Topic: My interpretation of what a Neo-Tholian looks like!

[Atrahasis]

Yes, it IS another quickie, but one that had to be done. The original Tholian Web Spinner is just plain boring to look at, but once you try to add some crystalline and glowie features to it as the original FX guys in the 1960's may have wanted to do, it becomes quite exotic and something you would probably look forward to encountering in your game. If enough people like this style I may build the rest of the Tholian fleet using this style, rather than the steel / titanium style I used on my first spinner. I'm still finalizing this one, it'll be ready for DL after a day or two. In the meantime let's get a poll going here:

Titanium or Crystal hull style for the Tholians?
Titanium (canon)
Crystalline (extrapolated / hypothetical)

 

[jimkirk]

Well I will describe my vote in such way: I prefer the Tholian ship's paining which was shown in Enterprise episode from the second season... But I don't really know whether it was a crystalline one or not...

[Klingon Fanatic]

I would be very interested in reading what Brezgonne (SFB Tholian expert) would say about this variation in Tholian design.

Having said that, I prefer the Klingon Academy Tholians myself.

However, this looks like a good way to make the leap from TOS/SFB to KA style Tholians.

Please consider making a Tholian BATS, shipyard and/ or Base station too.

Kudos to you Atra!

KF

 

[SovereignEmpire]

I like it, but I personally like Blue Tholian ships over purple.  But at the same time, I love how the Purple and Yellow stand out on your ship, it makes it look really Evil.  Its funny how the Tholians were only seen once on TOS and yet they became imortalized in the Universe.  Their appearance on Enterprise gave me Goosebumps  .  I wouldnt mind having these ships in SFC, keep makin them  .  

[Magnum357]

Very nice models their.  I actually prefer the Tholians we see on Enterprise and I'm planning too make my Tholians similar too those we saw on the ep.  I'm not a big "Enterprise" fan, but I consider the show as an alternate Timeline/Universe kinda like how SFB is a different Timeline/Universe too Star Trek.  I voted for the Titanium just by the fact of practicallity.  Cystal hulls snounds quite advanced and expensive too build.  Since minerals are more abundent in the universe, I could see the Tholians in our Galaxy using Titanium Hull, but its possible the Neo-Tholians, from their Galaxy, used a type of advanced Crystal hull that could be more protective.  

Its possible that the Tholians that cam too the Milkyway had too find alternate substances if they wanted too build more PC's and other ships.  

[Mariner]

That doesn't look too bad, but I'd rather see another type of crystal (blue would be best) texture rather than what you've shown. Yours looks like metal with etching rather than reflective crystal (though that's not necessarily a bad thing.) Perhaps it's in squadron colors or something.


But, I do think that the idea of "upgrading" the Tholian look is worthy of multiple attempts. If I were you, I'd actually try a variation on the "Amethyst" class from KA, except making it have three planes of symmetry rather than two and a half. I think that the "non-horizontal" orientation is a key Tholian trait, and one that should be present in all their designs.


BTW: anyone got a pic of the Amethyst so that we're all on the same page?

[Reverend]

It looks great to me... I figured the reinforcements would have had more advanced designs, etc....
Would you consider doing TNG era Tholians, if they existed?
Canon is fine, but hypothetical is more interesting... there are enough canon models out there really, IMHO.  

[E_Look]

I voted for the crystalline version.  As Atra said, a little glowie thingie goes a long way!

Purple, blue, green, orange with pink polka dots... as long as the final effect comes out nicely!

[Atrahasis]

Hmm interesting points of view here......I'll try a blue version and see how that goes down. It should look quite nice.

The Tholians in "Enterprise" had something like a blackened steel hull.....also another avenue to explore.  

[Marauth]

Gonna get booed but I prefer the Titanium look, not because it's canon but because it looks more like a real ship, but maybe you could try using the lighting to alter the Titanium with other colours - like the FX guys tried to do, surely illumination maps can do that easy enough.

Even if you adopt this as the Neo-Tholian style then the Archeo-Tholians should still be in the old style to show that they had the crappy tech being civilians and all.

[Atrahasis]

Hmmmmmm..........colored lighting on the titanium hull.....thanks for the idea!  

[Rod O'neal]

I like Marauth's idea. I've seen others try and use colored lightmaps, but not with a whole lot of success. You're a "bit" above average with your texturing skills though.

