Intro

Prowl is a Player plugin model for Quake2, based on an Autobot character from the Transformers© line of toys. The model features additional frames that were added so it could be used in the Transformers conversion for Quake2 that the author is leading.

Having no organic life, the planet known as Cybertron was inhabited by a race of robotic creatures. The true origin of these beings and their world was unknown even to them, as it had been lost over the passage of time. The metallic beings of this world lived in peace for many years, developing great technology and space travel. They had even developed the ability to "transform" their bodies into modes more suitable for transportation, allowing individuals great freedom of mobility. Offworld races nicknamed them "Transformers" for their amazing abilities.

The Model

Ok I'll admit Up until recently I was probably the only person who couldn't care less about Mech-style models.. <Sorry Rikki> In the past, I've seen others and I just was not too thrilled with their blocky appearances, and totally non-organic form. Then along came Prowl, hmm. Maybe its a "cop thing" but what a damn cool model.  Prowl is the prime example of a segmented model. Over 32 separate pieces make up the whole model. Amazingly enough, the total facecount is a mere 611..wait, that can't be right ?? Wow, it is !! Considering the male model is made up of 590 faces, Prowl is an outstanding piece of work. (I guess he is one of the exceptions to a segmented models usually having slightly higher polycounts than other models, and if your thinking of building a model <especially a mech> this is a great way to do it.)  Although Prowl is a large robot that usually towers over humans in the series, the author has him sized down closer to the more acceptable Q2 male proportion, so bounding box issues are not apparent except for the crouch sequences.  Throughout most of the animations the size relation is not off by much until you get to the these cycles.  The male crouches at approximately 50% of his total height, where Prowl does so at about 75% of his height. Not a problem until you are moving though low tunnels, under objects or crawl spaces similar to those areas in the "base"  level.  At these points,  Prowls head, shoulders, and part of his upper torso clips into the ceiling. Sort of a bummer for a nice model, but the size and construction of his legs effectively limit how low he can crouch without looking severely awkward. This also may prove to aggravate opponents who rail Prowl in the head while crouched, and watch as the shot passes though harmlessly, grrr.   Also because of the models extreme segmentation, there are some tiny clipping problems with joints and other body parts which isn't too noticeable during gameplay. The customed "transformer-style" weapon is also a nice touch and like the model itself, not very poly heavy. The whole model was really geared toward the TC when built (segmentation for transformation etc) but it all fits together nicely, a perfect replica of the toy figurines.

Score: Nine

The Animations

First off let me say that, unfortunately, Prowl does not transform into the police car during any of the Quake2 animations, so don't be to upset when you don't see it in a Quake2 DM. The model does contain the additional frames for use with the TC, and the picture in the link at the end of this paragraph illustrates a few of these frames. To actually see them, you'll have to use one of the many model viewers available, such as NST , QSB or the Quake2 model viewer from  chUmbaLum sOft.  The first noticeable "flaw" with Prowl was a bit a "model jiggle"  this is mostly due to a mesh being built with 3D software, then exporting it over to .md2 format, where vertex coordinates are at a lower resolution and not as precise as Max's or LightWave, so vertices "shift" to the closest coordinates. This causes the vertices to move ever so slightly during animations, and upon close inspection, the model appears as it would through a heat lamp. Movements are all very smooth, for a mech. One thing conveyed very well, was Prowls apparent weight. Run animations look as if they were taken right from the TV show, and illustrated the bulkiness of the form without being clumsy looking. The quick, exaggerated swing of his arms, as in "real life", seem to help Prowl's locomotion.  Weapon alignment (default) was flawless, and there was no shifting, so the gun appears firmly planted in the models hand (as it should be) and it follows the arm/hand motions perfectly throughout all the cycles. Another thing which seemed to be a "flaw" in the author's eyes, was the two adornments on Prowls forehead. They seem to blink or flash in an alternating pattern with each frame, due to the polygons being double sided.   This " shimmer" effect is partly a rendering/lighting byproduct within the Q2 engine. "Z-fighting" is the term, and this occurs when the z-buffering has trouble discerning which face (polygon) it is supposed to render "on top" or closest to the camera view. Thus it renders one side on top first, then the other, and randomly jumps back and forth, so rendering and  lighting of the surface causes that "flash' or "shimmer" <thank Wrath for the technical explanation>. If you ask me, this  "bug" is actually similar to the flashing turret lights on a police car and although not planned, is a nice side effect that has a fitting look for Prowl in game.

