I've been playing ArmA for over a year now, but a long, long time ago, I used to play Flight Simulator X. Now in FSX, someone had created a freeware USS Nimitz (CVN 68) which was lightyears better graphically than the rest of the game. After playing the USS Nimitz Mod for ArmA 2 OA, and seeing how disappointingly bland the textures were, I felt inspired to see if there was a way to take the freeware Nimitz and plop it into ArmA 2.
As of right now, I have managed to convert the behemoth from the proprietary Microsoft filetype ".mdl" to a .OBJ file, and have it inside of 3DS MAX, and working.
I have multiple questions about what to do from here.
1. What are the ethical implications of taking this free mod designed for one game and converting it for use in another, while still crediting the original digital artist wherever I can.
2. What do I do from here? I know I need to "script" it, but I have no idea what that entails (as you may have already noticed, I'm much more comfortable with the 3D-animation part of gaming, and less with the coding). I do not know what kind of object class I should use (Ship, Car, House, Other?), and how I would animate it.
By animating it I would hope to
a. Create 4 working Aircraft Elevators.
b. Create a takeoff system which involves hooking the launch bar up to the catapult, the blast shields coming up, and the aircraft being accelerated.
c. Create a landing system using a Tailhook and Arresting Cables.
d. Create a working "meatball", with lights, which will essentially change the lighting sequence based upon the distance, altitude, speed, and glide slope of the landing aircraft.
e. And many many more little things, which I don't want to focus upon until I can get this ship working.
If anyone could give me one on one help, point me in the direction of the right tutorials or wiki's, or help run through these ideas, I would greatly appreciate it!
