Master of Orion Mod

[Drift]

Well, I'm done with the Elerians, and despite some people not liking the anime elements, all I have to say is: Tough cookies, anime is my style, weather it be CG or pencil sketcing.

If you don't like it, then don't use it. (now I remember why I haven't posted any previews of my LH's in a long ass time)

I don't want to start a fight with you as I like you and your creations, but I have to say that if this is how you take feedback, it probably is better that you don't post previews.

When someone posts a preview and doesn't specifically mention things people shouldn't complain about, I'll give my honest opinion. I have no trouble with you not wanting to shift your course - it's your right as a creator and I respect it 100%. What I don't respect, is lashing out when people do as you request and "get their gripes out" about your work.

I remember you taking feedback really well with the Cloud leaderhead so I guess you just had a bad day or something. Let's not hold a grudge - I would've just appreciated you being a bit more friendly about the way you took the feedback provided by me and Bjornlo. edit: not Bjornlo - fe3333au and Thorgrimm

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

Drift, do you have any idea how long it took to get to that stage? If you look at the finished version, I did make the "realistic" morph @ 100%. To get it any more realistic would've required using a completely different figure, none of the ones I currently have come with any of the proper ear morphs, or the catsuit morph. In addtion, Aiko 3 is the only figure I have that the different parts of the body can be given different textures. Coming up with the skin texture alone took about 3 hours, and coming up with a good cloth texture for the catsuit took about another 1.5 hours and about 2 hours to work on the background in Bryce 5. If I would have had to change the figure, I may have still been able to use the armor, but I couldn't conform it to the figure, and would have had to do about another 3 hours worth of work to get it to fit right and animate it to move with that figure, and that doesn't even count the time it takes to render the damn thing.

But you're right, so listen carefully, since I'm saying this only once: when I ask for feedback, any that requires me to use a different base figure (especially if none of my other figures have the morphs required) will be ignored. That is my one caveat. When I post a preview I've already got the face and the figures looking more or less how I want them. Mainly what I'm looking for is some detail stuff, like Fe33333au's suggestion of making the metal look a bit rougher, or maybe additional detail props and maybe texture suggestions.

 

[Drift]

@Hikaro
No problem. I do understand your position.

 

[Bjornlo]

Well, I'm done with the Elerians, and despite some people not liking the anime elements, all I have to say is: Tough cookies, anime is my style, weather it be CG or pencil sketcing. Besides, the sci-fi armor I have won't work with the standard P5 f (not to mention that "Judy" doesn't have any elf ear morphs). I did give once concession to Fe3333au: to kind of reflect the feudal/tradtional nature of the Elerians, I gave her a gold circlet (to convey her status as royalty) and gave the metal parts of her armor a hammered texture, to make it look as though they were hand-forged.

If you don't like it, then don't use it. (now I remember why I haven't posted any previews of my LH's in a long ass time)

Would it be ok if I hate anime but loved your Elarian LH? Normally not my thing. But somehow the cute little mind-controller seems just right to me.

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

Drift, I'll try to keep my ear to the ground at DAZ in case they do another promo, offering Mike and Vic 3 for free, since I got this clothes convertor program from them that automatically converts any clothes set from one DAZ figure to another with just a couple clicks. Since all DAZ figures have pretty much the same ear morphs as well as the full-body catsuit morphs and texture zoning, all I'd have had to do was add the textures I made to the library, converted the armor and loaded V3 and just re-applied everything.

I also wanted to say to Flamescreen that that Klackon LH looks good, but the texture is a bit plasticky looking. A good starting texture would be the "wierd paint" texture in the Poser 5 basic textures library, although I'd change the colors of the color map a bit to better match the typical Klackon texture. I also like the Meklar dude. I'll be doing a quick silicoid model, and posting 4 different colors and shapes to see what people like. Since I'll be doing the silicoilds in Bryce, it won't take too much to change stuff, since Bryce is easier to change stuff like that, + I can do the BG and LH all in one.

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

OK, Here's a silicoid sampler, I'm kinda partial to the ruby colored version (since that's what they kinda looked like in MoO III), but whatever one you guys think looks the best. I might also re-do the 'body' rock, and the BG is far from finished, so don't worry about that for now. Also I can alter the colors of the "marble" texture as well...

Preview, counter-clockwise from top right, Saphire, Ruby, Emerald and Marble:

 

[Andrew_Jay]

Check out the threads for the Star Wars mod (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=108383)

and the Space Empires graphics-pack (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=71552)

For lots of great ideas, not to mention an excellent and ready-made set of graphics (plus some game-play mechanic ideas of my own on page 6).

 

[flamescreen]

Great work ... what a superb update Flame

You really spun me out with the Ellerians ...
I know her in RL she is a visual artist and performer ... Farout Man
I vote first one and give her a slight reddish colouring to the dark hair, with one blond lock spilling over the face ...

EDIT - the blonde lock would probably look F###ed so don't bother

Well, the similarity is quite coinscindental. The Fallout Raiders leaderhead was based on the look you specified(there will be updates to that), but not this one. Perhaps I was impressed with the way she looked and it got to the pics, don't know. Anyway, here's the Trillarians.


