X3:TC complex fun

[maphys]

I am a builder by nature. I like nothing more than ruining the FPS of a sector. But it gets a little dull just building Borg cubes like this one. So I built some pyramids and stuff, but they were not that great. Then I went into sadness overdrive. What about this? And yes, not only did I tessellate the factories but I had a stab at the TC logo (sun rising over the Earth) with an M SPP and a silicon mine. I think I have a new TC hobby... Sadly joining them up randomly ruined the effect so now I have to do it more methodically via lots of sub complexes.

Obviously these are nowhere near as impressive as the thousand factory megaplexes (this is a mini complex - 35 fabs) but anyone else been playing around with complex layouts? Someone must have written their name in factories before now!

Think the next one will be a Seagull (my TC corporate logo).

M

[Terre]

I think your subject title summed this venture up very well, both complex and fun, but the CCK layout system can mess-up the best laid plans.

Do you intend the gull complex to work; visually, in both plan and profile?

[XanII]

Hilarious.

And yep. you stand true to your words. i pity your computer rig as it must be under some serious stress. That logo looks great, how long did it take you to do it?

[SIMON POPPLEWELL]

How do you do, and how long? My complexes look like they were thrown together by a bunch of spaceweed junkies.

[maphys]

The Gull is going to be hard - my current plan is to make a side view one first (so more an M than a gull!) and then later on move to making one that is designed to seen from the top but also has curved downwards wings, i.e.

Code: Select all

Top view:
          X
         X X
      XXXXXXXX
         X X
          X
Front view:
    XXXXX
  XX     XX
 XX       XX

Took about two hours - I have four dedicated construction TLs (and it was in Family Zein so not a bad sector to get stuff to/from). Basically I just sat my ship there and built while staring at the complex - so from any angle other than that one it is a mess. I quite proud of the fact that none of the factories are touching - you can sit there all day and no shields go down. The logo wasn't too bad - I had originally arranged four mines so that from where I was they looked like a colon between X3 and TC but I decided that they looked out of kilter with the shiny bits of the complex. I was staring around thinking what to do and happened to glance at the cover of the manual and bing! Idea!

The tubes are going to mess with it a bit - that is tonight's job. My current plan is to complex the letters up individually and then link them to the main hub (which is hidden behind the solar power plant).

Actually I was thinking about this on the way home from work today - I'm thinking that a simple cartoon character like Eric Cartman might be possible. I think I have just revitalised my complex building! Sadly I am getting low on places to do this so I might have to restart at some point. Or I might start doing it in Reunion wher eI have the tubeless mod running (which will remove one potential annoyance!).

Glad it raised a smile!

M

[SIMON POPPLEWELL]

Don't forget to post pics.

[Seleucius]

I quite proud of the fact that none of the factories are touching - you can sit there all day and no shields go down.

The worst part about this is that I've been precisely where you are before, staring at a half-built complex making sure nothing's touching, only to (literally) turn my ship away from the FPS-dropping madness and notice the shields drop on a station I had targeted. And start all over.

Though if you -do- build Cartman in station-effigy... Well. I'll be impressed, to say the least.

[maphys]

Cartman lives!

OK the head is a bit wonky and I needed to find a way to get the feet more defined but that was a first go at it. And I am about to fill in the gaps, to try to colour the jacket and hat in at least to fill it out a bit. The whole thing is about 40km or so tall and is standing on a platform made of 11 silicon asteroids. Final version will have about 200 fabs in it.

I think that the next few fabs will be simpler designs, the silicon asteroids at the bottom gave me some more whimsical ideas to try. I fancy trying to draw a ship at sea, a mountain poking through clouds and so on. Give my poor TLs a break!

M

[perkint]

Fantastic! Nice one

Tim

[Deadbeat_Spinn]

Just how long has it taken you to build Cartman? While I do have a lot of patience.......I don't have that much.


Great job though.

[Targ Collective]

SoTW. Submit it. I mean, I never thought I'd see something like that...

[Threesixtyci]

Wow!

Is that with a Vanilla version of TC?

[jlehtone]

Someone must have written their name in factories before now!

The German [KBG] members during the first year of X3R, I'd presume.


[Edit] I don't think that autopillocks respect his authority ...

[mrbadger]

Cartman lives!

That....is....AWESOME!

[Targ Collective]

Now I think on it, if you were to apply to the KBG with that as a resume...

[maphys]

Is that with a Vanilla version of TC?

Yup. The CPU is groaning a little now as that is 11 mines, 27 Crystal fabs, 28 Cahoona bakeries, 29 cattle ranches, 26 SPP and 19 other assorted factories. Looking forward to the noise my fan will be making when I add in the 100 other fabs I have lined up to do the finer shading detail.

Took about four days - but to be honest most of that was me getting bored of ordering my TLs to shuttle back and forth, then going and doing something else for a bit! Hasn't been a continuous build by any means. The sector is Rhonkar's Clouds - near Legend's End (all the Argon factories) and Cho's defeat (the Split ones). Saves refuelling too often!

Thanks for the props - I was starting to wonder if this was a step too far in my attempts at complex art. After about hour eight of moving the SPP back and forth to get their size right (there are about nine 'layers' of fabs there - the crystals being in front of the bakeries and so on) I was beginning to question my sanity. I am willing to bet that after trying to get the outline filled in I will be questioning it further. Sad thing is that I bet the tubes ruin the effect. I've resisted the modified tag so far but the tubeless mod is really tempting now. Actually - the really sad thing is that I spent an hour trying out the different fabs to try to find some that were blue and red so I could shade the hat/coat correctly. The Massom mills are quite blue but it hasn't come out that well.

M

[Targ Collective]

No, that's genius. They say the line between genius and insanity is fine - if so you have the most fun falling off it.

Do you do requests? I can't get the image of a Bart Simpson complex out of my mind now, it would be amazing. Upload your save games and I'll provide you with some high-res screenies if you want.

[Ulan Dhor]

Wow, that Cartman is cool! Congrats !

I don't have the drive for anything like that. It's already trying my patience to place 60 stations while having to do this behind my back.

But this looks excellent.

[maphys]

I can't get the image of a Bart Simpson complex out of my mind now, it would be amazing. Upload your save games and I'll provide you with some high-res screenies if you want.

Hmm, Pontifex's Realm is looking empty now that you mention it... Wonder if I can get several characters in there. I see some useful looking asteroids there. One thing this one has taught me is that I don't need as many complexes as I think to draw stuff with. 2-300 is probably overkill for a line drawing.

I'll crank up the resolution and see how it looks - I've only had it running on low because I spend so much time building that high res really hammers the system. I'll also start archiving the saves so that when I have a 'finished' Cartman I can upload them - cheers for the offer!

M

[caveman-done-good]

If I did something like that my other half would either leave me or section me lol.
nice job with the Cartman