Balkan / Turkish Mace Pack (12 new maces for the game)..Released!!!!

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Gluck

Recruit
All,

I have spent a while developing what i consider to be the most underdeveloped weapon in the game, the mace.  I have created the following maces using historical (not fantasy) prototypes.  I will also include the links and sources so you can know from what originals I developed them.  In the picks I have included an untextured 'spiked mace' from the game for size comparisons...I hope you enjoy.  Please be aware that i am NOT a texture artist.  However, Septa created a nice texture for me and i added a few more with different shades of wood for the shaft.
Other things to keep in Mind when viewing:

The following models were designed to streamlined as much as possible.  They are all under 350 polygons most under 200.  To put this in perspective the ‘native’ spike mace model  included has 500.

People I would like to thank:   Highelf, without his tutorials none of this would have happened.  At my age, 38, learning 3d modeling would normally take too much time from scratch.  Thanks man, completing these has created a great sense of satisfaction.  Also, the game designers themselves who gave me as pure a simulation there is of Steppe warfare and fun, which in its purest form is thankfully devoid of Potions, spells and the like (no offense to players if that is your 'thing').

Finally:   I have finished adding the hard edges and final mods.  Soon I will release the models for free to the general public.  You are more than welcome to use them for whatever mods you are making with the following requests;
1.) That you give me credit for the work
2.) That you improve the Models
3.) That since I am not a modder as of yet that someone take these maces and create a simple mod using ’native’ that includes these and upload it so that I can download it and enjoy them.  I will include suggested specs (damage, size, speed, etc ) in a post prior to final submission. (feel free to use them or modify them as it suits).
4.) Lastly, that some talented Texture artist (Septa, are you hearing this (grin)) be willing to recreate  textures for some historical armor, items, etc. as I continue to create things, thanks in advance.

Here is the rundown on the following maces:

Mace1 – Serbian Mace.  Typical of what are called the Balkan ‘Knobbed’ maces.  Taken from a color plate by Angus McBride in the Osprey Book “ Hungary and Fall of Eastern Europe 1000-1568”.  In the book it is displayed in Color Plate ‘B3’ as being carried by a Serbian Heavy Infantryman Circa Mid 13th century.  These maces were typically carried mace head up and under the sword belt (i.e. uncovered).
Model Picture Link: 
SerbianMace.jpg


Mace 2 – Balkan Mace.  A conglomeration of numerous prototypes.   All of the maces are in essence simple and effective.  Made with varying lengths of shafts depending on foot or mounted use (this is a footmen’s mace).
Model Picture Link:
BalkanComposite.jpg


Mace 3 – Balkan Turkish Mace.  Taken from a surviving artifact in a personal collection described as a “Piriform mace head with thick flanges - c.14th-16th (i.e. 1300’s-1500’s).  Such maces could either be Balkan or Turkish as Turkish influence in weapons was evident in many if not most of the Balkans through most of the period.
Prototype website:  http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace3.html
Model Picture Link:
BalkanTurkishMace.jpg


Mace 4 – Hungarian Flanged Mace. 13th – 14th century from a prototype discovered in Hungary.  This mace could easily be the twin of maces from Kiev during the 13th century.  This shows how weapons of the region had varying influences.  This looks very similar to English maces of the period but has a smaller head.
Prototype website:  http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace3.html
Model Picture Link:
HungarianFlanged.jpg


Mace 5 – Khazar mace 9th-11th centuries.  I will simply quote the prototype information via the owners website “A beautifully made but very small version of the earliest type of medieval knobbed mace. This design - four pyramidal knobs on a cubic body - is known as Type I in Kirpichnikov’s typology of Russian and Steppe mace heads. These maces are first found in Khazaria, the steppe lands just north of the Caucasus mountains, in the 9th century AD. By the 11th century they were being made in Kiev and other southern Rus cities. These maces were spread westward into the Balkans by the migrating western Turkic tribes. Iron mace heads are found in the Balkans, likely of local tribal manufacture. Higher quality bronze examples come from the Kievan and Khazar foundries.”
Prototype Website:  http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace2.html
Model Picture Link:
KhazarMace.jpg


