Cape Cortez Subfighter Command

Atlantis DSV Episode VI: Crossfire

2011-07-08T22:13:00.003+10:00

It is no exaggeration for me to say that this update has been one of the most challenging to bring about, but almost three years since the release of Shattered Sword, I am delighted to finally be able to bring you the next chapter in the story of Atlantis DSV.

Shattered Sword left us all in a hole that I will admit may have been a little bit too deep for us to escape, and it is that which has made Crossfire such a difficult story to write. Crossfire, just like Rising Thunder did all those years ago, concludes an over-arc that began with The Silence Within. But it's a beginning, too; a 'clean slate' which will in many ways define the next stories in this ongoing series.

It would have been all too easy to latch on to the usual and predictable tropes that one might expect would come from the ending of Sword, but ultimately those options were not enough to satisfy my own desire to make Crossfire a special story in its own right, filled with its own twists and turns and a resolution that, I hope, will surprise you.

My relationship with this story has been turbulent, challenging and at times troubling. There were several bouts of writer's block, new professional commitments at the end of my University life and constant revisions as I sought to navigate minefields of cliche and predictability. Ultimately, I can say this: There are few creative joys that are as rewarding as solving a plot riddle that eludes you for three years, and writing this story has been one of the most enjoyable tasks in this series to date.

There is more to come in the wake of this release, as I am equally happy to be able to tell you that several CGI projects have been steadily progressing in the background of this episode's writing, one of which I am quite honestly treating as a 'feather in the cap.' I look forward to bringing you those updates in the near future, but in the mean time... I hope you enjoy the sixth chapter in the Atlantis DSV series, and find the wait has been worth it.

Atlantis DSV

Episode VI: Crossfire

An Obituary for Australian Cricket...

2009-08-22T01:36:00.003+10:00

It will take a miracle for Australia to keep the Ashes after a completely disastrous day at the Oval.

A horrid pitch and solid English bowlers, coupled with a reasonable performance by the English Batsmen yesterday have left this story well and truly in its final chapter. Indeed, how the mighty can fall. After a Five-Zero crushing in 2005-2006, the English may have finally exacted revenge for what happened in the last series.

After less than a day's play, Australia have been reduced to 8 for 133, chasing England's first inning's score of 332. With only two wickets in hand, and neither of them batsmen, it looks grim.

It will take an act of absolute divine intervention to save Australia, as it trails a miserable 200 runs behind the English. Another Adelaide? Unlikely. I can't even bring myself to watch.

The annoying thing is that I could suffer and accept defeat from the English in any other circumstances... barring one completely insufferable and mediocre player who is now destined to go down as a hero of English cricket. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the Queen knighted him when he retires after this match.

I am of course referring to Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff. A man with a more checkered career is hard to imagine. He's not broken any records to speak of, his form is seasonal at best, and he is - as a whole - potentially the most over-rated English cricketer that I've ever had to watch.

To hand over the Ashes to Flintoff is worse than defeat. Oh yes. It really does add insult to a grievous injury.

Alas, this is how it shall likely be. The condition of the pitch will only get worse, and England's competant line-up of spinners will have a hell of a fun time dispatching the meager Australian resistance, and as Ricky Ponting was foolish enough not to take any spinners of his own, I half expect England to post another 300-run innings before declaring and then once more dispatching Australia cheaply for a 500-run victory to the Barmy overtones of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot".

Yes Keith, as I'm sure you're reading this, I will swallow my pride and say that England have played as the better team. You have one this one... But the next series is barely a year away, and now I really want to see if you can keep it!

An exercise in backward thinking

2009-08-15T13:10:00.003+10:00

So, these two have just come out of maya.

It dawned on me yesterday that I have spent so long building ultra-modern submarines that do not yet exist, that I have never actually built a proper, real-world submarine.

This changes now.

Sometimes it's... refreshing to explore one's roots. Nathan has suggested that one of these should be come the SF-1337 "Turtle" class subfighter. I don't know whether to laugh or slap the man.

All out for 102... Scores Tied.

2009-08-13T01:02:00.002+10:00

Yep. England got thumped.

All out for 102 runs in the first innings of a five day test match? They were doomed after less than 20 overs. Horrid!

Australian victory was assured from that point on, really. Short of some kind of divine intervention (also known as Mike Hussey in Adelaide 2006...) there really wasn't anything England could do to save that game. I'll try not to gloat too much, Keith!

So, it's update time.

The Atlantis site has the specs for the Macronesian Lysander class subfighter. This was originally posted on the old site back when it still existed, but has been completely rebuilt.

And also... Another present.

Video Tutorial: Basic Texturing and UV Mapping
Right Click -> Save As to download.
(70mb, H.264 MPEG-4, playable in VLC, Windows Media, etc)

Subfighter Day.

2009-07-23T22:38:00.002+10:00

Yep, it's update day.

Today we've uploaded the Seafire and Broadsword to the Atlantis website. You can find them in the site library.

Nathan has of course, predictably, found several problems with the design of the Seafire, so I imagine that this means you will eventually see one or two revisions of that fighter - much as the British did with the original Supermarine Spitfire.

Enjoy the updates.

As always - more to come...

The Atlantis Ashes... continued.

2009-07-18T10:19:00.004+10:00

I am sitting here right now staring at an unopened word file on my desktop, feeling a great sense of apprehension. Should I open it? Or should I get my customary morning pot of tea boiled and brewed to sooth my frayed nerves?

Every now and then, I have a new short story dropped in to my inbox by a fan, enthusiast or someone wanting to help. Not everything that is sent to me is a work of Hemmingway, mind you, but once in a while it does surprise me what you - the reader - can come up with. It is both a very rewarding and very terrifying experience to see Atlantis through someone else's eyes. Sometimes they nail it, other times... they need some direction.

To be candid for a moment, Atlantis has been a project of mine for over seven years. In that time, it's grown in to something bigger on its own, and I because of that, I care about what happens to it. Taking a leap of faith and letting someone else try and alter or expand on what you've created can be daunting, and while I love to allow this, the biggest challenge is trying to gently adjust this outside content to fit with what I see as being the world, look and feel of Atlantis DSV. It is much harder, of course, to get the persont that created to see Atlantis in the same way.

The amount of material being produced behind the scenes as of late is staggering, and this will be underscored in the next day or so with another update for the Atlantis site. There are no less than five people at this moment working on things for Atlantis. These ranges from short stories to 3D work, and even technical concepts for a few planned projects.

For today however, here's a couple of developments that you can expect very soon.

First... the Broadsword.

This is the successor the SA-29 Lysander class commonly seen in Atlantis, and seaQuest 2032. It's a large fighter, and I've been sitting on the design for quite some time. She was designed and built by Luke Wrightson, and was based off the older Broadsword concept that began life as a design for the Nosferatu stealth fighter. I textured her recently and these are the results.

For a point of comparison - here is the original design.

Next up, we have the NSC's flagship fighter... The Seafire.

The Seafire is named for the Supermarine Seafire of the Second World War - essentially, the navalized variant of the famous Spitfire. Designed by Nathan Leong and Keith Carpenter, she was built by Keith last year and I spent almost all of yesterday texturing it.

Drawing from a multitude of other designs, including the SR71, SU27, Spitfire and even the SF38 Raptor, the Seafire is the NSC's answer to the UEO's own flagship fighter class - the SF-38 Raptor II.

Both of these are coming to the Atlantis site in the next couple of days. So while I witness the systematic annihilation of the Australian Cricket Team in England, I have to grudgingly give Round One of our own Atlantis Ashes series to Keith.

History demands rivalry.

2009-07-13T12:02:00.005+10:00

Just a note to say that there is, unfortunately, going to be a delay in the release of the new Seafire class subfighter of the NSC. Some complications with the model have arisen that need it to be revised. With any luck, we'll have it back within a few days.

In the mean time, here's something that I'm working on between all these updates. I suspect it will make for the subject of a really, really big update at some point in the future - as it really is a labour of love.

In other news... I really do think that this is an appropriate time to post the NSC, and as I've had a few requests recently for more Macronesian material, I have a dastardly idea.

For those in the British Commonwealth, you are undoubtedly aware that this is a time of epic struggle between two titans of sport... (Ok, so maybe it's more of a David and Goliath relationship at this moment)

Yes, the Ashes is underway in England, with the first test last night being drawn for a level series between Australia and the home side. Last night's highlights, of course, saw a lot of British procrastination in trying to avoid a horrid defeat at the hands of the colonials, and some laugh-inducing moments of cowardice (literally) as English batsmen physically tried to hide from the fast bowling of Australian paceman Peter Siddle.

A century of sporting tradition between these two sides dictates that the rivalry must be fierce, and there can no surrender, retreat or quarter - this is a grudge unlike any other in world sport.

And so... While Keith continues the onslaught of NSC (English) ships, I'm going to respond by ramping up the Macronesians.

As I'm sure Keith is reading this, he can take it as a friendly challenge...

NSC vs. Macronesians... Blow for blow, for three weeks. It doesn't matter who wins, or even what the victory conditions are, but I'm propsing nearly a month of head-down, tail-up work in an attempt to get the entire fleets of Macronesia and the North Sea Confederation on the website and out of the way.

