Topic: Romulan Hlai-class Warbird WIP (Read 11933 times)

Captain Pierce · « **on:** February 23, 2005, 10:00:34 pm »

There's a bit of history to get through before I get to the pics; those who don't care about the history, feel free to just scroll down.

This ship was originally designed for a game called Homeworld. It was designed to be a ship called a Drone Frigate, which couldn't have any guns, but which launched a "fighter screen" of 24 "drones" as its only weaponry. (Unlike the SFC games, in Homeworld you're very limited in what attributes of a ship you can change.) TheStressPuppy (the leader of this particular TOS-era HW mod) had originally had a model of the SFC Condor in the game, but just wasn't quite happy with it. He wanted the model updated, and so a good friend of mine who goes by the name of CommanderJones on the Internet and I designed and built (well, technically he built it all by himself

) this original verison of the ship:

The idea was that the 12 feathers you see on either side of the ship were the hatches that the drones launched from. In-game, it looked something like this if you're interested. We created a backstory for the ship that played into the non-canon idea that Romulan warp ships during the Earth/Romulan war had had to use all their power for warp drive, and thus had none left over for weaponry; the Hlai, we imagined, had been originally designed near the end of the war--and had been originally designed without the "boom" and "command" pod you see it with. (Those, our story went, were added in a 2260's refit.) Even the name "Hlai" is based around this--it comes from Diane Duane's "Rihannsu" novels, in which a hlai is a flightless bird native to ch'Rihan (Romulus) and ch'Havran (Remus), and is famous in both domesticated and wild varieties for its meat.

Well, TSP's HW mod has unfortunately died out, but CJ and I liked the Hlai enough to try and take it to a new level; and, after taking some time to learn some new modelling and texturing techniques, he's finally ready to let people see the first WIP of the SFC (and possibly other games

) version of the Hlai

We plan to release it both with and without the boom/pod assembly; given our history with the ship, I tend to see it as a PF tender in SFC terms, but I've not yet decided exactly where to design its hardpoints for...

Bernard Guignard · « **Reply #1 on:** February 24, 2005, 05:52:45 am »

Nice work there looking forward to seeing the final Results.
Keep it up

ModelsPlease · « **Reply #2 on:** February 24, 2005, 12:53:20 pm »

That's HOT !!!!!!!!!! Great work ! Please keep us posted on the progress of this one. Ooooooooo a new TOS rommie

Azel · « **Reply #3 on:** February 24, 2005, 02:52:00 pm »

Awesome work mate!!!
I await her arival with impatience

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #4 on:** March 09, 2005, 07:25:22 pm »

Das Update!

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #5 on:** March 09, 2005, 10:24:46 pm »

And Das Further Update!

Starforce2 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 09, 2005, 10:46:30 pm »

looking good.

FYI fotopic.net has free image hosting without the popups if you are annoyed by that little detail.

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2005, 01:16:02 pm »

Heh, I never even noticed that there were popups... I love Firefox...

Starforce2 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2005, 05:40:46 pm »

oh I don't get them either, but I here the bubble poping noise of my browser killing them...

TheStressPuppy · « **Reply #9 on:** March 11, 2005, 02:02:46 am »

Thats an outstanding transition from low poly HW to SFC modelling. She will make a fine addition to the shipyards once shes done.

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #10 on:** March 30, 2005, 10:07:23 pm »

Here's the first take on what it would have looked like in its "original" configuration:

Obviously, the idea that it's unarmed won't fly in SFC

; so now the question is, what exactly would you arm a late- or post- Earth/Romulan War era ship with? Can Roms have missiles in SFC? What would you use to represent lasers?

Bernard Guignard · « **Reply #11 on:** March 31, 2005, 05:33:22 am »

There's no reason that for early roms drones cannot be used. for lasers I'd suggest Phaser 3's they are the lowest power phasers.

Garath9 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 31, 2005, 12:35:00 pm »

Nice work we need more early rommies

.

markyd · « **Reply #13 on:** March 31, 2005, 12:47:58 pm »

Certainly fitts the bill.... nice model.. textures look great.

ModelsPlease · « **Reply #14 on:** April 01, 2005, 10:29:32 pm »

Quote from: Captain Pierce on March 30, 2005, 10:07:23 pm

Here's the first take on what it would have looked like in its "original" configuration:

Obviously, the idea that it's unarmed won't fly in SFC ; so now the question is, what exactly would you arm a late- or post- Earth/Romulan War era ship with? Can Roms have missiles in SFC? What would you use to represent lasers?

How about this ?

HP 1 = 1 X Plasma S, FWD (or 4 X Dis3)
HP 13 = 2 X Ph2, FLL
HP 12 = 2 X Ph2, FRR
HP 19 = 1 X Ph2, RA
HP 20 = 1 X Ph2, RA

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #15 on:** April 02, 2005, 07:47:45 am »

Well, personally, I'm not planning on putting plasmas on anything, as "Balance of Terror" indicates that it was a brand-new weapon at the time...

ModelsPlease · « **Reply #16 on:** April 03, 2005, 04:29:15 am »

Quote from: Captain Pierce on April 02, 2005, 07:47:45 am

Well, personally, I'm not planning on putting plasmas on anything, as "Balance of Terror" indicates that it was a brand-new weapon at the time...

Okie dokie.

