TheShadow1138

2024-04-25T00:22:15Z

11 hours ago, Alpha_star said:

I've been using this mod for a while, it just suits perfectly for my ST-themed creations. However, I do notice two problems that may or may not be caused by accident:

1. Impulse engines' hover mode can't be turned off. Even more, the takeoff mode gives a TWR of slightly larger than 1 and the landing mode has a TWR of a little less than 1. I think it would be better to have the ability to turn hover mode to off or to make TWR in different modes customizable, probably via a slidebar or something alike.

I never really considered the ability to turn off the hover mode since it could be detrimental to the survival of the craft and its occupants. I suppose I could add a slider to modify the vertical acceleration between 0 and maxVerticalAccel, which would effectively turn off the hover mode if it were set to 0. This might also lead to the PAW becoming a bit more cluttered though. No promises, but I'll at least consider adding this.

Quote

2. The bridge of Constitution-class ships have no IVA. Now I know you might just not have the time to do that, but there's already an existing one in ScifiShipyards. You could probably re-use it.

I am aware of the current lack of an IVA for the Constitution-class, as well as the Type F Shuttle. I do plan on making my own IVAs for these, as well as the forthcoming Constitution-Refit, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I do plan on making them so that they go with my ships instead of reusing models made by others.

April 11

1 hour ago, Shammyofwar said:

I love this mod I created a community tech tree patch to put these techs in the late game thought id share. Just create a notebook doc and put in folder with this mod

This is great! I can include this in the next update for those who want to use it, and credit your work on the patch.

March 11

7 hours ago, Kerbus Gambus said:

Maybe I got something wrong - I considered these two takedowns as a continuous one. And also the title up top says "Thread of the month May 2022" followed shortly after with statement of closure. I'm sorry, maybe it's because English is not my native tongue - I considered the meaning of this phrase as a date on which the thread was last updated - and thus closed down. And to add to that - the guy I've quoted first also talked about two years, and it assured me in my belief. If not, then this issue is also voided, and sorry for misunderstanding.

That's understandable. I did notice that the person you quoted said that also, and they may have reached the same conclusion for the same reasons.

7 hours ago, Kerbus Gambus said:

You are right - I have also been able to find the guide using internet archive. Now that both mod files and guide have been collected - I can happily play this mod. And since the problem on my part has been resolved - I have no personal issues with closure of this mod, especially if it wasn't as long as I initially thought. I can also attest that the mod still works.

If I have come off as rude or arrogant, I'm sorry - that wasn't my intention. I truly was disheartened that such a great mod was closed down for so long for reasons I couldn't understand.

I'm glad you were able to find what you needed to get it working again. You didn't come off as rude, just as I hope I didn't come off as rude either.

March 11

16 hours ago, Kerbus Gambus said:

Just because some people can skip instructions doesn't mean you need to shut down the mod entirely from everyone else. I understand that it will lead to increased amount of support requests, which can be disregarded with just one question - "Have you installed both X and Y?". It's their problems after that, persist in the doomed world you have created.

I agree, it doesn't mean you need to shut it down, but shutting it down is an option nonetheless. Again, I don't know if this possible reason is even part of why the author chose to take down the mod. I will also say that repeated support requests that are due to an end user's refusal to read directions can become very, very annoying very quick, and really affect your motivation to continue working on the thing.

16 hours ago, Kerbus Gambus said:

And it's been a few years since. Right now, people can't combine these mods.

I'm not sure why some are saying it's been down "for years". From what I can tell, the author announced he took down the repository in January of this year. I do know that they took it down a year to two ago after a spate of antagonism, or ingratitude from end users that really sapped their desire to keep working on this mod. The mod, however, was reopened not too long afterwards as that was when I downloaded it myself to test one of my own mods.

