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[WxTech]

To obtain a longer lived ground smoke from bomb blast against land or objects
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This applies to my v1.6 effects pack, but also will be useful if you're still using v1.5.

For that matter, any effect which you can determine as controlling the element for which you desire a change in the live time will be dealt with similarly. But note that other parameters will usually play some role in the final result, and could require to alter those as well if the new behaviour is to remain sensible.

Here I identify the one effect that involves little or no consideration of another parameter by which to obtain a notably longer-lived 'main' cloud of dust/smoke for explosions against land and objects For all the explosion 'classes'; 10Kg, RS82, Bomb250 and Bomb1000.

(The really big explosions for, e.g., 5,000 kg monsters, is set in the 5 similarly-named effects:
3do\Effects\Fireworks\FAB-1000(*).eff. They're probably suitably long-lasting already.)


My explosion effects already generally last longer than they do the stock effects (in 4.12 at least, and upon which B.A.T. is based). In the main, I have striven for a balance between realism and the game engine limits. Too many longer-lasting effect particles can add up to enough that will surpass those limits and cause whole blocks of effects to momentarily disappear or flicker.

If you desire that the larger component of the cloud of dust/smoke for bomb blasts on land or against objects hang about for longer, the main change to make is a single line entry in a single effect among the several effects for the class of explosion under consideration. Increasing the live time for just one of the effects should not be too likely to cause problems.

Look in Effects\Explodes\, navigate to the folders/effect files listed below, and alter the LiveTime value to taste. Below I show the current values in all relevant effects, these numbers being the number of seconds a given effect particle lasts until disappearance.

If after boosting the live time VertAccel is found to causes the smoke to settle too much, it can be adjusted by a small amount in order to reduce the settling. I think there will be only very few cases where this might be warranted, and only if you are rather finicky. Where VertAccel is non zero, I list its current value as well. This parameter is the basic acceleration in the vertical, as meters per second squared. A value of -9.8 would replicate the gravitational rate, where negative is downward. Note that the actual vertical velocity will reach a terminal limit after some amount of time, as determined by a non-zero value for GasResist. If GasResist is larger than zero, there will be a braking effect, operating more rapidly as GasResist increases. GasResist of zero sets no such braking, and the particle will accelerate without any retardation, and if given an initial impulse as set by EmitVelocity, will continue on at the initial speed (added to by VertAccel).

When making a change, don't simply alter the original value. Keep the original value by writing a "//" in front of it, with your new value preceding that. Anything following "//" or ";" characters is treated as a comment and is not parsed by the game as valid data. In this way you can easily go back to the original, or just have it there as a reminder of where it started out if you continue tweaking. For example,

  LiveTime 10
could become
  LiveTime 15  //10

After further refinement you might end up with
  LiveTime 13  //15  //10
showing the evolution of your experiments

Incidentally, any parameter having a pair of values sets a range within which the parameter may be set, either as a random assignment or as a start/end range. For instance EmitVelocity will have any one of the effect particles be randomly given a velocity somewhere between the min and max as defined. Size sets the particle size to smoothly vary from the 1st to the 2nd value as it evolves from the moment of creation to the time of disappearance.

As a first stab at a new longer live time, try something like a 50% increase (e.g., 1.5X longer.) Don't alter VertAccel unless you can see the smoke settle downward more than you would like. If you do make an alteration, don't make as large a fractional change as done for LiveTime. For instance, if LiveTime were even to be doubled, VertAccel of -0.6 could be decreased in magnitude to, say, -0.5 or -0.4. Going to -0.3 might be too large a change due to the cumulative effect of an acceleration.



Bomb250\Land\Base.eff
  LiveTime 16
  VertAccel -0.4

Bomb250\Land_2\Base.eff
  LiveTime 14
  VertAccel -0.3

Bomb250\Land_dig_in_2\Burn_Fog.eff
  LiveTime 10

Bomb250\Object\Base.eff
  LiveTime 10



Bomb1000\Land\Base.eff
  LiveTime 24
  VertAccel -0.6

Bomb1000\Land_2\Base.eff
  LiveTime 20
  VertAccel -0.6

Bomb1000\Land_dig_in_2\Base.eff
  LiveTime 14
  VertAccel -0.4

Bomb1000\Object\Base.eff
  LiveTime 20



RS82\Land\Burn_Fog.eff
  LiveTime 7
  VertAccel -0.5

RS82\Land_2\Burn_Fog.eff
  LiveTime 7

RS82\Land_dig_in\Burn_Fog.eff
  LiveTime 7
  VertAccel -0.5

RS82\Land_dig_in_2\Base.eff
  LiveTime 7
  VertAccel -3

RS82\Object\Smoke.eff
  LiveTime 6



Explode10Kg\Land\Spray.eff
  LiveTime 6

Explode10Kg\Object\Smoke.eff
  LiveTime 4

[RABIZO]

"Glenn", I feel very happy.

I'll try some numbers.
Thanks for your "published material".

[RABIZO]

I have a question.

Japanese bombers carry a small amount of bombs, often carrying only a few 100kg bombs.

Do you have a file to change the settings of the 100kg bomb?

[WxTech]

The effects selected for any particular ordnance depends on the Power value in that weapon's class. For a 100kg bomb this would likely be the effects in the Bomb250 folder. But it's possible, I suppose, that it could use the RS82 folder's effects if the Power value is small enough.

Drop some 250kg bombs, noting the effects invoked. Then fire some small or mid-sized rockets into the ground and note those effects. Your 100kg bombs will use one or the other.

Incidentally, bigger guns will use the 10kg, RS82 and Bomb250 effects, again depending on the Power value set in the weapon's class.

This somewhat coarse division of explosive effects is a long established legacy of the game.

I suppose I could compile a list of which weapon uses what effect folder...

[RABIZO]

Thank you.

I would like to change the numbers and try it.

I'm looking forward to making the next video.
I had to think of my next story.