Difference between revisions of "User:Akalabeth"

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==Straight from the horse's mouth==
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==Akalabeth Angel==
 
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Hello everybody, I'm Akalabeth (Angel). I've been a member of HLP since, looks like 2003 by HLP count. Though I was absent for a year or two as I became less interested in the game and since most of the campaigns seemed to require computer sophistication beyond what I had available. But since then I've gotten a new computer which is slightly better and also have a bit more interest in modding. Here's a few of the projects I've involved in:
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I've been a member of HLP since 2003 though my attendance on the forum has been intermittent with multiple year long gaps. Recently I've returned and am starting to play through some of the campaigns that were released in my absence. Some of the things I've contributed to the community are below:
  
 
*[[Meditations on the Abyss]]
 
*[[Meditations on the Abyss]]
  
My own campaign. I started this years ago, it was a little too ambitious and too time consuming so I gave up. But kept the files, and later decided to release what I had as a sort of Chapter 1. The story is currently in a little bit of flux right now, since I'm not sure what exactly I want to tell. Though I do have a chapter 2 planned out, I haven't done any work on it. It doesn't entirely help that I haven't decided on a final end to the story.
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A campaign I made from the ground up. Designed for retail but incorporated a few 3rd party models created by other members of the community. Like anyone, I had an overly ambitious idea for the campaign but lost steam early on. I decided to release what I had done as a sort of chapter 1. There were three more chapters planned, but beyond some very preliminary work on the 2nd one I didn't have more than ideas written down. It's very doubtful I'll ever finish it.
  
*[[Renegade Legion]]
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*[[GVF_Anouke|Anouke Fighter]]
  
Yet another overly-ambitious total conversion mod for Freespace 2. This old game from FASA always enthralled me with the epic sized warships on the front of the Leviathan [http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/43135 boxed game]. The mod is currently in a bit of hibernation since I'm the only one who's really done any ground work on it, and I've not been interested in it as of late. (Though it should be noted that starlord has done quite a bit of organizational work and first suggested that idea). But I'll get interested in it again, eventually. The mod isn't dead yet. So far I've done 3 or so models for this game but haven't gotten any of them in game. A parallel mod for Starshatter however is still ungoing and I've contributed what I have to their endeavour.
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My one and only model that I created which has actually been released to the public, with textures by Freespace King. I did a number of models, most of them relevant to the Renegade Legion universe for a potential mod. But I've lost interest in the mod though I still have the models if anyone wants them. The boys over at starshattermods.com have made use of most of them for their own Renegade Legion mod. The Anouke is the only thing I really finished, though I did have a few more ships sketched up for FS2 I never did any work on them.
  
*Modelling
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*FS Wiki
  
Modelling is really my current focus at the moment as, unlike Fredding, it actually is useful to me in real life because I work in the animation industry and so the potential to do CG modelling and actually get paid is right around the corner. Though currently I work primarily as an Animator (see my student film [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIi-kdE7Tq0 here], its the first one with the robots). At the time of writing this I've got one model close to actual release [[GVF Anouke]], just need some debris for that baby. In future I intend to do a bunch of Vasudan models and release them in packs since I find the content for the Vasudans is sorely lacking, though not as lacking as I first thought. I'm also trying to help [[Blackwater Operations]] with a model or two to get it up to HTL specs. Though whether I deliver on that front remains to be seen. In general I try to avoid working with other people, because in real life I already bring other people's ideas to fruitition, so I don't want to do it in my spare time as well. And in general I don't care about other people stories, I enjoy reading/playing them, but not working on them.  
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My major contribution to the wiki was the [[User-made_Ships|user made ships]] page. I went through the various mods and added pictures and download links of pretty much every fighter, cruiser and other fleet asset I could find at the time. By now it's horribly out of date, and while I've set the page up to be aesthetically pleasing it's not easy for people to edit. Maybe one day I'll go back in to this and add some of the new ships that have since been released.
  
