Tech or Zanzibar

[Slug Toy]

ok, im making my big entrance here by hopefully doing a mod worthy of competing with the likes of crimson and tribaloverkill. i dont like doing things small time, and i dont like doing things half-assed.

ya, you might be saying that you are very doubtful that a first timer can compete, but beware for i know how to wield a hammer and form sheet metal quite well. i also happen to have access to a modder's dream shop thanks to my dad. not to mention that im pretty comfortable with acrylic, glass, and copper flat-bar. im not bragging here either, im just giving strategic hints to what you may see from me. hint hint.

ive got a dillema though. im equally fond of two ideas i have right now. i either want to do a case based on the halo 2 map zanzibar, or a straight tech mod with a couple interesting (and currently classified) methods involved.

i have an unknown timeframe for starting this mod, but lets say within a month for sure. i just need to pop down the road and pick up some aluminum, acrylic, and perhaps a fan or two. then i can start the decision process and drawings.

at the moment, im going to leave this thread open for suggestions on which mod to do, and anything you guys think would be sweet to see.

ill get a few ideas out... the ones im at liberty to talk about right now. i do know that if i do the zanzibar mod, ill be customizing a fan to look like the windmill, and that will probably be a central piece to the design. copper flat bar will serve as a cooling apparatus and as the various walkways in the level. if its the tech mod, im toying with an idea to do a chome inter-weaving web kind of like a cob web, along with plenty of brushed and polished aluminum shielding/accenting. again, copper flat bar will serve as cooling as well as additional visual effectiveness.

one thing that wont be affected by my choice is the cooling setup. i already said ill use the copper flat bar, but that may have you confused. i have a plan to get two phase change coolers, and the copper flat bar will be the interface for the cooling heads and the CPU and GPU. i may even extend some thinner copper to cool the ram and chipset. so basically there's gonna be a system of copper touching the main heat generating things, and there will be two coolers touching the copper.

ok, thats it for the first session of brainstorming. its late, im half asleep, and i can feel my mind shutting down. ill check back in about 12 to 18 hours, and hopefully ill have lots of suggestions to read.

i guess what im doing is kind of like a refferendum... *snore*... *thud*... *bleed out on the floor from a nice gash on my forehead*

[bibbles]

what ever u do should look good. i recken half life 2, what kind of shop does your dad own

[Slug Toy]

hehe, bibbles. half life 2... i would assume you mean halo 2 cause im not all that interested in a half life 2 mod, its already been done.

as for the shop i get to work in, i think i have access to anything and everything a modder could want. table saw, band saw, drill press, jigsaw, 2 dremels, assorted nailguns and hilti guns, and tons of screwdrivers and hammers and all that good stuff. i think ill put in a few pictures once i get going on a worklog.

and for something completely different... come on guys, one response? i want this thread flooded with questions or ideas or comments or ... anything. and by the way, i WILL answer every single question unless someone else does. ive noticed sometimes a question gets overlooked. i wont overlook anything.

anyways, i shall await some activity here.

[OvRiDe]

Welcome to the boards.. Sounds like you have quite a project planned, and I am looking forward to seeing your progress. Since I havent played Halo 2 I can't give you much advice on the cosmetics of your mod. It appears that you have an interesting cooling setup in mind, and would like to see some sketches on how you plan to execute it. As for only one response, it is Saturday and for alot of us that is chore time, family time and of course modding time, just give us a little time others will start responding as their day winds down. :) The first bit I would like to offer is maybe start doing some preliminary sketches and post them. I have noticed that there tends to be a more rapid exchange of ideas once someone has seen your initial plans. Also do you have a specific case your going to elaborate on? I see that you have alot of tools available and some metal forming skills, so is it going to be scratch built? Large formfactor case, or small? Either way give us an idea of what your leaning towards and good luck!! As always looking forward to a great worklog..

