Dynamic Weather Effects Script Release

[engima 328]

Dynamic Weather Effects Script v2.00

by Engima

(Download it at Armaholic)

Description

As a mission designer I have always had problems with the weather. It has not been dynamic the way I want it to be, and I've always thought that it synchronizes terribly in multiplayer as soon I start experimenting with it (especially rain).

This is a simple script that makes the weather dynamic, and it works in single player, multiplayer (hosted and dedicated) and for JIPs. The weather is constantly changing over time intervals of the mission designer's choice. Weather is unpredictible, and above all it's always synchronized among all players in a multiplayer game!

Script handles fog, overcast, rain and wind.

 

Installation / Usage:

1. Copy the folder "Scripts" to your mission folder, or just make sure that the following file (and path) exists in your mission folder:

Scripts\DRN\DynamicWeatherEffects\DynamicWeatherEffects.sqf

2. If the init file not already exists, create the init file (init.sqf) in the root of your mission folder.

3. In init.sqf, start the weather script by adding the the following line:

execVM "Scripts\DRN\DynamicWeatherEffects\DynamicWeatherEffects.sqf";

 

More information is in ReadMe.txt in package.

 

Change log:

v2.0

- Added section for mission makers to customize and tweak weather behaviour and details.

- Dependency to CommonLib.sqf deleted.

- Improved rain behaviour.

- Initial weather is passed as arguments.

- Slightly better performance.

v1.0

- First version

 

Requirements

Only tested on ArmA2 Operation Arrowhead Combined Operations.

[Guest]

Thanks for informing us about the release :cool:

Release frontpaged on the Armaholic homepage.

Dynamic Weather Effects Script v2.00

Edited February 3, 2012 by Guest

[SaOk 112]

Thanks, I was just thinking yesterday that I will need to create a dynamic weather script for my mission. This will save time. :)

[[aps]gnat 28]

Cool!

Is the changed weather in "zones" or is it the same weather for the whole map/terrain?

[das attorney 858]

Thanks for this. I like it and it's really clever :)

I just did a little test mission with this, the breath script and JTD Fire and Smoke enabled: Awesome!

I'll have a play around with the parameters and get back to you with some meaningful feedback.

[Dwarden 1125]

nice script, thanks for releasing

[engima 328]

Gnat;2098102']Cool!

Is the changed weather in "zones" or is it the same weather for the whole map/terrain?

I chose to make it quite simple, so weather is the same for the whole map. At least for now.

[[aps]gnat 28]

Cool. Thanks for the answer Engima

[katipo66 94]

But just as a side note it would be great to see weather patterns move across different areas of a map, sounds great as I always enjoy any environment type scripts, look forward to trying it... Thanks!

[icebreakr 3159]

Awesome. I always hated that BIS didn+t sync weather among MP players. We were always like:

A: "Damn, its raining hard man"

B: "What rain?"

c: "Man, are you on drugs?"

:)

Thanks for the script. Is it hard on CPU? Anyone tested fps with/without script yet?

[miller 49]

Thanks Engima, But a small example mission would be useful for people they don´t know this ;)

[kremator 1065]

You can't get simpler than sticking those 2 lines in the init.

[engima 328]

Awesome. I always hated that BIS didn+t sync weather among MP players. We were always like:

A: "Damn, its raining hard man"

B: "What rain?"

c: "Man, are you on drugs?"

:)

Thanks for the script. Is it hard on CPU? Anyone tested fps with/without script yet?

I haven't done such a test, but regarding performance I can tell you how the script basically works.

On server side for most part it just sleeps. Every 20th minute (if that is your choice of weather change interval) it randomly chooses a new weather and synchronizes all clients (publicVariable). A synchronization is also performed every time a JIP connects and when rain starts and stops. (In other words, not much processing).

Each client run a "rain loop", which sets the rain every second. For what I know, that is the only way to handle the main rain problem, since rain is kind of living its own life individually on all clients when left to itself.

