Optional Cloud Mod 4.0 Update

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Well, it has been two weeks since my last update and the mod still isn't quite there yet--but we are getting close!

For the last two weeks, I have been working on improving some of the heavier fog and mist clouds in the mod, and I think I have finally come up with clouds that are both foggy enough but that don't have too much cloud flashing and strobing. Fog and mist can now vary from being mildly annoying to completely obscuring your view of the ground unless you dip down to below 2,000 feet, which can expose you to rifle and machine-gun fire if you aren't too careful. 

A larger issue is a change to some of the cloud .dds files introduced in 1.17. While the new clouds look better than the old clouds, there appears to be a greater contrast between the light clouds and the dark clouds, causing some increase in cloud flashing, at least in the cloud mod. While I have begun to address this, I will wait to more comprehensively deal with the issue after I have released version 4.0 of the mod. 

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Here are a few representative pics, all from 4,000 feet:

Light Fog

 

Fog

 

Heavy Fog

Edited November 28, 2021 by BuckeyeBob

[us93_talbot 3]

Very cool!

[TROOPER117 146]

Looks good!

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Yes, it's been a lot of hard effort. Although I have been pretty backed up with work, I hope to release something very soon. 

Even after that, there may still be more improvements to come! 

[Janzen 5]

Nicely done! Thank you BB for all the time, effort and hard work on this.  On my average machine the fog and mist clouds look super with very little fps hit.  Cheers!

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Thank you, Janzen. You have no idea how much time I have spent just working on producing acceptable looking low-altitude fog clouds! 

Real-life concerns have prevented me from spending hardly any time recently on the cloud mod, but hopefully I will now have a few days before the holidays to work on finishing things up. 

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Almost there!

The final beta has been submitted for testing. Assuming no problems are found and the readme file is updated, the mod should finally be ready for release soon.

Edited December 20, 2021 by BuckeyeBob

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Big Christmas announcement coming later today!

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Christmas isn't quite over yet, fellows! If you look very closely at the bottom of your chimney stocking, I think you will find one more treat: Optional Cloud Mod 4.0 is here!

From the included read me file, here is a description of some of the major changes in OCM 4.0:

Completely revised version, with significantly reduced cloud flashing, popping, and strobing. Perhaps the most significant improvement to the mod has been updates to many old cloud files, plus the addition of several new cloud files to the game. These changes are important, because cloud files are used to build the weather types that are displayed as clouds in the game. As a result, almost every cloud has improved appearance and performance. These improvements mean that I have been able to drop the “Light” version of the mod and to improve the fog and mist files so that most players will not need to delete these files in order to enjoy the mod. Finally, several new weather types have also been added to the mod, bringing the total number of "skies" in the game to more than 120!

Following is a list of many of the new features:

•    New: Another almost completely revised version. Virtually every existing weather type in OCM 4.0 has been significantly revised and optimized in order to improve frame rates, improve overall appearance, and reduce the appearance of cloud "popping" and flashing in the game. Many existing cloud files have been revised, and thirty new cloud files have been created, with this aim in mind. While some amount of cloud popping is inevitable due to the CFS3 game engine, I believe that OCM version 4.0 reduces and even eliminates several forms of cloud popping that continued to exist in previous versions in both the original game and in the mod.
•    New: Revised fog and mist clouds. While pretty, fog and mist files in previous versions of the mod also were plagued by significant cloud flashing and flickering, particularly at low levels. With the addition of several new cloud files and a few other modifications, cloud flashing and flickering has been significantly reduced in OCM 4.0. Of course, due to variations in computer setups and equipment, some examples of cloud flashing will still occur for some users. Most instances of cloud flashing seem to occur between 1,500 and 2,500 feet, with some variation depending on ground elevation. Above those heights, cloud flashing should be much less noticeable.
•    New: Nine additional weather types. A full list of the additional clouds added in 4.0 can be found at the end of this document.
•    New: More realistic haze clouds. No more streaks of thin, hazy clouds. Users will encounter a much greater variety of haze in the game, with the addition of 15 new haze and fog cloud files!
•    New: Some of the very dark clouds that were introduced with the release of patch 1.17 have been lightened so they aren’t quite so dark.
•    Weather folders have again been tweaked in order to accommodate new cloud types and provide a better balance between good, light, and heavy weather conditions. The appearance of bright, white clouds in overcast and rainy weather conditions has also been reduced.

Link to the mod here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wah3zeetb4x56k0/WOFF UE PE OCM 4.0.zip?dl=0

[BuckeyeBob 34]

The link in the above post is incorrect.

The correct link is here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cvrbh9gzfyahcuv/WOFF Optional Cloud Mod 4.0.zip?dl=0

Sorry about that!

Edited December 26, 2021 by BuckeyeBob

[Becker02 27]

Simply great @BB,

you got it to simulate the missing Stratus-cloudlayer (CFS3-problem) via mist- and fog-layer, and this very successfully! So I could fly with a cloudlayer under my aeroplane and with blue sky and cumulus-clouds above.

For members a few impressions,

Greetings!

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Becker04

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Super! Glad you like the new clouds.

I had to redo some of the CFS3 cloud files in order to get altostratus and stratocumulus layer type clouds without producing a lot of flashing. So far, so good! 

