Ok. So far I have asked Hapslash to see if he would be interested in contributing to my mod with his models, if he wants to. Oidar, (again thanks for the links)do you think it would be easy to add the animations posted by TK-8252? Or do you have to have some kind of modeling tool? Also, anyone who thinks they can contribute to this mod is welcome to speek up and we may be able to get you working on something when the time comes. And does anyone know what to do about the inside of the stormtroopers helmet? This is the closest I can get to it.
Inside of a stormtrooper helmet (
http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/HateMail/Babies/Helmet.jpg)
Also, I remembered I had this picture. I decided to post it to show you guys how the stock would be unfolded. This is one thing I am worried about concerning animation.
BlasTech E-11 Blaster Rifle (stock deployed) (
http://www.rpgplanet.com/starwars/pics/blasrifle.jpg)
And finaly, here are some things that may help some people understand more about stormtroopers and what to expect in the mod. And also a way to get people to help start thinking about how to impliment some of these things.
Star Wars Data Bank: Stormtroopers (read all of this first) (
http://www.starwars.com/databank/organization/stormtroopers)
"Body Armour and NBC Protection
Stormtroopers: This uniform should already be familiar to anyone who hasn't been living in a cave for the last 20 years. It is the infamous stormtrooper uniform, which simultaneously acts as body armour, NBC suit, and combat aid. Some Trekkies insist on questioning the utility of heavily armed and equipped foot soldiers, in an era of starships and transporters. However, they would do well to study real life before reading any more sci-fi; all of the advanced technology in the world still doesn't remove the need to put a man on the ground with a gun in his hands. We have amazing technologies to support foot soldiers, but not to replace them. More to the point, no one can even foresee the day when the highly trained, heavily armed foot soldier will no longer be necessary.
The reason is simple: only a soldier can conquer and hold territory. If your goal is simply to obliterate a city, then a nuclear weapon will suffice. If your goal is to cause indiscriminate loss of civilian life, then carpet bombing of residential areas will get the job done. If your goal is to destroy large, visible fortifications, then pinpoint airstrikes will do (although this might be costly if the surrounding forest is full of SAMs). But what if your goal is to capture an important enemy facility? What if your goal is to seize control of a city? What if your goal is to maintain order and quell riots? What if your enemies are hiding among non-combatant civilians? What if your target is nestled in a forest? What if this is all happening on a planet whose atmosphere is full of violent electrical activity? What if massive anti-aircraft defenses are in place? What if a theatre shield is operational? What if you don't have air superiority? That's when you need soldiers.
Armour Characteristics: A stormtrooper's suit performs as both body armour, NBC suit, and combat aid. It would be best to examine these functions separately.
A stormtrooper's body armour capabilities are very impressive. According to the SWVD, the hardened white shell is virtually immune to corrosion (very important considering the fact that corrosive gas grenades exist), and it can resist any hand-held projectile weapons. In fact, we learned in "Rebel Dawn" that stormtrooper armour is so well made that it commands a high price on the black market, which is why Han Solo was smuggling stolen armour for profit. Not once in any of the three original films did we see anything penetrate the hardened armour apart from a direct hit with a blaster bolt, although the rubberized flexible joint sections were obviously not quite so strong (numerous stormtroopers were killed by arrows to the flexible neck covering in ROTJ, and Leia killed one with a shrapnel hit to the wall behind him, taking advantage of that same small weak area). The novel "Lightsabres", from the Young Jedi Knights series, contains a sequence of events which helps demonstrate the mechanical strength of stormtrooper armour:
"Qorl stood inside the training chamber holding a wicked-looking spear in his black-wrapped left hand. His droid replacement gripped the gleaming shaft with enough force to dent the metal."
...
"He cocked his droid arm back - and hurled the deadly weapon ..."
"Norys slammed into the wall, his helmet ringing against the hard metal bulkhead. His vision sparkled with impending unconsciousness."
...
"He looked down at his chest in amazement and saw only a nick in the white armor where the spear had struck."
Qorl's droid used its superhuman strength to throw a spear with such great force that it lifted a man off his feet and hurled him against a nearby wall. It should be noted that we have no materials in real life that can be manufactured in lightweight thin plates and yet retain such strength against deformation or cracking. Moreover, no real-life assault rifle fires projectiles with anywhere near enough momentum to throw a man around like a rag doll, so this means that stormtrooper armour is basically impervious to present-day small-arms fire (not to mention the shrapnel that is ejected by anti-personnel weapons). A real-life soldier would have to score direct hits with concussion grenades or use a very heavy tripod-mounted gun in order to kill a stormtrooper through his armour (contrast this with Federation soldiers, whose pajamas wouldn't be of much use against an M-16). Blaster bolts are much too powerful to block, but by blocking shrapnel, a stormtrooper's armour ensures that the enemy must score a direct hit in order to kill the man inside.
