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[WxTech]

A long time complaint concerns the way trees are so obvious when popping into visibility. This is visually jarring. And game engine limits to draw distance ensure that the visibility horizon remains fairly close, at which distance the tree has some size on screen, particularly when the FOV is not wide. I've wrestled with this for tens of hours, and have found a means to reduce the visual prominence of trees at larger view distance. Actuall two means, each different for the type of tree concerned.

One type is the so called 'auto pop-up' which graphic is defined by a map's load.ini line,

Tree0 = AlteredBush8a.tga              (for example)

The generation of these trees is entirely controlled by game engine code. I've found that by adjusting the balance between black and white in the alpha channel of the .tga one can control the degree to which the tree it makes gets 'fleshed out' with foliage. In this way distant trees can be made effectively smaller and hence less jarringly obvious when popping into and out of visibility.

The other tree type is the user-placeable object of a line of five. On the default maps at least, these trees typically well populate towns and cities. Here we have more scope for adjusting via the .msh and .mat files. I've added a fourth LOD at the distant end which makes the trees partially transparent. This provides a 'buffer zone' in which trees near the visibility limit are somewhat faded into the scene. But more important is the enabling of the tfBlend parameter in the .mat file, as this softens trees at all ranges.


An example of summer auto-pop trees, which have a more organic appearance instead of the massively filled out, tidily manicured puffballs.







A winter scene showing the Line-of-5-each trees fading into the distance.






Note: The auto pop-up trees change in appearance requires the game be set to Perfect graphics, not Excellent. This is because this mode uses the 4-panel .tga (for more variety in trees), not the single-panel image (boring lack of variety). The line-of-5 trees has no such restriction. But everyone is in Perfect mode, right? I know I've not done otherwise since FB, a decade ago, on less capable hardware.

The download link:

https://www.mediafire.com/?mccghstd0lnae35

[SAS~Malone]

that sure looks good, mate - will try it out this evening, thanks!

[Uufflakke]

For me personally it is too much of a sacrifice to go back to 512x512 size textures for random trees since I have detailed 2048x2048 size ones.

Perhaps in the (near) future the final solution will pop up.

[Mick]

Perhaps in the (near) future the final solution will pop up.

 

[WxTech]

I was afraid that the advent of massive textures might be an issue for some.

If you're specifying the *true* random trees, and not the line-of-5 which are available as an object for the user to place...

Well, all you have to do is see about bringing down the average brightness of the alpha channel, in small steps, until you achieve the desired smallness of trees out in the distance. In Photoshop, simply highlight the alpha channel, hit CTL-a to select all, and then CTL-u to bring up the hue/saturation/lightness dialog. Move the lightness slider about -5 steps to the left), save the image, and load a map in the FMB to see if any change has resulted. Repeat as necessary.

To check on the action of the 4 individual tree types made for the 4 panels in the AlteredBush8aTL.tga, make a temporary version with strong, unique colors (red, blue, yellow and purple, for example) assigned to each panel. The 'rainbow' of trees so built will let you easily keep track of each panel. In this way you can individually darken/lighten the alpha channel by panel, achieving a good balance in action on all four types.

One important note: If at any point you must brighten an alpha channel, do not let the surrounding black area get brighter than zero. If it does, you might get unwanted bleed outside your tree.

It really is that simple!

If not confident/outfitted to do it yourself, see if another user of those big graphics is equipped and willing to tackle it. I think it's worth the trouble...


Now, for the line-of-5 tree groups, you can get some ways toward a better appearance by simply altering the two parameters in the .mat file that I've pointed out in the readme. This should at least make those trees appear as 'softer' in the distance.


Don't be so ready to throw your hands up in the air just because you have better images. The approach will he the same. Ve haf vays to make ze tree better, ja?

[Forager]

Thank You

[lowfighter]

Thanks for this, it's a nice idea!
I will test as soon as my pc comes back from repairing shop.

[WxTech]

On mulling over the use of 2048 pixel .tga's for trees...

Is this at all necessary from a game play perspective? Pretty pics at the hardstand, sure. But flying and fighting?

I look at trees the way I make my fishing flies. Suggestive, not precise simulacra. A low resolution representation of a natural, almost fractal, organic thing like a tree is quite effective. The image sizes originally supplied are what I've been working with. But I suppose if I had played around with high rez versions I'd quickly be spoiled.

With frame rate performance being a high priority, though, perhaps I shouldn't let myself be tempted to go the big image route...

[Hubberranz]

Splendid work ! Thanks for posting. 

[Fresco23]

cool cool mod! but I cant convince my rig to run perfect 

[WxTech]

Immediately after releasing this I learned that the game supports Forest=3 and 4 in conf.ini. I've only ever set this to 2. It appears that after setting Forest=4, one must set conf.ini to Read Only. I've been doing some testing and tweaking of the auto pop-trees in this mode, and will soon make available an update to support this mode as well. It will be posted in the top post of this thread.

What Forest=4 does is replace all the line-of-5 trees (most being in towns) with the same auto pop-up trees found in the countryside. Specifically, the the trees used in the towns are the top two in the 4-panel image. The countrysude trees are all the same 4, as usual.

Where the new problem arises--in my view--is on winter maps. The pop-up trees by default are too 'leafy', being as bulky as in summer. I re-worked the .tga so as to reduce this as much as possible, consistent with still seeing something out to near the visibility limit. This means the trees are still too 'bushy' at close range, but this is unavoidable if there is to be more than a simple stick at ~100m and greater distance.

In any event, the size of trees (more particularly, the 3 deciduous types) at pop up are quite small and hence not so glaringly apparent.

Stay tuned...

[WxTech]

fresco,
Is it a hardware limitation which restricts you to sub-Perfect graphics? My previous computer could handle it, and it was purchased in early 2004.