there were here just a minute ago...

I hated you for a minute..... just a minute....


Thanks for reposting!

No new carrier pics?

The Dunov is perfect imho... Looks like a converted freighter with a big ass gun stuck on the side!

The new lighting effects on the ships / stations is excellent!

Carrier added

took some time to get the right background. Like it better then the others. Makes the ships look better, and more spacey

Take the trade station, it doesnt look as good on more brighter backgrounds. I even changed the view, so it would have more dark in it.

Maybe they should use more lights on the ships and darken the univers abit more?

But indeed, they did some nice art work

What is their purpose? Blair? Craig? Yarlen? Bueller?.....Bueller?

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/

Go watch it... until you do, you are deprived!

Do you perhaps mean that ambient light is too bright in relation to direct light? Ambient light seems to have been set up to fit the backgrounds, which are rather bright. But as far as I can see there is very few to reflect ambient light in empty space. So all surfaces that aren't directly lit should be very dark, unless a ship-mounted spotlight lights them.

Just compare the backgrounds of SoaSE and the following picture of the ISS: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/assembly/hires/sts104-332-027.jpg
The backgrounds from SoaSE are inspired by pictures with an excessive period of exposure. Surely pitch black is boring, but perhaps Ironclad could fiddle around with brightness to see wether other settings give a different and less cartoony impression. Freelancer did quite well. Space looked like an empty cold void, but not boring.

*Edit: I'm not saying that all backgrounds are bad. Some are in a nice dark blue. But on other screenshots I saw bright orange backgrounds and (millions of lightyears away) nebulars glowing as bright as the cloud there outside my window.

haha Multi you are being ANAL They look fine the way they are...

anal is the adjective form of ass.
it also means (in certain context, like above) "cranky".

now, those disturbing images (probably mostly of... asses) is because you literally searched a synonym for it.

I'm in the muted camp as well. How does that old saying go... "black is beautiful baby!" Touches of color make the view far more majestic and lots of color make it look literally like sky to me.

I did, I went over your replies and the pictures. You're right. I think overall, what you are describing, is that the actual game pieces aren't integrated well enough with the universe. It needs a touch more of a organic and ambient feel. I.e. not to look like pieces laid over a background.

But I like your ideas, especially with lighting. I can't believe I even overlooked that. The ships look like they're pre-scripted pieces wherever they are and not really affected by the space around them. The cool thing is that you could probably get away with just skinning in effects like that (darken hull, making lights and their field of dispersion actually appear) rather than playing with the engine. It sure would be pretty .

[edit] P.s. Love the black skybox you have in your screenshots on the other thread. Very Space Above and Beyond feeling.

I love the new carrier, although I did like the old design as well. Is the KOL still the same? Even if it does, I can only imagine what it looks like with the improved lighting (post pics please)  . Can someone get me a topside view of the dreadnought? I just want an idea on the length to width ratio. Thanks!

As far as bright backgrounds go, it is my understanding that most of space is dark. True it would be somewhat boring if the game didn't have some nebula and other colors in the background, but are there any systems that are dark and, um, "cloudless", much like the night sky here on earth?