Edit, to include answer to Hikaro and Bjornlo:

Yes, I do agree with your comment on the Klackons, and that's the problem with the Trillarians as well. And the Mecklars need updates and better coloring(also the Darloc need better skin surface and other details if I'll not use the fantasy Fe3333au suggested in your thread).

These were all early versions, done in 5 mins each, except for the ellerians, in order to display the way they will be going. I do intend to use better textures to emulate skins(I used none so far for those). I might not keep the Klackons at all, as this wasn't the mantis model I talked about. I might use that if possible only for the ground units. I only use P4 and my abilities are not all that great with it, as I'm a newb. Hopefully, by the time this mod will be done, i'll be much better.

Excellent model on the Silicoids. Not nearly as close as MOO2 one, but it's my favourite of yours for MOO LH's as yet.


Yes, Bjornlo, indded I did see it and was impressed. I will post the "Starlords" game link later on(were they're called "the Nazguuls") so people who haven't played it will manage to see why I was so impressed.

 

[flamescreen]

Check out the threads for the Star Wars mod (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=108383)

and the Space Empires graphics-pack (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=71552)

For lots of great ideas, not to mention an excellent and ready-made set of graphics (plus some game-play mechanic ideas of my own on page 6).

Will do, I already had that in mind, as someone mentioned to me that they also use islands and I wanted to check out the way they did it. Thanks.

 

[Bjornlo]

Excellent Trellarian. Better then Moo2's.

 

[flamescreen]

Well, thanks, though the model is not mine, I just added the eyes and the color. I might add a hovering device if I can and remember it, later on, to explain, how medusae shaped beings would move in land(and make the king unit).

The Starlords link i promised earlier. For those that nedd to know how it originated.

 

[Bjornlo]

A hovering device would be a great addition. Either that or a hovering device with a globe full of water as a breathing helmet.

 

[tjedge1]

I like the ruby one too Hikaro.

Interesting Trilarian flamescreen. I hadn't realized they had changed so much from Moo2 to Moo3.

Not a suggestion, but here is an example of the Moo3 ones.

 

[Bjornlo]

I like the ruby one too Hikaro.

Interesting Trilarian flamescreen. I hadn't realized they had changed so much from Moo2 to Moo3.

Not a suggestion, but here is an example of the Moo3 ones.

Fishman is interesting.. I think "octopus-thingy" is more alien looking, and creepier to boot.

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

I personally preferr the MoO II style trillarians, myself, however I'm planning on doing a Nommo LH, since I came up with my own cephalopoid race in my own sci-fi writings (they were native to the deep oceans of Jupiter's moon, Europa).

Since everyone seems to preferr the Ruby Silicoid, I'll go with that. I'm thinking of adding a couple glowing crystalline 'eyes' to give it some kind of features, and maybe a mouth with diamond teeth (so that it could also be used as a 'Troll' for the Discworld mod). What do you think of those ideas (I'll be posting a preview with the eyes, at least, but I'm not sure about doing the mouth).

As for the BG, I'll be looking through NASA and Russian Space Agency online photo archives of the surface of Venus, since Venus-like planets were their preferred habitat in MoO III. I'll, of course, also be making a crystalline citadel in the background as well (to represent one of their cities).

 

[Bjornlo]

I think those are good ideas for the silicoid. I'd suggest darker eyes for contrast, or darken the shade of red for the body. I like the diamond style teeth. Makes sense, if it lives it has to consume something. Maybe add some texture or a hint of marbling to the body?? Might make it sort of look like faintly visible internal bits.

 

[DJ Bonebraker]

Well, the silicoid LH is almost ready to animate. The BG is also more or less finished as well. Since it took about 5 minutes to render just one frame, I decided to not go with a moving mouth, since this would increase the render time considerably. I will move the eyes a bit to try and convey moods, but remember, the silicoids were always bad at diplo since they were crystalline and didn't really HAVE any readily recognizable expressions.

 

[fe3333au]

Brilliance ... absolute brilliance ... well done

 

[Bjornlo]

Bryce 5.5 is out, it is supposed to be 30% faster... but 70% of 5 mins is still 3.5mins per frame. Not speedy.
One thing I noticed with Bryce 5.5a is that it does not handle transparency and refraction the same way. I recently had to re-render one of the FLCs for my x303 unit, and I had to go back to bryce 5. I suppose I could have sorted out the issues with 5.5a, but that would have taken me more then the 30% potential time savings.
Pity the mouth didn't work out. Perhaps something along the lines of a south park mouth... where the mouth is just an identical part of the head that can move.
Very nice background.

 

[flamescreen]

I like the ruby one too Hikaro.

Interesting Trilarian flamescreen. I hadn't realized they had changed so much from Moo2 to Moo3.

Not a suggestion, but here is an example of the Moo3 ones.

Well, here's how they looked in MoO2.
Some are not very good looking, and in any case, in a mod, you're supposed to be inspired, not copying, so there will be changes for some. I don't like the Bulrathi at all for instance. But I like the Elerians and the Psilons, Mrrshan of that game. Gnolam have no purpose that's not covered by humans in civ terms, so they will not be in.

I've been doing things that consume a lot of my time, so next update will be coming next weekend, most probably.