Type: 		Halflife Multiplayer Pluggin Model

Name: 		Etac ( Epsilon Tactical)

Release Date: 	7th May 1999

Author:		Ian Waugh    

E-Mail:		gundam@btinternet.com or ian.waugh@virgin.net

Homepage: 	No    ( maybe later )

Files:		ETac.mdl, ETac.bmp, ETac.txt 			

Instructions:	Create a folder  Half-life\valve\models\player\ETac
                and just unzip all the file into there.

		This model can be freely distributed as long as this text file is included, unmodified.
		If you wish to  include it in a compilation, Mod or commerical product, please email me first.
		If you want to do a skin for this model and are a good skinner ( i.e. better than me ) then email me, 
                and I'll help you out with smd files and base skins.

Description: 	Tactial unit Epislon, assigned of the Black Mesa Internal security rapid resonse tactical operations
                unit, Experimental Divison. Epislon is the only  member of this unit to have survived the 
                Half Life incident.
	
		Rummors about the Experimental Tac guys can be heard all round the Black Mesa base. 
                People say they are mutants or cyborgs or enchanced with nano technology or even some 
                wierd medical/genetic experiment. Their armour and personal equipment is certainly unlike any thing 
                anybody has seen, although some say their body protection system is an offshoot of HEV suit technology.
		The only fact is that all other facts about them are classfied orange 6, strictly need to know.
		But a few people, who have actually seen them in action, just say this one thing about them.
                When they shoot, they never miss.    

Influences:	The model isn't based on anything or one in particular, but then it is really 
                just a fairly generic male human character, so it isn't exactly original.
		The monnacle site is I've seen before some where, don't Apache gunship pilots
                wear similar things, plus I used a similar idea on a Quake 2 skin I did a while a go.
                The body is of an athletic male, faily heavily built and with a youngish face.
                The armour was just made up.
                
Model Info:	vertices   	:409 
		Polygons      	:782 tris
		Skins       	:2  CBody.bmp   256x256
                                    CHead.bmp   128x128
                                    No Team Colours
                Skeleton     	: Valves Standard Biped
		Animation      	: Mostly Valve, but the following have been altered
                  	 	  look_idle           : holds hands down
				  idle                : holds hands down
				  deep_idle           : holds hands down
                                  crawl		      : Less clavical movement to reduce deformation 
				  ref_aim_crowbar     : Holds bar lower, 
				  ref_shoot_crowbar   : Holds bar lower, with more of a twist in the action
				  ref_aim_onehanded   : Holds pistol slightly at an angle with straight arms
				  ref_shhot_onehanded : Fire pistol from above postion with body twist and recoil
				  ref_aim_shotgun     : Holds shotgun higher and further away from the body
     			 	  ref_shoot_shotgun   : Fire from above postion, with lots of recoil and a pump action
                                  ref_aim_mp5         : Holds the gun with one hand at arms length, with the left hand covering it
     			 	  ref_shoot_mp5       : Fire from above postion, little recoil.


Model Notes:	Model number two. better than model number one, Major K. Still has several mapping errors 
                though, the left foot went all wrong, and the seems on the arms sould be in on the
                inside of the arms for better line up.  The animation was changed just to see if I couild do it.
  	        The changes made are fairly small, but do give the model a bit more of a distincive look in play.
		The Weapon anims changed are ones I tend to see most in a deathmatch.                
		The mesh is is totaly original, but was desinged to fit the valve biped, and turned out rather to 
                simalar to the Gordon model. I'll Try to do something a bit more original next time.
	        
                The big problem is the poly count. 782 is a awful lot of polygons for a generic male with a headset.

		My Excuses for High Poly count:

		I used 6 sided sections for the limbs, 8 for the body, 4 sided is more common and cheaper on the polys
		but I find it makes models look a bit to square.

		Extra vertices and polys to make sure the limbs dont deform when them moved, since HL vertices are
                rigidly attacked to bones, if you don't put extra vertices in the limbs, they will squash themselves into 
                flat bits when they move. Much care was taken to avoid CAS (Collapsing Arse Syndrome), a common problem 
                with HalfLife models, I haven't been 100% succesfull stopping CAS but it sort of works.

                The headset takes up a few polys, I could of just drawn it one one, but it would'nt of looked half as nice.

                The headset ( a couple of other bits ) have a few polys in it that will almost never be seen, but I put them
                in anyway, cause I really don't like holes in a model, even if they would be almost invisible.

                I have a PII 450 and SLI Voodoo IIs, HalfLife in 1024x768 does'nt even make it sweat. And my machine is 
                now completly obsolete what with PIII 550's and voodoo 3's and Ultra TNT 2's about, and these much cost much 
                LESS than what my machines orginal price :( . The Quake II engine HL uses was designed to run on machine less 
                with less than half this spec, with 500-650 poly models.
                Things have moved on since the relase of Q2 and half life, Moores Law is still going stronger than ever.

                Quake 3 looks like it is having an 800 poly limit ( or may be even 1000) for the players. If you machine can't
                handle this model in Half life, you 'aint going to be able to play Q3.

                It is still under the Q2PMP recommened 800 poly limit.

                If you think your machine cant cope with ETac don't install it.
		
		I just sort of got attached to all those 782 polys and did'nt want to remove anymore ;)
		I'm going to be using an upper limit of 800 polys for my models in the future.
		

Tools used:  	Mesh			: Inspire 3D 1.0  ( So much nicer to use the 3ds Max )
		Mapping and bonning 	: 3D Studio Max R2.5 and Character Studio 2.0
					  ( The  Max interface is infuriating ( but getting less so ),
                                            but it does support the intellimouse wheely thing for pan and zoom
                                            which is nice )
		Skins			: Corel Photopaint 8.0 ( because I'm wierd and don't really like photoshop )
		Compiling		: StudioMDL	
		Viewing			: Mdlviewer v2.1.0402
					  Half-Life Model Viewer v1.0

Other:  	I often can be found as "Gundam", late at night	on Wireplay, Barry's world and other UK servers, 
                playing Half Life, TFC,  Action Quake2 or Tribes
		( I'm the one being shot at a lot , you can't miss me )
		
Thanks:		Valve Software, For Half Life of course
		Wavelength modeling tutorials, absolutely essential, couldn't of done with out ya.
		Scarecrow for reviewing my last model MajorK on Cold Fusion.
                Everybody who emailed me about MajorK. many thanks for the words of encouragment.
		Every one who has done a Player model before, thanks for the inspiration and now I 
		really appreciate the work you put in to bring them to life.

