It's be very useful if muzzleflash supported 3 different types:
1- beam-glow style. This would generate a kind of flash similar to the beamglow, but not requiring any special animations that would take up memory space. If this type is selected, the table file would be able to select the diameter of the effect, the duration, the static effect that will be used (like with beamglows) and perhaps a field for some kind of radial light effect, like we have with suns. It would also be usful to have an RGB(A) field like with standard weapon effect, so one effect could be used on multiple different weapons, with different color configurations. There might also be a field for translation. If this is possible, it'd be usful sometimes for the muzzleflash to translate away from the turret firepoint. The field to control this would be a speed field. This, coupled with the duration figure would also translate into how far the effect will move away from the barrel. It would use the current turret target angle to calculate which direction the effect should translate in.
2- animated effect. This would allow an animated effect to be used as the muzzleflash, say if someone wanted a fire-like explosion eminating from the barrel. There would also be effect diameter, and translation options as with beam-glow, but RGB(A) fields would not be possible, and duration would be dictated by the animation itself.
3- Particle emination. This would allow particles to be rendered, eminating from the firepoint. Options would include what particles will be rendered (more than one are possible, and all the following fields would be setable per particle type), the size of the particles, lifetime, distance radius, source radius (so the particles could appear to be coming from the entire diameter of the barrel and not just a point-source) and another option that controls direction. It would allow the particles to be expelled spherically outwards, or perhaps into a 90 degree forward cone, or even include a negative figure, so (assuming the source radius is set something other than a point source) the particle pulse can seem to narrow as it gets away from the barrel.
It should be noted, that one, two, or all three of these types could be used all on the same weapon.