[Slug Toy]

wow, i forgot its the weekend. ive been kind of dazed since about wednesday. i can understand the lack of activity then. i get stuck doing chores too.

im working on some sketches as i speak. ive got a plan to power the large modded fan for the zanzibar idea, and im just working out how i can fit in some phase changers. i think ive got a way to do it, but it will take some drawing and measuring and figuring. i may actually be able to use some flat bar in a third purpose... cooling, ramp sections, and now as structural support for the fan.

for the tech mod, i had another idea. i think i will take it in the direction of Dystopia, the multiplayer mod thats out for half life 2. i can incorporate the reactor cores that are in almost every level, and it gives a way to fit the phase changers without a lot of reasoning for having these big pipes hanging out. theres definitely going to be a secure and clean feel to this one.

i must say, the zanzibar idea doesnt leave much for creativity in my mind. at least the dystopia aspect has me feeding one idea off another.

as for the details on case size and such, it WILL be completely made from scratch, and large form factor. i may even have the motherboard laying horizontally to allow for the large mass of copper, and a more logical layout considering that game maps are definitely more horizontal than vertical. ill rivet everything together cause the one thing i dont have is a welder. i like rivetting better anyways.

ok, ive got to cut this shorter than id like cause i have to be going for dinner in a matter of minutes. the drawings will hopefully be completed tonight, or tomorrow morning.

till then, go pwn some faces.

[bibbles]

sorry slug toy, i read it a bit too quick. been a bit strested today my brother lost all me tools and so made a mistake on my case. and halo 2 is a brilliant idea. are you planning on doing something similar to pauls doom 3 case

[Slug Toy]

ok, i dont have the drawings done yet, but i took a little time to find some zanzibar screenshots. i also fired up dystopia to get some pictures. so this stuff should give some idea of the style i want.

here are the zanzibar shots:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Half-MapScreenshot1.jpg
this one gives a view of the windmill and some of the walkways. also take notice of the nose cone that is just to the right of center. anyone who has played on this map knows that it probably fell off in a wind storm or something.... im not sure if theres an actual story to it. anyways, ill probably put the nose cone back on or ill definitely incorporate it.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/BaseShot.jpg
heres a view from the other side of the windmill. the actual base is sort of in view in behind, but not very well. ill be incorporating at least some of the base.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/OverallScreenshot1.jpg
this one shows the beach area. i chose this one cause ill probably be incorporating the cliffs as well as the beach. everything will end up mingling just like it does in the game.

and now the dystopia stuff:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Reactor1.jpg
ok, this is one of the reactors i was talking about. theres one on all but a single level, and the objective is always to destroy it. ill make something to simulate the reactor, and it will go on the CPU. probably a combination of cooling, lighting, and some styrene to guard against condensation.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Reactor2.jpg
heres a second reactor shot. note the blue wall thing in front. its a forcefield type thing. ill probably add that... some blue LED's and an etched acrylic tube can take care of it nicely.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Turret.jpg
the dreaded turrets. they really make or break the game depending on who controls them. it would be wrong to not include a turret. i dont know how yet, but it will probably be a floor mounted variation. it might even sweep through 90 degrees like in the game.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/SparkGap.jpg
i dont quite know what this is or what its purpose is either. its a big feature on one of the maps though, so it would probably go in my case.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Logo.jpg
this is the logo of a company in the game. im hazy on the details, but i get the feeling the company is the bad guy. the logo is everywhere though, so it will be in my mod.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Jack-inPort.jpg
a jack-in port... or at least thats what i call it. this lets you hook up to a cyberspace environment, and you can hack into thing... turrets, room defenses. again, this is a huge piece of the game, and must be included.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Cyberspace3.jpg
ah, cyberspace. probably half the important events in the game happen here. ill probably duplicate this with some acrylic and carefully placed lighting.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Cyberspace2.jpg
im not sure if this is a representation of a firewall, but its also in cyberspace. if you look really close, you can make out binary code. this is an optional feature. it depends on whether i can make an etching on a small scale that is at least somewhat recognizable.


ok, thats all the pictures i have at the moment, and thats probably a good thing. drawings will be up tomorrow for sure, im still working on them right now.

to answer i question i see here, i cant say whether thsi will be similar to the doom 3 mod. the zanzibar one might be because it will be a lot of structure and stone. the dystopia one will probably use similar methods, but i doubt it will end up looking similar at all.

back to work on the drawings for me. any questions... just ask, ill be paying attention for a little while longer tonight.

