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Lucky_Strike

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  1. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from Bulletpoint in Unreal Engine 5.1   
    If they're not at least considering this or something like it they'll be dead in the water within a decade imho. Not because their games are crappy but because the next gen gamer will expect a lot more than the current engine can ever offer.
    Hehe 🤣 I got at least three cores that sit idle whenever I play CM, not to mention a graphics card that laughs at me when I pan around and complain about crap frame rates.
  2. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from Bulletpoint in TC position in Lend-Lease Sherman?   
    Right, I've done the mod for the M4A2 75mm and the PzIVG (Late):
    Lend Lease M4A2 75mm
    Pz IVG (Late)
    Sadly the Pz IVG (Latest) model is really in a bad way - internally there's an unspecified texture attached to a material used in the model which means it can't be exported from Blender without extra tweaking. No matter what extra tweaking I tried all efforts failed to get a result that wasn't bust - throwing it's wheels in the air when moving for eg. This is a limitation of our tool kit that I can't overcome, and without some help from BF there's really no way I can see of correcting this one. Good luck to others who might want to give it a try.
    There is a slightly different version of the IVG (Latest) available in CMFI which could be ported to RT but that has other issues - no side skirts armour but all the shadows for them being but one. The TC does sit in the correct position but otherwise it's a buggy model at best. The other existing versions in FB and BN are the same as our RT model so don't waste your time with them.
    Anyway here's the finished M4A2 that you were originally concerned about ...

    and the PzIVG (Late) to fight against him:

    If anyone is feeling adventurous there are a slew of other models that could do with some TLC WRT TC positions ... just from the German armour in RT ...

    Hetzer guy looks stuck ...

    ... get down man FFS!

    ... another stuck TC

    ... start digging your grave son

    ... you're supposed to sit on your seat not stand on it!

    ... it's called a shield for a reason.

    I'd be praying as well!
    There are of course all sorts of strange positions especially in HTs and other open-topped vehicles. 
    Ultimately I guess it may not matter if the engine is calculating risk based on a look-up table - is the crew man standing or sitting, hatch open or closed - so long as that is the same across the board. If other factors like gun shields and hit boxes are coming into play then perhaps some rebalancing is in order. If the model does have an impact on the risk assessment then some of these fellas don't stand a chance.
     
  3. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from FlammenwerferX in CMFB (Unofficial) Screenshot Thread   
    Yes there's a real need to do something like this, sadly colours at distance are not properly corrected in game, what I'd like to see is a proper darkening/shifting of the colours and under-shadows for all seasons, weather etc. How it looks in game now:

    (an artists impression 😉) an improvement IMO:

    Maybe something like this could be achieved by lowering the distant LOD 4 models and adding artificial shadow to the bottom of the textures, sort of similar to what you're already doing by darkening the texture.
    Also, technically there's nothing to stop us using the billboard LODs as nearer LODs. The only caveat is that LOD 3 (at least I think it's LOD 3 from memory) is used as the stick trees when trees are toggled. The billboard LODs just disappear, but that's probably resolvable. The game already renders LOD 4 quite close when struggling even with balanced graphics settings ...

    ... they kick in at about 40-50m here. If also using LOD 4 as LOD 3 the effect is very similar ...
    ... the original BF LOD 4 as LOD 3 on the right. One big issue that might be a deal breaker is the overhead view - it ain't pretty ...

    But these are original BF LOD 4 as LOD 3 - it might well be possible to improve the models. LOD 4 uses a 1-bit, jaggy alpha channel and only sixteen faces, they are very low res. Whereas LOD 3 uses softer 8-bit greyscale alpha channels and could potentially have many more faces since they are 3D at present ... it's a thought.
    With LOD 4 as LOD 3 AND LOD 2 we can almost walk right up to the LOD model in game ...

    ... here tree 5, LOD 4 (original BF model and texture) next to tree 8 (my own model/texture) in game.
    Of course a plus is the massive increase in render speed ... might actually be an aid to map and scenario makers.
    You are probably at the limits of the game engine, about to stray in to the Twilight Zone 👽 ...
    Very odd ... not Maiden of course, gotta love em, though I must admit I still prefer Paul Di'Anno on lead vocals ...
    WHY are you all running towards that machine gun nest when I ordered you to run away! 🤬
  4. Thanks
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from Aragorn2002 in Berlin CMRT Map   
    Dragon's teeth texture three - a bit more weathered and aged (aren't we all?) ... in the foreground

    Inspired by HArry's question about how the teeth look at night ...
    Westwall night combat - into the Dragon's Maw ...



