Oh I don’t mind , if the odd level was taking place with out the Dragon , lets face it that happens in Saga . I love HALO and while people class it a FPS , in parts the gameplay changes to a space shooter or a driving game and the game switches to a 3rd person view point as well .
So I don’t mind that , but a Panzer game , must have a Dragon and a Dragon Rider in it for me at some point . Welcome to the board by the way
Welcome aboard strikerx3! We’re glad to have another person on the team.
If you could register on huddle.net/ and send me a message with your email I’ll invite you to the discussion board. Also tell me what your dropbox email is so I can invite you to that - we’re in the process of level brainstorming at the moment 
Thanks for the welcome guys!
I toyed a bit with UnrealScript some time ago when I tried to make a RPG mod for UT2004 (before I knew there was one). Of course, I didn’t get too far, since I was still at high school, and once I discovered that mod I simply gave up my experiments.
You’d be even more surprised to know that almost everything ingame is just scripts+properties, including invisible stuff such as triggers, cameras, particle emitters, spawn points and the like.
Sure, I think it won’t be too difficult to make it work, at least on the code side. There’s already the vehicle mechanics, which we could tune a bit to enable the Panzer-like targeting and shooting… probably just a matter of creating a custom weapon for the vehicle so we can have the enemy-target-locking and homing lasers.
Or, if we really don’t want the player to fly a dragon, we could just script a cutscene or a setpiece. There is a whole page dedicated to the UDK’s Matinee system, which we could use to do that.
Will do! I’m glad to join the team and will do my best to make it happen.
Funny thing about the whole first person perspective issue; if one so chose, the original Panzer dragoon could be played - partially - from a first person view… 
Welcome to our special little world StrikerX3! You’re the first fellow McCaffrey literate I’ve run across here, hers were by far my own favorite dragons… until PD basically upped the ante. And as a vote of confidence for your own ideas there:
At the time I first read the main series of Pern novels, there was a signature element to the storytelling that overcame me. I later came to know it as an Anne McCaffrey signature in general, but of her stories that I have read, the world of Pern stands as the most signature to that element. And within that world the Harper Hall trilogy further epitomizes that element.
The label for that element, that I found at the time… is mundanity. Few storytellers seem to be able to pull off dwelling on the everyday minutia of their characters’ existence; both well enough to keep their audience captive, and consistently enough to matter. But when it works, the subjects can become far more tangible, far more human.
Aside from the many (and many more obvious) elements both these stories have in common, for a long time I have regarded that as the one most important and impressive. At least in terms of why they both had the power to draw me in to a very exceptional degree. And though I have no confirmation as yet, it’s for that reason alone I believe there must have been some direct influence from those Dragonriders on the Panzer variety. 
In another sense, it’s the difference between most stories that are about someone, doing something… but rather stories about somewhere, an impartial place in which real lives are really being lived.
Team Andromeda, as you may recall I share your sentiment about the Dragon. It is definitely my primary attachment to the games. But in terms of attachment to the world itself… that’s another matter. Does someone have the balls to etch the role of another one of these demigods into this world? Well, maybe, and good luck then… some of He Who Is The Sky’s designs are equal to that legacy I’d say. And I’d be psyched to see them animated. But that’s another big question, never mind the human animation for 3rd person - it’s not like that was ever a remarkable part of Azel for instance - does anyone feel up to the task of animating a dragon?
I’ll be totally stoked to play anything y’all come up with as long as it finds the spirit.
Thanks!
And you’re the first person I’ve ever met who knows what’s Pern about outside of the official and Pern-fandom forums.
I haven’t really noticed that obvious element until now. In fact, Anne does it in such a beautiful, believable way, it’s hard to tell if it’s just a story or a real fact. I still find myself daydreaming about the story’s universe, now with many influences from the Panzer Dragoon series.
The folks from TV Tropes are pretty sure Anne was the one who changed the history of dragons for the better, as quoted below:
[quote=“TV Tropes - Dragon Rider”]Somewhere along the line, somebody got the bright idea that maybe these vicious, bloodthirsty beasts don’t have to be so evil after all. Maybe underneath all those fangs and claws, they’re just gentle, misunderstood creatures who might just be willing to fight on the side of the good guys if you’re lucky. In fact, maybe they’re just looking for a friend.
And thenceforth, there came the idea of a Dragon Rider, a human (or humanoid) who is so mightily goddamn badass he can actually ride on the back of these beasts, often as a steed into battle. The concept exploded and gained ridiculous popularity among fantasy authors, and now can be seen… well, just about everywhere in modern fantasy literature.
Dragon riders are almost always characterized by a bond with the beast they ride which results in a synchronous relationship between the two, a telepathic link, and no possibility that the two could ever be separated from each other without drastic consequences. They’d better get used to each other’s company- they’re stuck. [/quote]
Certainly all of the friendly dragons in recent media – Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, the Dragonheart movies, Temeraire, How to Train Your Dragon, Panzer Dragoon, even World of Warcraft to some extent – have been influenced by the Pernese dragons.
