[2845] Big News and Bigger Update

There is a massive update (http://ccforums.mechnex.net/index.php?showtopic=5074) available over at the official Starsiege 2845 site today. The team has unveiled new skinned models for the Incursus, the Genocite, the Gorgon and the Hellhammer, not to mention some new music tracks, a pair of wallpapers, and even a few short video clips of the new units. There are even normal map tests showing off first-pass versions of normal mapped vehicles.

Along with all this bounty comes news that the team is finally working in the Tribes Vengeance engine. That's right, they have the tools and the engine and work has begun in earnest on the time consuming process of actually building the campaign and porting everything into the engine. Here's a snippet of what producer Jake Massie had to say:


Coding
We finally got ahold of a fully working copy of the T:V editor, and work has started on porting our old Herc and weapons code over to the new engine and getting new things working such as the fliers and tanks.

We've also started testing out the new bells and whistles that have been added to the modified UT engine by the T:V dev team. For example, you'll see some pictures below of our experiments with the normal skin mapping ability that was added.

Writing
The first nine missions in the campaign have been finalized and the copious amount of work needed to bring them to life has been started by the level design team.

Components
So far the components team has 78 (of 101 total) components modeled that will be seen in the wait room and inventory stations. For those that may not know, these are visual representations of the various engines, reactors, shields, computers, cloaks, and special use components that players can equip their vehicle or infantry unit with.

Weapons
About 80% of the weapons (both hand held and vehicle mounted) have been completed. The rest have been modeled and for the most part waiting to be skinned.


METAGEN "GENOCITE"
Before the scattering of the Cybrid legions, NEXT reconnaissance doctrine focused on using light vehicles to locate and shadow enemy forces at long range until greater firepower could be brought to bear. However, with resources at a premium and the constant fear of discovery driving present-day Cybrid tactics, the need for a more resilient scout platform became apparent. The Genocite fills this role by mounting heavier firepower and armor than any previous Cybrid scout design. Fast enough to serve in recon and picket roles and tough enough to engage opposing patrols alone or in tandem with larger forces, the Genocite has quickly become a popular choice among the NEXT in exile.

http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/geno1.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/geno1.jpg)

Normal map skin testing
http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/geno_nm.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/geno_nm.jpg)


IMPERIAL "GORGON" MK II
After the Starsiege, Imperial engineers went back to the drawing board to redesign and refine the Gorgon platform. Using info gleaned from battlefield performance and live fire studies, many aspects of the platform were changed to offset weaknesses that were noted during the conflict. The Gorgon Mk II is the result. Featuring an oversized engine and increased armor protection, it's low slung and ogre-ish profile makes the Gorgon a truly terrifying site to behold on the battlefield.

http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/gorgon1.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/gorgon1.jpg) http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/gorgon2.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/gorgon2.jpg)


METAGEN "INCURSUS"
Owing to their origins as HERC pilots, Cybrids have always had a pronounced distaste for tanks. The success of human tank designs though has forced the NEXT to finally acknowledge the utility of tracked vehicles. The Incursus medium attack tank is a result of this new recognition. Unlike previous Cybrid tank designs it was engineered from the ground up as a combat vehicle. While designed primarily as a raider, smashing its way through vulnerable rear areas and moving on before an effective response can be organized, the Incursus is nevertheless a capable main-line unit and a dangerous addition to any squad. Its efficiency in both infiltration and hunter-killer roles has many Cybrids recalculating their prejudice against tracked vehicles.

http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/incursus1.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/incursus1.jpg) http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/incursus3.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/incursus3.jpg)


COLONIAL "HELLHAMMER" JUGGERNAUT
The new Juggernaut vehicle classification is a response to the fragility of Starsiege-era bombardment platforms. Whereas a siege gun or aerospace bomber could be destroyed by a few light salvos, Juggernauts are designed to smash their way through an enemy’s strongest defenses despite the most withering return fire. Juggernauts place a premium on durability and striking power over mobility or versatility, and therefore mount tougher armor, thicker shields, and bigger guns than even heavy HERCs.

