Criss' Thread

[kiddan]

Who says the Scavs don't look for generic plates and sell more complex parts from other factions they don't know how to reverse engineer yet? The trading guild seems prominent enough to have been around before many others on the frontier. Heck, maybe scraping off and recycling paint to sell is viable in the Starmade universe?

Unofficial, of course, but it doesn't take much imagination to come-up with reasons for many factions looking the way they do.

 

[Criss]

which specific parts were taken from which specific faction

I think I am creative enough to make a ship look jumbled together if I wanted to without having to copy-paste from other ships

Just so the both of you know, there is only one ship in the Scavenger lineup that even has parts from another faction, and it's the Kukri. The Kukri is built from the hull of a B190 Frigate. That one should be obvious. The reason you can't see which hulls the Scavengers have taken from on their builds is because they are completely original.

The only station that has parts from another faction is the un-named shop station. It has a T180 Freighter that comprises a majority of it's decks attached to the rear of a hangar. Pretty sure that one hasn't been posted here yet.

We do plan on integrating parts from other factions into their design. However, we do want them to be very unique, and we won't get there by scavifying every ship from the other factions. I find the original designs represent their build style the best and gives us the most freedom when designing their vessels.

 

[Ithirahad]

Nobody ever said every ship had to be, or have something from, a cannibalized other-faction ship. It would just be nice to see some bits from player factions integrated into a few ships or stations even if said player faction doesn't appear in your universe, as in theory there would be other people like the player and other smaller, extinct, departed, or otherwise unseen factions there with unique ships that might be torn apart by the Scavs for their own purposes.

 

[Jake_Lancia]

I'm happy to continue updating my fleet btw (and I have a few other ships and stations to add to it to boot)

Also, I do think the current Scavs are totally underdeveloped currently, as these fine people above have stated. Don't get me wrong, their current aesthetic is awesome and a brilliant design direction, but they need to look more... idk, 'Scavenger-y' I guess? And have parts ripped off of other ships than just TG and Outcast. Maybe a ship that's built to look like it rips parts off of ships and drags them to a station for rebuilding might help a little with that (idk just use a cargo ship as a base and add cranes and clamps and things? Maybe some claws too, to rip the parts off?)

 

[Nauvran]

I'm happy to continue updating my fleet btw (and I have a few other ships and stations to add to it to boot)

Also, I do think the current Scavs are totally underdeveloped currently, as these fine people above have stated. Don't get me wrong, their current aesthetic is awesome and a brilliant design direction, but they need to look more... idk, 'Scavenger-y' I guess? And have parts ripped off of other ships than just TG and Outcast. Maybe a ship that's built to look like it rips parts off of ships and drags them to a station for rebuilding might help a little with that (idk just use a cargo ship as a base and add cranes and clamps and things? Maybe some claws too, to rip the parts off?)

They are also really missing shipyards. How do they even scavenge ships if they dont have a place to take them apart and rebuilt them?.
And some ships to either tug or scavenge ships on space field.
something like this mobile shipyard?

Spoiler: boop

 

[Criss]

Hello again citizens. This week Saber and I have put the finishing touches on the Outcast Mining Station. More or less it was minute details that helped fill the space inside and make the station feel lived-in. There are a few more details to add, and a final build check to ensure that the station meets some standards. Below are a few shots of the progress.

Externally, the Outcasts have quite a bit of exposed hull. Not necessarily systems, but little bits that add greeble and give the sense of a legitimate spacestation with functioning parts. In an attempt to make things more asymmetrical, I also design a long-range version of our sensor towers.

Internally I added some livery to the outside of the modular houses. On an industrial-focused station, this is probably the extant of such lavishness.

More detail was added to the furnace rooms, with pipes coming out of exposed walls and cargo crates everywhere. The main control deck was also finished with some more computers and whatnot. Ignore that blue light block.

The hangar was also improved with some tanks, crates, and a more legit looking landing platform for the Spade.