It's long overdue, and sure, it's a big task... And sure, I'm going to have to spend more time in Photoshop and Maya than I thought my already-wanting social life permitted...

I think it can be done.

Video: Photoshop compositing... And the mystery sub.

2009-07-01T20:59:00.004+10:00

Well, here it is.

Apologies for the slight delay. Computers arent being very cooperative this evening

I won't say much, because as you can see - she's not my boat! Any questions you may have about it can be directed at her designer and builder... Which, I suppose you can pass through me.

(Video: 36 Megabytes, H.264. 1024x576. Right click-> Save as to download)

Content Inbound!

2009-07-01T17:17:00.002+10:00

Yes, that's right.

It is July First, and that means it's approaching time for a significant update on the site. Over the next few days, you can expect to see around three new entries in the site's tech library, as well as a few more character biographies.

But what of that announcement?

Well, stay tuned, because at 8:00pm, Australian Eastern Standard, I will be making one more post that will put to rest this month's mystery sub.

The mystery deepens...

2009-06-30T16:37:00.003+10:00

Well, look what the Office of Naval Intelligence just found.

I'm going to throw a cat amongst the pigeons.

Whatever could she be?

The big reveal, soon...

Live from Federation Square, Melbourne

2009-06-27T13:55:00.003+10:00

(Photo: 1:53pm, Saturday, June 27th, 2009 in Federation Square...)

Hello from sunny Melbourne.

(Believe me I am as shocked as you are. Sun in Melbourne? Preposterous!)

I'm under pressure to throw this out as quickly as I can before this laptop's battery dies, but sufficed to say, MIAF goes well.

After having spent nearly 6 hours drinking with a bunch of eccentric animators last night til about 4:00am, I have some new and very scary insights in to the workings of these people in the professional world. One of these people is Canadian filmmaker Chris Landreth, who the film-inclined may recognise as being the Academy Award-winning Director of the animated short, "Ryan."

Landreth is in Melbourne to screen his new film, "The Spine." It's a technically brilliant piece of work that brings justification to the statement that Landreth is nothing less than an unparalelled guru of CGI. (Indeed, he counts people such as John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton of Pixar Animation Studios among his immediate peerage.) His knowledge of 3D applications and methods is utterly intimidating, and I'm planning on spending a lot more time interrogating him on how to do this kind of thing.

It's rare that one has an opportunity to speak with such a person, let alone sit down in a bar with them for 6 hours over too many drinks!

As you probably guessed - I am in fact not going to reveal the identity of the secret submarine just yet. I'd much prefer to have access to my machine back in Wagga so I can finish refining a few things before I throw it up on the main site, but the speculation has been utterly fascinating to say the least... for reasons I won't yet explain.

Updates as they come.

-Jim

The mystery sub... Continued.

2009-06-23T00:46:00.002+10:00

Wow.

In the last twenty four hours, between comments and emails, we've had a very strong response to the mystery sub I showed you all. There is a very strong theme amongst all of you that she is the new seaQuest DSV, and thus represents the Odyssey class...

This is an interesting little experiment for me. The identity of the sub isn't being revealed just yet. Let's see what happens there on Saturday. What I will say for now is that this is giving me some ideas about something special that I've been considering for a while.

Every now and then, a project comes up that I decide to pass on to someone else. The list of people who I generally have on this 'contact list' is small, and the reason I ask others to design subs for Atlantis is two-fold.

Firstly, I don't have time to do it myself because of other projects. It almost goes without saying that having someone else working on something else simultaneously drastically increases productivity.

Secondly, I leave many aspects of design to the builder, and seperate myself from the process as much as possible, because it usually brings a different design aesthetic that I otherwise don't consider. This could be because of personal technique or taste, but regardless, on a couple of ocassions, these other designers have greatly influenced the way Atlantis continues to develop in very positive ways.

I would like this to continue...

And so, some time soon, I'm going to start a little competition to solve a problem I've had for a couple of years. You can probably guess where this is going, and all I shall say for the time being is that you may wish to start thinking about your own designs, and that there will be rewards.

MIAF 2009

2009-06-20T21:08:00.002+10:00

Well folks, a few sneaky things have been happening at Atlantis in the last week or so, but here's the deal.

Tomorrow I drive south to Melbourne for the Melbourne International Animation Festival 2009. After the work I did on AIAF this year, I have a free pass in, so I'm not exactly staring the gifthorse in the mouth.

This said, from the 22nd to the 28th of this month, I'll be out of the loop, but you can still catch me by email.

When I return, this is what's going to be unveiled...

(First email with the correct guess of what this is gets bragging rights.

Catch you on the flipside!

Forward: From a friend.

2009-06-12T14:39:00.003+10:00

Rarely do I feel compelled to post someone else's material on my own blog, but this one is particularly appropriate.

Peter Hanshaw is a friend and colleague of mine who graduated from the same course of Animation and Visual Effects and now works as an Environmental artist at Blue Tongue studios in Melbourne - a games studio under THQ most recently responsible for "de Blob" for the Nintendo Wii.

Truth be told, there isn't much I work on that doesn't go under his eyes and across his desk before it finally finds its way online. Indeed, not everything Peter has to say about my work may be full of praise, but more importantly his critiques are honest, constructive and helpful.

Yesterday he tagged this for me on Facebook.

Working in virtual space all day has its advantages, to be sure. You dont have to worry too much about budget, running out of paint is a non-issue, and there is always the off-hand chance that you can defy physics without making the universe implode, explode or turn into some weird mess of spaghetti*.

But all that aside, digital art lacks something vitally important. Its not the lack of stability, the mind numbingness of almost constant crashes (restart universe error) or the fact that you gradually earn yourself a monitor tan from constantly sitting infront of a computer.

What detracts from it the most is the fact that it is not tangible. You can't play with what you have just made. You can't walk around in those echoing coridors, you can't ever fly beside the massive star-ship.

What you see is essentially all there is to it. From one angle it looks like a complete world, but from any other angle it becomes clear that its all an illusion.

Those mountains in the background? Just a flat canvas, painted in photoshop. The walkers? Gemetric data rendered from a 3d application. Is any of it tangible? No. None of it is real.

But combined together, in just the right way, for a brief moment they form the idea, feeling and tone of a world much larger than the individual ingredients. They pave the way for the audience's imagination to *create* the world that you want them to see. Just a brief flicker, and suddenly there is a swirling sandstorm, the grind of the worn gears in the machine's leg, the glint of sun lighting up the flank of the beast, its all there in the picture, it just needs a receptive audience to give it life.

Sometimes its hard to create things in the virtual world. You know from the start exactly how many polygons are in the model, how many points it is made out of. You can see each individual element that makes up the whole picture. You know exactly how fake it is, rather than how real it looks.

It isn't always like that. Sometimes you get swept up in the creation, almost as if what you are making is making itself, you are just pressing the buttons. Its times like that, when you look up and suprise yourself, that make digital art worth all the time and effort.

It almost makes up for the constant crashing too.

*I still havn't got the hang of string theory...

The reason I post this here is because I feel it very elegantly describes what it is that I - and others - do as 3D modellers and artists.

Cheers,

-J

Update at Atlantis DSV

2009-06-04T12:06:00.001+10:00

You read correctly.

The main site has been updated and brought up to the current state of affairs. Go check it out here.

The future of "Tides of War"

2009-05-20T15:11:00.006+10:00

More musings from me today. About four years ago, myself and several university colleagues were tasked with creating a "multimedia project" - that is, a project entailing a combination of audio, text, video and/or interactivity - as part of our studies in Charles Sturt University's Bachelor of Arts (Multimedia - 3D Animation & Visual Effects) course. After some deliberation, this project became an Atlantis DSV-based modification ('mod') of the then-popular computer game, Command & Conquer: Generals.

As veterans amongst you would be aware, this modification didn't see a public release, although it was completed to an "Alpha" stage of production that served as a proof of concept. We proved it was quite possible to use a conventional 3D Real Time Strategy engine to turn Atlantis in to a game.

(Below: Screenshots and Assets from the 2006 Tides of War project...)

The future of this mod has been in question for some time. If it were not clear already, then I'll confirm now that the mod has halted production. It should be noted that not all the reasons for this decision were ours. Within three years of General's release in 2001, EA Games had already announced its successor, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Based on the same engine that ran Generals, C&C3 was larger, more advanced and better in virtually every way. In the development of Tides of War, we counted in this fact quite strongly, as the mod had been broken down in to two stages of development.

The first stage, intended to be developed for Generals, covered the majority of the gameplay mechanics, models, texturing and particle generators. The second stage of the mod would then be ported to the more flexible engine of C&C3 where it would be further refined for a public release.

This is where things got difficult, as C&C3's developer-released Modification tools were not as comprehensive as those for Generals. Effectively, this limited C&C3's mod potential to simple unit additions or basic modification of mechanics. It did not, however, allow for a comprehensive total-conversion of the game in to an underwater strategy epic.

This is what halted development of Tides of War, but - it should be noted - does not mean the project is dead and buried.

