Nuclear Fission engines?

[WombRaider 1]

What is causing the engines to light up the screen like I witnessed an air burst? (see pic below)

 

It happens when the afterburner is going.

 

[Snailman 517]

These are done by Landing lights.... Similar happens with A-6 Intruders

[+Stary 2,427]

too strong afterburner effect lights and reaching too far away

 

found those in particlesystem.ini (you might have to extract this file from FlightData.cat)

 

[EmitterType031]

Name=AfterburnerEmitter
EmissionType=ORIENTED_EMITTER
UpdateType=NON_MOVING
MaxVisibleDistance=8000.000000
EmissionRate=0.001500
EmissionVolume=0.010000,0.010000,0.010000
EmissionVelocityTableType=CONSTANT
EmissionVelocity=0.000000,-120.000000,0.000000
HasLightSource=TRUE
LightColor=0.40,0.36,0.30
LightRange=5.0
LightSrcOffset=0.0,0.0,0.0
ParticleUpdateType=SIMPLE_POINT
ParticleRenderType=SPRITE
ParticleRandomOrientation=TRUE
ParticleLifeTime=0.040000
ParticleLifeTimeDeviation=0.035000
ParticleWeight=0.00000
ParticleRandomness=0.010000
ParticleDragFactor=20.000000
ParticleInheritence=0.900000
ParticleColorTableType=TABLE
ParticleColor[01].Time=0.000000
ParticleColor[01].Value=0.200000,0.200000,0.200000,0.020000
ParticleColor[02].Time=0.200000
ParticleColor[02].Value=0.150000,0.150000,0.150000,0.020000
ParticleColor[03].Time=0.700000
ParticleColor[03].Value=0.040000,0.040000,0.040000,0.012000
ParticleColor[04].Time=1.000000
ParticleColor[04].Value=0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000
ParticleSizeTableType=TABLE
ParticleSize[01].Time=0.000000
ParticleSize[01].Value=0.450000
ParticleSize[02].Time=0.100000
ParticleSize[02].Value=0.520000
ParticleSize[03].Time=0.600000
ParticleSize[03].Value=0.500000
ParticleSize[04].Time=0.800000
ParticleSize[04].Value=0.350000
ParticleSize[05].Time=1.000000
ParticleSize[05].Value=0.000000
ParticleSizeDeviation=0.035000
TextureMaterial=AfterburnerMaterial

[EmitterType032]
Name=AfterburnerEmitter2
EmissionType=ORIENTED_EMITTER
UpdateType=NON_MOVING
MaxVisibleDistance=8000.000000
EmissionRate=0.001500
EmissionVolume=0.010000,0.010000,0.010000
EmissionVelocityTableType=CONSTANT
EmissionVelocity=0.000000,-120.000000,0.000000
HasLightSource=TRUE
LightColor=0.40,0.36,0.30
LightRange=5.0
LightSrcOffset=0.0,0.0,0.0
SubLightSourceX=TRUE
SubLightSrcDist=0.5
ParticleUpdateType=SIMPLE_POINT
ParticleRenderType=SPRITE
ParticleRandomOrientation=TRUE
ParticleLifeTime=0.040000
ParticleLifeTimeDeviation=0.035000
ParticleWeight=0.00000
ParticleRandomness=0.010000
ParticleDragFactor=20.000000
ParticleInheritence=0.900000
ParticleColorTableType=TABLE
ParticleColor[01].Time=0.000000
ParticleColor[01].Value=0.200000,0.200000,0.200000,0.020000
ParticleColor[02].Time=0.200000
ParticleColor[02].Value=0.150000,0.150000,0.150000,0.020000
ParticleColor[03].Time=0.700000
ParticleColor[03].Value=0.040000,0.040000,0.040000,0.012000
ParticleColor[04].Time=1.000000
ParticleColor[04].Value=0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000
ParticleSizeTableType=TABLE
ParticleSize[01].Time=0.000000
ParticleSize[01].Value=0.450000
ParticleSize[02].Time=0.100000
ParticleSize[02].Value=0.520000
ParticleSize[03].Time=0.600000
ParticleSize[03].Value=0.500000
ParticleSize[04].Time=0.800000
ParticleSize[04].Value=0.350000
ParticleSize[05].Time=1.000000
ParticleSize[05].Value=0.000000
ParticleSizeDeviation=0.035000
TextureMaterial=AfterburnerMaterial

 

the above are examples for stock afterburner effects, might be more in the particlesystem.ini file (AND some stock planes have custom effects in effect folder IIRC!)

 

many 3rd party aircraft have their own custom afterburner effects stored in mod installation\effects folder, but the same entries control the colour (intensity, RGB percentage values) and range (falloff, in meters) of the light attached to effect

Snailman is right, the landing light might be the cause too

Edited December 7, 2013 by Stary

[WombRaider 1]

I had not messed with the particlesystem.ini, nor was it in the mod folder, so the ABs were that bright out of the box?

 

I know I can change the 5.0 to something smaller (perhaps 2.5) but what do the 3 other numbers represent, RGB?

[+Stary 2,427]

yes

LightColor=X,Y,Z

represent RGB palette colour of light

where:

X=red

Y=green

Z=blue

 

so for example LightColor=1.0,0.0,0.0 would be pure bright red and LightColor=0.0,1.0,0.0 would be green (but for example LightColor=0.0,0.5,0.0 would be dark green, because we use only 0.5 of green colour space)

[+SupGen 79]

I had not messed with the particlesystem.ini, nor was it in the mod folder, so the ABs were that bright out of the box?

 

I know I can change the 5.0 to something smaller (perhaps 2.5) but what do the 3 other numbers represent, RGB?

 

 

  What aircraft were you using? You shouldn't have to go lower than LightRange=5.0, as Stary said that's the stock value. Lots of earlier third-party aircraft, especialy those from SF1, had values (IIRC) up around 200.0. Even some aircraft updated to SF2 standards still have this problem as it was missed in the update process.

 

  Edit: OK, just looked at the pic at the top of the post; FA-18s.  If those are from the May2012 Pack, they definitely have the problem. In your mods folder, look in the Effects folder for a file called F18EFFECTSEMITTER and open it. It's basically a custom version of the particlesystem.ini that Stary posted. The relevant entry says LightRange=250.0, change that to 5.0 and your problem should be solved. This isn't the only aircraft with this problem; IINM the Tomcat Superpack has one or two ABEmitters with it and I'm sure there are others. There's also some info in the KB, somewhere. Something to keep in mind whenever you D'ld a plane.

Edited December 8, 2013 by SupGen

[+Stary 2,427]

SupGen you're right it might be old Series1 leftover

 

taht aside I think it has to do that on carrier flight a/c are placed much closer to each other than on runways, thus exagerrating the light effects coming from both afterburners and landing lights

[JediMaster 451]

It's SuperHDR! It's awesome, love it! Love it!! NOW!!!!

 

Or you can change those numbers and be a downer.