After that, I decided to do a bit of documentation on our pallets. These pallets are used for storing templates as a reference, and creating scale models of our ships and stations for planning. Our current template for our stations is shown below. Orange are Outcast builds, blue is Trading Guild, and red are Scavengers. These models are all to scale. You can see the TG clearly dominate in scale with their homebase.

The scale used is 1 block = 17.5 meters on the full build. This is because I used the scaled down version of the Outcast shop as a reference for the entire pallet, and it's scale was already determined. It's an ugly number really, so I decided that we should redesign the pallets and models for proper usage. I also decided to create pallets for our ships, and to separate it all by faction. This will help immensely in the future as we build larger ships, stations and other factions. The scale used on the new pallets is 1 block = 10 meters.

Some of these ships are absolutely tiny. I have yet to do the other two factions, but that is my goal for the weekend.

Next week I will be starting the work on our first warp gate. I have yet to properly discuss it's implementation with Schema, but it is an asset we will need, so better to get it out of the way now. Before you ask, we will be making larger warp gates. This is a small gate. The medium gate will be significantly larger. The design below is also going to be adjusted to fit with our new model scale; 10 meter chunks instead of 17.5.

Next week we will also be taking a look at the Scavenger shop/hub station that we have yet to showcase here. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

Below are a few shots of the progress.

That miniature model pallet is such a good idea, I imagine it will prove very useful in the preliminary sketching phase of designing new structures. It seems neatly built as well.

And for some reason that warpgate framework is already satisfying to look at. I'm curious to see its final shape.

I like the path you took with the interiors too. The weak, orange lighting, the minimal decoration, and all the pipelines, girders, and cargo boxes combine really well the give a raw, utilitarian feel that industrial stations should have.

It definitely shines through that you guys trained a great deal in the craft of design. I also appreciate how you put these progress update posts together, Criss, good job!


Have fun with the Scavenger shop/hub station, we can't wait to see further results!

 

[Valck]

Talking about chunks... would it make sense to optimize for chunk layout, ie. do multiples of 32? A scale of 8m could work in that regard – it's close to the ten metres you're considering, and it's a divisor of 32.
I'm not sure it's possible to intentionally build aligned to chunk boundaries, or if it even actually affects loading and/or rendering performance, but if it does, it might be worth considering.

 

[Criss]

Talking about chunks... would it make sense to optimize for chunk layout, ie. do multiples of 32? A scale of 8m could work in that regard – it's close to the ten metres you're considering, and it's a divisor of 32.
I'm not sure it's possible to intentionally build aligned to chunk boundaries, or if it even actually affects loading and/or rendering performance, but if it does, it might be worth considering.

At this point, it probably doesn't do much. Schema has worked to improve chunk load times and has made updates to it multiple times in the past year alone. I think, as far as my limited coding knowledge goes, that it matters more when there are a more individual things to load, and more players loading them.

I chose 10 because it's a clean number, and reduces our models down to ten percent scale. When I block out the full builds I will be using 11 cubic meter blocks to get the basic proportions of the build using odd symmetry.

 

[Jake_Lancia]

Yay warp gates!

On a slightly related note, do the TG (or any faction) have shipyard stations planned or under construction?

 

[Criss]

Yay warp gates!

On a slightly related note, do the TG (or any faction) have shipyard stations planned or under construction?

Since shipyards are not required for factions to function, they are not currently planned.

The TG should have three different shipyards, one corresponding to each of the corporations that build their ships. The Outcasts and Scavengers will likely get their own version, but nothing really solid was planned out. I have a miniature mockup for an Outcast shipyard made on the model pallet however.

 

[Valck]

shipyards are not required for factions to function

"...for the time being" certainly is what you meant to convey? ;)
It wouldn't be just a minor disappointment if it's seriously supposed to stay that way in the long run, after all the plans that have been hinted at for a more strategic game play.
I get it that factions don't have to actually mine to gather "resources", and they don't have to actually produce the blocks they "need", but they do have mining ships, as well as mining and factory stations, so why wouldn't shipyards be a requirement to increase or replace their fleets, even if they don't actually have to build ships?

