**UPDATE 1.3** 300t -- 30Mt Nuclear Weapon Effects

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...ode=sst&id=3977

File Name: **UPDATE 1.3** 300t -- 30Mt Nuclear Weapon Effects

File Submitter: Lexx_Luthor

File Submitted: 29 Jan 2007

File Updated: 18 Sep 2007

File Category: Weapons Mods/Skins

 

Update 1.3 fixes a sloppy and titanic blunder in 300kt late cloud effects -- the flat clouds spread across the map at weapon detonation, which is badly wrong. More in the update details section below. The B-47 screenshot shows 300kt late cloud effect as it should be.

 

Updates 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 are listed at the bottom of this page.

 

 

Included are nuclear weapon grafix effects from the initial double peak pulse to simplified late cloud development, and most major things in between, spanning a time of about 1/20 second to several hours, depending on yield. No weapons are included, but only visual grafix to be set up for use by your weapons.

 

Surface targeted warhead effects (for bombs, ASMs) are modelled for 3kt, 30kt, 300kt, 3Mt, and 30Mt. Low airburst only -- see the weapondata "Add To" file.

 

AAM and SAM airburst effects are modelled for 300t, 3kt, 30kt, 300kt, and 3Mt.

 

** The latest Bunyap Weapons Pack is required for the use of two grafix files contained in that pack -- the SMOKE3 and SMOKE4 tga files . This pack is found here at the CombatAce.

 

PROJECT USE PRE-REQUISITES:

(1) Know how to work the sim's conventional weapons and the Weapon Editor. This editor and some basic tutorials are found here at the CombatAce.

(2) Know how to work the Cat Extractor to extract several encrypted text files for editing. This extractor is found here at the CombatAce.

 

 

This project is designed and optimized for gameplay of hypothetical early Cold War era strategic strike and air defence operations on a massive scale, and will require a few simple, but very profound, adjustments to the sim to work well. One example why: Visible ranges to grafix effects can approach 1000 kilometers, and in one effect, far beyond.

 

This project works with the stock original game fully patched. However, this project was designed with the author's personal Environmentsystem file and a CRT monitor. I have no clue what this project's effects look like on LCD monitors during day or night missions.

 

Possible future tweaks, possible bugg fixxes, discussion of modeling methods, answers to questions, improving the effects and their ease of use for others, and discussion of what is being modelled can be found at the ThirdWire webboard at the link below.

 

ThirdWire thread ~> http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3970

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*UPDATE 1.1 CONTENTS*

Fixed some faults in the KT/MT FireBall to HighCloud-1 transitions, especially for KT030.

All Pulse and SkyGlow emitters are set to 50% larger in the effects text files (no changes were made to any tga grafix files).

Tweaked some Visibility Distances.

Tweaked some later HighClouds for KT/MT effects.

Made FireBall particles turn a more deep red near the end of their lifetime. Too red? Tell at the ThirdWire thread.

Set the FlightEngine.ini's FarClipDistance to 5000000.0. This fixes bad flickering of large yield SkyGlows seen from very long distances.

Doubled the rate of GroundCloud emission.

And, a few other minor tweaks I don't recall right now.

Additional modding tips in the Install text file.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**UPDATE 1.2 CONTENTS**

 

Removed all files for my personal Enviro mods, as the New Sun effect did not seem to work properly when I recently patched up to the latest

Patch (new sun caused black hole in the sky for example). Enviro mod and *new* new sun and star effects will have to be offered seperately

for better download support. This has taught me a lesson to be fully Patched with everybody else before releacing any mods.

 

I seemed to have found that the sim's custom Effects Details grafix option must be set to MEDIUM or HIGH. At the LOW setting, some

important nucular effects will not show.

 

Fixed a minor but potentially confusing Flight Engine file instruction regarding FarClip distances.

-------------------------------------------------------

**UPDATE 1.3 CONTENTS**

Fixed a devastating error in the KT300 flat clouds that I failed to catch. I had it working fine, but used the KT300 flatclouds to "experiment" with the flat layers as general weather clouds spread wide across the map, and becoming visible just after weapon detonation. I "forgot" to change it back to normal before uploading at CombatAce. This was sloppy. It works correctly now...I think.

