Aircraft glowing during Flak

[+Piecemeal]

Does anybody know how I can edit or at least alleviate the problem of having my aircraft looking like they just flew over Chernobyl?

 

 

I've solved the problem of the firing flashes on the surface being too prolonged, but I'm not sure exactly where to look with this problem.

 

BTW, the Flak effects I'm using are from the Strike Fighters 2: Vietnam Air and Ground Expansion Pack

[+Piecemeal]

Did some more flying over a Flak battery. I don't think the smaller calibre (37mm, 57mm) AAA is to blame here. It's more like anything from 85mm upwards:

 

 

The light from the flak explosion seems to last around 1.5 to 2 seconds.

 

Oh, and does anyone know how I can prevent the AAA batteries from being enveloped in a cloud of smoke every time they fire? I've tried removing the effects but it also removes the flak bursts in the air, which I want to keep

Edited August 26, 2010 by Piecemeal

[+Piecemeal]

OK, I SEEM to have sorted all but one of my tasks; the emanating cloud of smoke on the ground around the AAA piece when it fires. Now, I can delete the entries for it in the 'FlakEffects.INI' file - but that will stop the flak clouds from appearing in the sky when the shells explode around me.

 

[EmitterType004]

Name=FlakCloud37mm

EmissionType=RADIAL_EMITTER

UpdateType=NON_MOVING

LifeTime=0.900000

MaxVisibleDistance=8000.000000

PositiveZOnly=TRUE

EmissionRate=0.0500000

EmissionVolume=0.0000,0.0000,0.200000

EmissionVelocityTableType=CONSTANT

EmissionVelocity=0.000000,0.000000,246900.000000

EmissionVelocityDeviation=0.80000

RadialVelocityTableType=CONSTANT

RadialVelocity=157100.0

RadialVelocityDeviation=0.500000

ParticleUpdateType=SIMPLE_POINT

ParticleRenderType=SPRITE

ParticleRandomOrientation=TRUE

ParticleLifeTime=11.250000 <- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I've changed the values here to 0 and there's no longer any 'lingering cloud' around the AAA piece - but there's no flak clouds in the sky

ParticleLifeTimeDeviation=0.20000

ParticleWeight=1.50000

ParticleRandomness=0.010000

ParticleDragFactor=0.350000

ParticleInheritence=0.00001000

ParticleWindFactor=0.12

ParticleColorTableType=TABLE

ParticleColor[01].Time=0.000000

ParticleColor[01].Value=0.600000,0.600000,0.600000,0.600000

ParticleColor[02].Time=0.10000

ParticleColor[02].Value=0.700000,0.700000,0.700000,0.700000

ParticleColor[03].Time=0.400000

ParticleColor[03].Value=0.800000,0.800000,0.800000,0.800000

ParticleColor[04].Time=0.600000

ParticleColor[04].Value=0.900000,0.900000,0.900000,0.900000

ParticleColor[05].Time=0.100000

ParticleColor[05].Value=1.000000,1.000000,1.000000,1.000000

ParticleSizeTableType=TABLE

ParticleSize[01].Time=0.000000

ParticleSize[01].Value=1.340000

ParticleSize[02].Time=0.200000

ParticleSize[02].Value=4.490000

ParticleSize[03].Time=1.000000

ParticleSize[03].Value=6.700000

BaseSizeDeviation=0.3

TextureMaterial=GraySmokeMaterial

 

 

[GraySmokeMaterial]

EffectShaderName=effectLightLevel.fx

DepthBufferCheck=TRUE

DepthBufferWrite=FALSE

IgnoreRenderOrder=FALSE

AlphaTestEnabled=FALSE

LightEnabled=FALSE

UseLightLevel=TRUE

SpecularEnabled=FALSE

EmissiveEnabled=FALSE

AmbientColor=1.000000,1.000000,1.000000,1.000000

DiffuseColor=1.000000,1.000000,1.000000,1.000000

ZBufferOffset=0.000000

PriorityLevel=3

BlendOp=BLEND_SRC_ALPHA

NumTextureStages=1

TextureStage[01].TextureName=EE4_SMOKE.tga

TextureStage[01].MipMap=FALSE

TextureStage[01].FilterEnabled=TRUE

TextureStage[01].StageColorOp=TEXTURE_MODULATE_DIFFUSE

TextureStage[01].StageAlphaOp=TEXTURE_MODULATE_DIFFUSE

 

 

 

So if anybody can figure a way out of this annoying problem I'd be really grateful :yes:

Edited August 27, 2010 by Piecemeal

[Fubar512]

Because you're using a flak cloud as a gun smoke effect, which is something it's not meant to be. Who's effects are you using?

 

In the 37mm gun data.ini, make sure that you're using the following GunFireEffect=37mmFireEffect

[Wrench]

I was going to suggest upgrading the shielding (either magnetic bottle field strength or physicaly adding more Impervium) around the plasma coils/plasma generator of the cloaking device.... or a larger Faraday cage?