16 hours ago, Kerbus Gambus said:

A reasonable point, too, but it has less drastic solutions to it. You can, again, write in the description that the mod is out of support as you focus on other mods. Everything else can be ignored. It's not like complaints disappeared when he shut down the mod. Even thought he has explicitly stated that the repository is down, people are still posting "GitHub for some reason doesn't work". It will be persistent in both cases. Just in one case, you will have an open mod for those who (like me) downloaded it a long time ago and now need to restore it, and in the other case - nothing, not even a guide (at lease I haven't been able to find one) for those who have folders backed up.

It is a drastic solution, but it is still a solution, and the one the author chose for their own reasons. Again, a blanket statement that it's not being supported won't stop support requests. You are correct that it hasn't stopped people from pointing out that the link doesn't work, because people have not read that it has been intentionally closed. I understand the issue trying to restore the mod, I think someone posted that they were able to find the guide using the internet archive, but I'm not 100% sure of that.

March 10

8 hours ago, Kerbus Gambus said:

Totally agreed here, I honestly don't understand how "potential for people to combine your mods" justifies taking down the mod entirely. The mod itself still works! And it's not going to somehow change whether you are making a new one or not, especially given that the new one is not yet released. And even when it will be released, you can just... say that "until tested, you shouldn't combine them" in the description? Thank God, they are archived and can still be downloaded using the link from PT_P's post above.

I'm not the mod author, but have made a couple of mods myself, and I might be able to add some perspective. Again, I'm not the author and do no claim to know their reasoning. What I say here is my interpretation of possible reasons.

The author is aware of possible conflicts between the two mods that would cause headaches for end users if combined at initial release. Such headaches would lead to requests for support/help from the users that combine the mods. We all know that no matter how much a developer, or really anyone, may warn others not to do a thing because the consequences could be anything from game crashes to damaged saves, that people will choose not to follow that direction/advice. Others will simply not read the instructions complete and miss warnings and just download the mod(s) because "they know how mods work". Once the KSS2 mod is initially released and tested for stability then this mod will be released again. It is possible that by taking down this mod now that keeps the install-base of this mod at mostly its current size, meaning that there will be fewer opportunities for conflicts on the initial release of KSS2. Also, in closing down this mod now means the author can focus on KSS2's development while not having to update this mod, or deal with an influx of new GU users' support requests. I consider these to be plausible, and reasonable explanations for why the repository was closed.

In the end, the authors reasons/motivations are irrelevant as the availability and even existence of the mod is entirely up to the author. That the mod exists at all is because someone wanted to make something and share it with others. We, as users, benefit from this generosity, and are not owed anything. Patience and understanding are important.

February 24

2 hours ago, Tecorian said:

Hi, it´s me again with just one question.

Maybe you can name the exact RGB of the colours bronce-gray and blue-gray at your NX class ship?

I´m totally fascinating of these colours but trying to match them fails for me.

If so= Thanks a lot

If not= i can understand this also

No problem at all. The base colors are:

Bronze-Gray Base Color: <193, 187, 175>

Blue-Gray Base Color: <197, 201, 204>

I will say that these are the base colors and the textures have darker and lighter areas for the panels, but these are the colors that underly all of the layers. Once on the model combined with the specular (the texture that determines how shiny the surface is), the normal map (the texture that gives height/bump information), and the in-game lighting the colors may seem darker, or deeper than the base colors appear in a graphics program. I just wanted to point this out in the event that they don't seem to be quite right at first sight.

February 13

14 hours ago, Tecorian said:

Hi TheShadow1138

First of all, thanks a lot for this great mod!

The Ships are incredible, looking great in any situation.

MyFavorite: NX-05 Atlantis

To be honest, i use the your impuls-engines for the shuttles as main-engines for ship-constructions with OPT or MK4 and others.

Makes the Kerbal-World much easier with these VTOL capabilities...

But these special for StarTrek Vesels designed engines are looking sometimes a little bit strange.

So, therefore my question or suggestion, if you maybe can develop a small impulse-engine mod maybe with formfactor MK2 for general use.

For myself i have no clue how to do something like this, i´m only user of mods...

THX a lot for reading this.