 

Click here to download this file

[SandyC 2]

Thanks! I am looking forward to installing and using these. It will be great to have such powerful effects. Last night I was looking at a BBC documentary on the race for the hydrogen bomb and some of the atmospheric tests were awe-inspiring to watch. Pity poor Kazakhstan and Eniwtok Atoll!

[csb 12]

Thanks Lex.

 

This should get interest back into modern times.

 

The WWI retro-heads have been hogging the forums lately - only joking:)

[+Flamer50 3]

Thanks for the Nukes Lexx,

 

Won't get a chance to test them 'till this week end, how big of a hole will this things blow in the scenery mesh?

[Vader2 1]

very cool stuff!

Thank,s...

[atoll1 0]

Thank you for researching and creating it for the sim community. The effect certainly looks nice, and I know the graphics are “only in a sim”, but I admit, even in this form, is scary.

[Hazen75 0]

How can I adjust the color of the sun? When I play WOV, the sun's color at the center is black. What should I do?

 

Hazen Cowan

 

hcowan75_@hotmail.com

[Vikingo 0]

hey! this will be the first addon I will try for the game... Hope it works with "Wings over Europe"

looks very nice (and hot!!)

thanks!

 

Vik

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Wow, I didn't know this thread was here. Must be auto generated.

 

Hazen::

How can I adjust the color of the sun? When I play WOV, the sun's color at the center is black. What should I do?

With my Enviro file, or your Enviro file? You may be missing a tga file, or a badly spelled file name in some ini file.

 

 

 

Vikingo::

hey! this will be the first addon I will try for the game... Hope it works with "Wings over Europe" looks very nice (and hot!!)

I don't have WoE, but bigal and Veltro have, and they got the nukes working in WoE. That was a big relief to me.

 

Be sure to know how to work the Weapon Editor, and how to access the MissileObject.ini file hidden in the ObjectData cat file. Pay attention to the artificial fuzing distance instructions -- hopefully we can use a more natural method. Also, the nuke warhead types are not fully functional in the SF series weapons, so use High Explosive but with very large explosive mass, say 1E+10 or 1E+11 and work up or down from there as you desire, depending on weapon yield.

[SandyC 2]

This is one mighty awe-inspiring addon. I have installed the effects in WoE and it was incredible seeing a 30,000ft mushroom cloud hanging over East Berlin! The important thing is to get well away before the world flashes and burns. 25,000 feet on afterburner was enough to avoid becoming toast! Thanks again, Lexx!

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

hehe thanks. Got screenshots?

 

30,000 feet? pffft 30Mt cloud tops out at maybe 150,000 feet, and lasts for a few hours game time. I'm slightly increasing the effects here, for an update. You can make the small yield effects far more detailed for tactical ops, but I assume dozens and dozens of these large cloud formations be visible across the map under a strategic warfare environment, so I try to economize on the number of "emitter particles" and stuff.

 

Tip:: Something I naturally "forgot" to include in the install advice ... you can ramp up the game's external Free Camera altitude limit of 100,000 feet (if I recall that). Its in the FlightEngine.ini file. I set mine to...

 

[WorldSettings]

SectorWidth=20

SectorHeight=20

SectorMaxObject=256

Border=20100

MinHeight=0.5

MaxHeight=1E+6

 

Thats in meters, thus, for me, 1000km. And to make use of this extra distance, scale up the camera translation speed/acceleration. Advice for that are in the Add To FlightEngine install advice. At least I remembered to include that. I also "forgot" to put in the ThirdWire webboard link...had the "~>" dropped into the file, but I didn't include the link. I'll do it here...

 

Linky ~> http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3970 ... I could use some critiques and advice.

 

More info I "forgot" to offer -- In all the nuke effects files, ALL lenght values (all distances, Emission Volume, etc...) are in meters, often with "calculator style" scientific notation of E+3 to readily allow mental conversion of the base to kilometers. Times are in seconds, Table-Time values are decimal fractions of particle lifetime. Emission Rates are not rates but their multiplicative inverses (time periods), in seconds, between particle emissions. I'm not sure what units the Emission Velocity uses, but I played with values until it seemed to work for me.

