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Story wrote:Abraxas Platform, 2 ABY

[static]...

...and I'm not sure what they did, but the Imps are pretty riled.

You don't know the half of it. Along with the destroyers they're sending, apparently a detachment of their new prototype TIE Defenders will be engaging the pirates.

Seems like overkill, don't you think?

Rrrrraaaggghh!!

Yeah, Chewie, at least we know why they called for us, then.

It's true, Captain Solo, we need someone with your special talent for escaping sticky situations here. We need you to get in, scout out those new TIEs and get a report on their capabilities. Just an added warning, th...[static]

[static]...that's what you need, we'll get in there. It can't be much worse than this iceball of a planet.

Best of luck, Captain, and may the F...[static]

...This was the transmission Felnor caught a bit of the other day. It would appear that we have in fact gotten under the Empire's skin something fierce.

How is that even possible? This station is little more than an outpost; it's hardly a military installation!

As it would turn out, Gar'dya got her hands on a particularly valuable piece of information from a friend back on Bothawui. Something about the Imps building something... but no matter, because in a matter of hours, we face this Imperial force described on this Rebel chatter we just heard. I'm sure they don't realize this, but with our combined starcraft, we can make a formidible opponent.

But what's in this for us? With this advance warning, we can just hyper out, no problem.

Then we face completely losing Abraxas Platform. To many of you - and I know, because I've seen you in and out of here for years - Abraxas is like a second home. There may be no credits on the line here, but can we really put a bounty on this station?

[murmured assent]

Now come on! Let's get out to our ships. Those eyeballs won't know what hit them! So go, and for what it's worth, may the Force be with us.

This is actually the first ever space map I've tried to make, and it definitely surprised me how much went into making a space map. However, it's also probably the most polished map I've made, and it's definitely the one I'm proudest of at the moment.

Right now it's about 95% done, with the only things left to do, in order, being finding a "special"-class ship for the pirates, and then beta testing.

----

This is how this map works. It features, instead of the Rebels, a "Pirate" side, versus the Imps. There are still the 3 basic classes of fighter - light, interceptor, and heavy. Additionally, there will be a special class for each side. This map was inspired by Tie Fighter / X-Wing series, and as such the gameplay is a little more in line with that. You've got limited ammo in your fighter, although by returning to your dock you can replenish that ammo. Most of the fighting you'll find yourself doing will be gunfighting, though.

Each of the fighters is a little different.

PIRATES:

The Z-95 Headhunter:


The Z-95 is a "light" fighter, and as such it has no armaments other than its laser cannons. However, due to its light spaceframe, it is substantially more maneuverable than the other classes. (This fighter can sustain boost for an extended period of time, and it doesn't use up energy to do maneuvers).

The T-Wing:


The T-Wing is an "interceptor." That means that while it is the least hardy of the starfighter classes, it is highly nimble and carries a payload of Concussion Missiles, which are nearly impossible to dodge.

The R-41 Starchaser:


The R-41 is the pirates' "heavy" fighter. While it is still faster than most bombers, it lacks the speed of the Z-95 or the T-Wing. It carries a payload of Proton Torpedoes, and in addition to its standard laser cannons, is also outfitted with ion cannons, which can be used to rapidly take down opponents' shields.

ATR-6 Assault Transport:


The ATR-6 fills in as the pirates' "special" starship. Unlike most fighters, where getting into the fray is key, the ATR can sit back, slow to nearly a stop, and use its main guns and turrets to pound at an enemy from afar. However, should you try and go in close, the thick armor will protect you... which is necessary, given the proverbial crawl you travel at. The ATR also carries two types of mines; the Mine Type A, and the Mine Type A-2, with the former being a standard space lasermine, and the second being equipped with a concussion missile launcher. This assault transport is truly the behemoth of this battlefield.

IMPERIALS:

TIE Fighter:

The TIE fighter functions similarly to the Z-95, its only real differences are that it is somewhat weaker but somewhat faster.

TIE Interceptor:

Likewise, the Interceptor is similar to its pirate counterpart, the T-Wing. Its only differences are also that it is faster but weaker.

TIE Bomber:

The TIE Bomber is substantially different from the R-41. This fighter is truly a tank. It is the slowest fighter in the map, but it also carries a massive payload. In addition to its primary laser cannon, it carries a small compliment of Proton Torpedoes. The bombardier has access to Proton Bombs, slow-moving but highly effective projectiles. (Here's a plus: the AI actually knows how to use them when its your copilot!)

TIE Defender:


The TIE Defender represents the "special" class of the Imperials. Possessing the best attributes of the TIE Bomber and the TIE Interceptor, it is truly a formidible foe. Its one weakness may be that it has a very limited amount of energy - however, when at full energy it can boost quickly enough, if timed right, to outrun a torpedo. In addition to its primary lasers, the TIE Defender carries Advanced Torpedoes.

----

Oh, and I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but the pirates don't have a capital ship. They have a space platform. It's pretty cool, if I do say so myself. I'm sure I've forgotten some pertinent details, but I'll let them slip once I remember. Without further ado, some screenshots:















EDIT: Oh, yeah, there are a load of credits that go with this, but the big ones at the moment are AceMastermind, for the MF model, for teaching me some XSI stuff, and doing all my exporting, psych0fred (and maybe Lord Bandu?) for the TIE Defender, xwingguy for the linkedfrigates script, and Zerted, Rends, and MajinRevan for an array of tutorials.

