Realistic Tracers

[Kenbow 0]

for some reason i cant get this to work (i have followed everything), could somebody post an example misson perhpas

thanks

Try this...

Turn off the ricochet value (set as 0). This for an older version of the mod, and the ricochet effect still works anyhow. trigger line should look like this...

[_x, 1,0,1,1]

meaning...

[_x, tracer every round, default 0, all weapons have tracers, size 1]

[ThePredator 0]

Alright, new version is up, see first post.

Added GAU-8 and the minigun fix.

[Kenbow 0]

<edited: version updated>

[ThePredator 0]

For me, tracers with ricos work (normally).

I updated the script to include the Vulcan (now v.021).

Asked sickboy if he could take a look into the script or create something new with less scriptload.

BTW: If you really want to see nice tracers, set them to [1,1,0,2] and fly at 0450 hours with the A-10 and a two second burst...This is awesome.

[sickboy 13]

Have been looking at the script. After first view, my comments:

- All SQS scripts should be replaced by SQF, especially since there are SQS scripts currently used over and over and over

- Some optimizations here and there are possible inside the loops

If you want I can work on it for a while and see what I can do about it.

[Törni 0]

Stupid question: Is this a modification based on the "tennis ball" tracers that made an appearance on these forums a while ago?

Plus the script part now disables the default tracers.

or

An entirely new tracer addon?

[ThePredator 0]

@sickboy: would be great, well I still hope BIS will add the VBS 2 tracers, but any tracer not the vanilla is better anyway.

@törni: The mod disables the tracers, it would look stupid to have laser traces with the glowball tracers, if those are the tennisball tracers, don't know, I joined the project with the config, because I hate the vanilla beams (they only look realistic in some situations)

[Stewy 1]

Looks great mate - a great mod

[Törni 0]

I guess the tracer shape can be customized too. Using either a billboard style presentation (where you use a texture+transparency on a polygon) or with a full 3D-model.

EDIT: An ideal would not be a perfect ball or disk, but a strecthed out sphere or a teardrop shape.

[bonko the sane 2]

looking better and better, fantastic job to all involved, congrats! 1000% better than vanilla

now...is there a way to edit the diameter glow parameter of the orbs, i.e: the area around the orbs that get iluminated?

[canis lupus 20]

A little tip, instead of writing anybody in the trigger, make two different triggers on for each opponent with different settings in it, so that they are not all just as fast and big, it gives a great realistic feeling to the battle

[ThePredator 0]

For this matter, you could assign different groups, like AAA or crew-served MGs.

Aircraft should fire more tracers in a burst, individuals less.

Don't ask me about triggers, I am not the right person to ask.

[sickboy 13]

Here we go boys n girls, let me know what ye think:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">

Updated Version by Sickboy (sb_at_6thSense.eu):

* Optimized Loops

* Converted all scripts to SQF

* Removed unnececairy Code

* Exchanged some if's with case's

* Added Automatic Trigger creation which can be used for automaticly adding units to the trigger script.

* Added Settings Variables

* Added Gamelogics

* Added Demo Missions

* Various Other Tweaks

New Variables:

* CENT_UNIT_ARRAY2 - Array. Used for only placing the units in without their parameters, for easy index searching etc.

* CENT_UNIT_ARRAY3 - Array. Used for exclusion units, units inside this array will not get tracers, used by the Auto Trigger, gamelogics etc will automaticly be excluded.

* CENT_REFRESH - Number. Default: 30. Used for the Trigger loop, Put somewhere in your init.sqf before initializing the script: CENT_REFRESH=20; to make the loop sleep 20 seconds

* CENT_AUTO - Boolean. Default: false. Used for the Trigger loop. Put somewhere in your init.sqf before initializing the script: CENT_AUTO=true; to enable the loop

* CENT_PATH - String. Default: "\cent_tracer\". Put in your init.sqf before initializing the script to for instance use the scripts from within side a mission folder instead of the addon.

* Default Settings used, you can overwrite these values as you wish. These values are taken when using Auto Trigger, and if you do not specify any tracer settings when adding a unit manually

* CENT_SETT_TRACERSETTING = 3;

* CENT_SETT_SIZEMOD = 1;

* CENT_SETT_RICO = 0;

* CENT_SETT_TRACER = 1;

Demo Missions:

* Legacy - Displays how to manually add units to the script

* Modern - Displays how to manually add units to the script while making use of a gamelogic and as such being able to use spawn instead of execVM

* Auto - Displays how to automaticly add units to the script.

* ScriptsInside - Displays how to make it possible to run the scripts from inside Mission folder

* Demo - Couple of East vs West Fighting :-)

New Gamelogics:

* AUTO - Enables the Automatic addition of units to the trigger script

* INIT - Simply enables the Tracer Backengine

Call line for Manual Addition:

[unitname,(tracer settings)] execVM "\cent_tracer\cent_tracer.sqf";

The Tracer backengine will automaticly initialize if it wasn't yet.

If you have placed any Tracer Gamelogic on the map, please use the following syntax:

d=[unitname,(tracer settings)] spawn CENT_tracer;

Call line for Automatic Addition (Though it's easier to just place the Auto Gamelogic on the map :D):

CENT_AUTO=true; // Enable loop

CENT_REFRESH=30; // Sleep time

CENT_PATH="\cent_tracer\"; // Path to take the script from, change to "" if you have the script inside your mission folder

[] execVM (CENT_PATH+"cent_tracer-Init.sqf");

Download Link:

6thSense.eu

Performance wise it should be better, especially when you use one of the gamelogics and SPAWN methods (e.g; d=[_unit,(tracer settings)] spawn CENT_tracer;)

[Spokesperson 0]

Why doesn't BIS just include their VBS2 tracers into ArmA? It's the same engine after all.