The NBC protection of stormtrooper armour is just as important as its physical strength. According to the SWVD, a stormtrooper's armour is the product of millenia of refinement in personal combat protection equipment, and it affords the wearer complete protection from a wide variety of threats, such as extreme temperature variations, the vacuum of space (albeit only briefly), radiogenic fallout, nerve gases, and biological agents. The observed characteristics of the armour are consistent with this description. The armour seems to be based on a black, rubber-like "body glove", upon which the white armour plates are bonded. When Han Solo and Luke Skywalker had their helmets off in ANH, we could see that the suit extended all the way up to the neck, and the SWVD's helmet diagram labels a "hermetic auto-seal" around its base, which is obviously designed to form an airtight seal around the suit's neck collar. Furthermore, when a stormtrooper speaks, his voice sounds tinny and distorted, as if it is electronically reproduced or otherwise filtered. It does not sound like he's simply speaking through a barrier, and it does not appear as if this electronically filtered voice reproduction can be turned off in favour of direct speech (even Han Solo and Luke Skywalker communicated that way en route to the Death Star detention centre). This is generally indicative of a sealed helmet.
And finally, the combat aids built into a stormtrooper helmet finish up its list of attributes. The characteristic bulge around the base of a stormtrooper's helmet is not cosmetic; the SWVD's helmet diagram shows that behind the decorative "eye" on the outside of the helmet lie not lenses, but rather, some sort of integrated imaging system (perhaps holographic). The SWVD goes into more detail elsewhere, explaining that it contains a sophisticated sensor suite which ties into an integrated computer core. This onboard computer processes this information for the wearer and then it can either project it onto the lenses using a form of HUD display or, in higher-end units, it can project holographic images for the wearer. It has been suggested that the special powered scopes on their blasters may actually feed video to their helmets for a "gun's eye view" when desired, but unfortunately, the films never showed the view from inside a stormtrooper helmet, so there is no conclusive proof of this theory. As a final note, the stormtrooper helmet also contains two-way wireless voice communications, which are obviously a very convenient aid in command and control (although one would presume that the more elite units are still trained to use old fashioned techniques such as hand signalling, which can't be jammed or intercepted).
Training: According to the SWE, stormtroopers live in a totally disciplined, militaristic environment, and their intense dedication and training means that they cannot be bribed or blackmailed. Their marksmanship is generally very good and is sometimes superb. If you monitor their combat effectiveness in ANH, TESB, and ROTJ, you will note that they regularly score hits at ranges of more than 20 metres while shooting from the hip, which is as much as anyone can reasonably expect. One stormtrooper missed Han Solo's head by less than an inch in the ANH detention centre battle, and stormtroopers hit Leia and R2D2 with snap-shots from all the way across the clearing in ROTJ. They also inflicted heavy casualties on the Ewoks in ROTJ despite the Ewoks' advantages of surprise, terrain familiarity, large numbers of traps, small size, and camouflage colouration.
In fact, they were clearly and decisively winning the battle despite being caught unawares without any heavy weapons or preparation (there is a strong possibility that their helmet (
http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/HateMail/Babies/Helmet.jpg) threat identification systems didn't even pick up on the Ewoks at all). The film shied away from showing most of the Ewok casualties for obvious reasons (much as early WW2 propaganda footage glossed over the magnitude of D-Day casualties), but the novelization made it quite clear that after the complacent troops were ambushed, they quickly regained their composure and began to inflict heavy casualties, despite the forested terrain (which is naturally hostile to high-tech warfare) and their poorly chosen white suits (camouflage suits are also available, but they didn't use them).
The herding actions of the Death Star and Bespin "escapes" were a greater challenge in some ways; they were asked to shoot close enough to the Rebels to rattle them without actually killing them, and they knew the Rebels would be shooting to kill. The fact that they were able to do this job without panic, and without reservation is a good indication of the level of discipline in their ranks. Their actions support the SWE's claim about their dedication and training; they always moved with absolute poise even when asked to let armed intruders escape even if it costs them their own lives (eg. the Death Star escape, or the Bespin escape), or when asked to walk into the almost certain death of a defended chokepoint (eg. breaching the Tantive IV's hull or entering the Death Star detention centre in ANH).
