Phalanx Cockpit WIP

That's extremely helpful, Loaf. I hadn't yet heard of the seeker missiles - I'll be adding them shortly. Out of curiosity, is there any mention of the missile's size or appearance? It might help with the model creation. As for the Privateer style upgrades you mentioned, they are very cool and easily do-able.. The only one that would be hard to implement would be the auto-tracking quad-laser. Not sure how we could put that in without unbalancing the game. (Four lasers are pretty dangerous - even against kilrathi fighters.) Anyhow. While you're around, do you see any need for Priv-style Torpedos in the Pioneer timeline? I was thinking of replacing them with rocket packs, if there's a desire for that sort of weapon.
 
That's extremely helpful, Loaf. I hadn't yet heard of the seeker missiles - I'll be adding them shortly. Out of curiosity, is there any mention of the missile's size or appearance? It might help with the model creation.

Nope, no description -- it's up to you.

As for the Privateer style upgrades you mentioned, they are very cool and easily do-able.. The only one that would be hard to implement would be the auto-tracking quad-laser. Not sure how we could put that in without unbalancing the game. (Four lasers are pretty dangerous - even against kilrathi fighters.)

Unless you're specifically building the Phantom/Lazarus/etc. type of ship then it's probably not necessary to have that *specific* addon.

Still, I could see it working even in gameplay: you get a four-mount turret... but it cuts your cargo capacity down to 10% of what it originally was. A fun balancing concept already built into the continuity.

Anyhow. While you're around, do you see any need for Priv-style Torpedos in the Pioneer timeline? I was thinking of replacing them with rocket packs, if there's a desire for that sort of weapon.

I'd personally like to see the Proton Torpedoes... just because they're such an oddity. They're a reference that no other game ever touches on in terms of fiction.

Everybody liked them in Privateer -- a weird discount missile that had some very specific advantages but odd requirements (cheaper, faster loadtime... but needing a special mount that prevents you from buying locking missiles -- clever stuff in terms of gameplay balancing.)

They're certainly not necessary to the time period, though, so it's up to you. I'd caution against rocket packs, though, because they're new in Wing Commander Prophecy.
 
Bandit LOAF said:
Look closely at your Wing Commander I box -- the left VDU of the Raptor cockpit displays that it's armed with a Phalanx Missile.

I'll have to find the box but I don't doubt that you're right.

Howard Day said:
The Phalanx is the name of the ship, not the game. The Privateer original fighter was called the "Centurion". So, you see, Phalanx is not far off from what has come before.

A Phalanx was a Greek military formation while a Centurion was a type of officer in the Roman army. I think that this is far off but that is just my opinion. My impression of the early WC games was that the fighters were frequently named after swords, animals or jet aircraft. BOCTAOE
 
Bandit LOAF said:
Nope, no description -- it's up to you.
I'll try and do it justice.

Unless you're specifically building the Phantom/Lazarus/etc. type of ship then it's probably not necessary to have that *specific* addon.
Still, I could see it working even in gameplay: you get a four-mount turret... but it cuts your cargo capacity down to 10% of what it originally was. A fun balancing concept already built into the continuity.
Ah, I see. Okay, that could very well work. Still have to talk it over with the rest of the team and see if we want to give the player that much firepower - even at the expense of the overall cargo space.

I'd personally like to see the Proton Torpedoes... just because they're such an oddity. They're a reference that no other game ever touches on in terms of fiction.
Everybody liked them in Privateer -- a weird discount missile that had some very specific advantages but odd requirements (cheaper, faster loadtime... but needing a special mount that prevents you from buying locking missiles -- clever stuff in terms of gameplay balancing.)
I'd like to see them too - I like the little buggers. I used to never buy missiles, just torps...More of a feeling of satisfaction when you blow the Talons outta the sky that way.

They're certainly not necessary to the time period, though, so it's up to you. I'd caution against rocket packs, though, because they're new in Wing Commander Prophecy.
Yeah, that was only put forth as a possible solution in the possibility that proton torpedos weren't around in that time period. I kinda figured that rocket pods had been around for a while. I'm not talking swarmers here, just dumbfire rockets. Oh, wait... Dragonflies. Right. Forgot.
 
