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Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 8:13 pm
by blue_max
AngeI wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 11:23 am
Continuing to all look amazing Bluemax! However since I installed 1.1.3, it looks to me like all the ships have very even lighting, as if there's no actual shading going on. Is this a
Hello AngeI,

Your first image shows a weird sun. I see the bloom and halo; but no sun. Is this a custom mission? If so, how many lights did you setup? Also, remember that backdrop objects like Planets act like light sources now.

Your third image clearly shows a Star Destroyer with a clear shading going from dark gray at the tip to almost white near the towers. So, shading is being applied. I suspect you've got too many lights, maybe?

@Trevor: Can you tell me which missions show flat shading? Try some skirmish missions to see if there are any changes. Also, try the Deferred shader to see if you have problems there as well (I noticed you have way too many samples for SSDO, we can come back to that later).

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 9:14 pm
by AngeI
Bluemax its one of the TIE Fighter missions thats being worked on using the super backdrops and 2 other backdrops (numbers 57 and 82) for that mission.

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 9:45 pm
by blue_max
AngeI wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 9:14 pm
Bluemax its one of the TIE Fighter missions thats being worked on using the super backdrops and 2 other backdrops (numbers 57 and 82) for that mission.
Yeah, I suggest you check your lights/suns. That sun in the first image is weird. Also check the intensities of the lights: if you have lights all over the place and they'll all equally intense, then the engine can only do so much. Why not start small? 1 or 2 lights and see how that works?

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 2:00 am
by Trevor
I was in a skirmish and also proving grounds and hangar.

That number of samples worked for me before.

Trev

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 2:10 am
by blue_max
Trevor wrote:
Wed May 06, 2020 2:00 am
That number of samples worked for me before.
There's been some recent changes in how the illumination is computed in SSDO. In the before times, only one light was used. Now I'm adding the contributions from all lights, so maybe that's why some shadows are gone. You should still be able to get decent shadows, though. FWIW, these are my settings:

Code: Select all

max_dist = 150
samples = 8
near_sample_radius = 0.005
far_sample_radius = 0.005
If your system can handle 128 samples, it should fly with 8. When adding more samples, divide the radius as well, so for 16 samples, you'd use 0.0025.

If that still doesn't work I can post my full SSAO.cfg

EDIT: Please take a look here https://xwaupgrade.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12455 for my full SSAO.cfg file and a micro-update to release 1.1.3

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 2:55 am
by Trevor
Image

Ive turned it up to 256 samples and still working :)

Going to play more with settings but for fun 1024 runs at 0.5FPS hahaha :P

Trev

Just seen your update, Ill test later, but my problem was blindly changing settings and forgetting I had done so.
When things looked flat and someone else posted the same I assumed (incorrectly) I had the same problem.

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 4:58 am
by blue_max
Trevor wrote:
Wed May 06, 2020 2:55 am
Going to play more with settings but for fun 1024 runs at 0.5FPS hahaha :P
Increasing the number of samples will also increase the spread, so things should look darker. Just remember that if you increase the samples, you need to decrease the radius too in order to keep the same level of obscurance. I think more than 32 samples is overkill; but feel free to experiment!

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 3:05 am
by Alaska Works
Reinstalling XWA seemed to do the trick for me! No more strange artifacts from lasers.

I'll have to make a video--this update is simply gorgeous!

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 11:48 am
by BenKenobi
Since installing EffectsByBlueMax_v1.1.3.exe I seem to have lost all informational messages when I fly a spacecraft that has a Dynamic Cockpit and use the interior view.

Schermafbeelding 1.png
(This screenshot is taken from the exterior view)

I've rolled back the latest installations I did (the effects, the Dynamic Cockpit installers etc.) with the XWABackupRestorer and after I was back at the 1.1.2 version it showed those messages again. When I run the 1.1.3 installer again the messages are gone. The messages do appear in the exterior view but that's not something I actually use when flying so not so useful but that made me think it's probably a region that gets deleted.
I've looked through all config files that were changed when installing 1.1.3 but I couldn't find a setting that hinted to be the one I am looking for.

The radio and mission messages (craft entering hyperspace and such) are also not shown anymore but that's not really an issue as those can been seen on the information screen
Schermafbeelding 2.png


I do hope these informational messages can be easily be brought back because I'd like to see them so I know when I'm in range of an Hyperspace Buoy, are in range to enter a hangar and my sfoils are still open when I try to lower the landing gear.

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 2:34 pm
by Driftwood
I think they could either be reenabled or a new interface screen in the cockpit could be added to maintain immersion. I noticed this issue myself and suspect it will be fixed soon.

