Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 2:20 am
There's a lot of artwork in this game that could use an update. The only way it is ever going to get done is if many people pitch in. Occasionally we get new people interested in contributing new models, but they often don't know where to begin and/or bite off more than they can chew. I'm as guilty of this myself as anybody.
Recently there's been an uptick in interest, so I think it might be helpful to list some fairly easy starter projects for folks that want to start contributing and are looking for ideas. I think this could become very important if our marketing activities succeed and the community really starts growing.
There's also a number of more complex objects that I think we can divide into sections that would be more manageable.
If you have a good idea for an easy project or would like to lay claim on one, post here and I'll also try to keep the list in this post updated with statuses and who's working on what.
Just do what you can. UV maps and textures are great, but if just the geometry is all you can handle, that's fine too. Just let us know that you have the model done, and maybe someone else will have an inspiration for a clean UV map or stunning texture.
Most of these are objects that are physically small in game, so no need to go completely overboard with the polycount since you'll never get close enough to see them in game. Probably shouldn't go above 1-2k, and average much less.
Easy Model Projects
acs14.mdl (Powerup)
Everybody loves powerups! Currently just 2 simple boxes. I didn't count, but I think the original only has 20-30 polygons. The texture gives a lot of cues though for potential embellishments.
acs36.mdl (Fuel Canister)
Lots of these floating tech models would be great starting projects. There's a lot of options in the acsXX series models.
acs41.mdl (Minelayer)
Not only is this another piece of floating tech, but it's also the model used for caltrop constructors and can be seen most games.
utl23.mdl (EWS Probe)
If I can get a hold of the original models in a common format (.3ds/.obj) I'll attach them as well for reference. Until then, if you aren't able to get them yourself, all these models are simple enough you could get away with just looking at them in mdlView or mdlutility2 for reference. Tweaking them later to make sure they fit the current hitbox would be easy for someone else to do.
more to come....
Recently there's been an uptick in interest, so I think it might be helpful to list some fairly easy starter projects for folks that want to start contributing and are looking for ideas. I think this could become very important if our marketing activities succeed and the community really starts growing.
There's also a number of more complex objects that I think we can divide into sections that would be more manageable.
If you have a good idea for an easy project or would like to lay claim on one, post here and I'll also try to keep the list in this post updated with statuses and who's working on what.
Just do what you can. UV maps and textures are great, but if just the geometry is all you can handle, that's fine too. Just let us know that you have the model done, and maybe someone else will have an inspiration for a clean UV map or stunning texture.
Most of these are objects that are physically small in game, so no need to go completely overboard with the polycount since you'll never get close enough to see them in game. Probably shouldn't go above 1-2k, and average much less.
Easy Model Projects
acs14.mdl (Powerup)
Everybody loves powerups! Currently just 2 simple boxes. I didn't count, but I think the original only has 20-30 polygons. The texture gives a lot of cues though for potential embellishments.
acs36.mdl (Fuel Canister)
Lots of these floating tech models would be great starting projects. There's a lot of options in the acsXX series models.
acs41.mdl (Minelayer)
Not only is this another piece of floating tech, but it's also the model used for caltrop constructors and can be seen most games.
utl23.mdl (EWS Probe)
If I can get a hold of the original models in a common format (.3ds/.obj) I'll attach them as well for reference. Until then, if you aren't able to get them yourself, all these models are simple enough you could get away with just looking at them in mdlView or mdlutility2 for reference. Tweaking them later to make sure they fit the current hitbox would be easy for someone else to do.
more to come....
