[Factions Ep. 7 - Cat B][O10 - Ambria - TT] Searching Ambria

[Simulterious]

*Your entry has earned 17 XP*

Teaser - Exploring Ambria by Simulterious, on Flickr

They landed at 12:00 standard hours. Ambria's bright star scorches the cracked soil. Coda never thought much of the worlds they visited, but this one had a strange aura to it. Puffy smoke plumes white as snow rose from the hills and geysers around them. It was a barren world, but one possessing a wild beauty untouched by industry or pollution. 

Captain Neimor thought it best to split Bravura squad in twain, with the smaller team leading initial reconnaissance . Coda, Dolore and Ferroce were all versed in drop insertions behind enemy lines, but Ambria featured none of those. To add to the bizarre situation, they were paired up with two ex-ISB field agents. Vice and Segen didn't talk much, their reputations precedes them. 

Their target was a small homestead two clicks north of the drop point. Small huts carved into the hillside, with natural springs to provide water and geothermal energy supply. They inquired with the locals about Pyerce's troop movements, their presence on the planet is a dangerous possibility. The ex-ISB agents reported back their findings, even soil samples. There was no sign of hostiles, just some lone Togruta colonists in the middle of nowhere...

Factions: Searching Ambria - A strange land by Simulterious, on Flickr

Soon after, the real reason behind their visit was revealed. Soil analysis showed traces of valuable minerals beneath Ambria's cracked surface. With their hand revealed, cpt. Neimor deployed small forces of engineers and escorting combat squads. 

Their treatment of the locals was less favourable. The site was quickly secured, the locals and their possessions taken away. If cpt. Neimor knew where they were taken, he didn't take much objection to it. 

They paved the way for a larger expeditionary force, paving the ground and installing comms equipment. A base will surely be built here, the springs alone provide a strategic advantage too great to pass up on. 

Factions: Searching Ambria - The machinery of war by Simulterious, on Flickr

The humm of repulsor engines could be heard from a distance. Captain Gaius Neimor had arrived to personally oversee the launching of the main force. What few settlements remained on Ambria after the war were best avoided, so the Crescendo made the jump as soon as possible.

A full mobile armor division was deployed, armored transport flanked by speeder escorts. The small comms tower was working as well as it could be expected, and the smoke plumes occluded the gathering from being viewed from atmosphere. Stormtrooper squads were ready to be sent out; there are many more valuable sites on the planet.

It was at this point clear that Pyerce didn't set up a major base here, as they didn't encounter any major resistance. Evidence of their activity still points to an active presence on Ambria. What cards they hold, only time will tell...

Factions: Searching Ambria - Imperial sortee by Simulterious, on Flickr

 

__BEHIND THE SCENES__

Spoiler

Man, what a fun build! Ambria is one of those star wars planets that don't have much established about them, so piecing together a unique world from a handful of reference photos was a challenge. My favourite details would have to be the geysirs, the water really compliments the rest of the build. My main goal was to establish a pleasant color combo, I think I managed that pretty well. The imperial transporter is my original design, with the speeders being based on the design from the 2020 AT-AT, although with many changes. Be sure to check the flickr photos for the full res photos. 

 

[n1majneb]

I really like this, the steam from the thermal pools. The balloon pieces as canopy work incredibly well.

 The juxtaposition between the calm existence of the Togruta in the first image to the last and the scar on the landscape the Empire leaves with is machinations works so well

[Darth Bjorn]

Great build! The scene is really good - there are some details that annoy me a little bit, and I think you're ready to experiment a bit more with snot techniques... That said I love the overall look - really good work on the pools, and the ground work. Keep it up... ;)

[JintaiZ]

Great build! Really like the colors.

[Brickwolf]

Great build!

[Commander Aufik]

Congrats on being in top ten on Brickvault!

[caiman0637]

I love how well this shows the true nature of the Empire... very well done.

[dvogon]

Great build! Those globe pieces fit perfectly! The troop transport has a very good shape, well done. That terrain and those water craters are also quite good. 

[marvelBoy123]

As other have said, the troop transport is amazing and the landscaping works really well too!

[Thedarkmaster2]

Where is Jedi Bob when you need him?

also nice build

[Ross Fisher]

Honestly, it's a great build, with some really nice details all round. Are those big white things meant to be clouds though? Looks like Mariokart clouds.

[Simulterious]

15 hours ago, Ross Fisher said:

Honestly, it's a great build, with some really nice details all round. Are those big white things meant to be clouds though? Looks like Mariokart clouds.

Yeah, cartoonish clouds

[Ross Fisher]

I'm afraid they are really cartoonish. Kinda undercuts the sheer detail you've included elsewhere in this build. 

[Denal31]

The colors all go together very well in this build. Additionally, I'm a fan of the settlement and ITT designs . I am kinda iffy on those clouds though.

 

[goatman461]

I really like the way you used the hot air balloon sections. The overall color and feel of the build is great, too. The steam is a little distracting and could probably use some more texture. Vehicles look awesome, maybe a little small on the ITT and a little large on the bikes, but really well placed in the scene.

[Simulterious]

16 hours ago, goatman461 said:

I really like the way you used the hot air balloon sections. The overall color and feel of the build is great, too. The steam is a little distracting and could probably use some more texture. Vehicles look awesome, maybe a little small on the ITT and a little large on the bikes, but really well placed in the scene.

Tbh I wasn't really trying to scale the transport, don't think it's big enough. On the other hand, making it bigger would have made it a harder fit in the scene... 

[MKJoshA]

I love your experiment with steam clouds, but I agree that it still needs some work. Maybe some variation in sizes of clouds? I also agree that SNOT will help take what is already an amazing build to the next level.

[goatman461]

6 hours ago, Simulterious said:

Tbh I wasn't really trying to scale the transport, don't think it's big enough. On the other hand, making it bigger would have made it a harder fit in the scene... 

yeah, the trade-off works here because it fits in nicely