[Req] Darker ship smoke

[Egan]

Would anyone be able to tweak the smoke coming out of the ships stack so that it is darker and generally more visable?

I find that most of the time I can't see it at all and it detracts from the immersions somewhat.

I'd do it myself but I know nothing about graphics editing.

I hope this is possible! :up:

[ReallyDedPoet]

This would be nice, and to correct the speed of the stuff as well. I am sure it can be done:yep:

There was some nice mods done with this in SH3, should be the same for SH4.

RDP

[U-Bones]

This would be nice, and to correct the speed of the stuff as well. I am sure it can be done:yep:

There was some nice mods done with this in SH3, should be the same for SH4.

RDP

Actually the stack smoke is ok for speed, its the damage smoke that needs a speed adjustment.

[ReallyDedPoet]

This would be nice, and to correct the speed of the stuff as well. I am sure it can be done:yep:

There was some nice mods done with this in SH3, should be the same for SH4.

RDP
Actually the stack smoke is ok for speed, its the damage smoke that needs a speed adjustment.

Don't you find though that in calmer weather it is still billowing out to fast.

RDP

[U-Bones]

This would be nice, and to correct the speed of the stuff as well. I am sure it can be done:yep:

There was some nice mods done with this in SH3, should be the same for SH4.

RDP
Actually the stack smoke is ok for speed, its the damage smoke that needs a speed adjustment.
Don't you find though that in calmer weather it is still billowing out to fast.

RDP

Not really, it is more a function of engine production than weather. Have you ever watched a locomotive or other large engine blow smoke ? My sense is that stack smoke practically ignores wind, but looks ok in lighter winds.

Damage smoke on the other hand follows an imaginary wind and never looks real... Horizontal smoke should equate to whitecaps and high seas. You can not have a calm sea in high wind, not on this planet anyway.

[Scoochy]

I have been looking through the particle.dat files for this exact thing. Found an area that pertains to Black_Smoke and such, but have yet to understand the hex values attached to it. Only thing I have managed to do was freeze up my game after torpedo impact, so at least I know I'm on the right course. :roll:

There are quite a few variable that can be adjusted like how much comes out, wind coef, general velocity, weight, opacity....plent of stuff. Just not sure which bits to change, and as to what they represent. Here's screenshot of what I am seeing....

http://aycu33.webshots.com/image/15272/2004515244627060911_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2004515244627060911)

[ReallyDedPoet]

Good work Scoochy , keep it up:yep:

RDP

[Observer]

You mean like this? (Though it's still a bit too dark in my opinion)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b57/Observer723/Untitled0-19-55-56.jpg

[Observer]

This is a bit better.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b57/Observer723/SH4Img24-4-2007_20.jpg

Here is the file:
http://www.speedyshare.com/230706818.html

[panthercules]

Well, you might want to be careful how far you go with this. I had this same reaction when I first loaded up SH4 - the smoke seemed pretty anemic - but after some research I began to think maybe it was pretty spot on, at least as to the more modern warship/naval auxilliaries at normal steaming speeds - see thread here for a discussion of this issue and some photos and screen shots:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=110821

I suspect that more/darker smoke would be seen at flank speeds or with older merchants in particular, but I haven't seen any of those things in game yet (just doing sub school practice and bug-hunting so far) so I don't know how the game handles those.

[Scoochy]

Concur about the funnel smoke. These aren't freight trains :D

Still working on the fire smoke, try to slow that suff down a bit.

[Observer]

It's a five second adjustment.

The problem is you can't easily make differences between the old coal burners and the ships burning av gas/diesel fuel without creating a new funnel smoke node (easy) and changing the opacity of the smoke between the two in the particles.dat (also easy). The new node (call it the coal smoke node) would then has to be assigned to all of the coal burning ship (i.e. the freight train above) dat files. It's a pain because it's tedious, time consuming and I'm not 100% sure it can be done correctly at this point.

The other smoke could be just a touch darker than the current version...remember the call "Smoke on the horizon!". You can't do that now with the current smoke.

By the way, the I don't think the funnel smoke differentiates between the speed of the ship (i.e. faster = darker), but I'd have to go back and check the particles.dat to be sure.

[CaptainCox]

Actually...how would one create a "second funnel node" ? over at the SH3 Workshop "privateer" is working on a "Diesel Exhaust Mod" looks very very sweet so far!
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=112123
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/CaptainCox/Test_2.jpg

Question is also how to adjust this so its only visible during full speed ahead and revving up the engine...