Usually I find space maps to be rather dull due to repetitiveness so I tend to overlook them but this has really caught my interest. I've been waiting for an original space map and this is it. Great work! My only point of concern would be the textures but that's kinda minor. Who did the TIE Defender?

[GT]EraOfDesann wrote:Usually I find space maps to be rather dull due to repetitiveness so I tend to overlook them but this has really caught my interest. I've been waiting for an original space map and this is it. Great work! My only point of concern would be the textures but that's kinda minor. Who did the TIE Defender?

The Defender was posted as a beta on psych0fred's site, but it looks like the one Lord_Bandu made a while ago. I'm crediting both of them.

And yeah, the texes aren't great, mostly because my philosophy is "as long as textures aren't so bad that they take me out of the game, they're o.k." I'm more about gameplay. (That philosophy is borne of not being a great texture artist ) In fact, some of the textures on the space station flat-out suck, but I'm not changing them simply because once you start playing, you don't even really notice. A lot of this also represents a progression of learning to do original texture work. You can almost even see it if you compare the craft side-by-side. I made the Z-95 first, then the R-41, and then the T-Wing. And the textures get better; Z-95, then R-41, then T-Wing.

Wow, Im not into Space maps as much as I am into Land maps, but this looks incredible. Keep up the great work

most of the pirate models are the ones you put in the Model Showcase Thread arent they.

if you still want to work on the map i have a special pirate class ship for you:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rihkxyrk_Attack_Ship

as seen in EAW.

try modeling it.

EDIT: is that a Nebulon-B Frigate(also as seen in EAW) in the third last screenshot?!

They indeed are the ones from the Model Showcase thread. It sorta grew from that, which is why I didn't even post a WIP until I was almost finished. I saw a model someone had made, and it made me think of Tie Fighter, which was one of my favorite games. So I modeled the Z-95, then the R-41, and I began to think, "Hey, why not make a map?" So I did.

And trying to stay true to my inspiration, I really only want to use ships that were in Tie Fighter.

Wow, this looks like a truly unique map; good job! A way to fix the blurriness of the textures would be to add a detail texture. I had to use the BF1 XSI Addon to do it, but it worked and improved the quality of the model I was making dramatically, because the texture didn't seem so blurry anymore. If you need a tutorial, PM me, but you can basically follow the instructions in this thread and change it around a bit.

And I noticed you've become a moderator, congratulations! (Let me guess, you've been a mod for the past half a year and I just didn't notice )

looks VERY unique. I am sure I will enjoy this map greatly.

I have to agree with some of the other guys, space maps look kind of boring.

this however, makes me want to start bombarding the heck out of those imperials! Congrats on making something that all of Pandemic was unable to do (an original space map that is). Great work.

How about the V-wing as special pirate craft?

This is really cool! Great job!
You know, for a special pirate craft, you could take the k-wing, not sure if that was it in one of the pics, and downsize to like half. It would make a pretty cool fighter.

OR, you could keep it the size it is an localize it as a "Custom Attack Transport" - because I don't think it agrees with the K-wing's novel appearances. Afaik, the K-wing is a hit and fade heavy attack bomber.

Maybe a Black-Sun Supa Fighter, , from xwa, but you might want to base if off of the XWUAP model. (Go into Downloads Section)

Also, polished space map with a new story, KICK- WNASS!

P.S. Don't feel you need to live up to the XWA Upgrade models, they spend years on some of their models, and sometimes are a collaboration. OR oyu could just convert them. (Teancum's already done the R-41 for his SWBF 1 tech map, along with an A-wing, and I believe an XWA community K-wing, but I forget.)

I may actually enjoy a space map for once.

Looks extremely well thought-out, and of course the models are amazing.

lieutenantcoda wrote: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rihkxyrk_Attack_Ship

as seen in EAW.

AND seen in SWG too. Not only EaW. So is the Nebulon-B.

Ok, anyway, this looks awesome. I've been wanting a new and unique Space Map for a while now. Very cool, Mav!

I don't know much about Space pirates or EU in total but this looks awesome. I love space maps that are different then just the 2 Default carriers.

For the special pirate craft, you could use the Slave 3 vessel, I forget the name... Persuer maybe?

Like I said, the map is going to feature only vessels from Tie Fighter. I'm making a model of the ATR-6 assault transport, and I'm pretty sure that it's what I'm going to use for the pirates' special craft. I think it'll be neat to have something for the pirates' special that's completely different in nature from the Imps' special. I'll post pictures of it once I'm done with the model, and if anyone out there would be willing to convert it when I'm done, please let me know.

i believe FragMe! is making an ATR6 transport already

I know he was, his just wasn't finished and he wasn't ready to release it. His'll definitely end up being better than mine, but oh well.

Anyway, I finished with the assault trans, and I just need someone to export it. Here's a pic:

The new models look awesome, especially the one in the pic above. Can't wait for the release!
EDIT: Z-95 Headhunters? Those are awesome!