What exists now is the simple problem of finding a new engine with which to continue development, and while there are literally a dozen possibilities, none of them are particularly appropriate.

The first consideration I have of any title for the purposes of a mod is the immediately available community support. The Command and Conquer series is an excellent example of this kind of support - with millions upon millions of copies of the games sold, its easy to find a wide, vibrant and very alive community of gamers who can support your project. If a mod lacks this kind of support, it's an utterly uphill battle to survive. Support also dwindles with a game's age. While Generals was excellent in 2006, only a couple of years after its release, the community has since moved on to far better titles.

This obviously narrows the possible titles of a mod considerably. Of the more notable ones to survive that which are on the PC platform, we're left with the following examples of possible titles, and the reasons they won't work.

Supreme Commander:

Early in considering new engines, Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander was considered for its absolutely epic scale of combat, real-time physics model and ease of modification. The real problem is that the game is simply too epic, with too much emphasis on atmospheric physics for underwater combat to be a serious consideration. With a lack of mapping tools and no ability to change the game's basic lighting models, it was also next to impossible to replicate a water environment.

Dawn of War, Company of Heroes:

Both from developer Relic entertainment, these two titles were considered as they shared the same basic engine model. Both were rejected because of their lack of 'flight' mechanics that are necessary to represent subfighters and larger capital ships. On the positive side, the mapping tools and physics engines were excellent.

Homeworld 2:

A true benchmark in PC RTS games, Homeworld 2 - again by Relic Entertainment - comes annoyingly close to what is needed to continue Tides of War. Indeed, a previous modification by indie mod-team Drunken Pirates attempted to turn Homeworld 2 in to a naval combat game, but were confronted with the annoying reality that this is a space game - it's true 3D, and Aircraft Carriers look ridiculous when moving vertically.

Similarly, as this is a space game, there is no room for land environments that we would need to use to represent the expansive ocean floor... Homeworld is a truly excellent game if you want to create any universe in space, and modders have made fine attempts at this with Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Star Wars, and even Robotec.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

All the benefits of C&C 3... with none of the mod support. Red Alert 3 is about the least mod-friendly title in the series to date.

A thousand other B-list titles exist, such as the recent Stormrise, Star Trek: Legacy, Battlestations Midway, Tom Clancy's EndWar, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and even ancient titles that still survive such as Star Trek: Armada, yet all have the same problems as the games mentioned above, and some are compounded by the fact that they are just fundamentally bad games.

The reality is that asking for a Real Time Strategy game that supports underwater modification, physics and customizable GUIs is hard to do. Until someone comes out with an A-list strategy game that can be modded with all these things in mind, then its very likely that Tides of War will remain on the backburner.

At present, the thing I am considering is a different genre of title. RTS is only one form of Strategy, and there exists many other very mod-friendly turn-based strategy titles out there such as Civilization IV, Galactic Civilizations II, or even Star Wars: Empire at War, that all support a very wide range of modding possibilities. With so few titles on the horizon... a new Tides of War project may be much closer than you think.

In other news, here's what's sitting on my computer screen right now:

"Very Well, Thank You" - Author's Musings

2009-05-15T12:29:00.003+10:00

The question of content is one that comes up fairly regularly with Atlantis. The most frequent question of course is "When will the next Episode be out?"

A good question, but not one with a simple answer.

Episode VI is a very difficult one to write. Episode 5 has left us with some very hard questions and problems to resolve, and while it's all well and good to go for the simplest, most direct solution... It never ends up being very satisfying. More bluntly, it's a 'cop-out.'

A complex plot with a simple, predictable resolution is never something to be rewarded, and usually reflects the half-baked planning that went in to the story. It's easy to appreciate, then, just how important it is for me to avoid this kind of resolution with Episode 6.

The last few months have provided a few revelations that have changed or challenged several key points in Episode 6, one particular point above all - what to do with the Atlantis herself. The series is called "Atlantis DSV", and the prospect of writing the story without the epynomous ship as the centerpiece of the plot is a daunting idea to say the least.

Nevertheless, the ramifications of what happened in Episode 5 cannot be underplayed, and Episode 6 has to respect that, even if it means making some very difficult decisions about the way things will continue to unfold. Further more - I have to get it right.

As I have been reminded so very recently on the New Cape Quest forums, writing Atlantis and expecting people to hold their suspension of disbelief is not something that I can take for granted. Indeed, I have worked on Science Fiction projects that claimed to be written for the "Average Joe", and I myself found the idea offensive. Science Fiction and literature in general should challenge the audience, and one particular post that was made on NCQ highlighted this point very succinctly.

The author of the post I had not spoken to before, but they asked the sorts of questions that a cynical author focused on an overall story can be tempted to brush aside. As a case in point, one of Star Trek's principal Art Director's, Michael Okuda, was once asked by Time Magazine how the USS Enterprise's Heisenberg Compensator worked in the operation of a Transporter. His answer was very blunt:

"Very well, thank you."

To be honest, at some level I sympathise with Okuda. When you're so busy focussing on the overall design, the last thing you need to do is get hung up on the smallest of details. If you focus on details before you've finished the structure, then it will never get finished. This is especially true if you are working on your own, without the aid of a creative team to offer suggestions. While I suspect Okuda's answer may be a reflection of a more cynical view of Star Trek fans' infamous enthusiasm, I've always tried to prevent myself from falling in to that sort of 'divorce' from the audience. For the most part, there is a reason Star Trek fans are so enthusiastic about their show, and those reasons can be strongly related to qualities that make the show work. Is there such a thing as over-enthusiasm? Certainly, I think there is, but to go back to my original point, I stated that I go to great pains to avoid cop-outs and simple solutions within the context of the story. It stands to reason that by extension, I should obey the same rules when dealing with the finer details.

This is what the audience excel at. As I writer I won't pretend to be all-knowing. I have to be educated in or aware of the material I'm writing about. In immediate instance, it would be stupid for me to write a story about submarines with absolutely no idea how a submarine works, but ocassionally I do go in to areas where my knowledge is not as thorough or reasonable, and the audience can and will point this out.

With a little embarrassment, I admit that the post made on NCQ highlighted some of this lack of knowledge. Where then, is the line between artistic integrity and admitting when you are wrong?

The answer is one that is contingent on the artist. Personally, I encourage people to ask questions, or to challenge decisions I've made throughout the stories I've written. If the audience does not understand or accept something, then I believe it's my responsibility to explain it to them or rationalize my decisions to a point that they can understand it. What the audience probably shouldn't do however (And again this is a personal matter of etiquette) is suggest changes on how to make it 'better' without first asking "Why?"

To look at this from my perspective, having sunk nearly a decade in to the development of an idea that I'm very passionate about, it can seem the height of arrogance for someone to come along and 'suggest' and 'implement' changes to that idea without first asking questions. I maintain that there is no such thing as a 'stupid question'. Indeed, if there is an answer that I have or have intended to provide at some point in the stories, then I can feel confidant that I am on the right track, and I know I'm doing things right. The question in that case is as rewarding to me as the answer is to the person who asked it.

Occasionally though, this discussion between the author and audience can stimulate thoughts or ideas that weren't previously considered, or weren't explored deep enough and in these cases, it can reveal oversights, technical gaffs and plot holes that could have (and should have) been corrected. This is entirely healthy, and at that point I have to look for ways to incorporate the audience's ideas in such a way that it's still respectful to my own work.

So, in summary - keep asking questions. I might not have all the answers, but it helps me more when I'm presented with feasible alternatives to problems that I didn't know I had. Atlantis has thrived off this in the past, and I would hate to see that stop now.

The New Star Trek.

2009-05-08T11:39:00.002+10:00

Well, last night, I saw a renaissance.

J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek film has left me with a lot to think about, so much, in fact, that I'll likely have to see it again if I want to really come to grips with how much has just changed.

I'll handle this in two parts; without spoilers, and with spoilers. Read on carefully.

I went in to Star Trek with a single thought: If I liked the film, I would hate myself. It took George Lucas 25 years to take a dump on my childhood adoration of Star Wars, and J.J. Abrams set out to do the same in barely two years with this new Trek film.

After the way he screwed the pooch with "Alias", and created the aptly-named "Lost", I have really grown to foster a serious grudge against J.J. Abrams for the way he stuffs up everything he touches. Given the fact my ultimate opinion here is that this is the best trek film since Wrath of Khan, you might have an inkling of the dilemma I have.

Star Trek as I know it, is over. This is Abrams' brave new world, and to be honest, I loved every minute of it. It was fast paced (In fact, I think it may have been too-fast, and felt the film could have easily last another half hour.), gritty and very, very bold. If you have not seen the film yet, then go and do yourself a favour and read the four issues of the Star Trek: Countdown comic that was released as a 'prequel' to the film. It explains nicely how the new film follows on from Nemesis, and provides a good deal of context to events that are only mentioned on screen.