  Secondary motions, when hitting the ground in death, or during a pain cycle, added to the all around flow of the animations also. The doors and tires fall off and bounce around, in one of the death sequences, and really give the impression of Prowls body mass and the force at which it falls at. As mentioned in the MODEL paragraph above, some bad clipping and bounding box problems with the crouch animations..  However, it was nice to see a model whose feet were firmly planted on the ground, with no sinking or floating apparent. Quite a few instances of clipping were slightly noticeable with joints and the bulky parts of the models limbs and torso, but this is negligible, and somewhat concealed well with skin colors and movement.   Although during two of the death cycles, where Prowl falls onto his back, Jason was sure to effect the doors position in relation to the ground, so they are flush with the floor and don't clip it at all <even trade, I guess>. Of course, let me add that even though the model does not utilize the extra animation frames in a deathmatch (and had no bearing on score) the transformation was carried out perfectly and in an impressive fashion.  I also had doubts as to how Prowl would effectively transform with all his body parts, and I can only guess Jason must have quite a few Transformers©  figurines at home to study their construction. I know I will be looking forward to the TC and I hope that what many of you read here, will add to the community's anticipation. Click here to see the Auto Showroom. Click here to see Prowl's transformation.

Score: Eight 1/2 

The Skin(s)

Prowl comes complete with 5 skins. The main 'Prowl' skin, which looks typical of the Black and White L.A. Police cars, is partnered with the standard Red and Blue CTF by the model author. Then there is the added bonus of a 'Bluestreak' skin and the CW<Cybertron Warriors> Clan skin (courtesy of Rikki Knight). The model skins are at 256x256 dimension (for optimum Open gl appearance) and a low 12% wasted space. (nice)  As you can see from the various skin pics, detailing on the skins are really sweet, you can even make out the little autobot symbol on the hood. Colors blend well and effectively illustrate shading, but the main skin looks slightly light in Open Gl. mode. The Red and Blue CTF skins are individual in appearance and not just re-colored versions of the main, which they were derived from.  In fact, both CTF skins are reminiscent of the race car paint jobs you see at the Indy 500, or the old "Herby, The Love Bug" movies that I .. um, I mean  "a friend" of mine once  watched.  Body parts have nice detail with slight reflections on some, which illustrate metal limbs and fenders nicely.The mesh was well mapped, (good for you skinners out there..) and the author mirrored quite a few areas for efficiency and maximum detail. (Notice how the doors are mirrored but the word "Police" isn't, that's how it should be.) This method works to the models benefit, except for the single stripe on the CTF red skin, which due to mirrored mapping, couldn't continue down the length of Prowl's body. The weapon skin was the common 128x128 size. Although it probably could have been done in a smaller size and still reflected the same detail, it's not an issue with scoring. The weapon could have been a bit more colorful or interesting, but then again, if your close enough to notice little detailed lights on a weapon, you're probably dead already, hehheh. Really great looking skins for a great looking model, But the only thing I was a bit miffed about, was the total lack of an NYPD skin , grrrrr..

Score: Nine

Death Match Screenshots

Sounds

Yes, and they're excellent.. High quality, mechanical sounds pieced together, by the author, from a variety of game demos and Q2 itself, they are extremely characteristic of a Mech-type model and you will always know when there is someone using a Prowl PPM just by the sounds he makes..  Nice work..

Visible Weapons Support (Vwep)

Yes, they were not included with the original zip, but are available now.. (Though I am not sure who did the Vwep add-on but the blaster is not linked correctly, delete it and use Prowls default weapon as the blaster.) Some slight clipping, but that's normal for added Vweps.

Pack Inclusion

Hmm, maybe a future mech pack ?? Yup, you can count on Prowl being a nice addition to it.

review by Hunter