Something thats been bugging me for ages.

Egan · 09-20-05, 03:15 PM

Maybe I'm the only one who has noticed but the reflections for virtually all boats other than Type 7s appear to be broken. With both the type IX and the XXI, the reflections are there for everything except the conning towers but nothing seems to appear at all for the little old type II.

Is just me and a hardware/ driver problem or does it happen with other people too? I'm using a 6800 ultra and have used several different drivers since I got the game without any improvement in the respect.

Maybe it is something that you lovely graphic modders could perhaps fix? Maybe it is no more than a variable out of place in one of the game files....

It's no major issue, of course, just irritating.

Kpt. Lehmann · 09-20-05, 03:24 PM

I am right there with you buddy. I really like the type II's. I have an Nvidia card and the same probs.

I've been told before that the lack of reflection is an SDK issue.

I have a hard time with that though... with all the great mod-work being done to clone objects and such.... it would seem that SOMEONE could shed some more light on this issue. (no pun intended)

If we can find out WHY we can find the answer I believe.

Nothing is impossible.

Rubini · 09-20-05, 03:35 PM

The Moon's reflection is another flaw.
I think Sergei and others could fix these light/reflections problems in near future. When you open the Aiuboats files in a Hex editor you notice some references to the lights and reflections stuff.

Rubini.

Egan · 09-20-05, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rubini

The Moon's reflection is another flaw.
I think Sergei and others could fix these light/reflections problems in near future. When you open the Aiuboats files in a Hex editor you notice some references to the lights and reflexes.

Rubini.

Actually, I always thought that A clear night with a full moon seemed a lot on the dark side. Surely there should be a great deal more ambient light than you see currently?

But I agree about the moons reflection as well. I think that a lot of the enviromental effects could probably be worked on. It is just a question of how much is possible I guess.

Marhkimov · 09-20-05, 04:29 PM

Yes, the moon on a clear night should create reflections on the ocean surface (currently it is not modelled).

Just the other day, I was crossing the San Mateo Bay Bridge into San Francisco, and there was a full moon. I wish i could have taken pictures, but I was driving... Not a good idea, by the way... The reflection was not as prominent as you might think, but there was an unmistakable white glow atop the surface of the water. It was beautiful, actually... You would most likely be able to spot a ship if it was under that sort of light.

If it's not too hard, we should figure out how to do this... And u-boat reflections too!

Kpt. Lehmann · 09-20-05, 05:45 PM

OH YES... I JUST REALIZED....

I noticed many reflections (the moon for one) CAME BACK and were PRESENT when I installed CCIP's 50 FOV camera mod. I didn't think to look at the Type II.

It is possible that the reflections ARE THERE at different camera magnification levels (set in "cameras.dat") in the library folder.

If I knew the slightest thing about hex editing I would try fixing it.

:hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

Rubini · 09-20-05, 06:26 PM

The only thing I know is that when you see the moon with the binocular the moon's reflection is there...And the binocular is like the same to see with another FOV, so...

Rubini.

Beery · 09-20-05, 06:29 PM

I agree. The 1.4 beta test team tried to get the devs to fix the reflections in the 1.4b patch, but they never did. The one that looks weirdest is the sub type that shows a conning tower reflection but no hull (or was it the other way around?). Anyway, it's a big problem in my view.

Kpt. Lehmann · 09-20-05, 06:59 PM

... just tested my camera hypothesis w/ 50 FOV externally on a career type II... no joy.

I wonder if it would be possible to mirror the reflection of an S-Boat or something similar in size... It would be better than NOTHING...

Hopefully this thread doesn't die until some sort of work-around is established.

Marhkimov · 09-20-05, 07:33 PM

As pertaining to the moon reflection issue:

The reflection does appear when you look through the binoculars and moon is hovering directly over the horizon... This I do confirm.

But in most cases, you would not (normally) use the binoculars to look at the moon nor would it be over the horizon all of the time. The reflection should appear normally while you are scanning the horizon. I mean, even if the moon were 45 or 75 degrees over the horizon, there should still be a reflection, similar to how SH3 models the sun's reflection during the daytime... Now, maybe that has caught all of the modders' attentions.

If there can be sunlight reflection during the day, perhaps there can be moonlight reflection (albeit a faint one) during the night???

Just a thought... :hmm:

As for the missing u-boat reflections, I am stupified...

oRGy · 09-21-05, 04:41 AM

The sunlight reflections are texture files in skycolorsxxxx.dat files in data/env.

How I think they work is that there's lots of files for different times of day. There's only one for night-time.

However with the moon - depending on time of month, it won't be there. Or it might not be in the right position. So you could model some sort of reflection but when the moon isn't out, it'll still be there.

The modelling is actually pretty bad - as said, no moon reflections unless you zoom in (an LOD issue), and the ambient light is the same in all night conditions, whether cloudy, clear, moonlit or not. Virtual Sailor (www.hangsim.com/vs) is far superior in this respect.

As for reflections - it must be some sort of flag in the model files. Sergbuto said something about them that he discovered while hex-editing, but that the missing typ ii reflection was to him unexplainable.

09-20-05, 03:15 PM	#1
Egan Admiral Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,020 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	Something thats been bugging me for ages. Maybe I'm the only one who has noticed but the reflections for virtually all boats other than Type 7s appear to be broken. With both the type IX and the XXI, the reflections are there for everything except the conning towers but nothing seems to appear at all for the little old type II. Is just me and a hardware/ driver problem or does it happen with other people too? I'm using a 6800 ultra and have used several different drivers since I got the game without any improvement in the respect. Maybe it is something that you lovely graphic modders could perhaps fix? Maybe it is no more than a variable out of place in one of the game files.... It's no major issue, of course, just irritating.