Group Shot of Maces 1 to 5 :
Maces1_5.jpg

Maces1_5_Heads.jpg


Mace 6 – Turkish ‘Cucumber’ mace 12th-13th centuries : known as “khyara-t al-dabbus”.  Most of these had 6 flanges.  I now have 2 of these modeled one has 8 flanges (Slight artistic license) and the other the correct 6 flanges.  These were very popular and once again shafts varied in length depending on mounted or foot use.  This one has a slightly longer shaft for mounted use.
Prototype Website:  http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace3.html
Model Picture Link:
TurkishCucumber.jpg


Mace 7 – Byzantine 13th-14th century Mace.  By far the most unusual mace in our line up.  I was intrigued by this one on the owners website.  This example was a documented find from Bulgaria.  Read the info on the website as there are many things that are interesting with the prototype.
Prototype Website:  http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace3.html
Model Picture Link:
ByzantineMace.jpg


Mace 8 – Balkan / Kievan / Others  12th-13th centuries.  Fascinating Mace from the Balkan region which is also noted in paintings as far away as Italy and Switzerland as well as Persia.  Read the write up below:
Prototype Website:  http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace3.html
Model Picture Link:
BalkanMace.jpg


Mace 9 – Turkish Mace 15th Century (and similar ones much prior to that).  This is a very typical Turkish mace of the time period.  I wanted to make one that had the proper number of flanges but the model grew well in excess of 800 polys.  Therefore this facsmilie will have to do.  This was a common mace of Officers and Janissaries (so its stated).  This one was found in Bosnia.
Prototype website: http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace4.html
Model Picture Link:
Turkish15thmace.jpg


Group Shot of Maces 6 to 9:
Maces6_9.jpg

Mace6_9_Heads.jpg


Mace 10 – A German ‘Spiral’ mace 12th Century.  An interesting example of the flanged spiral mace which is stated on the owners website to have originated in Moslem Sicily.  This example was manufactured in Germany and adds a unique item to the game.
Prototype Website:  http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace3.html
Model Picture Link:
GermanSpiral.jpg


Mace 11 – a very much modified version of a mace included in the game.  I own the prototype for this mace.  My prototype is based on a mace from Moorish Spain circa 11th-13th centuries.  It has a long shaft as a horseman’s mace and was also illustrated in Ospreys “ Byzantine Armies 886-1118”  on Color Plate H1 being carried by a Seljuk Mercenary late 11th century.  A 13th century version of the mace can be purchased here:  http://www.armor.com/2000/catalog/item147.html   I own this mace and its heavy and would hurt like hell.  I chose to go on the example of the Seljuk Mace with the much longer shaft for Cavalry use.
Model Picture Links:
TurkishHorsemans.jpg


Group shot Maces 10 to 11:
Maces10_11.jpg


A few other Group Shots:

BluntArsenal.jpg


BluntArsenal2.jpg


LOL! All of the above shots were Wings 3D screenies...here is the actual OPENGL render (talk about a DUH! moment...too late tonight to render the above instead of screenies)

OPENGLBluntrendering.jpg


I hope you enjoyed it!

 
Here is a clip with a slighlty better texture.  It lightens the mace heads with a metal texture and darkens the wood...  Show the heads a little better to.  I still have yet to finish hard edging some of the heads.

ModifiedTexturenew.jpg


Hope its better...
 
OK, i think the hard edging is done so you can get the best look at the Mace Head Shapes....

Hardedgingdone.jpg


Let me know what you think...
 
A solid color is not a texture. The models are pretty good, but you didn't assign any smoothing groups, so they look dark and muddy, if you know what I mean. They also use far more polygons than they possibly need to for making the shaft and other parts round, which means it will chug on slower machines, even though it doesn't look any better than a mace with half the polygons.
 
