Two schools of thought here....
Texture mechanics/purists/founders/conservatives....people like BBarr, Moonraker, Myself, LC, Adonis, Mindblip, Wicked Zombie....we are talking people that were here at the beginning of modding Star Trek games (I myself started with modding SFC in 1999....Newships project anyone?) or at the very beginning of modding BC. People that, for one reason or another, keep the polys low and take pride it.
We are from the days when you had to limit ships to under 2k polys (500 was best) and 256 textures. Although I am a novice with respect to modeling, I was around at the very beginning of modding star trek games...from that point I think I might have something to say about modding ships with merit. Try to remember that lots of these guys are veterans, and should receive some respect for that.
Except for me...throw bricks, just make sure they are white ones....I hate red brick. Tacky.
Then you have what I call progressives....lots of examples here, incredible work where the ships push 25k polys and knock your socks off. There seems to be more put into the model and less in textures...by no means an insult to the fine texture work, but rather an example of priority. These are ships that look lovely even skinny (sans textures) and dress to impress.
Which is the right way? Depends on a few things.
1) Do you want lots of ships onscreen?
2) Do you want a single ship that burns with beauty?
3) How many platforms do you want to support?
It takes ALOT of skill to keep the polys low. This is beyond debate. The reason is you have to trick the eyes with textures...that means alot of weathering, drop shadows, sub contrast lines, washouts, etc. Making a ship that has an impressive presence AND is under 10k is something to be very proud of.
However, you cannot ignore the obvious skill, beauty and craftsmanship that goes into a high poly model.
I guess the point is this...making a high poly model (modeling in details) is easier, at least in the eyes of veteran modelers perhaps, compared to low poly work. Perhaps it really depends on perspective.
Just please keep in mind that LC has been around since the beginning and is a marquis modeler. I doubt many would dispute this.
I also think that people like Chronowerx and Limey98 have made huge contributions to this community, and should not be dismissed or ignored.
An opinion of my own to add to this wall of text (not like ive ever been opinionated or anything :b). I feel that doing canon work is MUCH harder than original work. I just wanted to add that tidbit.
Edited by El.
