Cloaking

gevatter Lars

Vice Admiral
In todays update we have some exciting news to report. Thanks to modifications done in the SCP-Engine (some older and some newer ones) we are now finally able to make a full-blown cloacking effect like in the original WC games. The technical side requires the usage of a few simple scripts for each cloaking ship, but those are easy to create and the effect for the player will be just like what we are used to in WC gameplay. Even better than that, the final animation will be very close to what we saw in the original CGI movie sequences of Wing Commander 4.

To celebrate this new development, we would like to share a few rendered pictures of our version of the infamous Strakha. Through centuries of conflict, the Kilrathi have gained an obsessive appreciation for strength. Many Kilrathi fighter designs, such as the Jalthi or Vaktoth, give expression to the Kat's sadistic infatuation with sheer brute force. However, the Kilrathi also have an appreciation for the more subtle forms of strength, such as stealth and cunning. The Strakha is the techological culmination of this facet of Kilrathi philosophy. Capitalizing on the element of surprise, the Strakha strikes from the shadows without warning. Although relatively lightly armed, its ability to move undetected provides it a tactical advantage that the Kat's capitalize on without mercy. As such, the Strakha is a veritable tactical nightmare for Confederation pilots.

While you sleep, they'll be waiting...


strahka1.jpg


strahka2.jpg
 
That looks spectacular guys. Great work.

Now if you'll excuse me I shall return to my little Wing Commander sanctuary, light a few candles, and pray for the release of the Saga prologue.
 
That's not FMV. :) That's an actual shot of the model (done by the multi-talented Scooby Doo, who deserves the credit for an incredible model) and the effect which will be used in the game. I'm glad you all enjoy it!
 
The shot above is a render that will be used to create the effect.
The model is my old Strakha model that I used for a wallpaper some time ago and Scooby reworked it so its usable for ingame use. (In this render you see the ingame model.)
 
Lt.Death100 said:
Is that FMV or in-game? That shot looks pretty damn realistic! :)

Yes, it is a render I did in 3d studio max. As said above, the original model was done by Lars, overworked by Scooby before it fell into my greedy hands :) What you see above is pretty close to the in-game graphics. As of now only bump mapping is not working in FS2 but it will be implemented after the release of the prologue.

I must say, that we use (with a few exceptions, you will understand what I mean after the prologue hits gold) only in-game models in our FMV sequences. :)
 
Yes, sorry, that is what I was trying to say but I can see now how I said it akwardly. That is the actual model, but not in the game engine (yet). Let's keep our fingers crossed for that bumpmapping to be integrated into the engine. :)
 
Tolwyn said:
I must say, that we use (with a few exceptions, you will understand what I mean after the prologue hits gold) only in-game models in our FMV sequences. :)

Because its a lot of work to create higher quality FMV ones? :p
 
This is probably the most impressive work that I have seen implemented for any fan-made game (Wing Commander and Non-Wing Commander).

Great job guys, keep up the momentum.
 
Sphynx said:
Yes, sorry, that is what I was trying to say but I can see now how I said it akwardly. That is the actual model, but not in the game engine (yet). Let's keep our fingers crossed for that bumpmapping to be integrated into the engine. :)

Ohh how I can't wait till bumpmapping is supported. My nephilim styled ships would look really cool.
 
Bump mapping could improve the look even more...if used the right way.
 
Wow, someone's seen "Bad Meat".

(He means FMV-quality renderings, though, not a live action film shoot.)
 
Exactly! While I greatly enjoyed Lars' little promotional video with live actors, to actually include live actors in Saga would be a bit too much for us to take on (okay, a lot to much for us to take on). We would want all actors to be fluent speakers of English, be able to live close enough together to film scenes with more than one person and them, and willing to work for free. That's a pretty tall list, although I know that if we were really going to get manic and try to do it, this community would do their best to help us make it happen. But, we would probably all go crazy in the process, so we'll just leave that one in the realm of "wouldn't it be nice if we could..." :)

From what I understand, though (and correct me if I'm wrong, team), the SCP people are already working on making bump-mapping available, although it won't likely be ready for us to implement into the prologue. I'm not one of the modeling guys or programmers, but I'm pretty sure that there's a very good chance that they'll have bump-mapping all ironed out by the time we release the full campaign. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

Once they get it working, I hope Scooby will put out a great Nephilum model kit. I always thought the Nephilim concept art was absolutely incredible, and while I thought the Prophecy engine did the best that could be expected at the time to reproduce the eerie feeling of those designs, I would love to see them in a game engine looking exactly like they did in the concept art.

But, I digress. :)
 
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