Removing searchlight beams

[Letum]

Is there any way to do this?
You just don't get those solid white beams of light like that unless it is quite
foggy or you over expose a camera. Ideally I would like to change the
opacity on the beams to 10-30%.

[Hartmann]

Yes there is a way
in the EQP file, change this , LinkName=REF_big or REF_small with NULL
for example LinkName=Null

it will remove the searchlight from the unit.

the problem is that is a very time consuming do it for several units. I modded it for merchants and Big warships like battleships, cruisers, and carriers. only antisubmarine units have search lights in my GW3.

I do it because had a severe frame rates drop with searchlights making the game unplayable during night convoy attacks, and I think that is more realistic that some units prefer stay undetected in the dark to makes the things more difficult to the U-boats,
A light have a very limited range in the night but could be seen miles away, so it only is useful for destroyers looking for periscopes or subs.Also i doubt that a battleship could switch on the lights revealing her position to another submarines or making easier a fire solution

[Letum]

Ah, no.
I wish to keep the searchlight, but remove or reduce the ugly white beam.

[Hartmann]

Ok, i don´t know how do this. It´s far away of my modding skills :88) :haha: but i´m sure that some one could do this

[onelifecrisis]

Yeah I'd quite like this too.

I looked in the files and worked out one way to remove the beams (by making them completely transparent). It won't help FPS because the beams are still being drawn, just at 100% transparency, but it does get rid of them. It also looks a bit naff IMO so I'm going to try to strike a balance with a soft-but-not-invisible beam.

To edit the beams open Search_Lights.dat and Lights_Vaa_Liliput.dat and in both files edit the images called Raza2.tga.

[onelifecrisis]

Yay, I've got something I'm pretty happy with. :yeah: If anyone wants this in a little JSGME package, let me know.

Before (above) and after (below) screenshots:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3557/3553398812_03742791e6_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3552590165_2939a4dbf8_o.jpg

[rik007]

If anyone wants this in a little JSGME package, let me know.


Hi Onelifecrisis, I would like to have it. Thank you in advance, Rik

[Contact]

Looks good, mind sharing it ? :) You might want to consider adding it into another OLC Gold tweak no ?

[melnibonian]

That actually looks pretty good. Can I have a link for Download Please?

Thanks in Advance :up:

[onelifecrisis]

Yup, will upload somewhere in just a mo...

[Contact]

I think warships used more powerfull searchlights then merchants did. right ? But how much powerfull I don't know. And how much this had affected light beam length I don't know either :hmmm:

[SeaWolf U-57]

Much more realistic look Nice work OLC. :salute:

[asanovic7]

Is there a way to reduce "length" of searchlights without changing their "seeing or searching in the night"?
So, to speak, to have an effect like olc presented, but without fps drops for drawing 100% transparent lights?

It's a disaster when you face 20 searchlights.. No more game..

Cheers!

[onelifecrisis]

Is there a way to reduce "length" of searchlights without changing their "seeing or searching in the night"?
So, to speak, to have an effect like olc presented, but without fps drops for drawing 100% transparent lights?

It's a disaster when you face 20 searchlights.. No more game..

Cheers!

Er, making the beams transparent doesn't change the FPS at all.

[asanovic7]

I understand that, I meant to have reduced searchbeams, if they were up to 500m to cut them to 250m for improving fps but without disabling their functionality?
I am asking that because I think I succeded in that, but wasn't too shure if in doing that I made ships "less operable"?
:doh: