SA-MATRA QUESTIONS

[DANMAN3712]

Greetings All,

As some of you may know, I am making mods dedicated to Star Control.  My current mod, 7 Deadly Sins, is for the game Sins of a Solar Empire.  This mod contains Star Control content, and so far has the Arilou, the Kohr-Ah, and the Kzer-Za races.  The Mycon are next up on the hit list.  I will also be making a stand alone mod for Sins, that will be an all Star Control based mod.
With both these mods, the Sa-Matra will be in it.  So here is my question:

Which way should the Sa-Matra be oriented in a 3D Game?  Should it be on its side, like how it looks in SC2 and in some fan made videos, and the "reactor" facing "up", or should it be upright, with the "reactor" facing to the "side".  Since there is no up or side in space, this is all relative to the viewers point of view, but for a game, there is always an "up" and "side".

I also have various opinions on which it's ultimate weapon should be, since we never really seen it, but heard of it.  Should it be a big ball of plasma, a gun, a beam like a Death Star?  I am just looking for input.  I have put a lot of work into this, and above all, I want to please the SC fans, and perhaps even Toys for Bob.  I hope to involved in any new SC game, and also the movie that is taking years to make LOL!

Any and all ideas are welcome.  Thanks!

DANMAN

PS - Also thinking about making the Precursors a playable race, including the Sa-MAtra, variations of it, the Vindicator, the Vindicator 2 (from SC3) and the landing pods.  In case any one has thoughts there too. 

[Eth]

  As you can see in George Barr's painting, which was used in the production of SC2, the Sa-Matra has several windows.  If the ship were oriented the same way it was in the game, those windows would be on the sides where they (presumably) belong.  Of course, maybe the precursors like having windows on the floor or ceiling, but I'm guessing that the in-game orientation is the correct one. 

[Alen]

I think that any way you do it would be fine, but I would think that it looks pretty menacing from the angle in the picture.

[Draxas]

I'd say orient it as you see it in the game. That way it's instantly recognizable.

As for its ultimate weapon, the Chenjesu refer to them as "annihilation toroids." Perhaps some sort of gigantic energy rings of doom, like the ripple laser from Gradius/Salamander/Life Force on an enormous scale?

[Eth]

we only glimpsed it once, when it devastated our most powerful fleet
it was several times the size of your vessel
with a host of unusual weapons protruding from its scabrous hull
but the most dangerous feature of the sa-matra was its annihilation toroids...
with this weapon they could vaporize ships from the far side of a solar system
or cut broad swaths of devastation across a planet in seconds.

If you want I can email you the video capture of the cinema scene from the 3DO version, where you can see some of the weapons in action.  I don't see anything that looks like an "annihilation toroid" (unless it's part of the Sa-Matra's death-throes).

[Draxas]

If you want I can email you the video capture of the cinema scene from the 3DO version, where you can see some of the weapons in action.  I don't see anything that looks like an "annihilation toroid" (unless it's part of the Sa-Matra's death-throes).

The running theory being that the surprise close assault by the Vindicator only allowed the Sa-Matra to deploy defensive measures, not its main weapon.

[DANMAN3712]

Hey guys, thanks for the response.  I am just trying to bring you all the best I can, and as close to the original, yet updated, as I can.

Send me ANYTHING you guys can that will help me out, so loads of pics, videos, etc.
I am trying to re-create SC, so anything you have will help.

Also, as it now stands, here is the status on Sa-Matra's:

Sa-Matra TITAN ship, - UPRIGHT, meaning the perpendicular of what you see in the game and in the painting.  The Reactor was done on both sides, so the is no one side with it.  This ship can move from planet to planet, and from star to star, like a real ship can.

Sa-Matra StarBase / Weapon Platform - On its side, just like in the game, and in the painting.  Also the design is closer to the painting and the game, whereas the Titan has more liberties taken in design.  This version in my opinion is much more menacing.  This Starbase version does move around, but it cannot leave the gravity well of the planet/star that it is build around, acting more like a protector than an offensive weapon.

In the painting, it looks like the ring is the ultimate weapon, and that should not be too hard for me to make

Any more suggestions?  Keep-em coming!  I'll post pics soon of both Sa-Matra's in action...

DANMAN

[Eth]

  Video sent.  Sorry about the quality; it's pretty old, from before highspeed internet became widely available for home use.

[DANMAN3712]

Got it, thanks.  But how to I view it?  What program do you use?

DANMAN

[Eth]

RealPlayer.   

[Rider]

Eew. Why not try VLC? It plays pretty much everything.

[Eth]

  Thanks for the tip, Rider!  I hate RealPlayer so much.  I always end up installing it, watching something, then immediately uninstalling it!   

[DANMAN3712]

Same here, thanks Rider.

Also Rider, I am implementing (finally) some of the voiceovers you did for me for the Ur-Quan.  They should be loaded in within this next week.

Eth, thanks for the video.   This is more clear now that the Sa-Matra is in fact on "its side", and not in an up and down configuration.  I will change the Titan version to reflect this.  Thanks so much, and ANYTHING else you guys have that you want to throw at me, or feature it in the mods, just send it over!

DANMAN