 

[MeRobo]

Since shipyards are not required for factions to function, they are not currently planned.

Shipyard stations would help with immersion, even if shipyards remain useless for factions.

 

[StormWing0]

Shipyard stations would help with immersion, even if shipyards remain useless for factions.

Yep fleets of NPC factions should at least spawn at them until the rest of the details can be sorted out. Than figure out the correct shipyard for the bp rolled to build.

 

[Criss]

Hello everyone. It's time to take a look at something new, as well as some behind-the-scenes work I am doing to ensure the operation runs smoothly. Let's jump in.

We spent most of this week initiating the design process of the first warp gate for the NPC factions. The Trading Guild being the most advanced, they naturally will be the keepers of this technology for the time being. Other future factions may also get warp gates, but that has yet to be planned out.

In terms of lore, I believe warp gate technology should be somewhat limited. It is useful, and with planned chamber trees it will also offer a bit of flexibility. That being said, it's likely the pinnacle of space station technology, and so I would rather not dart these structures across the galaxy. We also want to save truly massive warp gates for truly epic reveals, for factions, expansions to the lore, or other similar events.

With that said, the warp gate for the TG is going to be a small one. We have plans to create a medium sized one for medium vessels in the future as well.

Two B190 Frigates can enter the gate at once, which we believe is a good enough amount of space for their vessels. The structure consists of more than just a single ring floating in space. This is the approach many players take. It's sort of the traditional take on warpgates, but having played quite a bit of EVE, I've learned there's room for more interesting concepts. One of my personal goals with the warp gate is to create something that pushes the boundaries on what StaMade warp gates should look like.

I wanted to create more than just a floating space portal. I want a machine, one that would test a civilizations capacity in scientific and technological understanding. The structure will feature different parts, that altogether looks complex, powerful, but recognizable.

The first ring will be the actual housing for the gate modules. The subsequent rings and the structures holding them together imply a sort of launching mechanism. Or at least it will, once the station is complete. Working on the in-universe mechanics for these things is one of my favorite parts of the job.

As far as aesthetics, we are melding a few things together. The Trading Guild often go octagonal with their shapes, so that was incorporated instead of a perfect circle shape. The TG are also utilitarian, but we wanted this structure to be a bit more exposed. The TG live the high life with all their wealth, but even they haven't managed to make warp gates elegant. There will be a lot of mechanical bits out in the open, such as these coil devises. Think of tesla coils and TG mixed into one and you'll see where we are going.

That's as far as we've come with the gate so far. Octagons require a bit of math for perfection, so the process isn't as straight forward as we'd like, but the result is nice!

Aside from that I have also continued documenting our ships and stations on in-game pallets. As mentioned before, these pallets help visualize the scale we will be aiming for as we create new assets and give us general proportions. It's already been our preferred process for months, but now I'm formalizing it.

You'll notice that the space under each model is color coded. This color code allows us to see what a faction focuses on, and how much at a glance. I could do the same by looking at our official documentation, but that requires reading. This visualization is much quicker.

In short, here are the color codes for ships:
Extra large ships, capitals, flagships, mobile homebases
Large combat vessels
Moderate combat vessels
Light combat vessels
Support craft, boarding craft, fleet boosters, scouts, ECM ships
Logistics, freighters, salvagers, miners, scavenging craft, factory ships
Civilian, shuttles, transports, yachts

And for stations:
Homebases
Derelicts
Large combat stations, bases, large outposts
Small combat stations, outposts, satellites, stationary turrets
Misc, research stations, warp gates
Trade, shops, hubs, services
Logistics, storage, mining stations, scavenging stations, factories, shipyards
Civilian, housing, recreational.

It might be overkill, but spending time organizing it now helps in the long run. We can plan into the indefinite future with these little pallets.

