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[Stainless]

I am now off work until next year, lot's of holiday to use. So I have decided to create one whole module of the game.

This is the high level weather system.

I want you guys to get involved with the design, yell at me if you hate it, let me know if you like it.

The high level design is this.

1. Add local maxima : minima

  Either randomly, or manually at the mission design stage, add some high pressure zones and low pressure zones.



2. Join local minima

  Join the low pressure zones with lines, these will represent the warm/cold weather fronts.



3. Iterate along the lines

   Walk along the lines using the local high pressure zones as control points. Take the influence of all high pressure zones as a force to move the point.



4. Add occluded front

   Draw a line at 90 degrees from the start segment of the above generated line



5. Apply Coriolis effect
 
   Adjust the line based on the distance from the start. Modify slightly based on high pressure systems





We now have a fairly good approximation of a real world weather system which we can use to generate local weather conditions.


6. Move local maxima : minima

  Weather doesn't stay constant and in a normal mission the weather has plenty of time to change. So let's enable that. Apply velocities to local maxima and minima and regenerate.



So that's my design.

Feedback please

[SAS~Malone]

from a layman's perspective, it all looks pretty fancy...
looks like you're on a good path, for sure....

[Stainless]

I've tried doing physics based systems before, but they just take tooooooooo loooonnnggg   to run.

Even doing the whole thing in shaders, 15 - 20 seconds was common.

So this is an attempt to get weather that FEELS correct for the player without chunking game performance.

[Plowshare]

Stainless:

Just some thoughts:

Are we going to be able to micro-manage local weather? For instance, a series of open fields may give hot spots that make thermals that lead to turbulence. Or, here in the Niagara Peninsula, we have two Great Lakes - Ontario and Erie - that affect the weather quite drastically especially around this time of the year and the spring.

Will we be able to have drastic cold fronts that lead to wind shear? That would make flying a challenge!

I particularly like the moving pressure areas; this would add so much to the immersion and would really require us, as pilots, to be aware of the changes in wind speed and direction as we navigate across long distances.

Off the weather: Are we going to be able have maps as large as the one you show in your example???

Bob

[Stainless]

I intend to allow you to define local weather variations.

I haven't quite tied down the details yet, but in short.

• Wind shear                            :   Yes
• Terrain induced air movements :   Yes
• Icing                                     :   Yes

I intend the maps to be as large as you want. I want to be able to have around the world trips.

[Plowshare]

Stainless:

Ahh, man. If you can pull this off watch your back - MS, or rather Steam now, will put a contract out on you 'cause you'll make Flight Simulator X obsolete. And all those mods for FSX that you have to pay for now will be worthless.

Bob.

[Stainless]

Microsoft have asked me to come to the dark side a couple of times, I have resisted and stayed in the light. 

I did go to the Reading (England) office once, but didn't make it past the reception area. They had a massive video wall showing Gates talking rubbish. Couldn't take it. Walked out.

[Mick]

Jeez, Stainless ...! 

This is a hell of a project ...! 

Dynamic weather has been missing since the very start, but of course this is logical regarding the CPU load (IL2 was designed in 1999/2000) ...

Maybe you've heard about Checkyersix's C&C effects mod that includes this:

9- Weather
•   RandomWeather
•   DynamicWeather
•   StormFront

https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,35826.msg391645.html#msg391645  <=== 4.09 version

https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,26654.0.html  <=== original version

Have a nice time during your holidays ... 

 

[Koty]

What about multilayer clouds? For example stormclouds can make two layers - one at bottom, one at top with "pillars" of original clouds. (But that is highly complex, connected with thermals and such... then stratospheric clouds, fog...

[Uzin]

Reading about this project I feel myself like an inch -tall dwarf ...

[Stainless]

What about multilayer clouds? For example stormclouds can make two layers - one at bottom, one at top with "pillars" of original clouds. (But that is highly complex, connected with thermals and such... then stratospheric clouds, fog...

Yes to all .... evntually 

[hello]

Remember Icarus, be carefull not to fly too high, those winds may blow you too close to the sun!