The strongest aspects of the film were without doubt the new cast of the "Big Three" (Kirk, Spock and McCoy, for those unfamiliar,) the story direction, and even the art style. The villain, unfortunately, does not work anywhere near as well, reinforcing the point that you should really read Countdown before hand. To summarize, however, Nero is a Romulan, and without saying too much, he has come back in time from the era of Post-Nemesis to exact some very serious pay back against his ancestry. The ramifications of this in the film are utterly shocking, and when I said I expected the film to continue another half an hour, it's because I refused to believe that Abrams could have had to stones to finish the film in the manner he did.

As Paramount have already announced their plans to proceed with a sequel to this film, I can only say "bring it on," because I cannot fathom how much Abrams may yet completely change what I know about Star Trek.

Highlight below for a more in-depth (read: spoiler-ridden) analysis...

This is a new Star Trek timeline. I was so concerned about what happened in the film, and what it meant for everything else we have seen and loved in Star Trek, that I googled the idea of a "multiverse" setting for Star Trek to be completely certain. So, while The Next Generation continues as we have always known and understood it, this film takes place in an unapologetic "alternate timeline" where things are no doubt going to get a lot nastier before they get better.

Abrams pulled no punches with this. Before the film even started, the comics (which are canon) set the stage by destroying Nero's home world. That's right: the Romulan Empire is dust, destroyed in 2287 by a supernova that the crew of the Enterprise-E was unable to stop. An elderly Ambassador Spock had planned to destroy the star with a black hole, thus saving what was left of the Alpha Quadrant. While the star was stopped by this black hole, it was too late to save Romulus... And so Nero got to watch Rome burn, all the while feeling somewhat vengeful for our pointy-eared hero.

Unexpectedly, his ship was pulled in to the singularity and thrown back through time where for 25 years he started on a course that would alter the course of Star Trek history radically.

His ultimate revenge? The destruction of Vulcan.

There was of course much conjecture leading up to the film's release as to the identity of the dusty, brown planet that we saw being consumed by Nero's weapon. Many of the rumours postulated that the planet was Vulcan...

Well, with the conjecture how settled, it becomes very clear why this is a new Star Trek, and I am forced to wonder just how differently the Federation will evolve without one of the most important founding members. J.J. Abrams has made a clear statement in this act: no one is safe. For all we know, Kirk may die in the second film, and Earth may be reduced to a ball of ash.

Who knows!

This, more than anything else, is what has given Star Trek such a new, radical lease on life. What's even more impressive about is how Abrams has done it without re-writing canon. The first event in the film begins to change the course of Star Trek history, and in the twenty five years it takes James Kirk to grow up, it's easy to understand how in that time Nero could have drastically altered the mechanics of everything we've seen to date, including the design of the Enterprise.

This is a revelation... And this time I feel only luck that I was here to see it start.

Reverence Progress Log... Part 4 (Interiors)

2009-04-16T20:55:00.004+10:00

Some time ago now I posted some early work in progress shots on NCQ for the command center of the UEO's Reverence class submarines.

Well, in an attempt to make penance with the lack of updates since February, I thought I'd do the show and tell a bit differently this time. If you guys like it, then we'll do them like this more often.

In the mean time, have a look at two and a half minutes of "video blog" from yours-truly, and let me know what you think.

Right click and "Save as" on the crest below to Download video
(H.264 codec, .MP4 - Use VLC, Quicktime or Windows Media Player. 41.3MB)

In the workshop right now:

Reverence Bridge - Maya
Ares Fleetyards & DSV Construction - Maya
Atlantis DSV Episode VI: Captain's Honour
Seafire Subfighter Texturing - Maya/Photoshop

CAG Mugs - Orders Closed.

2009-01-26T01:21:00.003+11:00

Hey all,

Well, the deadline for ordering mugs has now come and gone (for now) and, I have to say, the reception this little experiment received was extremely positive!

To be exact my first order was not large enough, and I had to make a few more orders today to satisfy demand. I really didn't expect this, so to all those who dropped me a line - thank you very much! Because of you, it is entirely likely that you will see more things like this in the not-too-distant future.

For those who missed out this time around, don't fret too much - because I will make them available again later next month when I've settled back in at University to resume study for 2009.

Cheers,

-James

NCQ and Atlantis site outtage

2009-01-23T23:38:00.000+11:00

Just a head's up.

Yes, we're aware of the site downtime, and we're dealing with it... Just hang in there.

CAG mugs, Ramblings

2009-01-20T11:30:00.004+11:00

Hey all.

I ordered an initial lot of Rapiers and Dark Angels coffee mugs yesterday, and the supplier tells me that they will be ready for pickup in 14 days, or, for those reaching for their calendars - February 4th. For those of you who have already confirmed your orders with me, you can expect updates on this as they come.

I head back to University for 2009 on February 1st, but I'll be visiting Sydney briefly between the 6th and 8th to see Top Gear Live, during which time I will pick up this order and have it shipped to you all first thing on Monday.

It's still not too late for me to order more. Remember the deadline for the first lot is January 25, so if you're interested - drop me an email and I'll let you know more details.

Now, some news on the Atlantis front.

Episode VI

Oh, yes, it's being written - the story has been sent to the other Atlantis staff, and has been finalized. Any further tweaks are being made only as it progresses. If Keith's reaction was any indication to how this one will be received, I don't think I'm going too far to say that I'm going to have more fun writing this than I did writing Rising Thunder.

On a related note, for the past several months, Keith has been working on the ships of the North Sea Confederation, from the old Polaris-class ESVs to the all-new Le Attaque-class cruisers. When he started, Keith had no working knowledge of Maya at all and to his credit, with very little instruction, he has produced some truly excellent work.

The above is the new Seafire "TV5", as used by the North Sea Confederation. This subfighter is Europe's answer to the UEO's SF-37 Raptor series and in Atlantis is the eventual replacement for the Tornado class subfighters previously mentioned in the series. The fighter's name comes from the Supermarine Seafire that many nations - particularly Britain - employed during the second world war was a navalized version of the more commonly known Spitfire. Keith's principle work on this model is finished, and now it's my (admitedly painful) job of UV mapping and texturing it.

Without saying too much, I will say that there is a Rapiers scheme for this fighter in the works, in addition to the standard sea-grey NSC livery that will come to be the ,most commonly-known image of the fighter.

Ramblings.

So, the new Battlestar Galactica is out. For those who do not watch Battlestar Galactica, I can only say this.

What are you doing here reading this blog!? Go away! You're missing out

I was a late-comer to the "nu-BSG" party a couple of years ago, as I was definitely not a fan of the original 1978 series (oh the tack...) and when I had heard that Ronald D. Moore (writing credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Generations) was re-imagining the series back in 2003, I was... sceptical. How could something so tragically bad be turned in to something worth watching?

I was wrong. While respectful to the original series, this BSG is all-new and all-improved, although I suspected while watching the mini-series a couple of years ago that the writers might have been fans of the game Homeworld. The art style and cinematic direction of space combat was very, very familiar, from the way fighters pitched and rolled in combat to the sound of the cannon fire, and even the way carriers performed. You reading this, Ron? I'm on to you...

Regardless, the new episode's big revelation - I hate to say - came as no surprise. Those who are fans will appeciate it when I say that from Baltar's initial "I'll never tell" to D'Anna's last "The fifth is not in the fleet", the writing was on the wall as to who was the last of the Final Five cylons. Alex? If you're reading this - you frakking called it.

As for Dee... Brilliant, is all I will say.

Now will someone please tell me what the hell is going on with Starbuck?

Postage questions: mug shipping

2009-01-16T10:16:00.004+11:00

Hey guys,

I've had a few questions about shipping costs for the mugs, and after doing some reading, I've got figures on how much it will cost to ship them. I've covered a few countries, so if yours isn't listed here, let me know and I'll give you exact details.

All prices given are in Australian dollars and indicate a package weighing between 500 and 750 grams.

United States of America & Canada
Registered International - $25.65
Air mail - $20.65
Sea mail - $14.45

British Isles & Europe
Registered International - $30.60
Air mail - $25.60
Sea mail - $14.45

China
Registered International - $22.35
Air mail - $17.35

New Zealand
Registered International - $19.05
Air mail - $14.05

Australia (Domestic - Metropolitan areas)
Perth:
Parcel Post: $11.60
Express Parcel Post: $20.20
Sydney:
Parcel Post: $7.20
Express Parcel Post: $9.90
Melbourne:
Parcel Post: $9.75
Express Parcel Post: $14.50
Brisbane:
Parcel Post: $9.75
Express Parcel Post: $14.50
Adelaide:
Parcel Post: $10.05
Express Parcel Post: $15.70
Darwin:
Parcel Post: $10.05
Express Parcel Post: $15.70
Hobart:
Parcel Post: $10.95
Express Parcel Post: $14.50

So, if you would like one of these mugs, let me know, and please indicate which method of shipment you would prefer. All shipments will be sent after payment is received. Insurance is guaranteed within Australia (as per Australia Post's requirements) and any international shipments that you would like insured must be sent as "registered", for which prices are indicated here.

If you would like to see more postage rates - please visit Australia Post's website here.

Atlantis DSV C.A.G. mugs available!

2009-01-15T11:35:00.005+11:00

I said we were going to do 2009 right, and to all high heavens I mean it!

To kick us off this year, I've got an offer for all you folk who keep track of the site and this blog.