Hi @Tecorian. I'm so glad you enjoy the mod, and are having fun with it. I can see how using my impulse engines to build other craft would create odd/strange/ugly looking craft. I hadn't considered making parts to go with stock parts, as I had been focused on the Star Trek-specific ships/craft. Once the Constitution-Refit class ship gets released I'm going to be making a shuttlecraft to go with that ship, and an engineering section for the Miranda-class. I could make a fairly simple impulse engine part that can be used with the Mk2 spaceplane parts. I can't give any timelines on that, but I will try to keep it in mind.

February 4

20 hours ago, GoldenKiwi said:

i dont know if anyone still checks this but non of the links work for me and i cant find anywhere to install this at all for 1.12.3 or any 1.12 version can anyone help me

The developer, @StarCrusher96 has temporarily taken down the download in preparation for the release of his KSS2 mod. He's given the reason in the post just above yours. He's going to make it available again, so don't worry.

January 15

Update: Constitution-class Refit is now in the game!!!

We are currently in testing, so it hasn't been released yet, but we're getting a lot closer. Once testing is complete and everything checks out, you will get to fly this beautiful ship. I'm so pleased with how it turned out, and I hope you all enjoy it once it's released. In the meantime, here's some screenshots of the ship in KSP:

January 6

Update: I've got the registries done for both Prime and Mirror Universes. The registries I've done are: (Unless otherwise stated all registries have a Mirror Universe equivalent with the same registry number and ISS prefix.)

USS Ahwahnee  (NCC-2048)
USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-1731)
USS Cassie  (NCC-1711)
USS Cayuga  (NCC-1721) - commissioned to replace USS Cayuga  (NCC-1557) after its loss in combat with the Gorn
   ISS Cayuga  (NCC-1557)
USS Constellation  (NCC-1789) - commissioned to replace USS Constellation  (NCC-1017) after its loss against the Doomsday Machine
   ISS Constellation  (NCC-1017)
USS Constitution  (NCC-1021)
USS Defiant  (NCC-1804) - commissioned to replace USS Defiant  (NCC-1764) that was lost to the Mirror Universe
   ISS Defiant  (NCC-1764-A) - commissioned by the Empire to honor USS (later ISS) Defiant (NCC-1764), the flagship of Terran Emperor Hoshi Sato
USS Eagle  (NCC-956)
USS Emden  (NCC-1856)
USS Endeavour  (NCC-1895)
USS Enterprise  (NCC-1701)
USS Enterprise  (NCC-1701-A)
USS Essex  (NCC-1697)
USS Excalibur  (NCC-1664)
USS Exeter  (NCC-1672)
USS Hood  (NCC-1703)
USS Hornet  (NCC-1708)
USS Intrepid  (NCC-1631)
USS Kearsarge  (NCC-1733)
USS Kongo  (NCC-1710)
USS Korolev  (NCC-2014)
USS Lexington  (NCC-1709)
USS Merrimac  (NCC-1715)
USS Olympia  (NCC-1771)
USS Porthos  (NCC-1712)
USS Potemkin  (NCC-1657)
USS Ticonderoga  (NCC-1714)
USS Yamato  (NCC-1716)
USS Yorktown  (NCC-1717)

If there are any others y'all like included (I know this is already a lot), just let me know. I am preparing the model for export so that I can get it in the game.

December 23, 2023

11 hours ago, ProsecutorWalton said:

Just poking my head in here to see how progress is going. Are either initial game implementation or the registries complete yet?

No on both. Life got a bit busier the last few months. I hope to have it in-game in testing in January, if all goes to plan.

October 17, 2023

Whipped up a couple of texture variants for this beautiful ship.

The Gray Lady:

Long Live the Empire!

I used gold instead of red for the main registry text outline. I saw one image using this instead of the red and I think it works pretty well.

I guess the biggest things left are to make all the registries (prime and mirror), then actually get the parts into the game.

October 16, 2023

Okay, it's been a little while since I've posted an update. The semester started and my class took some of my attention and motivation, but I've between terms right now and have finally made some updates.

