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Mod Release CannonFX 3.0

Merciless Mark

Merciless Mark

Build mod - Master Gunner
Storm Modder
Felt that this little update I'm working on deserves its own thread!

Now I should warn well ahead of time that this update might not be for everyone.
My system has a Core i5-2500k Quad Core CPU overclocked to 4GHz and an Nvidia GeForce 660ti powering it along with 8gb's of 1600mhz DDR3 RAM.
Allthough the 660ti is considered a midrange card, but is more on par with a 2011 top end card.

I will fill everyone in on more in a few hours, but for the time being here are some teasers of what is to come. :)
CannonFXteaser1.jpg
CannonFXteaser2.jpg
CannonFXteaser3.jpg
 
That green smoke is in all of the screenies. I never noticed it with my Nvidia cards, but it was a feature with Nvidia and some DX7 games. Maybe the latest drivers no longer have full support for DX8.

Most of the regulars don't have DX11 hardware so will have trouble with this. Probably only Modern Knight has better hardware than you.
AMD FX8350 @ 4.4 ghz
16gb 1600mhz ram
AMD HD 6950 @ 880 mhz
 
DirectX 11 is has nothing to do with anything, as its only a DX8 game.

But yeah, for some reason particles seem to be rendered with a green tint for me, especially when they begin to fade. =/
Even flames are rendered greenish.
 
What I was trying to say is that many players do not have true gaming systems and this might drag them down, so it should be optional. Most players seem to be on laptops.
 
i am personnally on one of the heaviest computer of end 2012 so i will have no problem with it ^^ but thats true we must think about everyone ;)
 
Like I said in my original post, it might not be for everyone. ;)

Also solved the "green problem"

For some reason "this" was in my Build install's engine.ini: D3DFMT_R5G6B5
Changed it to D3DFMT_X8R8G8B8 and everything renders properly again, and does not look grainy either.
 
Allright, changing that renderer in the engine.ini solved A LOT of problems.

I now no longer have any slowdowns whatsoever when putting my camera in the middle of a smoke cloud.
The Green tint from everything is gone AND the game no longer crashes at all during artillery battles! Yay!

So here are some fresh new teaser pictures in all their glory. :)
CannonFXteaser1.jpg
CannonFXteaser2.jpg
CannonFXteaser3.jpg
CannonFXteaser4.jpg
 
Ah, you put it back to standard. It has been so long since I messed with that that I no longer remember why it needed to be changed. On another note the fps in the 1st screenie is 60 and it is 120 in the others. In full screen the fps is capped at 60 and in windowed mode it is free to roam, making so many screenies at 120fps unlikely. So, how did you do dat?

The smoke looks more like the smoke in COAS there.
 
Ah that be because I took the screenshots from playing back the raw video, so its actually the media player lol.
But I do get a consistent 60 fps.

Like COAS? Maybe I inspired them lol, my cannon effects have after all been in the build mod since like 05 or 06.
Just revisiting them and perfecting them now that I have a more powerful machine.
 
Heads up! Here comes some gameplay footage of CannonFX 3.0!


Some of the key things I have done here is given the cannon smoke a new more realistic texture set, since the old and original version was pure white like water vapour lol.
I have also adjusted the speed of the smoke so the momentum carries it more fluidly after the initial discharge without the abrupt deceleration.
And I have given the smoke particles a bit more of a dynamic spin, to try and capture the force and chaotic nature of it exiting the barrel.
I have also reduced the delay that existed between the flash of the cannon and the ejection of smoke in order to synchronize them.
Because in real life there exists no such delay, all the hot gases are ejected simultaneously from the barrel once the projectile clears the muzzle.
 
That looks like it might work out ok with the smoke moving farther away from the ship. Now if only more battles happened in wind conditions of more than butterfly wings.
 
That looks pretty great! :woot

Are you making this the new up and fancy Setting #3 and changing the old #3 setting to the #2 value?
That way if people do have performance issues with your new version, they can easily switch down to the previous version.
 
Done, pasted in the old particles from the build and renamed the new enhanced ones to MMcancloud :)

Like so, yes?
Code: 
        {
            //CreateParticleSystem("cancloud", fX, fY, fZ, -fHeightAng, fDirAng, 0.0, 12); // cannon smoke 100% redone by Merciless Mark
            // NK change the names to KNBcancloud*
            CreateParticleSystem("canfire", fX, fY, fZ, -fHeightAng, fDirAng, 0.0, 1); // per Mehrunes's original idea, redone completely by Merciless Mark
            AIBalls.GreekFire = false;
 
            // Erwin Lindemann -->
            switch (USE_PARTICLES)    // Switch smoke quantity according to advanced options for particles
            {
                case 0: // None (Stock POTC, less smoke)
                    PostEvent("CreateParticleSystemPost", 200, "sffffffl", "cancloud", fX, fY, fZ, -fHeightAng, fDirAng, 0.0, 20);
                break;
                case 1: // Few
                    PostEvent("CreateParticleSystemPost", 200, "sffffffl", "KNBcancloud", fX, fY, fZ, -fHeightAng, fDirAng, 0.0, 20);
                    PostEvent("CreateParticleSystemPost", 200, "sffffffl", "KNBcancloud2", fX, fY, fZ, -fHeightAng, fDirAng, 0.0, 20);
                break;
                case 2: // Full
                    PostEvent("CreateParticleSystemPost", 50, "sffffffl", "MMcancloud", fX, fY, fZ, -fHeightAng, fDirAng, 0.0, 20); // Post delay reduced to synchronize the fire and smoke better
                    PostEvent("CreateParticleSystemPost", 60, "sffffffl", "MMcancloud2", fX, fY, fZ, -fHeightAng, fDirAng, 0.0, 20); // Dirty smoke
                break;
            }

Also did the same for the wood splinters used by Setting 3(default) on the damage effects.
So strangely enough the lesser Setting 2 effects are now enhanced versions(24 wood splinters instead of 6, w00t!).

Also going to be reworking the cannon fire to have a blackpowder red/orange color, as well as planning to create a new particle to spray out embers as well from the barrels. :)
 
I don't know if it can.
I just know I don't have the ability to do so as it seems to use a newer and different particle system, and I don't have the tools to edit those with.
 
CoAS' particle system is VERY different from PotC, unfortunately.

So you're making Setting 2 into your new one? Could you make your new one into Setting 3 just so we keep a logical progression of numbers?
 
Well its like this.

For the Cannon Effects, they are going as Setting 3.
The new splinter effects end up under its Setting 2, since Setting 3 is reserved for the gratuitous explosions, planks, barrels and crew flying everywhere.
 
CannonFXembers1.jpg
CannonFXembers2.jpg
And here we go, reworked the cannon flames a bit to a more realistic red/orange instead of the unrealistic and kinda cartoony yelllow/orange.
Also, pay close attention(be sure to click for full size) to the powder embers trailing out of the barrels after a volley.
Nothing that you will notice in the grand scheme of things, but a nice detail when your up close and personal. :)
 
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