Manuel;

Sounds like fps drop near land and ports is due to the extra amount of terrain being rendered rather than water reflections. If you're tripling the view distance, then the extra amount of triangles rendered will be a multiple of that.

In the open sea, since the non-detailed sea seems to be a flat plane, this isn't so much of an issue.

Slowdown is worth it though to get a realistic view distance. I'm not too worried about frame rates at the moment since I have a GeForce 6600...

Any chance of a pre-alpha release? :P

Well, the same that you see them with the default values. If I remember, in the game with no mods you start to see the planes as small pixels. It's impossible to see them with a size of less than a pixel. This mod would enhace far distance, not near sight.

Yes, I know. To make real time reflections in game, the entire world must be rendered twice. Usually, a screen of 256x256 pixels is drawn and used like a texture in the reflecting surface. In SH3, with more water, more surfaces to fill with reflections. The fact is that the default dynamic ocean didn't reach the horizon (it stops at about half the way and from there a single plane works as ocean), and when I increase the ocean size, fps start to decrease, without increasing the visibility yet...

Don't know. Not now, that's for sure. It's a (by far) unfinished product.

Keeping default ocean render distance and expanding horizon is not possible? Or was that what gave you the annoying z-buffer conflicts?

It is posible, but the difference between the ocean and the fake ocean is very noticeable. Before it was disguised with the fog, but now it has to start far away.
Z-buffer conflicts with ocean are history now. :up:

Keep up the good work, Manuel! Not many could do a mod like this. Even if you fail in the end, your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Treeburst155 out.

Very, very nice.

I would suggest the "light fog" should probably refer to haze instead of fog. Seldom in my time at sea have I seen a "light fog". Instead it was more of a heavy haze on the horizon limiting over the horizon visibility. I think the distances for fogs should be something like this:

-Light fog (haze) ~ 6-7000 meters (~3nm)
-Medium fog ~ 2-2500 meters (~1nm)
-Heavy fog - as it is today, though maybe out 100 or 200 meters.

Did you people see my SensorPak mod thread that does help spotting airplanes and warships from up to 25 km?

I it is not Visual, using RWR file. It works, but it is only radar detection, not visiual. It is on the regualr forum, not here on the mod forum as it should be. Look at the picture in the "If you think the XXI Sucks thread.." It detects aiplane uisng the RWR out o 20 km.

http://www.subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopi...0248&start=100

Is that sky dome cutting off at the sea at 20 km? The maximum for radar is set for 25km. I wonder does the game engine take which distance into account?

20km or 25km? It is a 3D model limit. You can push the clouds back and fog to 20 km but the ocean looks funny.

Darn if just we had the SDK. Or the devs could fix the limitation by making a low fog ring that sort of simulates vapor haze at the water level but it does not extend further than a few meters above the ocean. Then you could block rendering of the ocean but keep spotting of tall smoke plumes from far off ships. I bet the fog in the game is a big dome too? Or is the fog "modable" to allow spotting above it?

Hello Jungmann
I guess that you cant use "SonarDC_fix Mod July 14, 2005". You have to change to "Sonar_DC_20" that is in the folder?

Another question; Can you change the file "DepthCharges.zon in "Sonar_DC_20" from "SonarDC_fix Mod" to at least get back blast radius 15 m instead of 20 in Sonar_DC_20 mod?

I don't want to complain, I just like the settings in "SonarDC_fix Mod" and do want snorchel fix and radar fix without have to change to a more difficult deptcharge mod!

Great work with your mods.

Best wishes
/Rulle

Rulle34
You can use the DepthCharge.zon of 15m from the SonarDC_fix to keep the old 15m blast radius. SonarDC_20 is 20m blast. :yep:

The AI_Senors.dat had to be modified since they share. The old Sonar nerf was the DD lost its lock on you when closer than 200 meters. In the new variation, it is more tough, holding on to 150 meters making it harder to escape. It was meant for those wanting more challenge.

I can add the new fixes to the old version and include it in the SensorPak. Then you have a choice. For now, just use the old depthcharge.zon for the original 15m blast and see how it goes until I whip up an update for that. The changes are immediate upon a reload of savegame, and you can remove it too without any damage to your game. :D

Edit: Just extract all files needed including AI_Sensor.dat from this updated original SonarDC_Snorkel_fix

http://rapidshare.de/files/3448541/S...l_fix.zip.html

You can also find it in the SensorPak.

Jungmann, Big thanks!
I took the "depthcharge.zon" and "AI_Sensor.dat" from this "schnorchel_fix" and replaced the same in your "SensorPak". If I understand you right now I will now have radar_mod, scnorchel_mod and the 200 m min sonar and 15 m blastradius?

