Seeking some scenery help

14 posts ยท Aug 7 1997 to Aug 12 1997

From: John Crimmins <johncrim@v...>

Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 19:02:23 -0400

Subject: Seeking some scenery help

Does anyone know of somewhere where I could obtain cheap plastic aquarium
plants? And when I say cheap, I mean CHEAP. Cheap in both rice and quality.
Especially price. I'm not looking for anything that looks like a real plant,
you see. I want plants in unnatural neon colors. I want plants that, should
you actually put them in an aquarium, would look as though the Yellow
Submarine should be sailing among them. I want plants that I can use to make
my Stargrunt games look like they are set nowhere on Earth. Yes, those are the
kinds of plants that I want.... Know where I could find some? I've checked a
variety of pet and department stores, but the plants that I have found have
all been, well,
natural looking.  Not in the least suitable.  Are there any on-line
stores that might have what I am looking for? Anyone?

And, on another note.... For an upcoming game of Full Thrust, I need something
to represent a "Jump Point". This is not an artificial,
Babylon-5ish jump gate, it's more of a naturally occuring fold in space
kind thingie. Sorry if I'm getting too technical, here. Anyway, I want to come
up with some sort of 3-D object to represent this, and my mind has
utterly failed me. Does anyone have an idea for something that would be
effective,
and yet east and cheap (yes, that word again--I'm a grad dtudent, and
"cheap" is an integral part of my vocabulary) to construct? Any ideas at all
would be appreciated....

From: B Lin <lin@r...>

Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 19:18:35 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

> On Thu, 7 Aug 1997, John Crimmins wrote:

> Does anyone know of somewhere where I could obtain cheap plastic
I want
> plants that, should you actually put them in an aquarium, would look

Try dissecting one of those brightly colored feather dusters. I would assume
that a single duster would provide you a table full of weird looking "leaves"
for plants. I've also made some fake giant cacti things from styrofoam and
toothpick halves, painted bright red and orange of course...

> And, on another note.... For an upcoming game of Full Thrust,

Some type of vortex, simulated by a black crater with a swirling pattern on
it. If you have access to Plaster of paris, glop down some mush a tennis ball
into it to form a crater. With a little work sanding or smoothing you can get
a smooth flowing shape to it. Spray paint black, speckle or paint inflowing
lines with a starburst at the center.

--Binhan

From: Robertson, Brendan <Brendan.Robertson@d...>

Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 19:43:38 -0400

Subject: RE: Seeking some scenery help

Maybe use some black paper & fold into an origami boat, would certainly
appear as a natural looking _FOLD_ in space.

(w) Brendan.Robertson @ employment.gov.au (h) Denian @ Shepparton.net.au

'Neath Southern Skies The Oceanic Union lives!

> -----Original Message-----

From: Tim Jones <Tim.Jones@S...>

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 03:54:41 -0400

Subject: RE: Seeking some scenery help

On Friday, August 08, 1997 12:02 AM, John Crimmins
> [SMTP:johncrim@voicenet.com] wrote:

Make a cone out of black paper or card

Or build something out of colored bake in the oven modelling putty (FIMO)

sincerely

From: Mike Wikan <mww@n...>

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 05:51:41 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

How about a ring with small kit bashed modules spaced at 60 degree increments
about it's circumference. make the ring big enough to pass a ship, stick it on
a shortened stand so the middle of the ring is level with a ship height..

From: Steve Pugh <steve@p...>

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 08:49:42 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

> John Crimmins wrote:

> And, on another note.... For an upcoming game of Full Thrust, I

Sooooooo, you want a 3-D representation of an object that by its very
nature is at least 4 dimensional?

Hmm, this could be tricky. In best Red Dwarf style, are you after a swirly
sort of thing or a sparkly sort of thing or perhaps a swirly, sparkly sort of
thing?

Take a starfield image. Load it into a graphics package. Perform every
imaginable distortion possible. Print out. Screw up piece of paper. Place on
table.

;-)

From: Joachim Heck - SunSoft <jheck@E...>

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 09:23:41 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

> Steve Pugh writes:
@:)
@:) > And, on another note.... For an upcoming game of Full Thrust, I @:) >
need something to represent a "Jump Point". This is not an
@:) > artificial, Babylon-5ish jump gate, it's more of a naturally
@:) > occuring fold in space kind thingie. Sorry if I'm getting too
@:) > technical, here.  Anyway, I want to come up with some sort of 3-D
@:) > object to represent this, and my mind has utterly failed me.
@:)
@:) Sooooooo, you want a 3-D representation of an object that by its
@:) very nature is at least 4 dimensional?
@:)
@:) Hmm, this could be tricky.

  Well, since FT is actually a 2-D game, presumably a 3-D object would
be satisfactory. My suggestion: drill a hole in your table large enough to
drop a miniature through.

Since FT ships can successfully navigate hyperspace, you might want
to put a pillow under the table.  Leaving the giant 4-D hyperspace
attack cat around might help add that extra bit of terrifying realism, though.

From: Alun Thomas <alun.thomas@c...>

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 09:42:07 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

johncrim @ voicenet.com asked:

> And, on another note.... For an upcoming game of Full Thrust,
How about a black globe with a distorted starfield painted on it?

From: Chris McCurry <CMCCURR@v...>

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 13:53:47 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

johncrim @ voicenet.com asked:
> For an upcoming game of Full Thrust, I

> Alun.:--->How about a black globe with a distorted starfield painted

I like the globe part (use a cheep Styrofoam ball) but I picture a colorful
jump gate (deep purples and blues) or maybe a spiraled reddish look to it...

In any effect the ball is most appealing and very cheep.

CMC

From: trapper <trapper@n...>

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 14:58:31 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

You could make a cheapo jump gate out of a toilet paper tube (or make your own
tube,if a TP tube is too small for the kind of models you're using. Rolled up
poster board works) painted with weird swirly designs (really vivid poster
paints might work,fluorescents especially). The tube shape of this design is
handy if you want to portray the type of jumpgate where trajectory really
matters. If you enter the gate in any other way than exactly straight (i.e.,if
you run into the walls of the tube),your ship is crippled,destroyed,or sent to
Oz or whatever.

Let us know what you finally settle on!

From: Game Masters <bill3@s...>

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 15:49:26 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

> John Crimmins wrote:

From: TEHughes@a...

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 13:48:30 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

In a message dated 97-08-08 09:28:37 EDT, you write:

<< > And, on another note.... For an upcoming game of Full Thrust, I
> need something to represent a "Jump Point". This is not an

I would suggest you take a sheet of celophane (clear or colored, your
preference) paint a few Day-Glow lines and/or stars on it. Form it into
a cone, then twist the cone tip end around a few times. Place it base down on
that table and voila' -- you have a jump point twisting off to
infinity!!!!

From: Herk0001@a...

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 19:58:01 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

I was thining that a plastic funnel, such as one used when replacing a car's
oil would work if painted black with a distorted starfield on it.

From: Geo-Hex <geohex@t...>

Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 09:33:20 -0400

Subject: Re: Seeking some scenery help

> Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 19:02:23 -0400 (EDT)

> Does anyone know of somewhere where I could obtain cheap plastic
I want
> plants that, should you actually put them in an aquarium, would look