 

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Piecemeal]

Because you're using a flak cloud as a gun smoke effect, which is something it's not meant to be. Who's effects are you using?

 

In the 37mm gun data.ini, make sure that you're using the following GunFireEffect=37mmFireEffect

 

I've looked everywhere in the stock CAT folders for that INI file and I can't find it. Where the hell can I get it?

In my wisdom I forgot to look in the ParticleSystem.INI file for it. Just shows my level of skill in the effects dept eh? But this'll mean that I'll lose the flak explosion effects won't it?

 

 

I was going to suggest upgrading the shielding (either magnetic bottle field strength or physicaly adding more Impervium) around the plasma coils/plasma generator of the cloaking device.... or a larger Faraday cage?

 

 

wrench

kevin stein

 

I was just thinking of that before I fell asleep last night

Edited August 27, 2010 by Piecemeal

[Fubar512]

I've looked everywhere in the stock CAT folders for that INI file and I can't find it. Where the hell can I get it?

In my wisdom I forgot to look in the ParticleSystem.INI file for it. Just shows my level of skill in the effects dept eh? But this'll mean that I'll lose the flak explosion effects won't it?

 

Not at all. They are two separate effects, with call outs (trigger events) that completely unrelated to one another. The flak effect is normally spelled out in the bulletobject.ini, or in that particular gun's folder, should you have it set up as an addon.

 

In the latter scenario, one would have a seperate folder for a gun, containing both a gun.ini pointing to a gun_data.ini, as one would a weapon (only applies to SF2 series):

 

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

[GunData001]

TypeName=40MM_L60

FullName=40mm Bofors L60/70 Cannon

Caliber=40.000000

ROF=100.000000

MuzzleVel=850.000000

AmmoWt=0.955000

WarheadWt=0.090000

Reliability=95.000000

Accuracy=58.000000

AddLight=TRUE

MaxLightRange=1200.000000

FireColor=0.500000,0.450000,0.320000

GunFireEffect=37mmFireEffect <---muzzle flash and gun smoke effect

GunFireSound=37Can

EffectClassName=37mmEffects <-----effects, including flak, water spikes, dirt spikes, armor hits, etc

EffectTime=0.100000

TracerTexture=Tracero.tga

TracerSize=0.050000

TracerDistFactor=0.002000

TracerLength=0.050000

MaxVisibleDist=4000.000000

MaxStreakVisibleDist=1000.000000

TimeFuzed=TRUE

 

[37mmEffects]

TracerEmitterName=TracerSmokeEmitter

GroundHitEffectName=37mmGroundHitEffect

GroundHitSoundName=DirtHit

WaterHitEffectName=CannonWaterHitEffect

WaterHitSoundName=WaterRic

ObjectHitEffectName=37mmObjectHitEffect

ObjectHitSoundName=Impact4

ArmorHitEffectName=37mmObjectHitEffect

ArmorHitSoundName=Impact4

AirBurstEffectName=37mmFlakEffect

AirBurstSoundName=Flak37

ShrapnelChance=100

ShrapnelCount=250

 

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[+Piecemeal]

Right; things are a little clearer here, except for one thing;

 

How come when I remove the smoke effect from the 'GunFireEffect' there's no flak cloud? As you can see below, there's two separate effects for the GunFireEffect and the 'GunEffect', which is supposed to take care of the flak cloud?

 

 

 

[+Piecemeal]

OK; got just about that problem sorted - the flak airburst settings I want without the over-realistic gun smoke effect. Thanks for you advice and help, Fubar. It took me a few hours and more than a few swear words to get it right eventually.

 

Just one more query though (I can hear the groans from here!);

 

Is there a way I can lessen the intesity and size of the debris when the AAA fires?

 

Edited August 27, 2010 by Piecemeal

[Fubar512]

You're still using the wrong effect, a flak effect in place of the gunfire effect. Use this GunFireEffect= 37mmFireEffect and it will work the way it's intended to.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Fubar512

[+Piecemeal]

I know it was going the long way round it but after altering the add-on 'FlakEffect' files I was able to get rid of the gunsmoke effect when firing. Also made changes to the 'ParticleSystem' and 'BulletObject' files to keep the add-on flak effect that I wanted to keep.

 

Check them out for yourself; they work exactly the way I want them to:

Edited_Files.rar

 

I suppose one way of looking at the way I went round it is that it was a slow but bloody good way of learning to edit effects.

 

That debris firing effect can always be deleted from the FlakEffect file, just like I did with the gunsmoke effect

 

 

 

 

[Fubar512]

That may be, but it's always easier to start with the right effect and edit it to suit, then it is to try with the wrong type of effect, and then try tone it down to fit.