[Becker02 27]

Aha ("I had to redo some of the CFS3 cloud files ..."), interesting.

Your new Altocumulus-variants are very well done! So thank you very much for this super mod, an absolut "must have" for my WOFF!!!

 

Greetings!

Edited December 29, 2021 by Becker04

[RAF_Louvert 101]

Bob, you've outdone yourself again, it is B-E-A-U-tiful!  As Becker said, an absolute must have mod.  Thanks for all the time and effort you've put into this gem Sir, it is very much appreciated.

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Thank you, gentlemen! It was a labor of love.

I am glad you are enjoying the mod! (not perfect, but a big improvement over the last version).

[BuckeyeBob 34]

WOFF Optional Cloud Mod 4.1 is now available!

I had to slightly revise a couple of fog and mist files and I also revised the readme file to clarify how to remove heavy weather types from the mod, if desired.

The revised version is available here and at Sandbagger's website: https://www.dropbox.com/s/37hn6m4f0r7dhpn/WOFF Optional Cloud Mod 4.1.zip?dl=0

Enjoy!

Edited December 29, 2021 by BuckeyeBob

[Hellshade 110]

I love the new clouds, Buckeye.   They are a joy to behold and your artwork is amazing.  Thanks for all your efforts on this. 

[Hellshade 110]

I doubt there's anything you can do about it.  CFS3 engine issue, but the fog seems to be the most likely to flicker when flying through it.   It looks beautiful when not flickering, but when in combat it can be a bit disconcerting. 

 

[BuckeyeBob 34]

Thank you for the kind words, Hellshade.

All credit for the artwork has to go to CFS3 and the OBD team, however. The only thing I have done is to move around and combine a bunch of .xml text files until they do what I want. 

You are quite right about the fog being a major cause of cloud flickering. When not flickering, I really like the effect. However, the flickering IS very annoying when it does occur. Also, I have recently discovered that the flickering seems to get worse for some reason during combat or when flak is going off around you. 

There are currently two options available for those who are annoyed by the flickering. You can either substitute PanamaRed's fog clouds that don't produce much flicker for my fog clouds in the OBD Software\campaigns\campaignData\weather folders, or you can delete each occurrence of all nine BB fog and mist clouds from the same folders. A future mod update may automate this process for those who feel uncomfortable doing it themselves. 

Edited December 31, 2021 by BuckeyeBob

[catch 81]

Am I impressed by your work Buckeye? Yes. Is your tenacity in tackling this age old problem worthy of praise? Yes. Is your work a major improvement? Yes. Do I have a new appreciation of Ohioans? Yes. But the flickering! Oh my giddy Aunt! I hate it. You know, back in the last Se5a comp Mr Rick Rawlings put up where vids and pics were encouraged along with a narrative of ones combat adventures .... well let me tell you, I was filming a great dogfight against some Albies with beaut clouds and shit and I dived through some foggy stuff right on the tail of a HA .... boy I thought .... the lads will love this. Moody. Artistic. REAL! A bleedin' masterpiece. Hailed on youtube. An Oscar perhaps. AND THEN ..... BLOODY FLICKER FLICKER FLICKER!!!!  An epileptic nightmare. I HAD TO EDIT THE WHOLE SCENE OUT! So my masterpiece was reduced to a mere excellent piece of filmography. Do I hate the flickering? Yes.

 

[BuckeyeBob 34]

First, thank you catch, for trying out the mod. Along with the new clouds by Winding man and OBD, I think OCM 4.0 is a big improvement over OCM 3.0. Yes, there are still issues, particularly with the cloud flashing. The version I just released got rid of some cloud popping problems, but may have introduced some new flashing issues, due to the introduction of several new fog and haze clouds. Later, I hope to post some pics of some spectacular sunsets I recently took that I don't think would have been possible before the creation of these new clouds. 

Also, rest assured that I am still working on revising the mod. Although to a great degree I think cloud flashing is due to an inherent limitation in the CFS3 game engine, I am continually finding new tweaks to help reduce the flashing even more. Just today, for example, I replaced one set of BB haze clouds with another that seems to produce less flashing than the one before it.

As I said in my previous post, I am also planning on releasing an update that will allow the user to select a version of the mod with fewer clouds, and hopefully, fewer flashing issues. 

[BuckeyeBob 34]

As promised, here are a few pictures taken near sunset, using OCM 4.1.

 

[BuckeyeBob 34]

I hope people are enjoying the mod so far.

For those users who may be uncomfortable with the amount of cloud flashing still in the mod, you may be pleased to know that I am currently working on another small update that will further reduce blinking in mixed light and dark cumulus clouds, reduce cloud density (and blinking) in a couple of heavy clouds, reduce the chances of strobing in heavy fog (seen above in Hellshade's video), and fixes one or two other minor errors.

A likely future update will allow users to choose a "light" version of the mod which will automatically remove some of the heavier cloud and fog types that tend to be more prone to cloud flashing, blinking, and popping, with only a slight loss in cloud variety and appearance. 

Jara and I are also looking into possibly using the Mission Editor to automatically "cull" extra clouds from heavy or rainy weather conditions which can also contribute to increased amounts of cloud flashing.

BB 

Edited January 6, 2022 by BuckeyeBob

[Adger 85]

Awesome work mate.