I recently posted on NCQ with an open-offer to the community asking if they would like Atlantis DSV mugs made, and the reaction has been quite positive to say the least. I figure if I am going to do this, I may as well make the most of it and throw it out there to the rest of you as well.

Last year I had a couple of coffee mugs made up with the crest of the VF-107 Rapiers printed on each side and the letters "CAG" swung under the sword pommels. They turned out really well, and after over a year of use, it's still held its colour and print.

Over the course of January and February, I'll be taking orders for a new set of these mugs.

The above is the design that will be printed. Each mug will be done in white ceramic, with the crest printed on the two facing sides. The price is $20 (Australian), plus shipping and handling from Australia, payable with paypal or direct deposit if you live in Australia.

Payment has to be made before shipping, and all postage will be insured to protect you and your goods from damage or loss.

The first order will be made on 25 January, 2009, so if you would like one of these mugs, please contact me before then.

Orders can be sent to my email address at jamesward85@gmail.com and I will confirm your order by providing you with paypal details. Please indicate how many mugs you would like (if applicable) and to where/whom you would like it shipped.

2008 in review: a slow and inevitable year

2008-12-31T17:34:00.002+11:00

For myself and many others around me, 2008 has been a blur, and not in any way that can be called "good". There isn't much I can say to it that has not already been said in the past, but I shall try, and I shall keep it brief.

I rode high for most of 2007. I set out to achieve alot, and accomplished most of it. The downside was that I wouldn't know how much it had cost me until the early days of 2008.

The road to hell is paved with the best intentions, and there is no doubt we came in to 2008 with some very high expectations and equally lofty goals. The fact is that I've done so much for so long, and with no pause, some form of burnout was only a matter of time. It would hit me like a tonne of bricks, and I would need a break.

2008 was that year.

Personal strife in January was followed by the lowest point of my life in many years. I didn't feel the full effect of it until May, and it was far too late to avoid. The enthusiasm I once felt for many things, including work, study and hobbies evaporated. I had no energy nor desire to do anything with my life, and didn't particulary see an end to it any time soon.

Yet there was still the hope that 2009 would be a better year, and we struggled on.

When I say I have needed this break for a very long time, it is not something that I say half-heartedly. Only at the very end of this year did things begin to come together, and it is in no small part due to my friends and family who have stuck by me through both the best and worst that this year could throw at me.

To Daniel G. Williams, Nathan Leong, Keith Carpenter, Michael Byrne, Peter Butz, Alexander Williams, Peter Gatward, Chloe Willems, Peter Hanshaw, the crew from CSU, all my very best.

To Daniel Watson - my heartfelt congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I'll see you next week.

To my family, who have continued to support me unconditionally throughout the year with much love and understanding, thank you.

And most especially, to Yvonne... I really need to say no more.

To all of you - Happy New Year, and all the best for 2009.

This time, we're going to do it right.

-James Ward

Reverence Project Conclusion

2008-12-18T11:58:00.004+11:00

After many hours drawing, modelling, revising and tuning, the new Reverence class Battlecruiser is at last, complete, thus bringing to a close Atlantis's spring project. As it's already been covered here on Cape Cortez before, you probably already have some idea of what to expect.

So, there she is. These pictures - first posted on NCQ last night - probably won't make the Atlantis site, but any further renders and art done of the Reverence (some of which is coming soon) will use this new model and be posted, along with the ship's revised specs. They are as follows.

Class:
Reverence Class Fleet Carrier/Battlecruiser (CVBN)

Estimated Construction Cost:
Approximately 12 Billion USD per unit

Keel Laid:
Reverence CVBN-96 – 2037

Launched:
Reverence CVBN-96 – 2039

Commissioned:
Reverence CVBN-96 – 2039

Dimensions:
Length: 270.0m
Beam: 110.0m

Submerged Displacement:
55,362 tonnes

Hull Composition:
Triple layered semi-organic pliant self-regenerating 3rd Generation Bioskin covering a titanium double hull supported by a reinforced composite steel/C65 frame. Hull is protected in key sections by 5 inches of internal, ablative composite armour belt.

Crush Depth:
Greater than 30,000 feet

Propulsion & Machinery:
2 Williams-Leong Ship Systems Taurus fusion reactors powering 4 Aqua-return hydrojet drives

Speed:
Maximum: 153 knots
Standard Cruising: 130 knots

Computer System:
IBM-XA Integrated Optical Neural Network (Flight I)
Williams-Leong C.I.877-A-series Neural/Integrated Optics AHAI (Almost-Human A.I.) Network (Flight II)

Sensors:
Internal: Hypersonar; active and passive sensor suites
Effective Range : Approximately 140 nautical miles
3 Deployed WSKRS satellites
3 Deployed WSPRS satellites
Maximum Effective Range : Approximately 300 nautical miles

Armament:

Torpedo armament:

16 Mk. 1 RAFIT (RApid Firing, Independently Targeting) Six-Tube 21-inch Torpedo Batteries (mounted bows, midships) (Flight I)

20 Mk. 3 RAFIT (RApid Firing, Independently Targeting) Six-Tube 21-inch Torpedo Batteries (mounted bows, midships) (Flight II)

Plasmer Particle Laser Cannon armament:

6 SLR-81 "Banshee" Long Range PPLCs (mounted bows & midships) (Flight I)
6 SLR-82 "Wraith" Long Range PPLCs (mounted bows & midships) (Flight I)

4 SLR-83 "Avenger" Long Range PPLCs (Flight II)
4 SLR-84 "Stingray" Long Range PPLCs (mounted bows & midships) (Flight II)

Missile armament:

12 Triton-V "Revelation-II"-class ICBMs, each with 8 MIRVs totalling 3400 megatons. Alternate arrangements can replace nuclear weapons with up to 96 Pathfinder-III hypersonic cruise missiles with either tactical nuclear or conventional payloads.

Defensive systems:
Mark IX and X Intercept Torpedoes
ECM Packages and Noise Makers

EVA Assets:
Up to 70 sub-craft of varying types. Arrangements vary from vessel to vessel, but typically:
36 UEO Raptor-II and NSC Seafire Subfighters
12 Stormhawk bombers
4 Sea-Launch Submersible Shuttles
2 Deep Sea Recovery Vehicles (DSRV) (“Pick Ups”)
4 Sea Speeder multi-purpose mini subs

Crew Complement:
Approximately 700 (Includes ship's crew, Marine contingent and EVA/Subfighter corps)

Yes, there have been revisions made to these statistics to those published on the site, and some might say the ship has been 'downgraded' from its previous speficiations, or at the very least has seen a major rollback on the number of laser cannons it has. I just thought that 16(!) cannons of each type was a little extreme, considering the Atlantis has barely half that in some instances.

Episode 6, which is being written right now, will see some big changes to the story and characters of Atlantis DSV after the events of Episode 5: Shattered Sword. Of course, the most obvious change is the ship the events will revolve around. The UEO Commonwealth will be that ship - the "last" of the original Reverence class Battlecruisers, and the first of the Flight-II variants. Set in 2043, the ship is commanded by someone we've all come to know pretty well. After three years of war, Jim Banick rose through the ranks to the post of Captain, and assumed command of the Commonwealth in late 2042.

The design of the new Reverence has been influenced heavily by the work of NCQ's DG Williams, who not so long ago built the rather popular Antaeus-class strike cruiser that was first read about in Episode 5, and many hallmarks of his design can be found all over the Reverence, including the preference for vertical fins over the previous side-by-side arrangement, a fork-prow, engine arrangements, fighter bays and "nestled" superstructures.

Originally the Antaeus design called for something far longer and dare I say "sleeker" than the compact gunship that resulted. To be fair, DG did such a good job in his work on the Antaeus that I have since had a very hard time seeing the Antaeus in any other configuration. So while the Antaeus is very different (but still very successful) from what I had original imagined, I was still eager to put my original thoughts to work.

It's possible - if I went with what I was thinking originally - that this ship might have ended up being the Antaeus if DG had stuck with that original 'draft'. Thus, the Reverence was born.

For comparison, shown above is the Reverence next to her very-near cousin, the Antaeus. Both ships are rendered to scale.

If you trawl over the earlier posts in this blog and look at some of the progress shots, you will see alot of the changes that were made to the Reverence more clearly. One thing that became very apparent when I first put the Antaeus next to the Reverence was that the top-sides of the latter were comparatively very boring, and didn't really respect the difference in scale between the two ships. This was corrected with the addition of further 'steps' in the superstructure, along with more pronounced bulges down the length of the dorsal hull. The final addition of trenches down each side for laser weapons, like those found on the Antaeus, helped add a little more interest.

Lastly, I want to post this and compare the sheer technical improvement over the original Reverence model made back at the start of 2006. Three years does a lot for 'efficiency'. The new model, sculpted from as few primitive objects as possible, weighs in at just over 75,000 polygons. The original monster was over 590,000(!) and was so render intensive that it simply wasn't really worth the effort.

Keep an eye on the website for all these updates, and new renders of the Reverence class that will be posted in the library.

