Armor model updates

[DrunkenStranger]

new soldier models looks ugly ;(
i mean only textures, not animation
they all too similar, even with different armor
is there any planned work to improve this?

[Crystan]

Are you sure youre running the game with quality texture settings? The textures are great.

[DrunkenStranger]

yes, im sure
in tactical mission i have only one: models should have more colors (now they all just in grey variations)
in hire/equip menu most of soldiers now are ugly: heads looks terrible, bodies has stupid poses and too small arms in (shoulders part)

i just want to see soldiers not so ugly to get some joy

[Mattn]

you are invited to contribute new skins. the ui part is not yet 100% done, because we can't use the normalmaps, glowmaps and *maps there (at least not yet - this will change)

[Omnivore]

Is there any way to use the 2.4 models with 2.5-dev?  Seriously the new models are not at all to my liking, also the lack of camo uniforms is a step backwards.

PS: I don't mean to offend anyone, just stating my personal opinion.

[H-Hour]

There were scripting changes involved as well, so it would take some work on your end. But it's not too difficult if you dig into the files in /base/models/ and the UFO scripts in /base/ufos/. You'll want to look at the team definition files and maybe some others.

[maharba]

I'd like to see CCCP Armour in this new models It was cool

[H-Hour]

I'd like to see CCCP Armour in this new models It was cool

Hehe, it was definitely not cool (IMHO). But it sounds like a good candidate for a mod. Why don't you try to make it?

[homunculus]

well, in my opinion also, here the power armor looked good:
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/5135/powerarmprev.jpg
and here it started to look bad:
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/636/lowpwer02.jpg

i kind of liked the original shiny black look, i would wish for more of that if ufo:ai graphics can handle stronger reflected light (specular highlight).
i mean, this darth vader (one of the worst that i could find) looks better imho:
http://terrymalloyspigeoncoop.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/vader.jpeg
so it doesn't matter if most of the dark is out of the dynamic range, the matte gray ones look uniformly gray anyway.
the little wear and tear textures look like little lighter dots, and are acting like camo to hide the meaningful shape instead of making it more readable.

also, there is no face visible, and i don't think that is good.
now all the soldier portraits look the same.
i think it would be better if nanocomposite was without the face cover, and in power armor it was semi-transparent if ufo:ai graphics can handle that.

as for the old models 'kneeling' position that someone said it looks like 'taking a dump', that someone might not have been aware of 'rice paddy prone'.
though the more stereotypical kneeling the better.

i wouldn't say the new models look extremely ugly on their own (though the faces, and hips of the unarmored version might need more work), but if i put them next to old models the old models look way more readable and polished.

[Flying Steel]

I agree that the shiny black looks better in those renders.

But to really see what you are dealing with, you would need to get screenshots of those both in game on a modern graphics card. Things like real time rendering with specular and normal mapping and the minimum distance the game allows you to get the camera up to a unit, could all make the option that looks better in a controlled environment, actually look like the worse option in-game.