LucasLaughing Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 Location: Ertauq - E03 Tags: Exploration Lu's Log 12 Julali 3815 Even after its terraforming, Mars was a dying planet, a billion years past its prime. Sure, parts of it had been transformed into versions of paradise, and the sight of the sun rising over Olympus Mons never failed to stir the soul, but the green trees always felt far removed from the red soil which had been chemically altered to allow them to live. In contrast, Ertauq is a planet being born; its birthing pains plainly felt in the hundreds of small earthquakes each day. I've been dispatched to a region near the southern pole - one of the few places where liquid water has been found on the surface. Thirsty travelers will be disappointed, however, as the water is highly acidic and averages a temperature of 90 C. And yet, even in these hostile conditions, life finds a way. Microbial mats, made up of heat-loving bacteria, flourish in the lake, feasting on the sulphur and other compounds which bubble up from deep within the planet. The rainbow colors of the lake are caused by different kinds of bacteria, which have differing heat requirements and thrive at different temperatures. Some scientists think life on earth may have originated in pools very much like this one. I'm collecting samples of the various bacteria - the hope is that studying bacteria like these will allow our scientists to synthesize better heat-resistant materials. My hope is that undertaking a risky mission like this one will help my colleagues forget about my embarrassing debacle on Forring last week. Increasing earthquake swarms are telling me that this geyser field is going to become active soon, so I'll finish up here and get back to the Mudskipper. Lu, out. Entire build: This build is based on the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park: http://www.smithsoni...0950483/?no-ist Quote
kabel Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 wow, I really love the water effects and all the science in here! Quote
Kodan Black Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 I thought of that spring in Yellowstone as soon as I saw it! Love the underwater steam vent and the rippling and bubbling at the surface. Quote
NuckElBerg Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 Beautiful water effects and great underwater scenery (including cracks for underwater shots! )! Good job! Quote
LittleJohn Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 Fantastic water! The below water part is great too, I really like the rockwork Quote
Kai NRG Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 The multicolored water really sets the mood here, and the crack in the rock with the steam visible behind it is a brilliant touch! Quote
SpacerSteve Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 The color change in the water is very impressive. Great build all around! Quote
mccoyed Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 Awesome water and one of the truly hard scifi builds on AG (there aren't that many!). Love that. Also, reminds me of Yellowstone too. Quote
LucasLaughing Posted July 13, 2015 Author Posted July 13, 2015 Awesome water and one of the truly hard scifi builds on AG (there aren't that many!). Love that. Also, reminds me of Yellowstone too. wow, I really love the water effects and all the science in here! Thanks guys! I'm always a proponent of including some real science with the science fiction I thought of that spring in Yellowstone as soon as I saw it! Love the underwater steam vent and the rippling and bubbling at the surface. Beautiful water effects and great underwater scenery (including cracks for underwater shots! )! Good job! Fantastic water! The below water part is great too, I really like the rockwork Very cool! Love the underwater stuff The multicolored water really sets the mood here, and the crack in the rock with the steam visible behind it is a brilliant touch! The color change in the water is very impressive. Great build all around! Thank you everyone! Quote
Commander Beltar Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 Fantastic water technique/effect! Certainly reminds me of Yellowstone Geysers too! Also great story! ~Beltar Quote
goatman461 Posted July 14, 2015 Posted July 14, 2015 Great story and that blend of colors is very well done. I'm not a big fan of the panels as water, but I think it could work if it wasn't so straight. Maybe using trans plates to show ripples in the water in between the smooth panels? Quote
LucasLaughing Posted July 15, 2015 Author Posted July 15, 2015 Fantastic water technique/effect! Certainly reminds me of Yellowstone Geysers too! Also great story! ~Beltar Oh I love that water! Thank you! Great story and that blend of colors is very well done. I'm not a big fan of the panels as water, but I think it could work if it wasn't so straight. Maybe using trans plates to show ripples in the water in between the smooth panels? Good call - I wasn't that happy with the panels either, but I like the idea of covering the seams with plates. Quote
goatman461 Posted July 15, 2015 Posted July 15, 2015 this is more of what i meant... image by Ryan McBryde, on Flickr you basically did it with the colored ones Quote
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