As I was doing the textures I realized that the area around the shuttlebay was off. I realized first that the overhang wasn't correct, and as I went to correct that I realized that I had not profiled the cutout correctly. This has now been corrected to make it look much closer to the studio model that thankfully didn't require any retexturing. Here is the new geometry of the shuttlebay exterior:

Now, I've made a couple of tweaks to the emissive texture for the warp nacelles and would like some opinions on which is preferred, the more purplish one, or the more cyan one.

September 23, 2023

12 hours ago, ProsecutorWalton said:

Hey, just wanted to check in and ask how porting the Connie Refit into the game is going, can't wait to get a hold of it for myself!

There's a couple of things I want to work on on the ship, and work has taken some of my attention away from working on it, but it will be coming, I promise.

August 27, 2023

30 minutes ago, ProsecutorWalton said:

This Maranda from STO has the Beta variant nacelles, maybe this would be something to aim towards?

Possibly, but only on the inboard part of the nacelles. The non-uniformity is one of the things I want to add to the glow since right now it is just one solid color.

August 27, 2023

7 hours ago, ProsecutorWalton said:

We need the Enterprise-A in there. Also I vote yes for phaser banks being added, at the very least put the yellow mount areas on, since there's a BDArmoury addon that adds the ball turrets.

Also can I recommend maybe making the warp grills more of a purpleish blue? That or a more cyan colour. I don't think the current blue really works that well in comparison.

The Enterprise-A is definitely one of the registries.

Yeah, I wasn't sold on the current color. I had a tried a more purplish blue, but I think I just went too purple. I'll work it out and post updated pics before I settle 100%.

August 26, 2023

Constitution-class Refit Texture Complete!

Port Elevation

Forward Elevation

Aft Elevation

Dorsal Plan-view

Ventral Plan-view

Aft Three-Quarters view

Engineering Hull Port-side text/registry information (alignment is not perfect because I have to allow for different length ship names), and yes, those are the registry and ship name on either side of the docking ports (they will change with a change in registry).

Same text on the saucer edge.

Registry outside the officer's lounge (Azteced specular visible)

Bridge aft docking port with registry information

Main registry

There's a bit of tweaking I want to do on the inboard nacelle glow texture. I want to also do an overall gray/blue gray texture variant to kind of match a lot of the scenes in the films, as well as the imperial texture variant. There are a couple of things I want to put to y'all:

1.) Do you want/prefer that the phaser emitters be present on the ship, they'd be non-functional obviously, but I'm not opposed to the visual accuracy they would provide.

2.) Registries: I plan on including most of the registries I provided for the original Constitution-class with at least a couple of exceptions, USS Defiant (NCC-1764), as it was displaced to the Mirror Universe, and USS Constellation (NCC-1017), as it was destroyed by Commodore Decker. I could include these with different registry numbers if wanted. But mainly, I wanted to let y'all have some input on what registries are included with the refit. So, post with any registry suggestions you have (canon/non-canon/fanon/etc) and I'll put together the full list of registry switches for the refit.

In the meantime, still a bit of texture work for the variants to complete and some other odds and ends before testing can begin.

August 23, 2023

On 8/21/2023 at 7:07 AM, Puggonaut said:

Well hello Constitution-class , boy am I gonna have some fun with you . Great to see you working on this again , if ya need a tester just let me know .

When she's ready for testing, I'll let you know.

11 hours ago, Shantaboy said:

Think it would be possible to ship the torpedo launchers as separate parts? It would help with making BDArmory configs for the old Sci-Fi photon torpedo and the old phasers.

I suppose it'd be possible. Do you just need empty transforms for the launchers and phasers? If so, I could add the empty transforms. You would just need to tell me how they need to be oriented, if that is the case.

August 19, 2023

19 hours ago, Teto said:

Hey, you have a donation page? This has legitimately brought me back to when sci-fi shipyards was still a thing has brought back so many great memories. Amazing mod and I would love to support you for creating this amazing mod.

Thank you very kindly, and I'm very glad you're enjoying the mod. I hadn't thought about setting up a donation page before, at least not seriously. Your comment got me to look into it and it wasn't that difficult to set up. If you really would like to donate you can use this link:

TrekDrive Donation Page (PayPal)

August 10, 2023

Progress Report: The Engineering Section of the Constitution-Refit is now texture complete!!! Now I can begin work on the nacelles and nacelle pylons. Enjoy the pics!

Port-side plan-view

Port looking Aft.

Port looking Aft showing the varied panel specular highlights.

Specular highlight variation on the neck and top of the engineering hull.

Starboard-side showing off the emissive with it's "faux" lighting of the windows, spotlights (neck and delta insignia), docking port illumination, and backlight of the area where the text will be. Also visible is the fantail deflector grid grooves.

Aft of the engineering section showing the shuttle bay exterior detail, and backlight for the name of the vessel.

Shuttlebay interior.

Three quarters overview of the ship so far. Ignore the color on the nacelle, that's the original Constitution-class nacelle texture used to help me get the UVs sorted.

It is turning out even better than I expected, and just like y'all I can't wait to see this fully textured and in the game.

Edit: Quick Update
I realized I forgot the ring of lights near the deflector (backup deflector emitters?).

I also got same base colors down for the nacelles and needed to add geometry for the ridges on the bussards on the outboard and inboard of the nacelles.

The grills/field emitters and forward (bussards?) can be done with normal maps, unless they look bad, then I may add more geometry there, but I don't think it'll be necessary. Now for the tedious part...paneling.

August 8, 2023

3 hours ago, ProsecutorWalton said:

Question: Since the original design for the refit was made with Saucer separation in mind (the two triangles falling away as part of it) are there any plans to implement that here?

No plans for saucer separation. I didn't model it with that in mind so it wouldn't look right and would probably be a bit more difficult to re-dock the two parts. I didn't plan for it initially because I wasn't sure that the normal connection nodes would be rigid enough to keep the ships from being all kinds of wobbly. I was pleasantly surprised when the ships came out rock solid. So, the thing becomes docking nodes and their rigidity. Docked shuttlecraft/pods were a gamble. I fully expected to drop out of warp and have the shuttlecraft/pods fly out of, or destroy the ships. That thankfully didn't happen, but they have a much smaller mass compared to the ships. I might, and I stress might, give it a go on a future ship, but not this one, sorry.

August 8, 2023

Texturing Update: I finally finished the panel lines and coloring in the panels for the entire engineering section. Once that was done progress became a lot more swift. I now have mostly finished the base color texture for the engineering section. All that's left color-wise is the formation lights, and finalizing the markings for the shuttlebay interior. I'm less concerned about the shuttle bay interior looking accurate since you will see the outside of the ship far more often, so don't expect a great deal of accuracy in the bay. Here are some pics of the progress. It is coming out just as beautiful as I would have wanted it to.

August 2, 2023

Another quick texturing update: I have begun texturing the engineering section (neck and secondary hull).

Strongback and nav deflector areas have been paneled and given color to match the studio model as closely as possible. You can see the panel outlines, which has been mostly completed across the secondary hull, still need to panel the neck, torpedo launcher, and fantail. I might have gone a bit overboard, but the overall look in the end should be pretty good. I chose not to exactly follow the paneling over the majority of the secondary hull because it is so spotty. So, I decided to do paneling that interlocks instead of sporadically overlaps with lots of gaps. Now, my variation choices may still create a similar effect because panels of the same brightness will likely end up next to one another, but it would be a bit more "realistic" in my opinion.