 

For those thinking of using the nucks in WoE campaign, if it can handle them, think of adding MontyCZ's Yak-28 bomber. Its at colum5's pure Cold War downloads, on page 3 ~> http://www.column5.us/aircraft.shtml

 

Somebody was working a TSR.3 (or was it .2?), you know the cancelled British supersonic bomber. F-111 may also be useful in WoE.

 

F-111 series by the Vark Team is available at CombatAce. Amazing F-111 cockpit by Mike Werner here ~> http://www.schmidtwerner.de/products/f-111_pit.html

 

I always thought F-5A and F-5E would be interesting additions to WoE, its also at C5's pure Cold War downloads, and with a very immersive pure daylight fighter F-5 cockpit.

[John 0]

hehe thanks. Got screenshots?

 

30,000 feet? pffft 30Mt cloud tops out at maybe 150,000 feet, and lasts for a few hours game time. I'm slightly increasing the effects here, for an update. You can make the small yield effects far more detailed for tactical ops, but I assume dozens and dozens of these large cloud formations be visible across the map under a strategic warfare environment, so I try to economize on the number of "emitter particles" and stuff.

 

Tip:: Something I naturally "forgot" to include in the install advice ... you can ramp up the game's external Free Camera altitude limit of 100,000 feet (if I recall that). Its in the FlightEngine.ini file. I set mine to...

 

[WorldSettings]

SectorWidth=20

SectorHeight=20

SectorMaxObject=256

Border=20100

MinHeight=0.5

MaxHeight=1E+6

 

Thats in meters, thus, for me, 1000km. And to make use of this extra distance, scale up the camera translation speed/acceleration. Advice for that are in the Add To FlightEngine install advice. At least I remembered to include that. I also "forgot" to put in the ThirdWire webboard link...had the "~>" dropped into the file, but I didn't include the link. I'll do it here...

 

Linky ~> http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3970 ... I could use some critiques and advice.

 

More info I "forgot" to offer -- In all the nuke effects files, ALL lenght values (all distances, Emission Volume, etc...) are in meters, often with "calculator style" scientific notation of E+3 to readily allow mental conversion of the base to kilometers. Times are in seconds, Table-Time values are decimal fractions of particle lifetime. Emission Rates are not rates but their multiplicative inverses (time periods), in seconds, between particle emissions. I'm not sure what units the Emission Velocity uses, but I played with values until it seemed to work for me.

 

For those thinking of using the nucks in WoE campaign, if it can handle them, think of adding MontyCZ's Yak-28 bomber. Its at colum5's pure Cold War downloads, on page 3 ~> http://www.column5.us/aircraft.shtml

 

Somebody was working a TSR.3 (or was it .2?), you know the cancelled British supersonic bomber. F-111 may also be useful in WoE.

 

F-111 series by the Vark Team is available at CombatAce. Amazing F-111 cockpit by Mike Werner here ~> http://www.schmidtwerner.de/products/f-111_pit.html

 

I always thought F-5A and F-5E would be interesting additions to WoE, its also at C5's pure Cold War downloads, and with a very immersive pure daylight fighter F-5 cockpit.

 

 

Lexx

I installed the files made the changes as called for and it doesn't work in SFP1 with all the latest up dates on my system. I haven't tried version 1.1 yet .

[csb 12]

How can I adjust the color of the sun? When I play WOV, the sun's color at the center is black. What should I do?

 

Hazen Cowan

 

hcowan75_@hotmail.com

 

 

Have you got Lens Flare turned ON in the options menu - Graphics.

 

If this was the problem and you don't want the lensflares, like me, then in the enviro ini delete all lensflare, except [LensFlare027] which is used for the sun.

 

Then change #27 to #1

 

[LensFlare001]

PositionFactor=0.0

Color=1.0,1.0,0.9,0.80

Size=1000.0

//Fade=REVERSE

Material=SunFlareMaterial

IsForeground=FALSE

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

John::

Lexx

 

I installed the files made the changes as called for and it doesn't work in SFP1 with all the latest up dates on my system. I haven't tried version 1.1 yet .

Check for spelling errors in your weapondata file. That hits alot of folks, especially in computer programming, and Finance/Banking too. One spelling error or dropped zero and its blown. If that's not it, you mangled something else. What files? What changes?