You might notice some of the models are color coded with a few additional colors. Here you can see the footprint of the TG homebase. There are two white dots, two green dots, and two blue dots. The TG Regional Hub, in addition to being a homebase, also features factories, shipyards, housing, recreation, trade, and services. With this pallet, we can also define just how much a ship or station should be capable of supporting the various aspects of the game.

Lastly, I've got the pallets for all ships finished for the three factions. You can see the Trading Guild will need to expand on it's logisitics if it's to dominate the freight game. The Outcasts are the most well defined in their fleet along the lines of what we had planned for them. The Scavengers will always outnumber the other factions in small combat craft, and so far they have a good start.

That was a longer post than I anticipated. I would still like to showcase the Scavenger trading hub we created in the previous few months, however it will have to wait for a post a few days from now. Perhaps on Tuesday. Until then, stay tuned and thanks for reading!

 

[The_Owl]

Colour coding seems neat. nice.

 

[Criss]

Greetings citizens. Time for something fresh. While we chip away at the Trading Guild warpgate, I'll be showing off one of the stations we finished some time ago; the Scavenger Small Factory.

I am still unsure what this station's class should be. So far we've been using uncommon weapons as the naming convention for the Scavengers. That is a rule we might have to break for the stations. Maybe different types of fortresses or strongholds. Tell me what you think. Anyway, below is a shot of the whole thing. It's very small.

The station serves one function: production. There is little room for anything else. Components and machines all integrate throughout the structure to facilitate the needs of the Scavenger war machine, small as it may be. None of these refineries were taken from the same place, and as such the entire facility is a mess. Tanks leak, metal corrodes, pipes need patching. This is as rough as it gets.

If you don't already know, the Scavengers like to take a walk on the wild side. And by that I mean, space walks. Only on the largest of Scavenger stations will you find vast pressurized rooms. The main deck of this station is open to space, much like the scrapyard station. This adds additional danger to Scavenger worker conditions, but saves them the hassle of maintaining a sealed environment.

The living quarters are cramped and dark. Scavengers enjoy the treasures of the universe when they can, which isn't much on a station like this.

And that's about it for the small factory. Personally, I think this station captures the essence of their build style very well. For a while the station was just a platform with simple machines attached to the side. The element that really draws it all together is the scrap metal overhang that covers the center of the platform. With a little dedication, one can turn even the ugliest of builds into something truly, well... uglier, but in a good way :D

Now, as for the warp gate, we've made a bit of progress. This build is a bit of a step up, and so it's taking some adjusting to ensure we're building details that scale well. We also haven't built Trading Guild designs in quite some time, and we will need to ensure that it is consistent with what we made before, and not the builds we've been working on recently.

Our current task is to define the details of the main rings, and the rail-like structure that runs underneath it all and connects everything. With those two primary features complete, I think we will be able to quickly design and refine the rest of the station.

Just a note. We may be changing the days we stream, and the time at which we stream. This has yet to be discussed, so I have no details for now. Regardless, I still plan on making posts about our progress here. Thanks for reading!

 

[jontyfreack]

The living quarters are cramped and dark. Scavengers enjoy the treasures of the universe when they can, which isn't much on a station like this.

I see that pipe-shrine.

Good, good, continue.

 

[kiddan]

This is my second favorite station so far; First being the Scav shop with all the shady alleys. =D

 

[Criss]

Greetings citizens! It's time to take a look at another Scavenger build, and the weeks progress on our other projects. Plus a bit of an announcement regarding future player-submitted content.

First, let's take a look at the Scavenger Small Hub Station. I have no clue what class this station should be named. As mentioned in the previous post, it is hard to find appropriate names for space stations for the Scavengers that suite their naming convention. If anyone has ideas, please let me know.

This pirate hub will temporarily serve as the Scavengers trade base. Essentially the homebase until a proper one can be built. As such it needs to accommodate a number of docks. The ships in the Scavenger fleet are very unique, and so the docking structures for each type of ship vary greatly. There are specific parking spots for Scavenger small ships.

