DMSmokeEffects Beta3

[dmarkwick 261]

After extracting and using the code in my own missions, I just get an error message ingame just before the effects activate telling me that "DMSmokeEffects\Scripts\DMSmokeEffects.sqf" cannot be found. Any ideas? I extracted the PBO to the addons folder like the readme says. Help!

Does the included mission work?

No, it just shows all of the BIS standard effects. I'm on version 1.08 and I've extracted the PBO to my addons folder, but like I said, it can't find the .sqf file as mentioned in the trigger code.

Any thoughts?

Well the setup I recommend is to have it in it's own @DM folder, as it contains a config file that might otherwise conflict with another one in the same addon folder.

I extracted the whole @DM folder to my ArmA folder and the Addons folder to be sure, butr still no luck. I keeo getting the same error message that "DMSmokeEffects\Scripts\DMSmokeEffects.sqf"

cannot be found and reverts to the vanilla effects.

Are you definietaly sure this path is correct? Since I can't find a folder called scripts or any .sqf files.

If you de-PBO the file you should see the folder structure & files in there. Basically a PBO file is like a ZIP file, one that ArmA can use without decompressing. Within the DMSmokeEffects PBO file there is a folder called "Scripts" and inside that there is a file called "DMSmokeEffects.sqf".

Have you added a shortcut switch to your game shortcut that adds the @DM mod in? So that it looks someting like this:

Quote[/b] ]

"D:\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA\arma.exe" -mod=@Mapfact;@ace_everon;@DM;@SIX_CRDS;@SIX_Misc;@SIX_Tracers;@SIX_Blood;@CSM -nosplash -window

That is the entire line as it appears on my own shortcut, as you can see it includes the @DM mod.

[ATC Rogue 0]

I think you've done some damn fine work here and I'm going to start using it a lot more, the only thing I don't quite think is right is the amount of time the sound of debris lasts, I think it's a little too long, I did destroy a big tower so I know there would have been a lot of debris but it was going on for quite a while longer than I expected.

[dmarkwick 261]

I think you've done some damn fine work here and I'm going to start using it a lot more, the only thing I don't quite think is right is the amount of time the sound of debris lasts, I think it's a little too long, I did destroy a big tower so I know there would have been a lot of debris but it was going on for quite a while longer than I expected.

The idea is that the debris is in the dust - like in the 9/11 footage from the street cameras. The dust particles themselves spawn the debris sound, and they last longer than the fall of the building.

The building collapse has 2 major drawbacks for me. One, they fall too easily. Two, they fall too fast.

Thanks for the comments

[versus 0]

congratulations DMarkwick! those are some awesome smoke effects man

but isn't there some way you could make them work without the need for a trigger?

[pathetic_berserker 4]

the grenade and building effect work without the the trigger but the vehicle smoke doesn't.

really like this BTW but the building effect seems a bit mcuh on the smaller buildings.

[dmarkwick 261]

congratulations DMarkwick! those are some awesome smoke effects man

but isn't there some way you could make them work without the need for a trigger?

I expect there is Soon as I can figure it out I'll do it. I haven't really done much looking into it as there was talk of integrating this into Sixth_Sense pack, which has an infrastructure already for this sort of thing.

the grenade and building effect work without the the trigger but the vehicle smoke doesn't.

really like this BTW but the building effect seems a bit mcuh on the smaller buildings.

I'm thinking I should reign in the lateral dispersion. And shorten the sound effect somewhat. I don't have much control over how different sized buildings call the building collapse effect, each building type seems to have it's own multiplier associated with it, and so far I only affect the called effect once it's been called.

[joe556 0]

After extracting and using the code in my own missions, I just get an error message ingame just before the effects activate telling me that "DMSmokeEffects\Scripts\DMSmokeEffects.sqf" cannot be found. Any ideas? I extracted the PBO to the addons folder like the readme says. Help!

Does the included mission work?

No, it just shows all of the BIS standard effects. I'm on version 1.08 and I've extracted the PBO to my addons folder, but like I said, it can't find the .sqf file as mentioned in the trigger code.

