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[vonOben]

Thanks for the update! 

I'll try it out shortly!

1) I was finally inspired to try my hand at Java a couple years ago by the simple system put together by Dr. Strangelove, over at IL-2 Free Modding. For a simple simian like me, I don't know if I would have taken the plunge otherwise.

Are you still using Dr. Strangelove's Java system?
It's using Jode and I recall reading some negative comments on it here. I've got it downloaded but never tried it yet.

[WxTech]

Yep, I'm using Doc's system he put together for simians like me.    It's crude, with JODE, and certainly has issues. I did try to get set up with Eclipse, following Mike's tutorials (an astonishingly convoluted process). But It didn't work out due to the time that had passed by the time I got on board, and a number of links had changed or were otherwise invalid. So I'm still stuck with the low rent 'development environment.'   

[genXgamer]

G'day Glenn

Hope it's OK to post this here.

I created a mission recently and at the 10 minute mark the airfield is bombed.
In screenshot 1 you can see multiple buildings ablaze and thick smoke wafting across the runway.
Approx. at the 20 minute mark apart from some destroyed buildings you wouldn't even know the airfield had been bombed.

The duration of the smoke seems way too short to me, only lasting 10 or so minutes.
Like to know what yourself and others think about increasing duration of smoke.

My second question, is it possible to have 2 smoke effects for a destroyed object?
For example, a hanger is bombed and produces a fire and thick black smoke (like screenshot 1) for lets say 30 minutes.
After the fire crews have got it under control a second lighter grey smoke starts, representing smoldering remains of object which in real life can last for days.

[WxTech]

Are you using v1.3? I ask because the way that smoke is hugging the ground looks more like v1.1, before I got round to implementing my scheme to universally orient effect emission vectors vertically. And in v1.3 I increased smoke generation duration. And note that there is some variability here, with a random duration being generated within a specified range.

I've not used stock effects in BAT or 4.12, and so don't know if some other factor affecting smoke duration might be in force in the stock classes. I'll have to look into this. In the meantime, are you able to conduct an experiment by disabling my mod and see what kinds of durations you get with stock effects?


As to a change in effect during the course of its generation... It's already in effect in a  are or two. The train oil car damage smoke and fire both do this. Intially there is a larger fire and denser smoke, which changes over to smaller lighter versions. This involves the invocation of a particular class/method by which to specify the timing of an event. I made use of the existing code, altering to suit. For a different type of object, such as a building, no such code exists, and it might challenge me to introunce it from scratch. As I keep saying, I'm a Java monkey. 

[genXgamer]

Hi Glenn

I have version 1.2, so not fully up to date.

There was no difference in duration between stock and your mod, both started at 10 minutes and were extinguished by the 20 minute mark.
Stock had thick black smoke rising vertically whereas yours hugged the ground but changed direction.

Was there an increase between 1.2 and 1.3?

EDIT: I see you've answered the above previously, I'll download 1.3 and test.

[genXgamer]

Hi WxTech

Installed version 1.3 and ran a number of tests, no difference.

Smoke is horizontal to ground and no change in duration of smoke.
Still only lasting 10 minutes.

I think if it could be increased to 20 or 30 minutes that would cover most scramble/intercept missions.
Enough time to tackle escorts, chase bombers and return to a base ablaze.

[WxTech]

With the smoke hugging the ground, my Explosions.class files would seem to be not read at load time. (These files are in the 'main' folder containing the effects.) It seems either the stock classfiles or those in another mod would be getting priority. Have you placed my mod nice and high in your mods folder, to ensure it gets read nice and early? 

[genXgamer]

Yep, top of the list.
Second tougher P-40 engines followed by 6 or so of your other mod folders.

[WxTech]

One way to see if my Explosions.class is in operation is to set up a couple dozen vehicles and shoot them up to see if you can get a secondary explosion. (The chance of such occurring is around one in ten to one in twenty, depending on type.) This does not apply to fuel trucks, which have their own unique effects.

If you get these secondary explosions, yet smoke still hugs the ground, then I can only be flummoxed.

Is this smoke behaviour the same for ships and objects other than buildings?

[genXgamer]

Hi WxTech

Please see the screenshots below showing smoke behavior for ships.
Ships in open water have smoke that hugs water, ones that are moored or land targets appear to be more vertical.

[WxTech]

Strange that there should be a difference between moving and motionless ships... As for the moving ones, anyway, it would seem the correct BigShipGeneric classes are not active or recognized. Do you have a BigShipGeneric classes folder present in your mods folder? And also sittiing high and pretty in the mods listing? 

[genXgamer]

All folders are present and correct version for my B.A.T. 4.2 install.
They are in the order you suggested except being alphabetical the train folder is last.
BigShipGeneric_classes is third.

Just opened mission in FMB all Japanese ships are stationary ship objects.
The reason the docked ships and land targets (aircraft) had different smoke is because DHumphrey had placed smoke type 2 object for these.