[WIP] Bring Lightnings back

[CaptainCox]

I have been using this "test" mission that is set to heavy weather. Did this as its faster then to wait for bad weather to appear in a career.
So 1st download that and install with JSGME

Heavy Weather Mission:
http://files.filefront.com/HEAVY+WEA.../fileinfo.html
Use Quick Mission
And select the mission called "Mission title"
when the mission is loaded hit "RETURN TO GAME"

I did this little tweakfile so its easier to do stuff
Lightning Main Settings in scene.dat
http://files.filefront.com/Lightning.../fileinfo.html
Height=20
(Height) is setting the textures height over the water
Mindistance=60
Maxdistance=130
(Min/Maxdistance) can be set to a lower value, but I found that the lightning shows up in a bigger area with this setting.
Mintime=3
Maxtime=5
(Min/Maxtime) is setting the rate of lightning, the lower the more often it will strike.

In the Particle.dat
Use the tweakfile I ported found here
http://files.filefront.com/Lightning.../fileinfo.html
In the "Unnamed effect lightning 1-4"
Life=1.5 (could be set higher for a longer visible lightning)
Rate=1 (this controls the "pulse" of the lightning)

In the Materials.dat
Use the tweakfile for "Lightning Transparency" I did found here
http://files.filefront.com/Lightning.../fileinfo.html
In Lightning 1-4 set the values to
Lifetime=1.5
Transparent=100
Opacity=0

[FooFighters]

This is gonna be an awesome mod

Keep ut the fantastic work

Foo

[CaptainCox]

Just a small EDIT! here
I was checking some stuff and noticed that its

In the Materials.dat
Use the tweakfile for "Lightning Transparency" I did found here
http://files.filefront.com/Lightning.../fileinfo.html
In Lightning 1-4 set the values to
Lifetime=1.5
Transparent=100
Opacity=0

Transparent that sets if its visible daytime or not. You can try setting that to 255 if you like, that's max!

A small side effect here is that the lightning is visible (ghosted) through structures, like the conning tower etc, but as far as I know this is a problem with lights anyway in SH3/SH4

[CaptainCox]

Was playing around with "Self illumination" MANY THANKS TO Privateer for this info!!



I think I might have cranked it up tad to much :p
Looks more like "Amoebas from Outer Space"

Will find a good setting for this and up it ASAP.
As it is now the lightning is TOTALLY visible trough solid objects...will dig a bit more for that one.

[Digital_Trucker]

Leave it right where it is, CC, and we can start modding towards a new game of the Sci-Fi variety. I'm thinking laser AA guns and photon torpedoes to blast the amoebas (or is it amoebi?) with. Capt. Kirk, out:rotfl: Beam me up, Scotty.

[WilhelmTell]

Originally Posted by CaptainCox

Was playing around with "Self illumination" MANY THANKS TO Privateer for this info!!



I think I might have cranked it up tad to much :p
Looks more like "Amoebas from Outer Space"

Will find a good setting for this and up it ASAP.
As it is now the lightning is TOTALLY visible trough solid objects...will dig a bit more for that one.

This looks like flying giant jellyfish !

Seriously, you guys are doing a great job. I know you'll find a way that this will work to everyone's liking.

Regards,
Tell

[kapitan_zur_see]

Originally Posted by CaptainCox

Was playing around with "Self illumination" MANY THANKS TO Privateer for this info!!



I think I might have cranked it up tad to much :p
Looks more like "Amoebas from Outer Space"

Will find a good setting for this and up it ASAP.
As it is now the lightning is TOTALLY visible trough solid objects...will dig a bit more for that one.

Gee CaptainCox!! you're making some serious progress here!! But now, guess i have to make new textures in light of this achievement Your help is top notch! Could you PM me your tweaked files? (complete with self illumination. Where's it located by the way?)

[Safe-Keeper]

Ah, yes, the American electro-boat prototype. Discontinued because of how heavily it charged the air around it. The trail of lightning bolts were a dead give-away to Japanese destroyers.

[Spike]

If this could work w/ this mod http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=119978 I would be very happy...

[leovampire]

in the scene dat file I put min distance to 30 instead of 60 and got this



The lightning slowly rotates in varying distances in a clockwise direction around the sub from very close to a good visable disatance and lights up the sub a crew pretty good. Now will try your new transparencies and what not to see the changes.

But changing the Life to 1.5 makes the lightning flash too quick and the thunder only lasts as long as the lightning flashes. And btw C.C. if you didn't know it children is how many off branches the lightning has in each strike.

And thanks for the test mission for the lightning because it is helping me finish my storm sea's for the revision of Living Breathing Ocean.

Now very the lifetime between each lighting strike like 13 for Lightning 1 // 12 for Lightning 2 // 11 for Lightning 3 // and 10 for Lightning 4 and you get more differn't types of flashes and differn't sounding thunder to go with them. Another words trying to make each strike unique give's a wider variety of effect's in the thunder storm.

[Capt. Shark Bait]

will there be a delay between when the bolt strikes and when it's heard, varying on distance?

[Ducimus]

Wow, just wow. Im speechless, good job guys.

[leovampire]

I changed the density from 1 to 1.1 and this is what I got for a result



So maybe as we increase the density slowly we can get brighter effects between night and day.

And yes capt shark bait there is a sound delay according to distance if you have that checked off in the menu of the game. If you have a suround system set up on your PC you can tell where the lightning is strikeing from around your possition as well. And the light reflection you see on the sub also shows you what direction it is comming from.

By the way Captain Cox if you change the weight in unnamed effect lightning 1 through 4 from 0.0001 to 1.1 you get a much better view of the bolt and the childern through the weather effects. Now I just need to test it at night.

The 3rd picture is after changing the weight and weight scale in unnamed effect lightning and lightning 1-4 all to 1.1 and as you can see they get brighter and can make out the bolt and it's children a lot better.

And if you change the opacity as you see in the 4th picture the lightning stands out beyond the other effects. Opacity is the ability to see a pictures image and color through other effects like fog and what not. Now I went to an extream like 1 instead of 0 and you see the total difference it makes.

[CaptainCox]

Smashing work there Leo! As I said I am off to Munich like NOW! :p
So no time to fiddle with this. Will do 1st thing in the morn but!

If you find more stuff please PM or post here...I think we might be pretty close to somet here

[Capt. Shark Bait]

f00k3n geniuses, the lot of ye