DMSmokeEffects Beta 4

[VictorFarbau 0]

This one will be hard to avoid. During first use the "viewblock" object from the addon will be created. But the mission won't know about this addon and will complain about the "surprise".

Nothing serious but a cosmetic bug, one solution would be to add "dmsmokeeffects" to the list of addons of your mission.sqm such as this:

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

addOns[]=

{

"lots of other addons",

"dmsmokeeffects"

}

So I did and the message went away.

Cheers,

VictorFarbau

[dmarkwick 261]

Hiho Cool addon I'm using it for months now but there is a problem with your latest version:

- I'm using Beta 4.3b of your Smoke Effects, nothing else

- I put the 3 pbo files into a mod folder (DMSmokeEffects.pbo, extended_fired_eventhandlers.pbo, extended_init_eventhandlers.pbo)

When I play a mission on our linux dedicated server I'll get the message that "this mission depends on downloadable content that has been deleted --> Click me. Everything was ok while I used the old version of your mod.

The game doesn't crash, the mission doesn't abort. The smoke effects appear, but maybe the problem appears because of your viewblock!?

By the way we're using queens gambit on the server and it was a queens gambit mission. I recognized the same problem with the error message during a normal arma mission as well.

I uploaded the smoke effects to our server. No success

Hi Legislator, thanks for the feedback.

I've seen mission.sqf files that have for some reason received the dependency on DMSmokeGrenadeVB addon, which I don't understand, but I think it's the same problem.

It's most likely to do with the config and having viewblock items listed as objects for the editor. I think I will remove them if there's no issues spawning them without it.

Hopefully there will be an update to the addons soon, with the smoke effects & smoke grenade effects separated possibly. The move from SP eye-candy to MP useful functionality will be a rocky one

Until then, there's always 4.2

[DeathRow 0]

Great update and great mod overall ive been using it since it came out. But theres one thing ive been meaning to ask...will you be attempting gun smoke? Any way just wondering again this is a very good mod keep it up!

[[GLT] Legislator 66]

I've tested Smoke Effects 4.3b in MP now. I removed the files from the dedicated server so I was the only one who used them. Other players didn't receive any error message Well how anyway? But it's good news

[dmarkwick 261]

This one will be hard to avoid. During first use the "viewblock" object from the addon will be created. But the mission won't know about this addon and will complain about the "surprise".

Nothing serious but a cosmetic bug, one solution would be to add "dmsmokeeffects" to the list of addons of your mission.sqm such as this:

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

addOns[]=

{

"lots of other addons",

"dmsmokeeffects"

}

So I did and the message went away.

Cheers,

VictorFarbau

Do you have any notion why this is even happening? It's not like it's the first version that has new p3d files, as all the custom smoke effects have always been new p3d files.

[[GLT] Legislator 66]

Do you know the AI Sandbag Fix 1.1? It has got a similar problem regarding the error message and the entry within the mission.sqm.

[dmarkwick 261]

Do you know the AI Sandbag Fix 1.1? It has got a similar problem regarding the error message and the entry within the mission.sqm.

You mean the 1.1 fix has the problem or has fixed the problem?

[PTV-Jobo 820]

Okay I'm having that problem again today for some reason and this game is starting to piss me off. Apparently when I ran the game with the previously mentioned mods minus XAM, the effects work--takes a minute or two before it kicked in but it worked. So now I gotta find out what's causing the problem and how to arrange the folder order so it'll work again like it did before. Ugh sometimes I really hate this game.

[snoops_213 75]

Just to let you know DM, and this will make things more intresting, i've found i have a similar problem with CSM sometimes. I will make a mission save it, for some reason or another load without CSM and then i get an error msg saying cant play/edit because of missing content. I havent had this problem yet here but i havent removed the mod and run a mission i'll try tonight and see what happens.

Just had a quick look at one of my mission.sqf's and "dmsmokeeffects" has been added to the addons required list (same as CSM_sound), but i notice maddmatts fx isnt there? Could it be the way you mod is designed, ie because the smoke is generated over the top of the original , when your effects are loaded they create a dependacy in the mission.sqf. Not really a big problem for me as its manly SP i play atm.

[.kju 3245]

Does the problem happen with the latest version of this addon

or is DMSmokeGrenadeVB the source - can anyone confirm

the source please.

The config of DMSmokeGrenadeVB is missing the "DMShellSmokeVBinv" object:

Quote[/b] ]class CfgPatches

{

class DMSmokeGrenadeVB

{

units[] = {"DMShellSmokeVBinv"};

Not sure if that fixes the prob though.

