37mm Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 My Special Effects compilation is now ready for beta testing. Download link is here... https://www.dropbox.com/s/0k0l1qdhqlcle7f/ME Experience.7z?dl=0 This Special Effects package is based, almost entirely, off of previous work from Vein, Herrtom, Barbarico, Drakenlorde, Aris, Scipio, "Pro-effects"(?) & Battlefront. I have, for the most part, just reordered, renumbered, resized, renamed & rethought the work of those fellas. The special effects modding options for Combat Mission are rather limited. We can change the textures but not the animation sequences or timing. Nor can we create alternate sets of effects for different events (say a fiery explosion when a Tank explodes or a smokey explosion when a grenade goes off). I do suspect BFC plan to move in this direction (why else would they name their current explosion set "explosion a"). Either way, for now, I don't think there is a 'one size fits all' solution to improving the SFX in CM... although Veins effects come pretty close. Therefore, I created these optional 'effects sets' which players can choose from based upon the CM game they are playing, the time of day, the environment, type of scenario, equipment present & personal taste etc. TIME OF DAY SETS (place two zz's before either DAY or NIGHT) DAY effects, these are the standard effects I've chosen. Drakenlordes flames are, in my opinion, the best looking flames available. Improved Muzzle blast, I had hoped to create a blisteringly fast muzzle blast however that doesn't seem possible because of how the animation is actually sequenced. Still this should look a little quicker. Realistic muzzle flash, When combined with Barbarico's gray smoke these look far more realistic & subdued compared with stock or all other effects packages. Smoke, after Barbaricos gray smoke, I've chosen Veins black smoke. Vein style tracers, I've created colour coded versions to match the stock effects colours introduced in engine 4. These are smaller & less 'lazer beam-ish' than stock effects however I wanted to keep (indeed expand) the visibility of ricochets as otherwise firefights can look very stale. NIGHT effects I had hoped to create a much larger range of night effects but may pick that up in future. Either way, I did create a few night effects & these will mostly just make muzzle flashes & the initial flash of your explosions brighter & 'sparklier'. EXPLOSION SETS (place one z before either of the four options) Herrtoms smokey explosions... based on his earlier works, I find these work great for smaller explosions. Probably would be fine for most WW2 action. Veins subdued explosions.... quick & effective, these work for nearly every situation. Although they're perhaps too quick for breaching charges. Scipio's subdued explosions... small & firey, these too work for nearly every situation. Veins explosions... perfect for when that Abrams platoon meets a T-62 Company. VEHICLE DUST (place one z before either NEEDED or NOT NEEDED) The 'smoke dust' effect is used both during combat & for vehicle travel in dry & very dry conditions. Obviously this is important for CMSF2 but, if there are no vehicles or conditions allow it, you may prefer a darker dust effect more appropriate for most combat actions. Although I've absolutely loved using them, one of the side effects of using Veins (or Aris's) smoke is a faint, but annoying, 'ghost square' halo around battlefield smoke (presumably because they've used the whole of the bitmap with no transparency). So I created new smoke bitmaps myself using some free images off the internet merged with the old, but reliable, "pro-effects" smoke... this seems to have eliminated the 'ghost square' issue. WHITE PHOSPHOROUS SETS (place one z before either WHITE, BALANCED or DARK) Initially I assumed that the white smoke effects were only used for smoke screens & such like. They are not. Indeed there is an argument to be made that they are the most common CM smoke effects of all & appear to be used for all manner of explosions, building & vehicles impacts. This being so, I've created a selection of 'white smoke' effects... "White White smoke" is great for representing WP smoke screens. "Balanced White smoke" is noticeably darker yet can somewhat represent both WP smoke screens & combat smoke. "Dark White smoke" is much darker still & excellent for smokey combat scenes... but very poorly represents WP smoke screens. As per usual download the mod & place in your mod/z folder. Play around with the different options to your hearts content & give us some feedback. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 (edited) Very useful. Thanks... Usable for all titles/eras? Edited March 1, 2019 by Erwin 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 38 minutes ago, Erwin said: Very useful. Thanks... Usable for all titles/eras? Yeah all CM games share the effects files... it'll even work in version 3 games or below (there just won't be as much variety in terms of tracers/muzzle flashes etc). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinHarry Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 nice collection! I´ll see if I find stuff fitting to my needs in CMBN/CMFB. I´m also more or less dissatisfied with the stock games smoke FX and some the existing mods. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1812 Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 This will be very useful. Thank you! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy56 Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 (edited) Very nice mod. By the way, you'll use mod tags for the night effects, right? I'm pretty sure the [night] tag works. Edited March 1, 2019 by Frenchy56 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 3 hours ago, Frenchy56 said: Very nice mod. By the way, you'll use mod tags for the night effects, right? I'm pretty sure the [night] tag works. Funnily enough, I found out about night tags only a few hours before you posted this. I'll do some tests but I think we can fairly safely assume that the final version of the mix will not have this "two z's" thing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 11 hours ago, RockinHarry said: nice collection! I´ll see if I find stuff fitting to my needs in CMBN/CMFB. I´m also more or less dissatisfied with the stock games smoke FX and some the existing mods. I'd imagine you'd want "White White phosphorous" for snowy CMFB battles but, overall, I suspect most WW2 players will be pretty safe playing with the darker & smokier options. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livdoc44 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Well done! I love the improved main gun muzzle blast. I commented aloud, "oh wow, that looks like the real thing" after seeing it in game. My wife overheard me, asked me why I am talking to myself, and rolled her eyes when I told her the reason. This tends to happen a lot when playing CM. A true mark of a job well done. Thanks for your contribution! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 2, 2019 Author Share Posted March 2, 2019 1 hour ago, SocialStudiesTeacher said: Well done! I love the improved main gun muzzle blast. I commented aloud, "oh wow, that looks like the real thing" after seeing it in game. My wife overheard me, asked me why I am talking to myself, and rolled her eyes when I told her the reason. This tends to happen a lot when playing CM. A true mark of a job well done. Thanks for your contribution! I thank you for the compliment but a real main gun blast should be a LOT quicker... ... what I have now is still far too slow. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy56 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I just tried it out and I think the small arms muzzle flashes need to be a tad bit more noticeable. It's like they're instantly smothered in the smoke. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 2, 2019 Author Share Posted March 2, 2019 1 hour ago, Frenchy56 said: I just tried it out and I think the small arms muzzle flashes need to be a tad bit more noticeable. It's like they're instantly smothered in the smoke. Thanks for the feedback. I think this might be a personal taste issue because what you describe is very much what I was hoping to achieve... Have you tried the night effects? There's nothing preventing their use during the day & they're certainly a "tad" more noticeable. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy56 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) The thing is, the footage is shot from only a single angle and illumination. Not much to build the effects on in my opinion. Certain cameras probably don't catch the flash properly either. I think it's better to check multiple videos. I'll try out the night effects. Edited March 2, 2019 by Frenchy56 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy56 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) Actually, after a bit of thinking, I got that feeling when playing the WW2 CM's. I think you can get why. What you're saying is right, the effect is just right for modern rifles in intermediate calibers and such, but not so much for WW2. Any chance for a WW2 version? Edited March 2, 2019 by Frenchy56 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy56 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) Here you go. The muzzle flash is pretty visible at the same angle. I've watched him shooting AR's and it's pretty similar to the video you linked. Here the muzzle flash is less visible however. Probably due to the camera and lighting. Edited March 2, 2019 by Frenchy56 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sequoia Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I don't recognize the uniform and badge of the fellow shooting the M4. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy56 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Sequoia said: I don't recognize the uniform and badge of the fellow shooting the M4. He's a French soldier from the 1er RPIMa. It's written in the video description. He even has a Croix de Lorraine tattoo, which I didn't notice. Didn't notice the French Centre Europe camo either... Edited March 2, 2019 by Frenchy56 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 2, 2019 Author Share Posted March 2, 2019 30 minutes ago, Frenchy56 said: Actually, after a bit of thinking, I got that feeling when playing the WW2 CM's. I think you can get why. What you're saying is right, the effect is just right for modern rifles in intermediate calibers and such, but not so much for WW2. Any chance for a WW2 version? Yeah that makes sense, I already have day & night muzzle effects so an intermediate between the two shouldn't be that troublesome. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLeftFlank Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Said it before mate, but this is just spectacular work! The OpenGL engine is getting a bit dated visually, but you really breathe new life into it here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerrTom Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Wonderful work! I can't wait to try it out! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 13 hours ago, LongLeftFlank said: Said it before mate, but this is just spectacular work! The OpenGL engine is getting a bit dated visually, but you really breathe new life into it here. Hopefully the actual modders will show us what they can do when a "one size fits all" approach is dropped. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 3 hours ago, HerrTom said: Wonderful work! I can't wait to try it out! You're the reason I started work on the package... I'd never even heard of Project Reality or Squad until your explosion experiments thread. PM sent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zveroboy1 Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 I am going to give this a try, it looks neat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 11, 2019 Author Share Posted March 11, 2019 On 3/10/2019 at 11:33 AM, Zveroboy1 said: I am going to give this a try, it looks neat. The more, the merrier. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37mm Posted March 13, 2019 Author Share Posted March 13, 2019 On 3/2/2019 at 12:07 PM, Frenchy56 said: I just tried it out and I think the small arms muzzle flashes need to be a tad bit more noticeable. It's like they're instantly smothered in the smoke. Okay, the intermediate muzzle fire effects are now ready for testing... Download from here... https://www.dropbox.com/s/ntbnhkih24eceov/Intermediate muzzle blasts (small arms).7z?dl=0 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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