The Terrans

[AgentZero]

Ah well, Aaron has said that SE5 will be able to handle 2D ship pics, they just won't look quite as pretty. Well, here's the new Terran Frigate, yup the same one that got us through the Earth-Venduu War. Course, unless you were a frequenter of the Galaxy of Fire BBS about 8-odd years ago, you've got no idea what I'm talking about. Which is cool, I'm used to it.

[AgentZero]

Oh, & BTW here's the evolution of Terran ship hulls as per the Galaxy of Fire timeline:

Escort (properly called a Corvette in GoF): The first interstellar vessel built by the Terrans, the Escort entered service in 2310 and was the sole ship in TSN service for nearly 40 years. Considered vastly overpowered by her critics, with her twin Rolls Royce Inverse-Pulse Drives she remains the one of the fastest ships in the known galaxy...

Frigate: At the outbreak of the Terran-Venduu War in 2357, it was quickly realized that Humanity required a heavier weapons platform to combat the larger Venduu warships. Thus was born the Frigate-class. Mounting a heavier Version of the Escort's two pulse cannons, it also sported 2 twin light beam weapons, the Terran Frigate proved more than a match for most Venduu warships.

Destroyer: Designed towards the end of the War, the Destroyer quickly became the scourge of Venduu fortifications, thanks to the addition of the Viper Missile System, something that previously had only been found on Terran Orbital Forts. The Destroyer was also the first Terran ship to feature chase armaments in the form of a pair of pulse cannons located on her main drive array which could also be rotated forward to provide additional firepower during an attack run. Destroyer squadrons first saw action in 2375, when the 1st Destroyer Squadron successfully defended an Arkon colony ship from Venduu attack.

Light Cruiser: Entering service in 2391, the year after hositlities ended between Humans and Venduu, the Light Cruiser was the first Terran warship to mount shields, a gift from our new Arkon allies. New advances in Ultramantium construction allowed engineers to place 'slots' in the Light Cruiser's side armor allowing broadside weapons placement for the first time. The destruction of two Light Cruisers, (in the presence of an Arkon observer ship), the Ajax and Renown at the hands of a Tauran War Fleet marked the beginning of the Earth-Tauran War in 2420. It should be noted that the valliant Last charge of these two ships, which allowed the Arkon ship to escape, was cited as a prime reason for the Arkon entering the war against the Taurans.

Cruiser: While the current designs were holding the line against Tauran onslaught, Terran Space Command determined the need for a heavy-hitter in order to push the Taurans back into their own space, and thus initiated Project Thor. The Cruiser-class was the first product of this project and featured an overall heavier hull to the Light Cruiser as well as broadside missile tubes. The design recieved mixed reviews, as her heavy firepower allowed the Terran-Arkon Alliance to push the Taurans back into Tauran space, but proved too weak to go up against the fortifications the Taurans had errected around their warp points.

Battle Cruiser: The end product of Project Thor resulted in a radical redesign of Terran warships. Her distinctive armored wings were flipped 90degrees, allowing the Battle Cruiser to mount far heavier broadside weapons than had ever been possible. In 2432, three Terran Battle Cruisers smashed through the Tauran's main defensive line, proving the design to be a complete success.

Battleship The Battleship was an evolutionary step up from the Battle Cruiser, designed primarily as a platform to mount some of the newest, heaviest guns to ever come out of Terran R&D. At the end of the Tauran War in 2436, only two Battleship's were in service, and both saw heavy action over the Tauran Home World.

Dreadnought The Terran Dreadnought Independence holds the interesting galactic distinction of being the only warship in the galaxy to have stopped a war without firing a single shot. In 2542, the Phaelen, having decided Humanity had grown weak enough to warrent invading, began moving their battle fleet through the Sigma Arcturous system, the sole link between the two empires. The fortuitous arrival of the 16km-long Independence caused the Phaelen to rethink their strategy and return to their own space to pray such a juggernaught would never be set loose on them...

[Raging Deadstar]

I'm not to keen on the mirror effect, it's a bit too clean. But the concept is great. HUGE engines with pumps and such, just how I imagine Earth Ships to look. It's a very Original idea

And a Promotion for me Colonel Deadstar

[Ed Kolis]

AgentZero said:
And why do Terran ships have to be primitive, hmmm?

Not necessarily ALL Terran ships, just the escorts, since they are the first ships to be built

[AgentZero]

Well, compared to the big guys, that Escort IS pretty primitive. I've updated the pic, BTW, to the finished Version. And I'm afraid the reflectivity is here to stay, since these ships are based on the GoF Terran ships, which were well documented as being quite shiney.

[AgentZero]

On August 7th, 2359, a Venduu Cruiser entered the Proxima system and broadcasted the following message: "This system is now under the control of the Venduu Consortium. All planets, bases and ships are now Venduu property."
The Terran destroyer Achilles was on hand to broadcast an appropriate response.
(Click the attachment to see what they had to say)

[Caduceus]

I see they used two channels to ensure there was no misunderstanding. Very wise.

[Renegade 13]

Did you make that attachment pic with Bryce?? The flame effects look Bryce-like.

[AgentZero]

Yup. Pretty much all my artwork is done exclusively using Bryce. Used to have a really good explosion texture, but it seems to have up and disappeared on me.

[Aiken]

Ship is great. Explosion looks unrealistic.