The Planet Thread

[kupu]

And things like the public sculpture are experiments to try and create very different atmospheres between the upper and lower cities.

That's actually really cool. Public spaces in stations and ships will not always be 100% utility and little sculptures like you have there, all lit up and presented, really do build an atmosphere.

Neat!

 

[SilverAgeFan]

Next round of experiments on my urban planet.

I've really been enjoying using hzzzln's modular multifloor elevator. It's gotten me into the cut and paste tool. So I figured I'd lean on that banging out the façade of this new building.

Spoiler: New building

Though it looks neat and I like the outdoor glass elevator, the results look more like a utilitarian space station to me. Neither alien nor lithe enough. I think for the upper city of this planet, I need to keep it a little less van der Rohe and and a little more Gehry.

Modular construction aesthetics speak to functionality, economy and in turn, a populism. A bifurcated society indulges the upperclass with inefficient whimsy.

So I'll be stripping out this new building when I next get back to my voxels. And for better or worse, to get the buildings right, I think I'll need to do a lot of longhand careful construction like I did on the first. But I DO like the dangling plants over the balconies. I think that detail will find its way into future structures. Also the palette needs to shift back to purple glass, white, blue and ice crystal for accent glows. We don't have silver surfaces in game, but in my mind these tones and temperatures come closest to bringing about a slippery, mercurial surface.

Even though this new structure is getting cut, I do find the view from below which will eventually be a canyon of the lower city, quite promising. It's getting there. But needs moar envy.

Spoiler: Looking up from the site of the lower city.

Spoiler: A couple last views before it gets the axe.

 

[hzzzln]

Even if you gonna scrap that building, I think it looks very nice. It sounds a bit like you study or work in architecture

If I ever get to decorate a planet, I will come back to your posts for inspiration.

 

[SilverAgeFan]

So I stripped out that one building and have blocked out the footing for the next entry on my hyper urban planet. I'm uploading these early images in case seeing how I block out these buildings is useful to anyone else attempting similar complex structures.

Spoiler: Isometric view of new building footprint.

For this new structure, I'm putting in a four point footing. The front two will likely have elevators up to a lofted space that will span the four footings. Probably won't be room for much else. These elevators will both face inwards toward the plaza area that will be covered by the building's main structure.

The back two footings will join with some sort of vaulting between them (probably a very pointy groined arch). And both will be big, white and chunky, like giant heavy robot mech feet. A square corner on their interior (already blocked in) with an arcing exterior footprint.

All these feet will come together in a lofted awning/apron like structure that will span the space. Something not unlike one of the tent like structures on the Denver International Airport, but this space will be occupied by 2-3 floors.

On top of this, and I'm still working out the details in my head, there needs to be some sort of stalk that reaches up, then arcs over into another space that can be occupied. The arc will run counter to the slope of the other nearby building to create contrast and activity in the skyline. Not sure yet how this space at the top of the stalk will be accessed. I may need to hide a simple 2 floor elevator shaft in a nearby building and then use that to run a dedicated shuttle/hover orb thingie.

Will post more screens as this one develops.

Spoiler: Additional angles of the new foundation.

 

[SilverAgeFan]

A Saturday update.

I've been working on the contouring for this new building. I removed my first building at this site because it was too blocky and modular to fit into my emerging aesthetic of the upper city.

The first contours were a bit of an overcorrection into territory that was far too alien. Maybe good for some advanced xenomorphic species. But a little too far afield for where I'm going. The biggest culprit was that observation "egg" and it's curved support stalk.

Spoiler: The all too organic overcorrection.

I've reworked the contours, blending the biomorphic footings with some sweeping curves, familiar and associated with hominid scifi space architecture. These curves meet at certain points to create some clear corners on the building, to keep it feeling like a building.

Spoiler: The revised contours. It's gonna be a beast to skin!

Just like I had to kill the modular building that existed here previously, I also can't have their forms so organic that they start looking like they were grown!

I have some crazy aspirations for that observation deck. I'm seriously considering creating something of a panopticon by docking a ship core at it's heart and then placing cameras all around this plate that are actually linked to the docked entity. These cameras will need to be paired with display screens that clearly label where we are looking from. But that would allow a player to head up to this deck and patch in to a "big brother" surveillance system all around the surface of this planetary plate, including many of the depths of the lower city.

 

[Bogdan]

A Saturday update.

I've been working on the contouring for this new building. I removed my first building at this site because it was too blocky and modular to fit into my emerging aesthetic of the upper city.

The first contours were a bit of an overcorrection into territory that was far too alien. Maybe good for some advanced xenomorphic species. But a little too far afield for where I'm going. The biggest culprit was that observation "egg" and it's curved support stalk.

Spoiler: The all too organic overcorrection.

