Space Debris

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Space Debris

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Ace Antilles
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Post by Ace Antilles » Wed May 06, 2020 4:54 pm

Everything in game can now be shot and explode really nicely. Except when a Starship blows up you get that odd looking quite basic debris floating about for a while.
I was wondering what generates that? Is it an opt or something and how much is created?
I've noticed recently that when debris is on screen some of it has little purple target boxes on them too.

Would be nice if it looks a little more debris like and not odd shape tubes.
Ofc this could increase fps and don't really need that for something on screen a short time but could be cool?
Anyway something to consider :)
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szoreny
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Post by szoreny » Thu May 07, 2020 5:19 pm

Since all capship debris comes from the same file it would be hard to get it looking appropriate considering all the different sizes and shapes of capships in the game, but its true I've always found the bent tubes look to be strange even back when I first played vanilla....

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JeremyaFr
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Post by JeremyaFr » Thu May 07, 2020 6:16 pm

Look at the RubbleXX.opt

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Ace Antilles
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Post by Ace Antilles » Thu May 07, 2020 6:55 pm

JeremyaFr wrote:
Thu May 07, 2020 6:16 pm
Look at the RubbleXX.opt
Ah yes I knew it was somewhere. Brilliant. So 12 different Opts making different debris.
szoreny wrote:
Thu May 07, 2020 5:19 pm
Since all capship debris comes from the same file it would be hard to get it looking appropriate considering all the different sizes and shapes of capships in the game, but its true I've always found the bent tubes look to be strange even back when I first played vanilla....
Well it would only take even one or 2 of the Opts to be altered or retextured or something to create some new diversity.
Couldn't be much in the way of too detailed or high quality or it could affect the missions a lot. But then the debris can vanish quickly too.

Anyone up to the challenge? ;)
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Post by Trevor » Sat May 09, 2020 1:34 pm

(lol) imagine the rubble didn't disappear, and every ship destroyed added to the rubble field you had to navigate :P

Good use of LOD should work.

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Post by Bman » Sat May 09, 2020 2:13 pm

Those RubbleXX.opt models could actually be broken down into smaller pieces. Think of it like an asteroid field... several to many detached meshes perhaps with or without hitzones and some great textures with sparks and fire could really look awesome. Maybe even adding LOD's if it's too far away to see details. Whoever has time to do that as a mini-project.
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Ace Antilles
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Post by Ace Antilles » Sat May 09, 2020 4:15 pm

Bman wrote:
Sat May 09, 2020 2:13 pm
Those RubbleXX.opt models could actually be broken down into smaller pieces. Think of it like an asteroid field... several to many detached meshes perhaps with or without hitzones and some great textures with sparks and fire could really look awesome. Maybe even adding LOD's if it's too far away to see details. Whoever has time to do that as a mini-project.
I think that's more creating a separate asteroid field add on. I don't know what commands are associated with the rubble. something obviously tells it to appear and disappear with cap ships and stations. So altering that stuff seems tricky.

Also am I right the rubble changes colour depending on the ship? For example a Strike Cruiser had white rubble and the Casino had dark.
Even if nothing happens with this it would be good to get documentation for the future of how it's all triggered so maybe it can be altered to be visible longer etc

I would be ok with just a few more general different shapes, variety and designs. More looking like broken pieces than where the heck did this long tube come from! lol
A few more damaged looking textures maybe. You're right though if a few of the textures looked sparking or flaming that could be good.

Obviously you can choose in your settings how much rubble is shown but how many times does it get seen in theory?
How many missions do you kill multiple ships all at once that will affect it on screen for long. I doubt many capital ships get blown up all at once?
Even Rebel missions where the freighters get blown up it's not at the same time.
This is more a "WOW look what I did" feeling of accomplishment when looking at what you blew up so maybe it can be slightly more detailed?
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Post by DarHan » Sat May 09, 2020 4:57 pm

The rubble uses textures from the destroyed starship’s OPT. For example, it’s funny: if you destroy the new VSD1 model and fly close enough, the rubble’s texture is a bunch of tiny VSDs.
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Post by keiranhalcyon7 » Sun May 10, 2020 6:37 am

DarHan wrote:
Sat May 09, 2020 4:57 pm
The rubble uses textures from the destroyed starship’s OPT. For example, it’s funny: if you destroy the new VSD1 model and fly close enough, the rubble’s texture is a bunch of tiny VSDs.
The original method was to use a lot of relatively small textures, rather than a small number of high-res textures and UV maps. I expect the rubble routine is going to the high-res texture map to wrap the rubble meshes without regard for the way they're UV'd to the VSD meshes.