  5. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to George MC in Hungarian Mod   
    I've a 12ss mod for CMBN (not tried in CMRT) and there is a CMRT mod file name - Ez_SS-for-Red-Thunder - which has some of the uniform options wearing LSSAH cuffs. 
    I've also got Ez's EZ German skin compilation CMBN CMRT - uploaded em all to dropbox at this link.
    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vwn9wwj92t3778c/AABgh0kEUelX2-k7flt4XLxua?dl=0
    Cheery!
  6. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to quakerparrot67 in CM:BN Screenshot Thread #2   
    well, new the holidays are just about over and things are at least a little more back to 'normal',  here's a few 'caps for your  enjoyment.....or not.





     
    cheers,
    rob
     
     
  7. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to NPye in Stalingrad Mod?   
  8. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to Jace11 in Some Snow-Covered Flavor Objects for Christmas   
    A selection of snow-covered flavor objects for CM:FB.
    Includes: Petrol Pump, Post Box, Barrels, Water Pumps, Wood Piles, Tires, Some Sacks (from Santa!), Fuel Drums.
    I was able to duplicate models for barrels and drums, but use a different texture if they are sideways or upright.  This way they look nice with snow added, but it means I had to include the non-snow versions of these too otherwise it all gets messed up.
    They may work OK in other titles too but I haven't tested them there.
    Download link: Mediafire
    Might also have a dig around in my folders and scrape together a few other bits and bobs I've made for the other CM titles.
     
     
  9. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to NPye in Berlin CMRT Map   
    All going well Battle for Berlin V2 will go to Bootie tomorrow....

  10. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to benpark in Christmas 2022 Scenario Challenge   
    I'll add this very roughly-formed scenario (attached) for people that want something to entertain them on a cold winter's night.
    This would have been a branch off of Broken Shields (off of the 6th scenario), but it just didn't work with the overall flow. I also have another one set in Seregelyes that I may get around to posting here that's in the same state.
    There's no briefing nor briefing graphic, and can only be played from the German side (no German AI).
    The gist- defend the occupied positions and town, and use any infantry and armor that may arrive to stage local counter-attacks to regain the town.
    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, ya cast of characters.


     
    AT Positions!.btt
  11. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from Vacillator in Minor Graphical Bug   
    One mention of nipples and Vacillator appears! 🤣 I'm going to call all my mods Luck¥_$trike's Nipple mods™ from now on, at least that way I'll get one keen taker. 😂
  12. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to Vacillator in Minor Graphical Bug   
    😂
    Have you still got it Phil?  No, on second thoughts better ignore that...
    Anyway if I was in charge of the 'beta team' I would invite you to become a member.  On a voluntary basis of course, paid with the occasional beer and pizza.
  13. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to kohlenklau in Minor Graphical Bug   
    Here I go...
    Not owning CMCW...and being an amateur "Blender-ette" and file snooper, I figure MAYBE the uniform mds file references the weapon *.mdr and not the gear *.mdr.
    I am pretty sure it could be easily edited. Maybe a few minutes of effort.
    The pistol in a holster is probably positioned at the anchor point adequately but a naked pistol without a holster seems a bit offset from the body.
    Does the Soviet officer have a nice holster? THEN the holster mdr is functioning.
    Or I am wrong and it is in the game code which then is beyond me...
    ~~~~~~~~
    I have never been invited to be a member of any BFC beta team. Maybe it was that nipple shot of Kate Upton I posted years ago? Ooops
    But if I WAS in charge of said Beta test team I would assign each dude a sub-specialty to check various stuff. Reminds me of the opening scenes in "The Green Berets" movie. "I am Sergeant Kowalski, I am the weapons expert and secondary trained in communications!"...
    somebody gets vehicle crews
    somebody gets sprockets and vehicle parts
    somebody gets weapons
    ...and then **try** to "in house" correct it with some semi-capable "Blender-ettes" in the beta team. Fix it before it goes out the barn door. The feedback loop to Casio Lima studio seems to be clogged with time delays. Or maybe that is wrong. Maybe the cost to fart out a patch is like X dollars of Charles' time and therefore a LOT of things need to pile up before a patch is cranked out? I have just finally gotten on STEAM. A company makes an ASL type game called LnL and they respond constantly with tweaks for issues. Kind of makes BFC seem unresponsive. Maybe it is the code complexity? What do I know...
    If 3D modelling fixes wait for a patch that needs Charles, then maybe a new system should be adopted by BFC and an official intermediate solution can be offered as a dropbox link. No need to make a new version number. Just fix it and put it out and IN THE NEXT big "Charles had to be involved" patch, you roll it into the new brz files.
    RANT COMPLETE, OUT.
  14. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to Butschi in Kohlenklau Test Dummy Log for learning Butschi's New Map Elevation Tool   
    Gentlemen, (Ladies?)
    for the next few days I'll be busy with the CM Holiday Tourney, casually playing games with friends, making a map or two (you know, actually using that tool 😉) and, oh, Christmas and family and all that real life stuff!
    Thank you all very much for your kind words, your interest and your support over the last few... it's actually months now, isn't it? That was really inspiring! I know, there is still a lot to do until everything runs smooth enough, but we'll get there. 😉
    In the meantime, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year! 🥳🎄🎆
  15. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to Vacillator in So which mods do you find essential for Cmx2?   
    I'm a bit late in posting here but hey ho.
    I can't play the games without the above, thankfully now lovingly taken over by @Ithikial_AU.
    On top of this some favourites of mine are @Lucky_Strike's Hedgerow Hell (and a Red Thunder variant), Aris' vehicles (he's not on the forum these days), @Mord's portraits and the fine work done by @kohlenklau.  Please gentlemen, blush ye not, praise is well deserved.
    There are many others sitting in my Z folders, for which I'm also truly grateful.
  16. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from TheFriendlyFelon in Script to automatically set the elevation in the editor   
    Really appreciate how this is working now, especially liking the mixed woodland in your valley. Thanks for updating us.
  17. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from TheFriendlyFelon in Script to automatically set the elevation in the editor   
    Great job Butschi - even an eejit like me can follow your instructions! As Artkin said, this is really important and innovative work - thanks.
  18. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from RockinHarry in JM´s Corner   
    Hehe, I was hoping to make burnt ground as a flavor object, but they just don't really work very well because of the alpha transparency sucking big time for FOs. So I was making burnt textures for ground tiles, kind of have them working, but they're on a bit of a back burner for now. Difficulty was finding appropriate tiles for the variety of likely scenarios, I chose ploughed ground for towns and cities since it's unlikely to be needed but there was some random appearance of them that I needed to look at.
    But Harry are you thinking of burnt vehicles? All of JM's excellent new models are blank canvases that we could scorch, but it would take some time to do. I'd have a go at some, but am just too busy and was unwell for the last week or so, have to make up some time and help get Nigel's Berlin over the line.
     
