View Full Version : Metal Mayhem : TW
For a previous history on the mod...see here : https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=45326
For anyone too lazy to click the link, here is a rough storyline.
It's the future, and the Earth has grown into the overcrowded, resource depleted shell the environmentalists have all been warning us about for all those years. Nobody listened.
In order to survive, there was only one course of action to be taken, adn that meant expansion. The quest was on to find a planet suitable for habitation, or failing that, one which could be MADE suitable through basic terr-forming technology. This, ultimately was what they found.
Plans were made, a vast ship was constructed in orbit ( you know the kind of thing... ) and despatched with the cargo on board needed to make a brave new world. Unwilling to risk life and limb, the cargo naturally contained no humans. What it DID contain was a vast array of modular droid construction factories. These units were designed to be air-dropped from low orbit, before the main ship extablished a more secure orbit from which it could relay instructions to the automated factories. These in turn would churn out robotic workforces to plant, build, prepare, mine and generally make everything the coming colonists would require. They even planned for recreational droids ( mainly to secure funding from certain high-profile corporations ) so that the first colonists could sit back and watch a game of cricket or football. They had thought of everything!
Or so they thought.
The ship guidance system malfunctioned, and after dumping what it could of it's automated factories, scattered across the surface, the ship broke up. The tougher, better shielded parts landed relatively intact, but so much was lost. The factories, designed as autonomous units began their production, units came off assembly lines as resource collectors started to turn raw materials into useful things. A crude atmosphere formed and earth seeded plants began to grow, but the untis lacked much of their design programming, and lacked the knowledge of the others existance. Each thought it worked alone. Each strove to gather all it could to fulfill it's mission. Units were adapted to fulfill new tasks, based on whatever information the factories could gather from their fractured databanks, and they spread out over the surface of the world. Then...they began to bump into other units....from other factiories. They saw them as a threat.... and in whatever primitive ways they could, they sought to eliminate the things that stood in the way of their goal. To make a new world!
OK..you get teh picture ! Lots of robots churned out with makeshift weapons beating the silicon out of each other over a rough looking world. The colony does not include anything seriousely military, since it lacked anything by way of a technologically advanced population. So, no lasers, blasters, or heavy kit like that. Additionally, the oxygen starved atmosphere does not really lend itself to explosives or firearms of the more conventional sort. Simple electromagnetic railguns and catapult devices, do, however, feature! Nothing like a healthy dose of kinetic energy to shake a droid out of service!
Anyway.
Factions:
Ship AI >
A selected set of ship built units intended for maintenance of the vessel. Able to run on AG floaters since they were designed for zero-g operation. Armed with a variety of cutting and welding gear, the initial units available here have some combat potential. The 'rivet gun' is not pleasant, able to fire both hot and cold slugs of alloy. Some additional potential for the scout units intended for surface exploration.
Factory 17 >
Originally tasked with construction of sanitation systems and maintenance units for the services. Equipped largely with wheeled units, the sanitation droids are robust and rugged designs. Other units include tunneling units, infestation and pest control types. Some units have a 'bleach jet' which is as unpleasant as it sounds.
Lucas Agribots > A combination of wheeled and tracked designs. Their primary function was agriculture. This ranged from rock breaking and compaction, through to ploughing and harvesting. Some bi-pedal units are also specified for forestry work, being far more able to work in wooded areas.
Droidwerkz >
This factory was the 'jack of all trades' factory turning out a wider range of support equipment. Mobile power droids, field generators and units able to perform those countless useful tasks that no-one else wants to do.
Recreational Dynamics >
Leisure and sports driods. Beware the giant sized tennis playing 'McEnroe-Bot'
Cyberdyne Systems >
Worker droids for other factories. Lifters, stackers, Also some civil defence machines for basic law enforcement and colony support functions. DEfinitely no cyborgs....
Multibot >
These guys were designed to perform the bulk of hte Terra-Forming. Rock crushers, demolition droids, and heavy machinery. Also available are service bots to field maintain the larger units and deal with clean up operations.
