Zeta Reticuli addon (DOWNLOAD LINK)

[Cham]

I'm about one month close to the final release. I just need more time (I don't have much) to polish few things and add two more spaceships.

The addon is huge ! About 450 MB unzipped. All textures are 2K and 4K of resolution, and there are TONS of 3ds custom models (all originals). There's a spaceship traveling between Zet1 Ret and Zet2 Ret and visiting BOTH systems. Zet1 has 7 planets and Zet2 has 10 planets. The same model travels through seven full featured planetary systems, with planets and moons. Here are some screen capture of its journey (cropped and resized. Click on the small pictures below to enlarge).











Those pictures only shows about one quarter of the planets and moons. There's much more !

When the pack will be finished to my taste (about a month, in time for Christmas), I'll announce it here and send it to the Motherlode.

UPDATE : The addon is now available on the Motherlode, at this link :

http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catal ... don_id=898

BEWARE : The addon is coming in two zip files of about 274 MB and 215 MB. All textures are 2k and 4k jpg. There are many high resolution original asteroids included.

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[Dollan]

Wow! I love the idea of a ship traveling about and visiting the different planets; that is something that I need to learn to do.

Can't wait to download it!

...John...

[jestr]

Looks like a great addon,Cham-cant wait to download it ,Jestr

[Smacklug]

Wow, that looks amazing!

Can you spoil one part of it for me, though: Is the spaceship supposed to come from one of those systems?

[Cham]

Can you spoil one part of it for me, though: Is the spaceship supposed to come from one of those systems?

The spaceship is an explorer from Zeta1 Reticulis. Its mission is to map the Zet2 system, and to launch a colonisation program. Vast colonies (the "Cyls") will then invade the Zet2 system . Of course, the "Zets", from Zet2, will refuse the arrival of the Cyls. Mine fields are placed around some planets (only one, actually in the addon) and some Zets war cruisers will chase the Cyls.

Of course, Celestia isn't a game. And there's a great deal of limitations to what we can do with it. So the addon isn't what I had in mind at first and I'm not really satisfied with the result (as for anything I do, anyway). My idea was to depict some nice "live" SF artworks within Celestia, a bit like the paintings from various SF artists from the 60's and 70's. I was also inspired by my master, Rassilon. Honestly, the result is a bit disappointing.

I'm not interested to tell a story in Celestia, so there is NO time frame, no specific space-time events like what Runar has already done with some of his addons, except maybe my spaceship traveling between both systems, but this is done in a periodic way, using a very excentric elliptical orbit.

So please, don't expect too much or anything special with this addon.

[Cham]

Here's another example from the addon :




A mine field is set up around "Zee", the background planet on the picture. A Zets cruiser is hiding behind the moon on the foreground.

[ajtribick]

Reticulum, being a second declension neuter noun, forms a genitive case ending i, hence it should be "Reticuli" not "Reticulis"...

I think these are the main rules to follow when dealing with constellations:

1st declension

feminine: nominative -a, genitive -ae (e.g. Mensa --> Mensae)

2nd declension

masculine: nominative -us, genitive -i (e.g. Centaurus --> Centauri)
neuter: nominative -um, genitive -i (e.g. Reticulum --> Reticuli)
masculine plural: nominative -i, genitive -orum (e.g. Gemini --> Geminorum)

3rd declension

masculine/feminine/neuter: consonant stems, genitive -is (e.g. Phoenix --> Phoenicis - note that nouns of the third declension may have different stems for nominative and genitive forms)
masculine/feminine plural: nominative -es, genitive -um (e.g. Canes Venatici --> Canum Venaticorum - venatici is 2nd declension plural)

Note that the 3rd declension can form a variety of different endings, some of which can be confused with other forms: Hercules is not a plural noun, thus forms the genitive "Herculis".

There are also a few nasties, for example: Cancer is actually 2nd declension masculine, and forms the genitive Cancri, and Grus is 3rd declension and goes to Gruis.

...

Other than that tedious bit of pedantry, this add-on is looking good.

[bdm]

This looks like a great addon, it must have taken ages. It might be a while before I can download it, because I usually connect with a dialup.

The only thing that needs changing is the ring system for the fourth planet from the top on the right hand side. It looks like Saturn's rings have been reused here.

[Cham]

The only thing that needs changing is the ring system for the fourth planet from the top on the right hand side. It looks like Saturn's rings have been reused here.

You are right. It's Saturn ring. I'm changing it right now. Thanks.

[Cham]

Just another pict to share, about this addon wannabe



I'm in the stage of polishing the addon, and to make one or two more spaceships. Should not be long until the final release.

[Rassilon]

Looks pretty good man....

That last pink planet looks like something I would have done....

[Cham]

Looks pretty good man....

That last pink planet looks like something I would have done....

Thanks, Rass !

This isn't very surprising! I was inspired by your work !

[Cham]

Here's another teaser. A nasty "intelligent" mine from the mine fields of Zee :



Of course, you are free to interpret this guy as something else.

[eburacum45]

The problem with making mines intelligent is that they sometimes decide that they don't like the idea of blowing themselves to bits...

[Cham]

The problem with making mines intelligent is that they sometimes decide that they don't like the idea of blowing themselves to bits...

LOL. Well, they are depressed and suicidal. And they are programmed to be very obssessed with Cyls cylinders !

[Guckytos]

And when they see some Cyls, they make their box go boooom

[Cham]

Here's the prototype of something I may add (or not) in this addon. I don't know what it is. I'm just playing with it for fun right now.

[Dollan]

Put a fish-eye space scene in it, maybe with a planet in the distance, it could represent a wormhole held within a strange matter frame construction. Steve Bowers has something vaguely similar for the Orion's Arm add-ons.

...John...

[bdm]

Here's the prototype of something I may add (or not) in this addon. I don't know what it is.

Run! It's the Dodecahedron of Doom!

(edit) Actually I think it looks pretty spiffy.

[Cham]

Here's the current versions of this laboratory space station (about 8 km radius). I don't know which one is better looking. The luminous blob inside may be a small pulsar under dynamic control (Yikes ! What a dynamo !). Your opinion please ?