SS2 R&R&R's EMP Rifle

[67428b90cc0caRainalkar]

Tags: °weapon °SS2

Rainalkar's roommate, Rainalkar's, and Rocketman's EMP Rifle
 
Thanks to the brilliant work of dedicated modders we now have almost all of the weapons appearing in the game remade. As far as I know, the EMP Rifle didn't fit in that category; this is an attempt to amend that. Although the principle was, in general, to maintain the feel of the original, it wasn't mandatory, and some alterations were implemented. Hopefully, you will like the outcome. The model is close to an end product, but not entirely. Therefore, we have provided you with two different versions of both the world and the hand model. Tell us what you like and dislike in both, so that those two version may eventually unite.

Enormous majority of credit goes to my roommate who made the model, textured it using little bits from his previous works, and partly designed it.

My part was in creating/refining the textures, helping in design, creating icons, and, most importantly, inducing the whole thing (which makes my contribution by far the most essential one  ).

Last, and far from the least, Rocketman tweaked the model in many ways so it would feel the more as the original and look better, created textures, helped importing it properly, and assisted with numerous advices and tips: it would have been so much harder without you, thank you so much.

Enjoy.

Image: http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/9986/emp1bu9.th.jpgImage: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1750/emp2ga5.th.jpg
Image: http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/60/empdark1cn8.th.jpgImage: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/8798/empdark2yr7.th.jpg
Image: http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4900/emplight1nq9.th.jpgImage: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2804/emplight2yv4.th.jpg
3:
Image: http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/2824/dump000gh9.th.jpg

And the original, so you can compare:
Image: http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2507/dump000ex9.th.jpg


EDIT: I've uploaded the build files, model, textures, etc. I'm trying to sort out the stuff on my computer, so this is a precaution from possibly misplacing them somewhere.

[67428b90cc5b5miracle.flame]

I'll try... let's call them the left one and the right one.
Now I'm judging just from the screens, I think it's sufficient for what I'm going to compare.

First of all... more polygons. Mainly in the upper part, those edges are too sharp and too right-angeled, all's too regular. Try to round the edges a bit. Try different angles for different parts.

In overall picture I like the left one more. The right one is needlessly prolonged.

But the right one is better situated in hand model...and blocks less of player's view.

That viewfinder in the upper part or scope or whatever that display means is vertically oblong. All such things are usually squared or circular or horizontaly oblong, it feels more natural and logical as eyes are horizontally situated next to each other in the face and so is your view. I'd go for squared impression from FP POV.

That claw at the end point is IMHO one of the most important parts of the EMP rifle technically. I don't know, it looks very important to me if I think about how it could work. In vanilla model there's something turquoise set in the claws. It's missing in your models and I think it's important. As for the shape I like the left claws better than the right ones. But I think they should be longer...like the right ones..but shaped as they are.

One little thing at the end.. that black part. I'd prefer more metallic coulour or texture. Black just won't do.

Summary:
- left one is better shaped in overall picture
- more rounded edges and unregular polygons in the upper part
- situate as the right one in FP POV
- squared display in FP POV
- turquoise set in the claws, shaped as left, long as right
- black parts more metallic


Update:
I have another idea. Cool but difficult. That "bridge" in the upper part that's connecting to the claw.. would look like something if turned into a cable, thick cyberpunk cable.... so much for fixing the regular edges up there. 

[67428b90cc7d1Kolya]

Agreed on all accounts. I also like the left one better. I don't care much about the display being square but ok.
And I definitely need more greebles here! This gun fires electromagnetic shockwaves that bring large machines to a halt... It should be chock full of blinkenlights and terribly interesting looking technical details. Wires are a good idea, but it also needs a medium sized battery pack strapped to one side. Asymmetry makes things and people more interesting! \o/ 

[67428b90cc9f5Rainalkar]

Ok, step by step:
-The feel isn't really the same when looking at the pictures and ingame. I remember some games which had horrible screenshots, but beautiful animation. This isn't that extreme, but you're missing some other parts, like the animated screen etc.
-The number of polygons is around 800, it could be somewhat higher I guess.
-Angles could I guess be solved by making them smoother, adding a few more polygons. The right rifle is more rounded (the side is) in this respect .
-When you say it is prolonged, in what way? The handle, the prongs?
-I don't know is the stuff about the viewfinder that eye prinkling. The circle isn't an elipse, and it's vertically longer only because of the lights beneath.
-I agree that the prongs are very important, and I agree with your other opinions, save one: I know that the blue prong looks fitting in the original, but I tried placing it here, and it simply feels odd. The model is more robust, and it hardly fits. I guess I could try a few more tweaks.
-We simply were lacking fitting textures for the handle. If anyone has something usable, let me know.
-I don't know do I like the cable idea. I can't escape the feeling that it would look cheap, and this is state of the art technology.
-I was careful with animations and blinking so that the rifle wouldn't be named Disco Rifle I guess a few blinks (red light for instance) could be added, but nothing excessive.
-As for symmetry, I aimed it Seems more modern, dunno know.

[67428b90ccb8fmiracle.flame]

I agree that right hand model is smoother and better in many ways but there is ellipse on that display and yeah, it's eye pricking for me at least. )))
But world model is better the left one. The right is strangely prolonged in handle and all that back.
I think Kolya's idea about some power source there is very very fitting. There you have another chance for blinking power indicator but according to my tastes I dislike all the gizmos and gadgets like disco gun you've said.. it seems like a toy for kids then and not a state of art piece a' technology.
The prongs could be more visible on hand model and some energetical traces should be there...that turquoise stripes I mean. Without them the prongs seem useless there, like only to make nasty image.