[456820 0]

Quote[/b] ]Why doesn't BIS just include their VBS2 tracers into ArmA?

BIS did not make VBS, BIA made VBS. Sure its practically the same engine but its illegal to import things from VBS into OFP/ArmA but not the other way around I think.

Im not too sure on the whole VBS/ArmA/BIS/BIS matter so i might be wrong.

But are there any plans in including the tracers as default via the config? So the trigger doesnt have to be placed down on every mission?

Edit - Is there any chance of adding a bit of a tail on to these tracers? I think it would make them look much nicer and slightly more realistic.

Also how do these perform in MP? Do the tracers show for every person or just the person who shot the weapon?

[ThePredator 0]

@sickboy Awesome, works like a charm, however, how do I change the mix of ball/tracer? The old value does not seem to work anymore.

Did I make something wrong? Used the gamelogic and spawn method. I have tracers ever...well 5 rounds? but like to have tracers only.

[Kay 0]

Nice video. The tracers look awesome; however, I'm confused. Will these tracers work anywhere as long as it's in the addon's folder, or does the mission have to specifically have a line in it to enable this addon for it to work?

[dob 0]

nice addons but how remove the message about who use tracer ? plz

[sickboy 13]

@sickboy Awesome, works like a charm, however, how do I change the mix of ball/tracer? The old value does not seem to work anymore.

Did I make something wrong? Used the gamelogic and spawn method. I have tracers ever...well 5 rounds? but like to have tracers only.

Heya, NP

I have updated the package on the download site...

6thSense.eu

Added 4 global variables:

* Default Settings used, you can overwrite these values as you wish. These values are taken when using Auto Trigger, and if you do not specify any tracer settings when adding a unit manually

* CENT_SETT_TRACERSETTING = 3;

* CENT_SETT_SIZEMOD = 1;

* CENT_SETT_RICO = 0;

* CENT_SETT_TRACER = 1;

You can use these values to tell the script which values it should take by default when automaticly adding units to the script. It also is used when you manually add units to the script, but you can override those values through the normal method: [unitname, 3, 1, 0, 1] spawn CENT_tracer;

I updated the demo missions aswell:

* Legacy - Displays how to manually add units to the script

* Modern - Displays how to manually add units to the script while making use of a gamelogic and as such being able to use spawn instead of execVM

* Auto - Displays how to automaticly add units to the script.

* ScriptsInside - Displays how to make it possible to run the scripts from inside Mission folder

* Demo - Couple of East vs West Fighting :-)

Quote[/b] ]Edit - Is there any chance of adding a bit of a tail on to these tracers? I think it would make them look much nicer and slightly more realistic.

If anyone wishes to implement this that would be cool, but particles etc. is not my street

Quote[/b] ]Also how do these perform in MP? Do the tracers show for every person or just the person who shot the weapon?

Works fine atm. Tested in MP and looked good, though not tested it for too long; Please let me know how it goes

Quote[/b] ]nice addons but how remove the message about who use tracer ? plz

Remove the debug spawn loop from init.sqf (it's just a demo mission thing)

Quote[/b] ]I'm confused. Will these tracers work anywhere as long as it's in the addon's folder, or does the mission have to specifically have a line in it to enable this addon for it to work?

If you only place the tracer addon in your addons folder, you will have no tracers at all.

If you wish to use these tracers inside a mission you must follow the steps from the Updated Readme to fire it up either by manual scripting, manual trigger placing or by placing a gamelogic on the map.

It's possible to create an addon that will add eventhandlers to all your units so that it's even not nececairy to place any gamelogic on the map, but i'll leave that up to someone else

There are probably some more optimizations left to be done, an example would be to use setVariable and getVariable to store the values of weapon, how many times fired, tracer settings for this unit etc. etc. directly into the object instead of in a huge array..

[Kenbow 0]

Arma player: I'm confused.  Will these tracers work anywhere as long as it's in the addon's folder, or does the mission have to specifically have a line in it to enable this addon for it to work?

Sickboy: It's possible to create an addon that will add eventhandlers to all your units so that it's even not nececairy to place any gamelogic on the map, but i'll leave that up to someone else

I'm not sure if anyone else will be able to create this better than you, Sickboy.

If you could upgrade this Add-on to where it self-executed, and did not depend on the mission to incorporate it (via game logic or trigger), then that would be IDEAL AND INCREDIBLE !!! That would be the kind of addon the Arma community is hoping for.

If upgraded, players could jump on any server & misison they wanted and still have the tracer effects.

Will you please give doing this project a second thought, Sickboy?

[BroK3n 0]

Yes, sickboy. Do find a way to have the tracers work as a mod the same way sound mods are done. I think the community needs this. Just imagine the CQBs at night!

Godspeed, sickboy.

[4 IN 1 0]

it looks great but....something is still missing

(sorry i know its not easy to do but dear god, the vbs2 tracers have burned its mark in my brain)

[ThePredator 0]

Well, I could add them to my config mod later, if I know how

[456820 0]

Also is it me or do many weapons and vehicles still have the original BIS tracers as well?

the M240B does, the PK and all tanks appear to have them. Including the shilka and there was a video which showed the shilka not have them?

I'm guessing this is on my end but why?

Used it the original mod folder way.

[ThePredator 0]

On the ArmA.de Forums is another with the exact same issue. Don't know what the difference to all the other users is.

It *should* remove every BIS tracer but somehow, you guys still see them. So my guess is, that something is overriding the mod config...