Thanks for the ideas.  Acutally the last 'Texture' is just that, a texture.  Even the shaft is gradiated although you cannot see that in a lower res JPEG.  I will have to check the Smoothing groups.  Most of the weapons in the game have as many or more polys than mine so i am not sure how these would slow anything down anymore than the in game ones.  For instance the spiked mace in game has 500 polygons.

Thanks!
 
Penis Colada said:
A solid color is not a texture. The models are pretty good, but you didn't assign any smoothing groups, so they look dark and muddy, if you know what I mean. They also use far more polygons than they possibly need to for making the shaft and other parts round, which means it will chug on slower machines, even though it doesn't look any better than a mace with half the polygons.

PC, you are very correct on the shaft polygon counts.  I am adjusting them as we speak, thanks for the info and i ask the same questions as James, what are smoothing groups?  I know the smooth option in Wings 3D but sometimes it adds way too many polys.  Please explain the 'smoothing Groups' idea. Thanks again for the Feedback!
 
Smoothing groups are used to create hard edges in the model - it doesn't add any new polygons, basically it "detaches" a set of polies, so the edge of those polies is hard compared to the polies around it. I'm not sure if Wings can do that, but most 3D programs can. You just select polies and assign them to a smoothing group. Apparently in Wings it is called hard edge/soft edge solutions, or something.
 
Well guys based on your comments and help i have a new image for you.  This is the new Hard Edged and lowered polygon Mace.  It is only 130 Polys which is way lower than most of the in game weapons and thanks to Septa's nice Textures he sent me.  Here it goes.  More to follow. Thanks a million guys!

Mace_Scepta_Texture.jpg


Septa, you the man!  The lower res JPEG screenie doesnt do it justice.
 
Here is the Khazar Mace.  Hard Edged and textured.  A whole whopping 66 Polys on this one....

Khazar_New_Texture.jpg
 
Thanks for the Critical Feedback PC.  It helped me search out some better solutions.  However, it was definately Septa's Texture that made it this nice.
 
Septa Scarabae said:
Now the trick is to get them in-game as a Native add-on.

I can do it and upload them under 5 minutes if they are all using the same texture, extra 2 for each new material :razz:
 
Guys,

I should have all of the models polished/optimized and textured by the end of the week and uploaded.  I work in management and its been busy.  I have to stay focused as i am making new models before i have textured the ones i have already made (grin).  I am working on some cool Medieval Russian\Lithuanian maces and some more Turk maces as well.  As far as using one texture for all of them thats possible but i would sure like some ideas on how best to accomplish this with Wings 3D, i really need some insight into that.

Kon, consider yourself drafted when i have them finished :wink:.

In addition i have been working with creating some interesting Helmets (Croatian, etc) and Shields (Albanian and Russian\Lithuanian) and Axes.  All based on historical prototypes ( I just received some new books in the mail today).  OK Scarab please fire up the texture mill for those as well :smile:. You know this sounds like a new faction..the 'Slavs'....

Thanks for all the comments...
 
Gluck said:
As far as using one texture for all of them thats possible but i would sure like some ideas on how best to accomplish this with Wings 3D, i really need some insight into that.

If you're just using my texture at the moment, you're getting different mace shafts on one texture. They'd all just need to be within the same file. Just.. within reason.

Also, another thought would be to use the Native wood texture. It isn't the best texture in the world, but whenever I create textures, I like to make sure they match what is already available. The same texture is used for the Khergit Bow, Warhammer, Fighting Pick, Fighting Axe and most polearms. I've marked it off in the image below:



Just thought I'd toss the idea out there. I know some people don't like the Native textures, but I don't mind them and even in many cases like them. It always bothers me when people add new items and they stick out like a sore thumb. Then, you could add the metal texture to the weapons1.dds and use it that way.
 
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