Marshall Dynamics >
Bipedal maintenance droids.
Yamashita Electronics >
Highly 'traditional' bipedal units. Primarily harvesting and agricultural units, with a variety oif nurturing and supporting tasks covered from fertilising to weeding and pest control.
Alba Tronics >
Roadbuilders. Bulldozers, tar-mac machines, road rollers, and some drilling and crushing units for hard-core production and levelling. They even get to wear 'hard-hats' for that proper construction worker feel.
Factory 42 >
Communications specialists. Largely wheeled units responsible for communications networks and infrastructure.
'Production Rejects' >
Not affiliated to any factory, but rather the throw-outs from them all. Maintained and 'put together' by the out-cast construction units, they are unusual and unpredictable.
There will also be wonders!
Not pyramids, of course, the factories would have torn those down and turned them into concrete by now.. but rather, some useful ship remnants.
Atmosphere Plant ( bonus to farming )
Ship Communications Fragment ( loyalty bonus )
Seed Factory ( production bonus )
Ship Power Plant ( production bonus )
There will be lots of new units, new animations, and a whole new map ( done)
done by me.... finished when it's done, and jolly different too :bow:
Excuse the placeholder texture, that will be sorted soon.
https://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9717/droid17dg.jpg
I give you ....the Mk VII Light Scouting Droid. Standard complement on the colony ship, designed for perimeter scouting and resource location. These ones have been adapted to carry a multi-barrel bolt-gun, adapted from a high speed rivetting device. Light, fast but a bit flimsy! Sharpened rotors give an additional 'edge' in combat ....
Or, in rea terms.... basic missile unit for the Ship AI faction. New animation routines throughout for this puppy. The rotor blades spin... as does the gun barrel assembly when 'shooting'. I have set the thing up so it tilts forward when moving ( as a helicopter should ) It's kind of cute.... ~:D
Soon, screenshots of the 'rolling' droid, complete with fully animated wheels which roll as he moves ~:D ( in game....just forgot the screenies and I can't be bothered to fire it all up again to do it... will post a pic when I get the textures done too )
Sundjata Keita
08-25-2005, 23:57
Wow! This has to be the most interesting mod in development at the moment, the helicopters look great, can't wait to see them firing. Are they able to fire while tilting though? I doubt it is possible but it would be a cool addition.
shifty157
08-26-2005, 04:25
Its about time you updated again. This si a really cool mod. I cant wait to see more of it.
Took a while to get fully sorted with the animation, which is why the progress updates have been a bit quiet.... I also scratch built a whole new campaign map, and set up all the start regions / region selection screens.
Animation wise, the guns don't fire tilted down. this is mainly due to the limitations of the RTW engine. You only geta single archer type of shooting, and they won't engage at very close range. They switch to 'rotor'. This involves a 'dipping' kind of anim, as they dive in.
RIght now, though, I wish I had some way to make and post a video of them in action...I have given them quite a fast speed at full run, and boy, do they ZIP ~;) This is balanced by a natural fragility.
Will post some pics of the 'rolling' guys, and the basic Tank-dozer unit which is built, but not working in game yet ( needs anims )
Good news for me!
I have an extra member on the team. Alexander the Pretty Good has come on board to sort out the characters, vices virtues and assorted other text-file stuff while I focus on the models, anims and pretty bits!
So...this mod now officially has a TEAM!
shifty157
09-03-2005, 03:07
That is some good news.
Keep up the awesome work.
Awhile ago I thought this mod had died, but at the time I had been watching since its such an interesting premise. In the beginning though Bwian you said you'd have no guns at all, moving around the problems that creates, with the creative mod plot itself (I thought that was the coolest thing about the mod, because it will be the first future mod to be successful, because its possible on the RTW engine and the low technology of a bunch of mining robots means the issue of what weaponry will future humans be using question is circumvented). At any rate if you can get the gun wielding units looking good then cool, I look forward to the release of this mod.
