Shipbuilding thread

Thanks, SirJamon. This is a good beginning. I eagerly anticipate the rest of the tutorial once you can find time.

Um does it change anything If your sprite file is 1024 by 1024? Or is it still the same??

no matter what size the sprite is, the co-ord system will always be 512 x 512
Please note that there is a bit of trig to be calculated if your beams are on an angle

Fluid mechanics was fun - are you working on Full pipe flows, pressure head, pumps, pressure against plates or venturii meters ? . . I’m a Hydrographer - So i had to learn this stuff :slight_smile:

As for the code for tractor or pulse there is not much more to add to SirJamon explanation

[tractorbeams] //Tractors 0 = 79,304,150,304,54,0 1 = 272,150,272,314,54,90 //Coordinates relative to 512x512 sprite 0 = StartPoint-X,StartPoint-Y,EndPoint-X,EndPoint-Y,Width,Angle

Once the length has been calculated (from the coordinates) the beam will be anchored at the centre point of the line (in the middle) From there it wll extend out at the given angle. You must be mindful of the angle you give it else your beam might end up perpendicular to the energy couplings you are trying to join

[pulseglows] //Glowing effects 0 = 192,208,128,600,Order_Priest_Cruiser_order_glow.dds //Coordinates relative to a 256x256 sprite 0 = x,y,size,time,sprite

This one is easier than tractor beams
x = the X coordinate
y = the Y cocodinate
size = the size in pixals of the dds file that has the glow effect you want to use
time = how long it takes to complete a fade in and out cycle (think its in 1/100th of a second)
sprite = the name of the dds file that has the glow effect you want to use

Praetorian Ind is proud to show the MOTHER OF ALL THE CONTAINERS, EVAR xD
It needs some touchs here and there, and yes, there is too much repetition of parts, but well, it is just a HUGE container :stuck_out_tongue: , i’m posting it here searching some constructive reviews ^^
I will bea another “cargo ship” for PI Mod, ass the other ships that i posted here, do you like them? :wink:


If anyone noticed it, i added to the ships textures something like peeling paint effect, giving the sensation of too used ships ^^

holy ship!

what do they transport in there? dinosaurs? godzilla?!

awesome idea of multiple ships dragging one huge container! :smiley:

i really love the “peeled paint effect” but to me it looks more like rust :wink:

still awesome though… :smiley:

It’s just missing the receivers of those tractor beams.

it doesnt need any.

the tractorbeams that cruisers use to stop fighters doesnt need any, so why would three frigates dragging a container need any? :wink:

LOL, hehe yeah i tried to say rust xD
Well a container of this size can be used for transport “WIP experimental hulls”, or simply A LOT of stuff.
About the rust effect, is pretty simple, just use the Loop selection tool, click over the ship and move it randomly, copy, paste y new layer, sauration to zero and you get that effect xD

Hey all a took a short video of a cruiser i have named “the unknown cruiser” As with the frakenship monstar here you go

The unknown cruiser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6U4G0wjipc

The Scavanger HeavyCruiser AKA Frankenship http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyCUPcxivl8

thats from star wars.

its the corellian Yz900 if im not mistaken (yeah, im a huge CEC fan :D)

ok what where who? I have no clue as to what your talking about.

Oh and I made a new ship, it is 1024 by 512. I have no clue if it will work in -game yet. Bu ti have to get to bed. So i’ll test it out later.


12 weapon bays + 4 other defense turrets for total 16 weapons,
10 or 12 standard hard slots.
600 by 600 is the size I am going for.

Yes it will and no it wont:

  • Yes it will work but the dimentions will have to keep the same ratio as the size your going for. in this case 600 x 300
  • No it wont work because the ship building screen stretches the picture to fit the window, so your battleship will be distorted.

Wowo - you have really improved on that destroyer i made :slight_smile:

Um heh no that is a whole other ship from scratch that I used all four federation cruiser to make. But now that i think about it it does look like the dessie you made me. And Crap I do not want to shrink it down to 512 by 512, and 1024 by 1024 look squished. Ugh so I guess it is back to the cutting block and make it longer and wider. Sigh

Yeap, i see what you mean, if i look cloesly i can see the differences . .
But No, you dont have to scrap it. . . just add in a ton of white space on each side and make it wider. (so its 1024x1024)

Generally i would advocate that you scale the canvas size down (and make that square for exampl 600x600) but for some reason it may look blured in the ship design window. Haven’t figured out how to control that one yet (other than multiples of 512)

Feel free to send it my wan and i will have a tinker after i finish the Frigate Mod 2.0

If you are using GIMP:
go to Image/Canvas Size. Unlock the dimensions and type in 1024 for width, then click center button. You’re done! :slight_smile:

Thanks For the offer Darkstar, But If i depend on others to unmess up my stuff I’m never going to learn. And I use Paint(dot)net, Gimp is a little over-complicated for me right now, BUT I am trying to learn it. I have tried this older shipfile at 1024 by 1024 and it looked funny. But with this new one it should work out better. but we will see. I have not played the new version yet.

Cya on the battlefield space junkie!

Man, Gimp is very very easy to learn, i learnt it on 2 days time ago. But i still dont see the problem of making the sprite on square size 512x512. Do wat Wasabi say, u can do it on paint.net too, i think the method will not be too far from gimp’s. PAint.net is enough for modding for GSB (but i use gimp cuz some things i cant do it with paint.net and on gimp i have better use of brushes), but u should want to change it when u make far progress on your modding skills.

I’m sure once i stop be laaaazy I’ll get it but for now I do like paint(dot)net for my work it does what i need it too. If i was to turn that ship sprite into 512 by 512 it looks all squished up. But I’ll fiddle with it some and see what i can come up with. I have STILL not played it as i FINILY got the Galactic Conquest and have been playing the heck outa it and being crushed badly heh I LOVE IT! not the getting crushed part but the whole thing. GREAT job with it Cliff.

I made another version of my Fighter Contest-winning (although there were only 8 fighter votes) fighter, the Concorde. Now I have made: The Superconcorde:


It is designed to be a space-superiority fighter that is fast and packs 2 hardpoints and 3 standard. It is useful as an fighter/bomber due to its 2 turret spaces and its 3 standard. But it got me thinking about fighter-to-fighter weapons in GSB: They use too much power. I think I must go make a new one now…

Then I urge you to check out the Balance Mod. That excellent and worthwhile effort picks up where purely recreational modding ends. Give it a try!