[quote=“The Ancient”]does anyone feel up to the task of animating a dragon?
[/quote]
I’ll give it a bash, I’m studying animation at the moment as it is I think I can model one at the very least, we’d need to decide on a design tho.
After some discussion with Nevey, we’ve decided to set up the project discussion here on TWOTA, so you’ll no longer need a separate Huddle account. Just TWOTA account + Dropbox account.
Some of you have already been granted access. Otherwise, post here if you want in on the project and one of the admins here can grant access to the fan game forum.
I’m not too familiar with many of those examples, but in general most of the contenders / pretenders fall into the trap of anthropomorphizing their ‘friendly’ dragons more than McCaffrey. My impression anyway. Or even before the FDP (‘friendly dragon phenomenon’ ), they were either wholly enigmatic beasts, or magic/spirit entities who could speak in human tongue (even if they didn’t use their tongue); and the classic fantasy FDs usually hold to that as well.
Panzer’s Dragoons are the only FDs I’m aware of even less anthropomorphized than the Pern family, and I think that’s a significant element to my own regard for them. There’s a number of personal factors that play into it though, some of which are circumstantial even. Only a handful of sci-fi/fantasy novels (/series) have ever pulled me in to the point of wanting to give up my own world for theirs, and Dragonriders of Pern is definitely included. Maybe a couple of flicks. But only one game, so Azel is unique for me.
I want to elaborate more (I usually elaborate too much, you may soon find out) but if you haven’t yet finished either Azel or Orta it would be bad form. And for that matter I’ll urge you not to delve into any story/scenario related articles until you do, even if you’re just perplexed by something. Everything about the games has been disintegrated and reconstituted so many ways… just leave your own impressions as uninformed as you can for now, they’re what matter most. 
Nevey, you’re a trooper! Take this for whatever you will, it’s only the opinion of a person who’s never been a disciplined artist of any kind, even if I clearly had some inclinations as a kid… but one of the main hallmarks of PD’s dragons, to me, is their anatomical legitimacy. I know the TA artists studied birds a lot, and it’s quite evident in the very orthodox 4-limb standard. But even if it’s only on a subconscious level, I think a big part of why they’re so believable in how they look and move; is that no matter how outlandish the details get, the overall center of gravity seems balanced for the limbs.
Kind of an obvious concern maybe, but subjectively PD seems to prioritize it more than almost anything else it could be compared to. But that’s just my own impression / two cents as I said. Even if it’s only for a quick cinematic or something, if you end up trying to model / animate a new dragoon, something that might help you to get it looking more Panzerish? :anjou_embarassed:
Your opinion is just as valid as anyone else’s and I happen to completely agree - it was incredible how fluidly the dragon’s whole body would react with the effort of pumping its wings, as if there were muscles there and not just polygons.
If there’s any animation I have to do I’ll be sure to study birds and do a 2D test animation on Pencil and get everyone’s thoughts on it. The only thing is I talked to Kjell and he said any real time in-game animation would be easier to do in UDK scripting instead of in Softimage - in that case I’d only do any animation for FMVs. However, I could still do a 2D animation for scripting reference, so everyone was happy with how the dragon moved
I think this is an idea that could work. Maybe something third person (which can be done in Unreal engine 3 I know…) with some on-dragon sections would be a little more suited to the style of the games, but it’s certainly a good idea.
I think story, art and atmosphere would need to be key, as would getting involved with the PC modding communities around the web to draw interest, and talented staffers for the project.
Hi Kizzycrew,
We seem to be doing all right with 3rd person so far, we’re working on a demo of a battle system currently. I think while we’re at this planning stage we’ll leave the modding community but it’s definitely something we should consider, thanks for the tip!
If you’re interested in helping out you could pm Solo to ask for a pass to the game forum
Best to post here, that way another one of the admins can take care of the request in my absence.
Well I am already on the job with some sketches as per Lagi
Enjoy mates:
img710.imageshack.us/img710/9504 … uretyp.jpg
img26.imageshack.us/img26/3487/s … lier00.jpg
img709.imageshack.us/img709/4316 … wlerpu.jpg
img21.imageshack.us/img21/1913/s … npup00.jpg
Those look great!
very very cool!
Beautiful! I like the dragon pup!
Here are some more ideas:
img713.imageshack.us/img713/5071 … perial.jpg
img52.imageshack.us/img52/7552/s … riergi.jpg
That crabmutantpuretype sketch is especially cool He Who Is The Sky, and the tadpole pup… not sure how it’d fit into any story but, kinda looks like something that would grow into Guardian D?
thnx… I drew the pup as per Lagi’s mention in the other thread… Its what i am going on atm. Until that is, something actually needs to be done for you mates.
So think of these “roughies” as just a means for me to get into the feel of this project
Nice sketches, He Who Is The Sky. I like the dragon pup the most.
We’re discussing the story over on the private fan game forum, if you’re interested in joining in. Just post here if you want to take part and myself or one of the other admins can set you up with access.
By the way, it might be best to move the bulk of the discussion over to that forum to avoid the project getting shut down (it’s happened to other fan games).
