Hoehrer,
Winter,
I made these last summer and have not edited them much since October, the description did not exist then.
That's because I only joined up in autumn last year to straighten out the storyline.
The independent wristbands and boots can easily be changed, as well as the shoulders.
The "giant boots", which there was nothing about, would not be easy to change though.
I'd offer to do it myself, but the only modelling software I can comfortably use is Wings 3d, which can't do animation.
I kind of like the comic book style of the old stuff, it is what attracted me to both the original X-Com and UFO:AI in the first place.
I don't think the troops would thank you if they got shot in their unarmoured groins/legs/arms while wearing the supposedly heaviest armour in the game.
It's not even about 'comic book style' so much as about blatant contradictions in the visuals compared to the mechanics and background of the game. If a suit of armour leaves parts of your arms and legs completely uncovered, and you get into -- say -- an explosion that would render any unarmoured human instantly dead, then you should logically have your arms and legs ripped off. This obviously does not happen, and it would be a really stupid piece of armour design on the part of people (and aliens!) who are supposedly super-qualified.
Besides, there are hundreds of 'comic book' games out there. Is it so bad to do something different for once?
I would be willing to make something in the "new style", if I have time, and there is a better description of what it should be like, not just what it "MUST NOT" be like.
I wrote the description with the specific intention of leaving people the most amount of creative freedom within the boundaries of 'plausible and practical design'.
If you'd like me to come up with the idea, I can do that, but then I'd be modelling (most of) it myself. Would you be willing to rig an armour of mine?
For Axel Mellinger's All-Sky Milky Way Panorama, though we did not specifically use 'GPL', we did discuses that it would used in multiple free open source games and that it would be redistributable.
Thanks for your consideration, whether they are accepted or not.
I'm sorry that we can't accept your model as-is -- I know how much work it is, being an occasional modeller myself -- but the game's gone through a serious design shift over the past year. We now have a clear development goal in mind and the game is leaping forward at a much faster pace. We have to be strict about maintaining the development goals, keeping both the art and the writing in one line. This is especially difficult because, unlike major commercial projects, we don't have a stable of artists standing ready to model, texture and animate everything we come up with.
We don't make these decisions lightly, but we have to make them. I'm not dismissing your models entirely, but they will need some work to make them a bit more plausible and in line with the written setting. For example (and I know there hasn't been a needed-model-list entry for this yet) the 'flying armour' is going to be powered by an antimatter jetpack with very limited fuel. This is a touch different and more practical than the usual 'magic antigravity' presented in other games and will help to give us a more unique feel.
My main quibbles with your designs are the wristbands, boots and shoulders. The anatomy is a bit wonky, too; the waists are too narrow and the hips nonexistent (at least on your females). They have huge thighs and yet no hips. This is a problem in the original 'Medium Armour' design you based your suits on, so I know it's not your fault.
Unfortunately that Medium Armour design is one I absolutely hate because of the terrible liberties it takes with anatomy, reality and the concept of armour in general. But I'd be very happy to see your work edited into somewhat more practical shapes.
Regards,
Winter
