beta, i know many of you have done it already, whoever didn't but wishes to try out the new stuff must get it tho.

You also will need the new artwork which are available at

http://dl.dropbox.co790605/testrun/tftestrun.rar

Once the download is ready please extract each compressed archive into your allegiance\beta\artwork folder.
When you've done that also extract the two igc files in that same folder.
All the files in the pack are unique, there will be no need to overwrite anything, so if you want to clear the pack, just erase the newest files from your beta artwork folder.
You may want to read the README file inside, but it's mostly redundant installation info.

After that just go into your allegiance\beta folder and launch the client in there.
Either look for a ZG running on Tftest or Tf2test cores.
The difference between the two is that tf2test also allows you to use the squidfighter and the ramascout (alternative scout and sf, both versions will be available during the game).

The new models do sport new gunmounts, they didn't maintain the old ones. Thus i need feedback on this topic. You're very welcome to leave your impressions here or you can send them to me in a PM.

That said let's have a look at the model themselves... i know Sai has already taken some good in-game screenshots and i'll leave that part to him, so i'll just add some images from the production line (or old game pics if i have them).

Warning: some pics had already been posted earlier. sorry if it's not big news.

The new tf scout (rain version)




The new tf scout (rama version)






The new tf fig




The guns and little pystons have been taken away due to later revision.

The new tf sb



The new Sf, rain version (my personal favourite)





and 3d renders




(will also be available in 4 other colors for the underside and fins: green, red, cyan and indigo)

The new tf SF rama version (also known as squidship and possible alternative to the fig instead)




EDIT: these pics were obsolete so here is the version you'll be using in beta:






forgive me for the crappy resolution of the pics, but my net space is quite cramped atm... Also know that the colors on this ship are obsolete: the one in the testing stuff is red and grey, with the eyes still blue, but most of the green is gone, due to some revisions and critics, the green version will be available as an alt skin.

The new tf int (was made on request)






renders:



Note about the TF hitbox: it's different than the old one, as i said it was made by request to counter the cheesiness of the overly thin int hitbox. The hitbox on this babe is snugly fitting but the model itself is slightly bulkier than the old int. It's more visible (the front blue neon lines make it easier to understand the heading in the lower screen) and slightly "inflated" still it handles like the old one. I've done some previous testing with it and it's a lot of fun.

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That's all for the visuals. Now comes the hard part: i need testers: people who will tell me how the ships handle and how their gunmounts perform: are they too high, too low, too cramped? Every detail counts, especially if we want to have them going through.

About the ic hitbox: it's more or less like this:




the black lines are the hitboxe boundaries.

The one we're using atm looks like this.



That's all really.

Please test, and please send feedback.
I'll leave the rest to Sai.

P.S. The stuff is already on beta, available all the time, feel free to play some games there: i need feedback on the gt doors and the ic fig too...
P.P.S. all the models except the new SB are available to see in a simple DM with no dev. but consider DMS don't let you use adv/heavy versions of the scout, fig or int: so you can't test the models' gunmounts fully in a dm. works for the hitboxes tho.

Enjoy.

Rain

[Dorjan]

Thank you for your time and effort on this Mr.Griffin

[pkk]

QUOTE (raingriffin @ Jan 15 2010, 03:47 PM) Your Alleg new stuff fix here

This link works:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1790605/testrun/tftestrun.rar

[raingriffin]

thanks pkk. i should have put it in as a normal link bleh

[Solamnus]

Great job Rain... I said it too many times but i have to repeat i really appreciate your work and those models look so nice!!!

[Makida]

My goodness that stuff is beautiful.

I hearted the squidfighter as a fig before, but I guess it does make a bit more sense as a SF. Your SF is very pretty though. But I wanna see the squidfighter used somewhere.

Your SF looks a little like an extremely sexy and souped-up (and, presumably, smaller ) version of the Gigacorp carrier... It must be one of those luxury paint job options. It's very beautiful though. (On that note, TF needs its own carrier design, doesn't it? It uses the IC model...)

And the sb is awesome because it looks like a... sub. >_<

I'll be sure to try it all out as soon as I can remember how to get the beta to work. ^_^

[Adept]

Raingriffin has done epic work.

The Rama stuff I don't like. The scout is annoyingly flat, and the squid is just plain weird.

***

But that's all beside the point! Look at the fixed interceptor!!! Look at it! Not only is it nice to look at, it also has thickness (Thanks for insisting spidey). That is a good interceptor hitbox, it's not too big but it's also not ridiculously hard to hit.

[Bouwman]

Holy crap, no wonder I put an extreme hate on IC Figs!
Thanks rain.

[SaiSoma]

Some additional screenies are here. These were done really quickly and weren't setup properly, but I plan on getting some nice ones in the near future and, should these models be accepted as production, putting them to good use for videos/screenies:).

Awesome work Rain! Thanks man!

[Quiz]

Awesome work. Very nice texturing.