How to flag whether a camera is obstructed or not?

[XanderF]

Not sure I worded that well, BUT...

I'm thinking there is a simple flag to determine if a camera can be "blocked" by things or not. For example, if you raise both periscopes, and pan around with one...you can easily see that part of your view is blocked by the other periscope. (Indeed, if you don't raise your scope all the way, the view is blocked by the radar, bridge, etc)

So the periscope 'camera' is one that can be 'obstructed'.

On the bridge, though, using binoculars...you can pan all around. You can look through the very hull of the ship! Looking at the periscope shaft? Not to worry - you can see right through it! This bothers me - it seems there should be a way to set some views as 'obstructed'.

Indeed, the TBT seems like it should be aflicted much worse than the periscope - given where it is mounted, it seems likely that you couldn't really get much more than a 270 degree field of view from it (if that! The person using it would need to be hanging off the front of the bridge to 'aim' backwards that far!). I could have SWORN there was a mod out there which actually addressed this, but I can't find it, now. On the other hand, I'm betting this is also a pretty simple tweak to the cameras.dat, ergo the question. Might just be easier to mod the files I'm using, now.

[LukeFF]

The value you are looking for is ClipDistance, and it can be found in the CameraParams section for each respective camera view. The higher the value, the farther away the game will remove objects from the camera's view.

[XanderF]

The value you are looking for is ClipDistance, and it can be found in the CameraParams section for each respective camera view. The higher the value, the farther away the game will remove objects from the camera's view.

Gotcha. So, for my purposes, I want to set to '0' for the TBT and binocs (or, well, whatever the periscopes are using).

Any way to prevent the TBT from rotating all the way around, then, too? While having it obstruct the rear view suits my needs, the ability to point it "backwards" (even if obstructed) and still be looking through it seems rather silly.

EDIT: Actually, I see that in the dat file, too. Awesome! Lemme give that a shot... +/- 90 degrees seems about feasible.

EDIT #2: Hmmm...found a problem with this plan. The TBT appears to be in the wrong position! If setting the clip distance too low on it, the compass and engine telegraph obstruct the view. Camera appears to be about 0.1m too low! (Is this something that can be set in the 'cameras.dat', too, or is it boat specific?)

[Nisgeis]

Gotcha. So, for my purposes, I want to set to '0' for the TBT and binocs (or, well, whatever the periscopes are using).

Any way to prevent the TBT from rotating all the way around, then, too? While having it obstruct the rear view suits my needs, the ability to point it "backwards" (even if obstructed) and still be looking through it seems rather silly.

EDIT: Actually, I see that in the dat file, too. Awesome! Lemme give that a shot... +/- 90 degrees seems about feasible.

EDIT #2: Hmmm...found a problem with this plan. The TBT appears to be in the wrong position! If setting the clip distance too low on it, the compass and engine telegraph obstruct the view. Camera appears to be about 0.1m too low! (Is this something that can be set in the 'cameras.dat', too, or is it boat specific?)

You'd be introducing a bug there if you did that. Although it's true the forwarwd TBT could only rotate 180 degrees, it was also true that there was an after TBT, which could also only rotate 180 degrees, but would cover the after half of the bearings. As the after TBT is not modelled in the game as a seperate station, you'd be removing the ability to take accurate bearings from aft, which you would be able to do in real life and thereby removing options that existed in real life. Unless you plan to mod in a second TBT station, I wouldn't remove that functionality from the one TBT.

To change the position of the camera for the TBT, have a look in the conning tower dat files - \data\objects\conning_Balao_01.dat for example and in there, there is a node called Dummy_TBT_NSS_Balao_Tower01 which is the TBT's position on the bridge for the camera.

[XanderF]

You'd be introducing a bug there if you did that. Although it's true the forwarwd TBT could only rotate 180 degrees, it was also true that there was an after TBT, which could also only rotate 180 degrees, but would cover the after half of the bearings. As the after TBT is not modelled in the game as a seperate station, you'd be removing the ability to take accurate bearings from aft, which you would be able to do in real life and thereby removing options that existed in real life. Unless you plan to mod in a second TBT station, I wouldn't remove that functionality from the one TBT.

To change the position of the camera for the TBT, have a look in the conning tower dat files - \data\objects\conning_Balao_01.dat for example and in there, there is a node called Dummy_TBT_NSS_Balao_Tower01 which is the TBT's position on the bridge for the camera.

Aft TBT? On all boats? I don't seem to recall one on any of the subs I've been on - you sure about that? Where would it be mounted?

[Nisgeis]

It would be mounted between the air search radar mast and the rear AA gun and ideally it would be on the centreline, so it could be sighted for accuracy on the jack staff. The Bowfin has one on her website page virtual tour, the Cobia and Silversides both have one on them as well.

The Bowfin virtual tour of the aft end of the conning tower has a nice close up view with binoculars attached, but that one appears to have been installed off centreline.

EDIT: I don't know 100% about them being installed on all classes of boat, perhaps DaveyJ would be able to help out with that one?

[Fish40]

From the Bowfin:http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu6YyFe5JKYsAqghXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzdXBnc2F 0BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA0Y4MjRfMTMx/SIG=12j6r0ais/EXP=1240426162/**http%3a//www.bowfin.org/website/bowfin/bowfin_systems/TBT/tbt.htm

[XanderF]

EDIT: I don't know 100% about them being installed on all classes of boat, perhaps DaveyJ would be able to help out with that one?

If so, how hard would it be, you suppose, to add a 'new' camera for it? IE., a second TBT? Rather trivial in the realism boost (having to move to the second one for 'aft' shots), but would be a nice touch if it didn't take a lot of effort.