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 4:36 pm
by BenKenobi
Driftwood wrote:
Fri May 08, 2020 2:34 pm
I think they could either be reenabled or a new interface screen in the cockpit could be added to maintain immersion. I noticed this issue myself and suspect it will be fixed soon.
Oh, I do like the immersion too, but missing those messages can ruin a mission ;) Adding a setting in the main Dynamic_Cockpit.cfg file would be the fastest way I guess, when (if) models get an extra interface screen it could override the settings in it's modelCockpit.dc file.

But I'm just thinking out loud now, I'm not in the driver seat here ;)

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 4:48 pm
by blue_max
I removed those messages by mistake, please re-download ddraw from this link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v9xq8iyu3pgy5 ... 0.zip?dl=0

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 4:52 pm
by BenKenobi
That's a very fast fix! Thank you very much!

:2thumbs:

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 11:18 am
by Choum
Hello Blue max

Is it possible to upgrade the ddraw.dll to fix the char convertion problem (Fix char to wchar conversion) ?
To avoid this kind of problem when using non english version.
Image

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 12:39 pm
by JeremyaFr
blue_max has to merge the fix into his version.
Just wait for a release.

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 5:25 pm
by Rookie_One1
Small note, the bloom can be crippling FPS wise in certain missions (such as B0M3) where there are lots of small objects

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 2:02 pm
by Alaska Works
Hi all, I made a video showing off the new shading system along with many of the other great upgrades available here. Incredible job everyone!
https://youtu.be/CDg82ON-Xgs

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 6:51 pm
by BenKenobi
Hi,

I found a problem with the display of the component indicator when using a Dynamic Cockpit. The indicator is not positioned on the model in the cockpits CMD but on the position where it would be when the HUD was used.
Schermafbeelding 1.png
In the above screenshot the indicator can be seen on the ISD and below the CMD.

Schermafbeelding 2.png
In this screenshot the indicator can be seen in the ISD but is not visible in the HUD

I've rolled back to 1.1.2, then no indicator is shown in the Dynamic Cockpit, in 1.1.1 the situation is the same as 1.1.3. When I completely remove the New Effects so I go back to a normal XWAUpgrade install I see the indicator in the HUD. (Obviously in the correct position as the HUD doesn't move)

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 5:39 am
by maggee
Couldn't see this brought up from having a look, Death Star tunnel run... after destroying the reactor could not see a thing due to the explosion effect caused by the Death Star blowing up.

Have to say in general it looks amazing though, on top of the ship model upgrades you would think the game just came out!

EDIT: Screenshot attached https://scontent.fbne6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/ ... e=5EE13FED

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 7:40 am
by keiranhalcyon7
Yep - final BoE mission becomes unplayable once the DS2 reactor is destroyed. Unfortunately this is hard to test.

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 12:16 pm
by Ace Antilles
maggee wrote:
Tue May 12, 2020 5:39 am
Couldn't see this brought up from having a look, Death Star tunnel run... after destroying the reactor could not see a thing due to the explosion effect caused by the Death Star blowing up.

Have to say in general it looks amazing though, on top of the ship model upgrades you would think the game just came out!

EDIT: Screenshot attached https://scontent.fbne6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/ ... e=5EE13FED
That's one mission I've not tried. That's a shame. Wonder how that can be fixed. We need to blow up the Death Star!! ;)

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 1:31 pm
by Vince T
I just tried the mission and yeah ... it's creepy. I assume what happens is that, when the reactor is destroyed, the game deactivates all backdrop lightsources to simulate the ensueing power outage. At that point, all you have left is the bloom effect from the (no longer) illuminated textures and the light emitted from your lasers as you desparately keep firing to see anything XD.
scary.jpg
The problem with this mission is that it's coded completely different than any other mission in the game. As such, trying to editi it in AlliEd doesn't work.

I have an idea: @Blue_Max, would it be possible to integrate a headlights function and bind it to a key? In my imagination it would create a directional light source facing forward and illuminating the geometry in front of the player craft.

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 1:37 pm
by Rookie_One1
G_T solution of headlights would be fitting, since we do see the Falcon having headlights (and I would not be surprised that starfighters also have them, for example on the wings for the X-Wing

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 1:42 pm
by maggee
General_Trageton wrote:
Tue May 12, 2020 1:31 pm
I just tried the mission and yeah ... it's creepy. I assume what happens is that, when the reactor is destroyed, the game deactivates all backdrop lightsources to simulate the ensueing power outage. At that point, all you have left is the bloom effect from the (no longer) illuminated textures and the light emitted from your lasers as you desparately keep firing to see anything XD.
That is what I did, until I took too much damage that my weapon system failed... safe to say I did not last XD

Re: New effects and installers

Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 1:43 pm
by Vince T
Heh yeah this actually weird. You can clearly see the X-Wings having spotlights in the Eadu Attack Scene from Rogue One. However, if you look at the spot on the models where they should be emitted from, there's nothing. Looking at Screenshots from Ep7 the T-70's spotlights seem to be somewhere near the front of the lower engines.