Turret Cockpit WIP

Howard Day

Random art guy.
Okay, guys! Here's a cool little interactive thing I've got going. I'm gonna be building the turrets for the game here shortly and I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for what the insides should look like. Not that I don't have any ideas, it's just that I'd like to involve you guys a bit!
So here's the deal - you don't need to go into any extreme detail - you could even use MS paint if you want to. The goal is to sketch out the arangement of girders and displays in an interesting way. The turrets have to have the following gauges:

Gun Power Display
Circular Radar
One MFD

Now the MFD is optional, I believe. It's kinda up in the air as to whether the turrets in the game will have them - but there needs to be somewhere to put it, just in case.
Anyhow, I've attached an example of the turret layout. You can see the radar, power (upper center) and the MFD.
Alright, I hope to see some great ideas from you guys! Don't be afraid to reference other WC turret designs - those are good too.
Just try not to make 'em look like TIE Fighters. :D

Howie
 

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I was always fond of the windowless ball turrets of WC2.
 

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While I like the concept, the whole thing looks too robust to be a civilian setup. In addition, I don't recall ever seeing this set up in the actual game. Ever. The Broadsword, Crossbow and Saber all had actual windowed turrets. So I'm at a bit of a loss as to where this came from.
Here are the images of the WC2 turrets:
http://www.hedfiles.net/wcpioneer/Broadsword_Rear.png
http://www.hedfiles.net/wcpioneer/Broadsword_Right_Side.png
http://www.hedfiles.net/wcpioneer/Broadsword_Left_Side.png
http://www.hedfiles.net/wcpioneer/Crossbow_Rear.png
http://www.hedfiles.net/wcpioneer/Saber_Rear.png
Anyhow - I am still curious as to where you got this idea.
Looks interesting - but I still think it's too well armored for a civilian turret - as well as having no previous reference in the games...that I know of, at least.
 
I'm also curious about where that windowless ball turret came from.

I see that it has two joysticks, can each gun be aimed independently?

It doesn't seem like there is much space for whatever powers, energizes or loads the guns.
 
These are my (almost authentic) WC2 ships. As far as I can tell they never bothered to texture the windows on them. I play around with these models so often that I've come to think of them as 'final'. Also, I just plum forgot about those inside turret shots from the game... thanks for posting those by the way.
As for the arragements of the elements inside... it's just my imagination at work, nothing more.
 

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True, from the outside there were no windows modelled or textured onto the Broadsword (or any WC2 ship as far as I can remember) but the shots from the inside seemed to indicate that there were windows (see the reference pictures provided by Howie). Granted, I suppose those could be some sort of displays configured in the turret view its seems more likely that they are in fact windows just like the cockpit.
 
To me, the fact that there are no windows painted on the WC2 in-game models is meaningless... the models were oversimplified compared to the 2D artwork, so it's no surprise that a few windows would be missing. In WC2's takeoff scenes we see that at least the Sabre and Broadsword (IIRC) have windows on their turrets.

(Even if the shapes of these windows don't match up with what we see from the cockpit views, they're still there, and the 2D artwork is a better reference than the ingame models when it comes to details).
 
My suggestion is that the insides of the turret match with the rest of the interior, and limit the number of struts you put on the windows.
 
Heres my suggestion(random shit is decorative panels, buttons, coffee mugs and/or other useless stuff:


Also i messed up MFD, for some reason i wrote MDF.:confused:
 
Dyret: So you intend for the viewable window to be that size, right? It seems a bit cramped. Anyhow - the basic arrangement looks good - and I like the dual power displays.
 
yes, the window is very small. kinda reminds me of the tarsus.:p

oh, and you should definately put the words "random shite" on the buttons:D

in all seriousness, though, make the windows a bit broader, and not quite so tiefighter-ish as in the first pic and you should be fine
 
Howard Day said:
Dyret: So you intend for the viewable window to be that size, right? It seems a bit cramped. Anyhow - the basic arrangement looks good - and I like the dual power displays.

Thank you!:)

As for the cramped window, I thought it would be cool if it forced the player to rely more on his radar, and less on the window, if you get my meaning.(this is how I've always played WC, anyway) I also thought it gave it a more... civillian... appearence. Anyway, If you like the basic layout and want to use it, feel free to do whatever modifications you want, to windows and other stuff. I'm just happy to be of help.
 
I agree with Dyret--You should have a limited viewing angle through the turret window, and have to use the radar to figure out where the off-screen enemies are. As for layout and appearance, I would say they should match the decor of the cockpits of the ships that they are mounted on. Beyond that , I think they should be slightly more retro versions of the Privateer turrets.

Oh, and please keep the single MFD--it is worthwhile to be able to see the range and damage display of the currently targeted enemy.

P.S. I assume that the turrets will use the same guns as the ships' forward guns? I.E. you can buy laser, mass driver, neutron, or particle cannons and mount two per turret?
 
Correct - the guns will be interchangable. As for the viewing angle - I've always been partial to wider, rather than narrower...it seems odd to limit the view in what is essentially a ball with guns. There's jus no real reason to limit it in such a way.
The Turrets will not resemble the cockpits they're attached to - because they're modular pieces, not specific for each ship.
Anyhow, I'd love to see more concepts, if anyone would like to share... :D
 
Howard Day said:
it seems odd to limit the view in what is essentially a ball with guns. There's jus no real reason to limit it in such a way.
The Turrets will not resemble the cockpits they're attached to - because they're modular pieces, not specific for each ship.

That all depends on the range of motion you intend these to have... You could have cheaper turrets with more or less viewable area depending on the range of motion. The amount that the turret would turn from side to side would dictate how wide a viewing angle you can get away with.

A more expensive turret could have a divided window to allow for a track (The thick black line in first image - for turning the turret) between the windows.

Therefore a smaller lower window could be placed between the guns and the turret Hung slightly lower than the ship.

If I could do a 3d version quicly I would have but heres a crappy paint rendition. Wiper blades and fog lights are just a bit of humour. Instrumentation and info readouts would go in the white spots
 

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Sweet. Huh - I like the idea that it's not a ball turret (spherical, I mean)- kinda sweet. AD - that's a great design for a ball turret - it just may get used.
 
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