• New Horizons on Maelstrom
    Maelstrom New Horizons


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New Models!

Standard 38-gun frigate.

Remember the red horror in the first post? Now it looks like this:

aos2_leda.png aos2_leda1.png aos2_leda2.png​
 
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...with a new matching stern.

aos2_leda_stern.png aos2_leda_stern1.png​
 
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A draft (still requires some cleaning) for a 24pdr 40-gunner, and one might try to recognize the Endymion:

aos2_endy1.png
​
She's sharing the hull model with the 38's, but fitted with different rigging, to make the ship appear slightly larger and heavier, especially when seen together:

aos2_endy_leda_comparison.png
​
And a closer look:

aos2_endy.png aos2_leda4.png​

Endy on the left, Leda on the right.
Note the difference in layout, gunport sizes, and overall style.​
 
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Martes said:
She's sharing the hull model with the 38's, but fitted with different rigging, to make the ship appear slightly larger and heavier, especially when seen together:
Click to expand...
That is a neat trick! :cheeky
 
French-built frigate, the 38-gun Sybille:

aos2_sybille_leda.png aos2_sybille.png aos2_sybille1.png
aos2_sybille3.png aos2_sybille2.png​
 
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A British 50-gun two-decker (showing earlier, 1780-90s style paint scheme):

aos2_morning.png
aos2_leopard.png aos2_leopard1.png aos2_leopard2.png aos2_leopard3.png aos2_leopard4.png​
 
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I made some comparisons of the texture format from this game to the .tx files from POTC, by the way.
Basically they both contain header with size in pixels, and then rows of pixel values.
They are... close (I suspect 16-bit format, 1 alpha channel), but a little different, and some images produced by the texture converter even somehow show up in the game, but get distorted.
Interesting, is there any chance someone remembers where did the texture converted originate from and who wrote it?
 
Martes said:
Interesting, is there any chance someone remembers where did the texture converted originate from and who wrote it?
Click to expand...
I think it was the original game developers at Akella that made it.
 
Curioser and curiouser.

1. In a sense I have cracked the archive format.
That was relatively simple. The files are stacked on each other with an index in the end of the archive, that lists the last byte position of each file, like this:

before:
00 ce 05 00 00 20 69 50 00 00 00 00 00
file name: cursor3.cff
after:
00 5C 15 00 00 EE 6E 50 00 00 00 00 00

The position is given backwards, and it's, actually 50 69 20 to 50 6E EE.

2. Looking at models.pak I found two executable files there.
bsp.exe and bsp_x. exe

They contained interesting menus and strings, and turned out to be essentially model and texture converters. But, unfortunately, before (at least me) somebody can jump to celebrate, the problem is that they convert a model in completely unknown format (CLF, what they call "Cyclone final", that references TGA textures) to anther, similarly unknown, but compressed format (CFF, that uses TF files as textures).

The technique seems to be somewhat related to Quake-style games (the same BSP, similar PAK?) but nevertheless different.

There are even some CLF-CFF pairs retained in the archive, but being pretty binary I am not sure they can be of any use.
 
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Hello, Martes!
Look for "New Sea Dogs Tools" topic. Seems it will be possible (i hope so) to convert models from old Sea Dogs 2000 title to AOS. And there is some plugin for ancient max there. I didn't use it, and haven't any experience with that tools, but I hope it will helps you get a clue! Link for some Sea Dogs tools there:
Hosehead's Mercantile -- SeaDogs Files
 
kekc said:
Look for "New Sea Dogs Tools" topic.
Click to expand...

Thanks!!! It is incredible this archive survived, really.
It had been too long since I had the old Sea Dogs installed, so I did not really think to look there and compare formats, but I was unaware of those tools' existence anyway.

I was even able to download most of the files and test a couple.

TF converter - works
CFF viewer - works, shows extracted model

cff_viewer_screenshot.png​

If I will be able to rig everything to edit the models...

@Pieter Boelen , will it be ok to make a copy of all those tools to FTP?
 
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Just tested the texture converter:

aos2_hi_res_texture.png

​
It's a 74 gunner stock model with a drawing saved 1024 x 512 size (screenshot from model viewer) - I am not sure the game will be able to handle more.
​
 
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Nice, @Martes!

In the meantime, I'm still sorting out the FTP details so your tools can be posted where they belong.
It's taking some time, because there were technical difficulties, some confusion and I barely have internet and time.
But... all of that looks to be changing soon!

One favour though: If you don't hear back on this, please remind me.
I forget small things all the time these days and I'd hate for you to fail getting the support you asked for. :oops:
 
Low-poly modelling is so much easier, in fact.

I didn't really notice, and here is a new frigate.
Hopefully, we'll be able to convert it to the game.
Somehow.
Maybe.

aos2_lfrigate_model.png
aos2_lfrigate_model1.png​
 
New frigate under sail.

aos2_lfrigate_model_ingame_sail1.jpg aos2_lfrigate_model_ingame_sail.jpg​
There are even people on deck.
I have yet repositioned the masts, so fore ratlines are a _bit_ off, and there is a LOD issue to solve, but otherwise...

UPD. LOD issue seems solved. :) Actually, nothing prevents making new models now.
 
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