Gun units...not exactly ;) they are missile units, but not guns. I need to have SOME missile capability iincluded purely for the tactical interest it provides, but it will definitely not invovle guns.
Anyway .... update time.
Not much to show right now by way of eye-candy, but progress IS being made.
With the services of Shifty to help out with the modelling on the way, I have been completing the design document, and outlining all the factions.
The mod will be using a number of completely scratch built animation sets ( comprising approximately 10 new skeletons ) and some size variations, so you can see, we plan to have quite a diverse selection of units!
We have a fully functional campaign map, but I want to stweak it some more before I post any pictures, since I am not 100% happy with the detail of it right now. It needs more work!
Units are under construction, as are map decorations such as buildings. New map icons are done, and there will be some new models to show off quite soon!
Don't be put off by the lack of outward progress...there is a heck of a lot going on, and a lot of groundwork needed to make a mod actually work. Units are quick and easy by comparison!
Watch this space..... eye-candy inbound!
OK...here's some shots of the map, complete with some of the custom buildings...
https://img8.imageshack.us/img8/1083/map18fj.jpg
https://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9779/map23qo.jpg
https://img241.imageshack.us/img241/7899/map33na.jpg
The map is delivberately sparse on vegetation, and largely barren desert. The droids have begun terraforming, and the settled areas, where the factories and heavy construction have begun work. These have been seeded with life, and are green. They even have the beginnings of an eco-system.
Atheist_Peace
09-10-2005, 23:04
Wow, this looks cool Bwian. You sure are one hell or a moddeller/modder.
Abokasee
09-11-2005, 16:18
wow this mod has some of stuff already...sorry but i must ask this question....when is this mod done :embarassed:
shifty157
09-11-2005, 16:23
wow this mod has some of stuff already...sorry but i must ask this question....when is this mod done :embarassed:
Not anytime soon. Thats for sure.
As Shifty says....there is still plenty of work to be done. This is more than just a simple case of adding a few new units.... we are going to have a load of new animation routines, and that alone eats up days of modding effort.
I have been working on one set today, and to fully replace one complete skeleton takes roughly 2-3 man days of modding effort. We are going to use around 8 complete sets....
It WILL be worth it though!
Some eye-candy for the masses !!
https://img279.imageshack.us/img279/4728/bigbot4ha.jpg
Textures are not complete yet, and I want to slightly tweak the vertex allocation on the big mesh and remove the over-head charge attack animation...doesn't really fit here!
Also now have a replacement for the 'army flag' over a city.
https://img177.imageshack.us/img177/8484/flag0in.jpg
Geoffrey S
09-13-2005, 18:36
Looks neat. What sort of unit sizes are you considering, similar to RTW? Or are these battles going to be smaller, faster ones?
Battle sizes are pretty much controlled by the game engine. Some of the units will kill more effectively than others .... These are the big guys, and they will be hard to take down.
They are the robotic equivalent of elephants, and are 'breakthrough' units.
Some of the battles will be a bit more 'frantic' since I am not limited to human realistic movement speeds, but this sort of thing will be finalised when the final balancing is done.
yay robots! ~D
some ideas:
since these robots are primitive, let some of them go "error" when pressured too much...
musics should be changed to techno or something like that ( Daft Punk's Robot Rock come to mind).
all kind of talk and speech must be deleted! change it to "bleeps"
a question : what will you do to population happiness, growth and taxation?
The harvesters rev and up and go .... Bzzzzzzzzzz
https://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8362/buzz7ia.jpg
Oh..yes....and the blade on the front DOES rotate ~:)
Meneldil
09-18-2005, 19:59
Great work Bwian :)
Comrade Alexeo
09-19-2005, 01:15
You are too friggen talented man
https://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6360/dred8id.jpg
A little something to add....
Next up, I need to build some basic units. The plan is to have all the factions able to build 2 or 3 basic designs. These are the 'start' units, and would represent units which were shipped out with the colony to actually construct the ground stations etc.