I've reworked the contours, blending the biomorphic footings with some sweeping curves, familiar and associated with hominid scifi space architecture. These curves meet at certain points to create some clear corners on the building, to keep it feeling like a building.

Spoiler: The revised contours. It's gonna be a beast to skin!

Just like I had to kill the modular building that existed here previously, I also can't have their forms so organic that they start looking like they were grown!

I have some crazy aspirations for that observation deck. I'm seriously considering creating something of a panopticon by docking a ship core at it's heart and then placing cameras all around this plate that are actually linked to the docked entity. These cameras will need to be paired with display screens that clearly label where we are looking from. But that would allow a player to head up to this deck and patch in to a "big brother" surveillance system all around the surface of this planetary plate, including many of the depths of the lower city.

Any progress on this? All looked very nice.

 

[SilverAgeFan]

Any progress on this? All looked very nice.

Unfortunately, not much. My work schedule has really eaten into my digital sandbox time these past couple months.

I've gotten in maybe 5-6 more hours and that's it. Hoping to get back to this sometime maybe in the new year.

 

[PizzaPress]

what's all this about planets bigger than r50?
:p
(Admittedly, I haven't tried pushing my ancient computer, but one of my graphics cards destroyed (desoldered?) itself, so...)

 

[Valck]

what's all this about planets bigger than r50?
:p
(Admittedly, I haven't tried pushing my ancient computer, but one of my graphics cards destroyed (desoldered?) itself, so...)

If that means you're forced to upgrade, by all means give it a try ;)

Doubling the radius from the default 225 already makes a huge difference, as it effectively gives you eight times the surface area.
If you go much above 500, you might need to increase sector sizes as well, and for me at some point around a thousand radius, StarMade started to refuse loading in chunks. But fivehundredsomething is perfectly doable, if you remember to turn off shadows - even the most basic shadows are the real performance killer in my experience.

 

[PizzaPress]

If that means you're forced to upgrade, by all means give it a try ;)

Doubling the radius from the default 225 already makes a huge difference, as it effectively gives you eight times the surface area.
If you go much above 500, you might need to increase sector sizes as well, and for me at some point around a thousand radius, StarMade started to refuse loading in chunks. But fivehundredsomething is perfectly doable, if you remember to turn off shadows - even the most basic shadows are the real performance killer in my experience.

You don't know my computer/budget, man...
I had my spare old one when I fried my (somewhat) newer/better one.
(I do have a new hard drive, thankfully.)
It might be alright with a low chunk-loaded count, but I don't really care much anyway. Loading times would make it annoying for me, as would pop-in.

Spoiler: Computer Offtopic

I'm planning on eventually get a nice new rig with more than enough power to handle dolphin/MC(+9000mods)/SM/SC2/Star Citizen on medium/high settings.

But I like old games enough that it's not an issue to stick with what I have.

I probably browse the forums as much or more than play the game(seeing as a lot of gameplay features are incomplete and I don't feel like playing multiplayer right now).

 

[Keptick]

If that means you're forced to upgrade, by all means give it a try ;)

Doubling the radius from the default 225 already makes a huge difference, as it effectively gives you eight times the surface area.
If you go much above 500, you might need to increase sector sizes as well, and for me at some point around a thousand radius, StarMade started to refuse loading in chunks. But fivehundredsomething is perfectly doable, if you remember to turn off shadows - even the most basic shadows are the real performance killer in my experience.

Honestly, it really depends on the computer you have. With my somewhat old laptop going over 150 radius is a pretty bad idea (unless you like sub-30fps levels). My desktop however, is a whole other story:

Spoiler: Behold...

A 1000r planet with my 1.3km long warship floating beside it

 

[Reilly Reese]

An integral location in a short story arc I am planning and writing that also doubles as my SP Survival. This is the main power plant on week 6. (This facility is much larger currently.)

 

[nightrune]

Been working on some power silos to complement the reactor.

If anyone is curious, the reactor from above is currently putting out 400k e/sec, this group of silos here holds 6.4m energy.

The general plan is to make a series of functional and easily identifiable structures, which I can then roll out as my faction's look & feel for planetary colonies. It's a pity that they're currently so vulnerable to planetary bombardment... Haven't quite figured out how I'm going to protect them once I start building on other planets...

These need to be made into docked entities!!!!!! That way I can just place them.

 

[Locusthorde300]

Spoiler: Soviet Imperium Space Port exterior (Old Blue beam)

Spoiler: Soviet Imperium Starport (new red beam)

Spoiler: My future plans for the starport (not to scale)

 

[Daeridanii]

Contemplating the meaning of life while looking out on a red dwarf. Just though you guys would like it.

 

[johno1928]

Has anyone tried to make planets that are ships?
this is still a work in progress, but i think it looks decent so far

 

[jontyfreack]

Has anyone tried to make planets that are ships?

a long time ago, I made a planet within a ship. I have since lost that blueprint.