Burning tank graphics

[RS14]

Let me start by saying that this is no doubt a very low priority for Battlefront, as it should be. This is also just idle speculation by me, and I'd imagine some of you may have better sources for this sort of thing.

But if you feel like updating the flames on burning tanks to something more realistic, AJE has some good footage of burning tanks in Libya right now. In particular, it looks as if flames emerge mostly from the hatches and rear decks. Tracks seem to burn--I wonder if this is burning rubber, which tends to last longer than the internal fires? I suppose it could also be spilled fuel, but it seems to be too neatly around the rims of the wheels. The decks generally appear to be fully aflame, rather than in a localized spots as we have now. They also generally seem to be taller than we have now. The second tank is particularly spectacular, and I would guess it was hit more recently than the others.

Of course, these were killed by air-strikes, and fires may be substantially different when killed by other weapons.

Tanks start at 1:22

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201132681812362552.html

[Magpie_Oz]

Yes the flames from the hatches would be the ammo and "other" combustibles from inside. The rear decks will be the flames from the engine.

The tracks themselves often have rubber inserts and the road wheels usually have a rubber rim as well that would be what you see burning.

I am not sure if a tank would brew up differently depending on the weapon, an internal fire from what ever cause should be pretty much the same.

Those massive flames in the video on the first tank look very much like the propellant from the main gun rounds burning and also maybe some metal, like aluminium or magnesium.

I am not 100% sure how these tanks are being destroyed. Even the smartest of smart bombs would be doing well to hit a tank direct (JDAM CEP 10m) but I have a feeling the bombs may be proximity fused to explode above the tank and send fragments down through the thinner upper armour. If that is the case it would be a series of penetrations not unlike an AT round rather than a single colossal wallop of a 500lb bomb direct hit.

Maybe someone else in here can confirm but I would think a direct hit with a bomb would blow the tank apart and leave a crater as well ?

[hcrof]

I believe the weapon used early on in the video from the plane was Brimstone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brimstone_(missile).

Basically like a Hellfire but can be launched from a fast jet - very accurate and not likely to create a big crater.

A JDAM would leave a huge crater and probably flip the tank if it landed near enough - you would certainly know it was a big bomb!

[MG TOW]

good little video, hope somebody does a skin mod in CMSF portraying the rebel soldiers wearing the bright lime traffic vests.

[LongLeftFlank]

Yes, it's a pity they can't find a way to model that dramatic plume of oily smoke and flame billowing out the side of the wreck and then drifting away. I'm not an expert on thermodynamics, but I believe the oxygen being sucked into the blaze basically creates its own "breeze" at ground level, causing the plume to move sideways before starting to pillar.

As the fire subsides (after the battle), it will start to look more like the graphic shown.

This is mainly eye candy of course, and I can live without it (although one might argue that it would enhance the concealment effect of the smoke). I greatly appreciate the addition of cook-offs!

What I would love is to have a building fire as placeable terrain, although I understand why it isn't in; pyromaniac players would then demand fire spreading rules, etc. etc.

I guess one might improvise same by creating an invisible vehicle, placing said vehicle as a burning wreck and then placing a modded building (scorched, windowless) on top of it.

[panzermartin]

+1. The "candle light" burning effect needs a make over. I love the drifting and dispersing smoke from vehicles' self defense systems. If we can blend these two in a new fire effect, battlefield will look much more realistic.

[Alan8325]

Since flamethrower units and fire/burning effects are on the to-do list for the WWII games, hopefully this will include graphical effects that translate to improved vehicle burning effects as well.