[Rankenphile]

INteresting ideas. You're setting the bar pretty high here, so I can't wait to see what you come up with. Welcome to the boards, and good luck!

[Slug Toy]

drawings are done, but i dont have access to a scanner right now. ive also been "elected" to cook a turkey dinner for tonight, so im kinda squeezed for time until after thats done. ill have the pics up in about 4 or 5 hours. be warned though, that im not great at drawing my ideas. they look much more detailed and much better when they're in my mind. ill explain them though, so the quality wont matter much.

in the mean time, i had a "hot" idea. im thinking of setting up a white LED in the reactor core (assuming i go with the dystopia idea) that will be on the CPU, and the LED brightness will be variable according to what temperature the CPU is at. so when the computer is off, the LED will be off, but when everything is at operating temperature, the LED will be at full brightness. the brightness may even oscillate a bit to give a glowing-hot effect.

that leads me to another idea i had last night before i fell asleep. the varying-brightness LED could also be implemented in a halo mod as well. im thinking about something like the library level where there are those huge walls of what i would assume is optical storage, and it looks like glowing blue glass.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/Library1.jpg
that type of thing could go on the ram or hard drive or any type of storage device.

theres just so much stuff to think about that ill probably be adding to my list of things to do for quite a while.

anyways, pics will be soon.

[montmorency]

hmm. i think you are on to something. personally i love the dystopia, and i think it has great pontential. for those turrets, they could be motorized, with LEDs in the barells. maybe below the drives you could have one of those information center type things like in the third to last photo.

[Slug Toy]

ok, drawings are here, but they suck. ill try to detail everything i know though. some of it i will just have to make up as i go... theres too much right now.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/ModIdea2.jpg
heres my idea for the zanzibar mod. note the large windmill in the side... it seems fitting because its the most noticable feature of the map. theres a gate like the one at the side of the base that you can open, and that will probably grant access to the disk drives. theres also one of the propped up window covers just above it, and that will be for the sake of airflow unless i see a better use. theres some of the cliff features on the front, and theres will be some sand on the visible side. on the other side, theres going to be some walkways that come out of the cliff and go back in wherever i feel it looks best. theres also a lot of stuff i didnt draw. the power generator that is driven by the windmill isnt in there because i just dont know where it would fit, although it may work if it has something to do with the power supply. i may even put in a turret or two, and a flag or bomb.


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/ModIdea1.jpg
heres the dystopia drawing. montmorency, your comment about the "jack-in port" inspired me to place it on the 45 degree section on the front. im thinking of putting a touchscreen lcd in it so i can control a few things, but i dont know what they'll be yet. ive put a really bad representation of the reactor core where the CPU would be, and theres a turret hanging from the top. i didnt know what to do with the video card or sound card so i left them for now. i also couldnt fit in my idea for the ram, but suffice to say that it will have something to do with the library theme from halo i was talking about earlier. the interesting circular thing on top, well thats one of my secrets that i would rather not disclose at this time. i dont know if it will work so im just going to keep quiet.


well, thats what ive drawn, and thats all i want to draw because it really doesnt do any justice to what i want everything to look like. like i said, im just gonna make a lot of this up as i go, because thats how i operate best... everything will be sort of a sequence of fortunate mistakes for this.

i do have two more things to say here though. its probably going to be exceedingly difficult to get my hands on a pair of phase change coolers at the moment. i have the money, but not on hand. i also dont have the contacts to facilitate getting my hands on anything. im thinking i may wait until the OCZ cryo-z comes out, and i may pick up a pair of them... just to keep it simple. in the mean time, i may settle with makeshift watercooling. it would look very good in the reactor core of the dystopia mod if it were a turquoise coolant, and probably just as good with an orange colour for the zanzibar mod.

the second thing is that ive come to like two other ideas. im now entertaining a halo library theme and just a pure overclock theme where nothing is more flamboyant than it needs to be.

so i better stop thinking about this too hard or else im just going to burn out before i even start. its also just getting more difficult to make up my mind. im going to now leave this more open for suggestions, and sort of a poll.

tell me what you're more partial to:

a) zanzibar
b) dystopia
c) library
d) pure OC machine

and also tell me any ideas, and ill listen for now.

ok, im gone for a bit, i start work tomorrow at an ungodly hour of the morning to fill in my time between university semesters. i wont even be home until dinner, or later. so lets say ill be checking back in about 20-24 hours from now.