Another try would be to add your new classes to the

preloadConfig entry (example in dta\bin.pbo):

Quote[/b] ]class PreloadConfig

{

RadioProtocol = "*";

CfgVoice = "*";

class CfgCloudlets

{

CraterBlood = ".";

[dmarkwick 261]

Just to let you know DM, and this will make things more intresting, i've found i have a similar problem with CSM sometimes. I will make a mission save it, for some reason or another load without CSM and then i get an error msg saying cant play/edit because of missing content. I havent had this problem yet here but i havent removed the mod and run a mission i'll try tonight and see what happens.

Just had a quick look at one of my mission.sqf's and "dmsmokeeffects" has been added to the addons required list (same as CSM_sound), but i notice maddmatts fx isnt there? Could it be the way you mod is designed, ie because the smoke is generated over the top of the original , when your effects are loaded they create a dependacy in the mission.sqf. Not really a big problem for me as its manly SP i play atm.

Yeah I've had that with CSM too. Something I can't understand when I get the message "blah blah relies on deleted content addonX" when I know for sure I'm running AddonX. And now I'm getting it with this

[dmarkwick 261]

Does the problem happen with the latest version of this addon

or is DMSmokeGrenadeVB the source - can anyone confirm

the source please.

The config of DMSmokeGrenadeVB is missing the "DMShellSmokeVBinv" object:

Quote[/b] ]class CfgPatches

{

class DMSmokeGrenadeVB

{

units[] = {"DMShellSmokeVBinv"};

Not sure if that fixes the prob though.

Another try would be to add your new classes to the

preloadConfig entry (example in dta\bin.pbo):

Quote[/b] ]class PreloadConfig

{

RadioProtocol = "*";

CfgVoice = "*";

class CfgCloudlets

{

CraterBlood = ".";

Good call on the cfgPatches Units declarations, I should do that thanks.

That dta\bin.pbo didn't mean much to me though, I'll have to try & find some documentation about that, if it exists.

[.kju 3245]

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">Preload given textures from config classes.

Any texture corresponding to the entry below is preloaded and kept in

the memory permanently. The actual texture file is looked up in the

corresponding config entry.

Lookup values:

"*" - path is relative to Data unless it starts with a backslash

"\*" - path is always absolute

"@*" - model name (rel. to data3d) is given in the config

- load all textures for it referenced by it

"\@*" - model name (abs) is given in the config

- load all textures for it referenced by it

In future other values or combinations may be possible, like for

textures which need to be loaded, but not all mipmaps are needed.

### IMPORTANT ###

Right now from only basic testing, there seems hardly a reduction

effect of loading time or a resolution the initial map switch lag.

Further improvement might be possible with preloading the map

objects (p3ds).

Preload given config classes.

Any texture corresponding to the entry below is preloaded and kept in

the memory permanently. The actual texture file is looked up in the

corresponding config entry.

Lookup values:

"*" - the class including all subclasses is made permanent.

"." - only this class is made permanent.

"fastFind" - optimize searching in this class.

[[GLT] Legislator 66]

Do you know the AI Sandbag Fix 1.1? It has got a similar problem regarding the error message and the entry within the mission.sqm.

You mean the 1.1 fix has the problem or has fixed the problem?

No, it also shows the same kind of error message. Nothing from the addon is placed on the map but after you started one mission with the activated AI sandbag fix 1.1 you had an entry in the mission.sqm. Therefore every other player had to install the sandbag fix too so they can play the mission. The problem was never solved

[[GLT] Legislator 66]

Oh shit, double post

[dmarkwick 261]

Do you know the AI Sandbag Fix 1.1? It has got a similar problem regarding the error message and the entry within the mission.sqm.

You mean the 1.1 fix has the problem or has fixed the problem?

No, it also shows the same kind of error message. Nothing from the addon is placed on the map but after you started one mission with the activated AI sandbag fix 1.1 you had an entry in the mission.sqm. Therefore every other player had to install the sandbag fix too so they can play the mission. The problem was never solved

Hmm that's a shame. Well, the DMSmokeGrenadeVB addon has the same problem so it's the same problem (as DMSmokeGrenadeVB is taken from DMSmokeEffects), and it's tiny enough that a solution might become apparent.

