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[WxTech]

In my latest working over the implementation of gear and prop effects, a couple of 'deficiencies' were found. For one, only the stock PCP runway plates are treated the same as concrete for the generation of sparks/small flames during belly landings; the other several PCP plates were overlooked due to the construction of the objects' SoftClassInnerName. I've fixed that, so now all PCP plates will cause sparks/flames with belly landings.

Another less egregious omission, of sorts, is the handling of "Sand" runway plates, which in code are to be treated like desert runway plates. But the string parsing expects the SoftClassInnerName to begin with "Sand", whereas the only 'sand' plates are "Pac_Sand", and thus overlooked.

I've decided for the moment to check for these "Pac_Sand" plates on PACIFIC maps only (they are likely used on other maps in other theatres), treating them like crushed coral. Brand new coral dust effects for prop blast, wheel dust and belly landing dust have been created.

It might be worthwhile to make brand new "Coral" plates having a rather bright white texture set (recall the bright white strip appearance on Redko's Palau map.) The Pac_Sand plates are nearer to 'desert' hue and tone, being a fairly rich, light tan. For existing PACIFIC maps having strips with these plates, they could be substituted by altering the names in the map's actors.static.

I suppose these "Pac_Sand" plates could, in the meantime, be made somewhat lighter and less saturated...

Here we have a Zero taking off, raising a goodly amount of the new 'coral' dust.

[Timex62]

I have to ask if you wouldn't save time and effort just making your own sim! Can't thank you enough.

[genXgamer]

How about the last two textures for runway plates?

https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,66136.msg724009.html#msg724009

P.S.   Love the screenshot.

[WxTech]

Shane,
I've grabbed the Coral set; is the SoftClassInnerName for the other set "Pacific_Sand"? That is, would an entry in static.ini appear as, e.g.,

[buildings.Plate$Pacific_Sand_Plate1_TaxiLong]

I can add a check for  "Pacific_Sand".

Should this plate set have assigned to it the same dust effect as used for desert plates? That would be a more yellow-tan hue, as opposed to the nearly white (slightly 'cream') color for coral dust. If you feel the paler dust is more appropriate, I can include it with coral.

Note that adding additional checks to Plate.class does not require that the objects actually be present in a game.

[genXgamer]

Hi Glenn

My mod does not include any runway plates, however a texture or Photoshop pattern was included.
Feel free to use this to create a new runway plate and give it an appropriate name.
The entries in the static are the same as their title, exactly as you've written in your example.

I assume the dust from sun bleached crushed coral would be white or close to it.
I need to chase up some of those Japanese propaganda films to see just how much dust was thrown up on takeoff.

I'm about to start a couple of runway projects/experiments so perhaps I could do a coral version.

[WxTech]

Shane,
If you could take on the coral runway plates, that would be great. If you're doing other runways, anyway.

I've grouped your Pacific_Sand plates with the coral, for the same dust treatment. I just tweaked my desert dust effects to make the hue a bit less yellow-tan, so that the difference between them and the coral dust is not quite so pronounced.

[genXgamer]

A little experiment for you to take a gander at.
Let me know if you think it has any merit and worth expanding.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/kl5uezmt9d62ooo/2Plate.7z/file

[jpten]

What if the weather is 'Rain'?

[WxTech]

What if the weather is 'Rain'?

With rain/thunder the effect is different or absent, depending on the CANOUFLAGE and the surface. I take into account whether or not the runway plate is 'concrete' (includes PCP, or steel planking.) You think this detail-oriented obsessive will overlook such obvious elements? 

[WxTech]

Shane,
I just d/l'd your experimental dirt runway. I haven't put in my game yet. As I commonly do, I first take a look at what's there. 

I see what you're doing, that being a way to avoid the annoyingly visible joins between the numerous segments that make up the old scheme. Here a single 1000m long object supplants quite a few smaller ones. On principle I like the idea. An additional reason being that it bypasses the pain of building a strip from dozens of small parts requiring careful alignment.

Now, doesn't this run the risk of the runway disappearing when the object's midpoint passes some threshold distance outside the field of view? As occurs for the Green Hell runways, for example. I guess I'll find out when I try it out in-game.

Do I presume that other larger airfield plates for taxiways are potentially in the works?

[WxTech]

Shane,
Just tried it out.

It seems that there's no issue with premature invisibility. When it's necessary to overlap, as when making a runway less than 2,000m long, the same height causes what Storebror calls "Z fighting"   , where the overlapped polygons flicker back and forth as each is given primacy for visibility.

This suggests an approach where the object could be treated as follows:
- Make it 500m long, and not 1,000m. Or at least make it as short as the shortest envisioned length; there are real world strips <1km long.)
- Perhaps (?) give both ends the same rounded shape, so that it can be a full runway in its own right. With overlap occurring anyway, the more 'ragged' end blends better.
- Two versions are created, where one has a slightly higher height. For viewing at or near ground level, one centimeter should be well sufficient.

This approach should permit to make runways of any desired length from 500m on up. A strip intended to be, say, 1,300m long, would be comprised of 3 objects, with the low object at the centre and the higher object at each end, with of course a bit of overlap.

[WxTech]

Shane,
Additional notes:

- Unlike the smaller plate objects, these larger objects do flicker when the view distance passes a few km. Could thus be due in part to the non-square aspect ratio, I wonder? For additional LODs, a suitable raising will control this. At the farthest view distance this might require to lift the object a couple meters.

- I made a version 1cm higher, and for near view distances (out to about a km) the overlapping portions do indeed NOT suffer 'Z fighting' flicker. Other LODs should be made, and for them the vertical height can be increased so as to keep this flicker under control.

- When this object is placed near PCP plates (mine use BIG textures), the latter disappear from view at a not very far distance, and even completely disappear when this object overlaps the PCP-based strip.

- The setting of Ambient 0.0 makes the object go essentially black when the Sun is near or below the horizon. It's typical for 'normal' object surfaces to have both Ambient and Diffuse set to 1.0, or near to that.