Hard Light Productions Forums
General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: dborden on May 31, 2006, 09:03:45 am
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I saw a recent post with screenshots of a bunch of the advanced affects and WOW are they cool. However I am not seeing them in my game. I've been playing FS1 port, FS2 SCP, SAH, Inferno R1 and have yet to see most of these affects.
I have an mv-advaffects.vp file in my mediavps folder but it must not be using these affects. I looked all through the launcher and don't see any button to enable them. Is it a custom switch I have to add in? Can someone help me enable these? I have a ATI Radeon X1300 256MB, 2 Ghz intel processory and 2 GB memory so I should be ok with hardware.
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Ensure you're using the latest release, the version number of which i'm sure someone will tell us.
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Your referring to the .exe that you select right? I am using the 4/29 Kara Release build. So there is nothing manual that I need to do or configure to actually turn it on other than put the mv-advaffects.vp file in the mediavps folder with the other vps?
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Ummm. If they are in the same folder as the rest of your media VPs the only possibilities are
a) The VP is corrupt
b) You're not using the mediavps folder in the first place.
Are you running FS2_open with mediavps as your chosen mod?
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I am using ShivanSPS1.8 installer. I only have one mediavps folder and it is selected as the mod. Maybe I am just not looking close enough and they are the advanced affects. Those screenshots just looked really cool compared to what I remember seeing when playing the game. Could just be a case of the, "ship flying past me so fast I couldn't tell," i guess.
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(mv_adveffects)
* Extremely detailed Planet immages {Lightspeed}
* Animated glowmaps (GlowLTL-12.0) {Lightspeed}
* High-quality explosion textures {Lightspeed}
* High-res nebulae {Lightspeed}
* Super high-quality 3D Shockwave {DaBrain}
That's what's in adv_effects. I'm trying to think which of those would stand out the most as they are all just higher res versions of stuff already in the media VPs.
It could simply be that you're not setting up correctly. If you haven't got an ambient_factor already set in the launcher open it up, go to features and type -ambient_factor 75 into the custom flags box. That will probably do a lot to make your game look like the screenshots.
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I added a custom flag for ambiant factor. There was no flag for that listed currently. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll test it out when I get home!
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Your referring to the .exe that you select right? I am using the 4/29 Kara Release build. So there is nothing manual that I need to do or configure to actually turn it on other than put the mv-advaffects.vp file in the mediavps folder with the other vps?
Get the 5/17 Kara build.
Get it here (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,39842.0.html)
If you are using the 3.6.8 Zetas (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,39905.0.html), then you NEED this!!
I'm shocked and appaled that no one else posted this.
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remember that in my pack the ADV effects are disabled (the mv_adveffect file is in //mediavps/mv_adveffects/mv_adveffects.vp) you have to move the .vp to the Mediavps folder to enable it..
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@ thesizzler:
Are you sure I need the 5/17 build? I have been using 4/29 and have not recieved a single problem playing inferno R1, SAH, and FS2 SCP. Why is the 5/17 build necessary?
@ ShivanSPS
I did copy the mv-advaffects.vp from the advaffects folder to the root of mediavps as stated in your readme(some of us read it :)
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The 29th April build should run the 3.6.8 Delta and Zeta VPs perfectly well. I don't think there is any code in the newer VPs that require a bleeding edge new build.
The newer build has some extra features like env-mapping but it shouldn't be necessary to get adv_effects to work.
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Oh...
Well, umm...
uh...
nevermind...
*throws buissness cards at you
*runs away
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Just stick with the normal way of things, latest cvs with a standard fs2 install, and put all of the vp's in the main directory of fs2(not in data or anywhere else). And things work.
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*slaps S-99*
Bad. Bad advice. Putting the VPs in the main folder is just asking for trouble in so many ways. Why do you think I've spent the last year pursuading people not to do it.
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So i should make a media vp's folder? I know the media vp's work by just tossing them in the fs2 home directory :p
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That may work for you but if whoever you're advising ever wants to turn them off to check for a bug or wants to play retail or use mv_cell (which IIRC is over ridden by the other texture VPs) then they're screwed if they've followed your advise.
They'll end up coming back here and asking how to do any of those things where as before it was mostly just a case of simply selecting no mod.
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You generally turn off by removing them from the directory. And you generally keep tabs on the vp's you got otherwise you'll end up with a wierd install. Plus, i was did mention i wasn't using shivansps's fs2. I was talking about how much easier the standard fs2 scp is with media vp's. Plus no one should be messing around with mv cell unless they're using the software render(which i believe mvcell only works with that). The media vp's were designed for ease of use and simplicity, i mean go over to the scp website and you'll find the install instructions for the vp's. But i do say again i did mention i'm not using shivansps's fs2.
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You don't need to use Shivan's install to do it properly.
1. Sure you can turn off VPs by deleting them but what if you want to swap between retail and SCP. Or swap between VPs and no VPs. You'd have to open up your main folder and rename/delete/move all the media VPs.
And when you're done you've got to move them all back. As opposed to simply clicking one button in the launcher.
2. When did I ever say that you shouldn't keep tabs on the VPs you've got installed?
3. MV_Cell works perfectly well with HTL. The problem is that the files in the media VPs over ride it. (Which is exactly what I said in the first place). That's another reason to not install to the main folder.
4. The media VPs are designed for simplicity yes. And I'm simply talking about having long term ease of use as opposed to making the install easier but every day usage harder.
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Oh, c'mon. Having everything (including mediavps) in a mod folder is so the number one thing people should do more. It makes everything (aleph-2 +1) times better. I second the slap. But don't worry, S-99 - as you already know from the 3.6.8 screenie thread, I love you and your screenie-goodness. So it's ok. :p
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In that case, did like a launcher newer than 5.3 come out? Because i don't know what this one button in the launcher is for the media vp's for selective activation and deactivation. I would find such a feature useful myself when i learn more about it.
