Recently, I've been getting into component-making using a combination of Rhino3D and a tool of apanx's that converts .obj files into .gmf files usable for RA2. Here's a few examples:
Remember that rake I posted in my custom showcase? I scaled it down so it wouldn't be obnoxious to work with, and gave it some new skins:
It now comes in Authentic Hypershock Green
tm along with 3 other colors. Since it's just the head, you can slap this onto whatever length extender you want, or make a rake spinner like in the picture.
Another one I went ahead and made was something I feel a lot of people have been itching for, a truly one-tooth disc:
Using the power of mathematics (read: rhino's AreaCentroid command), I was able to place the attachment points in such a place where the disc was perfectly balanced. They're marked by the white rubber texture in the center of the disc.
Unlike the homebrew single-toothed discs that you see using a ballast on one end and a tooth on the other, this one won't wobble at all when spun. It's also a single component, so you can effectively use it just like the replica discs.
And here's the latest component I made:
(ignore the weight in the picture, it's going to be 40kg when I'm finished with it's burst motor counterpart)
It's like the beta motor, except it doesn't take up half your chassis. I made it just small enough to fit within the lowest height you can have your chassis be without using BFE/OBJRA2, and also gave them side APs and the ability to attach outside the chassis for additional flexibility.
Since geared betas aren't exactly the best in 2.2, I buffed the mini motor to have about the same torque (as in acceleration, NOT max speed) as the 2.2 geared beta, and gave the larger version twice the torque as the miniature:
Being able to do this on the fly opens up the possibility of the next DSL version.
Is this something you would like to see? Here are some various tidbits on what I plan to do, should I go ahead with this.
DISCLAIMER: This list is in no way definitive, and is subject to change.
*12 replicas based off of new seasons of Battlebots and RW.
*Rebalancing applied to weapons. Anything un-cheatbot2'd by my 2.2 balance patch will stay un-cheatbot2'd.
*Obviously a bunch of new components. The only downside is that editing existing components requires a lot more effort than just making new ones, so the large majority of added components will be entirely new models.
*I haven't made an arena with rhino yet, but I imagine that it'd be possible.
*Complete cleanup of cheatbot2, just anything that you would use for IRL building gets rebalanced and made non-CB2. Random misc parts like "Replica Armor Panel With Unusable AP #3593248" will just be hidden completely. I'll probably put up an alternate download without this change for the 2 guys who go replica part hunting, though.
*Improving any lesser-used components, such as the case with the geared beta getting buffed. My sights are currently set on car steering.
*Late 2018★ or early 2019★ release. At the very least, it won't take nearly a decade like 2.2 did.
*No, I'm not putting ground hovers in. Don't worry about that.
★Again, these are not exact numbers and are subject to change at any time.
To round this list off, here's a WIP replica. If you can't tell which bot this is supposed to be, I'm not sure what to tell you.
The only problem here is that I have no way of contacting Clickbeetle to see what he thinks of this. I still haven't gotten any sort of reply from a PM I sent him back in May 2016 as to whether or not I could use his thruster components in... Retooled, of all things. If I can't get a reply there, no way would I get one by sending him a message now. I also sent him an email a couple of days ago, to which I haven't gotten a reply from yet.
On the other hand, I've successfully contacted both Goose and Starcore (two of DSL's previous directors) about this. The latter simply stated that he "was not against it" and the former is trying to get a hold of Clickbeetle, but I'm not sure if Click's gone completely off the grid or what. We'll see what happens with him.
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