[dborden]

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.

[Colonol Dekker]

Ensure you're using the latest release, the version number of which i'm sure someone will tell us.

[dborden]

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?

[karajorma]

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?

[dborden]

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.

[karajorma]

(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.

[dborden]

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!

[Polpolion]

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

If you are using the 3.6.8 Zetas, then you NEED this!!

I'm shocked and appaled that no one else posted this.

[ShivanSpS]

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..

[dborden]

@ 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

[karajorma]

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.

[Polpolion]

Oh...

Well, umm...

uh...

nevermind...

*throws buissness cards at you
*runs away

[S-99]

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.

[karajorma]

*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.

[S-99]

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

[karajorma]

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.

[S-99]

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.

[karajorma]

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.

[aceofspades]

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. 

[S-99]

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.