EECP - Enhanced ECP

[ixnay 1]

By the way: I incorporated some new surprises into v0.4.1 tonight... I think that people will be pleased when they get their hands on it.

Fantastic!!! Your enthusiasm helps drive the OFP community.

I can't possibly post without suggestions for your great project, however. These might be more appropriate for the ECP team (I've mentioned these to them before), but I wanted to get your opinion on whether they would be possible/appropriate in your enhancement.

- The Marine Assault Pack features a script enhancement which gives a realistic depiction of auditory and visual anomolies when a soldier gets shot. These are represented in fading sounds, overwhelming heartbeat, blackouts, etc. They're fantastic and I'd love to see those "effects" present on ALL default BIS units. (in multiplayer, especially!)

- The chopper "helidust" effects by vektorbosen and BAS are great, but the ones used by the DKM crew (Decisive Killing Machines) on their Mi28 for example are far superior. This might be an example of something the ECP crew should handle, but it'd probably carry more weight coming from you as well. If you haven't seen the effect mentioned, do yourself a favor

Thanks Kurayami!! Keep up your unwavering support!!

.:iXnay

[Taconic 0]

Fantastic!!! Your enthusiasm helps drive the OFP community.

I can actually let one of those "surprises" slip now that I've done some more work on it.

I've talked to Lupus[WD] about incporporating his CfgTextureToMaterial and CfgMaterials classes into this config. He gave me the OK and provided me with his current versions. I have it about 95% implemented at the moment.

If you aren't familiar with what these classes are for, they are basically what the engine uses to determine how light should react to a given surface. The default BIS (and ECP) config makes minimal use of this feature. Lupus has writen over 2,000 lines dealing with this alone.

Some comparisons (it was hard to make these come in under 100K. I wish they could be larger. They may take a moment to load since they're animated.)

Some of the changes are dramatic like the AH-64. Others are more subtle like the Abrams. Overall, I think that his values lend a lot more depth to objects in the OFP game world.

Quote[/b] ]- The Marine Assault Pack features a script enhancement which gives a realistic depiction of auditory and visual anomolies when a soldier gets shot. These are represented in fading sounds, overwhelming heartbeat, blackouts, etc. They're fantastic and I'd love to see those "effects" present on ALL default BIS units. (in multiplayer, especially!)

This is something that I have considered, but haven't really gotten around to looking into seriously yet.

Quote[/b] ]The chopper "helidust" effects by vektorbosen and BAS are great, but the ones used by the DKM crew (Decisive Killing Machines) on their Mi28 for example are far superior. This might be an example of something the ECP crew should handle, but it'd probably carry more weight coming from you as well. If you haven't seen the effect mentioned, do yourself a favor

I'll check it out.

[ypsilon 0]

OMG,

check out the nose of the Apache

Outstanding work! Do these change apply for all objects in Ofp?

[nubbin 0]

Damn K,

I can't believe you incorporated that texture effect already. very cool. The more you work with the config file, the easier it becomes. I actually know where to look for almost everything in there now. I was doing a parrallel project of basically the same thing you were doing for quite a while, but you just really blew what I was doing out of the water. Very very cool. I like when you release the cpp version too, I really appreciate that because I have a couple tweaks that I add to your latest version whenever it comes out (I don't think anyone else would like my tweaks though, so I don't suggest that you make them, so I just keep "fixing" your latest version).

Consider this another vote for incorporating those "fade in" "fade out" affects from the marine pack. I really like that and it makes you really have to react to being shot at (and hit).

[Taconic 0]

check out the nose of the Apache

Outstanding work! Do these change apply for all objects in Ofp?

Yes...

...and no.

In CfgTextureToMaterial, you define classes filled with the paths to various textures. In CfgMaterials, you create classes that determine how lighting is applied to classes in CfgTextureToMaterial.

This means that you could apply this type of effect to every BIS and third party object ever made, but that you'd need to manually input paths to the textures in question, which would be incredibly time consuming.

Lupus has about 2,000 lines worth of stuff in his classes already. He has taken care of hundreds of units ranging from the default BIS stuff to SEB Nam to Operation Frenchpoint. Most of the major units are taken care of already, but there are still a few for me to do.

So I suppose the most practical answer to your question is "mostly."

[Taconic 0]

I like when you release the cpp version too, I really appreciate that because I have a couple tweaks that I add to your latest version whenever it comes out

I'll be doing this more often now. I've given the main config a major overhaul while working on v0.4.1 expressly for this purpose. It should be much easier for people not extremely familiar with it (I.E. anybody that isn't me) to quickly find things now.

Quote[/b] ]Consider this another vote for incorporating those "fade in" "fade out" affects from the marine pack. I really like that and it makes you really have to react to being shot at (and hit).

