Tekkaman Blade
Rating: 9
baseq2/players/tekk-blade
Disclaimer
The views contained below are those expressed solely by this reviewer and do not in anyway constitute the undersigned as being an expert in 3D modeling or animation. However, as a "Frequent Fragger" this reviewer does know what he likes and dislikes in a PPM and the following is a reflection of those preferences. Thus, some visitors may have varying opinions about the quality of models offered on Q2PMP, but hey it's what makes us all unique.. anyway lets get to it.....
Intro
Get ready to be transported to the year 2087, where the people of Earth are about to face the most relentless enemy humankind has ever seen. Their only hope for salvation is TEKNOMAN, (aka Tekkaman Blade) a super-hero with super-human strength, impenetrable armor and quantum energy weapons. Teknoman has the ability to crush evil -- but he is also in constant danger of losing his humanity and succumbing to the dark side of his powers.....
Well, for the second time since I have been reviewing models at the site, I have had the pleasure of commentating one of Michael Mellor's models. His latest creation, leaping from the Japanese Anime scene, is a popular superhero named Tekkaman Blade. The model was originally created as part of a contracted agreement between the author and a Quake2 clan (which will remain nameless). Unfortunately for Michael, the clan backed out of the deal and he was left no richer in the pockets, but instead a greater hero in the eyes of many other "junior modelers". (hold it while I wipe my nose off) Anyway, being the big man he is, he just couldn't keep this baby all to himself, and instead released it to our grubby little hands. He may not be a good businessman (pssst..get the $ first..) but he sure can whip up a cool model..
The Model
I am sure there are not many of you who do not have at least one of Magarnigal's PPMs in your player directory, and if there are, better get your butt to the downloads section or the related links and get some. Tekkaman Blade is really one a the sweetest models I've seen. The model alone comes in at a slightly larger than norm 756 polygons and with the weapon model, Tekk just hits that 800 limit we like to see to keep a good DM moving. (I give Mike credit, he refuses to go over that magic number) The face count may seem like a lot but considering the method used to create Tekk, they were a necessary evil which helped accurately portray the character and his wicked armor. Most model authors stick to one of two main methods used in creating a model, creating one single mesh and /or the more common, is using different pieces. Tekkaman follows the latter style and in taking a close look you will notice he is created with at least 22 different shapes. This helps out quite a bit when it comes to a PPMs animation.
Those of you familiar with the character and the series, you can see that the author has effectively recreated Tekkaman Blade for the quake community. Now if you look at the comparison pic , you can see that Tekk is head and shoulders above the standard male model. This, according to Michael, this was a specification outlined by the requesting clan. (Maybe the models size was to make up for where the clan had certain "shortcomings".. (Just a joke gents.. I mean if it weren't for you we wouldn't have this awesome model)) Back to the point.. When in a crouching position, Tekk is about the size of the male model standing, so when DMing in those tight crawlspaces, it looks like all you'll see is the armored breastplate coming at you and of course, try aiming a rail slug for the head and all you will see are your shots passing through. This tends to be a sore point for many people, but I cant see subtracting too much from the score. Tekkaman does not carry the average id weapon model, but instead, his trademark blade which was also recreated rather well. Once again the "Triple M" has quenched our thirst for new and exciting models.
Score: Ten
The Animations
I will have to admit I am not really a fan of 'Japanimation' (I was always more of the Disney sort) but I was really impressed with the overall character that Tekk emanates during the animation sequences. Like TAC-Ranger and Hunter, Tekkaman Blade is no slouch in this department. Michael has a real understanding of the body's physics and "rules" of motion. I'll have to agree with HitmanDaz in that the authors work could be a poster child for Lightwave 5.5. Michael actually is being a bit self critical, as many authors are, in telling me that he was disappointed in some of Tekk's features and animation sequences, however I can assure all of you, that these concerns are extremely minor..
First off the stand sequence, you know, those 40 frames that illustrate the attitude and charisma of many models. This tends to be an area where many modelers are critical of other author's works. During this sequence, Tekk steps back in a slight defensive crouch, switches the position of his feet in a quick little shuffle and then returns to the original position. At first I thought it to be a bit too much movement. Although you don't stand around too often in a DM for anyone to notice, no one wants to see a model dancing the "cha-cha" and flagging yourself with a "shootme" sign when your trying to be inconspicuous in a dark corner. However I have to admit, I borrowed a friends Teknoman video cassette with a few episodes and I sort of did an about face when I saw how some of the anime characters shift from offensive to defensive positions when preparing for a fight. This is mirrored in Tekk's stand sequence, and gave me the feeling that he was standing ready, alert for any challenge. I can see why the clan wanted such a character for their own. Attack, jump and pain sequences were somewhat standard but personality is again expressed in the taunt, salute and flip frames. Michael did a sweet job in using the blade in some very martial art style movements. I'll have to say anyone who needs some tips in animation, should take a close look at Tekkaman Blade.