 

 

 

csb::

If this was the problem and you don't want the lensflares, like me, then in the enviro ini delete all lensflare, except [LensFlare027] which is used for the sun.

csb, just to make sure, you do not have to Delete any lensflares in your Enviro file, just convert the [027] "lensflare-which-is-not-a-lensflare" as you noted and follow the other Install file's New Sun instructions, provided I crafted those instructions correctly. Camera lensflares and the [027] "lensflare-which-is-not-a-lensflare" effect are independent -- Only the camera lensflares respond to the Lensflare ON/OFF option, [027] does not (the proof its not really a lensflare). I'd love to see others' screenshots of New Sun to make sure its working for others, or if I porked the instructions.

 

Camera lensflares, and new SF sun, working together....I normally don't use lensflares either, but I turned them on for this display.

 

Edited February 13, 2007 by Lexx_Luthor

[csb 12]

Thanks for clarifying that, LL. (Actually I missed your reply to that guy)

 

I shall have a looksie. but I can't post a screenie 'cause haven't worked out how on any forum site.

 

The sun you created is the best. Looks awesome (and realistic when a jet flyies in front of it). This is the main reason I DLd your nuke weapons.

 

Big thanks

Edited February 14, 2007 by csb

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Thanks csb.

 

Get a limited "free" PhotoBucket account, I am amazed at how it Rules. They now auto generate the pic code for placing into forum poasts. If you must, start a thread here asking how to poast pics. The same way works for all webboards.

 

~> http://photobucket.com/

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

There may be a Problem.

 

I finally Patched up to the vert latest SF version, and the New Sun would not work -- just a black hole in the sky. Something changed in the Patch. So, I had to radically re-do how I did the sun, and its even better, but I'll have to update the releace to note this.

 

And, I found out, the nucular effects require the custom Effect Details graphix be set to Medium or High. Low setting causes some important effects not to show.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

**UPDATE 1.2 CONTENTS**

 

Removed all files for my personal Enviro mods, as the New Sun effect did not seem to work properly when I recently patched up to the latest

Patch (new sun caused black hole in the sky for example). Enviro mod and *new* new sun and star effects will have to be offered seperately

for better download support. This has taught me a lesson to be fully Patched with everybody else before releacing any mods.

 

I seemed to have found that the sim's custom Effects Details grafix option must be set to MEDIUM or HIGH. At the LOW setting, some

important nucular effects will not show.

 

Fixed a minor but potentially confusing Flight Engine file instruction regarding FarClip distances.

[PythonOne 0]

hey lex, is it possible for you to make only a sun mod for the latest patch for WOV?

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Yes, that's the best way to do it.

 

Almost ready, just thinking how to do it.

[PythonOne 0]

sweet....thanks man

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

This is what I've got so far, the pic below (may be deleted soon as I want to clean out my photobucket). The sun effect looked a bit better a few days ago, a tad more yellow in the glare core, but I've been playing around with it, making some compromises.

 

It should be an ongoing update thing, as there is a huge number of things to experiment with here, and I'm nowhere near fully exporing the possibilities of this. That alone should indicate I'm using a very unusual method. Prepare to offer lots of feedback to help get this working decently for others. I just plugged in a spare monitor I have, and everything looks totally different -- my eye is tuned to this now, perhaps I'm worrying too much, but I have made mistakes before. I see I've been optimizing my stuff for my monitor and its settings. I wonder what it looks like for others?

 

 

Sunrise. Terrain is a pinch too dark, but that's another issue.

[PythonOne 0]

excellent man, keep up the good work.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Getting there...this is more what I wanted. I am using strictly lensflare methods, taking over lensflares to make sun.

 

 

Problem: Below is the same exact sun method, but with the stock Environment file. Not good, so I will have to offer a more stock-Enviro adapted sun, brighten it up perhaps, or offer a radical Enviro file with for use with the new sun.

 

To work properly, this new sun is heavily dependent on (for StrikeFighters) traditionally non-sun related Enviro colour and brightness variables. The stock Enviro file models the very low altitude hazy summer sky. My enviro file models either (1) low altitude clear blue winter sky, or (2) very high altitude sky -- summer or winter -- no matter the conditions season or visibility near the surface as the high altitude sky is always clear and blue. Unfortunately, SF offers no way to mod environment appearance dependent with altitude, although there may be a way, it would be very messy. So I choose something that works year round.

 

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Slowly getting there. Finding new methods.