Got pics?

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Post by szoreny » Sun May 10, 2020 5:00 pm

I didn't realize there were so many debris opts - be neat if there was a way to link capships up with a specific debris file with chunks modeled after actual hull sections.

I guess you wouldn't get a bunch of dynamic chunks since it would just be one file, but if they could be animated in a canned fashion it might be kinda neat to see actual pieces of the hull moving away from a central point before exploding even if it meant each ship class would explode with the exact same debris pattern each time - but I know nothing about this so just musing.

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Post by keiranhalcyon7 » Sun May 10, 2020 7:40 pm

Is dynamic mesh fracturing possible? I guess it would be pretty unlikely.

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Post by Ace Antilles » Sun May 10, 2020 8:21 pm

What exactly is Kiarand's Alternative Space Debris from the XWAUCP?
I mean what does it look like and compared to the TG one.
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Post by Darksaber » Sun May 10, 2020 9:10 pm

Ace Antilles wrote:
Sun May 10, 2020 8:21 pm
What exactly is Kiarand's Alternative Space Debris from the XWAUCP?
I mean what does it look like and compared to the TG one.
???????? Where did you get that info from? As far as I know he never made any Debris, he released some files called "Kiarand's special effects", which are I think are included with the XWAUCPv1.6 and DSUCPv2.6, however since the releases these files have been replaced and are or will be, even might be released with the next versions, when ever or if ever that might be.
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Post by Ace Antilles » Sun May 10, 2020 9:28 pm

Darksaber wrote:
Sun May 10, 2020 9:10 pm
Ace Antilles wrote:
Sun May 10, 2020 8:21 pm
What exactly is Kiarand's Alternative Space Debris from the XWAUCP?
I mean what does it look like and compared to the TG one.
???????? Where did you get that info from? As far as I know he never made any Debris, he released some files called "Kiarand's special effects", which are I think are included with the XWAUCPv1.6 and DSUCPv2.6, however since the releases these files have been replaced and are or will be, even might be released with the next versions, when ever or if ever that might be.
Capture.PNG
I don't make this stuff up lol I'm not that clever
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Post by Darksaber » Sun May 10, 2020 10:30 pm

Ah that's nothing to do with OPTs, it was some bloody awful images he added to the Debris.dat file, the reason for the option to install it or not

I'm afraid Kiarand's Special Effects hasn't made the cut for the next versions, his dat files been replaced, or removed, I've personally gone back to using the default vanilla cockpit sparks (Particles.dat) so no more red or blue options sorry.

It'll be the same for the font fix also now
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Post by keiranhalcyon7 » Sun May 10, 2020 10:46 pm

There are two distinct features which unfortunately are both referred to as space debris: the chunks generated when large craft are destroyed, which are opt-based; and the small particles that whiz by your craft as you fly everywhere, which are sprite-based. Kiarand's mod affects the latter, not the former.

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Post by Darksaber » Sun May 10, 2020 10:55 pm

Sure I already wrote a less eloquent explanation :)
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Post by Ace Antilles » Sat May 16, 2020 2:43 pm

Darksaber wrote:
Sun May 10, 2020 10:30 pm
Ah that's nothing to do with OPTs, it was some bloody awful images he added to the Debris.dat file, the reason for the option to install it or not

I'm afraid Kiarand's Special Effects hasn't made the cut for the next versions, his dat files been replaced, or removed, I've personally gone back to using the default vanilla cockpit sparks (Particles.dat) so no more red or blue options sorry.

It'll be the same for the font fix also now
Seen them. Interesting but yeah bit sparkling in empty space. Not that the normal one is better.
Also I think it's the Super Backdrop updates already overwrite this. That's why they vanished for me.

Still another interesting area to look at including the rubble opts
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