Once the panel outlines are completed, texturing the rest of the engineering section will likely go much quicker. I'm looking forward to putting the red pinstripes and the Starfleet delta on it. This might be a good time to share my plans for all of the text on the ship. As those who have played with the mod know, each ship comes with various registry texture switches to change the name and registration number of the ships, and to change from Starfleet delta insignia to Kerbban Empire sword and globe. This was really all of the text that was visible on the NX-class and TOS era Constitution-class ships, but the refit Constitution onward bears a lot more text across the ship. That text consists of "Starship U.S.S. (Name) * United Federation of Planets", just the name of the ship without the prefix, just the registry number, or just the text "United Federation of Planets". I plan to do all text on the ship using small planes so that the text will be clear and readable. The registry number and ship name will be done just as before, and will appear where they should all utilizing the same texture. The other text: "Starship" and "United Federation of Planets" will be on a separate texture to allow switching the nation of origin between "United Federation of Planets", "Kerbal Federation of Planets", or the "Kerbban Empire". The "United Federation of Planets" and "Kerbal Federation of Planets" will be switchable separately so you can choose which you would prefer to use, while switching to the Kerbban Empire textures would change the test to "Kerbban Empire". This might cause problems, so it might not work out the way I'm thinking, but leaving it switchable between all three would work too.

That's it for this update, but there will be more to come.

July 26, 2023

Saucer/Bridge/Impulse Engines are Texture Complete!!! Lots of pics:

Overview of the Saucer

Dorsal specular showing clear "Aztecing" pattern

Ventral specular

Saucer dorsal plan view showing the deflector grid

Saucer sensor bands, windows, and RCS thrusters

Forward plan view

Forward plan view lit from the side

Port plan view

Ventral plan view fully lit showing the deflector grid and other cut panel lines.

Ventral plan view backlit to show off the emissive texture with the faux spotlight lighting port and starboard

Aft plan view showing the aft window arrangement and impulse engine exhaust.

Close-up of the impulse engines showing the scribed panels, the faux glow inside the edges of the impulse engine exhaust ports, and from the impulse "jewel". At the top of the image you can see the emissive "lighting" of the bridge aft docking port as well.

I think it's coming along nicely so far. I will say I'm trying to get the colors as accurate as possible, which is proving a bit more of a challenge than I would have originally thought. In the films it generally looks gray, or bluish-gray, in fly-by shots in space, while mostly white in the dry dock sequence in The Motion Picture. The studio model is white with various shades of blue and greenish colors, which I've only been able to see in the films in like one shot in The Undiscovered Country. I am using the instructions for one of the Polar Lights model kits of the refit Enterprise to color my model, more or less as they suggest you paint their model kit. Once I've got the entire ship textured I can easily tweak the base color to hopefully achieve a bit more screen accuracy. I can then provide the studio model color textures and screen accurate textures as texture switches so you can use whichever you prefer. That is, of course, if there is a significant difference between the two when I test them.

For some eagle-eyed fans out there you may notice differences on the saucer dorsal and ventral faces from the studio model and widely available images. Some areas of panels, or colors are not present, there are windows on the aft-facing side of the ventral "bulge" where there are none on the studio model, and perhaps most noticeably, no phasers. A big part of why these things are absent, or present in the case of the windows, has to do with how I UV unwrapped the saucer. To save time, and space on the texture sheet I "folded" the starboard UVs onto the port UVs for both the dorsal and ventral sections. The consequence of this, however, is that placing something so that it shows up on the forward port-side of the saucer, also shows up on the aft starboard-side, and anything placed on the aft port-side also shows up on the forward starboard-side. All-in-all I think it still looks pretty accurate and isn't too much of a loss. I also chose not to depict the phasers because I haven't done so on either of the previous ships, as well as because of the aforementioned UV map issue I created. Also, you can't use the phasers anyway. If, however, people would prefer that they at least be there for the visual accuracy I can model them, and there's plenty of room on the texture for them as they'd be small. Honestly, I may end up doing this anyway, but I haven't decided on it yet. I also did not include the RCS thrusters on the emissive because it has never made sense to me for there to be lights coming from them at all times. My guess is that when the studio model was wired for light that they just saw the holes and through there should be lights there.

July 18, 2023

Another quick texturing update: I have finished the dorsal and ventral Aztec pattern, as well as paneling on the bridge module. I have begun to add the base color to the bridge module.

I've also done some slight tweaking to the geometry of the "base" of the bridge module (the part with the two red stripes) to help make it look a bit more like the studio model. It's likely not a noticeable change for y'all, especially in these pics, but it looks better in my opinion.

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