[67428b90cccb6Rainalkar]

I think that the screen is eliptic only because of how the bin is created. But Rocketman will know better.

[67428b90cd340RocketMan]

Good to see some comments going back and forth.  Congrats Rainalkar for your achievments thus far.  I'll speak to a few points.  First of all, sorry about the elliptical display.  To be honest, when I adjusted the viewing angle, I distorted it without realizing until now.  I can probably fix that while maintaining the angle.  The smoother "looking" body in the right images is nothing more than texture filtering.  The gun bodies are identical geometrically.  One of the challenges I faced was that this model was created by someone else and none of the UV mapping or materials imported properly so I couldn't edit them.  That said, I still edited peripheral features that could be completely redone, stuff like the stock, handle, reload, etc.  This constitutes the majority of the differences between the left and right models....that and the textures.

I must say I'm somewhat surprised at the comments about the prongs and elongated look of the weapon though.  The original weapon is very slender in appearance and has a distinct "forked" front.  I presume these forked members are electromagnets used to focus the gun's emissions into a well-directed ball of energy before leaving the gun.  That isn't really important in itself but as mentioned, it is indeed a focal point.  As is the case on occasion, hard/sharp features are sometimes intentional and are best left alone.

As far as widgets and other perephinelia are concerned, that would probably be a good idea as long as it doesn't clash with the emp's design.  I think I recall some stuff at the top of the gun where the stock joins the body that could be a battery or something.  Might be more trouble than it's worth to put it in though due to the challenges I mentioned and the fact that a battery would be a part of the main body, which is UV mapped already by the original creator.

[67428b90cd4a7Rainalkar]

Rocketman updated the second version of the rifle, he asked me to replace the current one, but frankly, I don't know how to do that. So I'm posting it here.

moved to first post

[67428b90cd5dcRocketMan]

Thanks Rainalkar.  Just to summarize the changes, the screen is animated now, the gun angle is further adjusted, fixed the distorted screen so it's not oval anymore and added the teal surfaces to the inside of the prongs, which resemble the original but they are self-illuminated now.

[67428b90cd6f9miracle.flame]

now that some aspects were addressed it looks better...I've tested in game.
since the animation's not stretched anymore shouldn't the display be squared a bit as well?

edit:typo
edit:2nd typo

[67428b90cd855RocketMan]

lol you put typo and then you didn't fix the mistake

I suppose the display could be made more square but that's pretty cosmetic.  I just hope the gun gives an overall impression that's welcoming rather than out of place.

What's that little cube called BTW that tells dark where to spawn the weapon projectile and muzzle flash and all that stuff.  Can you add them to weapons that never had them before?  I think some weapons that don't have them, like this one, should.  It's noticeable that the projectile comes from the center of the screen and not from the end of the gun.

[67428b90cd975miracle.flame]

lol clumsy me..
I don't know..when I'm looking at the original I'm still hesitant about which to prefer. This new world model looks definitely better but the hand model feels so blocky and the prongs are not very visible. But still...

[67428b90cda8cRainalkar]

It all comes to taste, I guess. I kind of like the blocky feeling, I totally hated the original hand model, and kind of liked the world model

[67428b90cdb7dLiam]

This just adds i realy big impourment to the old EMP Rifle. Good work Rainalker. 

[67428b90cdc63Rainalkar]

... and Rocketman
thanks

[67428b90cde0bRocketMan]

and the other R who to this day remains nameless

Miracle.Freak would you mind consolidating the downloads so that the one half way down the page replaces the "Right" download at the top...though the pic is sort of differnt?  Thanks.

[67428b90cdf52Liam]

You now what whuld make this even better. If there was a hand holding the top part of the emp rifel.

[67428b90ce0f1Kittenykat]

Perhaps you could open up the prongs on the end of the rifle (making it look more like the basic shape of a claw game machine's claw) matching the color of the body of the rifle (maybe slightly darker to show the transition?) and then have a blue band of light going up each prong in the same way it moves along the top of the laser pistol? That'd be a nice sci-fi effect I think :3 Ooh, you could have a banded spike coming straight out of the middle of the claw so it's got kind of a parabolic pointer feel to it, maybe one band metal, one band glowing blue, another band metal, etc up from base to tip.

One concern with the post, now with the downloads labeled just 1, 2 and 3, there's not much reference to which looks like what without just plugging it into the game and looking at them the hard way, and I've no idea if the screenshots are even up to date. Only one of them is labeled, and since there's 4 screenshots the only way to know what's what is the SWAG method (Scientific Wild-*** Guess)

[67428b90ce1e0Rainalkar]

The model will not get updated any more. There is a workable file included if you're interested in making adjustments.

[67428b90ce2d3Kittenykat]

Oh I wish I could, I've got ideas but no artistic talent

[67428b90ce423LarkSS]

Being one of the few people who enjoy EMP Rifles in SS2 and due to my recent experiments with NewDark materials, I decided to give this model a little spice. These materials add a bit of glare to the animated display as well as pulses the glowing light along the side.

Wonderful model by the way.

[67428b90ce53eRocketMan]

Thanks very much for your contribution.  I think we left this in a state where more could have been done.  Glad you decided to put the new engine to good use.

[67428b90ce629Rainalkar]

Same goes for me, very nice effort

[67428b90ce796LarkSS]

Glad to see the SS2 modding community is still sticking around after all these years.

I've been learning a bit more about materials after realizing that there's a very convenient document included with NewDark which covers all of the usable functions. I've updated the link above with a new material-based animation for the rifle's animated display. It's essentially the original but much smoother.