HP 1 = 1 X Plasma S, FWD (or 4 X Dis3)
HP 13 = 2 X Ph2, FLL
HP 12 = 2 X Ph2, FRR
HP 19 = 1 X Ph2, RA
HP 20 = 1 X Ph2, RA

So I guess the 4 X Dis3, FWD works better for ya

-MP

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #17 on:** April 08, 2005, 10:01:28 pm »

That would probably work; personally, I don't believe the Roms had disruptors during the E/R War either, but I'd imagine most people won't go along me on that one...

Quick update of the bottom mapping:

Starforce2 · « **Reply #18 on:** April 15, 2005, 07:20:31 am »

I sometimes throw plasma cannons on my rom bop's in BC...think the enterprise weapons on the shuttlecraft or before they used phase cannons. Those plasma thingys make sense for roms.

BTW, are any of these done to enough of a degree that I could use them? I may be getting some manpower help on the BC tos mod and I could use another rom class or 2. Probablem is I'm actualy developing a klingon shortage...ugh..

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #19 on:** April 15, 2005, 07:34:04 am »

The "original" Hlai is actually done, and just waiting for me to get off my lazy ass and convert it...

Hopefully the "refit" version will be done reasonably soon, and from there it's onto the "King Condor..."

Starforce2 · « **Reply #20 on:** April 15, 2005, 10:50:29 pm »

What formatt are they currently in, out of curiosity? Good to hear there will be more like these, though I'm not sure what shape you'll be using for the king condor, if it's the same basicly theme as the 2 in here it should be great.

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #21 on:** April 16, 2005, 06:37:34 am »

They're being modelled in Maya, and then converted to .3ds for conversion purposes.

Just for you, Starforce, here's a sneak peek at what we call the Aen'rhien-class Warbird. (Translates as "Bloodwing.") Please note that this is a concept model only, one that CJ put together just to get the shape down for StressPuppy's approval (the whip-cracking tyrant :p ). This model will almost certainly be rebuilt from scratch.

Starforce2 · « **Reply #22 on:** April 17, 2005, 09:38:55 am »

what is that little thing flying up it's ass?

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #23 on:** April 17, 2005, 09:53:30 am »

It's a fighter design we were working on to be carried by this ship... it will probably wind up as a PF at some point...

ModelsPlease · « **Reply #24 on:** May 03, 2005, 05:20:54 am »

Quote from: Starforce2 on April 17, 2005, 09:38:55 am

what is that little thing flying up it's ass?

It's called The bird of Paradise

sorry old joke !

-MP

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #25 on:** May 03, 2005, 06:11:29 am »

I thought that was just supposed to fly up your nose...

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #26 on:** May 26, 2005, 07:01:19 pm »

The "refit" version is nearly done:

Needs a bit of texture tweaking yet according to CJ, but I'm going to start hardpointing without them...

(Oh, excuse teh crappy renders, I did them.

)

Rhaz · « **Reply #27 on:** May 26, 2005, 08:01:59 pm »

Very nice looking! I've been waiting for this ever since you first posted.

ModelsPlease · « **Reply #28 on:** May 26, 2005, 08:09:20 pm »

Looks great !!!!!!!!!!!!
-MP

Starforce2 · « **Reply #29 on:** June 19, 2005, 01:27:52 am »

bumpage. nearly a month since the last post...time to harass you for another update

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #30 on:** June 20, 2005, 06:31:02 am »

CommanderJones has switched over to modelling mode, and has been busy rebuilding the Aen'rrhien--I hope to have some WIP's of that sometime soon. Once he's got that done, he'll switch back over to texturing mode, and do those tweaks to the Hlai before starting in on the Aen'rrhien.

Starforce2 · « **Reply #31 on:** August 24, 2005, 10:12:34 pm »

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #32 on:** August 25, 2005, 07:43:19 pm »

Bump this. :p

Yeah, I finally got around to hardpointing the Hlai Refit.

If I can track down Stress to brk it (and the original), we might have some new releases here...

Rhaz · « **Reply #33 on:** August 25, 2005, 09:58:32 pm »

woot!

Looking sweet.

Rhaz

Starforce2 · « **Reply #34 on:** August 26, 2005, 06:20:41 am »

now that is a nice warbird. What are the things under the nacelles? Pulse cannon?

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #35 on:** August 26, 2005, 05:45:30 pm »

Plasma torps. We decided we didn't like the way that most nacelle-mounted torps just appear out of nowhere...

Starforce2 · « **Reply #36 on:** August 26, 2005, 11:13:19 pm »

so then whats the traditional tube in the bow used for?

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #37 on:** August 27, 2005, 08:24:39 am »

More plasma torpedoes.

The Condor in SFC2 has one torpedo in the bow and one on each nacelle, if I'm reading the hardpoints right... the CON+ has an extra one on each nacelle...

Starforce2 · « **Reply #38 on:** October 09, 2005, 06:52:50 pm »

bumpity

Captain Pierce · « **Reply #39 on:** October 09, 2005, 08:22:12 pm »

Still waiting on the brk's from Stress... he's been busy as hell lately, but hopefully he'll have a chance here soonish...

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Topic: Romulan Hlai-class Warbird WIP (Read 11933 times) var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};

Topic: Romulan Hlai-class Warbird WIP (Read 11933 times)