Reverence Progress Log... Part 3

2008-11-22T22:05:00.003+11:00

Another update to this most storied of classes...

Some background -

The UEO Reverence class battlecruiser was designed as the best answer to Macronesia's growing armada. While the Atlantis class DSVs hold the mantle of the UEO's most powerful warships out-right, the monstrous cost of these unique ships prohibits their construction at a fleet-wide scale.

The Reverence, weighing in at over 50,000 tonnes and sporting a full length not less than 265 meters stem-to-stern is one of the most technically advanced, well-rounded, versatile and best protected ships in the UEO fleet. First appearing in 2039 as a successor to the ageing, worn-out fleet of Poseidon class fleet carriers, the Reverence remains without peer in the UEO and Macronesian fleets. No single ship can match her in weight of torpedo salvos, and her formidable sea-wing of up to six squadrons of Raptor and Stormhawk subfighters are matched only by Macronesia's Honorious class carriers.

Thirteen vessels were constructed between the years of 2039 and 2042. They were the Reverence, Constellation, Poseidon, Saratoga, Ark Royal, Neptune, Seahawk, Sovereign, Archangel, Kitty Hawk, Royal Oak, Ticonderoga and Commonwealth. One of their number, Kitty Hawk, served as the flagship of the UEO 4th Fleet in the defence of Pearl Harbor where it was ultimately destroyed while holding off an entire squadron of Alliance Tempest class Heavy Cruisers for nearly forty five minutes.

Some of these vessels have gained as much notoriety as the fabled DSVs themselves. Ships such as the Ticonderoga, under the command of Admiral Mitchell Morgan continue to distinguish themselves in famous actions across the Pacific whilst acting as the flagships of the UEO's heaviest taskforces. If the location of a Reverence can be confirmed by the Alliance, it is almost a certainty that every effort will be made to dispatch it, or if the necessary firepower is not available, standing orders for Macronesian commanders are to avoid them at any cost.

The last of the class, the UEO Commonwealth rolled out of her San Angeles docks in late 2042. As of 2043, she is under the command of Captain James Banick.

Reverence Progress Log... Part 2

2008-11-13T17:15:00.002+11:00

So, a few weeks ago I posted a rather 'sketchy' (no pun intended) drawing of what is fanning out to be the new Reverence class Battlecruiser.

Well, after some work in Maya, she is beginning to shape up.

Here is the UEO Commonwealth, as she appeared 15 minutes ago.

...And to think they called me mad.

2008-10-17T01:17:00.002+11:00

Banick frowned. “An aerial… what?”
“The Vengeance has a single squadron of a new prototype concept that’s been worked on by the NSC for some time. Rafale IIs are basically jump jets that can be launched from a shallow, submerged depth. Their engines can breathe water for extremely limited periods of time, or so I’m told, so it should be possible to deploy air forces without raising any unnecessary alarm bells.”
“Neat… when do we get those?”
“Don’t count on it. They canned the project last month.”

-Atlantis DSV Episode III: Rising Thunder

Far be it for me to claim this was an entirely original idea. Indeed, the first time I heard of this concept was many years ago in the form of seaFire ASV's "Peacemaker" class subfighter. Their version of this idea was far more 'extreme' than mine ended up being, but it has to be said - I never saw this coming.

More bizzare fact than strange fiction...

Drawing Board.

2008-10-02T16:09:00.002+10:00

While work continues to progress slowly (as previously stated) there is still work being done... This one comes from the drawing boards of the ASDB. Expect updates on this one as it progresses.

The dragging of heels... (Important)

2008-09-18T20:38:00.003+10:00

Hey folks.

If you're still reading this after so very long, then my thanks to you.

It has been a very long time since my last update to either this blog or the Atlantis website. I'd apologise, but instead, I'll try to explain why.

For the past several months my life has been a very mentally-trying, emotionally exhausting experience. My studies are not to blame, and neither is lazyness, which is probably what's bothered me most because both can be fixed with relative ease. The first is simply a case of time management, and the other will fix itself with a good bought of kicking myself in the ass.

Without bringing my personal problems to the internet for the whole world to see, I'll summarize: In the last twelve months, all of my usual hobbies have suffered a feeling of general lethagy, apathy and lack of enthusiasm. My studies have followed suit in a pattern of procrastination that dominates every facet of university and commitments, and I have had very little energy to do anything. This - as my friends have called it - is a "creative funk" that merely needs me to explore new things, and correct some problems in my life that have led to everything else suffering.
This, as you have no doubt gleaned, includes Atlantis.

This is not because I do not enjoy these parts of my life anymore. I do, and I fully intend to continue with them once my issues have been resolved, however sometimes - as I have been reminded by my family on several ocassions - it is necessary for every writer to pull their head out of the books and take in the world around them.

I have worked on Atlantis for over 5 years without pause or rest. In that time I have come to be very proud of some of the stories that have developed from it, and I have eagerly looked to the future of where the series is headed.

Let me say this now so there is no confusion.

No. Atlantis is not dead. If it does 'end', you'll know because I'll tell you, and because the website, everything on it, and this blog, will no longer exist.

Atlantis is continuing... You can just expect it to continue at a slow pace until such time that I can find the energy to give it the attention it deserves.

I will still answer any and all emails about the website, blog and series, but for now I just ask some understanding as I get my house in order.

As I always, I remain thankful.

-James Ward

Last Night in Melbourne...

2008-06-23T01:51:00.002+10:00

It's been a very long week. I'm both sad and relieved to see it come to an end, but there is still much to be done in the next couple of days. So, you can say you heard it here first - the winners of the Melbourne International Animation Festival in the two key categories were:

Australian Panorama:
Winner: The Passenger
Honourable Mention: Global Warming

Best of the Festival (Overall):
Madame Tutli-Putli (Nominated for 2008 Academy Award for Best Animated Short)

No surprise on the winner, when you think about it. If you want to look up any of the above three films, they're all well worth watching.

I fly back to Wagga Wagga at 3:00PM tomorrow afternoon. I expect to be in Sydney by Wednesday at 6:00PM

Well, I'm buggered. G'night all.

Melbourne International Animation Festival, Day 1

2008-06-17T11:53:00.002+10:00

Mornin' folks.

So, hello from grey old Melbourne, Victoria.

I'm down here for about a week until Sunday for the Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF), which covers everything from Disney's latest work to the best short films from SIGGRAPH 2007. It's a full week of animation screenings, seminars and talks with some of Animation's most respected names. Next week I'll have the opportunity to meet Marcy Page, who produced the 2004 Oscar-winning short "Ryan" when she comes up to give a talk at CSU to the Animation and Visual Effects students.

This is officially my holiday for this semester. I don't expect I'll get to do anything like this again any time soon.

That big project...

2008-06-09T18:57:00.002+10:00

Ya. That one which I've mentioned twice before and not actually elaborated on.

You can track its progress here at scifi-meshes.com.

Server Problems and Updates

2008-06-06T17:17:00.003+10:00

Hey all,

I've finally managed to upload the firts of the June updates to the site today. For the last week, FTP problems have meant I couldn't connect to the EPFarms servers to upload the new files. Thus the discrepency between the date on the update, and the actual day it's been uploaded.

This is as frustrating for me as it is for you, no doubt, so please bear with me while DG works to correct the problems. Sadly, I can't give you an indication as to when this situation will improve.

As it is, while Atlantis is up and running, New Cape Quest is not... Ironic that the FTP problems would be fixed only to break NCQ.

The Final day of University...

2008-05-28T16:53:00.001+10:00

I handed in my last assessment for my first semester of 2008 today.

I was required to write a production report on the outcome of the assignment, giving an objective view of the participation of those involved.

Thus we come to this;

"...And it is equally rare that such projects have run so grossly over time and budget while being plagued with a complete academic abortion of professional, organizational and technical discipline.

I've had an excellent day.

-J

The State of Atlantis... And Indy IV (May 2008)

2008-05-25T14:48:00.005+10:00

Lines of Detention:
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.
I will not slack off on updating again.

Ok, now that that is done, let's move on to the fun stuff.

Remember the first post of this blog? It showed a shiny new Raptor mesh that was in the works and promised for release some time in the future. Well, that day is today.

Exciting times... Set only to get more interesting after this week. This coming week is going to be unfortunately busy, putting a clamp on my plans to update some time in the next several days. I've just finished being the Technical Director on the Australian International Animation Festival (yes, it was big) and I'm wrapping up the University semester with a week full of assessments beginning 8am tomorrow (Monday) morning.

I've worked alot on the Raptor in the last three weeks, being sick of it in limbo and needing to get it out there with the new Atlantis mesh (watch that space, too...) so it's nice to finally see it finished.

Before I lavish this post with pretty pictures however, I'd like to take a moment to do something I'm not accustomed to; reviewing a film. This will only be brief.

Indiana Jones and the Kindgom of the Crystal Skull

I'm of the opinion that the worst thing that ever happened to George Lucas was the discovery of CGI as a tool in film making. Look what happened to the Star Wars prequels - they were ruined because Lucas spent so much time on visuals, and not enough time on a genuine effort to tell a story.

Sadly, it's happened again, this time with his other Fedora-wearing franchise, Indiana Jones.

