Anyone Got Effects Problems Since Exp2?

[+Piecemeal]

Hi all.

 

I've just been wondering if anyone's had problems with Stary's Hollywood Explosions pack since Exp2? To give an example, all the fuel tanks have been given these effects:

 

DamagedModel=

DestroyedEffect=LargeExplosionEffect

DestroyedModel=fueltank1_destroyed

SecondaryChance=100

SecondaryEffect=MediumOilFire

 

Since Exp2 these effects don't happen. When destroyed the 'fueltank1_destroyed' model just appears. No explosions, no smoke, no fire.

 

This probably isn't the only effect that's been affected, but this is one I've noticed so far, since I'm having trouble with something else.

 

Anyone else got similar problems?

[+Stary]

no problems with effects at all here Piecemeal..? Try removing the Effects folder for a while (move it to some other place) and try if the stock effects are present

 

edit:

I'll test it at home myself, not sure about the fueltanks in fact..?

Edited December 15, 2010 by Stary

[+CrazyhorseB34]

Same problem here. Will try your recommendation this evening Stary.

[+Stary]

I checked on unmodded Exp2 install with Hollywood Explosions pack downloaded from here, no problems, all effects show up, including explosions of fuel tanks, also bomb hits, planes fires, flak, smokes, ground hits, midair explosions, napalm, whatever I had chance to see during several test strikes and all, BUT I've blown several fueltanks at opfor airbase and apart from initial explosion, there was no secondary MediumOilFire effect so far. You may be right something's wrong here Piecemeal

 

edit:

All titles merged with both expansionpacks, ran thru Exp2 executable; Dx10 Win7, all graphics on high/unlimited except shadows and mirrors turned off, drivers up to date

Edited December 15, 2010 by Stary

[+Piecemeal]

Hi again all.

 

Stary; I just followed your suggestions there by renaming my 'EFFECTS' folder and running a single mission on the default Desert terrain. Straight after take off I strafed the base's fuel tanks but unfortunately had the same outcome as what I mentioned earlier.

[+Stary]

Piecemeal, what OS and system do you run? Dx10 or Dx9? Do you have all the tga files from the pack in Mods_folder/Effects? I checked again and in my case effects do work, see the explosions of forementioned fueltanks:

 

 

[+Piecemeal]

Here's my system specs:

 

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

AMD Phenom™ 9650 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.3GHz

4096MB RAM

DirectX 11

ATI Radeon HD 4300/4500 Series 2296 MB

 

As For my install of Hollywood, I'll get back to you on that ASAP as soon as I get back from town.

 

Later dude

Edited December 16, 2010 by Piecemeal

[+Stary]

ok, try simply installing the pack again, it works for me, also try this in unmodded terrain, as modded one may have changes in targets _types.ini (in example destroyed effects references)

[+Piecemeal]

ok, try simply installing the pack again, it works for me, also try this in unmodded terrain, as modded one may have changes in targets _types.ini (in example destroyed effects references)

 

Still no joy. Installed the effects pack fresh. I tried it out in the stock Desert terrain and my own updated desert terrain. As far as I can see everything else seems fine; flakbursts, tracers, explosions, etc. You want me to forward the INIs for a look? I really dunno what else to suggest atm

 

EDIT: Just discovered that these effects problems also extend to buildings, hangars, and such. The buildings are instantly replaced by the destroyed model. Just like the fuel and oil tanks.

EDIT2: I've also tried running the game with the effects on lower settings without any luck.

Edited December 16, 2010 by Piecemeal

[+Stary]

true, seems there are some problems with effects, not only modded packs but also default ones. Wrench discovered lack of smokestack effect on the chimneys, I have no smoke from burning planewrecks, just the fire

[+Wrench]

my burning planes work, just not the smokestaks. OTH, I'm not using any add-on effects pak either.

 

OTH (again!) I haven't check the effects pak in KAW to see..

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Stary]

My burning planes work fine, what does not work is the smoke that used to rise from plane debris (the one introduced in SF2:E) on the ground, just the flames.

 

Generally I have suspicion somethings wrong with the shaders since the ExpPack2 (missing effects using one kind of shader, transparent prop meshes)

[+Piecemeal]

Hopefully TK will look into this problem along with the others that folks have mentioned in the Exp2 Buglist thread when he releases the Dec10'C' patch. If I was the religious type I'd be breaking out the rosary beeds

[+Wrench]

the 'vehicle fire effect' isn't working??? It was for me the other night; dumb-ass me didn't start his pullout in time, and the bombs I dropped blew up the fuel tanks, but I pancacked onto a parked An-22 ... so, there was this burning transport and what was left of my Mirage next to it!

 

I'll check again!

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Piecemeal]

That's the weird thing. Effects like 'LargeExplosionEffect' work fine on objects like parked aircraft but for me they won't work for buildings, oil tanks or fuel tanks. I haven't made any changes to the ParticleSystem.INI file or any of the add-on effects INIs Stary made for the Effects folder, but since Exp2 this kind of stuff's happening.

Edited December 18, 2010 by Piecemeal

[+Wrench]

again, no outside effects; it's working for me

 

another oddity, aircraft shadows disappear, depending on the terrain ... the same Crudsader has a shadow in the Desert,but not in Kamchatka. More going one here, methinks

 

oh,heres the screenie..

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Stary]

Kevin, vehicle fire effect working just fine, tested modified version of Holywood Explosions (the one posted in MA forum), but the smoke from wrecks is a nogo for me. There are few other oddities Piecemeal listed

[+Wrench]

it's gotta be something messed up in the paticle systems and shaders; not being an effect expert, I can only guess what!

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Stary]

Sir, and you guess is..?

[+Piecemeal]

Well, if I can throw a suggestion into the box:

 

what if it's something to do with our personal system specs and settings (not meaning game settings)

 

 

Kev; you're having problems with things like the smokestack effect. Mine seem to be OK:

 

 

Stary; your exploding fuel and oil tank effects are fine and mine are on strike.

 

 

At least some of my ground objects are expldong like they should ....... :

...... provided they're weapons platforms or vehicles

Edited December 19, 2010 by Piecemeal

[+Wrench]

that's the 'shipsmokeeffect' and its working fine! No, the smokestack like as seen on the Generator building, or the other factory place buildings, and the one's Ive added to items from Polak's Object Library. THAT don't work! <grin>

 

still have abso-frakking-lutely no ideas!

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Piecemeal]

D'oh!! :blush:

 

That's what happens when it's getting close to racktime and you pop a sleeper

[+Stary]

I think I nailed the bastard. It's definitely the type of shader related. Today I was tweaking aircraftsmokeeffect for MigAlley proposed effectspack, and in this effect has in it dark cloud of smoke similar to flak one but smaller at start of smoketrail emission. The new emitter uses "standard" smoke texture, and as such uses effectLightLevel.fx shader. And it didn't show up (man I blasted dozen MIGs in the testing process without any luck) until I changed aliased shader to effectFire.fx, voila, works like a charm! BUT to make things more confusing many other effects/materials have the effectLightLevel.fx shader applied AND show just fine..?

 

I guess it has something to do with particlesystem.ini references -some effects that don't use new materials (effect material defines particle .tga graphics, type of shader applied and type of particle vs. particle blending method among other less important things) and don't have new ones defined in their ini files, go back to particlesystem.ini and read materials descriptions from there. I must look into particlesystem... segment by segment, even line by line

[+Piecemeal]

Hi Stary.

 

Any luck with the above?