They will be basic, simple, and of limited combat value. Different factions will get different skins to differentiate.
I also plan on building a generic 'command sphere' general unit ~:)
Most of the time when a new mod comes out you look at it and say oh thats nice and come back once every six months to view its minimal progress. This mod is the opposite, everytime I look Bwian you've created something impressive. ~:cheers:
Frans Ubberdork
09-24-2005, 23:32
Hey Bwain do not let Games Workshop see that Space Marine Dread... lol
I like it tho. 8)
richyg13
09-24-2005, 23:56
very impressive must say, excellent concept too! and i think its just enough different from the Dreadnaught to be called unique :P
Talented moddler and skinner we have here it seems, keep up the good work.
Geoffrey S
09-25-2005, 10:27
It's weird seeing mechs wacking hoplites... looks great, and very interesting!
This is a simple tracked base unit. PArt of the standard complement of ships vehicles. Available to all factions. It is robust and durable, if a little slow.
https://img382.imageshack.us/img382/885/tank7zx.jpg
The unit can be customised by the addition of various top units through a standard drone docking interface. All manner of light mech and mechanised equipment can be carried.
A heavier version has been developed by some factories for use with heavier terrafroming hardware ~;)
GiantMonkeyMan
09-25-2005, 10:50
man those are great! and the romans riding them look soo funny half their legs are missing! this is a really interesting mod...
The tracks on these things were quite fun to do.... They are made up of rotating wheels front and rear, with a fixed 'joining' section underneath. You hide teh bits of track that would make it look bad by making the superstructure the shape it is. ( Shifty's idea :bow: ) I had planned tracks for some units...but was just going to leave the track static and rotate the wheels. This looks a lot more natural in game...though it is a bit fiddly to line up! You have to position the wheels on a reference model pose, then work out where they will end up in the animations....You effectively have to make the anims fit the model ! Still needs a little work on some of the transitional anims...they don;t blens as smoothly as I would like...but they work well in game!
I had originally planned to just have them wheeled with balloon tyres.... but tracks are so much cooler!
Captain-Tiguris
09-25-2005, 16:48
https://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6360/dred8id.jpg
Did you get inspiration from Warhammer 40K for them, they seem a lot similar.
Yup...they are indeed based on the Dreadnought. I plan a couple of variants too. These are the proto-types. I also want a spinning hand version for attacks.
AmbrosiusAurelianus
09-25-2005, 19:50
Excellent idea, and very imaginative designs for robots and the like. Those Roman guys on the tank things are the funniest picture I have seen in ages! Man, I nearly wet myself laughing!
No disrespect: you are obviously going to change the Romans into something else later. They just look hilarious as they are now.
Once again this looks like a fantastic idea. I shall keep an eye on this thread. ~:)
Sundjata Keita
09-26-2005, 16:47
Wow, wonderful work as always, glad to see the mod progressing. Although I wouldn't base any of the units on warhammer characters or anything, it sort of loses its original touch.
I might also have a music track for you if you are looking for sort of techno robot music, I've sent you a pm :)
Regards,
Sundjata
The dreadnoughts are the only 'derivative' unit planned. Both my kids are Dreadnought fans, and I was pressured into it!
I have some smaller variants on the basic outline for utility droids, which put them in a slightly different context. I may also have to change the eyes on the final texture... I was watching Futurama at the time....they are pure Bender!
Captain-Tiguris
09-26-2005, 19:25
I can help with ideas if you like?
Look in the Chaos Space Marines in 40K for wiked machines btw
Feel free to post any ideas you may have! Can't promise I will use them, but I am always welcoming new ideas.
Meneldil
09-26-2005, 21:07
I wouldn't mind a kind of Eldar Dreadnought (I think they're called Ghost Walkers now). Sure, I'm not one of your children, but they (the dreadnoughts ;-P ) look so damn cool ~;)
EAch faction will have the capability to build one or two large sized mech units. These will represent the higher levels of upgrade for military construction buildings. I need to finalise the building trees soon, so I can set up the total structure for development of the more advanced units.
