Back to black (and white) .. fullsize cars

[FranknFurter]

... I don't know if you was planning on doing the 2 door versions also later ..

Hehe, how did you know about that again as I told you once, 'two dummies - one thought' (it's a German saying ..)...

.. that is exactly what I'm planning to do ... should be a surprise coming with the finalized car when I upload it finally (after ages ..well), but ok then, you NFS guys cannot be hoodwinked for too long

Good old Baardk had also published a two door version once, I don't have that file anymore and it wasn't available everywhere but on his (meanwhile offline) homepage   yet I know it existed, if you watch closely he altered the mesh of his later Furys to that new pattern compared to the initial version ... have a look at the polies in the pic .. It is practically an invitation to do a two door sports version of it .. where those GT wheels would then also fit in the end

Say what has become of the Monacos I had sent you, the changes to the rear end you had made looked really promising by the pics ... the Royal on that highpoly base looks also well but is there a chance to update my basic '74 Monacos with the changes you made? I had done them just for fun once, so don't take it too seriously, I apprechiate your work on it very much

Notice: had a look at the NYPD Fury recently, well .. I will remap that to the recent Fury for better since the NYPD Fury has a completely different and also outdated mesh pattern as I found out .. so this will as said take a while .. stay tuned though ..

Back to fourdoor .. gaps created and needing to be filled yet .. I assume that will not mean too much of a polycount raise .. at least for the doors ... back in five ..

[FranknFurter]

 .. keeping you guys up to date if you will or not

3D bodylines of the doors done so far .. polycount increased by 76 polies .. not too much.. but I also refined that chrome trim by adding a black molding strip which means a few additional polies .. let's see how's the impression of that ingame ..

Result is uhm .. impressive as for my opinion .. how do you like it? trunk bodylines may be enough to just map them afterwards or not? ... don't want to increase the ingame .fce mesh load greater than the recent 575kB .. is that ok with you guys?

Attached the current test file again ...

[FranknFurter]

Since the base mesh changes are somewhat complete I did a bit of 'fine tuning', Paul has made a good point that even if I had scaled the car in width once it still appears too wide

So I scaled again just the body in width and also made some minor changes to the lower trim and fenders ..
Made the roof also look a bit 'rounder' as it is seen on prototype pics .. getting closer I think ..

ZModeler screenshot of the current state

.. and ingame .. both 'top down' (default) and top 'up' with also the police light visible behind the windscreen

..please tell me how you like it ...

attached the current state car.viv for testing again ..

[FranknFurter]

.. ok this is the most recent state ... some minor alterations concerning normals, headlights and stuff ..

.. I will now wait for possible replies/feedback/critizism whatever .. until I continue with mapping trunk/bonnet bodylines since the latest changes are difficult to 'transfer backwards' to previous modification states ...

... latest car.viv file attached again ...

[WiLL]

Hi Frank, I never knew till,now your a good NFS'4 car editor,maker) Wasn't your Ford Car close to ride John Candy, Actor, in' Uncle Buck',was Driving in his movie? With his so,called daughter was in winter time, I forget, the name of movie now ugh. Good work Btw)
I really like the Changeable, Roof top option,your making.

[Paul Spain]

Say what has become of the Monacos I had sent you, the changes to the rear end you had made looked really promising by the pics ... the Royal on that highpoly base looks also well but is there a chance to update my basic '74 Monacos with the changes you made? I had done them just for fun once, so don't take it too seriously, I apprechiate your work on it very much

It was (as you Germans say) An idea that didn't prooved . I had tried to do more on that but realized all the work involved, I'd have had to also resculpt the back bumper and shrink the height on the tail lights, Get rid of that sideline split on them and make them all one long piece and add chrome around the whole thing..Easier just to use a actual Monaco base..I also have lower poly wheels from one of DodgeBoy's old cars, A badly mishaped Dodge Coronet..Wheels are good though . they are only 76 polys each so I might use them on the Royal Monaco to cut down on some polys but not that it matters on my PC . I filled what gaps I could after I busted out the front end to make way for a diffrent grill and diffrent headlight setup, Still has some minor gaps but nothing to cry over..I'll post pics once I get home. I'm doing the Illinois State Police one..Next I'll do the Chicago Police one and finally (don't know if you know the show or not) a Hill Street Blues version. Hill Street Blues is basically Chicago Police cars with METRO POLICE instead of CHICAGO POLICE on them and red or red/blue lights only instead of blue like Chicago has. they also used the 1976 Plymouth Fury on that show and I can do one on the Mopar base I made from RenaFox's car. Using her car I made:

1976 Dodge Coronet

1976 Plymouth Fury

1977-1978 Dodge Monaco

1977-1978 Plymouth Fury

[FranknFurter]

@Paul: ok I see, that's pity

@_WiLL_: really don't know what car or movie you're speaking of but I know John Candy as an actor, and thanks for you feedback anyway

Would whitewall tires as seen on some prototype pictures be an option for the (also possibly two-door) Racer car or is that too 'pimpy' stuff? dunno ..