ChrisReid said:

"every image from this box was taken from the game...":
Fubby - I don't remember phalanx missiles, or that the raptor had lasers, the hornet had pilums(and why are they're named pikes?), and whats with the hornet third (center) missile?

And what with that artificial horizen like line on the hud?!
 
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"every image from this box was taken from the game...":
Fubby - I don't remember phalanx missiles, or that the raptor had lasers, the hornet had pilums(and why are they're named pikes?), and whats with the hornet third (center) missile?

In the late 1980s companies often promoted their games with fake screenshots -- paintings, doctored images and such to imply that a game looked more impressive than it actually did. The quote you're citing was a common response by later games to the fallout over that... game companies started assuring customers that the screenshots on the box represented how the actual gameplay looked.

It means that that's what gameplay looks like, not that it's a screenshot from the finished version of the game -- obviously boxes and such have to go to print months before the actual game does... so things like what color guns are and what name they end up using for the missiles may be different.
 
It also led to me spending a lot of time trying to adjust my config.sys file to get those cool graphics. Which, sadly, never actually worked.
 
LOAF is correct about the trivia.

In fact, one of my favorite piece of WC is the pic of WC1 Blair on Trial that was released on a mag article about WC2. Oh, those were the days.
 
Alrighty, gents. Here's a couple of very recent shots of the Phalanx Cockpit.
I've also attached the QTVR version.
http://www.hedfiles.net/wcpioneer/Phalanx03.mov
Anyhow, things to look for in this update:
The Text on the displays will change.
The Radar is a stand-in. The specific radar displays will change on a per-radar basis. (When you change the radar mounted, the screen will change)
The floor and center consoles are still being worked on.
No seats yet - there will be in the next update.
I'm mostly happy with the colors as they stand. I'll still make tweaks, though - no harm in giving things a shot.
Enjoy!
 

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On missiles: Here is what I gather we have so far:

Standard Missile Types:

Friend or Foe: Acquires a target after being launched--goes after the easiest-to-reach target instead of the one that the player has radar locked. Possibly deals less damage than other missile types (weakest missile in post-WC2 period; relative missile damage is not so clear for WC1 missiles). Costs more than the other standard missiles

Image Recognition: Locks onto the radar-locked target quickly and is harder to spoof than other missile types. Medium price and damage.

Heat Seeker: Locks only onto radar-locked targets that are facing away from the firing ship. Slightly more speed and agility than ImRec, but can be spoofed by agile fighters that can quickly turn away from them (Hornet, Salthi). Cheap, with damage comparable to ImRec.

Dumbfire: No target locking or steering ability at all. Faster than other missile types and deals more damage. Cheap.

Porcupine Mine: Pack of three; no propulsion at all. Question: does an enemy have to actually collide with the mine, or will it detonate and damage the enemy when it comes sufficiently near (say, 20 m)?

Special Missiles:

Nuke Mine: Annihilates everything friend or foe within a few hundred meters. Outrageously expensive (similar to the Nuke 'Em's in Priv2).

***

Now, you are suggesting adding some type of additional dumbfire--either proton torpedoes or rocket pods. I think that proton torpedoes should do twice the damage of normal dumbfires (i.e. a one-hit kill for anything up to a Dralthi) and should travel faster, but you would have to buy a "torpedo capable" upgrade for each missile hardpoint to mount them--they could still mount normal missiles though. For rocket packs, I would suggest a pack of four or six to a hardpoint, each rocket capable of doing one quarter the damage of a normal dumbfire, and with shorter refire delay.
 
st3lt3k said:
A Phalanx was a Greek military formation while a Centurion was a type of officer in the Roman army. I think that this is far off but that is just my opinion. My impression of the early WC games was that the fighters were frequently named after swords, animals or jet aircraft. BOCTAOE

Another shipbuilding yard/company - another way of naming ships it builds. If for example ship is called Phalanx (why not) than another ships from the same company could have a name like Testudo -- another military formation. (some heavy fighter I guess).
 
Howard ,
Fantanastic ! Elegant , funtional , used , but maintained.
Just what you would expect a aged working ship to look like .
I never cease to be amazed at your skill .
 
ChrisReid said:

There it is! LOAF was right.

