"The Heart of Gold is the sleekest, most advanced, coolest spaceship in the galaxy.
Its stunning good looks mirror its awesome speed and power. It is powered by the revolutionary new Infinite Improbability Drive, which lets the ship pass through every point in every univese simultaneously.
The ship is equipped with the latest in Sirius Cybernetics Corporation robots and computers with GPP technology.
Unfortunately, the Heart of Gold was stolen during its launch ceremony by the President of the Galaxy."
-BBC Online

The zip includes: ini file, 4 flics (default, death, run, and a very interesting fidget), several sound effects (mix and match them however you want), pedia icons, and units_32 icon. I am taking suggestions for additional animations- attack, fortify, etc.

Credit goes to Spacer One for sounds and pedia graphics. And for requesting it, otherwise it wouldn't have been made. ;) Also thank you aaglo for the POV-Ray tips.

Preview (colors messed up):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/WeaselOp/HoGdefault.gif

Download! (http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads10/Heart_of_Gold.zip)

Sweet. Perfect for a Hitchikers Guide mod. I'm still reading the 2nd book in that 4 book trilogy.

the preview does this unit no justice, A beautiful flavor unit...my inexpressable gratitude...make sure you submit it for the monthly announcement thing

As for a HhGtTG Mod...Do I hear any volunteers for a Vogon LH?? :rolleyes: :p

p.s. 5 books in the increasingly (well not anymore RIP Mr Adams) inaccuratly titled hitchhikers Trilogy...but I recomend you skip mostly harmless

Infinte Improbabilty Drives are so ancient times. Bistro Mechanics is so much better. :cool:

Sweet. Perfect for a Hitchikers Guide mod. I'm still reading the 2nd book in that 4 book trilogy.
Actually, there are 5 :D

@Spacer: wouldn't Temujin work as a Vogon? :lol:

That is one of the strangest Fidgets I have seen :lol: ...the Death looks Great but why no Attack? Is it to be used as a transport?

Spacer didn't need an attack, and I didn't know what to use. I tried a few things and wasn't happy with any of them. If somebody has a good idea for an attack I'll try it.

About the fidget, I intentionally included a dolphin, and the closest thing to a pot of petunias I could find. ;)

Simply wonderful fidget :lol:

And I didn't know I helped you with this ... thing :) - glad to be useful in the slightest way.

BTW, that ini.file looks really weird in my computer... :hmm:

And I didn't know I helped you with this ... thing :) - glad to be useful in the slightest way.
This is what I was making when I PMed you about the camera and lighting setup. :)

BTW, that ini.file looks really weird in my computer... :hmm:
It looks normal on mine. :hmm: Spacer made it, blame him. :p

5 books in the trilogy? Man, I only have the first 4. Someone has been giving them to me as he reads them. I figured the last one he gave me was the last. Thanks for all the fish or something like that.

Mostly Harmless is the fifth. It was really confusing. I think DNA just wanted to wrap it up somehow but didn't know how. :crazyeye:

If somebody has a good idea for an attack I'll try it.


I think a "toon" attack would work best.

Have them open a door and throw things out?
Flying kitchen sinks followed by flower pots and wrenches.

Maybe have a whale come into being and fall?

have a giant mechanical hand come out with a fly swatter and have it smack away.

I'd like to see the whale thing. That was pretty funny in the books and the movie.

I'll see what I can do. I'll try the flyswatter for attack and the whale for bombard. ;)

Five books? My version of the Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide counts six:
*The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
*The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
*Life, the Universe and Everything
*So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
*Young Zaphod Plays It Safe (okay, 9 pages, but still)
*Mostly Harmless

good on your work.

Hey, I was thinking of making this one... :D Great job, couldn't have done it better myself!
I agree with Bjornlo, a cartoony attack would be best...

Strangely, I was always under the impression that the Heart of Gold looked like a giant high-topped tennis shoe. Dunno where that came from. Nice unit, btw! :lol:

ok I didnt need an attack cause this is a flag or "treasure" unit to be droped off at "magrathea" for VP...

The ini file works fine for me, but I am new at this and there could be issues...

Young Zaphod in no way could be called a book, and is only included in the "Ultimate HHGTTG"

I suggested making a bombard that was petunias...seemed easier to do, but was scraped as unnessicary to my request...good luck with attacks...

lastly, if you read the books the definition of its appearance is totally different...in fact there are 3 versions...the one in the book...the one from the BBC mini series...and the most recent movie....the one from the BBC is more like "an elongated shoe" like mentioned in the book...this is the modern movie version

Bombard preview. The flc is faster than this.
I didn't get the palette quite right, so there is some civ-coloring in the shockwave/dust. I'll get that fixed later today. I have a class now and have to work on a project after that. Meh, school. Always getting in the way of things. :p

Comments? Suggestions?

