[JGZinv]

Just an idea I had...

Could it be possible to simulate rain, either in a nebula or elseware within
the FSO engine?

Mod some function... hack together... etc.

...and no I don't care if real "rain" as we know it is possible in space.
I can make up reasons it can be there.

Discuss?

[Rodo]

I would prove to be a valuable addition to those mods that take place on planetary surface, that's for sure.

[Solatar]

Make a weapon whose effect looks like rain. Then create a sexp in mission to "create weapon". Have the XYZ coordinates of the originating point be a random area in a large space. Set a very high repeat count and you should have weapons all flying in one direction coming from a random location (you can set them to all point the same direction).

I don't remember the exact syntax offhand, but that's the general technique. I used that technique a few years back to try and simulate planetary defense guns (it didn't really look like them...looked more like rain, lol)

Hope this helps.

[Snail]

Make a weapon whose effect looks like rain. Then create a sexp in mission to "create weapon". Have the XYZ coordinates of the originating point be a random area in a large space. Set a very high repeat count and you should have weapons all flying in one direction coming from a random location (you can set them to all point the same direction).

That would almost definitely hit the ceiling for the maximum number of projectiles in-mission. Bad idea.

[Galemp]

Nebula poof with an animated rain texture? Plus lightning?

[DaBrain]

Not a bad idea. I had the same idea for a snow storm... but the nebula pofs are rotated randomly and the follow the player's rotation.

[Herra Tohtori]

The only thing I can think of is particles that translate to same direction (down), but I don't know how much of a stress it would be for CPU/GPU to deal with it.

The particle filesize itself wouldn't need to be big at all; for rain, you would probably go far with a 1*8 pixels long gray line (fading to transparent on one end) that aligns itself based on the combined vector angle of itself falling down and the viewpoint's velocity. Snow, similar but instead it could be a 4*4 blurred white dot falling slower.

Combined with a nebula system-based haze, it could work reasonably well... provided that the game doesn't choke on the number of particles required.

[Solatar]

Make a weapon whose effect looks like rain. Then create a sexp in mission to "create weapon". Have the XYZ coordinates of the originating point be a random area in a large space. Set a very high repeat count and you should have weapons all flying in one direction coming from a random location (you can set them to all point the same direction).

That would almost definitely hit the ceiling for the maximum number of projectiles in-mission. Bad idea.

You're probably right under further inspection. It works fairly well, but in order to create the amount of projectiles for RAIN it'd break.

[Snail]

It would work for one of those epic one-on-one dogfights but not for large battles.

[JGZinv]

From a player perspective, you don't need rain all over the map.
Just in the view of the player. Perhaps that would reduce your load....

[Herra Tohtori]

How about tweaking the motion debris system?

[Snail]

How about tweaking the motion debris system?

I think that'd be the best idea.



Though I really can't see any situation for why you'd need rain in space. It'd be better to re-implement the FS1 nebulae than do something like this, unless there's a reason behind it.

[JGZinv]

I never said it had to be in space....

There's just as much potential for it to be used in a station, with a mod that's using a planet
surface... or perhaps a chunk of ice in space is vaporized. Maybe it's for a hydroponics dome
and you get to pilot a tiny little drone around inside an deactivate a bomb...

Whatever really... like I said.. I can make reasons it exists.

[Flipside]

Animated texture on a Sphere that centres on the player ship but orients itself to the world, though that would still cause problems with 'up' and 'down' through the UV mapping...

Hmmmm...

[JGZinv]

What about the specks that fly at you normally that change direction based on which way you
are moving around? You turn left, you get the illusion of turn because the specks fly to the right.

I can't remember the proper term for it... windscreen.. particle sheer...

Variation of that?

[Droid803]

Maybe an animated texture in the skybox?
You could have transparency set and sincet he player is always locked in the center of the skybox, they'll see RAIN!

What about the specks that fly at you normally that change direction based on which way you
are moving around? You turn left, you get the illusion of turn because the specks fly to the right.

I can't remember the proper term for it... windscreen.. particle sheer...

Variation of that?

That's motion debris.

[LeGuille]

Well, as far as planetary goes, you could make a square skybox with a transparent sphere inside of it.

Or, you could do a sphere inside a sphere.

The transparent inner-background would have an animated texture of rain falling. Then you could FRED a subtitle sexp to display 'plops' of rain on the player screen at random intervals. That's the best I can think of. of work, though. Have big plops, little plops. All random small images that are animated to appear and disappear. Or you could make a giant animated 'plop' effect as to ease on the CPU/GPU.

[Snail]

The transparent inner-background would have an animated texture of rain falling. Then you could FRED a subtitle sexp to display 'plops' of rain on the player screen at random intervals. That's the best I can think of. of work, though. Have big plops, little plops. All random small images that are animated to appear and disappear. Or you could make a giant animated 'plop' effect as to ease on the CPU/GPU.

That actually sounds pretty feasible.

[Nuke]

use the new draw model feature in scripting. then model an invisible cube with a raindrop sprite as a glow point.

[Bobboau]

the best idea I've heard so far is to modify the motion debris.