Plane markings

[-lynx-]

OK, we all know that individual plane "skins" is not a realistic option in multiplayer environment but:

What about country markings etc? I really don't know what's involved from the artists point of view or whether that extra digit in a packet would affect connect quality. I'm just wondering how cool it would be if you could select country markings as well as your fuel/ordnance etc. P40 could have a selection of Chinese/US markings, Gladiator with Finnish/RAF, A20 with Soviet/RAF/US... Just imagine the feel of immersion it would add to scenarios  

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-lynx-
13 Sqn RAF

[Fester']

Itd be cool to have AH country markings on AC, or a color scheme to separate a rook 109 from bishop 109.

I realize that we have ID tags, but country markings would be very cool.

[Packrat]

How about different skins for different squads. If you don't belong to a squad then you get a standard plane marking.Lots of memory I know but hay we dreamed of clouds too.        


PHOENIX SQUAD

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Packrat
1. Any small North American rodent that collects a great variety of small objects
2.Slang A collector of miscellaneous objects

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[Takeshi]

I have been thinking also about these things an I think a good solution could be "customisable stripes".
Iīll explain, everybody has the same overall texture, but the user can choose a few rgb values for some parts of it (109 & 190 waist stripe, tail or nose, 51's tail and/or nose and so on...). So when you spot a plane your FE renders it with the regular texture but using the custom colours for the customisable parts. I donīt think it would be a big hit on the network load and  this would allow for sqad or even personal identification (colour combos could be "registered" by squadrons or individuals).

I can already see some problems...

-first, i dont know if plain colours could be automatically shaded for the 3d models to look right.

-second: for example, british planes in general didnīt have many of such stripes or distinctly coloured parts, so adding them wouldn't appeal people which likes them as they where.

-third: There should also be some "unavailable" colours: those having unfair "stealth" properties or deemed "unacceptable" for a warbird (we dont want to see a "Sissy Sqd." with their pink nosed 51's).

Takeshi

[Downtown]

Takeshi, why don't you want the Sissy's to have their pink P-51?

Are you a HOMOPHOBE?  

A while back HT said he was considering allowing Squads to have a 32X32 Postage Stamp on Squad Memebers Planes.

We also Discussed the ability to set colors for Rudders, Spinners, Waist and Wing Stripes.

I am sure he has been busy on other things.

Anyhow we reccond that with the standard eight colors.
Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, White, Purple, and Cyan? and say 1 rudder, 1 waist stripe, 1 wing stripe, and 1 spinner, you would have 512 possible combinations.  THat is a few squadrons.

Of course the 32X32 postage stamp would allow a few more options.

Beyond HT saying he was considering allowing one of these options, I haven't heard more.

He also said that he might consider allowing Players to Edit their Skins on their Front End Only.

If we took that a step farther, perhaps Players could E-Mail Skin files to each other to be stored on their own front end, so say.

I edit my Skin, and Send the File to Lynx.  Lynx Edits His skin and sends the file to me.

A little custom skin bit is set, and we see each others skins on each others front ends only.

Just thinking, makeing more work for HTC, but, I don't have to do the work, and I don't have to do the thinking, and I am sure some of you wish I would stop...

So I will make some of you happy....

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"I could feel the 20MM Cannon impacting behind me so I made myself small behind the pilot armor" Charlie Bond AVG
lkbrown1@tir.com
 http://www.tir.com/~lkbrown1
Very Opinionated Person.