Nice shots.

What files are you using from ROW?

SWDW: Nice pics, maybe it just looks weirder on screen than in RL, and in the screenie I posted.

ROW Special Effects for NSM4 Classic with a few modifications (see my previous post just before yours with the "weird" sun halo effect) and ROW Sub Roll And Pitch Mod. Everything else is PE2.

I thought I had previously read that PE2 included the Roll and Pitch modifications? No?

Nope, cause it'll conflict with mods like TMaru and RFB. It comes with an optional diverate mod (from RFB) that's similar to ROW Sub Roll and Pitch.

Well, you may lose a background or 2, but RFB uses an upgraded version of oakgrove's panels. The marks are cleaner, colors matched to what AVG dug up for dial arrows and lettering that wasn't faded or yellowed after 40-60 years of aging. The bug in oakgrove's mod where the tracking button does not light up in a couple of different type subs when it's clicked is fixed. There's a lubber's line on the compass like people have requested.

The entire intreface has been designed keeping a specific color scheme in mind to reduce the glare from the screen when you are trying to look through the scope at night. Since HUD and order bar colors can actually affect what you can see through the scope because of throwing too much light from the monitor (White watch faces, bright order buttons), we worked on toning things down.

In addition RFB has icons NOT in the HUD with PE2, so if you use the PE2 hud you have missing icons or even the wrong icon show up. Oh, and Akbar Gulag is going to work with Jimimadrid on importing his high res black dials into RFB.

The order bar also has semi transparent tabs for the unselected order tabs so you can see through them.

It has a dirtied periscope mask with lines that look almost black in daylight and dark green at night.

The third speed has been removed on the speed selector and the correct wording used on the panel.

Even the chrono was picked to reduce glare and the needle colors changed as the dark blue needles for torpedo estimated run time were hard to see against the blackish watch face. (now red which matches the rest of the interface)

Since this release has SCAF built in, CapnScurvy even changed the color scheme on the rec manual to complement the RFB HUD scheme.

I think all that outweighs losing a couple of backgrounds.;)

Since you have't seen it, and my apologies to kriller for hijacking his thread, here are some clips from RFB of the HUD/interface supplied with the last release.

http://www.kickinbak.com/rfbhud/screen.jpg

You can see the full size shot of the hi res screenshot above(1600 x1200) by clicking on this link
http://www.kickinbak.com/rfbhud/fullsize.jpg The browser will bring it up reduced, so zoom in to get a good look.

Here's a lo res version
http://www.kickinbak.com/rfbhud/lores.jpg



I'd throw up a night shot with the reddish hue from rigged for red on the panels, but I've already imposed too much on kriller's thread.

So . . . now you've seen the new HUD and know why using the one in PE2 is not advisable (mainly because of the order bar icon, speed selector, and tracking light on the torpedo fire panel issues) ;)

And BTW, although AVGWarhawk tries to throw credit in my direction for the HUD, he did over 95% of the work on the panel and dials (probably closer to 99%), so don't listen to him- he's the one that deserves the credit.

KRILLER2- If this is too much of an imposition, let me know and I'll move it to a new thread and just put a link to it in here

Hi Swdw, no I think it's cool you are commenting in this thread about RFB and I will see what I can do to remove the hud from PE 2 and include some other changes as Dr. Beast posted :cool: ( a patch is on its way soon..)

The new RFB hud and dials looks super, can't wait to try the new version out :up:

that's a nice screenshot, what do you think about the new smoke Digital Trucker is working on? ;), there is just a little bug with it if a ship is circling it will leave small smoke clouds behind it for a long time, resulting in some small clouds hanging around in the game.

Man, this all looks great! I'm waiting for RFB for version 1.5, after seeing the Special effects screenshot, I'd like to get PE2 with the special effects for RFB 1.5 when it's available.

i havent been home yet to load the new PE2, but just want to add another voice as a ROW/PE special effects user. The SE in ROW/PE is important to me, especially the smoke visibilty from long range.

I dont use TM or RSRD. (yet)

I look forward to a SE release for PE2, i cant wait to try it out, Kriller your doing an amazing job.

I'm finding with both the PE2 MOD and the W_Clear Environment MOD that there is suddenly a LOT of Fog...in many locations where I didn't remember seeing fog before at all (:-? ).

