DMSmokeEffects Beta 4

[moosenoodles 0]

Hey DM,

Ive been using ur 4.2 for a bit now to test in all situations etc, after watching you video on the effects, and playing the ingame release, I have noticed for some reason Im not sure, that the video shows a much more black aspect to the smoke rising from start of impact than the 4.2 im using.

When Im seeing the smoke now its has a nice whirly effect most the time as it rises, and lots of light and dark greyish colour for dustballs, smoke etc. and only occasionaly i get to see a decent amount of black smoke rising up...

To me its totaly different than the video you put up.. Im using your effects, (containing one pbo file correct?) and a sound mod, with balistics and scope fix..

Any ideas why majority of the smoke is overly grey to me ?

Cheers,

James.

[dmarkwick 261]

Hey DM,

Ive been using ur 4.2 for a bit now to test in all situations etc, after watching you video on the effects, and playing the ingame release, I have noticed for some reason Im not sure, that the video shows a much more black aspect to the smoke rising from start of impact than the 4.2 im using.

When Im seeing the smoke now its has a nice whirly effect most the time as it rises, and lots of light and dark greyish colour for dustballs, smoke etc. and only occasionaly i get to see a decent amount of black smoke rising up...

To me its totaly different than the video you put up.. Im using your effects, (containing one pbo file correct?) and a sound mod, with balistics and scope fix..

Any ideas why majority of the smoke is overly grey to me ?

Cheers,

James.

Well the code is written so that 50% of tank class objects will eject grey smoke, while 50% will eject tall black smoke columns. I also changed the default smoke to be more white/light grey, and for a while you get a mixture of both smokes. Occasionally chance will give you proportionally more grey, or proportionally more black. It's different every time.

After a few minutes the default smoke finishes but DMSmokeEffects last for approx. 45 minutes. So the tank objects that eject black smoke columns will eventually not have the default pale smoke and just be black. But even before that you should see black smoke rise above the default smoke as the columns are so much more taller.

If you continue to see only grey smoke, take some screenies and post them up. The code is reliant on a random number being generated, I have no reason to think that it generates different random number probabilities for different machines.

[moosenoodles 0]

cheers for that, ill keep testing, ive not seen any real black smoke as Id expect to see it in over 2 evenings of playing so far.

I understand the random feature, maybe Im totaly unlucky to get a non black effect each time lol..?

Ive not seen any instant black ball of smoke effect on first impact with at4 or rpg's as of yet either..Ive seen your mix of white/grey and even a sort of green looking grey effect that was nice earlier though..

You mention timings on how long smoke stays over the standard, I have to say that this is not happening with me using your mod, the smoke does not last to long and does not billow far up into the sky like the video.. its more transparent on the outter edges where you see like well blocks that flicker around the sides, its the only way I can describe it for now...

I will as i said keep playing and if Im then positive Im not getting the right look, ill take some pics etc..

cheers,

James.

[NoRailgunner 0]

Thanks DMarkwick for your effects!

Did some test with vehicles:

- shooting with HE still these clumsy dirt fountain

- too much fire particles if you hit some vehicles - just like a scene from a action-movie

tank vs tank, HMMWV vs UAZ (both with MG)

Would be nice if the explosion lightning would be faster and some impacts without fire effect - only fast explosion lightning and smoke...

If you like cinematic effects put one/two to Ammo trucks

- drifting smoke and the high column of smoke are combined?

- "lightning-fire" impact on stonewalls/ houses?

[dmarkwick 261]

Thanks DMarkwick for your effects!

Did some test with vehicles:

- shooting with HE still these clumsy dirt fountain

You mean my shell impact dirt fountains? How dare you

- too much fire particles if you hit some vehicles - just like a scene from a action-movie

tank vs tank, HMMWV vs UAZ (both with MG)

The problem with config settings is that they're not too intelligent. I have some ideas about how to improve the effect though.

Would be nice if the explosion lightning would be faster and some impacts without fire effect - only fast explosion lightning and smoke...

Indeed. But config effects happen the same way each time, I hope that in the future someone might find out how to allow a choice of config effects for vehicles.

If you like cinematic effects put one/two to Ammo trucks

LOL, well the fuel trucks are handled as fuel fire vehicles (like the aircraft) but I reckon a different look is needed for ammo trucks.

- drifting smoke and the high column of smoke are combined?

Are you asking or telling? Each vehicle will have EITHER dark smoke column OR light grey drifting smoke. However the default smoke (which play out "under" the smoke effects) has been altered to be more dramatic. After this default smoke has finished you will see the Smoke Effects as normal.

- "lightning-fire" impact on stonewalls/ houses?

Asking or telling? I think a general setting change means that all shell impacts have this effect now.

[ArMoGaDoN 0]

I LOVE this addon, it makes the world so much more interesting!

In multiplayer, is there any way to detect or switch off fuel-fires when you cause a respawn of a burning vehicle?

The vehicles respawn, but the fire remains where the wreck was...

[dmarkwick 261]

WarWolf @ Sep. 18 2007,18:27)]I LOVE this addon, it makes the world so much more interesting!

In multiplayer, is there any way to detect or switch off fuel-fires when you cause a respawn of a burning vehicle?

The vehicles respawn, but the fire remains where the wreck was...

I had considered what happens with respawning vehicles, and I just left it so you still get a sense of battlefield "history". The addon isn't MP "friendly" just yet, so any smoke effect you see is most probably local to your machine only. When the addon is MP friendly I will look at smoke effect culling with respect to respawning vehicles.

[Commando84 0]

Love the smoke addon, just came off from a mp game and many many mins after i crashed a blackhawk nearby our objective city i still saw the fire and smoke long time ago after it had crashed, really made me think to be more carefull and i felt annoyed that i got reminded so much of my past mistake im usually a good pilot but sometimes you get to close and you get hit good

first a AA to make me spin downwards and when i safely fast landed the bird a rpg or another AA missile comes and finnish the job

[sultan 0]

Since I installed Queens Gambit it doesnt seem to work. Not even when I play without the QG shortcut?

I thought it just was a "addon pack" and not somthing that could interfere with this great addon??

Any ides? anyone else who has this problem??

[Kerry 0]

this Addon is GREAT!

expect for the fact that sombody without the addon, can be laying behind the smoke, n they can se u, but u cant e htem. :/

o well

great sheet

[dmarkwick 261]

Since I installed Queens Gambit it doesnt seem to work. Not even when I play without the QG shortcut?

I thought it just was a "addon pack" and not somthing that could interfere with this great addon??

Any ides? anyone else who has this problem??

It seems to work for me. I even transferred the test mission across to Porto, and got pretty much the same effect.

[dmarkwick 261]

this Addon is GREAT!

expect for the fact that sombody without the addon, can be laying behind the smoke, n they can se u, but u cant e htem. :/

o well

great sheet

MP and AI block are 2 things I would like to build in. I haven't touched it for a couple of weeks though.

I suspect that to make it properly MP I would need to make it an integral part of a full TC mod.

[dmarkwick 261]

Mmm. Returning to this, see if I can get more functionality out of it. Actually there's still lots to do, not least of which is make it completely MP compatible.

First off - I got viewblocks working. So now I have a number of visible viewblock objects (for visual testing) and invisible ones. Kind of spooky to be standing 5m away from your enemy, both looking right at each other

So soon, tomorrow probably, smokeshells will have some amount of viewblock functionality. I say some amount because the first build will probably have static viewblock objects that pop in & out (like the vids I put up a few weeks back), generally around the area of the smokeshell, however what I would LIKE is floatable viewblock objects I can give identical particle settings to so they move about like (and among) the particles they're blocking.

[dmarkwick 261]

can be seen a test video of AI viewblock objects floated as particles.

They need work yet, I doubt the tall columns need so many, they could be better served with fewer, larger cubes. But anyways, useful smoke

Unfortunately I'm having difficulty applying them to smokeshells, the thing I really wanted to use them for.

Coupla screenies:

[chammy 7]

You dont think its too red?

[CameronMcDonald 147]

Methinks that would be from the coloured view blockers. He's coloured them to make them visible to us, otherwise it'd just look like normal smoke.

In the final release, I'd assume the viewblockers would be transparent.

[.kju 3245]

Some food for thought for you two guys to improve your

excellent effects even more.

The video resolution is crappy at times. So the best would be

to test the stuff yourself ingame..

It is from the WGL MOD:

Those videos showcase various effects and secondary / delayed

expansion scripts.

WGL4_Bmp_Explosion

WGL4_Shilka_AAA_Fire

WGL4_Shilka_AAA_Fire2

WGL5_Zeus_Mi-24_Downed

(without sound)

WGL5_Effects01

WGL5_Effects02

WGL5_Effects03

WGL5_Effects04

WGL5_Effects05

strela-10_effect

412_tank_expl

500_a10_mk19

500_a10_mk19_2

500_a10_rockets

You can download WGL5.1 here (OFP 1.96 required).

You might wanna have a look at the implementation in the

wglevents.rar.

Keep up the your excellent work!

[dmarkwick 261]

You dont think its too red?

LOL

Yes, CameronMcDonald has it correct, these are test viewblocks for visual testing. The actual viewblocks don't even have visible geometry, just viewblock geometry.

However, it might all be moot. Basic testing hasn't been very helpful, I'm starting to think SpaceObject particles don't viewblock even with viewblock geometry as part of the original model. I might be wrong yet, as it's a difficult thing to test

[Maddmatt 1]

However, it might all be moot. Basic testing hasn't been very helpful, I'm starting to think SpaceObject particles don't viewblock even with viewblock geometry as part of the original model. I might be wrong yet, as it's a difficult thing to test

Particles do not effect AI sight, so you're going to have to 'createvehiclelocal' them.

[dmarkwick 261]

However, it might all be moot. Basic testing hasn't been very helpful, I'm starting to think SpaceObject particles don't viewblock even with viewblock geometry as part of the original model. I might be wrong yet, as it's a difficult thing to test

Particles do not effect AI sight, so you're going to have to 'createvehiclelocal' them.

This is what I'm beginning to think, which is not good news for me.

With just the createVehicle method I won't be able to have viewblock objects moving & expanding with the smoke. They'll just be ground-based objects which only last a short while (as smoke often changes it's shape & direction of movement), and getting them to float hasn't worked for me in the past.

[Maddmatt 1]

This is what I'm beginning to think, which is not good news for me.

With just the createVehicle method I won't be able to have viewblock objects moving & expanding with the smoke. They'll just be ground-based objects which only last a short while (as smoke often changes it's shape & direction of movement), and getting them to float hasn't worked for me in the past.

With a little more scripting it's possible. If you code them as static objects they shouldn't fall at least. That's a start.

Could use an ontimer script in the particle effect that will create the object and then delete it after a few seconds. It might be a pain to get decent results, but it shouldn't be too bad.

By the way, I think I've found a good way to recreate your smoke effects mostly using the config. Still gonna need some scripts for certain things. But the better performance and MP compatibility should be worth it. If you're interested then I'll show you after I have time do create something, maybe in a few days.

[VictorFarbau 0]

Don't give up yet. In our sunday night battle yesterday I dearly missed that functionality. AI was wrapping us in smoke again. And while we couldn't see a thing their fire was precise as usual.

Then I was pinned down in a bunker surrounded by AI. After 5 minutes I threw 2 smokeshells and it was all white. I stepped out and was shot in that very second.

Man, do I miss a working smokeshell

VictorFarbau

[dmarkwick 261]

Hmm. OK, if I cannot use particle objects as viewblocks, then back to createVehicle I go

is a video showing static viewblock items. Not as satisfying as expanding moving objects, but better than nothing. I haven't applied them to tall columns as I think that is overkill for viewblock.

[VictorFarbau 0]

Looks awesome. I guess you cannot expect a 100% functionality of viewblocks given the way you have to implement them. There will be tradeoffs - you might be able to peek in between blocks or some part could be blocked where there's no smoke for a second or two.

The way you have set them now looks good to me, viewblock objects hovering above ground level is pretty much how it should work. I would probably decrase the block size a bit further; after all it feels more realistic when sbd shoots you through light smoke than facing blind enemies right in front of you. As said, tradeoffs.

Did you manage to attach this functionality to Smokeshells by now? You mentioned this would be a problem...

Cheers,

VictorFarbau

[dmarkwick 261]

Looks awesome. I guess you cannot expect a 100% functionality of viewblocks given the way you have to implement them. There will be tradeoffs - you might be able to peek in between blocks or some part could be blocked where there's no smoke for a second or two.

I'm happy with the odd peek through blocks, as it's what I see when looking at the particles

I am a little miffed though that I cannot get the control not only of size & movement, but of lifetime too. As it works now any particle can spawn a viewblock at any time in it's entire life, whereas before with the spaceobject I could limit it's lifetime to account for fading & dispersion.

The way you have set them now looks good to me, viewblock objects hovering above ground level is pretty much how it should work. I would probably decrase the block size a bit further; after all it feels more realistic when sbd shoots you through light smoke than facing blind enemies right in front of you. As said, tradeoffs.

I increased the block size so that I could spawn less of them. I reckon with the chaotic nature of disappearing/reappearing blocks, opportunistic glimpses through the gaps, and general randomness of smoke that it's good enough to give the impression of cover, but still with some danger. Smokeshells (if & when I solve that) will be more dense.

Did you manage to attach this functionality to Smokeshells by now? You mentioned this would be a problem...

There still is a problem. I might have to change the nature of smokeshels substantially to get around it, if it's even possible.