Specialist Suits: although stormtroopers are capable of functioning in almost any environment, it has behooved the Empire to create specialized types of stormtroopers designed to function in unusual environments for long periods of time. For example, while a normal stormtrooper can function in the severe cold of an ice planet like Hoth, a specialized snowtrooper can function for a longer period of time with higher combat effectiveness because normal stormtrooper armour will switch to self-contained air supplies in the extreme cold, and those air supplies are only designed for short operating durations. There are many types of specialized stormtroopers:
Snowtroopers, who were seen in TESB during the Battle of Hoth. Even in the severe cold of Hoth they are comfortably warm in their heated suits, and can survive for up to two weeks in deeply frozen environments on battery power alone (ref. SWVD). Their boots are designed to provide maximum traction on ice surfaces, for superior combat effectiveness.
Dark troopers, who wear powerful exoskeletal powered armor suits carrying massive weaponry which makes them formidable self-contained weapon platforms (ref. SWE). These elite stormtroopers are trained to have limited control over the Dark Side of The Force (hence their name), thus greatly enhancing their combat effectiveness and lethality (ref. Rebellion). Their exoskeletal armor has enormous physical strength, and they are capable of extended flight maneuvers. Their formidable armament includes heavy automatic blasters and missile launchers.
Scout troopers, who were seen in ROTJ during the Battle of Endor. They carry light armour but they have extra food supplies, survival gear, and specialized infiltration equipment which allows them to function independently for long periods of time and perform dangerous covert operations, without resupply by Imperial forces (ref. SWVD). This capability is essential to their specialization, which is independent operation in isolated areas for extended durations.
Air troopers (ref. SWVD), who are equipped with jet packs for flight. These jet packs are similar to the flight pack used by the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett. However, air trooper flight equipment has far superior speed and range compared to Boba Fett's makeshift flight gear.
Sea troopers (ref. SWE), who can function underwater for extended periods.
Tunneling underminer troopers (ref. SWVD), who have specialized equipment for cutting through silicate material to tunnel under fortifications and other barriers.
Magma troopers, who specialize in crushing revolts on volcanic mining worlds (ref. SWVD). Their armor can withstand long-term exposure to molten lava.
Radiation troopers (ref. SWE), who can function in regions of intense radiation for extended periods of time without injury. Their armor carries special shielding to block extremely penetrative radiation types.
Zero-G troopers, who have extended air supplies for long-term operation in the vacuum of space. They also carry flight packs for zero-g maneuvering, and miniature proton torpedo launchers for breaching starship hulls.
In conclusion, the stormtrooper represents an improved breed of soldier, with more firepower, more armour, and better communications and tactical data-gathering equipment. While the Federation foot soldier is actually inferior to his modern-day counterpart, the Imperial foot soldier represents the next step. It should therefore not come as a surprise that many aspects of the stormtrooper's suit (particularly the full-time NBC protection and battle helmet with integrated two-way voice communications and IR/night-sight imaging) are often featured in long-term plans for the evolution of the real-life soldier. Strangely enough, none of the world's armies seem to be interested in the Federation's alternate philosophy, which is to eliminate all heavy weapons, become totally dependent on air support, dispense with helmets entirely, and wear pajamas instead of flak jackets :) "[-Courtesy of StarDestroyer.net]
"Stormtroopers
Imperial stormtroopers are elite troops operating in support of both the Army and Navy.
They are highly skilled at combat both in space and on planetary surfaces.
Stormtroopers appear to be analogous to terrestrial "marines".
They seem to use navy or army rank titles depending on their field of duty.
A major distinctive feature of the stormtroopers is
the indomitable mindset that their elite training provides.
Although they are not irrational fanatics, properly-trained stormtroopers have an unshakable and incorruptible faith in the riteousness of the Galactic Empire and the Emperor in person.
Stormtroopers are virtually invulnerable to persuasion or intimidation.
For a stormtrooper, self-preservation is secondary to obedience to the will of the Empire, and therefore they will only retreat in battle if there is a clear military advantage in doing so.
Stormtroopers have their own independent training and support facilities, and their command structures are seperate from the regular Army and Navy.
Although their organisation can be assumed to parallel that of the Army, few specific details are known at this time.
Picture one (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/ep6/arrive1.jpg)
Picture two (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/ep6/arrive9.jpg)
Stormtroopers stood on both the right (army) and left (navy) sides
of the assembly to welcome the Emperor to Endor,
thus indicating their dual role.
Uniforms and Insignia
Stormtroopers in armour are usually indistinguishable to a casual viewer, although the visual displays of the helmet viewplates probably provide identification information to the stormtroopers themselves.
The intimidating anonymity of stormtroopers contributes to their psychological advantage over their typical opponents.
