@koobalt

As good as it would be to have more than one Model using the same texture, I'm not sure that I would like to live with the quality tradeoff. The model would be wonderful ( please do it ) but it might be that each model gets its own texture, as it is hard to reuse a texture and have AO as well ( as the seems between polygons would be in different places )

AO is based on light and it is apply only on the cl map... nm map and da map are not changed with the AO effect...

By example, if Koobalt send you 3 models ( A, B and C ) using the common texture maps x-cl, x-nm and x-da... in place of create 3 full set of textures ( around 45 mb in case of the model being a capital ship ), simply duplicate the texture x-cl to xa-cl, xb-cl, xc-cl... calculate your AO for the model A and merge it with the xa-cl... calculate your AO for the model B and merge it with the xb-cl... same procedure for the model C...

Final result will be 3 models with individual cl ( xa-cl, xb-cl, xc-cl ) but common x-nm and x-da... with these method, there is no "quality tradeoff" and you use 25 mb ram in place of 45 mb ram with the texture for the 3 models... it is 45% memory spared...

Method is not very different that these used with my numerous Starfury ( http://babylon5ins.blogspot.com/2009/09/fileosofts-b5-starfuries.html ) ... in the Starfury case, different mesh ( due to reference of the texture embedded in the .mesh format ), different cl but identical nm and da map !!!

I am unsure about the Vorlon ship... if i good remember, i have only made the cl ( that you have change a little after )... mainly, light effect was made with particule effect using one of the sun texture ( original from Stardock/Ironclad )... in fact, i don't know how you was able to calculate some AO map effect on the Vorlon ship since the ship emit a bunch of light via FX effect and not texture... more, since the texture is moving, light emit by one pixel is variable, difficult to calculate some good AO map in case of changing light... unless you use some IBL ( image based lighning ) along the sun texture, and in so case, you can take a few days holiday between the render of each AO map...

Anyway, for my models, make like you wish... you know that my texturing skill are very bad... you have make a few change for the Vorlon Cruiser and from the post i have read here, the fan like these model... so, feel free to make what you will with the 3 other Vorlon capital ship that you have already... last one ( planet killer ) coming soon...

About the potential Vorlon fighter, it is done ( modeling part )... it is somehow based on the Vorlon capitalship... a spider like body, 4 double arms on the front, and a few little "petals"... all this with only 512 triangles... add 64 triangle if you wish a particule effect on the 8 "petals" like on the other Vorlon ship... will post a screenshot later  ( tomorrow ) when i found back the password for upload on my server !!!

By the way, have you a list of all models who are done or started by somebody ? I have a few other models that i have started a few months ago and i am unsure that you need them... by example : the Skylar-T transport, some tanker/container transport where a poly reduction is needed, a very low poly thunderbolt, a low poly B5 station ( have read that station for all races was already done !!! ), etc ... 

Will be difficult since we use standart FX shader code already includer in the game... moving texture go along with light given texture...

For the fighter, it will be only 64 triangle for the petals... with 100 fighter on screen, it is 6.4k, similar to a heavy cruiser... more, the model is now with 8 petals but i think that i will reduce it to only 4... maybe some poly can be spared... if i made the section of the petals with light being only a surface a little offset of the main surface, it will use only 16 triangle in place of 64...

You don't need to worry about resource, it is part of my job... once i have something ready, your job will be to check the shape and give me instruction for modify the model in a way that it look like YOU wish...

My max particle count is already with 10000 more that the default... same without any mod, there was already shooting particule effect who dissappear in game during huge battlle...

Using the da is possible but so much people dissable the needed bloom because it make a lot of original sins models look like a chritsmas tree... for a lot of people, fighters are only a little dots on screen, they are a detail... anyway you are the mod leader, so it will be your choice...

@ Gregory Hardley
To be honest I don't think that is possible. Also, having the Shadows as a playable race means you have to do the diplomacy yourself, and it might be that the shadows do not favor the centauri for once

I will try to make the Shadows playing the way that feels shadowish, but I hope the AI doesn't go bonkers completely because of the changes along the way.

@ Thoumsin
I never thought of Bloom being bad, so I've always enabled it. I will try to make it using Bloom and Illumination, so you can add the petals to the main mesh.

Hi All,

Just want to say I think this MOD is looking fantastic! and I cant wait to see the next release

is there a site with screenshots? i'd love to see some of the models etc

also would it be possible to get an update on where the MOD is in relation to release ?

I'm a massive B5 fan and playing a SOSE MOD would be fantastic

Again great work

First,...
I want to thank for this mod (b5 and SOASE fan) ...
I try minbar yesterday .... great job ... but now i try shadows (after centauri my favourite race of b5 universe  ...)

Just one little question .... HOW can I colonize planet when I play as a shadow race????
I build 1st crab ... very nice textures and mesh ... thumbs up !!! .... but I dont see any colonization ships ... Frigate Factory can build only Shadow Scout, Shadow stalker and Voruntak envoy - ... none has colonization abilities .... my crab also
heeeeeeeeeeelp ((

  .. ok
so i can play another race .. pity
without colonization its unplayable race

never mind ... I try EA now (or centauri? ). And I think i dont know its bug or what ... when i play as a minbar my sharlins dont have repair abilitiy ... minbars dont have passive repairing ability in research and repairing facility i build dont repair hull of this ships ... I dont try repaire fregates or cruisers so i dont know its working on them - but my precious Sharlins was unrepairable.

Would like to say i've messed about with this mod and love how it is starting to look very nice!  good job to the mod team, hope you all know how much the community appreciates your hard work

@Gregory Hadley
That should be it! Couldn't do it any differently myself. If the fighter docking takes to long, just dock them beforehand. Vortex stays open 90 seconds or so, so when time runs out every ship still phase travelling is returned to normal travelspeed. The thing with trying to reach the other side of the map first is irritating though...

@ajfoster
Thanks!!

Hey all, just downloaded B5 for diplomacy and been trying it out. It looks good, looking forward to seeing more! Ihad a question though, do you guys plan on adding the Whitestar? It was sucha cool ship and hoping to see it in the mod if that was planned!

White star ..... implementation of this ship requires adding new "race" - Interstellar Alliance (IA). Originally was build by the Minbar using their knowlege of Vorlon technology for war against the Shadows to the Rangers and later for new IA. This is why I also dont understand implementation of Victory Destroyer to EA now - this class was never part of EA weaponry - it was IA ship.
Personally I only await for full implementation of Shadow and Vorlons to this great mod (I know that mod team is try to make playing with this race differently from other races), repair bug with "repair facility" for minbar and finish weaponry for Centauri (I dont play as a Narn - so I dont know how progress was done there).

But i know that everything needs time - even mod team has their own personal life.