*FS Wiki
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*Potential Project
  
Lately I've also been doing a bit of work the Freespace Wiki, specifically the Ships section of the Mod Database ([[User-made_Ships]]). Because quite honestly, it was severely lacking prior to this. Since actually starting this project, I've been pleasantly surprised to discover quite a few designs that I was otherwise unaware of. Though the page is still a work in progress, hopefully upon completion browsers and campaign creators/FREDders can find many new ships to use that they were otherwise unaware of. Both enhancing their own product and through use of the model paying homage to its original creators.
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Spoon's [[Wings_of_Dawn|Wings of Dawn]] Campaign has given me the inspiration for a similar mod of my own. I've always dabbled in creating different fictional settings since my days of table top space wargaming. If I do any modding for Freespace, it will likely be bringing my own creations and own history to the Freespace engine. Like every other project I've dabbled in, it may never get off the ground, but if any of my projects are likely to succeed it's this one. Translating other people's designs or working in other universes can be fun, but you're ultimately limited by the fiction and will never satisfy everyone. And as the great Bill Cosby says, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone". That and it always turns into a chore rather than a pleasure. So rather than trying to conform my story to certain universe, I'll simply create my own where there are no limits or expectations. Plus some of the work will have applications outside of the modding community so that may motivate me as well. But like any of my projects, it's very ambitious and any release would be many moons down the road. And if it ever is released the lack of brand recognition will likely serve as a barrier to many people trying or enjoying it, but as long as I enjoy working on it, the others be damned :D
  
===Some irrelevant Info on the User Name===
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Consider this project started as of Oct13/2010. We'll see how far I am in a few months (Or a few years)
The name "Akalabeth Angel" originally comes from a board game called Blood Bowl where two players control teams of medieval fantasy type creatures in rugby-esque game of sport. The Akalabeth Angels was the name given to one such team controlled and created by me, and was a team of High Elves who were named after various angels appearing in the anime series Evangelion. While Akalabeth comes from Lord British's first RPG game, which predates the ever-class Ultima series. The name was originally used as a username on a yahoo.group which organized the players, due to laziness and unoriginality the author continued to use the name for many new websites. Though of late the "Angel" has been dropped in large part due to its feminine connotations.
 

Latest revision as of 07:22, 13 October 2010

Akalabeth Angel

I've been a member of HLP since 2003 though my attendance on the forum has been intermittent with multiple year long gaps. Recently I've returned and am starting to play through some of the campaigns that were released in my absence. Some of the things I've contributed to the community are below:

A campaign I made from the ground up. Designed for retail but incorporated a few 3rd party models created by other members of the community. Like anyone, I had an overly ambitious idea for the campaign but lost steam early on. I decided to release what I had done as a sort of chapter 1. There were three more chapters planned, but beyond some very preliminary work on the 2nd one I didn't have more than ideas written down. It's very doubtful I'll ever finish it.

My one and only model that I created which has actually been released to the public, with textures by Freespace King. I did a number of models, most of them relevant to the Renegade Legion universe for a potential mod. But I've lost interest in the mod though I still have the models if anyone wants them. The boys over at starshattermods.com have made use of most of them for their own Renegade Legion mod. The Anouke is the only thing I really finished, though I did have a few more ships sketched up for FS2 I never did any work on them.

  • FS Wiki

My major contribution to the wiki was the user made ships page. I went through the various mods and added pictures and download links of pretty much every fighter, cruiser and other fleet asset I could find at the time. By now it's horribly out of date, and while I've set the page up to be aesthetically pleasing it's not easy for people to edit. Maybe one day I'll go back in to this and add some of the new ships that have since been released.

  • Potential Project

Spoon's Wings of Dawn Campaign has given me the inspiration for a similar mod of my own. I've always dabbled in creating different fictional settings since my days of table top space wargaming. If I do any modding for Freespace, it will likely be bringing my own creations and own history to the Freespace engine. Like every other project I've dabbled in, it may never get off the ground, but if any of my projects are likely to succeed it's this one. Translating other people's designs or working in other universes can be fun, but you're ultimately limited by the fiction and will never satisfy everyone. And as the great Bill Cosby says, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone". That and it always turns into a chore rather than a pleasure. So rather than trying to conform my story to certain universe, I'll simply create my own where there are no limits or expectations. Plus some of the work will have applications outside of the modding community so that may motivate me as well. But like any of my projects, it's very ambitious and any release would be many moons down the road. And if it ever is released the lack of brand recognition will likely serve as a barrier to many people trying or enjoying it, but as long as I enjoy working on it, the others be damned :D

Consider this project started as of Oct13/2010. We'll see how far I am in a few months (Or a few years)