Unregistered said:
"every image from this box was taken from the game...":
Fubby - I don't remember phalanx missiles, or that the raptor had lasers, the hornet had pilums(and why are they're named pikes?), and whats with the hornet third (center) missile?

And what with that artificial horizen like line on the hud?!

That seems kind of hokey to me too.

Plasteel Skull said:
Another shipbuilding yard/company - another way of naming ships it builds. If for example ship is called Phalanx (why not) than another ships from the same company could have a name like Testudo -- another military formation. (some heavy fighter I guess).

I think that Katana or Batorowka sounds more WC like.
 
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Batorowka sounds somewhat funnny to a Russian ear. can't put my finger on it, but there it is.

anyway. about the cockpit. I've worked with 3D modellers. I've modelled my share of thingies in good old 3D Studio 3 and 4 - right the same time that I've played WCI and II :) I mean, I know the trade a bit, and have some understanding of art.

and from that experience I must say that you, Howard Day, and your team, and this project - you're a godsend. the newborn cockpits and ships look if anything even BETTER than the ones based on WCI designs. anything I could do to help?
 
Okay, added the bucket seats, and I've altered the colors from a brown-ish base to a slight purple-blue base. Somehow, when I did this it reminded me of the morningstar cockpit. I kinda like it, but I'll see what you guys think before I do anything rash. The Back wall and center console still need texturing. Those will hopefully be addressed in the next update.
http://www.hedfiles.net/wcpioneer/Phalanx05.mov
 

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st3lt3k said:
I thought it was the type of sabre carried by the Polish Hussars?

Well, I didn't know that :) Interesting what does it mean in russian ;)

st3lt3k said:
BTW, the winged armor is very sharp looking.
http://www.geocities.com/rik_fox/husaria/museum.html

A little bit off topic, but I read somewhere that wings on hundreds of armours on charging cavalry made some really intimidating sound - and that was their primary function besides being an adornment.

As for the last version of the cockpit - IT LOOKS GREAT - I'm perfectly sure now, that flying from one nav point to another I will do manually - in order to have time to admire this work of art :). I just wanted to say, that I do not see a second pilots seat, but now I've noticed a hole in a head rest of a front seat and second seat visible - ok. Just wonder where the second pilot's instruments will be placed - on a back of first pilots seat?

Suggestion: make a seat from darker material - not black or dark grey - for it would mingle with the sorrounding, but darker still.
 
Another shipbuilding yard/company - another way of naming ships it builds. If for example ship is called Phalanx (why not) than another ships from the same company could have a name like Testudo -- another military formation. (some heavy fighter I guess).

The vast majority of Wing Commander's human fighters (that is to say, those contracted by the military - which may be every single one) would be named by the Terran Confederation government rather than by an aerospace company.

In fact, one of my favorite piece of WC is the pic of WC1 Blair on Trial that was released on a mag article about WC2. Oh, those were the days.

The picture you're thinking of is from the back of the Wing Commander II Deluxe box. It's not actually Blair on trial -- it's just a different background for the 'conversation with Tolwyn' intro scene.

My impression of the early WC games was that the fighters were frequently named after swords, animals or jet aircraft. BOCTAOE

This is one of those fan things that I don't like.

Yes, there has always been a conscious attempt to make Wing Commander fighters that are named after ancient weaponry (Rapier, Scimitar, Arrow, Longbow, Excalibur, Epee, Sabre, Broadsword, Crossbow, Morningstar, Lance, Stiletto, etc.)

That's a fun theme... but it gets icky, to me anyway, when fans invent their own additions to this list in order to account for *all* the ships -- things like animals and jet aircraft.

That's bending the rules to make yourself feel good rather than noticing any sort of pattern. Hornet, Raptor and Ferret, Tigershark, Piranha, Vampire, Panther, etc. aren't part of a theme -- heck, the F-22 certainly wasn't the Raptor in 1990. (There was certainly an attempt to name some WC3/4 ships after World War II aircraft -- Hellcat, Thunderbolt, Bearcat... but that's an aside, not a trend towards totality.)

It reminds me of the attempt to claim that there's a Dralthi in every game because people want that piece of trivia to exist -- the Drakhri isn't a Dralthi, people...
 
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