  19. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from RockinHarry in JM´s Corner   
    I will for sure make something that works, even if just for myself, and of course will release it eventually, I know there's at least one interested taker 😉
  20. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from AlexUK in TC position in Lend-Lease Sherman?   
    Right, I've done the mod for the M4A2 75mm and the PzIVG (Late):
    Lend Lease M4A2 75mm
    Pz IVG (Late)
    Sadly the Pz IVG (Latest) model is really in a bad way - internally there's an unspecified texture attached to a material used in the model which means it can't be exported from Blender without extra tweaking. No matter what extra tweaking I tried all efforts failed to get a result that wasn't bust - throwing it's wheels in the air when moving for eg. This is a limitation of our tool kit that I can't overcome, and without some help from BF there's really no way I can see of correcting this one. Good luck to others who might want to give it a try.
    There is a slightly different version of the IVG (Latest) available in CMFI which could be ported to RT but that has other issues - no side skirts armour but all the shadows for them being but one. The TC does sit in the correct position but otherwise it's a buggy model at best. The other existing versions in FB and BN are the same as our RT model so don't waste your time with them.
    Anyway here's the finished M4A2 that you were originally concerned about ...

    and the PzIVG (Late) to fight against him:

    If anyone is feeling adventurous there are a slew of other models that could do with some TLC WRT TC positions ... just from the German armour in RT ...

    Hetzer guy looks stuck ...

    ... get down man FFS!

    ... another stuck TC

    ... start digging your grave son

    ... you're supposed to sit on your seat not stand on it!

    ... it's called a shield for a reason.

    I'd be praying as well!
    There are of course all sorts of strange positions especially in HTs and other open-topped vehicles. 
    Ultimately I guess it may not matter if the engine is calculating risk based on a look-up table - is the crew man standing or sitting, hatch open or closed - so long as that is the same across the board. If other factors like gun shields and hit boxes are coming into play then perhaps some rebalancing is in order. If the model does have an impact on the risk assessment then some of these fellas don't stand a chance.
     
  21. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to BornGinger in 2022 Mid Year Update   
    It seems that new modules is what Battlefront is focusing on instead of doing changes to the game engine that will improve the simulation aspects of the games.
    There are supposed to be changes to the engine that will improve the ability to play the game for those with certain so called "computer rigs" that are experiencing problems today.
    That is of course great. But to improve to simulation aspects of the game are still more important than to push out even more new modules for a game with a very limited game engine.
  22. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to kohlenklau in Kohlenklau Test Dummy Log for learning Butschi's New Map Elevation Tool   
    Your new idea is my old idea, and apparently the idea of several other folks. I do hold fast to the desire to keep them from "snowballing down the hill of grandiosity"...getting bigger and eventually too big to finish.
     
