October/November 2014 Challenge: Larb's Commission

[Wingshaw]

Hi all,

I've been sitting on this one for a little while, waiting to get some progress before starting a thread, but now I think I'll jump on the bandwagon and start with the brief, and get some pictures up as soon as possible.

Larb asked me to make
"A map of a derelict ship that has crashed.

• Climate can be whatever you wish but should be earth-like.
• Style can also be whatever you wish although I was thinking a side-view would be best for this with maybe expanded plan-views on the map for important rooms or areas.
• Ship has crashed in a shallow lake so the lower levels would be flooded. Alternatively it could be deep in the ocean and only parts of it are flooded. Up to you!
• The ship is fairly large but is a civilian or industrial ship rather than a military one. It is mostly intact.
• The overall look of the vessel would ideally be a sort of chunky used-industrial-near-future affair rather than all shiny and clinical. So more Alien rather than Star Wars/Trek. Cyberpunky elements are also fine if so inclined!
• It would have been carrying an important but dangerous cargo when it came down.
• Whatever mechanical automatons are onboard may still be active and slightly dangerous."
  

Sci-fi/cyberpunk are definitely not within my usual résumé, so I think this challenge is going to be...challenging.

Last, I'm just gonna mention that I really like this month's challenge idea, I'm thrilled to be teamed up with Larb, whose work I really admire, and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

THW

[Chashio]

That sounds interesting. The "chunky used" description kind of puts me in mind of the Serenity from the Firefly tv series.

[Wingshaw]

I rewatched some Firefly recently 'for research purposes.' I think it will make a good model for this ship, only Larb's will be bigger. I'm also gonna work along these lines.

THW

[Wingshaw]

Okay, here's my first WIP pic. I intend on finishing it in the way requested--i.e. gritty, industrial, cross-sectional elevation. However, because this is not in my comfort zone, my method is perhaps a bit unorthodox. I'm planning on modelling the ship in SketchUp, which will then make it easy to get as many accurate cross-sections, plans, profiles, perspective shots etc as I want. Below is the progress so far (top floor nearly complete, including command area, and domestic area A). Lots more to go, so let's see if this method is efficient, eh?

I currently have very few ideas about how to add the grittiness to the images. I'm thinking perhaps a repeated texture with pipes/vents/gauges/grilles etc. Does anyone have some suggestions?

I've also developed some back-story (hope that doesn't bother Larb, but it helps me work). This particular vessel was once a factory ship, the GSS Gersemi (named after an Old Norse goddess). I’m still undecided on what they produced, but I’m thinking it was perhaps surveillance spacecraft—I’m going for a dystopian theme, where government surveillance is everywhere, as will be evident when I finalise the designs.

I have also decided to combine a number of elements of the brief into a single idea: the cause of the crash, the dangerous cargo, and the mechanical automatons are all linked to a substance on board. Living metal is a type of metal that, due to the circumstances of life on the planet where it is mined, is full of microscopic organisms. Because of these organisms, the judicious application of electric shocks can make the metal instantly turn hard or malleable, and thus ideal for certain manufacturing purposes.

As with any disaster, the crash occurred due to an unfortunate combination of factors: the metal was stored to close to the ship’s internal reactors (thus agitating the organisms, and allowing them to reproduce at an accelerated rate), the rubber casing that insulated the metal from electric forces was slightly torn, and the foolish decision to repair one of the ship’s automatons using a small amount of Living Metal. Unbeknownst to the crew, the organisms within the automaton were able to gain mastery over its functions, and use it to spread the organisms to other parts of the ship. Now, every metal object on board is compromised, and it is possible that the ship itself has acquired a collective mind.

Suggestions, comments, critiques are, of course, welcome.

THW

### Latest WIP ###

[Wingshaw]

Okay, I'm gonna post a couple of pictures here, to see what people like.

I started to think the 3d model approach wasn't going to work too well, and so, going back to the drawing board, I decided to try, well, redrawing.

The first two pictures below show where I've gone with that: a sketch of the design, and a cleaned-up image. The next steps will be to hand-draw details on top of the cleaned up one, and then start thinking about dropping it in a lake.

ALTERNATIVELY: the 3rd-5th pictures show the current status of the model.

So, do people prefer one method/style over the other, at this early stage? Especially keen to hear what Larb's preference is.

THW

[Jaxilon]

This makes me want to play a space rpg already!

[Larb]

Wow that looks like you have done a lot of work. I'm not quite sure which one you should go for. I really like where the fourth picture is going but I also like the first two as well.

It is up to you which approach you want to go for - I would be happy with either.

[Wingshaw]

Slowly making progress with this map. Here's the latest update. This image shows the engineering sector of the ship mostly completed. Sci-fi isn't my strong point, so I hope that looks sufficiently technological/mechanical etc. It's fun playing around with the lighting and shadows in the various rooms.

Comments, suggestions, critiques welcome.

THW

### Latest WIP ###

[Jaxilon]

This looks totally awesome. It reminds me of something but I can't remember what. It could totally be in a comic book.

[Wingshaw]

Thanks Jax.

THW