I would ideally like to incorporate a feature like this in a way that would allow it to be toggled on and off through a menu. Some people really like it. Others hate it. It's definetely something that I'll start looking into, but it won't make it into 0.4.1.

[ixnay 1]

One more question for Kurayami:

This might have come up before in another thread (or earlier) in this thread, but I didn't see it. Is there a reason, other than different goals or personal tweaks that you and Pappy Boyington and his "Y2K3" mod haven't joined forces?

I've noticed that both of you have strikingly similar overhauls to OFP by using ECP and the communities addons (Pappy using the GMR explosion mod w/ ECP).

Have you two chaps had any dealings with one another regarding this? Please forgive if this has been brought up before or if I'm unnecessarily stirring the pot...so to speak.

Thanks in advance, as always.

.:iXnay

[Taconic 0]

One more question for Kurayami:

This might have come up before in another thread (or earlier) in this thread, but I didn't see it. Is there a reason, other than different goals or personal tweaks that you and Pappy Boyington and his "Y2K3" mod haven't joined forces?

I've noticed that both of you have strikingly similar overhauls to OFP by using ECP and the communities addons (Pappy using the GMR explosion mod w/ ECP).

Have you two chaps had any dealings with one another regarding this? Please forgive if this has been brought up before or if I'm unnecessarily stirring the pot...so to speak.

Thanks in advance, as always.

.:iXnay

Pappy Boyington's config is actually based upon mine. He PMed me shortly after my first public release of EECP and asked if I minded if he made some changes to it. I didn't mind, so that's what he did. The rest is history, I guess.

Beyond that, we seem to have two different design philosophies and different ideas about what a project like this should ultimately ammount to. There aren't any plans to collaberate. Also, he has said that his next release will be his last, while I plan on continuing to update this for quite some time.

[ixnay 1]

....while I plan on continuing to update this for quite some time.

And for that.... we are ever grateful! <humble bow>

Do you know, perchance, what is happening from within ECP? I realize that RL presides over all else, but I've only ever heard from General Barron lately and I was curious if you had any insight as to their progress with the latest ECP version?

If you'd rather not speak on their behalf or put yourself in such a spotlight, I would certainly understand.

Thanks again in advance,

.:iXnay

[RED 0]

Do you know, perchance, what is happening from within ECP? I realize that RL presides over all else, but I've only ever heard from General Barron lately and I was curious if you had any insight as to their progress with the latest ECP version?

There will be a new release coming up, this release will be a masive improvement over the last releases - stay tuned. Just for you infomation, I have stepped down from the team for a while, Zayfod is now heading the team. Hopefuly I will be able to contribute again when my work load eases

RED

[ixnay 1]

There will be a new release coming up, this release will be a masive improvement over the last releases - stay tuned.

<rubs hands together> eeeeexxcellent...

Thank you graciously for your personal reply, RED. It was delightfully unexpected!

.:iXnay

[Taconic 0]

There will be a new release coming up, this release will be a masive improvement over the last releases - stay tuned. Just for you infomation, I have stepped down from the team for a while, Zayfod is now heading the team. Hopefuly I will be able to contribute again when my work load eases

RED

I'm definetely looking forward to it.

Zayfod has also been a big help to me. I never really realized how complex ECP was until I started digging through it, but he's cleared things up for me on several occasions.

[Bobcatt666 0]

Might add ECP is a lot more supported, by the mod community, thatn the "Y2K3" version. The "Y2K3" has unfortunatly rubbed a number of mod makers kinda the wrong ways from listening to some of the other mod makers. It common to here muttering when talking to other mods, the big mods do often work with eachother a few folks are kinda tweaked having not been asked if their addons could be used or modified. Whic commlonly happend in the "Y2K3" mod, where this one even the CLSA guys have come and helped make their addons work without the CLSA mod. Slowly the other is starting to catchup mostly cause folks want their stuff to function correctly. And knowing they really can't stop em from doing so. And they are going to do as they please, just now lots of stuff is bottle necking now. Or going straight to the big mod releases more and more now. =/

[Taconic 0]

The "Y2K3" has unfortunatly rubbed a number of mod makers kinda the wrong ways from listening to some of the other mod makers. It common to here muttering when talking to other mods, the big mods do often work with eachother a few folks are kinda tweaked having not been asked if their addons could be used or modified.

That's one thing I've been very careful about all through this project. I've gone out of my way to avoid stepping on anybody's toes, and I've always asked for permission before I've modified anything. I know how much work that people put into their projects, and it's 100% understandable why they wouldn't want some outsider coming along and messing with their work. I don't want my project, which was originally intended to give modders' work the amount of use that it deserved, to be like a kick in the face to them.

