Editing particle effects in config

[Maddmatt 1]

I want to edit ArmA's particle effects such as the weapon explosions via an addon, the same way the sound replacement mods work. The problem is, I can't seem to change anything under class CfgCloudlets. Seems as though it is blocked for editing. I see 'access=0' in the config in CA.pbo, which is where these effects are defined.

So is editing this file directly my only option? I don't want that because it will break the signature validation, and servers will pick it up as a hacked file. Any changes I try to do through an addon have no effect.

I also see class CfgCloudlets with access=0 in the main config in data/core.pbo. Does this mean that whatever is in CA.pbo has no effect?

I want to change the particle effects in ArmA, maybe eventually release a mod. But this doesn't seem possible without editing official files and breaking the BIS signatures.

Can anyone help me here? Is there really no way to do this?

[Maddmatt 1]

Thanks for the overwhelming response

Anyway I did some more experimenting and now it seems to work. I have successfully been able to modify some particle effects

[dmarkwick 261]

Did you actually modify existing particle effects, or did you add new particle effects over the default ones?

[Maddmatt 1]

Did you actually modify existing particle effects, or did you add new particle effects over the default ones?

Modified existing ones through a config mod, same way sound replacement mods work

Working on the grenade explosion at the moment

Maybe after a while I'll have a particle effect mod ready.

[dmarkwick 261]

Did you actually modify existing particle effects, or did you add new particle effects over the default ones?

Modified existing ones through a config mod, same way sound replacement mods work

Working on the grenade explosion at the moment

Maybe after a while I'll have a particle effect mod ready.

I'm quite interested in changing the way building collapses look. Is that one of the changeable effects?

If it is, can you post up a quick how-to?

[Maddmatt 1]

I'm quite interested in changing the way building collapses look. Is that one of the changeable effects?

If it is, can you post up a quick how-to?

Just had a look, I see it there. You know how to work with configs? Basically the same thing the sound replacement mods do (FDF seems to be the best example to look at). Except it's all under class CfgCloudlets instead.

De-pbo the file ca.pbo (in your addons folder) and de-rapify it's config using Eliteness. Find the cfgCloudlets section in the config, and copy that over to your own mod config. Then you can edit it.

Make sure your congig has a cfgPatches section:

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

{

class Mat_ExplosionFX

{

units[] = {};

weapons[] = {};

requiredVersion = 0.1;

requiredAddons[] = {"CAData"};

};

};

That is an example from my mod.

The building effects are under 'class HouseDestructionSmoke' to 'class HouseDestructionSmoke4' (not in numerical order though).

I don't know if that's detailed enough for you, if you don't know configs then it's going to be pretty hard.

[dmarkwick 261]

LOL, I don't know configs so it's going to be pretty hard but I can learn, and the help you've just kindly put up will go a long way to getting my ideas to work, thanks very much

[dmarkwick 261]

OK, made a very small config intended to replace one of the building collapse particle effects. I succeeded in a small way in that I made a config that didn't crash the game, but no change for effects ingame. (the effects should be quite noticeable as they're custom animations.)

Basically I just copied part of the default config file, & placed into my own with changes. In fact here's the file contents:

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

{

class DMBuildingCollapse

{

units[] = {};

weapons[] = {};

requiredVersion = 0.1;

requiredAddons[] = {"CAData"};

};

};

class CfgCloudlets

{

class HouseDestructionSmoke4

{

interval[] = {"interval",0.009,0.009};

circleRadius = 7;

circleVelocity[] = {"1.2 + 1.25 * intensity",0,"1.2 + 1.25 * intensity"};

particleShape = "\DMSmokeEffects\DMBuildSmokeEffects.p3d";

particleFSNtieth = 8;

particleFSIndex = 1;

particleFSFrameCount = 1;

particleFSLoop = 0;

angleVar = 360;

animationName = "";

particleType = "Billboard";

timerPeriod = 1;

lifeTime[] = {50};

moveVelocity[] = {0,0.05,0};

rotationVelocity = 1;

weight = 0.051;

volume = 0.04;

rubbing = 0.025;

size[] = {

{ "intensity",4,1.25 },

{ "intensity",16,1.25 }};

color[] = {

{ 0.1,0.095,0.09,0.7 },

{ 0.5,0.45,0.4,0.5 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0.2 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0.1 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0.05 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0.02 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0 }};

animationSpeed[] = {0.06};

randomDirectionPeriod = 0.4;

randomDirectionIntensity = 0.09;

onTimerScript = "";

beforeDestroyScript = "";

lifeTimeVar = "2.5 + 1.25 * intensity";

positionVar[] = {"0.2 + 1.25 * intensity","0.2 + 1.25 * intensity","0.2 + 1.25 * intensity"};

