[NGTM-1R]

I award you one Internet. Use it in good health.

[Polpolion]

Vasuda Prime is saved by free space! 

dohohohoho

[Klaustrophobia]

isn't the idea of a BEAM an infinite-length stream of energy?  unless the beam is diverging (i.e. cone-shaped like a flashlight beam) it WOULDN'T attenuate without interacting with something.

if you go with the beams being a stream of plasma approach, which from what i gather is NOT the general consensus, then it's already borked because the range of such a beam would be something like inches before it is completely dissapated.

[General Battuta]

MVP's have not changed beams targeting range at all. Hence it doesn't affect retail missions. If some mod missions have just so happened to use fire-beam-sexp to use a beam past its targeting range, is something I don't really think should be of any concern to MVP's. How much FSU is willing to bother themselves over trivial concerns like that, is up to them. But I think it's silly.

Mods on the other hand can easily get around it by extending beam range across the board if they want to, create custom beam weapon entry for the occasion or just keep using .10's.

Not gonna bother with this further though, what FSU does with beams is their business.

As has been pointed out, missions made with retail data should still work with the MVPs; that's what the MVPs are. Change retail data and you've become a mod.

[sigtau]

As has been pointed out, missions made with retail data should still work with the MVPs; that's what the MVPs are. Change retail data and you've become a mod.

This.

[Shivan Hunter]

If some mod retail missions have just so happened to use fire-beam-sexp...

...then there is a nonzero chance that those retail missions will become b0rked (Ravana firing on 'vettes? Sath firing at Psamtik? I don't know the distances involved, and likely those will still work correctly, but the problem is there). Honestly I don't like the idea that a mission that worked with retail and used the fire-beam sexp at a distance will also be broken. Backwards compatibility should be considered for any retail missions, not just retail [V] missions.

[Kolgena]

+1 for 30km beams.

Right now, they look like blowtorch flames. Do not want, for all the reasons stated before.

[sigtau]

+1 for 30km beams.

Right now, they look like blowtorch flames. Do not want, for all the reasons stated before.

This being why it looks funny... especially, the Shivan beams and the SSLBeam look like this.

[Bobboau]

can someone post a pic of what is causing so much controversy, it sounds like the issue is beam length, not fadeing, because the only other option from fading is having the beam abruptly end.

[MatthTheGeek]

Can people stop arguing that FS beams are real beams ? They are NOT. Stop talking about REALISM in FREESPACE, there is NONE. What are called beams in FS are just a bunch of plasma into a magnetic bottle,. Magnetic bottle that can't be maintained into space indefinitely. That's that simple.

[SypheDMar]

can someone post a pic of what is causing so much controversy, it sounds like the issue is beam length, not fadeing, because the only other option from fading is having the beam abruptly end.

This is the issue.

[Sushi]

I really like the way beam-fade looks with AAA beams. I'm less enthusiastic about it for the large beams, but it doesn't look awful in the situations I've seen (haven't checked any fire-beyond-range scenarios though).

Couldn't we just modify the code so that if the beam is firing at a target beyond its normal range, it doesn't fade until it reaches that far? That way, in the special case that we're using the "30k beam" it would stretch the full distance, but still have the fade at the end.

Regarding the other effects: I mostly like them, although I agree that the bomb flash is a bit much, especially at close range. I really, really, like the ship explosion effects these days.

[Fury]

To summarize: Fury says **** you community!

QFT

[Snail]

He does it with class though.

[NGTM-1R]

What are called beams in FS are just a bunch of plasma into a magnetic bottle,. Magnetic bottle that can't be maintained into space indefinitely. That's that simple.

I call bull****, they're referred to as photon beam cannons more than once.

[Raven2001]

I think that those fading beams only really work well (visually) when they hit a ship and go across it, kind of what happens here:


I also agree with the sentiments regarding backwards gameplay compatibility of mods.

[Wanderer]

I voted 'I detest the effect' as i considered it to have too high potential of causing old missions to work improperly. That is retail beams are of 30 km range and so should mediavp beams be as well to retain compatibility it.

That said i really like the new graphics. And i think damage attenuation would work wonders there as well with the faded graphics. But neither should be in mediavp data .

[MatthTheGeek]

^This sums up basically what I think too. Awesome to have in mods, potentially too mission-breaking to stay in the MVPs. A good solution would be to have it in a separate, optional VP ?

*MatthTheGeek has said all he had to say on this topic.

*MatthTheGeek watches from a safe distance his fellow HLPer continue to troll on this.

[BlackDove]

Holy ****, the Lucifer is dual wielding beam sabers.

No fading please.

[Zacam]

K. Time for this to have a resolution post to it.

While I like a few of the changes to the beam effects, I think the dissipation effect should be more appropriately used as an outside edge width dissipation, not as a length dissipation.

As for the length, I was going to take the stance of "if it can be confirmed to break/kill an illegal Retail beam-fire sexp, but only visually, then we will correct the visual" but then I realized reading through that nobody will find any particular stance agreeable. And since this is not a case of making everybody happy, the Retail +Range values will be restored. What is really funny here though is that at one point in time, the beam-widths that the MediaVPs are using was breaking targeting acquisition on beam usage for where it would hit, but nobody seemed to notice until Wanderer fixed it.

The "fix" for this will be supplied along with corrections to the beamglow values (any body watching an Aeolus firing off in "Kings Gambit" knows what I mean). Though, if it turns out that the beamglow matches the retail size, then the only option there (for the Aeolus, Cain/Lilith and anything else I'm not mentioning), then the idea would be a variant (same range and damage etc) with a smaller beamglow so that it doesn't get minisculed on other ships using the same weapons.

Question regarding the non-static pulse type beams though (AAAF Beams, Slasher Beams), would the effect (the existing attenuation of the graphical effect) be seen as more appropriately used on those, as opposed to the unilateral usage they have now?