I'd like to see the Thol designs updated a bit. Get them out of the 60's and into the 21st century, design wise. Add more shape to the dorsal part of the hull. Keep the profile of the ship the same but widen/flare/curve or something, the dorsal section in the fore or aft view. Maybe keep the wings crossection flat though, if that makes sense to you.  HERE is a pic of the R4 cover with a Tholian CW. It's an old (and worn) cover, but you can see how they styled the dorsal a bit. Just to try and show what I'm talking about. They even have visual weapons HP's, which isn't normal for most Tholian designs that I've seen. Cannon Tholian ships just lack detail to me. I like the added texture detailing that you've added to yours as well. I'd love to see a whole fleet of Atrahasis Tholians. I hope you do it.      

[starforce2]

I think the purple  is cool. Tholians are under appreciated anyways. Nothing overly impressive  was ever done with the race canon wise.

[Fury_of_a_Seraph]

In Photoshop, the lighting effects filter could be of use...

[ChrisJohnson]

I prefer crystalline.  I imagine they'd have one of the strongest hulls in the SFC universe, unsure about SFB though.  I mean strong enough to rival the Gorn.  In KA, the crystalline hull they use were stronger than that of Gorn vessels.  And being such a unique and exotic, yet semi-aggressive (*shrug* I dunno.  I like the Tholians but don't have a whole bunch of knowledge on them) species, I doubt they'd use what everyone else uses.

I like the design Atrahasis, I say go for it!  But there is a need for some recoloring.  Even though it's kinda cool, at the same time it just doesen't look right.  I can't explain it.  Mabye it's too 60s-ish or something.  It needs a little modern look.  Mabye a blue-ish or neon-purple color while keeping a crystal feel to the hull.

One of my favorite non-canon designs was KA's Amethest-class Tholian BCs, I like it's design.  I also love Brezgonne's "TNG-ish" Tholians too.  They just need to venture away a bit from the standard Tholian look from the copper hull, they'd be a bit more interesting then.

BTW, since I'm getting back into the SFC2/SFC: OP gaming, I do have one question: What patches do what?  I see more and more newer SFC models are included in the patch, such as Andromedan ships.  Anything else happening?

[ganymad]

atra, your tholian webspinner (titanium) looks great but i agree that the tholians deserve some more interesting looking ships so i like your idea to make new textures.but to be honest i dont like the purple hullcolor.well, a matter of taste
i think a very very darkblue hull with yellow engines would look best.maybe make the blue hull look like it was made of metall but with a dark not glowing but slightly brighter cristaline plating.some more details would be cool. maybe some indications of the weapons in the nose of the ship.
btw: breezegones models had the tholian insignia on the lightmap textures so they were only visble when the ship was in shadow. was a cool effect that might look cool on your ship too.i think it would look best if it shines slightly through the crystaline hullplating.


just my 2cents

greatings,



ed

[Atrahasis]

Thansk for the input everyone, and especially that idea about the light mapped insignia! Hmmmm the wheels are beginning to turn....

[TheStressPuppy]

I like BOTH versions. Im sure if gene had the resources we have now the tholians would have looked much different than what they did when we 1st saw them. Have you considered a "mix" of crystalline and steel blue metallic? Its kinda tough to simulate any kind of glossyness in SFC 2. but im sure it would look awsome in SFC3/BC especially with specular mapping.

I also find it interesting that the only 2 canon tholian ships we see are just a variation of a similar design (both titanium hulled). Since when did tholians become evil bad guys? I thought they were just zenophobic isolationist

You should consider doing 3 varients. The original, a "Phase 2" varient which is a mix of metal, and crystalline showing the transition of technology, and a full blown crystalline TMP, and beyond version....in Blue of course

Anyways some nice work your doing there Atra  

[jimkirk]

BTW Atrahasis as far as I remember Moonraker's Tholians weren't released... Maybe you should check entire Omega Sector and Nightsoft. I have checked and seen nothing  

[Marauth]

This's already been said but: Moonraker made Tholians!?

LOL

BTW I another suggestion for the TMP/crystalline Tholians would be to use the colours from the KA Tholian CA, looks like a spinner but bigger with reinforced plates on the three prongs and pointy bits at the rear. the crystal hull was medium blue while the armour is a dark grey like some really heavy looking rock formation on the hull.