[Aardwolf]

Take a smoke-screen effect from a game such as CoD4 or Counter-Strike: Source, it's essentially the same sprite, recoloured randomly at different shades of gray, and a slight randomized rotational effect applied to them.

Oh, and the AI would need to be affected by this too--if you can't see through the smoke, they shouldn't be able to either.

Would not work, at all.

Obviously the AI being blinded by it wouldn't work, and unless the particles get properly depth-sorted (which I don't think works yet) it'd look atrocious, but if that could be dealt with, I reckon the same technique could be applied in FSO (although it might of course require scripting, which JGZinv seems to be intimidated by).

[JGZinv]

u should create anothe model of the max file and add it as another ship and control it via sexps as it will then be flythrough.

This seems to be a possible idea with current engine limitations.
However, how do you result in a model which is visible but fly through and not cause the AI
to go haywire? Break the geometry?

Getting it to look good would probably be the hard part. As even when you fly into it,
you're going to notice a "shell."

(although it might of course require scripting, which JGZinv seems to be intimidated by).

Don't mistake ability for intimidation. You might be familiar with SparK who worked on a few things and was very inquisitive
around here as he was helping FringeSpace with coding. He knew LUA pretty well. He suddenly turned in his resignation recently
due to conflicts with school. Backslash far as I know does not understand LUA. So the FS project has no one to do something like this.

I myself have no previous coding experience. Just with SparK leaving, I've got a whole can of worms to deal with now in unfinished
code and things we were making progress on.

It's a matter of trying to think this out at a conceptual stage and if at all possible, using the resources at hand.
If it's strictly a code only possibility, then it'll have to be pushed off until such time another coder appears or SCP believes
it's worth trying to create as a feature/upgrade.

[The E]

This seems to be a possible idea with current engine limitations.
However, how do you result in a model which is visible but fly through and not cause the AI
to go haywire? Break the geometry?

$nocollide_this_only, or whatever the name of the tag was, is your friend.

And yeah, with this approach, unless there is lots of internal geometry in the cloud, you will have a noticeable "shell" effect.

[x3110]

The AI being blinded can work if there is a sexp to change the ai profiles mid-game.
Is there a sexp for that.(i am a very basic fredder myself) or is there going to be coz then you can just add a blinded entry in ai.tbl which can include all the normal entries but low accuracy!!
What do you think??
EDIT:Got Another idea,What if we add a sexp of player ship dist from the center of fog generator and (assuming we use a round fog generator) add just a toggle nebula sexp when the fighter enters the fog model??(we would have to add a very light nebula bitmap for this)

[Galemp]

The art of Timmon:

Why not try the same thing I did with the Karnak? Make a bunch of really big glowpoints using the nebula poof texture.

[JGZinv]

Well I said something to that affect earlier in the thread but it wasn't really discussed.

How'd that turn out for you?

[Galemp]

See for yourself. It's in the FreeSpace Port Media VPs, and if you're too lazy to open FRED, ST:R has a Karnak mission in it.

[JGZinv]

Yeah the interior of the Karnak isn't bad. Roughly looks like what Tachyon did to begin with.
Some of the glow edges are clearly visible, but might be able to tweak the look. If it's super sized too
it won't matter as much.

Probably will have to have a set of animations for the ship vents, then a set of glows either on the ship
or separate object that will be the source for the nebula-ish fog.


Question: Why is it not possible to have various shapes for glow points? I mean I know you could for
example make a graphic that had a star and then use transparency...  Having only sphere and searchlight
seems sort of like you'd need more.

[Snail]

Why not try the same thing I did with the Karnak? Make a bunch of really big glowpoints using the nebula poof texture.

So that's what you did. I was wondering how you did that but never got around to checking out the pof file. Quite genius, I do say.

[Goober5000]

Indeed.  Same exact sentiments from me.

[Quanto]

Actually, in as far as using glow points and nebula textures, I too have been considering that for a solution to a problem of my own. Where-as I'm planning on a High-Altitude atmospheric mission in my mod, that will allow the player to fly above or below the cloud line.
I've been thinking about making a number of transparent cloud textures and then using them as glow points around a non-existent ship. (A blank POF with nothing but glow-points). Has anyone ever considered this or attempted it?

[JGZinv]

Is it even possible to do that with a POF and not have the game throw a fit?
That'd be my first question.


From my observations on the Karnak, I'm thinking you're going to need sections of glow points.
Like a main cloud, outer cloud, and edge. Using more transparency as you go along... otherwise
that graphic edge is going to be very obvious.

[The E]

If it comes down to it, you could just create a simple triangle model (something like that fake Sath from retail), give it an invisible texture and the nocollide flag, and place glowpoints all around it.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that you'd have to do it like that. POFs are sort of expected to hold _some_ geometry.

[Quanto]

If it comes down to it, you could just create a simple triangle model (something like that fake Sath from retail), give it an invisible texture and the nocollide flag, and place glowpoints all around it.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that you'd have to do it like that. POFs are sort of expected to hold _some_ geometry.

Alright, that's good to know.

[Titan]

Oh... I thought you were asking how to do a rock concert in freespace.

[JGZinv]

Actually that'll be my next brain twister...

It's be a space bar on some big asteroid...  and the band name will be
either Noid's & Roids, RoidGas, or thrusterWash.

Get your tickets now.

[Scourge of Ages]

The band absolutely must be called: "Disaster Area"