.. need feedback for the latest change concerning width scaling and stuff, otherwise I cannot continue and also update the Police versions to a newer or the current base then ..

Is it now (scaled in width) even too lathy, is it ok .. or whatever, any opinions lately?

Btw a simple Go or No/ Go would then be enough for launch .. for example: 'Mesh: GO!' 'Normals: GO!' 'Textures: We are GO!' 'Performance: ?' - 'We have a GO, Flight ..' .. erhm .. sry. wrong movie quoting here
.
.
Update: Good news, the trunk bodylines are being mapped
Although I don't know if the trunk lid's foremost edge was really that 'arched' shaped like I did it .. (since I haven't found pics of the real car from straight above ) I simply 'adapted' it to the rear roof part ...

The new mapping would of course cause some trouble with other textures but question is if those mapped lines are really necessary with just b/w Police cars where the trunk is mostly plain black with perhaps just some letterings on it?

[FranknFurter]

As for me I'm calling that a day and state the Fury hereby as finalized.

Did some changes to the mesh still .. adapting it to prototype as far as I was able to, also enlarged the rear window still that was too small IMO.

I didn't do bodylines for the bonnet yet since you rather seldom look at the car in frontal view and that measure would also cost too much texture space still for the further Police variants of it to follow after.

The whitewall tires will then come with just a possible two-door version of the car, the changes to be made herefore may still take a few days ..

The two door variant had slightly different dimensions in real but I consider them as too marginal (we're speaking of few centimeters here and there) as to have to alter the entire mesh again for that ...

Finalized car is attached and I'm sending it (it will have then complete sounds) also to Remko for an upload.
It has now serial #7 for a plain Racer car, if you still want to use it also as a Pursuit or even 'combined' Racer and Pursuit car change that back to a whatever serial number of an (auxiliary) cop car .. for example 20, 32 or 36 and alter 'Pursuit = yes' still if you want to use it only as a Pursuit car.

Sorry for the delay with the zip file, I almost forgot to make a nice Steering Wheel still by a friend's request .. your wish is granted

Cheers
Frank

[Rider66]

Hey Frank. I just sent you mine own unfinished Custom 500. Archive contains a lot of useful reference photos, too. Guess you might take a look at it.

[FranknFurter]

Folks .. the Fury is on its way after another change lately ... I found a nice pic with a detailed taillights depiction of which I updated the textures to still and added a chrome trim to the rear window that was somewhat painfully missing, now it has become a really nasty and also beautiful '70s beast

@Rider: thanks, will have a look after some mugs of sleep ..

.. some fun stuff for bridging the gap: '77 Fury Detroit classic old iron vs. 'modern' '97 Ford CV .. guess who's won ..

[Rider66]

Hey Frank, good job on all improvements. However, probably there's some place left even in 256x256 to add more details to vynil roof with some changes in mapping - since I bet that police versions will never have one. Thus the same space might be used for different purposes - just thoughts, through. Anyway, keep it up!
And... '97 CV didn't make it, right? 

[FranknFurter]

Hehe, nope .. how did you know about that? The '97 CV encountered some serious let's say ..'adhesion' problems lately, let alone he '.. broke his watch .. '
Btw that '97 CV is also (.. as usual .. ) a custom made Alaska ST livery on NJ's '97 CV base ...

Just wanted to keep you folks updated and reassure you that I'm not entirely fallen asleep .. the first of the Police Fury series is finished, the LAPD 'Adam-12' is now updated to the reworked base ..

And yes, that texture space is needed for the Police versions yet to come ..

[WiLL]

I really like that Older Style Cop cars, reminds me,of the show on T.V, back in Long days ago! Simpler Times, Definitely: )) There not so, Intimidating like the New Cop cars R now days! )

[FranknFurter]

Hey WiLL,
I think that I understand the problem you wrote of by now ... you did loose/reset you Config.dat file (maaaake a backup copy like I always use to preach ) by re-installing the game and so you need an 'all tires/cars' unlock patch, right? If so, there is a simple solution, first in install the Stock or Expansion pack (it will unlock the game entirely) and then install the VEG patch afterwards (also exchange the menus that come with the patch for nice reflections in menu ), is that what you mean lately?

[WiLL]

Seems like your Changing your Topic thread here: ? I don't want use the EP, pack Cause of Ghost cars when Damage is off.
Yes I used all his Menu, files, I know I need to do a Reinstall now, I have to get outside an see if my Real Car will Start in this Crazy Fridged, 0' degree wind chills, place I live!.. thanks Frank an EvoX@  EvoX I have 49 cars installed I don't think u can have anymore pal) 
Yes I seen those yellow tab things u said, but lost them. Geerz ttul'')