Mortar illumination rounds

[user1000]

Any way of getting mortar illumination shells (parachute type) into the game? They would work nice at night. I wanted to post this in the CM:BN but hopefully changes made to FB will show in BN in the future. Not certain of any off map guns were able to provide it.

Edited April 19, 2016 by user1000

[Michael Emrys]

I suspect that the holdup on including something like that is the difficulty of coding a complex animation of the lighting effects of a descending light source. And for something that the majority of players would use once just for the wow factor and then not ever touch again.

Michael

[womble]

Before any "complex animation of the lighting effects of a descending light source" gets worked on, dynamic lighting effects for static light sources need to be worked on. Pretty sure parachute flares could be done now; ad-hoc shadows and light are already graphically represented for burning vehicles and muzzle flash, making the source move isn't a big step up from that. But it won't have any in-game effect, and would largely, to my mind, just mean you have to keep jiggering with your alpha to be able to play the game if the scenario is set on a pitch-dark night.

Dynamic lighting, including flares would be nice, but it's wayyyyy beyond trivial.

[Odin]

6 hours ago, Michael Emrys said:

I suspect that the holdup on including something like that is the difficulty of coding a complex animation of the lighting effects of a descending light source. And for something that the majority of players would use once just for the wow factor and then not ever touch again.

Michael

 

I thought flares were used regularly during night time fighting as a means to repel enemy attacks, and would be an excellent addition to the game. Take this American report on German nighttime infantry tactics for example:

http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt/night-fighting-tactics-german-ww2.htm

 

[Bulletpoint]

On 4/19/2016 at 11:33 AM, Michael Emrys said:

I suspect that the holdup on including something like that is the difficulty of coding a complex animation of the lighting effects of a descending light source. 

Moving lights that cast global shadows are actually very common in modern games. It's not so much a technial, graphical problem as a vision/spotting problem. Currently, local light levels don't affect spotting. You don't spot a unit standing next to a burning tank at night any easier than their buddies in the dark.

To do flares right, the illuminated units would have to be more visible, as a function of the light intensity (which changes dynamically, and would be affected by shadows). Also, realistically, those illuminated troops would be mostly blind to everything in the darkness outside of the light.

Not saying it can't be done, it would just need pretty substantial coding changes I believe.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Bulletpoint

[kevinkin]

There has been resistance to coding features like in game demolition of bridges. Flares sort of fall in that category. Coding time is better spent on more common elements of tactical battlefield. Items found in nearly every mission related to terrain and weapons. Nothing wrong with bringing up ideas and discussing however. That's how CM progresses. 

Kevin  

[MikeyD]

There are wish lists and there are must-do lists. The must-do lists take precedence. Though when I wished for a 3-d textured flying  Sturmtiger round late in the beta process they turned that sucker around inside of two days! Wow! Sometimes dreams do come true.   

[Michael Emrys]

5 hours ago, Bulletpoint said:

To do flares right, the illuminated units would have to be more visible, as a function of the light intensity (which changes dynamically, and would be affected by shadows). Also, realistically, those illuminated troops would be mostly blind to everything in the darkness outside of the light.

Which is the kind of thing I had in mind when I mentioned "complex animation" you see.

5 hours ago, Bulletpoint said:

Not saying it can't be done, it would just need pretty substantial coding changes I believe.

Yep. As you note, a lot of variable factors are involved.

Michael

[Bulletpoint]

2 minutes ago, Michael Emrys said:

Which is the kind of thing I had in mind when I mentioned "complex animation" you see.

Yep. As you note, a lot of variable factors are involved.

Michael

I must have misread you then. I can only refer to your own signature line

[Michael Emrys]

5 minutes ago, Bulletpoint said:

I must have misread you then. I can only refer to your own signature line

No problem. Reading back over my post, it seems to me that your reading of it was a valid one...it just happened to not be the one I was thinking of. My fault for not making it more clear. Generally I think I do okay at putting myself in the other guy's place and asking what would somebody make of this reading it for the first time. But this time I missed by a mile.

Michael

Edited April 21, 2016 by Michael Emrys
needed an apostrophe

[Pak40]

It seems to me that the basic function of a flare is already in the game. You can see this in night battles where vehicles catch fire -  the area around burning vehicle is lit up. All that really needs to be done is to make it a slowly falling object in the sky. I assume the game already give increased spotting bonuses to the areas that are lit up but I haven't tested this out.

[user1000]

OR make vehicles and troops that the flare sees visible only while flare is dropping, that you couldn't see at night via icons and actual unit. Once the flare goes out you can't see them anymore but if you had scouts or another group overlooking the area you can at least tell what kind of units are in that area when all the icons poped up.

Edited April 21, 2016 by user1000

[akd]

As a lighting effect, I don't think it is that complicated.  We already have stationary ground level dynamic light sources.  The problem is dynamic lighting has no effect on AI spotting, which in turn makes the addition of illumination flares largely pointless.

Edited April 21, 2016 by akd

[womble]

For some reason there's no quote button...

Pak40: you'd be assuming wrong then. Firey lighting makes difference none to spotting in night battles. The illumination you see is pure cosmetics.