Any thoughts?

Well the setup I recommend is to have it in it's own @DM folder, as it contains a config file that might otherwise conflict with another one in the same addon folder.

I extracted the whole @DM folder to my ArmA folder and the Addons folder to be sure, butr still no luck. I keeo getting the same error message that "DMSmokeEffects\Scripts\DMSmokeEffects.sqf"

cannot be found and reverts to the vanilla effects.

Are you definietaly sure this path is correct? Since I can't find a folder called scripts or any .sqf files.

If you de-PBO the file you should see the folder structure & files in there. Basically a PBO file is like a ZIP file, one that ArmA can use without decompressing. Within the DMSmokeEffects PBO file there is a folder called "Scripts" and inside that there is a file called "DMSmokeEffects.sqf".

Have you added a shortcut switch to your game shortcut that adds the @DM mod in? So that it looks someting like this:

Quote[/b] ]

"D:\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA\arma.exe" -mod=@Mapfact;@ace_everon;@DM;@SIX_CRDS;@SIX_Misc;@SIX_Tracers;@SIX_Blood;@CSM -nosplash -window

That is the entire line as it appears on my own shortcut, as you can see it includes the @DM mod.

Yeah, done it, still get the same thing. Any more ideas?

[dmarkwick 261]

Yeah, done it, still get the same thing. Any more ideas?

Not really, unless other people see the same problem. Do other addons work OK? The only thing I could think of was a spelling error in the trigger call, but you say the included mission does not work also. Tell me, do the grenade & building collapse effects work?

*edit* just to be entirely sure, is the PBO in a folder called Addons which is in turn inside the @DM folder?

[ck-claw 1]

Really liking the 203 nade effects!

Any news on the mp use?

[GD Mast 0]

Hi DMarkwick,

Your newest beta is great but the debris falling sound is too long imo.  That's the only thing that I find wrong. Still two thumbs up!  

GD Mast

[pathetic_berserker 4]

I'm thinking I should reign in the lateral dispersion. And shorten the sound effect somewhat. I don't have much control over how different sized buildings call the building collapse effect, each building type seems to have it's own multiplier associated with it, and so far I only affect the called effect once it's been called.

sounds like a good balance there, of what you want to achieve vs the games engine limitations. Look forward to the next release.

[versus 0]

I expect there is Soon as I can figure it out I'll do it. I haven't really done much looking into it as there was talk of integrating this into Sixth_Sense pack, which has an infrastructure already for this sort of thing.

already looking forward to this...

btw. i also think the building collapse effect may be a little much...those aren't the twin towers m8

and the sound effect should probably be more like that of dust blowing and settling...

other than that it looks perfect to me

[dmarkwick 261]

Shhhh....

WIP...

A few odd pops at the end of the footage, but it doesn't do that anymore As long as the sandstorm doesn't move too fast it looks pretty good. I'll need new textures all round though

[Commando84 0]

looks wonderful! Love the big smoke cloud!

[Mabes 0]

That sandstorm looks like it'll be pretty nasty, nice work!

Also, what was with your view point shaking? (Atleast, it seemed like that to me)

[Rocco 0]

Shhhh....

WIP...

A few odd pops at the end of the footage, but it doesn't do that anymore As long as the sandstorm doesn't move too fast it looks pretty good. I'll need new textures all round though

LAG inc!

[dmarkwick 261]

That sandstorm looks like it'll be pretty nasty, nice work!

Also, what was with your view point shaking? (Atleast, it seemed like that to me)

Heh, don't fly into it in a helo or you suddenly might be shy one engine

The shake and blur is done in post, just to make it look handheld a bit. Sort of like an unofficial leak sort of thing

LAG inc!

Not seeing any here In fact if I look up so I can only see the storm I get full 60 FPS (my max) it only drops when I lower my view to the terrain.