The other problem that Tekk had (which was noted in the read me) was some slight jitter in the lower leg areas. It is a bit more than you may see in other PPMs but not very noticeable in the fast paced Quake fragfests. If you are curious as to what it looks like, fire up Skinview and scroll through the animations one by one. You might see the "wobble" that Michael mentions. This is due to the bones and "null object' setup in Lightwave. For those unfamiliar with these terms, its basically how some models are animated when the author uses a "skeleton" to animate the rest of the model. Sometimes if the setup of "bones" to "null objects" isn't quite right, they don't exactly follow the desired path for an animation frame and the result is a wobble or shift in the figures mesh. I tell you what, you look and be the judge, to me Tekks natural movement throughout the animations, masks this problem quite well. Even during certain sequences, when the arms move or shoulders sort of "shrug" the shoulder armor moves in a natural way to compensate the arms position. The only other glitch I found that could have been remedied was when Tekk salutes and taunts, his right arm passes through this armored shoulder plate a bit. Otherwise, another fantastic display of talent that makes us salivate and beg for the next model..
Score: Nine
The Skin
If you look at the original pic and the posed model next to it above, you will see the skin is an exact replica of what Tekkaman Blade is supposed to look like. Skin waste is low at just 14% and as usual, for OpenGL the efficient 256x256 size was used. Tekk comes with a nice variety of skins (9), which are basically a wide range of colors to choose from and one cool "demon-type" skin which shows Tekk can be skinned as a more biological being if you want. Of the skins, 8 are different colored skins (which you'll have to rename the red and blue appropriately for CTF play) Skin credit goes to FIX who really did a great job with bright color schemes, and detail on Tekks armored covering. The black seams over the white armor plates looks almost like it was done with a fine tip pen. Great use of shading and a slight hint of highlights gives the armor more depth and reality. The addition of a nice "Ogro" creature skin gives you an escape from the new and "shiny" armored exoskeleton. However, would be skinners are warned that the skin layout is not what they are accustomed to. You will find it extremely difficult to paint over existing skins due to the way the mesh is laid out. Normally we see arms and legs next to each other and it's easy to distinguish front torso from back etc. This isn't the case here.. One leg is here, the other there, the top of the hand is in one corner, the bottom of the hand is elsewhere, half a kneecap here the other half there.. phew.. I'll have to admit due to the NON-friendly nature of the layout, you better do skinning directly on the model in NST, its the only way.. As mentioned in the model section, Tekk was created with many 'parts', but due to the symmetrical nature of many of the limbs, etc, the skins' mesh is overlaid in many areas for efficiency. Because of this, one thing that was a bit apparent, were the "seams" on various spots of the skin. During movement, these edges become slightly noticeable due to varying colors or shading along the edges of the "skin patches". Sometimes a seam on the models skin will not line up across the torso or leg because of a slight shift in the mesh. Am I being picky, yea maybe, although I have to admit, I may be ringing Ogro_Fix's door for skinwork at some point and I would highly recommend his talents to other model authors out there. All and all, another fine job here..
Score: Eight
Sounds
Sorry, none included with the pack, but I understand there are a few people who may have a collection of Tekk sounds pulled from the TV series.. So I guess we'll keep our fingers crossed and patiently wait.
Visible Weapons Support
No visible weapons support, but Tekkaman blade does come with his own bladed spear, and his hand/arm animations would support some custom Tekk-style weapons.
Pack Inclusion
Well, he is taller than pack eligibility allows, however I tend to bend the rules a bit and besides I think even r13 would agree on Tekk's inclusion in the next pack. So you'll see it there, but once again, I would not wait for the packs..
"Steal my flag huh ?!"
"The BFB ??" (Big F*cking Blade)
review by Hunter
author name Michael "Magarnigal" Mellor
tris.md2
Vertices 429
Mapping Vertices 437
Polygons 756
Skin size 256x256
Skin Wasted Space 14%
weapon.md2
Vertices 28
Mapping Vertices 48
Polygons 44
Skin size 80x128
Skin Wasted Space 23%
relevant links
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