MoveVelocityVar[] = {"0.6 + 1.25 * intensity","0.2 + 1.25 * intensity","0.6 + 1.25 * intensity"};

rotationVelocityVar = 1;

sizeVar = 0.3;

colorVar[] = {0,0,0,0.3};

randomDirectionPeriodVar = 0.2;

randomDirectionIntensityVar = 0.05;

};

};

One small note, the line:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">class HouseDestructionSmoke4

was originally

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">class HouseDestructionSmoke4: Default

but that threw up an error for unrecognised class "Default".

[dmarkwick 261]

OK pasted in the class "default" which allowed me to solve that one part, but still no ingame changes.

[Maddmatt 1]

Try this:

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

{

class DMBuildingCollapse

{

units[] = {};

weapons[] = {};

requiredVersion = 0.1;

requiredAddons[] = {"CAData"};

};

};

class CfgCloudlets

{

class Default;

class HouseDestructionSmoke4: Default

{

interval[] = {"interval",0.009,0.009};

circleRadius = 7;

circleVelocity[] = {"1.2 + 1.25 * intensity",0,"1.2 + 1.25 * intensity"};

particleShape = "\DMSmokeEffects\DMBuildSmokeEffects.p3d";

particleFSNtieth = 8;

particleFSIndex = 1;

particleFSFrameCount = 1;

particleFSLoop = 0;

angleVar = 360;

animationName = "";

particleType = "Billboard";

timerPeriod = 1;

lifeTime[] = {50};

moveVelocity[] = {0,0.05,0};

rotationVelocity = 1;

weight = 0.051;

volume = 0.04;

rubbing = 0.025;

size[] = {

{ "intensity",4,1.25 },

{ "intensity",16,1.25 }};

color[] = {

{ 0.1,0.095,0.09,0.7 },

{ 0.5,0.45,0.4,0.5 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0.2 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0.1 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0.05 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0.02 },

{ 1,0.95,0.9,0 }};

animationSpeed[] = {0.06};

randomDirectionPeriod = 0.4;

randomDirectionIntensity = 0.09;

onTimerScript = "";

beforeDestroyScript = "";

lifeTimeVar = "2.5 + 1.25 * intensity";

positionVar[] = {"0.2 + 1.25 * intensity","0.2 + 1.25 * intensity","0.2 + 1.25 * intensity"};

MoveVelocityVar[] = {"0.6 + 1.25 * intensity","0.2 + 1.25 * intensity","0.6 + 1.25 * intensity"};

rotationVelocityVar = 1;

sizeVar = 0.3;

colorVar[] = {0,0,0,0.3};

randomDirectionPeriodVar = 0.2;

randomDirectionIntensityVar = 0.05;

};

};

Don't know if that will work, I'm just basing that on what I see in other mods. I don't know configs all that well myself. For my mod I simply copied the entire class CfgCloudlets over. I did do some quick tweaks to the building destruction effects that seem to work.

I noticed that a couple things in cfgCloudlets don't appear to do anything at all. class CraterBlood for example just seems like a leftover from OFP, to modify blood effects class ImpactEffectsBlood1 seems to be the one that works.

I wonder if anyone else has been messing around with config particle effects?

[dmarkwick 261]

That looks like what I've already changed it to, except that I also pasted in the whole "Default" class properties too, but I'll try it out thanks

[dmarkwick 261]

OK looks like the above config works, I'm in

Thanks for your help MaddMatt

[dmarkwick 261]

Made a sample of the sort of thing I am trying to make:

Collapsing buildings thread