Both human and Cybrid forces have recognized the tactical need for the Juggernaut class, but they have addressed that need in different ways. Imperial and Free Colonial forces have chosen to utilize agrav designs, which gives their Juggernauts better all-terrain handling than even a HERC chassis. However, the sheer mass a Juggernaut tank requires pushes the limits of agrav technology, making these floating fortresses less mobile than their drive systems first imply. Cybrid forces utilize a more conventional HERC platform, meeting the weight-bearing requirements through a quadruped design. While quadrupedal HERCs are exceptionally stable, the task of coordinating four legs poses difficulties best left to Cybrid computing power.

http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/hh1.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/hh1.jpg) http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/hh3.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/hh3.jpg)

Normal map skin testing
http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/hh_nm2_001.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/hh_nm2.jpg) http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/hh_nm4.thumb.jpg (http://www.clancore.net/albums/album01/hh_nm4.jpg)


For more images, videos and wallpapers, go check out the official update (http://ccforums.mechnex.net/index.php?showtopic=5074) !

UPDATE:
Also, be sure to check out TribesRoleplayers (http://www.tribesroleplayers.org ) and StarsiegeUniverse (http://www.starsiegeuniverse.com ) for our exlcusive first look at the third and final playable character, Sunder Cain. Sunder joins Orlanda Konovalev and Dawo Otobe as one of the three human characters whose story drives the plot of the Starsiege 2845 Single Player Campaign. TRP\\SSU has the official first word on Sunder in the form of his bio sheet from the 2845 Compendium, available for download (http://www.starsiegeuniverse.com/downloads/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=36) in pdf format or to view in the Character Gallery (http://www.starsiegeuniverse.com/gallery/2845characters).

http://www.starsiegeuniverse.com/gallery/albums/2845characters/SunderBioLarge.sized.jpg (http://www.starsiegeuniverse.com/gallery/2845characters/SunderBioLarge?full=1)

cool. 1st.

Any chance we can newsify this?

Jeez, real news gets bogged down by hundreds of often needless beta threads.

Bump.

I hope this comes out pretty soon. T:V actually needs a mod like this cause regular old CTF great as it is won't hold up for too long. Need something to mix it up every now and then.

hawtness

bumpage :roller:

<3

Looking hot & sexy, as usual. :slurp:

Along with all this bounty comes news that the team is finally working in the Tribes Vengeance engine. That's right, they have the tools and the engine and work has begun in earnest on the time consuming process of actually building the campaign and porting everything into the engine.

OMG, I thought all that happend months ago.

It did, but this is the first pub update in about 2 1/2 months. Looks really good, another great job on the music and art. All done for love of the game, I hope VU is sending them a christmas bonus or something lol.

I will at least play their open beta. Depends on that if i buy it...

Snap it to a slip jim! ooOooooo Yeeaaahh!!

will the system req. be about the same as TV's?

There won't be an open beta. THis is a total conversion mod, you don't buy this, its going to be a free d/l I believe. And yeah, the requirements will probably be about the same as TV's.

wow, this actually looks very cool

wicked, Starsiege being the game that brought me into Tribes, i effing love it (the gorgon is the shiiiit)

as for the normal mapping lookin good lookin good

best of luck to you all :)

While I didn't get in to the MetalTech universe with Starsiege (tribes 2 was my first experience) I've come to love the fiction behind it more than any other game to date. ConfigSys's website gave me a true appreciation for the deep and complex universe that drives these two games, and I owe him a thanks for that. I probably would have left long ago if it wasn't for that. T2 didn't shove the story down anyones throats, and I think it should have, theres a staggeringly detailed universe in these games for anyone willing to look.

EDIT: Colosus, newsify this, SS:2845 is an official mod after all.

its going to be a free d/l I believe.


It has to be :p Illegal to charge money for a mod.

yeah, but its an official mod. Look at how they charge people for Counter Strike. Thats a mod, but they still charge for it. Well... I guess its still available as a free d/l tho isn't it... Eigther way, they were toying with the idea of giving it its own box. but I don't think thats happening.