[snoops_213 75]

I've just had a look at some more of my mission.sqf files and they all seem to have my base addons. What i mean is i use CSM+MaddMatt FX+ DMSmokeeffects+6th Sense Pack1 plus all of NWD's addons as my standard(with a couple more things thrown is for good measure!, whats happpening is my mission.sqf's are picking all these up(except MaddMatts FX and 6th sense Pack1, although i have had 1 msg relating to CRDS when i removed it) and placing them as required addons. Why? Is it because there are just that, addons, and the mission is picking up things/objects that are used in the mission when building/testing it? If so why doesn't MaddMatts FX show up? Or other addons only sometimes? And just to be sure they are working i loaded only this mod and no they dont save anything to any mission.sqf that i've made using only these effects.

I think DM that you might be shit out of luck with solving this and people might just have to put up with it(not the most ideal but hey), or alter the missions to suit their needs. The errors dont seem to affect the game/mission at all i think because they aren't placed in the mission itself as an object, but merely hinted at in the mission.sqf because the maker was using it to build it. Will have to do some more testing in this area, but i would say people might have to be careful when building a mission as to what they are running when building it! It could also be a case of when a mission is made it picks up everything that is used on screen even if it hasn't been added as an object, as it sees this is how the mission builder envisioned the mission to be played? But (there is always a but) if so why dont more of my missions require 6th Sense or MaddMatts addons? Bloody strange! I think you would be better off spending time on the rest of your project(s) and let someone else ponder over this conundrum, as its not only your addons that are affected by, and the affects on others is minimal.

[dmarkwick 261]

I've just had a look at some more of my mission.sqf files and they all seem to have my base addons. What i mean is i use CSM+MaddMatt FX+ DMSmokeeffects+6th Sense Pack1 plus all of NWD's addons as my standard(with a couple more things thrown is for good measure!, whats happpening is my mission.sqf's are picking all these up(except MaddMatts FX and 6th sense Pack1, although i have had 1 msg relating to CRDS when i removed it) and placing them as required addons. Why? Is it because there are just that, addons, and the mission is picking up things/objects that are used in the mission when building/testing it? If so why doesn't MaddMatts FX show up? Or other addons only sometimes? And just to be sure they are working i loaded only this mod and no they dont save anything to any mission.sqf that i've made using only these effects.

I think DM that you might be shit out of luck with solving this and people might just have to put up with it(not the most ideal but hey), or alter the missions to suit their needs. The errors dont seem to affect the game/mission at all i think because they aren't placed in the mission itself as an object, but merely hinted at in the mission.sqf because the maker was using it to build it. Will have to do some more testing in this area, but i would say people might have to be careful when building a mission as to what they are running when building it! It could also be a case of when a mission is made it picks up everything that is used on screen even if it hasn't been added as an object, as it sees this is how the mission builder envisioned the mission to be played? But (there is always a but) if so why dont more of my missions require 6th Sense or MaddMatts addons? Bloody strange! I think you would be better off spending time on the rest of your project(s) and let someone else ponder over this conundrum, as its not only your addons that are affected by, and the affects on others is minimal.

That might well be the case, but here I have an opportunity to get to the bottom of it. This problem is only apparent in the very latest DMSMokeEffects, and it's also apparent in the tiny little DMSmokeGrenadeVB, so I would say the problem is something to do with objects, as viewblock is really the only new thing added, aside from Extended Event Handlers.

[snoops_213 75]

Ok i think i figured it out. It has to do with objects being used. I just did a simple test where i put 1 AT soldier on map vs 1 BMP on map. Fired all 1 rocket 1 kill. Immediate abort and save, no dmsmokeeffects in mission.sqm. 2nd test fired all 3 rockets no kill. Abort save. Again no reference. 3rd fired 1 round, 1 kill let smoke start to build till i see your effects coming in. Abort save, and what do you know. Ok delete reference. Load fire off 1 red smoke shell, let build, abort save and again a reference. Yet no reference to NWD or CSM at this stage.

edit.

This seems to be triggered by the default BIS units/classes. I tried this test just then with BMD-1 v3.1 exact same way, and no references to dmsmokeeffects, but i also noticed that the addon didnt seem to use your smoke effects, so it must be the objects that it creates in the testing of the mission. But again i was also using standard BIS soldier and no refernce to CSM_sound even after i fired rockets and 2 mags, unless its a random sound thats attached to an object thats created in the testing of a mission. So any object thats 3rd party addon thats either created by the mission maker or is created during the testing of the mission has a reference made to it in the mission.sqm. There seems to be exemption though( again another but ) and having a quick look Maddmatts FX seems to be all particle based changes(correct me if im totally wrong) with a few custom .p3d's, but they are references to partice shapes(?) so they have no object references in game, which would explain why its not referenced in any of my mission.sqm's . If so without making the VB effects particle based, ie naturally embedded, i think this will be common for some. As to why it happens to people in the reverse, ie they get the error from a addon they have and its not in the mission well completely off subject now so another thread if some1 brings it up.

[.kju 3245]

An addons[] entry is generated for example if a cfgVehicles object

is added in the mission itself (mission.sqm) and the addon has a

correct cfgPatches definition.

If you create the object via scripts, the mission is not able to

know about the presence of the object. Therefore it is not able

to add the correct entry to the addons[] definition.

One way to fix this for (by default / in normal circumstances) non

mission objects is to add your cfgPatches class to the

preloadAddons[] (to be found in the main config).

(still at work so no guarantee as I cannot verify it right now)

[dmarkwick 261]

Ok i think i figured it out. It has to do with objects being used. I just did a simple test where i put 1 AT soldier on map vs 1 BMP on map. Fired all 1 rocket 1 kill. Immediate abort and save, no dmsmokeeffects in mission.sqm. 2nd test fired all 3 rockets no kill. Abort save. Again no reference. 3rd fired 1 round, 1 kill let smoke start to build till i see your effects coming in. Abort save, and what do you know. Ok delete reference. Load fire off 1 red smoke shell, let build, abort save and again a reference. Yet no reference to NWD or CSM at this stage.

Interesting. So the editor (I assume you're "previewing" the mission from the editor) adds references based not only on what you manually add, but what any addons also add during preview? Sounds naughty to me.

But why do I still get the message up when I am running the addon already? (That bit doesn't happen in Preview, you need to build it into a MPMission or something.)

I don't recall this happening with 4.2 & lower though. Unless it's because you're using the (b) version? That would explain it.

[dmarkwick 261]

An addons[] entry is generated for example if a cfgVehicles object

is added in the mission itself (mission.sqm) and the addon has a

correct cfgPatches definition.

If you create the object via scripts, the mission is not able to

know about the presence of the object. Therefore it is not able

to add the correct entry to the addons[] definition.

One way to fix this for (by default / in normal circumstances) non

mission objects is to add your cfgPatches class to the

preloadAddons[] (to be found in the main config).

(still at work so no guarantee as I cannot verify it right now)

So... you reckon I should add a line that reads:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">preloadAddons[] = {"DMSmokeGrenadeVB"};

to the config of the DMSmokeGrenadeVB config?

[snoops_213 75]

Interesting. So the editor (I assume you're "previewing" the mission from the editor) adds references based not only on what you manually add, but what any addons also add during preview? Sounds naughty to me.

Not so much naughty, as i think its more to do with things similar to your mod, in such that if you make a mission and you have something specific happen to an object(units included) thats the result of a 3rd party addon thats happened while your building the mission, it see it as important for the fact that you as the mission maker might not have known exactly what influenced the object(ie what killed it), but i was important and played a role, now if that was from an addon you forgot(because its second nature to you) that you were even using, and you released the addon as is it might not work right or it might create all sorts of errors because the mission is expecting something to happen that never will because its not present. Ie if you were to reference a weapon and ammo from a addon you used so you make your own config and change all default BIS units with your custom loadout from the other addon, and you forgot that even happened then you'd get a missing addon error.

PS updated my last post a bit more 2 with some more info i found. Shit to much time i think

yes another edit, @ Q as for script based objects brought into the game, well how many people make a mission and release it with out even testing it? Im sure you'll find( will test tomorrow as i've just realized its 1:00am here) that if you run a script calling a 3rd party addon and run the mission, then it would be added to the addons required list, other wise you and who ever else played the mission would get an error saying missing addon yadda yadda yadda.

[.kju 3245]

According to CA\config.cpp like this:

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

{

access = 2;

class PreloadBanks{};

class PreloadAddons

{

class DMSmokeGrenadeVBAdded

{

list[] = {"DMSmokeGrenadeVB"};

};

};

};

@snoops:

At least back in OFP the message was also a result of a broken

cfgPatches or buggy cfgPatches of another addon.

So both script only creation of the object and that one.

[dmarkwick 261]

According to CA\config.cpp like this:

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

{

access = 2;

class PreloadBanks{};

class PreloadAddons

{

class DMSmokeGrenadeVBAdded

{

list[] = {"DMSmokeGrenadeVB"};

};

};

};

Initial tests with this are favourable at least in SP. As soon as I try it in MP I'll give a fuller report. But thanks for the snippet