More Flamers, Please!

[Nicholas Bell 117]

Guess I have a bit of Mick Mannock in me, as I am disappointed in the lack of flamers in FE2.   I like to see them roast all the way down.
 

Been working on this a while and the only way I’ve found to increase the frequency of flamers is by modifying the AIRCRAFTOBJECT.INI.   The “APRoundFireChance” has to be dramatically increased far beyond what seems realistic.  This is “mod for effect”.  Even setting it at 100 percent doesn’t mean the target will burn everyone time.    I would start at 50 and modify to taste from there.
 

If you leave the other values at the default, burning aircraft will likely explode before they hit the ground.   I prefer them to burn until they crash – they are not jets with thousands of gallons of JP-4 in them after all.   I’m still working on balancing the FireCheckTime and the ProgressionChance to achieve this.  If the ProgressChance is too low the aircraft will continue to fly around burning.  I have added DamageRating=DESTROYED to the Fuel Tank on all my planes but this doesn’t seem to help stop them from flying.
 

[ObjectFire]
FireCheckTime= 12.0 //6.0  Number of seconds between checks for progression and explosion?
APRoundFireChance=50  //1
HERoundFireChance=5
HERoundExplosionChance=1
ExplosionChance=0  //1   They still explode even at zero
SuppressionChance=1 //10  I’ve seen plenty of fires snuffed out
ProgressionChance=8 //15  This is just where I am at in testing.

I hope you will experiment yourself with this and perhaps we can find the correct balance.

 

If you don’t want your planes exploding like jets when they crash remark out this in the AIRCRAFTOBJECT.INI

[GameObjectEffect]
//ObjectExplosionEffect=AircraftExplosionEffect

 

 

[+VonS 1,424]

Hi Nick, I'm assuming that you're using the Starry effects for FE2 since it's difficult to get flamers going in those. Check out the older Laton effects that are here on CombatAce, they are more flamer-friendly.

 

Install using these links:

 

http://combatace.com/files/file/8462-effects-3-first-eagles/

 

http://combatace.com/files/file/3765-smoke-effects-pack-v2/

 

I usually install in reverse order since it works good for the effects I want, but experiment with it.

 

Also, check out my post number 23 here:

 

http://combatace.com/topic/88700-fe2-bad-framerates/page-2

 

It gives some more info. on how the Starry particle system ini can be swapped into the Laton install for a good balance of effects, including engine emitter smoke on some models plus the greater chance of flamers.

 

Von S

[Nicholas Bell 117]

Oh I've got the graphics effects just fine - I'm talking about the damage model.  Stock they smoke a lot, but rarely burn.

[+ojcar 157]

You can try to make the fuel tank boxes bigger in the data.ini.

[Nicholas Bell 117]

You can try to make the fuel tank boxes bigger in the data.ini.

 

Yes, that goes against all my work on getting the hitboxes correctly sized so when you shoot at a plane you actually have to hit the 3D model, not just the air around it - as it currently is with many aircraft without the modified hitboxes.

 

Plus there is the engine to consider - it can be damaged and just smoke, or it can catch fire - like in this situation.  Fortunately the fire extinguished itself a couple of seconds after this screenshot and I was able to land without being fried.

[+quack74 329]

The damaged engine smoke or fire follow the same parameter as engine exhaust. I set all of the exhaust coordinates to the center line of the aircraft. Then the fire will be right in your face. Where it terrifyingly should be. But my effects often create a good fireball just as often as engine damage and engine fire. I can't remember whose effects I'm using though. But they are great. I'll try to figure it out.

[Nicholas Bell 117]

The damaged engine smoke or fire follow the same parameter as engine exhaust. I set all of the exhaust coordinates to the center line of the aircraft. Then the fire will be right in your face. Where it terrifyingly should be. But my effects often create a good fireball just as often as engine damage and engine fire. I can't remember whose effects I'm using though. But they are great. I'll try to figure it out.

 

Are you satisfied with the frequency of such events?  That is my interest - increasing the frequency.

 

I'm still experimenting with the fire effects to get a long, narrow flame.  Too narrow and it's hidden in the fuselage - especially the engine fires. (I guess not if you put them on the centerline as you mention, and near the top of the engine...)

 

Has anyone seen a fuel leak effect?  I spotted it once in how many thousands of engagements and it lasted maybe 2 seconds.

 

FE2 has all these neat effects but I rarely see them.  Usually it's just the smoke - unlike SF2 were I do the range of effects.

[+quack74 329]

Try my effects folder. It's a mix of different peoples effects over several years. Impossible to know who. Just back up your Effects folder and drop in mine. See if you like the smoke and flame effects.

 

 

 

Effects.zip

[+VonS 1,424]

Are you satisfied with the frequency of such events?  That is my interest - increasing the frequency.

 

I'm still experimenting with the fire effects to get a long, narrow flame.  Too narrow and it's hidden in the fuselage - especially the engine fires. (I guess not if you put them on the centerline as you mention, and near the top of the engine...)

 

Has anyone seen a fuel leak effect?  I spotted it once in how many thousands of engagements and it lasted maybe 2 seconds.

 

FE2 has all these neat effects but I rarely see them.  Usually it's just the smoke - unlike SF2 were I do the range of effects.

 

 

Yes, the fuel leak effect happens on occasion - I've seen it happen a bit more using the Starry effects, but it's possible to get going once in a while with the Laton effects too - a nice white stream of fuel vapor, then the engine cuts out after about 10 seconds of the fuel vapor effect. This of course requires either a lucky shot on your opponent or a well-placed round usually from below, and right into the engine area. I maybe get one fuel vapor/leak effect into an opponent every 7 or 8 missions - they are quite rare but aesthetically pleasing. 

 

Von S

[vonOben 55]

Hi quack74

Thanks for sharing your effects folder!

I've tested those effects and I like them!

No negative frame rate impact as far as I have noticed so far.

S!

vonOben

[+VonS 1,424]

Further experiments with flamers have led me to the following settings in the aircraftobject ini file:

 

[ObjectFire]

FireCheckTime=20.0

APRoundFireChance=70

HERoundFireChance=40

HERoundExplosionChance=0

ExplosionChance=0

SuppressionChance=30

ProgressionChance=60

 

This certainly increases the chance of flamers, of small flamers but also sometimes of bigger fireballs around the engine. Note that with these settings, on rare occasion, a well-flown plane by the AI (and maybe the player too) can put out a fire and get back to fighting, unless the engine has been destroyed - short fires that are put out seem to leave minimal damage. The variety is an improvement to FE2 I think. I have had no in-air explosions, even after being hit or hitting an opponent, with these settings so far - very pleased to report that.

 

The settings work well with Nick Bell's suggestion to comment out the ObjectExplosionEffect under [GameObjectEffect], further improving the historical realism. Will include the modified file with a future FM update pack. In the meantime I am posting the settings above.

 

There is no need to toggle the FireSuppression entry in individual data ini files for planes from FALSE to TRUE for the above settings to work, by the way.

 

Happy flying,

Von S

Edited September 17, 2016 by VonS

[+VonS 1,424]

Thought I'd post a few test shots of the [ObjectFire] mods. in the aircraftobject ini file, as mentioned above. Good variety is now present - I'm having nice results with mostly Laton's effects and the mods. applied to the data ini file - although the variety is probably noticeable with the Starry effects too but I wouldn't know by how much (haven't tested with the Starry effects).

 

Fuel fire on a Morane N - light smoke indicates that it still hasn't progressed to an irreversible fire (sometimes it may go out)

 

 

 

Progression beginning (darker smoke as evidence)

 

 

 

Progression complete (stream of dark smoke now)

 

 

 

Fire expands (now an inferno)

 

 

 

Happy flying,

Von S

[vonOben 55]

Hi VonS

I'm using your ObjectFire settings, and get a lot of burning aircraft now.

But I have a slight problem which I haven't been able to solve. When the effect with fire and heavy smoke displays all at once my computer chokes and I get a slight stutter. I have tried disabling all modded aircraft fire effects but it doesn't help.

Do you know which file that controls that kind of smoke and fire and what might cause the problem?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards

vonOben

[+VonS 1,424]

Hi VonOben 

 

I'm happy that you're getting many flamers now - I am enjoying the new settings in my installs of FE2. The frame-rate problem you are getting when flamers erupt in black smoke is strange - perhaps you are using a mixture of Laton's and Starry's effects. I recommend trying out the modified files for aircraft smoke damage and balloon explosions that I've posted here:

 

http://combatace.com/topic/88700-fe2-bad-framerates/?p=716980

 

Also, I will pm you the particlesystem.ini file that I am currently using (with further reduced ParticleSystem entries that are giving me very good average fpm-s of about 80, on an Intel integrated 4000 graphics card with 1GB of ram).

 

Happy flying,

Von S

[vonOben 55]

Hi VonS

I've tested your files and also without modded effects, and the problem persists.
Here's the effect I have problem with:

 

The stutter happens when this effect starts, any idea what this effect is called?

Best Regards

vonOben

[+VonS 1,424]

Hi VonOben,

 

The big fire effect is one of the following two probably, located under [Effects] in the aircraftobject ini file:

 

FuelFireEffect=AircraftFuelFireEffect

 

EngineFireEffect=AircraftEngineFireEffect

 

I haven't tested the difference between the two effects but commenting out one, then the other, will probably locate the problem. Judging from the smoke trail that you have going beyond the fire around the aircraft, I am assuming that those are the Stary smoke/fire effects. I am using only Laton's effects in my FE2 installs and I get no stuttering.

 

Happy flying,

Von S

Edited January 7, 2017 by VonS

[+Stephen1918 1,473]

In the Graphics setting of my install, I set the Effects Detail to Medium. I get an improved frame rate, but I can't determine what is changed - the effects still look good to me. Maybe it generates fewer particles?

[+VonS 1,424]

Forgot to mention in my last post that, like Stephen, I have most of my graphics settings in the game's main menu set to medium - my horizon is set to near, and shadows to low. This combo. works well on low-end cards but still looks good. Perhaps further tweaking of the particlesys ini file will help with frame rates too? I am posting my particlesys ini numbers below (included with the ver. 8.6 FM update):

 

[ParticleSystem]

MaxParticlesPerEmitter=512

MaxEmitters=256

MaxEffects=256

MaxFields=32

AdditionalEffectsFolder=Effects

 

Happy flying,

Von S

[vonOben 55]

Hi guys

I'll test those effects and I also have effects on medium and I've tested those Particle system settings without luck.

Thanks for your help!

Best regards

vonOben