FVBonura
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Location: Central PA
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The Good the Bad, and the Ugly of Deckplan Development
STAR WARS Fans, RPG players and my fellow Game Masters:
I apologize for taking so long to post this thread, but I truly believe it is paramount that I go over the fundamentals of deckplan design. I plan to post here common mistakes I have made ,and that I have observed others make while developing STAR WARS deckplans. I am posting here so nobody feels singled out.
I myself am guilty of all the sins posted here, SO it is the intent of this thread to prevent you from making my mistakes, and to save you countless hours of wasted time. It is my desire to make the business of drawing deckplans a joy and not chore for fan, player, and Game master alike.
Lets begin.
Last edited by The VOID, 10/25/2006, 5:16 pm
--- Frank V Bonura - SWDA Founder - http://deckplans.00sf.com “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. ” - Psalm 18:39 |
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11/15/2005, 11:38 am
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FVBonura
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Location: Central PA
Posts: 1754
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Public Enemy Number One - Ignorance
By far the biggest error I have ever made when developing ships/deckplans, is not having all the information, all the drawings, and all the stats published for any given ship. This type of blunder BY FAR has cost me more aggravation and lost time than any other. If I could recoup the lost time I wasted on redrawing ships in light of new data, there would be 8 more completed freighters on the main site. This is a conservative estimate.
It may seem like a lot of detective work, but ask yourself what takes longer, doing your research, or redrawing your ship. I have found a good amount of research, comes out to be about 25% of the time spent drawing the ship. If you spent 5 minutes opening “STAR WARS - The Essential Guide to Vehicles, and Vessels”, you have not even scratched the surface of good ship research. Most of my ships take 400 hours, on average, of drawing time to complete, so 100 hours should be a good time allotment for researching most ship projects.
Mind you there are some STAR WARS ships that only have one picture, and one or two paragraphs of stats, with a description. Consider these a mixed blessing. Some of these ships have images scattered and unindexed throughout many books, and require a diligent hunt to find them all. I often find it helps to index images in a file. If I stumble on an unlabled picture of a ship that I am not working on, I note it for future reference in a file.
Another overlooked resource is your friends and fellow gamers. My resource library is at your disposal, you need only ask. You should ask your GM or fellow players if they know anything, or seen any pictures of Freighter X or Fighter X. Also search the internet to find images, but remember who you “Borrow” images from, and make sure to give those people credit. It might also be a good idea to contact the artist and pick their brains. You may discover a new friend, and a priceless source of help. I have found diamonds amongst the coals in so doing. You know who you are, the list would be off topic. The bottom line is do your home work, and you will save on a lot of aspirin, and sleep.
Now once you have compiled all this data, what you do with it is also important. Buy yourself a good magnifying lense or flat bed scanner. I use a jewelers loop. What is important is the ability to magnify the study images so that minute details can be seen. Make notes of similarities and differences between sources. Discuss these conflicts and consistencies with others in the community. Gain a consensus, and become intimately acquainted with the material. Also study anything written about the ship, and note who wrote it. Also discuss these facts with others, and see if there is more than one interpretation of what you are reading. The bottom line is, to become an expert in the ship you are designing. Know it better than the back of your hand, and find out what others think as well.
Last edited by The VOID, 10/25/2006, 5:16 pm
--- Frank V Bonura - SWDA Founder - http://deckplans.00sf.com “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. ” - Psalm 18:39 |
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11/15/2005, 12:13 pm
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FVBonura
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Registered: 10-2005
Location: Central PA
Posts: 1754
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Public Enemy Number Two – Fear
This kind of art is not easy, and it is a good idea to be honest with oneself. This post is in no way intended to discourage potential artists, even though it may discourage a few of you anyway. It’s never been my desire to sugar coat anything, or to keep anything from somebody who should know, so I will tell you.
There will come many instances where your project will hit a dead end. It can’t be fixed easily, and will require a major overhaul to repair, or you may need to start over. This is NEVER a pleasant thing for anyone. I know your pain; I have experienced it many times.
What is worse than failure is the fear of it. It can paralyze you, if you let it. You must enter every project knowing before hand that it may never see completion, or it may have to be restarted many times if you are truly interested in getting it right.
The fear of rejection can paralyze you as well. You must not fear the criticisms of others, but push on in spite of them. I have often found the people who I do not want to listen to, are the people I need to listen to more than any other.
If you can not stand the thought of throwing away hours of work because it may be wrong, and requires a new approach, you may want to consider finding another means of fulfillment and a new hobby.
If you can be honest with yourself and realize your current project may only be a stepping-stone, or a prototype for better things to come, then you have a victorious mindset, and have what it takes for true success.
Good creating my friends.
Last edited by The VOID, 10/25/2006, 5:16 pm
--- Frank V Bonura - SWDA Founder - http://deckplans.00sf.com “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. ” - Psalm 18:39 |
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1/24/2006, 10:49 pm
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