[Jarvis 0]

I have a beef with this engine, how it renders effects or rather the original effects that were made for the game.  It's much more worth having a fuller, less transparent particle, rather than having 300 very transparent particles...Yeah, but it's fixable, just I don't really have the time to invest in effect making.  I'm sure I'd just make some realistic water splashes, cuz I was famous for that in the battlefield series.  I already made the fire in the smoke effect look realistic, like how real fire behaves where you have the particles rotate and move much much faster, but disappear quicker.  I also don't like the limited ammount of textures they provide you, but I've also been trying to get into making my own in photoshop.  Perhaps I could edit the existing ones.

edit* Awesome, thanks for replying before about the transparency, I'll take a look at it when I have a chance.

[Mabes 0]

The shake and blur is done in post, just to make it look handheld a bit. Sort of like an unofficial leak sort of thing

Ah, damn I was kind of hoping you had found someway to make like strong winds effect your vision. Oh well, one can dream

[dmarkwick 261]

Next release will have this improvement in it:

Shell impacts are quite difficult to capture on video they're pretty hit & miss effects by default, sometimes they happen sometimes nothing. I guess it's difficult for the ArmA engine to successfully capture every shell impact.

Less apparent in that vid is the small brown particles simulating all those clods of earth spattering back down. I'd like to also lay down some sort of decal where the impact happened but I don't know how that's done yet.

[NoRailgunner 0]

download and testing with various kind of buildings (small houses, bigger..), bridges and grenades ...

[VIPER SHIVA 0]

Next release will have this improvement in it:

Shell impacts are quite difficult to capture on video they're pretty hit & miss effects by default, sometimes they happen sometimes nothing. I guess it's difficult for the ArmA engine to successfully capture every shell impact.

Less apparent in that vid is the small brown particles simulating all those clods of earth spattering back down. I'd like to also lay down some sort of decal where the impact happened but I don't know how that's done yet.

The "dirt geyser" effect is certainly cool, and I look forward to seeing this in the game. My only point of contention however, is that spray of earth and rocks is being caused by an explosive warhead- so it should also produce a burst of fire, and/or smoke at the point of the explosion.

I figure the hand grenade effect would be a good starting point.

[dmarkwick 261]

The "dirt geyser" effect is certainly cool, and I look forward to seeing this in the game. My only point of contention however, is that spray of earth and rocks is being caused by an explosive warhead- so it should also produce a burst of fire, and/or smoke at the point of the explosion.

I figure the hand grenade effect would be a good starting point.

I may work something like that in, if I can find footage that supports it.

[Chip360 0]

Beautiful Dmarkwick, just Beautiful.

Oh, and I dont think the building collaps effects are too strong... He probably hasnt seen any vids of buildings collapsing other than those of the wtc attacks.. Maybe make the dust stay a little longer after a collapse?

The only thing I really have a problem with is that you need to set a trigger to see the effects . I currently cant use them in my EvolutionSp campaign right? Because it doesnt have the trigger on the map? I hope you can figure out how to overwrite the main effects when your mod is activated.

[dmarkwick 261]

Beautiful Dmarkwick, just Beautiful.

Oh, and I dont think the building collaps effects are too strong... He probably hasnt seen any vids of buildings collapsing other than those of the wtc attacks.. Maybe make the dust stay a little longer after a collapse?

The only thing I really have a problem with is that you need to set a trigger to see the effects . I currently cant use them in my EvolutionSp campaign right? Because it doesnt have the trigger on the map? I hope you can figure out how to overwrite the main effects when your mod is activated.

The config effects (building collapse, grenades, shell impact etc) will work, but you're right that the smoke effects won't work without a trigger. Yet The smoke effects are not overwriting anything, they are totally new effects that play over the default (or config changed) ones.

The building collapse effects in the next beta will be slightly different from how you see them right now, they have a large mobile plume that quickly dissipates and becomes hazy, while a more solid and static building dust cloud hangs around the ruin for slightly longer. I think it's an improvement and looks great at street level.

BTW, if you are able to de-PBO any mission that you want to see effects in, you can always add your own trigger.