Perhaps you should make the body of the whale a bit rounder and add a bowl of petunias... :D

Rounder? How so? Not as stretched out?

bulkier in the body...it looks like a bomb with a tail now, less cylindrical...Im not sure how to put it...Feed the whale more??

:lol: After watching the preview several times, it started to look like a 737...

I fixed the whale to make it look more.. well, whalish. Thicker, larger head, darker, textured. I've been playing around with the impact and I can't decide how do make the "shock wave." I tried making it an expanding ring but it just doesn't look right. Maybe a better texture would work.

It looks great, but it does say in the books it looks like a tennis shoe, however DNA probably would have been gland if you had made it something different, he was all for making the books contradict eachother.

DNA actualy was considering making a sixth book since the fifth was so bleak however he got a heart attack (in a GYM!) and passes away at around fifty.

Also If you like hichhicker try "The Salmon of Doght" and "The long dark Tea-Time of the Sole"

Yeah, that looks like a whale... :) Maybe the tail should flap a bit? Just wondering, will you also make the small red shuttlepod?

Actually I thought the old Heart of Gold from the tv series looked more like like a showerhead rather than a tennis shoe... :D

the shuttle is in the death...

Long Dark Teatime of the soul is great if you like the Dick Gently series, but has NO relation other than sharing the author...very good book

Ive only seen the BBC version twice, so I dont recall the HoG in it, I was looking for pics for the design of this HoG and came across a few pics of the BBC version...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/guide/heartofgold.shtml

the shuttle is in the death...
I was already wondering what that was... :D In that case, forget I asked...

lovely unit. the whale attack is awsome!

So what does everyone prefer for the impact? Rings or a disc? I'll find a better texture either way.

I liked the first one better if asked...I cant really see the fatter whale, but I liked the first impact better

the whale looks better at the other angles. I liked the first impact too.

I'd say the first impact with the second whale...

I'm starting to get the hang of this animation stuff :D
New preview:

Excellent whale splat. No doubt going to be remembered long after Civ3 is but a memory. For gross-factor, might consider some blood or worse. :satan:

Looking forward to the Flyswatter smack. Something from Looney toons should work well.

I wasn't sure how to go about the gross factor. I'm not good enough at POV-Ray to make the whale blow into pieces, but maybe I can make blood splatter. I was also thinking about obscuring the impact with a mushroom cloud like in the movie.

I think it looks pretty good. In the books when the whale splattered it kind of grossed me out. Wait, no it didn't.

This has to be the best unit ever. And best forum ever. HHGTTG for the win. Forever.

Bombard preview. The flc is faster than this.
I didn't get the palette quite right, so there is some civ-coloring in the shockwave/dust. I'll get that fixed later today. I have a class now and have to work on a project after that. Meh, school. Always getting in the way of things. :p

Comments? Suggestions?


Is that the Tiberian Sun EMP shockwave? :P

Thanks for the comments. I'll finish the other animations.... sometime.

Welcome to CFC!!! [party]

Cool whale. Can't you do a king unit "President Beeblebrox" too?

I don't have the skills to make humanoid units. :(

since everything got bumped anyway...Weasel...is the escape pod within you graphic capabilities?...if so Id love to see it, and this unit seems popular enough to do a few more...

Im working on adding a head to a human unit...I dont want to do Zaphod like in the New movie...it the book and BBS series his heads are side by side, so thats what Im trying...

Ideas:
Vogon Commander
Vogon Grunt
Ford, Zaphod, Trillian, Marvin, Arthur (Duh...)
Bulldozer/construction workers (these exsist already...Modern Worker(I think) and Engineer)
Dolphin
Ships: Vogon attack vessel
Magrathea Transport(army?)
the Escape Pod
Nuke missles that can move(Magrathea)

Just a few ideas that I know will prolly never be a MOD, but who knows...?

Footnote: cut and paste wont work for whole heads

I can do the escape pod and the nukes, but not now.

well I would hope you are busy with BfNY now...but maybe eventually

busy with BfNY
and finishing this unit
and play(test)ing LotM
and learning Python
and Post Wars
and that annoying thing called college
:p

This Unit Is So Cool! :cooool: Good Work. :goodjob: