Contest: Defensive Structure

[Argh]

I've decided to start a new contest. And the winner will get put into the next version of NanoBlobs.

The rules:

1. Polycount must be lower than 2000. 2000 instead of 1000, because this will be a big, important structure in NB, and it should be impressively detailed.

2. It must be futuristic in design.

3. It should use the concepts of mirroring and other techniques to make it easy to skin.

4. I am the sole judge of the winning entry. This is the points system I will use:

A. Keeping the number of triangles in the mesh below 1900 is worth 1 point. Keeping it below 1750 is worth 2. Do not submit models with square faces, and I will not accept entries with polycounts over 2000.

B. Keeping the number of moving parts below 10, or designing the moving parts so they will be easily animated (i.e., making good use of rest positioning) is worth 1 point. I will be flexible, if it was well thought out.

C. Overall style is worth 5 points.

D. If it is uv-mapped, you get 2 points. I will paint the skin.

Therefore, a perfect 10 is a uvmapped model, of superlative design, that is under 1750 triangles

As usual, the models need to be submitted in OBJ format, and be made available under the Creative Commons rules. Screenshots with submissions are greatly preferred.

[Snipawolf]

I can try, should it use lasers, cannons, machine guns, or what?

[Peet]

Oh snap, something to do this weekend other than slack :)

[Argh]

Well... the main weapon should be very powerful-looking, but it can be whatever type of weapon you think would be cool. This is going to be a long-range, heavy turret, that players will use to spiderweb a map with. It doesn't matter if it's a laser, a pop-up missile turret or whatever, so long as it looks like it can get the job done, and looks suitably well-armored. I want something that screams "dangerous" and "big and sturdy".

For example... one idea I had was for a big turret with multiple barrels, that rested on top of a structure, then flew into the sky, ala the TriRook's gunpods, only a lot fancier.

Or it could be a mystical-looking piece of ultra-tech, whose moving parts would be used to accentuate particle FX, depicting it shooting a mega-beam laser into the sky, reflecting off a satellite, and then shooting down to the ground.

Or...

Basically, I'm flexible. I want to see something with a concept that's properly outrageous and original, though, like everything else in NanoBlobs- not just "turret mark 1023123219". If you submit a totally awesome turret that is completely conventional in concept, you will not get better than a 9

[LordMatt]

How about a BBesque gun? That actually works.

[Argh]

<shrugs> it'd have to be pretty impressive, if it was at all derivative. Let's just say that if I can identify the source material without having to think about it, it's not what I'm looking for.

[Das Bruce]

Well I tried to make something interesting but it appears to have just turned out rather generic.

[Maelstrom]

I have an idea for something cool, and its really sweet. Just I cant model for shite.

Ill give it ago, but meh, I suck at modeling guns.

[Argh]

Even if it just ends up being a high-poly concept somebody else can use as inspiration, that would be helpful

[Das Bruce]

Ok, I'm going to redo it later, with lots of gears and mechanical spinnythings, atleast thats the plan, hurrah for over engineering.

[KDR_11k]

What kind of rate of fire are you going for? I have a design I'd like to try some time but it'd take a few seconds for the reloading animation.

[Argh]

I'm flexible. If it's going to be a low ROF, then I'll just compensate with area of effect, probably, or jack around with animation timing, or use tricks like I did with the Demon, or whatever.

[Peet]

Will a bunch of small anti-swarm weapons and a bigass main weapon be ok?

[Argh]

Sure, let's see it and go from there.

[Crampman]

I've got some ideas...
I'll try to make something tomorrow...

[Zoombie]

I thought your location said you're not on the forum anymore...but here you are

I tried to make a cone of doom, but then I remembered that Nanoblobs allready has a cone of doom. Maybe some kind of tetheridrion...which is a word I just made up.

[Nemo]

Well, I have an idea, but I'm terrible with visuals. So you get the description. Maybe someone will be able to take the idea and run with it.

Think of a catapult.

Now flip it over.

Now, think of tee-ball - you know, baseball where the ball sits on a little stand for the kid to hit.

Have the swinging arm of the upside down trebuchet/catepult (treb is cooler, but harder to animate), swing in a complete circle on its beam. All the time.

However, when its aiming/active, the little tee-ball stand moves upwards and the arm starts chucking fireballs (or something) with each swing around. I kinda envision crazy gears or something on the edges of the frame where the beam that the throwing arm rotates around is supported, and the projectile traveling a long ways in a smooth, low trajectory arc. Although I suppose you could give it a high trajectory mode and just have the throwing arm release the fireball/projectile later in the arc.

The whole thing sits on a big rotating cylinder, to allow it to aim.

My awesome concept art:

[Argh]

LOLz!!! It's like... some weird thing you'd see throwing baseballs or tennis balls at a sports park or batting cage! On a rotating cart.

That certainly wins massive points for originality, but man... getting it to be polished and believable would be pretty tough

[Nemo]

Yeah, certainly beyond my modeling skill. I have a vision of a medevil siege weapon with a twist, chucking plasma or whatnot rather than tar pots. The MSPaint concept kinda fails (since I can't draw..) in that it makes the upper part look really fragile, while I had in mind a more complex frame for it which would look much more like a catepult/treb frame, and thus sturdier/more believable.

And yes, I was struggling to remember what those batting cage pitcher things were called, but that was what I had in mind, heh.

A better idea for its animation would be rather than having it swing all the time, just have it rest with the fireball-popper thing in front of it, so when it starts aiming it calls a custom explosion repeatedly - until the throwing arm swings over it, at which point it would go poof, and the throwing arm would spawn its little graphic while it spun over the top, then finally the arm would lose its graphic as it fired the actual projectile.

I might have to make a unit that does this just for kicks and giggles >_>

[Keithus]

Will probably fail on originality. I had some drastacally cool ideas for this but they all went well over 3000 tris.....

Forgot to triangulate before uploading but its 1568 tris triangulated. Surely anyone who views can triangulate for themselves.

Its a floating turret, similar to the trirook, figure maybe have some cool fountain like effect holding the turret up or something. The idea is that when its not in use the barrels retreat into the "egg" part and it it sits facing downwards in the "cup" below.

I dont know if its UVmapped the way you would like it but it is UVmapped...

http://dl030.filefactory.com/dl/f/2525d ... 891e9b8d6/