Aesthetics Questions:

[OreoGamingGeek]

I posted here a while ago asking for help, and then felt embarrassed because I didn't know what I was talking about I got a little deeper into this game, and my goodness is it everything I'm looking for in an SP space sim! Save for flying "big" ships (transports/cap ships) and EVA stuff, this has got EVERYTHING! Thank you StarWraith for being awesome.

Now, on to my questions: I'm a sucker for sleek lines and pretty pictures, and I absolutely *love* being able to customize my ships...that scratches a nerdy itch in me that means I'll probably spend more hours in the hangar when I finally make my first million than I will actually flying my ship But--the "feel" is a bit ruined to me because of two things: The big nose-guns that look like prongs, and the giant thruster pods that look like blisters. Is there anything I can do to mod/change those around? I know the thruster pods are "realistic", for what would have to be a space-fighter with 6 degrees of freedom, but I guess I'm not quite aiming for realism, I'm aiming for "Cool". And as for the nose guns, that's just a personal placement thing. Any help?

Thanks!

[Marvin]

You can find the ReadMe for the Customizing Kit here: http://www.starwraith.com/evochronlegac ... readme.htm

[OreoGamingGeek]

Oh hey, thanks! Prelim lookthrough: There's not a "scale" setting, at least none that I can see. Option: Should I move the thrusters "inside" the frame of the ship and then remove their trail to make "invisible" thrusters?

Oh but hey, what about the lasers? I don't see anything in the custom kit for editing them...Maybe I'm just dense, but is there a way you can tweak their position via the wireframe on the "inventory" menu?

[Vice]

For some options related to either, you'll probably be breaking some new ground. I'll go over some details below which may help you achieve what you're after.

There is no scale factor for the thrusters, they are designed to present their effects 1:1 with the scaling of the ship they are attached to. However, you can move them or replace them to change their position and/or structural appearance. The script file option can be used for positioning, but that's largely designed for importing complete custom ship frames. Instead, you may just want to import your own custom thruster mesh that is pretty much invisible (one very small triangle for example), or some other shape you might prefer. The filename you'll want to use is 'frame-thrusters.x' and the file will need to be placed in the global \ships folder.

As for hiding their exhaust effects, that can be done with the jet2.png image file outlined in the customizing kit. You can import a blank png file or something else. However, that is a shared resource, so just be aware that you'll be altering all thruster outlet textures it is linked to, including engine and thruster nozzles for all human ships.

As for the cannon barrels, those use the filename 'frame-cannons.x' and the same global \ships folder as the thruster nozzles. The firing positions are locked into place though due to certain placement, scaling, and alignment dependencies (including multiplayer consistency). However, if you're just trying to remove them and don't mind beams/particles just appearing in front of ships (which is sounds like you wouldn't mind for the aesthetic goal), you can import a small and almost invisible mesh to replace them, or some other design you might prefer.