Spacecraft size limit and simple animation

[Neils Iyssada]

Hi all!
Here I am with some other not-so-important-but-nice ideas  :D

• Ship max size
  

What I suggest is to drop the size-based spacecraft max size in favor of a volume-based one. Add a soft-cap or another solution to avoid long 1x1xYm sticks.
Currently if you want to make a replica of a long-shaped ship (like the Pride of Hiigara or even the Sajuuk), the 1600m soft-cap is annoying. You can't make correct proportions without sacrifying some volume.

• Simple animation
  

Kind of like the actual doors and landing pad animations, but with hull parts. Like these examples, it's just some mesh positions determining the actual fake animation.
Maybe limit it to hull-only parts, where there's no room.
It would serve as a simple switch for diverse aesthetic uses such combat mode and resting mode. I though about it when imagining how I could make the HomeWorld Planet Killer legs animation :

Resting position


Combat position


Or another possible badass combat position, even though it's not an in-game one.



BTW if one could setup decorative elements like empire flag, name etc to move with doors / landing pads it would be cool !

[Weylin]

I wonder if moving parts could be exempt from collisions, just a totally different hull class that allows for animations
Triggered cycles, toggles, states, loops
Some means of creating a list of Key Frames, and in between, the method and time of interpolation, using a function that is either linear or some curve function to give it smoothness.

[Deantwo]

It is a lot easier to discuss a topic if you don't mix multiple subjects into the same thread.
Also spacecraft/designer animation has been suggested a number of times in the past, rather than talking about it yet again, it is likely better to bump one of the old spacecraft/designer animation threads.

For example, I for see no one discussing your "Ship max size" idea at all. Not that I am at all sure what you are suggesting anyway.

[Neils Iyssada]

For example, I for see no one discussing your "Ship max size" idea at all. Not that I am at all sure what you are suggesting anyway.

Actually your ship is limited by a box of 1600x1600x1600 meters.
So technically, if you want to compete with a max-sized 1600x1600x1600m ship while having decent-looking ships, you have to use 2-3 nice-looking replicas (think about the Sajuuk, which is long and thin so is limited to ~1600x200x500).

[Deantwo]

For example, I for see no one discussing your "Ship max size" idea at all. Not that I am at all sure what you are suggesting anyway.

Actually your ship is limited by a box of 1600x1600x1600 meters.
So technically, if you want to compete with a max-sized 1600x1600x1600m ship while having decent-looking ships, you have to use 2-3 nice-looking replicas (think about the Sajuuk, which is long and thin so is limited to ~1600x200x500).

It was suggested before that we get a "volume" slider. The more you increase it the more volume your ship gets, up to some 200% bigger, limited by max volume possible. Of course you would have to pay for it still.

[Neils Iyssada]

For example, I for see no one discussing your "Ship max size" idea at all. Not that I am at all sure what you are suggesting anyway.

Actually your ship is limited by a box of 1600x1600x1600 meters.
So technically, if you want to compete with a max-sized 1600x1600x1600m ship while having decent-looking ships, you have to use 2-3 nice-looking replicas (think about the Sajuuk, which is long and thin so is limited to ~1600x200x500).

It was suggested before that we get a "volume" slider. The more you increase it the more volume your ship gets, up to some 200% bigger, limited by max volume possible. Of course you would have to pay for it still.

Would be nice !