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You simply click the no mods button and you're back to retail.
If you're running a mod you simply open it's mod.ini and remove the ,mediavps bit. Both of those are far simpler than moving all the media VPs around even if the second one isn't perfect.
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Clicking the no mods button does not take me back to vanilla fs2(the no mods button is like for deactivating user campaigns, or is it because i have mediavps in fs2 home directory?). I tried it last night when i was playing the fs2 main campaign(i don't have any other campaigns right now). I assume perhaps you were talking about something that required a mod in the first place to be using the mvp's. The mod.ini part sounds useful and would definitely work for that. And i'm not talking about moving the mediavp's around, i'm talking about standard installation(fs2 main directory says the scp website). After that it's supposed to work. And it makes it easy for customizing your graphics on fs2. Drag and drop...it works(generally). Need it gone because it's too slow or you don't particularly care for it...delete it. That's simplistic and easy right there. The other hand is actually more complicated. Need to modify a file i didn't know existed until i was told, and the no mod button just turns off user campaigns.
This problem just turned into the most dumb**** argument ever. Why mention about switching back and forth from retail when the original question is how to get mvadveffects activated? Why talk about how to manage media vps when were talking about installing them in the first place? But :p since i'll get slapped for recommending how the scp website says how to install media vp's since i live in the world of impossibility and no problems :lol: More people to ***** at me anyway :lol: Here's one good piece of advice. Fs2 should have a new launcher version to come out, one that has in the features tab with a media vp list and have check boxes to check off which media vps you want active and which ones you don't. Then like everyone would be happier, this problem may not have existed, everyone would have management over the media vp's without having to delete or re add them and so on, also modification of mod.ini would be almost zilch.
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S-99, 1. Of course the no-mods button won't cancel anything if you have mod files in your main directory. 2. Yes, taylor's launcher will be coming out...um...*look at Karajorma uncertainly* this year? And it will be a rehaul.
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Clicking the no mods button does not take me back to vanilla fs2(the no mods button is like for deactivating user campaigns, or is it because i have mediavps in fs2 home directory?). I tried it last night when i was playing the fs2 main campaign(i don't have any other campaigns right now).
Hit the nail on the head with that one. If you've installed the media VPs to the main folder you lose the ability to go back to retail configuration while they are still there. As I said this is why you should install to a seperate folder.
And i'm not talking about moving the mediavp's around, i'm talking about standard installation(fs2 main directory says the scp website).
The guide on the SCP site is old. That was the way we used to recommend doing things over a year ago but after seeing the number of problems it was causing I asked if it would not be more sensible to start running the mediavps as a mod now that we had mod.ini files to make it a simple prospect. No one posted to disagree with me and pretty much everyone on the SCP seemed to think it was the right choice.
Since then you're the only person to tell me I'm wrong on this one.
After that it's supposed to work. And it makes it easy for customizing your graphics on fs2. Drag and drop...it works(generally). Need it gone because it's too slow or you don't particularly care for it...delete it. That's simplistic and easy right there.
The other hand is actually more complicated. Need to modify a file i didn't know existed until i was told, and the no mod button just turns off user campaigns.
Using the mod.ini to turn of mediavps if you need to is the correct and quickest way to do things. But nothing is stopping you from doing things your way. You simply do the same thing in the mediavps folder instead of the main FS2 one.
This problem just turned into the most dumb**** argument ever. Why mention about switching back and forth from retail when the original question is how to get mvadveffects activated? Why talk about how to manage media vps when were talking about installing them in the first place?
Cause if he follows your advice there's a good possibility he'll be back the next day asking exactly how to do that. I know full well that unlike you dBorden is using ShivanSPS's pack (v1.6 or 1.8 IIRC) so not only is your advice bad generally it's bad advice specifically for the original poster. If he follows it he'd bugger up the installation set up that ShivanSPS so carefully set up for him, render future updates uninstallable or unstable and end up with a set up where the mod tab contradicted what was actually happening (ShivanSPS's set up should have a mod.ini in the main FS2 folder stating how to activate the media VPs. This would now be completely incorrect).
But :p since i'll get slapped for recommending how the scp website says how to install media vp's since i live in the world of impossibility and no problems :lol: More people to ***** at me anyway :lol:
It's not about wanting to ***** at you. As I stated in my first post I've spent the best part of a year trying to convince people to swap to using a mediavps folder with good reason. It tends to get on my nerves when people recommend an alterative method without understanding why we abandoned it. You weren't here when we used to recommend installing to the main folder. You never saw the volume of complaints it caused.
"I can't play retail", "How do I turn the media VPs off", "The media VPs are interfering with my TBP install" That was all we used to hear and it was mostly me who ended up having to fix the problems. Excuse me if I react badly to someone whose advice would just cause problems for me further down the line.
Here's one good piece of advice. Fs2 should have a new launcher version to come out, one that has in the features tab with a media vp list and have check boxes to check off which media vps you want active and which ones you don't. Then like everyone would be happier, this problem may not have existed, everyone would have management over the media vp's without having to delete or re add them and so on, also modification of mod.ini would be almost zilch.
You want to submit a diff of how to achieve those changes in CFILE then go ahead. If not you'd better change your tone from advising to requesting.
I'm not going to comment on whether such a change would be a good idea or not. Taylor knows CFILE a lot better than I do but I will point out that the suggestion won't help one iota for people who have added the latest HTL ship or new effects to their data folder. That's basically the mistake ShivanSPS made with his first all in one pack and he was sensible enough to realise that it's better to stick everything like that in mediavps\Data (or in a VP) than it is to add it to Freespace2\Data.