There needs to be a blend of 'cavalry' type units, with higher movement rates, and basic military ( slower and tougher ) types. There also needs to be a limited missile capability.
The military units will be broadly as follows:
Faction Basic chassis ( peasant type units, plus original stock design)
Faction militarised ( stock units modified to combat use)
Combat ( basic military units )
Assault ( heavier designs )
Dreadnought ( bad ass big bots with weapons )
For each class, there will be different sizes. Dreadnoughts require a large chassis, but all other units will be buildable on a basic chassis.
I plan on taking the basic military buildings ... archery, cavalry and infantry, and turning them into 'normal, medium and large chassis. Each upgrade level takes you up one rung towards more combat designed units.
I need to use other buildings to add unique weapon options. These will include:
missile technology. Spring launched, or compressed air powered.
Flame technology. Flame guns ( I hope )
EMP technology. Electro guns with high effect on non-shielded units.
These will work in much the same way as Hippodromes etc. add new cavalry units. Hopefully...if I can work it all together...the combination of upgrades will give options like EMP missiles etc. if you build the right things. A few conditionals on the buildings, and a few variants of the same unit just with different stats. Easy.
Anyway ..... getting back to where we were .... there will be more large units. The designs are not all mapped out yet, so I will just see how the creative ideas flow! I really do need to crystallise the units I have into a definite structure and design some more to fill the gaps....I hope to get a basic set together in the next few weeks so I can get some kind of a start to actually playing a campaign. Oh..and I need to turn my sketches of unit icons into pixels too....if I can drag myself away from the modelling software for a bit!!!
Sundjata Keita
09-27-2005, 07:20
The dreadnoughts are the only 'derivative' unit planned. Both my kids are Dreadnought fans, and I was pressured into it!
Ah, I see ;) Flame guns should be possible by the way but maybe not graphically great and only over short distances, I imagine you could get it working in a similar way to smoke but then changing the smoke graphic to one of flames. It's not as hard as it sounds.
Regards,
Sundjata
Ah, I see ;) Flame guns should be possible by the way but maybe not graphically great and only over short distances, I imagine you could get it working in a similar way to smoke but then changing the smoke graphic to one of flames. It's not as hard as it sounds.
Regards,
Sundjata
To be honest, I was thinking along slightly different lines...but this sounds interesting!
As far as smoke goes, the only weapons I know that trail smoke are the missile weapons. Particulalry the burning ones. This puts a definite limit on distance of engagement, and I was hoping to get something a little bit more up close and personal!
I posted a while back to find out what people knew about ranges of engagement, and the consensus seems to be that there is a definite minimum range for this. The Javelin types, Hastati and Velites etc. seem to be about as short range as I can get. I need closer! Ideally, I want missile engagement at ranges
I would welcome any suggestions as to how this could be best implemented!
wlesmana
09-27-2005, 15:36
You can just put the missile attack as prec. Even the AI seems to like using it at point blank range quite often. Of course, it's a bit of a hassle for human players as you need to stop (Backspace) then re-attack to use it.
Sundjata Keita
09-27-2005, 16:58
To be honest, I was thinking along slightly different lines...but this sounds interesting!
As far as smoke goes, the only weapons I know that trail smoke are the missile weapons. Particulalry the burning ones. This puts a definite limit on distance of engagement, and I was hoping to get something a little bit more up close and personal!
I posted a while back to find out what people knew about ranges of engagement, and the consensus seems to be that there is a definite minimum range for this. The Javelin types, Hastati and Velites etc. seem to be about as short range as I can get. I need closer! Ideally, I want missile engagement at ranges
I would welcome any suggestions as to how this could be best implemented!
Yes well you would have to attatch it to a missile type unit and at short range you could probably get it looking really good, here is my idea.
