Seems my last test in TMO was about 12nms. I would assume we could extend the range of the flat would in game, but graphically, not sure what would render at further ranges. The game does render the effect at long range, where you may only see the mast, funnel or top part of the ship. I'm fairly sure for smoke to generate, you have to see some part of the ship.

http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/u...013129_204.jpg

Be nice if we could see smoke onlyon the horizon, but it's not a hard object in game that can be IDed.

Funny you're talking about mountains. I've been looking at a couple of environmental changes that I plan to incorporate into a new mod I'm thinking about. I decided to rework the games environmental parameters to make it more to my liking. One of the things I didn't like was the way distant scenery is displayed. The stock game has it too "hazed" to see it as it should be.

A test anyone can try is to use the first Pearl mission on Dec. 8, 1941 and have your sub start at the position "Outside the harbor". It doesn't matter what the mission is....just let the game load. Go to the bridge, or use the outside "free camera" to look around. You'll find the time of day is always 14:00 hours (just a couple of hours before sunset). Except for TMO, it starts the default mission at 13:00 hours.


Here's your position on the Navigation Map:

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps5aee1fb9.jpg


You're roughly 5nm from the mouth of Pearl Harbor.

With the stock game, if you look towards the island....this is what you'll see:

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...psaa2bbc4f.jpg



A dark water reflection of the island west of the harbor opening, but not much clarity of the mountains beyond.

Below is the TMO 2.5 mod loaded with the same view, same time of day:


http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps70e4c111.jpg



That dark blue water causes the island reflection to look light blue...almost non existent. The Island itself is truly non existent at the same distance of the stock view.

I've reworked the water color and the ability to see the distant island and its mountains:


http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...psb73191a1.jpg


Yes it's a matter of "taste", but this is how I'm approaching the games environmental look.

Below is a Bridge binocular look at the T3 Tanker that sometime appears to the North of the sub (as in the previous picture):


http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...psc57eb183.jpg

Here's TMO's binocular image:


http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...psa4d2ef0d.jpg


The stock binocular image isn't much different than TMO's.


=========

To address the issue of the 10nm limitation, I've not looked at it just yet. Yes there is one, with distant stationary objects like island mountains not being visible beyond about 9 to 10nm. I've done a good bit of checking into just what the stock game allows and doesn't, but I've not started to see if there is something that can be done about it.

I have seen smoke only on the horizon, before you see any part of the ship.

Same here, wonder why the watch can't see the smoke tho.
Probablty outside the ingame 10Nm horizon

@CapnScurvy

In those screens the water looks a lot like stock or am I mistaken?
Is that the only way to get the Islands te show correctly like your third and fourth picture?

I wonder if the Island would show the same way with this water color.
Took this from FOTRS thread, hope I didn't break any rules.

I don't think the water looks like the stock color.

Here's the stock free camera image:

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps4542ce88.jpg


Here's what I've been working on:


http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...pse903047c.jpg


Here's TMO's:


http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...psab50fb2c.jpg


I'm not a fan of water looking like its painted using a "royal blue" color. My color is more "aqua green". The shades will increase and decrease depending on what time of day it is.

In my opinion, the stock water color is a left over of the North Atlantic from SHIII....washed out, and life less. So is the wave action of the stock game. With TMO's environment, the waves appear too choppy for a "calm" sea. Just my opinion.

Water color has nothing to do with distant scenery being displayed. :D

Yep, I never like the royal blue. Can't recall when he made the change, but I think people voted for it, but probably cuz it was something different. Course, they're pictures where the ocean is dang blue, just not my taste.

Well, technically, a part of the ship is there, smoke won't render without a ship part showing, it's not a hard object. However, even though the game is flat, it does a fair job of giving a ship below the horizon, often all you can see is the top funnel or flag.

I have increased visuals to where they call out ships on the horizon, but then you can lock on and if you use auto ID, easier ID a type not being able to make it out. Might have some value if you nulled the auto ID in TMO.

Now that you've put them close together I can see the difference.


I don't like the color either, it's almost neon, thats why I'd like to change them.
I'll start a topic of my own for that later this weekend.

Enough thread highjacking.