However in some circumstances an overt indication of rank may be desirable or necessary.
Long-duration missions on populated planets seem to be one of these cases.
In A New Hope we saw that desert terrain stormtrooper ranks are designated according to the colour of a
shoulder pauldron (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/books/dk/pauldron.jpg).
Only three of these standard colours are confirmed to date.
Red/orange:
This seems to be the most senior colour known.
It may indicate a low or mid-ranking officer;
or it might be a high NCO.
All the stormtroopers so far seen on Tatooine
took orders from those who wore this colour.
Their rarity relative to lower ranks suggests that they may be equivalent to
Captain, Lieutenant or Second Lieutenant.
Images:
[At Mos Eisley roadblock. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/ep4/anh09_5.jpg)])
[Mos Eisley roadblock. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/ep4/moseisl4.jpg)])
[At escape pod site. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/ep4/anh08_1.jpg)])
White:
Given that the white pauldron is a patch on a black base
(whereas the black pauldron seems to be
merely the absence of a patch altogether)
I infer that white is for subofficers.
STAR WARS Visual Dictionary specifically says that they're sergeants.
Images:
[At escape pod site. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/laserdisk/sw4/podsite10.jpg)])
Black:
If the above reasoning is correct then those with black pauldrons must be the actual troops.
It is significant that troops with black pauldrons are the most numerous
[in ANH:SE].
This abundance of black supports the notion that these are the basic stormtroopers.
Images:
[Searching the desert. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/laserdisk/sw4/podsite01.jpg)])
[Searching the desert. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/laserdisk/sw4/podsite05.jpg)])
[Searching the desert. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/laserdisk/sw4/podsite06.jpg)])
[Searching the desert. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/laserdisk/sw4/podsite08.jpg)])
[Mos Eisley roadblock. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/ep4/moseisl4.jpg)])
[At Mos Eisley roadblock. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/ep4/anh09_5.jpg)])
The interpretation of the lower two of these ranks is supported by
STAR WARS The Visual Dictionary.
Photographs of these two pauldrons (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/books/dk/pauldron.jpg)
are shown near the title page.
The black pauldron is for the ordinary the enlisted men,
and white is for a sergeant.
The Kenner/Hasbro toy dewback comes with a stormtrooper figure which has a
grey pauldron;
if this is real and accurate,
it may represent an enlisted rank between black and white.
Higher stormtrooper officers probably wear further colours
which are presently unknown.
Alternatively, the above scheme may apply only to troops and NCOs,
in which case the orange would correspond to warrant officers.
The officers may then have a different system,
or they may wear further colours which are presently unknown.
The officers of at least two specialist stormtrooper types exhibit conventional
officer rank badges on the armour breatplate.
A cold-assault stormtrooper officer seen during the Battle of Hoth bore a badge
equivalent to an army captain.
The use of badges akin to those of the standard Army, Navy and Intelligence
is more desirable for snowtrooper officers than for desert units because
bright coloured pauldrons would undermine the camouflage in
stealthier missions.
Officers of the physically-elite Special Forces stormtroopers seen in
X-Wing: Battleground Tatooine also bear prominent rank badges.
The reasoning behind the use of rank badges akin to those
standard to the Army, Navy and Intelligence officers,
rather than coloured pauldrons used on desert stormtrooper uniforms,
remains unknown.
It may be standard practice, with the sandtrooper example being an exception;
or else the pauldrons may be exclusive to troops and subofficers
[as suggested above].
Images:
[Snowtrooper officer receives orders from General Veers. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/ep5/veers3.jpg)])
[Special forces stormtrooper officer Sixtus Quin. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/comics/xwing/xwbtst2.jpg)])
[Special forces stormtrooper in action. (
http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/comics/xwing/xwbtst1.jpg)])
It is reasonable to assume that high-ranking stormtrooper officers
who are not immediately exposed to danger in the field
would wear a different, more casual uniform.
The fact that the officers in charge of security aboard the Death Star
and those who conducted the stormtrooper capture of
the Tantive IV rebel blockade runner
wore distinctive black officer uniforms
hints that these may be representative of
the non-combat stormtrooper officer attire.
STAR WARS The Visual Dictionary
affirms this identification explicitly.
[For further details,
refer to the Stormtrooper (
http://theforce.net/swtc/insignia/uniforms.html#stormtrooper) subsection of
Summary of Uniforms (
http://theforce.net/swtc/insignia/uniforms.html)]"[-Courtesy) of TheForce.net]
Also, why is it that whenever anyone replies to one of my posts my post gets removed?