Put the missile as wlesmana says so it only fires at point blank range, the firing animation will have to be just a spinning gun or something, just something without too much movement. Then on the missile you can put either a trail effect or just smoke effect but change it to a fire image (maybe some smoke too?) You could do all kinds of things, plasma, lasers, whatever, just with different effects.
Regards,
Sundjata
PS Did you get my email?
Well...it's working!
I can't seem to get the combination of a flat trajectory and the right range...which is slightly annoying!
I also noticed that if I reduce the maximum and minimum angles to around 10 degrees, that has a distinct effect on range. I reduced velocity, and the weapons didn't fire unless the enemy was really quite close.
The firing animation was triggered at the normal range, but no missileswere unleashed.
Now I need to work on teh actual missiles. They are just stock ones at the moment. I am using the flaming boulder effect, with a flaming ballista end effect. The model is set to be the ballista bolt ( presumably, since it is flamed, it's using the burning version.)
Next step is to make a new model for the missile, with a longer tail, and more volume! I also want to make it do more damage....I changed the 'damage' from 0 to 5 ( now at 25 )...to have the desired effect! I want a LOT more damage to be possible
https://img317.imageshack.us/img317/9734/flame0qa.jpg
This shows the range at which they engaged...which I have got down to about the length of the flame model! Ideal. They DO fire at point blank too!
Yee-haw! I just found the texture that makes up the trail, and replaced it with the texture used for the head of the flaming boulder....and you get ...
FIRE!
https://img392.imageshack.us/img392/2981/burn6tr.jpg
( cue soundtrack from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown )
Sundjata Keita
09-27-2005, 19:26
You make it look easy ~;) Can't wait to see this aplied to some huge robots.
OK ... the conversion process to BI has begun!
I am starting with the weapons, and then I will start on the models.
The current 'advanced' weapons list is looking like:
Flamer
Gauss gun ( rapid fire rail gun type weapon using an electrically charged barrel )
Chemical rocket
short range mining laser
Shifty is working on something a little more....er....explosive.... but there are still some bugs to iron out with the RTW effects system! He's having to unpick it from scratch to work out what fits where.
Anyway...that will pretty much be the lot for the none 'physical' attacks.
I have messed about with some interesting variations on the theme though. I wonder if you gave a unit no movement, an explosive 'flaming ballista' type missile and very close range engagement.... would that constitute a simple proximity mine ?
Working on some ground effect hovering units now. Including some gunships ~;)
al'Callaendor
10-16-2005, 20:50
good :speechless:
shifty157
10-16-2005, 22:32
I have messed about with some interesting variations on the theme though. I wonder if you gave a unit no movement, an explosive 'flaming ballista' type missile and very close range engagement.... would that constitute a simple proximity mine ?
Not possible. I thought about this before but theres hardcoded issues. Number one im pretty sure there is a minimum range. Number two I know that if an enemy unit enters within a certain range a missile unit will switch to its secondary (melee) weapon. And since you cant apply effects/projectiles to melee weapons youre pretty stuck.
In other news once i get a decent amount of free time (which will hopefully come this week) I can finish off this project and make it look pretty and impress you all. ~;)
Oddly enough.... both weapons with 'prec' launched prior to a charge, and weapons on mounts such as elephants, will engage at very close quarters.
There is also the 'skirmish' button which you can enage and force archers to stand. The minimum range you can set, though, remains at 20. So, whilst a mine can be built...it would only work for human controlled forces. The AI would open fire at 20 regardless.
picture laden excuse for a bump ~;)
http://publish.hometown.aol.com/johnpalmer04/images/1-wheel1.jpg
http://publish.hometown.aol.com/johnpalmer04/images/1-wheel2.jpg
http://publish.hometown.aol.com/johnpalmer04/images/1-wheel3.jpg
http://publish.hometown.aol.com/johnpalmer04/images/1-fly1.jpg
And these are only the ones which I have actually put in game .. more are lurking on my HD modelled but not converted :bow:
Hey...now we ARE getting serious... I started making a website.
Dos that mean we are a proper mod now :hide:
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