Spring RTS Engine

Ill be posting some designs ive done for CA here. Feedback is welcome, but id prefer design critique over technical critique (dont really want to hear about polycount etc).

These are completely new designs, in a high-tech curvilinear style ala spherebot. They wont look like OTA units, so dont say 'that doesnt look like x'- it isnt meant to.

However, the units are obviously meant to represent the traits of the unit such as hp, speed, etc. In fact, hopefully better than the OTA ones, as unit stats have changed a lot in CA since OTA.

Here is the Banshee:


And here is what might be a samson or some other arm vech:

'shee is sexy liek Angie Everhart. Well, I'd smooth out the nose a bit. Is the laser tucked under its chin?

You've already heard what I had to say about the Samson, and I won't embarrass you by repeating it here

Nice banshee. Samson looks like a buffed up Jeffy. Can imagine it though, it's a different interpretation but would work. Looks built for speed.

Banshee is ownage.

Not greatly keen on the "arm vehicle" (the design emphasis on speed seems contrary to the role of the samson) and the front mudguard things look like they would severely hamper ground clearance.
That thing would have to bank when turning (at any considerable speed at least) and looks like it would, with its current design, plant one of its mudguards in the dirt and do itself a nasty.

I couldnt come up with an acceptable laser gun design (Remember, all laser units should use the same gun appearance so its identifiable, so it has to be modular) so im leaving it off for now on the banshee. It'll probably be fixed rather than turreted anyway so... dunno.

The problem with the samson or whatever it'll be us that its hard to make something look both weak (Which the samson is in CA) and slow. The samson ISNT that slow, its faster than most kbots, but then its not fast for a vehicle, so...

On the bank/turn- the wheels would rotate for steering like a car, this will be incorporated into the model and scripted, it doesnt pitch onto one wheel.

Guns shoot bullets, but they come in quite a few shapes and sizes. Don't think it has to be completely modular to the degree that all laser guns are identical / interchangeable. Perhaps a specification of laser gun feature criteria would be more transferable.

The problem with that three wheel design is that it would be unstable or have an extremely poor turning circle when moving fast and turning. It would probably have to slow down to change direction. Might be able to make that a feature.

The samson could safely be faster. Also I think something like a jeep with small wheels would look weak / not that fast.

To make the jeffy more different from the weasel you could give it the three wheeled model and either make the top launcher a dual laser array or let it launch volleys of tiny darts or something. Might also work as a new mumbo if it was a bit bigger, that's a bizarre unit anyway.

The problem with that three wheel design is that it would be unstable or have an extremely poor turning circle when moving fast and turning. It would probably have to slow down to change direction. Might be able to make that a feature.

No.

The samson could safely be faster.

No... skirm.

To make the jeffy more different from the weasel you could give it the three wheeled model and either make the top launcher a dual laser array or let it launch volleys of tiny darts or something. Might also work as a new mumbo if it was a bit bigger, that's a bizarre unit anyway.

No. Vech = wheels. Tank = tracks.

Like the banshee, but it looks too big to my eyes. I imagine somthing with a bloated, pod-like cockpit, like a little single-engine heli... although that desire could be because my sense of scale for Spring is totally off. Either way, I love the model.

As an aside, anybody got a list of units that have been replaced (or are WIPs) with Original Content units for Complete Annihilation? I'd love to try my hand at a nice sleek Arm design for a vehicle or something.

Saktoth wrote:Here is the Banshee:

I could've sworn it's called an Orca.

KDR_11k wrote:

Saktoth wrote:Here is the Banshee:

I could've sworn it's called an Orca.

Lol does look a bit like it, not much though!

Wow, yeah it is kinda similar.

Shouldnt really have a cockpit..since its unmanned...

arm units are clones yan.

Uh, they're all robots now... or something. I keep losing track of their backstory.

Its so simple, they're controlled by demons that escaped the hellmouth, but later transfered their brains into robots and then back into vampires with robot suits.

That's why in the next stable all the arm units are going to sound like bela lugosi. bleh!

(it does say CA models smoth, they're working on a backstory)

arm and core were two different conflicting ideas of people gaining imortality.

one group had their personalities patterned into an ai: CORE
one group had themselves cloned: Arm

(assumtions from the story)The best and brightest were cloned for war and in the war only the war related clones/patterns survived. In the core contingency only one corecom was left and he had patterns for only war ais and the arm only combat ready clones remaining.

so no argh, arm = people clones.. think stormtroopers.

I think the banshee looks cool. Do not see anything i dislike about it. I kind of like the front, it is an character-giving aspect, don't round it except for LOD IMO. @gota: who said it had a cockpit? Ok, i assumed that it would not be textured like a cockpit.

IMO the 'samson' really looks too fast for a samson. It would probably need to be excessively expensive, or nerfed in some other way to keep the samson balanced and as fast as the model looks.
I also do not like it that much graphically. (And there already is a new Jeffy, and new roles for that fast units will be hard to find.)

Hmm, i too was under the impression that CA had a backstory with only robots.. or something. Because in an other case the story http://itchstudios.com/psg/ta/ta.htm would not make sense.. I kind of like that idea. In my imagination, after core gets slowed down too much by the con, so that the arm commander can escape, they set up a colony as main base in a search effort, only to find the planet infested with chickens. (And thusly leveling the playing field.)

I always liked to think that only the commanders are (clones in suits)/(transfered human brains in robotic suits) and that all the simple gihting robots/tansk are all unnmanned.

Who cares about the OTA storyline. As i clearly stated in the original post this isnt OTA. CA = New units, new factions, new names, new storyline.

Arm = (tenatively) Nova. Nova are not clones. You dont need to tell us the OTA backstory, it doesnt even apply. That is not a cockpit.

We are not using the PSG stuff, firstly its copyright of Arne, secondly its based on copyright of Atari and thirdly it doesnt fit the game we're making.

Its not an Orca. It is quite clearly a Banshee:

Ahh, actually, its more of a Hunter-Killer:

No, wait, its an Apache:


Or maybe a talon?

The Orca and all following designs are mostly derivative of the Apache gunship, only with rotating vtol jets. C&C was made 4 years after Terminator 2, which is the first time ive ever seen those rotating vtol jets (though perhaps they predate T2). While they are kinda unique in appearance on the Hunter-Killer, the idea is obviously borrowed from the Harrier.

The Orca and all following designs are mostly derivative of the designs made by the Wright brothers.*