The station features a completely re purposed Trading Guild T-180 model freighter. It is embedded into the side of the open hangar, and serves as the backbone for the stations interior space. The internal support structure of the freighter has been converted to support a makeshift floor in which various systems are housed.

Other features include a docked Cestus class scout to serve as a communications array, and stolen modular housing units that form the semblance of an apartment complex. The hangar is dirty, covered in rust, grime, and scrap. It is an unorganized mess of cargo that sits atop thin paneling that cover gaping holes in the structure. Every inch of space is used for the storage of raw scrap salvaged from the fields of battle.

The inside of the station is equally chaotic. Walls appear to block ones path. Metal beams punch through corridors. It is easily possible to get lost inside. This station was certainly the most difficult Scavenger station to build to date. It is also the largest in terms of features and volume.

Due to the Scavenger build style, it is not easy connecting the various parts together. Slabs only work in certain ways and so it is easy to create connections that don't seem stable. While that may be acceptable for a literal garbage faction, I still try to ensure that there is a level of reality in their builds. While the structure may not make practical sense, I ensure it looks feasible.

If you want to read more about the various aspects of this station, some more info can be found in the imgur album linked here.

And now onto the weekly update on our build progress. To start, we have been continuing work on the TG Warpgate. Our time was spent mostly on a rail-like system that connects two ring structures together. Later we will heavily wire and pipe areas of the station to ensure maximum density where it suits the design.

AtraUnam has provided us some assistance in detailing the station. Having a need to wire the station up with all it's coils and components, Atra stepped up and gave examples on how we could do so in a semi-realistic manner. For the moment, these wires are color coded to ensure a proper path. Eventually they will connect to more fundamental structures that power the warp ring.

Speaking of which, I have personally laid out the exact "mechanics" of warp gate travel. In the case of the Trading Guild gates, I have determined the function of all major components of the station. In the future I will outline this with a neat little graphic, but rest assured, there is now a quasi lore based canon system for how this warpgate, and possible future gates will function in universe.

Lastly, the first miniature model for a medium sized vessel was created. Medium sized vessels range from 151 meters, to 300 meters in any given direction. The proposed medium TG freighter sits at approximately 280 meters in it's current wire frame state. It will be quite a change in scale, and I am very excited to see what we can do with larger ships in the future.

Lastly, I want to talk about a proposal that has been making a bit of a bustle on our livestreams. It is clear that Saber and I will never be capable of building all the assets for the game without working at Schine full time. We currently do not work for Schine full time, and so assets will take a while to complete. Our current focus is the primary set of assets that will enable StarMade to function; the stations, ships, and factions that will allow the universe to seem alive.

Beyond that however is a plethora of ideas that we would love to explore, but are not integral to the success of the game, and therefore fall to the sidelines. Our proposal: Build contracts.

In short, a faction (Schine team members roleplaying) will offer a contract for a new ship, station, or structure. Players will vie for the contract, and if awarded, their builds will be accepted into the game.

We will require certain specifications, depending on the faction the new assets will belong to, and it's function. Design cohesion will be a big deal regarding this, and as such, this process isn't likely to start before the new power system or new stations are in the game.

There are still some details we want to iron out, and chances are you will be signing over your work as Schine's property when all is said and done. To give you an example:

The Trading Guild may require a new freighter model for it's small ship line and will put fourth a contract. Players will need to design a vessel that shares visual design elements of TG ships. It will need to accommodate the same docking or cargo requirements as the T-180 freighter. We may have specific requirements regarding systems or other special features. When players build their proposal, they will submit it to the faction (Schine) for evaluation. Those whose vessel(s) suit the needs of that faction best will be chosen and indoctrinated into the fleet.

We eventually plan for a way to recognize repeat winners if such a case were to arise as well, but those are details that can wait for later. There is still a bit of discussion to be had regarding this. I am very excited for the possibilities though, and it allows for us to essentially create multiple contracts at the same time to grow our asset library substantially in a short amount of time. Please leave your thoughts here or visit us during the livestream so we can get your feeback. Thanks for reading!