I am a huge fan of the original films. They have a campy seriousness to them which, as someone reminded me last night, has me grinning from ear to ear every time I see them. I'm one of the silent few who considers The Last Crusade to be the best of the original three, purely because it did so much, and contained so many interesting characters and events. Raiders, while good, didn't grip me in that same way.

Let's get this straight - Crystal Skull has all the elements of Indiana Jones:
Harrison Ford - Check
Difficult and uncooperative female love interest - Check
Fedora - Check
Whips - Check
Stereotypical humungous bad guy who inevitably has to Box with Indy - Check
Evil Femme Fatale - Check
Plot to take over the world with some mythical device - Check
Obscene Car Chase - Check

Now let's change "Nazi" to "Communist", and we have Indy IV.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull suffers from the most classic trappings of both Spielberg and Lucas. It's as if the two of them couldn't help themselves. Instead of being treated to Indiana Jones on one of his ruggishly fun adventures, we're shown an aged, mocked old man who plays second fiddle to one Shia La Beouf, who is disappointingly assured to become the next titular hero. Ford's performance is good as the elderly Indiana, and it's nice to see him in the role again, even if the direction of the character seems to undermine that which we know him for.

To be fair, it is unrealistic for us to expect the same Indiana after 20 years on the sidelines, and it was nice to see Spielberg and Lucas pay their respect to the original trilogy with the return of an old flame in Marion Ravenwood (Once again played by a somewhat older Karen Allen of Raiders fame) and it was equally sad to see that neither Sean Connery nor John Rhys-Davis do not make returns. (And Denholm Elliot - "Marcus Brody" - died in 1992.)

Another disappointing turn is the new direction of the 'stunts', which have gone from a gritty, practical 'realism' in the original three films to a CGI-driven series of visual gags ranging from a flying refrigerator (I'm not kidding) to people being eaten alive by giant man-eating ants, which I could swear has been ripped straight out of Brendan Fraser'sThe Mummy. Come to think of it, the entire plot came from that film, so if you're expecting something original, new and fantastic... Look elsewhere. About the most 'impressive' stunt in the entire film involves a ridiculously forced sword fight where Shia La Beouf straddles two jeeps and gets whacked several times in the nether regions by spiky amazonian flora.

The classic Nazi evil has completely been replaced with the Red Menace of the 1950s, complete with an equally 'classic' plot involving Communist mind control, and spearheaded by an unbelieveably bad antagonist in Cate Blanchett, who was forced to look something like Dr. Evil's mother. So in fact, not only has this film got all the elements of Indiana Jones, it also has all the elements of a shocking '50s sci-fi. Area 51, Mind Control, World Domination and even... well... I just can't bring myself to say it. It might be a spoiler, but let's just say this wouldn't be the first series under Spielberg's hand to suffer from what I shall call "Season 2 Syndrome".

By all means, go and see Indiana Jones IV, because I dont know how much longer we'll get to see Harrison Ford in the role at all. No matter how bad, we may as well get used to reality and enjoy what little we have left while we still can.

...And now that I'm done with that, back to the fun stuff;

Stay tuned.

Just a note on the blog...

2008-05-06T22:59:00.002+10:00

We changed the name. Being so entrenched in the submarine mindset around here, female colleagues and friends found the previous name just a little too amusing.

For peace of mind; "Hot, Straight and Normal" is a Submariner's term referring to the status of torpedoes after that have been fired. It is not a double entendre. Danke.

A big project is in the works. Those of you who frequent NCQ will be aware of it... if not, stay tuned...

For those who asked...

2008-04-29T16:14:00.003+10:00

People kept asking if they could see a photo of the Atlantis model made back in 2001 out of resin.

So, here it is.

Evolution of the Atlantis DSV...

2008-04-17T16:01:00.004+10:00

The other day I was scrounging through old CDs and DVDs, when I stumbled across an innocuous disk labelled "Atlantis '05".

intrigued, I put the disk in the tray and found myself looking through a bunch of early 2005 photos, renders and works to do with Atlantis. Everything my first drawings through to the earliest website graphics were, in part, on this disk.

Comparing the designs of the Atlantis over the years is somewhat eye opening, and as many of you might know, 2007 saw one of the most significant design changes the Atlantis has ever been through as the ship was rebuilt from the ground-up in a new 3D mesh which replaced a stop-gap solution produced in around 2005.

Many people don't realise just how radically the ship has changed over the years, so I thought I'd post some of what I found here, and explain just how it's evolved, and where it's headed.

Way back in 1999, the Atlantis was drawn on the back page of an English class work book during my 8th grade of school. At the time, the ship was called the "Aquarius". A couple of years later, this concept developed in to the Atlantis ASV, and was published on a now-long-forgotten Geocities website.

The original design tried to draw from those of seaQuest herself - a long, 'modular' hull which tapered to an arrow-head prow sporting two large wings with forward-set canards that ran in to the bow. The core of this concept hasn't really changed in the years that have followed, although the evolution of the design has steadily streamlined the ship in to what it is now.

The two most recent revisions of the Atlantis could be said to be the closest to what was intended for the design - being the first entirely CG versions of the ship, and while radically different from their predecessors, sought only to refine what had already been done.

Indeed, one of the more curious design features of the Atlantis happened by sheer fluke of misfortune, or luck, depending on how one views it;

When I made the first model of the Atlantis way back in 2001, it was in the form of a 9-inch-long Resin sculpt, and was built in segments working front to back. The result of this was that when the core of the bow was integrated in to the primary superstructure of the central hull, the resin took a while to set - and the entire front section of the ship warped in a downward sag that essentially gave the prow a sloping 'beak' which extended from the missile tubes as far forward as the prow.

What was an annoying fault in construction at the time has stayed with the design ever since - even when the opportunity presented itself to once again straighten the bow with the first CG model some years later. This pattern of "happy accidents" continued throughout many of the revisions, as the initial resin model was limited by my own ability to physically sculpt it in to something which resembled my intended design. The 'flaws' of those techniques developed over time to be almost fully incorporated in the design.

Despite the changes in the design over the years, the aspect of the ship which I have consistently been happy with, and not inclined to change has been the side profile; the 'stepped' construction of the ships decks originated as much from my own attempt to build the ship in sections before integrating everything in to one hull as it did from design. While most ships and submarines have a very visible, easy to define 'center-line' which runs for the length of the ship, Atlantis has no such feature - her hull's 'waterline' defined by the changing position of her decks

...The dorsal hull however, has been something which has just as often changed. In the above comparison of the 2005 and 2007 models of the Atlantis, some of these most recent changes to the design are highlighted, but this pattern extends as far back as the first drawing in 1999; the only features which have remained consistent are the layout of the wings and their 'shoulders', the canards, missiles and primary sensor dome. Everything else, almost without exception, has been the subject of change, from the bridge through to the engines. The 2007 model brings the Atlantis closer to something which is as 'refined' as it can be without totally changing the design.

...The most important thing to note of course is that the one thing which has changed most in the last nine years is simply my ability to better present my work. The old days of taking photos of tiny minatures and adding a few filters in photoshop are well and truly gone, probably never to return. This said, I consider the ability to physically construct a model about as important as knowing how to draw - unless you have a basic understanding of 3D geometry, perspective and how things go together, then 3D will always be a challenge which one will have difficulty getting their head around.

The original model of Atlantis still sits on my desk to this day.

Where the Atlantis DSV will go next in design is anyone's guess, but it's a safe bet that the one we have right now isn't leaving any time soon.

The End of Free Copyright?

2008-04-15T20:38:00.002+10:00

The world has gone mad.

Courtesy of the Animation World Network (mandatory for anyone who is remotely interested in the field of CGI), I've been made aware of something which has me slightly concerned.

The US Congress, in their wisdom, wish to pass an act which essentially tells me that unless I dole out 1000 bucks every time I wish to register a copyrighted name, concept or work (read: everything) then I will have zero control over who uses it, because apparently it "isn't worth anything" and is therefore considered "Orphaned" by its owner.

Bollocks!

it's sad that if this bill goes to pass, Atlantis as we all know it may very well come to an end - because there is no way in hell that I am going to leave the work up for people to read with this hanging over my head.

-JW

About the April updates...

2008-04-06T01:11:00.012+11:00

Hey kids,

Hope you all enjoyed the April 1st gag earlier this week. For those of you who missed it, I'm putting together a site mirror so you can relive the madness of that particular day. In the mean time, here's a glimpse at what you missed...

Credit where credit is due; This particular April Fools stunt would not have happened if it weren't for the efforts of the folks over at New Cape Quest (link at right) and in particular, Daniel G. Williams who built the following, rather excellent 3D model...

"Yeah, right... Unsink the ship. Real original, Jackass! I'll just go build a time machine and be right back..."

In other news, I've been considering a few of the less-seen aspects of Atlantis, in particular, the NSC fleet and the UEO Marine Corps. Late last year, I wrote a library page on the Subfighter Corps to fill in those gaps surrounding the history of the Raptor subfighter and the growth of submarine fighter warfare, and there have been a few requests in the last few months that have asked me about these other parts of Atlantis as well.

