DX can hold more polys for meshes than you think
0 - 650 polys. Higher than that, it will be messed up. Most mp5ks and all that shizz, all that detail for counterstrike & half life 2 is well over 1000 polys.
Thats the reason, If I'm going to be hosting a server where they have to download the meshes, and TNAG had LOW poly meshes, But it still was 10mb, How would people feel about downloading a 30mb+ mod to join my server? + It would lag them to f*ck.
Yes, we modelers deal with that problem right after we finish the model. One model enough (about 100 ~ 200 polys) is slightly higher than 1 mb if you count in the coding. Just go with the flow, or put it up on an uploading space & tell people to download and install it off there if they don't want lag once your finished on it.
Tnag is big mainly because of sounds and textures. I don't know exactly, but I think each file containing a model with animations takes less than 100 kb.
True, one three-framed animation in a model takes up 100 kb or more, add in with more and more animations and frames, total anims is around 500 kb.
Right but MOST not ALL. For example, most of 2027 models have been taken from different sites.
And animations seem to be the hardest stage in modelling
Yes, that is true, and importing the animation makes it thrice as hard. Models from other sites would have to be downgraded or lowered poly somehow. Ded probably used 3DS or another modeling tool to lower the poly of it. This is why DX modelers stick to less detail, for example, a flat pane for the trigger area of an mp5k, just edit it and make it transparent, the user won't notice.