An FPS test is probably a little tricky to perform, since weather itself probably affects FPS much more than the script does. So best way to test FPS is probably to do it with a new script that simply sets the rain every second, my guess is that everything else is insignificant. How the internal weather commands (setOvercast, setFog) perform I don't know.

Edited February 3, 2012 by Engima
Updated with new facts since release of 2.00.

[MadMike-Brig2010- 10]

Is it possible to deactivate for example fog totally?

Or setting a max value for fog (for example "0.2")?

[Guest]

;2099328']Is it possible to deactivate for example fog totally?

Or setting a max value for fog (for example "0.2")?

I'm also interested in this. Is it possible? Great script btw. Tested it with a few people yesterday and it all syncs great!

[engima 328]

;2099328']Is it possible to deactivate for example fog totally?

Or setting a max value for fog (for example "0.2")?

Ok, I understand that would be useful. I'm working on it. Give me a couple of days. Thanks for feedback!

[engima 328]

Script updated to version 2.00.

[clawhammer 10]

Iam intrested how this script works with the ACE2 Wind system. Does it change something?

[domokun 515]

Is there a version of this script that auto-executes? i.e. I can put the pbo in a mod folder and any mission that I run will benefit from this?

[tpw 2315]

Fantastic little script Enigma, won't be playing without it from now on.

[kremator 1065]

Thanks for newest version .... already in all my missions :)

[engima 328]

Iam intrested how this script works with the ACE2 Wind system. Does it change something?

Sorry, I don't know very much about ACE2 at all. However, if you want this script to handle everything but wind you can disable wind changes by setting variable _windChangeProbability to 0.

---------- Post added at 12:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:56 AM ----------

Is there a version of this script that auto-executes? i.e. I can put the pbo in a mod folder and any mission that I run will benefit from this?

No. Would that be possible?

Edited February 4, 2012 by Engima

[katipo66 94]

Hey Engima,

This script is great, it's dynamic in a non Hollywood "cue thunderstorms" kind off way, feels very believable.

What do you think of an option to add sand wind/storm options for the desert maps? Or maybe it already does that? I've only used on Chernarus.

[souza 1]

I am a layman in the subject and want to leave the open sky, not cloudy. Where this dumb?

---------- Post added at 17:18 ---------- Previous post was at 17:16 ----------

I am a layman in the subject and want to leave the open sky, not cloudy. Where this dumb?

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f264/xdannil/DynamicWeather.jpg

Dynamic Weather Effects Script v2.00

by Engima of Östgöta Ops

(Download it at Armaholic)

Description

As a mission designer I have always had problems with the weather. It has not been dynamic the way I want it to be, and I've always thought that it synchronizes terribly in multiplayer as soon I start experimenting with it (especially rain).

This is a simple script that makes the weather dynamic, and it works in single player, multiplayer (hosted and dedicated) and for JIPs. The weather is constantly changing over time intervals of the mission designer's choice. Weather is unpredictible, and above all it's always synchronized among all players in a multiplayer game!

Script handles fog, overcast, rain and wind.

Installation / Usage:

1. Copy the folder "Scripts" to your mission folder, or just make sure that the following file (and path) exists in your mission folder:

Scripts\DRN\DynamicWeatherEffects\DynamicWeatherEffects.sqf

2. If the init file not already exists, create the init file (init.sqf) in the root of your mission folder.

3. In init.sqf, start the weather script by adding the the following line:

execVM "Scripts\DRN\DynamicWeatherEffects\DynamicWeatherEffects.sqf";

More information is in ReadMe.txt in package.

Change log:

v2.0

- Added section for mission makers to customize and tweak weather behaviour and details.

- Dependency to CommonLib.sqf deleted.

- Improved rain behaviour.

- Initial weather is passed as arguments.

- Slightly better performance.

v1.0

- First version

Requirements

Only tested on ArmA2 Operation Arrowhead Combined Operations.

[iceman77 18]

You can't get simpler than sticking those 2 lines in the init.

Some people understand things better with an working example. I'm one of those people. Though this wouldn't fall into that category for me, maybe it would help Miller.