[Slug Toy]

well i see a lack of activity here. i dont blame you, after looking back at those drawings i put up. they really do suck.

anyways, hopefully you guys start pumping out "votes" for those four ideas i now have. if not, ill be left to my own devices, and my mod will probably spiral out of control with all the ideas i have. and thats all i have to say about that.

on another topic, this may take a little longer than expected. the work im stuck doing is near unbearable. i haul cable through conduit all day, and my feet and hands pay for it. im practically crippled for nearly four hours after work every day from the pain. needless to say i dont have the energy or motivation to take a long trip out to get supplies right now, but ill get to it. probably one weekend not too far off.

so, if theres no interest to put in opinions at this point, not to worry. i can manage on my own providing i put some thought into this for a day or two more. in that case... you can just sit back and watch the show.

[hxcguitarist]

wow...really great ideas! I haven't played dystopia, but i've been wanting to try it for a while now. I love the Zanzibar idea, its different too! Just a thought, I think it would be awsome to have the windmill rotating on the case side panel. Maybe use a little electric motor inside the cone or something like that!

I would have to be more partial to the zanzibar idea, just for originality :)

-hxcguitarist

[Jetty_200]

Zanzibar

[Slug Toy]

ok, results are practically in from across the board.

the short version: zanzibar wins.

the longer version: even though i didnt get a whole lot of opinions here, i got tons from other places. the results were mixed, with zanzibar only slightly beating my all-out tech idea. being that i run things democratically, that means i will be doing zanzibar this first time around. others will follow.

so this is it. im going to focus my thoughts on coming up with appealing things to do. ill probably put one more set of drawings here, hopefully of better quality... ill take some time to fix them up with photoshop. after that, ill round up some supplies, commandeer my dads good digital camera, and get cracking.

ill let you know when i plan to start this mod once i get the drawings done. at this point in time i cant say. ive got another week of back breaking work, but my weekend looks very free to take some trips to some art stores and one of my favourite sheet metal haunts. not only that, but in a week, ill have something like $850 to play around with... enough to get started anyways.

so lets say... three days for the finalized drawings. then things will start to get interesting.

[Slug Toy]

wow, this took way longer than i wanted it to. i was actually done the final drawing for last wednesday, but i just couldnt get to my scanner, it was in use. plus im absolutely beat from work, i dont think i had the get-up-and-go to do much else than sit around.

anyways, enough excuses, i got today off so lets get to the good stuff:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f26/z1gg3rm4n/FinalDrawing.jpg

thats pretty much where i want to take this mod. it wont be exactly like that because i can already see some size and space issues, but ill work those out as i get to them. i was just interested in gettin a picture done that looked representative.

heres an update on the situation surround this mod. in my last post i said i would probably end up with about $850 to play around with. well i got my paycheque yesterday, and it actually worked out to $936. some of that is going towards a trip to hawaii in late april though, so im going to limit myself to $400 for now, but even that should be enough to get some sheet metal and art supplies.

now, for a start date... well lets say that will be flexible, but im looking at next weekend. im going to take this weekend to price some aluminum out and scout out an art shop or two and maybe pick up some minor things like styrofoam or some sheets of pvc or something.

so thats it. this should be one of my last posts in this thread unless anyone has some question or comments that i see fit to respond to. if you guys dont have anything in particular to say, just wait for my worklog to open up.

[shortkid422]

Make sure you get the fan on the side to spin. See if you can get it to match the same rate as that on the map. Dont forget color matching when painting the case.

[onelegout]

This looks like its going to be fantastic! Good luck on it! :)
Peace
H

[hxcguitarist]

:) NICE! hope everything goes smoothly for ya :)

[XcOM]

SWEET - Never heard of zanzibar, but looks good, good luck with it, and it would be cool to have the fan spin like it does in the game.