Hello, everyone. It's been far too long since I have gotten to work on this project so here we go. I'm been giving the stock/trigger issue some thought and came up with a mixed look. I've taken the regular trigger system and set it up like an under-slung carrying set. The first one is the original of old design 3, the bottom is the new stock style. Also, the top rail is a carrying handle, so the weapon would be carried like a Gatling-gun, with the user in a slight side step. Let me know what you think.
Flame Thrower (1)
Re: Flamer - Redesign
I like both and I'm really not sure which one to prefer. The lower version would make the flamer a unique weapon but I have no idea how good it would look in first persion view. The upper version is probably the safer choice.
Responsible for: Arch Linux package & torrent distribution, Parpax (map), Chameleon (map texture editor), Sloth (material file generator), gameplay design & programming, artistic direction
Re: Flamer - Redesign
The second looks more iconic, while the first looks more practical. I too find this to be a hard choice. In this case, I'd say go with the first one. We can save the rear end of the lower version for a different weapon.
Re: Flamer - Redesign
I would opt for the second one actually. With any flame weapon you want to keep your face as far away from the flames as possible and you also want to be able to see over the flames to aim. The second one is better in that regard.
Check out the ergonomics on this chainsaw.
Note how the center of gravity is slightly behind the handle on top. To get the swing weight correct you need to balance it a bit like a chainsaw... most of the mass should be between the handles. Also note how there is a guard in front of the forward grip, in the case of a flamethrower I would think it would be some sort of heat shield.
Re: Flamer - Redesign
I like the under-slung design too, wasn't too sure about a standard rifle-butt being practical for a flamer weapon. If anything, I'd like to switch the top-rail handle to the cross bar (like the chainsaw) and maybe add a bit more bulk to the body section. Thank you all for your input.
Re: Flamer - Redesign
Any flamer news, Gex?
Re: Flamer - Redesign
Sorry for the long time with no update. Been having some other things to take care of. Expect some updates in the next few days. I want to get the design nailed down and get moving on to starting the model.
Re: Flamer - Redesign
Hey guys, I'm sorry for the lack of activity lately, but hopefully this will make up for it. I've made a few tweaks to the design and started detailing it out a bit. I'm having difficulty illustrating the cross bar handle, but that is what the thing in the top middle section is. Also, I'm not really sure about the circular designs near the tank, I thought it would look cool at first, could be glowing red of something, but I'm not too sure about it now. Let me know what you think.
Re: Flamer - Redesign
I like it! The trigger has a protection around it and the tank is far away from the heat and in the form of a grenade, so you can decide whether you want to throw the incdendiary grenade or reload your gun with it at some point. The fact that there are two possible non-trigger-hand handles will give us more freedom when animating the flamer.
Possible improvments:
The upper handle (the one without the trigger) looks like it's hard to grab when you hold the gun at your hips. It could be a tad more sturdy and face forwards so the non-trigger-hand can grab it more easily.
The ribs on the top of the barrel should be some form of cooling ribs and not an attachment rail for equipment since it makes no sense to attach a scope or another handle on such a gun. This is something to put on a more detailed design or tell the modeler, as the ribs on your rough sketch can easily be heat dispensers.
The barrel could be a bit shorter (maybe one or two ribs) since guns sticking out far from the model sometimes look out of place, e.g. when the player stands in front of a wall and the gun reaches into it (since it has no clipping of its own; see our turret for an example of a barrel that's slightly too long*). However, make sure the flamer still looks like a big and dangerous gun, so in case of doubt go with the longer/heavier variant.
* Another issue is the turret's pose, which is not the way it was intended by the modeler. I hope this gets fixed soon.
Responsible for: Arch Linux package & torrent distribution, Parpax (map), Chameleon (map texture editor), Sloth (material file generator), gameplay design & programming, artistic direction