I've established dialogues with a lot of people for this: The ECP guys, RHS (RHS was actually very receptive to this project,) raedor, Rudedog, Maa, and others. I'm currently trying to establish a dialogue with the WGL and DKM guys so that I can incorporate a few things from their camps, and I'm waiting to get permission from Kegetys to incorporate something of his. I also have my 5 ton truck pack that I'm in the process of trying to get cleared for release:

Lee H. Oswald has already given me permission to use his desert pack as a base, but I'm still waiting for permission from Marfy (textures) and Jonno (original 5t pack) before I release it. If somebody doesn't want to let me use their work, I don't use it out of respect for the time that they invested in it.

So, yeah. I make an effort to go through the proper channels and to clear things up with the original modders before I do anything. And as far as I know, nobody is pissed off at me since I make that effort.

[nubbin 0]

Any chance 0.41 will be ready for the weekend?

[Taconic 0]

I'm hoping to get some preliminary testing started this weekend, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen since I've gotten practically no work done on it in the past two days and I probably won't manage to get a lot done tomorrow. I'm not sure when the public release will be. I'm aiming to have things wrapped up by the 18th, but I'm not 100% sure that I'll make it. I depends largely on how quickly people give me permission to include a few things (if at all - if they don't, I guess I'll have to strip them out before the public release.)

[cozza 24]

I cant be stuffed going throught the pages finding this Q but the orignal 1985 campaign wont work I got all the requaied addons. So what shall be the proplem

[Taconic 0]

If everything is properly installed, there's no reason why it shouldn't work. I play the 1985 campaign every once in a while with this config. So do my testers and some of the posters in this thread, so the issue shouldn't be the config itself.

I can't really give you any real suggestions about what course of action to take without more detail about the problem. My initial one would be to double-check that everything is installed where it should be. Beyond that, I would make sure that you don't have some things installed twice (I.E., Delta/Ranger 1.50 in one addon directory and Delta/Ranger 1.0 in Res\Addons.) Things of that nature can cause all kinds of fun problems.

[cozza 24]

that could be the proplem. I got the delta/rangers in Red/addons and in @ECP/addons

[ixnay 1]

The chopper "helidust" effects by vektorbosen and BAS are great, but the ones used by the DKM crew (Decisive Killing Machines) on their Mi28 for example are far superior. This might be an example of something the ECP crew should handle, but it'd probably carry more weight coming from you as well. If you haven't seen the effect mentioned, do yourself a favor

After checking this out on other islands (other than Desert island), it appears that vektorbosen's helidust (an option from within ECP) and the "DKM helidust" that I was ranting and raving about might actually be the same thing. After switching between the Mi28 from DKM and a regular BIS chopper with ECP's vektorbosen helidust, they're starting to look remarkably similar.

Can anyone else confirm this? If it's true, please retract my horribly retarded statement seen above. I was obviously smoking crack and suffering from placebo effect.

Let me know

.:iXnay

[Placebo 29]

suffering from placebo effect.

Hey now, don't blame me if things are getting dusty

[Taconic 0]

Can anyone else confirm this?

I'm not sure. I haven't actually looked at the Mi-28's dust script, but it's possible that it is similar to Vektorbosen's. As I recall, he was the first one to release a heli dust script to the community.

I've accomplished a bit today.

The bug causing the missing whiz-by effects is fixed. The fix will be in 0.4.1. I had almost forgotten how much they added to the mood.

I also recieved permission to adapt BAS' MH-60 weapon effect scripts to work on various vehicles in my config, so I've been working on implementing that this morning.

That was almost impossible to cut down to 100K. I had to crop it insanely, reduce the color depth to 58, and cut out about 30 frames, but that shows the smoke effect after firing a volley of rockets in action on the Hind.

I'm not sure if this will make it into 0.4.1 or not. I'm trying to create an all purpose version of the script, so it'll take a bit of expirimenting (especially since I haven't done any real scripting in about a year.) If it doesn't make it into 0.4.1, it will be in the following release.

[Bearclaw 0]

Exellent work as expected from you. Fantastic that you solved the whiz-by bug im sure it will add alot to the atmosphere. Played some missions today and I gotta say EECP just keeps suprising me with nice features.

Keep up the good work.

[B-2-0 0]

This project is obviously SP orientated nut how does it fair in a MP environment? Any bugs or anomilies known?

[Taconic 0]

This project is obviously SP orientated nut how does it fair in a MP environment? Any bugs or anomilies known?

As far as I know, none. I fixed a couple of scripting bugs that popped up in MP in a rather messy fashion in 0.4, but things should work just fine until I can come up with a better solution. I see no reason why the whole thing shouldn't work perfectly if the server and clients are running it. I haven't touched any of the core MP-related ECP scripts, and I can't really think of anything that I've done that would require any sort of additional scripting changes to support.