Machete Freighter

It is a little too clean. When designing it I aimed for the style of ship construction from the mid-70's (just before Star Wars). I've always thought there was a 'purity of innocence' to ship designs of that period... but that's probably nostalgia talking.

I've considered removing the shuttles and going with a single 'pastie-type' habitation module. The shuttles make the top of the ship look like an aircraft carrier, and we don't need no runways here.

I'll do something with the cube at the thrusters (though I don't yet know just what that will be). The poly count is getting a bit high (1549 currently; it will have to be displayed in two sections). However, my polys are all 3-vertice, so that takes some of the load.

Still, a full cargo container compliment adds 800 more polys the engine has to render for one ship. So whatever I do, it will be in the direction of modifying what's already there... and probably reducing some geometry elsewhere.

Thanks for the nice comments everyone. It's nice to have a 'sounding board' that I can lob ship ideas to. The feedback from this group is always sage advice. My wife seeks escape when the conversation turns to ship design.

@Sivadrake: I won't mount weapons on this model, but I always texture in a round disc here and there where turrets could be mounted by future modders, and add in some nulls at that point. So you can easily customize the ship to your liking.

I'll post updates when the changes are complete.

Cheers!




<font size="1"><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="black">"Never before in the history of the world had such a mass of human beings moved and suffered together. This was no disciplined march; it was a stampede-- without order and without a goal, six million people unarmed and unprovisioned, driving headlong. It was the beginning of the rout of Civilisation... of the massacre of Mankind."
--H. G. Wells The War Of The Worlds</font id="black"></font id="Book Antiqua"> </font id="size1">

I assume this beauty will be usable as a Jafs replacement, but will it fit into traffic script somewhere to replace something standard (like the City-class or sthg?) in the game, so we can see it plying the space lanes? Will it ever be player useable? If so, where will the cockpit perspective be from? Will the smaller tenders be like Lori and Az style wingmen, or will they be cargo pod-handling tenders?

With the size of this thing, I wouldn't be surprised if it makes use of the Anderson or even the Venice as its little tenders!

Very nice job, there, Shane.

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Hot4Darmat

I think this ship is not this extreme size it seems to be.
Those two runabouts are irritating.

An anderson takes 6 pods - this cargobay is 2 2/3 andersons long!
The hole ship is about 4 andersons long - but not more.
(new size measurement: one anderson:D)

Did you ever think of creating a freighter from a stationmodule?
The one where the pods are transfered? Is it possible to use that kind of loading/unloading function for a podcovering freighter?
Maybe the stationmodule could be transportable with a tug or a puffin? That would be some bait...

*looks closer at model*

You're right, it isn't as utterly huge as I thought. But it is still bigger than most freighters in the game, with the exception of the Powell-class mega freighter. Which makes me think...will the Machete have the capacity to attach mega cargo pods? It kind of looks like they could fit right onto the front end of it...almost has the same pie-shaped profile...so it could attach a mega pod or two or six in a row up front and 'push them' along as well as the smaller standard pods inside the box part. Just an interesting aside.

I'm just eager to see these wonderful ships of Shane's in space.

--
Hot4Darmat

I'll post a size-comparison picture this evening. It's hard to tell the scale on a beauty shot.

I assume this beauty will be usable as a Jafs replacement, but will it fit into traffic script somewhere to replace something standard (like the City-class or sthg?) in the game, so we can see it plying the space lanes? Will it ever be player useable? If so, where will the cockpit perspective be from? Will the smaller tenders be like Lori and Az style wingmen, or will they be cargo pod-handling tenders?

You want to see it in the space lanes?

Oh... I get it. YOU WANT TO SHOOT MY SHIP!! <kidding >

Like the Terrapin, I'll set it up so there are two mods available; one to change out the comsec, one to replace a similar ship in the game. But without special setups, the player version won't be much fun... there's little to do with it except transport pods. Perhaps with iFleet a small pirate operation could commence.

Pod handlers are problematic. The pods in the game already accomplish the function of moving themselves about. What if the handlers were similar to T-fighters (but less powerful), allowing use as either a (weak) defense against pirates and/or shuttle/lifeboats? With a decent size, they would be able to run on remote from the bride of the Machete or be piloted. It'd be a great selling point for the ship; less escorts to hire = more profit.

To make the AI version do this would require a script (unless I make the handler dockpoints interior; then I could use a fighter bay magazine to launch the drones).

Did you ever think of creating a freighter from a stationmodule?

A pod-spewer on a freighter? That's a really good idea. That might be the key to creating enclosed freighters which spew pods when destroyed.

Which makes me think...will the Machete have the capacity to attach mega cargo pods?

A good idea also. I'll check out the size comparison with a megapod.

I'm just eager to see these wonderful ships of Shane's in space.

If you don't mind putting a file together I can send you the Terrapin in two or three sections tonight. Interested?

<font size="1"><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="black">"Never before in the history of the world had such a mass of human beings moved and suffered together. This was no disciplined march; it was a stampede-- without order and without a goal, six million people unarmed and unprovisioned, driving headlong. It was the beginning of the rout of Civilisation... of the massacre of Mankind."
--H. G. Wells The War Of The Worlds</font id="black"></font id="Book Antiqua"> </font id="size1">

As eager as I am to get my hands on it, my RL time constraints mean I won't get to play with it until after this weekend at the earliest. I guess I shouldn't put so much time pressure on you unecessarily, eh?! My email box has about 3-4 Mb left if it can fit in there, or I can wait to dl from the downloads page here sometime in the 'near-ish' future...


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Hot4Darmat