My Environment Mod - Wondering if Kaleuns might like?

[Kafka BC]

Originally Posted by brett25

also kafka, see if you can add a 20km version

Originally Posted by Magic1111

...but only as an Add-On...

I prefer e.g. an 16km Atmosphere!

Best regards,
Magic

Originally Posted by Hitman

I like the colour combinations a lot, as I prefer "dark blue" seas. But if you are going to undertake this endeavour, you might as well try to do it in 20km environment, as smoke plumes can be seen that far

I will try to finish the 16km version first and maybe look into a 20km version if I can import the models into the 16km one with no trouble and it doesn't require too many changes from what I have done so far...I don't want to start from scratch, it was hard work to get it this far. If I recall, rik007 had a lot of trouble doing a 20km one.

Thanks Hitman, I spent a large amount of time doing the colors. They are compromises based on my own eyesight and the constraints of my skills and of the game. Where I live I have seen the Atlantic range in color from as brilliant a blue as you can get in the Pacific to very deep rich blues, blue-green greys, and light or dark greys, all depending on the weather, cloud, and lighting conditions. Greens usually only noticeably show themselves when the the ocean is really churned up, or closer to land with shallower waters.

[rik007]

I had indeed trouble when I ported the 16 Km params to the 20 Km version. The colors were ugly and I couldnot find what caused it. But I was already pretty tired then from the 16 Km version so I stopped it. Last weekend I picked it up and started it all over again and finished it in a few hours:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ca7a3lbrneb49b3

I also started a 24 Km version but there a run into a serious problem: as you look a bit down on the bridge the sky is becoming black...

But I can advice you to do the 16 Km first. The 20 Km is essentially created by blowing up the 3d models for dome, sky and fog.

The choice of the colors is of course a task in itself. I collected foto's, took color samples. Went to the beach, took more foto's etc. Finally I created a spreadsheet in which I related the params per scene etc. combined with a simple model. I created a macro which directly updated the params in AtlColors_Med from the spreadsheet.

The biggest challenges is the clouded scene. Somebody in this forum noticed that some red shimmered through the waves. I ran into that later when I tried to get a grey-green sea. What actually happens is that the game is using a hard coded sequence of color changes in the reflection. This has nothing to do with the reflextion tga. You can see what I mean by setting the EnvSim->Wind->WaveProperties[4]->ReflIntensity to 0. Reflection will then be black. The problem with the Reflection is that it will shift color when it is getting dark and you can only work around it by chosing a red based dusk or tune yourself insane like I did in V10.

[Kafka BC]

Originally Posted by rik007

I had indeed trouble when I ported the 16 Km params to the 20 Km version. .....

I haven't looked at any 20km version yet, though I think I have Hitman's somewhere, like I said I'm only going to do one if it is not a lot of trouble. Like you, I am kind of worn out with the thing.

Colors are a tremendous task. I don't use photographs, I don't trust their colors anyways, I know enough about photography not too and consider them only for reference. I have the Atlantic at my doorstep and only need to look out a window or walk up the road a bit to get what I need. But with the limitations of the game, concessions have to be made, and I can't make everything truly accurate, I just try to get an overall "look".

I've encountered that red tinge on the water with overcast skies, I managed to reduce it by working on the colors, settings, and by not having the Nori01.tga file too dark or blueish.

[Yamato_NF]

I'd be intrested!!

[Magic1111]

Hi Kafka!

Any News on the progress of the MOD?

Best regards,
Magic

[jaxa]

Another interesting discovery at Subsim forum looking for good environmental mod.
Do you know what happened with this mod? It looks really good.

[alpha_1]

Very nice! Keep at it!

[HW3]

"Last Activity: 03-10-2012 02:44 PM" I'll not hold my breath waiting for an answer. He was posting almost daily and then nothing.

[jakethescot]

Clean looking mod. Will give it a go when it's finished.

[HW3]

I guess I will just quit posting since no one seems to read what I post anymore.

maybe if I write it bigger It has been over 3 years since he last visited the SubSim forum. I do not think he is coming back anymore.

There I am done with it all.

[jaxa]

You are right, but maybe there is a small chance that he did it and uploaded it somewhere - finished or not. Mod looks good, it's a pity that probably his work wasn't finish.

[Fahnenbohn]

Funny, I'm just about to complete the same work. I'm going to release a mod called " RECOLORIZED WORLD ". I have completely changed ALL colors : sky, sea, underwater, lights, lightnings, terrain, trees ... And the result is much more realistic and beautiful. I think the work will be finished this summer ... I started there more than a year, and I think I reached the limit of what is feasible in SH3 !!!

[jaxa]

Could you post some screenshots of your work?

[Fahnenbohn]

Yes Jaxa. I'm preparing a series of screenshots before / after, and with all the weathers, all the moments of the day (day time and night), all the seasons, and all the climates. It will take me time, and I don't have much right now.

F.

[Fahnenbohn]

OK, for now, a few little examples to show you that i'm not lying :


Spring (temperate climate) by cloudy weather :




At the same moment, but with an underwater view :




Sunny weather :






Tropical climate :




Dusk :




Bad weather :




Thunderbolt :