09-20-05, 03:24 PM	#2
Kpt. Lehmann GWX Project Director Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Republic of Texas Posts: 6,992 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	I am right there with you buddy. I really like the type II's. I have an Nvidia card and the same probs. I've been told before that the lack of reflection is an SDK issue. I have a hard time with that though... with all the great mod-work being done to clone objects and such.... it would seem that SOMEONE could shed some more light on this issue. (no pun intended) If we can find out WHY we can find the answer I believe. Nothing is impossible. __________________ www.thegreywolves.com All you need is good men. - Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock

09-20-05, 04:29 PM	#5
Marhkimov Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bay Area, California, USA Posts: 2,377 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Yes, the moon on a clear night should create reflections on the ocean surface (currently it is not modelled). Just the other day, I was crossing the San Mateo Bay Bridge into San Francisco, and there was a full moon. I wish i could have taken pictures, but I was driving... Not a good idea, by the way... The reflection was not as prominent as you might think, but there was an unmistakable white glow atop the surface of the water. It was beautiful, actually... You would most likely be able to spot a ship if it was under that sort of light. If it's not too hard, we should figure out how to do this... And u-boat reflections too! __________________ It takes two to tango

09-20-05, 05:45 PM	#6
Kpt. Lehmann GWX Project Director Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Republic of Texas Posts: 6,992 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	OH YES... I JUST REALIZED.... I noticed many reflections (the moon for one) CAME BACK and were PRESENT when I installed CCIP's 50 FOV camera mod. I didn't think to look at the Type II. It is possible that the reflections ARE THERE at different camera magnification levels (set in "cameras.dat") in the library folder. If I knew the slightest thing about hex editing I would try fixing it. :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: __________________ www.thegreywolves.com All you need is good men. - Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock

09-20-05, 06:29 PM	#8
Beery Admiral Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Silver Spring, MD, USA (but still a Yorkshireman at heart - tha can allus tell a Yorkshireman...) Posts: 2,497 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I agree. The 1.4 beta test team tried to get the devs to fix the reflections in the 1.4b patch, but they never did. The one that looks weirdest is the sub type that shows a conning tower reflection but no hull (or was it the other way around?). Anyway, it's a big problem in my view. __________________ "More mysterious. Yeah. I'll just try to think, 'Where the hell's the whiskey?'" - Bob Harris, Lost in Translation. "Anyrooad up, ah'll si thi" - Missen.

09-20-05, 03:35 PM	#3
Rubini Ocean Warrior Join Date: May 2005 Location: São Paulo Brazil Posts: 2,728 Downloads: 132 Uploads: 0	The Moon's reflection is another flaw. I think Sergei and others could fix these light/reflections problems in near future. When you open the Aiuboats files in a Hex editor you notice some references to the lights and reflections stuff. Rubini.

09-20-05, 06:26 PM	#7
Rubini Ocean Warrior Join Date: May 2005 Location: São Paulo Brazil Posts: 2,728 Downloads: 132 Uploads: 0	The only thing I know is that when you see the moon with the binocular the moon's reflection is there...And the binocular is like the same to see with another FOV, so... Rubini.

09-20-05, 06:59 PM	#9
Kpt. Lehmann GWX Project Director Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Republic of Texas Posts: 6,992 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	... just tested my camera hypothesis w/ 50 FOV externally on a career type II... no joy. I wonder if it would be possible to mirror the reflection of an S-Boat or something similar in size... It would be better than NOTHING... Hopefully this thread doesn't die until some sort of work-around is established. __________________ www.thegreywolves.com All you need is good men. - Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock

09-20-05, 07:33 PM	#10
Marhkimov Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bay Area, California, USA Posts: 2,377 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	As pertaining to the moon reflection issue: The reflection does appear when you look through the binoculars and moon is hovering directly over the horizon... This I do confirm. But in most cases, you would not (normally) use the binoculars to look at the moon nor would it be over the horizon all of the time. The reflection should appear normally while you are scanning the horizon. I mean, even if the moon were 45 or 75 degrees over the horizon, there should still be a reflection, similar to how SH3 models the sun's reflection during the daytime... Now, maybe that has caught all of the modders' attentions. If there can be sunlight reflection during the day, perhaps there can be moonlight reflection (albeit a faint one) during the night??? Just a thought... :hmm: As for the missing u-boat reflections, I am stupified... __________________ It takes two to tango

09-21-05, 04:41 AM	#11
oRGy Crusty Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 648 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	The sunlight reflections are texture files in skycolorsxxxx.dat files in data/env. How I think they work is that there's lots of files for different times of day. There's only one for night-time. However with the moon - depending on time of month, it won't be there. Or it might not be in the right position. So you could model some sort of reflection but when the moon isn't out, it'll still be there. The modelling is actually pretty bad - as said, no moon reflections unless you zoom in (an LOD issue), and the ambient light is the same in all night conditions, whether cloudy, clear, moonlit or not. Virtual Sailor (www.hangsim.com/vs) is far superior in this respect. As for reflections - it must be some sort of flag in the model files. Sergbuto said something about them that he discovered while hex-editing, but that the missing typ ii reflection was to him unexplainable.