The UEO marine corps are pretty hardcore - let's just get that out of the way now. They are probably the only force within the entire UEO that consistently kicks the backsides of Macronesia so hard that they probably taste shoelaces for a month. Captain Ainsley once remarked that Force Recon was not real, and was nothing more than a bed time story invented to scare the crap out of the Army... and he might have been right if their track record to date has been anything to go by.

As there seems to be the demand - and as I do have an interest in exploring these guys and girls further - keep an eye on the Library over the next week or so for a history on the UEOMC.

The second I mentioned - the North Sea Confederation - covers the growing influence which this Confederation's military is having on the UEO war against Macronesia. We first saw the beginnings of this in Episode 4, and it's being brought full circle in Episode 5 and the in-production Episode 6. Long time Atlantis reader and part-time staffer Keith Carpenter has been slaving away in his off-hours on a pretty detailed breakdown of the NSC's military forces, including their ships, fleets, commanders and force strength. As he's getting pretty close to finishing this work, expect to see the NSC appearing on the site soon, too.

Call me crazy, but I'm going to give you a link to visit:

EMPIRE (Formerly known as Deep Angel)

Far be it for me to plug the site of the Arch-Enemy of seaQuest (Deep Angel used to be seaFire ASV) but I'd like to take the time to acknowledge someone who works rather hard behind the scenes of Empire to make their site (as much as we hate to admit it) so pretty.

His name is Stuart Stitt; and he is responsible for the 3D models and graphics that you see all over the Empire site.

Stuart has been around the sQ community longer than I have, and I regrettably made an uncomplimentary Faux-Pas in regards to his work on NCQ a while back that he came to read. Surprisingly, he didn't take offense to this (and I am grateful, as none was intended) and we had a brief exchange of our views on sQ, Empire, seaFire and to my further surprise, even Atlantis. I won't go in to much detail for the sake of this being completely unofficial, but sufficed to say that the growing resemblence between Empire and Atlantis might not be so much of a fluke as I thought.

Note: I will go so far to admit on my part that the name of the "Raptor" in Atlantis did indeed originate from seaFire ASV way back in 1999-2000. Call it an "Homage" or a Ripoff, but the name has quite firmly stuck.

Stuart also said to me that he intends on spending alot more time on the New Cape Quest forums, so for those of you that go there - keep an eye out and make sure you say 'Hi'.

EDIT: Empire - 3D modelling by Stuart Stitt (Rendering by K. Kotwicki - sorry for any confusion here.)...

Updates! (April Fools 2008)

2008-04-01T00:01:00.002+11:00

No, your eyes don't deceive you. Go check out the main site for some new updates...

HMAS Sydney wreck found after 67 years

2008-03-22T15:56:00.003+11:00

HMAS Sydney Found.

Not much more to say. It looks like one of Australia's greatest maritime mysteries might finally be solved.

The sinking of the HMAS Sydney with all 645 hands represents the single greatest loss of life in the nation's maritime history. Both the Sydney and the German commerce raider Kormoran were lost in the battle, and only the survivors of the Kormoran lived to tell of the Australian cruiser's fate.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke passes away at 90

2008-03-19T11:55:00.002+11:00

From the Sydney Morning Herald

It's a sad day in the history of Science Fiction writing today, with the passing of Sir Arthur C. Clarke at the age of 90.

It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge his great contributions to Science and the Arts. Like Jules Verne, Clarke was a visionary in science fiction, often grasping scientific concepts well before they were even known to be possible by his peers in the scientific community.

Throughout his life he wrote more than 80 books, among them the seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey. His final book, written in 2007 with Stephen Baxter, was entitled 'Firstborn'; the third in a trilogy called 'A Time's Odyssey.'

He was knighted in 2000 by the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka due to his inability to meet the Queen personally,

In 2001, NASA named their "Odyssey" Mars rover after his most famous work.

In 2007, upon his 90th birthday, he proclaimed that he had completed "90 orbits around the sun".

Let's make it official...

2008-03-15T22:03:00.006+11:00

Just to eliminate any doubt in the matter - Atlantis DSV is continuing with Episode VI - Captain's Honour.

With primary plot work work now complete, we begin the long, laborious task of writing the next chapter in the Atlantis saga. Again, we're not committing to any particular release date yet as it's still far too early to tell how long it will take to write the story, but as of 8:25 this evening, the job has started.

More as it comes...

"Marty! We must hit 88 Miles Per Hour!"

2008-03-13T17:45:00.005+11:00

Those folks over at Williams-Leong Industries(tm) have presented me with a solution on how to fix the bind we've got ourselves in to with Atlantis...

A solution emerges.

Episode 6?

2008-03-07T13:12:00.002+11:00

Afternoon, all.

Firstly, I'd like to point that yes - I am aware of the intermitent outages on the NCQ server. It's probably maintance, and as such there isn't much I can do about it.

In other news, if it weren't obvious by now (it's been mentioned several times), Episode VI of Atlantis DSV is being written. Work isn't as fast as I've been used to because of the nature of the story and the problems that have to be worked out after the events of Episode V. I am therefore not prepared to divluge many details on what the story is going to contain, and until recently I wasn't entirely sure myself.

I had a lengthy conversation with DG Williams from NCQ the other day (he's frequently been a 'sounding board' for Atlantis-related work) on the intended direction of Episode VI.

jjward: "Hey, DG. I'd like to present you with a question..."

So I gave him the abridged summary of Episode VI's plot...

Charlie Brown: "Ok, that's just a bad idea..."

Oh yes, it was a long conversation, but one that did end constructively, and eliminated much doubt over how the next episode will play out. I'm going to assume that anyone reading this has finished Episode V, so to put it bluntly - if you have not, then stop reading now.

SPOILER:

Atlantis's apparent destruction in Shattered Sword might have been a shock to those who read it, but the problems it presents for the writer(s) are understandably greater still. It isn't like the ship was captured or just severely damaged, or "misplaced", as the original seaQuest season 2 might have shown... No, it was completely blown out of the water, with very few chances of recovery.

One doesn't just "build a new one" either, further compounding the problem.

Indeed, we've started asking ourselves if we should bring the Atlantis herself back from the grave. It might be that the ship should simply never be seen again given the circumstances.

Whatever we decide, Episode VI is going ahead just as soon as we've finished the plot draft. The story will pick up a full two years after the events of Shattered Sword, and the war, which has dragged on under the new (and ineffective) leadership of Secretary General James Cathgate has driven the UEO military to a point of complete disarray.

With this said, it should be pretty clear that the mood and tone of Atlantis is about to change drastically. It's my goal with Episode VI to bring the series in to a darker, more desperate arc, exploring primarily the changed (and changing) attitudes of the characters themselves, rather than the nature of the war, per se.

Much of this was hinted at or suggested within Episode V; especially within the last few chapters. The theme of the last two chapters in particular - "The End of Innocence" and "Shattered Sword" - looked at the simple concept that a major change was happening for the characters. The loss of Atlantis herself was nothing but a catalyst to that realization, and something that needed to happen in order for that point to be made.

By extension, the foremost question for Episode VI will be "How will these people have changed in two years time?" It's virtually assured that while they will be the same characters, they won't have the same attitudes. This is a basic idea done a million times before, but the scale of it in this case is going to be significant, and many of the characters might be barely recognisable from where they left off in Episode V.

Because of this, the presence of the Atlantis herself is clearly entirely secondary: it's not needed, and if Episode VI can be done without the titular submarine, then I'm of the belief that it should be.

(The above is the official "DSX Development Team" badge for the Atlantis class DSVs. inspired by Star Trek's USS Defiant "Assimilate THIS!" badge...)

First Post and the New Raptor-II

2008-03-05T23:49:00.004+11:00

It's been a while since we tried a blog for Atlantis DSV, and indeed, it's been a while since I've personally used one to log my work. Why the need for a blog? Simple - the regularity of website updates it sparse, and a blog is easy to maintain, simple to update and doesn't require a formal organization. In essence, this is a place where I can post works in progress, glimpses at work which isn't ready for the main site, and thoughts on where Atlantis is going at any one point in time.

It's worth mentioning that not all of what goes in this blog will be copied to the forums of New Cape Quest. Indeed, not all of what goes on the main site will be copied in this blog either. Still, I encourage you to leave comments and email me your thoughts. This blog is not just my sounding board, it's a place you can ask questions, request information or glimpses at work that might have slipped under the radar. I'll do my best to answer such requests, but time will tell just how popular this system will actually be.

To kick us off, I thought I'd share a couple of things which have been done in the last week or so, including the full size image of the Atlantis site's splash page, and a new model of the SF-38 Raptor-II Subfighter. By now, most people (I'd think all) have seen the new Raptor-III, so if anything, this new model should serve as reassurance that the old bird is not being 'replaced' any time soon. This new mesh is built from one 3D primitive, rather than half a dozen like the old one, and is significantly more efficient in polygon counts and mesh structure. In time, I hope to redo the entire UEO fleet in such a fashion...

Many will be pleased to note that the basic design hasn't changed much from what you already know. My goal here isn't to rebuild, it's to refine.