I don't know how it happens, but when sailing precisely the same mission ("Bohol Sea Encounter") and going to exactly the same location, the weather with respect to FOG appears much different with each MOD. See Below:

ScreenCapture using basic default UNmodded SH41.4
http://members.cox.net/doolittle80/SH4DefaultNoMods.jpg


Screencap using PE2, same location...note the overcast hazy sky and hazy/foggy distant treeline. This was using PE2 with the "LightFog" Patch:
http://members.cox.net/doolittle80/S...htFog21024.jpg



ScreenCap using W_Clear's Environmnet MOD 4.0...the fog is even heavier:
http://members.cox.net/doolittle80/SH415_WClearFog.jpg



I also note that the setting sun is INTENSE...this view is from the same mission/location just from a different angle and later in the day, with PE2 MOD.....note the very heavy cloud cover also.

http://members.cox.net/doolittle80/S...htFogPatch.jpg


I guess my question is whether the Fog is really intentionally added in these mods? ....and, how can it appear in a mission which has NO FOG when run in an unmodded SH4 1.4 installation (see the first Pic above)?? I haven't had time to sail "everywhere" yet, so maybe there are some bright blue skies still out there....

Hi Doolitle,

The fog have allways been in the game, but the devs somehow toned it max down, maybe it was because of optimizing so that the average rig could run SH4?

What me and Wclear has done is simply to let the player "see" the fog, before you could see the effect in the horizon sometimes without a fog! Now you have a nice haze effect when it's foggy.

If you don't like the effect, try turn off volumetric fog in the options menu.

I agree the fog was nullified for performance purposes.

I also love the new fog and more foreboding skies. The game is more realistic looking than ever.

krillers 'lighter fog' fix now has it almost perfect, imo.

Just a tip for testing fog vs AI detection ranges; I've been using Wernersobe's 'Natural sinking' mission that comes with NSM. A perfect quick setup for testing the ranges multiple times without an escort coming after you.

@swdw: I remember AVG tinkering with Oakgroove's HUD. The results are indeed fantastic! :up: I use Oakgroove's original work, adapted for TMaru HUD layout (I don't use TMaru per se, but various bits and pieces of it). I like the "worn and torn" look of Oakgroove's stuff, but I'll certainly check out the "new and shiny" rendition of your work, you can bet on that!
@kriller2: I think the most amazing part about your new fog rendition is that it's amazingly FPS friendly. Great job there! But I think I'll up the visual range modifiers a bit (now that I know what to look for, it's a 30 second job). Didn't spot the bug with the smoke you mentioned, I've only looked at stationary ships so far (the woes of troubleshooting), and I'll probably be staring at stationary ships for a few more days, while I modify zones.cfg to see which special effects can stay and which will have to go. BTW, I think you missed my question with regards to oil slicks: is it not integrated into the particles.dat you sent me? Didn't see any when I was testing it with ROW Special Effects.

Hi DB,
Thanks, Now we have 4 issues needs fixing:

1. The MountainDew issue with foam looking like beer :lol: Not an easy one as it will require me working on new sunsets, so that the new suncolor mathes the sky. I got it working yesterday by editing the suns halo and color and light, now I need to make some new sky's to match those colours :damn: This will allso affect the sun set and sun rises to be less colourfull and the question is if it's worth it?

2. Remove fog from the light fog to a setting that equals SH4 stock, but keep the new heavy fog. Will require some testing as the fog settings affect eachother.

3. Remove OakGrooves hud and make it an optional installation. Easy :D

4. Now to you Dr. Beast ;) Integrating ROW effects which you and Digital Trucker is working on in to the new particles file. I have allso got the zones.cfg to work with ROW special effects by using the old particles from ROW and making a new zones.cfg, but the problem with that solution is that the oil-leak appears and disappears again and again, I have tried setting a shorter timer in the zones.cfg to make it appear only once, but to no avail. That leads me to think we have to take the new particles and integrate ROW special effects / oil leaks into it. Unfortunately I don't know how, as it was is4htl's playground and it seems he have moved on.

1. Are you NUTS?!? Beer is good for ya! You as a scandinavian should know that better than me! :rotfl:
2. Agreed with you there. Question: will tweaking this parameter also affect how the fog looks, or only viewing distance?
3. Agreed again.
4. I wonder if it's a 1.5 thing. Oil slicks showed up just fine on my rig (barring the annoying slowdown which has lead to this witchhunt), and I don't have the add-on. :hmm:

ETA: if D_T is working on the zones.cfg file too, maybe I should PM him so we can coordinate our work. Me not having internet at home is a bit of a problem, though. Many times I've started working on something only to find out the next day that I had been re-inventing the steel...eeeh!...wheel (been listening to too much Pantera lately!).