I hope I got it right :o

This is very nice and you do a very good job Jungmann!

/Rulle

Yes, you got it correct. :up: Thanks, I hope you enjoy it! :D

The radar warning and visual snorkel spotting problem are a first version. I always welcome feedback in order to improve on the mods.

If you move the Cloud sphere distance further back to see that ship to 14.3 km in the picture, does the clouds disappear from view?

The values SeaRelativeZMin and Max, SkyRelativeZMin and Max, SeaRelativeZmin and Max; helps with clipping?

EnvData Scale for dynamic ocean is 10 by 10.

What effect is that 'BumpScale' that follows it? It is 16 and 20.

Looks like a familiar number, does it not? Cloud sphere disapears at about 12 km, you shown a pic of a ship at 14.3 km and 20km is max render.

There are some number after the very beginning of the file after it says 'SKY' and just before the EnvData that is backwards, one is 2080 the other 8.125. I feel the sky dome data must be around this area. I will give them a try.

Yes. Indeed in the pics the clouds are gone.

Maybe. I'm currently examining all those values

What you refer with this number? I didn't change that one, maybe it defines the size of reflection map or something like that.

I think it is the roughness of bump effect in water (those small waves shown as textures).

No. The dome is not there. Those values are probably data addresses for something else. The sky domes are in the data\env directory.

Cloud problem solved. It was an error of mine while resizing the cloud sphere 3d model, rather than a limitation of z axis view. :oops: :oops:

How are we going to combine this with the enhanced sensors file? I need to know the distances of AI sight, in order to allow the player viewing the ship at the same time the AI does.

Ortega

Check this out! :P Crew will spot out to 20 km.

Visual 20/20
http://rapidshare.de/files/3458643/SCENE.DAT.html

Darn, my detail post got lost in posting. My crew can spot to 20 km and shows it on the nav map too. Try it out on the singleplayer 'Happy Times'. You will have the crew spot to 20 km (18 km for that one) and see all ships. Use the "L" on the bearing to lock up target even though you cannot see it.

I changed different numbers, try mine out. Can you show me yours so I can compare?

I seen your spotting smoke visualy at 14.3 km, but I cannot see the ship until 10km. I also have clipping at the horizon, I could pull back the fog haze back in to hide it, or just fiddle with the 'xxxx'ZRelative Min Maxvalues to stop the z buffer fight.

I can also adjust the detect time and stuff in the Sensors.dat to make it more chance to spot. I set it for instant crew spotting for now.

Maybe together we can solve this. I adjusted another fog value and camera value next to each other in the scene.dat file. Wierd that it works. Can you post or send me what you got done? Check out what I did. I also changed that EnvScale size from 10 by 10, to 20 by 20 (that limited spotting distance).

Increase ocean 20 by 20 size I only have clipping at the horizon. Not so ugly...

I wonder how you see smoke at 14.3 km, I thought the sky dome cuts it off at 10km?

Easy it is in the AI_Sensors.dat file. Just simply increase from 8km to what you wish. I know it well. That is for Enemy AI seeing you.

Important! You reminded me...

I forgot, I did use the 20 km Carrots Mod in the Sensors.dat file so your crew can see out to 20 km also or this will not work!!
CCIP had a download 'stock copy' of it somewhere around here this thread back at page four...or use the one from my SensorPak for download.

Jungman, your sensor does work! Spotted a convoy faarther than usual, at night, not 20 clicks, we had clear weather and a moon but my crew were rather tired and I had put my WO to bed. But it was farther than before. :up:

Jungman, if you don't mind, let the graphics section to me. I have almost all under control. Concentrate on the AI part, that I have no idea how it works. Keep for sure that I will send you first the first 'beta' of the enhanced visual distance. Then you can test with your modified sensors.dat file if everything is correct. Then we can find together the best adjustments for bot parts, before releasing it.

I say this because there are a LOT of values to modify, and it's useless to research again the work that I have found. Trust me ;) .

Those are the last improvements, testing the mission Happy Times:

That's a very very far convoy. Ships are not visible at all, and smoke is so small that is almost invisible (without binoculars, with luck they show as a little pixel).
http://www.mp-labs.com/sh3mods/convoy1.jpg

That's because the convoy is at 18 km!!
http://www.mp-labs.com/sh3mods/convoy2.jpg

Through the UZO, to check distance (sorry, my game is in spanish, and not thanks to Ubi :rotfl:)
http://www.mp-labs.com/sh3mods/convoy3.jpg

Another silly graphic glitch I have found. To the to-do list :hmm:. In addition, there is no clouds, but it's for testing purposes only, it's not a problem now.
http://www.mp-labs.com/sh3mods/convoy4.jpg