Todd587 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 (edited) See video links at bottom of post My next mod is an acrobatic craft using the Vortex that can not only ride on land and water, but can also take off and fly like a plane. It's based off of a real-life remote control stunt plane called the Hydo-Foam (also known as the Stormlauncher). This hovercraft/plane thing (not sure what to call it, really) can drive as a hovercraft on grass or pavement, a boat on water, and with relatively little speed can lift off and perform incredible acrobatic stunts. It can fly vertically, and can pretty much stall its self out without crashing. I don't really know the specifics, but by watching the video I get the impression it gets its lift by flowing air over its wing instead of actually moving foward. To get a better idea, here's a video of the craft in action: For this mod, i'm sort of working backwards. Right now all i've done is tweaked the handling of the Vortex to allow it to lift off and perform similar stunts. It can drive as the Vortex normally would on land/water, until you go faster than about 30 mph when you can pull back on the yoke to take off. It can do rolls, flips, and can even stall out like the Hydro-Foam can. I'm still working on tweaking the performance even further, and hope to get it to the point where it's as agile as the one in the video above is. Though right now it's very stable and very easy to control, and don't want to lose that by improving the agility. Preserving the drivability will be the real challenge here. There isn't any pictures to show yet as I haven't modeled anything. But here are some videos of it in action in the game using just the default Vortex model: Here's a 1 minute 2.8 megabyte version showing the basics: http://toddfx.com/pics/gta/hydrofoamshort.html Here's a 5 minute 14 megabyte version that goes a bit more in depth in displaying what it can do thus far: http://toddfx.com/pics/gta/hydrofoamlong.html Near the end of the long version (about 3:40) is where I demonstrate what I mean by "stalling out." Sorry for the poor quality, I just wanted to keep download times down for you guys. I'm going to start modeling it tomorrow, so I'll post an update tomorrow night with some pictures. By the way if you're looking for the BladeRunner bus I was working on before this, I'll be releasing it by the end of the week. Edited December 21, 2006 by Todd587 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebel_36 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 looks fun how do you steer it though? i thought the vortex didnt have rudders to "lean" forwards and backwards (pull up/down) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gouveia Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 @Todd587: Man, that really rocks! Have some 's and please release that handling line first!! @rebel_36:errr.... If you doesn't remember, we're playing GTA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-/TNT\- Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Please make the two videos into mpeg or avi. I don't want Quicktime... From the Youtube video the rc vehicle looks amazing. If you make this mod like that, awe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebel_36 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 @Todd587: Man, that really rocks! Have some 's and please release that handling line first!! @rebel_36:errr.... If you doesn't remember, we're playing GTA. yeah youre playing gta, i havent played sa in months and couldnt remember that the vortex actually is a plane so ignore my question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 LOL love seeing these things in action, seen em about before, real cool Be a great addition to SA I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd587 Posted December 21, 2006 Author Share Posted December 21, 2006 Yea, though there are no physical elevators (pitch controls) on the model, it is classified as a plane in the game and has its own flying handling specs just as other airplanes in the game. TNT, sorry for the use of Quicktime. I tend to use Quicktime over anything else because it's so simple to stream without the need for downloading, plus i'm much more familiar with compression techniques of Quicktime videos than AVI. After I read your post I messed with exporting it from Adobe Premiere as an AVI. Even using the DivX codec, I couldn't get the 5 minute video below 28 megabytes which I feel is way too high for web use. I did get the shorter version down to a 6 mb DivX AVI, though. I added a download link to it on the video page: http://www.toddfx.com/pics/gta/hydrofoamshort.html However that video is now outdated, as i've already improved the handling of it. Updates include: -Increased traction for better ground control -Increased agility allowing for quicker rolls and loops -Ability to stably and easily fly upside down or on its side -Decreased "form lift" so it doesn't begin to lift off as much untill you tell it to. The lift is more dependant on the pitch angle you give it, rather than just the speed. Basically what that means is you'll be able to drive faster and easier on land or water before having to lift off. After getting the request to go ahead and release the handling line, I decided to go ahead and do it Consider it beta, as i'll still be tweaking and making adjustments after I add the model. You must replace both of these lines, both of which are in the Handling.ide file. One is the general vehicle code, and the other is the flying data code which is located near the bottom of the file. VORTEX 1900.0 4300.0 10 0.0 0.0 0.2 85 0.2 1.0 0.5 5 150.0 2.0 5.0 R P 1.0 0.50 0 30.0 0.5 0.05 0.0 0.33 -0.25 0.5 0.0 0.65 0.50 26000 301 00400020 0 1 23 $ VORTEX 0.8 0.25 -0.00030 0.002 0.10 0.003 -0.002 0.0004 0.0020 0.01 0.10 1.0 1.0 0.2 1 0.997 0.998 0.998 10.0 20.0 10.0 With the new handling, this thing is a BLAST to drive! I can't get enough of it. It will probably take a few minutes to get used to, but if you have experience in flying the SA planes then you shouldn't have much trouble. Here are a few driving tips: -When driving on land or water, keep your speed below 40 or 50 mph. Faster than that and it begins to lift off the ground and you don't have enough traction to drive well and begin to roll. -Small steering corrections are best, especially when driving on the ground. -To take off, just get up to speed (doesn't take much) and pull back on your yoke (up/down) control, just as you normally would in a plane -Most of the steering in the air is done by rolling sideways and pulling back on the yoke -A combination of the pitch and yoke controls should be used to turn; you'll see what I mean when you start to mess with it -To land, just hold brake and it will slow down and just glide down. Let me know how it works for you and if theres any adjustments you'd like to be made. Feel free to play with the handling yourself as well and if you make any major discoveries, go ahead and post it here for us. My goal is to get it to handle as closely to the real thing as possible (watch the Youtube video on the first post for a good example), but still fairly easy to control. I'll start working on the model tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackadder. Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Looks like great fun! Can't wait for the model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picolini Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Cool idea, I like it. I can see you know about editing the second handling line. If you aren't using Cerbera's CFG Studio, go get it (i think I mentioned this in the bus topic). You say that the controls are a bit strong, in that case I'd suggest lowering the force for the controls that are too strong. As for the elevators, I have never tried but since the vortex is technically a plane, my guess is that they will work if you make them. I'm not sure if the thing your making even has all of those controls on it, but if it does and you want them to move, I'd say give it a try. Can't wait to see the model, judging by your other work, this should be great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd587 Posted December 22, 2006 Author Share Posted December 22, 2006 Thanks Picolini! Yea i'm using the second version of the CFG editor which is considered a beta. I was having problems (ironically enough) with the stable version where it would freeze up on me or not even launch. I tried the "unstable" beta version, and its been working perfectly for me! My only complaint is the lack of ability to sort the vehicles by name, and the lack of a search feature. I find myself wasting time scrolling through the whole list looking for a certain vehicle, where in Notepad I can just do a simple ctrl+f. But regardless, yea it's still totally worth using. I vaguely started modeling the Hydro-Foam, but decided to hold off on account of lack of reference images. 95% of the images available are of the styrofoam/plastic RC models, which lack detail necessary for modeling a full scale version. There are several detailed illustrations of the plane which would be perfect references, but they're all still pretty low res. I was able to track down the 2 designers of the plane on an RC forum, and sent them both PMs telling them of my project and asking if they had higher res versions of these illustrations. Hopefully they get back to me by tomorrow, but if not i'll go ahead and just move foward by improvising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryRoachSanderson Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Lol great idea man, the vortex is indeed a good and flexible vehicle now, it can fly, swim and can be driven on land, and whats better its more durable than normal planes Ever since I found this out I never used other vehicles in the game anymore haha. Hope to see the model soon! Great work dude! And that video is great, if I ever see one of those hydro foams at the shop I would buy one! Still think its a boat??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-/TNT\- Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 I checked the videos, nice stuff, but my media player crashes all the time when I play it. Still, Igot to see the main parts. Before seeing this I had been playing SAMP and had driven off Arco del Oeste with a Vortex. While I was expecting it to skydive, it simply glided along beautifully and I went across the body of water, onto the dam!!?!?! It was awesome as hell, my new favourite vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd587 Posted December 23, 2006 Author Share Posted December 23, 2006 Well I didn't get any pics from the guys, but I went ahead and modeled it anyway. I realized I couldn't make it exactly like the real thing anyway, as it needs to have an open cockpit to fit the Vortex better. I improvised, taking bits and pieces from all the images I do have. This is what I was able to come up with. Here's a few more, including a wire frame: http://www.toddfx.com/pics/gta/hydrofoam4.jpg http://www.toddfx.com/pics/gta/hydrofoam3.jpg http://www.toddfx.com/pics/gta/hydrofoam5.jpg The texture is still a work in progress, and I'll probably come up with other paint schemes too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackadder. Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Looks very cool! But how does CJ enter it? Does he just run through the wing thingy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-/TNT\- Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 That looks awesome! That is gonna be a fun vehicle to drive! I can't wait! /me rates topic good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freakorama Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 i am defnetly getting this when its done 7 thumbs up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenMillard Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Once you've done this, would you consider making an Unlimited Hydroplane? Lots of pictures are around but I've not found many blueprints. The best blueprints I've found are a bit crap but there's probably better ones out there. Some of them use jet engines and regular achieve 200mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 @Cerb: That'd better replace like a fast speedboat, the HydroFoam thing works on using an aerofoil to clear the water by using ground effect then getting airborne for short amounts of time using this small aerofoil. Hydrofoils are kinda limited to only having an effect in water, and really aren't designed to go airborne (if they do it usually results in crashing and drowning lol) But not a bad idea I think. Sweet model , if i was to offer another idea, I'd go for the Caspian Sea Monster, a massive version of one of these http://www.davidszondy.com/future/Flight/GEV.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenMillard Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 (edited) Yeah, replacing the Jetmax with an unlimited hydroplane would be what I had in mind. The AqPlaneForce and other boat data settings could make it rise out of the water at high speeds. But this stunt plane thing is also cool, Todd. I'm impressed by your efforts with the handling.cfg. Could you post your the problems you've found with the old CFG Studio in the CFG Studio topic? Normally these are from a DLL or OCX file not being properly added to the Windows Registry. Glad my CFG Studio 2 app is working for you, although it needs quite a lot more work before it comes out of the beta phase. Edited December 23, 2006 by Cerbera Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gouveia Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 (edited) Like I wanted to do in VC, it would rock if you could make a vehicle float in the water(with the wheels spinning in the water and in the road, but the vortext don't have wheels.)That would pwn. @Todd: If you study the Hydra's cockpit, and make the door like that one, you could make it alike the real thing WITH the hydra's animation.... Hope you know that you need to put that moving exhaust and the rudders... Edited December 23, 2006 by vinnygouveia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd587 Posted December 23, 2006 Author Share Posted December 23, 2006 (edited) @blackadder: Yea, we'll have to wait and see how well CJ gets into it. My model isn't a whole lot wider than the Vortex, but I think there might still be some penetration as he approaches the side before he hops over and in. Editing the animation to act more like the tank crossed my mind, where he climbs up, opens a hatch, and drops in. Though that might be a bit too high up off the ground. I'm just hoping that the default animation works good enough! @Cerb: Yea those hydroplanes are friggin sweet. And it's surprising how similar the hydro-foam is to those. I'm honestly not quite sure how it gets so much lift with not many extra fins. I guess the addition of a prop makes a big differance. Speaking of the prop, another major differance between my model and the actual Hydro-foam is the position of the prop. The real ones either have 2 props on either side of the cockpit, or a single on straight out from the nose. I messed with that, but I couldn't really come up with a cool design for it. I don't think the way I chose to do it would work in real life but like somebody said earlier: hey this is GTA @vinny: Creating an amphibious vehicle like you talked about is something i've always wanted to be able to do as well. I've always been interested in amphibious vehicles, especially the famous DUKW. The vortex does actually have 4 wheel dummies, and I bet theres a way to get power to them instead of the prop. You also mentioned the exhaust and the rudders: I'm going to just try to hide that silly exhaust thing, as there isn't really anything that works in it's place and I've never really understood its purpose anyway. I have rudders on the rear fins, but they are angled which might cause problems. I'll have to rotate their axis so they look right when they turn, which I hope is possible. I know you can edit the axis of doors (on VC anyway), so i'm hoping that will translate to these rudders as well @GTAuron: Wow those massive things are pretty sweet. That one in the black and white picture looks especially bad ass. Edited December 23, 2006 by Todd587 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picolini Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 I've seen those duck things in Wisconsin Dells when I was there for vacation, they look goofy but sound fun. I did some testing making certain types of vehicles act as other types (ie planes as cars) and I think that it might be possible to turn a boat into a car or vice versa to make a boat that drives on land and has spinning wheels (like the mod that Pinky made a while back, you might be interested in that, forgot it's name though). What I would try is turning a car into a boat first, as it will pick up the boats floating attributes and still have the wheels work. But then again it might hit the water and just stall out. Then I'd go ahead and try the boat as a car, and see if the wheels work and make sure it'll float. If you're interested in how to go about this, I made a post in this topic explain how I turned the buccaneer into a plane http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=261384 Now, your model looks awesome man. The poly layout is just right, perfect. And the texture is lovely, smooth and clean lookin. @Cerb... hmmm a 200+mph boat in GTA sounds like fun... I'll have to do some testing. Never looked into boats much at all, that AqPlaneForce tag sounds interesting.... Now I wish I could just test this all out right now Damn this sh*tty computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gouveia Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 after some tests, I couldn't make a car float... Only fly... I'll try now make a Trashmaster float(it flew)with that boat tag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd587 Posted December 23, 2006 Author Share Posted December 23, 2006 I got it in the game, and seems to work pretty decently. For some reason the spec level on the rudders and stuff is a lot brighter than the rest of it. I applied the same material to everything, so I guess the problem is just something with the smoothing of the pieces. I'll keep messing with it. I'm still playing with how to handle the way it makes contact with the ground. Right now its hovering a couple inches above it, still gliding on the cushion from the Vortex. I deleted the actual cushion, but it still behaves as if it were there. I don't really understand how it is controlled by the handling code, so I assume it is hardcoded that way. Maybe it can be adjusted by the suspension settings? The actual Hydro-foam just slides along on its bottom side, but I don't think that would work to well in SA, with all the sparks and stuff. I'm considering putting 2 small wheels concealed on the bottom of the catamarans (if thats what you want to call them) for it to set on. I'll have to give it a shot and see how it works; it might even help to control it better on the ground. By the way, I lucked out on the enterance animation. He only penetrates the model by a footstep or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gouveia Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 DAMN! RELEASE IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackadder. Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 Looks great! Can we expect a Christmas release? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazumz Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 Were can i find a Vortex on SA without cheating? I completed the game with 0 cheats and i dont want to spoil it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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