GalTrek™: The Excelsior

Star Trek ship hulls for GalCiv2

from GalCiv2 Forums

The Excelsior

(Click thumbnail images for larger version)

Polygon Count (triangles): 9,456 - Now we're talking!
Defuse Mapping: Er... no!
Light Mapping: 100% - Read bellow.
Normal Mapping: Not this time.
Ship Builder Hardware Mounts: As always.
In-Game Hull Size: Large.
Hours on "the machine": Hard to say. On and off, about 10 hours.

This is the first model with which I am actually satisfied with the polygon count.  I set my goal at < 10,000k right from the start, and I had to hack and slash like a good 80ies horror movie in order to get the count down to that level.

Now I need everyone’s input here.  I am using a different way of lighting this model in GalCiv. I have actually bypassed the entire lighting pass of the GalCiv2 engine (for the hulls only), so you no longer see any change in lighting from different perspectives.   This allows for a more overall ambient lighting which I think is better for game play, but at the expense of realism (in the sense of actual space directional lighting).  I want everyone to compare the in-game images of model with my previous conversions. Which in-game lighting style does everyone like?  The previous method involved using only defuse textures and allowing GalCiv2 to apply its own lighting to each model, resulting in some of the model going black when unlit and becoming somewhat difficult to see against the void of space.  Now compare that method with this model that uses textures as light maps, overriding GalCiv2’s lighting engine.  I think that I prefer this method best. 

This ship is shown at its proper scale (large). Again, please post if you are interested in using this mod.  I’m always trying to see how many people are going to download it.

Here is the ship list so far:

Cargo: Oberth Model A (120m)[WIP]
Oberth Model B (120m) 
Tiny:Shuttle (~10m) [Finished. link]
Delta Flyer (~10m) [Finished. link]
Small:Danube Runabout, MAYBE! <mumbles something about ds9 fans>  
Medium: Magellan (?m) [Finished. link]
I might redo.
NX (225m) 
Miranda (Reliant) (243m)  
Defiant (120m) [Finished.link]
Large: Intrepid (344m)[WIP]
Excelsior (467m)[Finished.]
Prometheus (414m)  
Huge: Galaxy (643m),
Sovereign (685m),

 

Cheers.

-Brian
[email protected]

44,912 views 25 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Nice!
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Nice!
Siege of Centauri
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sweet.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
i must admit, i'm looking forward to more of this....And the ships look awesome. Wouldn't mind seeing this more of this


Maybe for the small ship? i remember seeing it on a Star Trek fan site awhile back (Never in the show tho, so i'm unsure of it's ACTUAL size)


Also, i'm just curious, after you finish, any plans for other races from Star Trek? Say for example a Klingon Vor-Cha (i think is what it's called) or the Borg ships? Just curious.

Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, there is already a total conversion mod for GalCiv2 in the works, which I would assume will cover many canonical Star Trek races.

I do not believe that I will have the time to cover all races (plus, there isn’t as much source material for the other fleets), so I will try to get a full Federation fleet, and maybe do a ship here and there from other races, though I don’t know how I would integrate them into this mod.

I do plan on releasing a “surprise” in the mod though. Something nasty waiting for all you trekkers in the depths of space.

That ship is pretty neat, though it would be impossible for me to work off such sparse reference material.


-Brian
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Cool beans, i can't wait to see what you come up with
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
awesome job, looks great, (im not as much a fan of the excelsior, just dont really like it for some reason) but nevertheless it looks great and keep up the good work, cant wait for more.... is the surprise in the end maybe a galactica model? haha that would throw off all the trekkies out there. ah... nice ships, oh very good, wonderfully done...eh... what is that hideous beast? ah! galactica! get it away from my pretty ships, haha, not real likely but i can still hope, and i do love these ships, the delta flyer was great.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
where can i dowload this great ships???? cant find the link
so many beautiful ships !!!!
great work!!!!!!
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sweet! Honestly though, I kinda likes the previous lighting method you used... the ships seemed to have more of a "glow" around their nacelles and other light sources. But ofcourse your making them so its what you like (the Excelsior still looks great!)
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Awsome! I can't wait to see Constitution and Galaxy Class Models. I'd also like to see, if it's possible, the hardpoints on the inside, so that I can arm a ship with Phasors without having the weird looking cannon thingies on it. Looks great, overall.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
That is a good idea actaully. Maybe I will include internal mount points on each model, in addition to the externals.

-Brian
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well I would like to get a couple of beta testers to use the ships before they get put into a "mod", if you don't mind the extra files in your GalCiv directory.

Anyone interested in doing a beta, email [email protected]. The email might take a few minutes to activate, so if it bounces back, just try again a bit later.

-Brian
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
hey Brian, I'm Stefan Gersdorf I founded a Startrek mod team some months ago, and we have an own forum,

and when I first saw your ships,
I thought wow, we need that guy. This is an official hirement so please tell me if you want to join us,
take a look at the library, I posted some new Startrek weapon effects there.
I think if we work together we will finish the mod faster...


You may think about it,

tell me your decision


our forum is www.forum.startrekgc2.net You may register there and introduce yourself
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
A surprise? Could it be...the DOOMSDAY MACHINE?
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
that starship is from a voyager episode where they need 7 of 9 to infiltrate the past to convict someone trying to wipe out voyager from the space time continum. If i remember correctly its from like the 40th centuary or somthing silly
Reply #19 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It occurs to me that another solution to the "problem" of adding stuff to hardpoints and ruining the overall aesthetic would be to mod the game in such a way that functional components can be shrunk down down to literally zero - thus allowing you to attach them to a hardpoint and add the functionality to the ship, without actually adding the visual component.

Not even sure if it's possible, but it would be the perfect solution, especially when addling large components (constructor/transport modules) that might protrude if mounted "inside" the hulls.
Reply #20 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yes good idea, though I don't think the moders will have the ability to access that setting.

-Brian
Reply #21 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
hey brian, please tell me what do you think (my post over )
Reply #22 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Very nice. I actually like the old lighting better, but this looks good too. A "Deep Space 9" starbase model would be cool too, since there are starbases in the game.

Anyway, GREAT JOB! Keep up the great work.
Reply #23 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
When are they going to be available for download?
Reply #24 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
When they are all finished, is my plan. I will release them all as a mod.

-Brian
Reply #25 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Awsome work..i will be using this mod for sure...lol now if only for troop transports there was the Chandley class Frigate haha...