     
  23. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to Aragorn2002 in Kohlenklau Test Dummy Log for learning Butschi's New Map Elevation Tool   
    All true and wise. But the fact is that the number of released scenarios (for all CM games) is getting less and less. Personally I think the reason for that is that making a scenario is an exhausting process. And map making is the most exhausting part. Against the time the map is finished most scenario makers are suffering from a CM burn out. I know, because I have made a lot of rough and ready maps/scenarios for personal use, but never came close to releasing one of them, also because the attention and appreciation for newly released scenarios is limited. At the same time I enjoyed making and playing my own scenarios tremendously, sometimes even more than the most sophisticated and detailed scenarios from the small number of scenario masters of this forum (for which I feel nothing but admiration and gratitude btw).
    I still think the only way to get more scenarios is to join forces. Hence my request to map makers who enjoy making maps, to help me with elevation maps of Goldap and Schirwindt. A map is a funny thing. It's like a painting, which can easily be 'overdone'. Layer after layer of paint and spending far too much time, until the joy is gone and it starts to feel like work, not hobby. My ambitions are far too large for my limited skills. The closest I ever came to a finished scenario was build on an elevation map which Kohlenklau/Phil made for me years and years ago. Still grateful for that, Phil.
    Anyway, the only way to get more people into scenario making is collecting a 'Kampfgruppe' of people who enjoy research, making maps, experimenting with AI plans or another part of the process to produce a good scenario. Personally I will probably struggle on, not talented enough, a scenario dreamer indeed, but full of ambition. Goldap, Schirwindt, Lauban, Bautzen. Still so much interesting battles that haven't been covered enough. 
    I'm delighted to see gifted modders like JM, NPye, Lucky Strike, RockinHarry and other mod magicians join forces and stimulating each other to perform miracles at the moment, not to mention the people taking part in this thread, who are simply brilliant and very helpful. The same would be possible with regard to scenario development.
    Personally I will soldier on and I will get there eventually. And I know I have to learn myself, because we all have things to do. I will also learn to master this great elevation tool.
     
  24. Like
    Lucky_Strike got a reaction from rocketman in TC position in Lend-Lease Sherman?   
    Right, I've done the mod for the M4A2 75mm and the PzIVG (Late):
    Lend Lease M4A2 75mm
    Pz IVG (Late)
    Sadly the Pz IVG (Latest) model is really in a bad way - internally there's an unspecified texture attached to a material used in the model which means it can't be exported from Blender without extra tweaking. No matter what extra tweaking I tried all efforts failed to get a result that wasn't bust - throwing it's wheels in the air when moving for eg. This is a limitation of our tool kit that I can't overcome, and without some help from BF there's really no way I can see of correcting this one. Good luck to others who might want to give it a try.
    There is a slightly different version of the IVG (Latest) available in CMFI which could be ported to RT but that has other issues - no side skirts armour but all the shadows for them being but one. The TC does sit in the correct position but otherwise it's a buggy model at best. The other existing versions in FB and BN are the same as our RT model so don't waste your time with them.
    Anyway here's the finished M4A2 that you were originally concerned about ...

    and the PzIVG (Late) to fight against him:

    If anyone is feeling adventurous there are a slew of other models that could do with some TLC WRT TC positions ... just from the German armour in RT ...

    Hetzer guy looks stuck ...

    ... get down man FFS!

    ... another stuck TC

    ... start digging your grave son

    ... you're supposed to sit on your seat not stand on it!

    ... it's called a shield for a reason.

    I'd be praying as well!
    There are of course all sorts of strange positions especially in HTs and other open-topped vehicles. 
    Ultimately I guess it may not matter if the engine is calculating risk based on a look-up table - is the crew man standing or sitting, hatch open or closed - so long as that is the same across the board. If other factors like gun shields and hit boxes are coming into play then perhaps some rebalancing is in order. If the model does have an impact on the risk assessment then some of these fellas don't stand a chance.
     
  25. Upvote
    Lucky_Strike reacted to Combatintman in Kohlenklau Test Dummy Log for learning Butschi's New Map Elevation Tool   
    Of the two that I know you're looking at - I'd do Schirwindt first.  As someone who's made a map or two, I don't fancy Goldap at all.  You've got a whole bunch of closely spaced contours in your built up area plus what at a very quick look appear to be some quite tricky changes of elevation to get right.  Your problem there - even if you use the elevation script is doorways and windows sunk into the ground in the town and all sorts of other shenanigans.  Also, I find built-up areas quite a chore to do and Goldap has more of that type of terrain than Schirwindt.  Schirwindt, elevation-wise is a doddle by comparison and is a neat and compact town.
    I'm sure you've sort of looked at this already but here are the two side-by-side to illustrate the ugghhhh factor for Goldap vs Schirwindt:

    If I was to do Schirwindt, I'd rotate it like this so that you've got the main streets in the town in vaguely straight lines:

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