[neoterran]

don't get started on the nebula - the exhaust from freespace engines would definately ignite gas as thick as it is portrayed.

We're not shooting for absolute scientific certainty here -  we are just trying to improve the current effects, and if we are doing so, we can make them look a little less like huge air-bound hydrocarbon explosions and more like limited space explosions.

A little artistic liscense would be okay too - a quick moving shockwave ring along with the flash would be alright i expect. I hope that our modders and graphics guys can come up with something everyone will accept.

[Pnakotus]

Shockwave rings = the suck.  I'll accept it for capships and bombs since it's from the original, but someone put rings on missiles once and it looked lame.

Also, how is a nebula going to 'ignite' when it's pretty much hydrogen?  Hydrogen combusting with... what?

[neoterran]

the super hot exhaust from the freespace engines as portrayed surely contains enough oxygen to create flamable conditions.

I'm not saying the whole nebula would go up - but as thick as the gas is shown, you might see trail effects of burning hydrogen in the wake of freespace vessels.

Actually that might even be room for another thread - that would be super cool !

And okay screw the shockwave ring then. But at least have a very bright flash. Personally i think it would look even cooler as a quick bright flash with no "explosion" sound (since there would be none in space)

[spartan_0214]

Does anyone know if there's a tech description of the propulsion systems on the fighters?

And okay screw the shockwave ring then. But at least have a very bright flash. Personally i think it would look even cooler as a quick bright flash with no "explosion" sound (since there would be none in space)

You're right, there's no sound in space, but maybe what you're hearing in game is the effects of the weapons in your ship. Or it could be that the computer system puts in sounds so you know where NOT to fly or that you're getting shot, etc. Logistically, I could see something like that in the Freespace 'verse. Although it would be interesting to see a game without sounds in space...

[Pnakotus]

the super hot exhaust from the freespace engines as portrayed surely contains enough oxygen to create flamable conditions.

What?  Why?  Are you saying you think they're chemical rockets?  What kind of rate of flow could you possibly be looking at when fighters have hours and hours of endurance? 

I'm not saying the whole nebula would go up - but as thick as the gas is shown, you might see trail effects of burning hydrogen in the wake of freespace vessels.

And I'm saying 'why'.  Trail effects are one thing - as you say, the density of gas is ridiculous - but it's not like hydrogen + heat = fire.  This is highschool physics here.

Why the christ anyone would try and put 'lolz no sound in space' into a game like Freespace is beyond me.  I bet sound effects are way beyond the futuristic technology of the GTVA, right?  And let's change the game not to be 'better' or 'more Freespacey' but to be more 'realistic'. 

[neoterran]

the super hot exhaust from the freespace engines as portrayed surely contains enough oxygen to create flamable conditions.

What?  Why?  Are you saying you think they're chemical rockets?  What kind of rate of flow could you possibly be looking at when fighters have hours and hours of endurance? 

I'm not saying the whole nebula would go up - but as thick as the gas is shown, you might see trail effects of burning hydrogen in the wake of freespace vessels.

And I'm saying 'why'.  Trail effects are one thing - as you say, the density of gas is ridiculous - but it's not like hydrogen + heat = fire.  This is highschool physics here.

Why the christ anyone would try and put 'lolz no sound in space' into a game like Freespace is beyond me.  I bet sound effects are way beyond the futuristic technology of the GTVA, right?  And let's change the game not to be 'better' or 'more Freespacey' but to be more 'realistic'. 

well, that isn't the main focus of the thread, so kindly please refrain from trying to derail it with quibbles over physics and realism. I just want to see some new explosions. If they happen to look more realistic, that's a bonus.

[Pnakotus]

Let's see.  You say 'let's have x because it's realistic and neat'.  It is not realistic.  When this is pointed out, you say 'na uh it is' and then 'lol zomg don't hijack!!!!111'.  Fantastic.    Everyone agrees new explosions are needed, and they'll almost certainly be the petrol-can type already seen in the game.  Don't get upset at me because you're wrong about physics.  You even claim it 'isn't the main focus of the thread' when it's about explosions and their characteristics.  Yeah, that's waaaaaaaay off topic there buddy.

[neoterran]

Hey look at me !!!!

No thanks...

I actually went to the trouble to post a link to a website involving an explanation of how more real explosions could look. You just seem to want to go off trying to lolllerskate on how i'm all wrong on some oxygen nebula stuff. Okay you win. Now try contributing to the thread instead of showing off.

[Slime]

Just calm down, you two...

I think some realism might do good to the explosions, but they would have to be something that fits with the feel of the rest of the game. Too simple explosions wouldn't fit with the energy (not physical energy..) of FS 2 in it's current form. Well, if someone is going to try and better the explosions, be sure to show the progress here so that we can debate on it... hopefully for not all eternity.

[Flipside]

Personally, I don't give a damn whether they look 'realistic' or not, most explosions in space that have occured in human history have been air-related, which is explosive decompression, not an explosive substance igniting in some way, so we really can only make educated guesses anyway

As long as it looks good and works well with the Engine, that's what counts.

And, yeah, calm down, it's really not that important

[Herra Tohtori]

I'm not saying the whole nebula would go up - but as thick as the gas is shown, you might see trail effects of burning hydrogen in the wake of freespace vessels.

And I'm saying 'why'.  Trail effects are one thing - as you say, the density of gas is ridiculous - but it's not like hydrogen + heat = fire.  This is highschool physics here.

My point zero two monetary units here.

The nebular gas wouldn't ignite, at least hopefully... but trail effects would still be plausible. Hot things tend to glow. Spaceship engines are bound to be hot. So it would be plausible that the ships would create a slowly diffusing, softly glowing heat trail.

At least when the afterburner is on.

...oh wait.

 :

[General Battuta]

We have everything in this video clip, except the explosions.  Let's get explosions like this.

WARNING: Major Battlestar Galactica Season 3 spoilers. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awxLGua3CDA

[Zacam]

Wow. That's some seriously NICE stuff right there......

[General Battuta]

There's more, too.

Shows off some beautiful weapon effects and more explosions.  I really think we should have explosions in this style.

More Galactica spoilers, from just a few minutes earlier than that last clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUhC8VkoDa8&mode=related&search=

I'd post more, but at that point it'd just be taking this thread off-topic. 

[Zacam]

It's a good thing I have a spill proof keyboard, cuz I always drool at that point.

TO be more on topic, I'm sure there some sort of way to use a render program to create particle effects. (Kinda like what an 8800 GTX ships with. *wimper* )

EFF would be straight out I think, but what about an EFF-like thing made with good quality DDS files? (something that containers the framing file and DDS files instead of having 9 million loose DDS files.)

[Herra Tohtori]

How about thing called "VP"?

[neoterran]

LOL !

[Zacam]

Yeah, and that works for anybody not trying to manage to content of said vp.

[Herra Tohtori]

True. But for end-users, it works fine. And what comes to developers... Just keep the stuff for different effects in separate mod folders and activate them as needed.

[taylor]

Back on the primary topic ...

So, is anyone actually going to volunteer to do some new explosions?

After converting the ones linked in the first post to EFF, and making them run much faster than what the current explosions, it's almost unbelievable how much it improves the general game look.  It would be nice to have some official that we can use.