[Observer]

Actually...how would one create a "second funnel node" ? over at the SH3 Workshop "privateer" is working on a "Diesel Exhaust Mod" looks very very sweet so far!
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=112123
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/CaptainCox/Test_2.jpg

Question is also how to adjust this so its only visible during full speed ahead and revving up the engine...

The same way we created extra visual sensors for the NYGM Tonnage War Mod in SH3, and the same way I've created extra sensors for SH4, including a "Blind AI" sensor for testing because the visual sensor still works even if you NULL the setting in the SNS file. Regarding the extra node, I just have to check to see if all the pieces parts line up for the extra node. I'm not sure if/how well it will work, and I haven't spent any time on it other than to take the 5 seconds necessary to adjust the smoke opacity show in the shots above.

[CaptainCox]

Wow, OK your way beyond me so far. If you come up with something let us know, cause this "Diesel Exhaust" Mod does look the stuff.

[U-Bones]

Concur about the funnel smoke. These aren't freight trains :D

Still working on the fire smoke, try to slow that suff down a bit.
To clarify, my freight train comment was in -support- of the stock stack smoke production... Big combustion engines produce big amounts of smoke, and I thnk they did a good job on the stacks. How the smoke is blown around (or left behind) after it is produced is a seperate issue.

Good start on the fire smoke, keep it up !

[Sailor Steve]

Coal-fired engines produce large quantities of smoke, especially under pressure. Oil-fired engines make quite a bit less.

[Jace11]

Can you combine this with the slower smoke mod... or have you already done that...

[CCIP]

Can you combine this with the slower smoke mod... or have you already done that...
Would be good, yes.

Also, the smoke looks just a little too thick, at least for me (and I mean in-game, not screenshots). The blackness is good, but I can see the smoke sprite outlines just a little too clearly. It would be nice if it were a little more fuzzy.

[Jace11]

Oh, the particles.dat in this file looks a bit different and is smaller that 1.2 version... This 410kb while my unmodded one is 425kb??????

Is this based on 1.1? or 1.0??

Best thing would be to save us the effort of repeating what you've done, and just tell us where the bytes are that need adjusting, then we can combine it with the slow smoke mod..

[Observer]

Can you combine this with the slower smoke mod... or have you already done that...

Possible, but not done yet.

[Observer]

Can you combine this with the slower smoke mod... or have you already done that...
Would be good, yes.

Also, the smoke looks just a little too thick, at least for me (and I mean in-game, not screenshots). The blackness is good, but I can see the smoke sprite outlines just a little too clearly. It would be nice if it were a little more fuzzy.

The first shot is with opacity at 0.5. The second is with opacity at 0.25. The default is 0.01. Also note there are two different "black smoke" settings attached to the funnel smoke, as well as a bunch of other stuff. I haven't examined all of the other settings for effects yet.

I think I'll dial back the opacity to 0.05 or 0.1 to see what happens.

[Observer]

Oh, the particles.dat in this file looks a bit different and is smaller that 1.2 version... This 410kb while my unmodded one is 425kb??????

Is this based on 1.1? or 1.0??

Best thing would be to save us the effort of repeating what you've done, and just tell us where the bytes are that need adjusting, then we can combine it with the slow smoke mod..
I'm not trying to be coy, but I'm afraid that's not possible. This effect was not achieved through normal hex editing, which also accounts for the differences in file size. I am unable and unwilling to say anything else beyond that.

[Jace11]

Ok, I also noticed the header at the beginning of the file....

I guess you have something we do not. Kashmir?

[Scoochy]

Hmmm...would have to be something snazzy :)

Messing with opacity can be very touchy, especially scaleable stuff....:hmm:

[Jace11]

Well I was just curious because it looked so different when I compared it to a 1.2 version. Variables occuring in different orders, bits missing or new bits in there. And the header at the very top of the file listing the creator etc was different too...:hmm:

[Scoochy]

I think a lot of the files in SH say Kashimr across the top.
As for the opacity, if the setting was .01 original, .25 is 25x darker. I would probably start at a smaller and work up. Opacity...very very touchy

[Scoochy]

This was taken with the value for opacity at .02

http://aycu16.webshots.com/image/14015/2004779862314054486_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2004779862314054486)