Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Why485 on June 27, 2009, 10:30:25 am

Title: Constant engine trails?
Post by: Why485 on June 27, 2009, 10:30:25 am

Is it possible to have an effect like the Afterburner trails play on top of all engines at all times? I'm looking to create an effect similar to Freelancer and Homeworld with their constant engine trails.

(http://media.moddb.com/images/mods/1/13/12064/itanocircus024.jpg)

Title: Re: Constant engine trails?
Post by: Snail on June 27, 2009, 10:50:14 am

Could probably be done with contrails.

Title: Re: Constant engine trails?
Post by: Dragon on June 27, 2009, 10:59:50 am

You brought back some of my best memories with this screenshot.  :)
I agree that it can be done with contrails ,fairly easly I would say.
Just set contrails at the same location as thruster glows ,then enable them it FRED (just like for nebula missions).
You can easly manipulate the lenght of trail ,just change "spew time" in table.
http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Ships.tbl#.24Trail:
This wiki entry should also help you.

In fact ,I have already done such thing ,though it was related to contrails forming in atmosphere.
I'm attaching some screenshot's of how does it looks.

[attachment deleted by MSC

Title: Re: Constant engine trails?
Post by: Snail on June 27, 2009, 11:08:54 am

Yep, that's good.

Title: Re: Constant engine trails?
Post by: Dragon on June 27, 2009, 11:15:55 am

You may want to look at BtRL for trail bitmaps ,some of them look like ones on this screenshot.
Also ,welcome to HLP.  :)
(someone should now post a beam graphic with welcoming sign)

Title: Re: Constant engine trails?
Post by: Why485 on June 27, 2009, 01:56:08 pm

Thank you all for the quick replies. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go the manual contrail placing route, but that seems to be the way to go. What is the easiest way to get the locations for the engines without the obvious trial and error placement?

The Afterburner trails automatically know where the engines are placed, how do they know that? Is it possible to modify the afterburner trails in some way so they are always enabled?

Title: Re: Constant engine trails?
Post by: Snail on June 27, 2009, 02:11:27 pm

Just open the .POF with PCS2 or ModelView32 and see the coordinates of the thrusters. Copy that...

Title: Re: Constant engine trails?
Post by: Angelus on June 27, 2009, 02:14:15 pm

Quote from: Why485 on June 27, 2009, 01:56:08 pm

Thank you all for the quick replies. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go the manual contrail placing route, but that seems to be the way to go. What is the easiest way to get the locations for the engines without the obvious trial and error placement?

The Afterburner trails automatically know where the engines are placed, how do they know that? Is it possible to modify the afterburner trails in some way so they are always enabled?

The engines are defines in PCS2 as you can see here on the pic.
The game uses the coordinates of the thruster points for the afterburner.
Just copy the coords and your fine.

(http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/uu258/_Angelus_/Engines.jpg)




EDIT: Snail was faster.

Title: Re: Constant engine trails?
Post by: shiv on June 28, 2009, 02:34:13 am

I suppose you're aiming to get effect like this:

(http://www.sectorgame.com/apocalypse/misc/screen0033.jpg)

Or in motion like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyvdcaYBgqk