[MOD] Draw distance increase (ships, stalingrad smoke) UPDATED

[vonGraf]

I'm not speaking of the big plumes in Stalingrad but the brown and black (new?) colored smaller plumes are all fading in and out in my game.

[FoxbatRU]

I can’t find which file reflects the range of the appearance and disappearance of bombs under the wing. Now, when you are catching up with your leading aircraft with bombs, they are very unreliable "turn on". Is it possible to somehow increase the radius of their (bombs and other pendants) display?

[vonGraf]

Yeah, I saw that with the bombs too. You have to be quite near to see the bomb(s) under an aircraft.

[MikeWazowsky]

Nice, but big problem... I seem to be missing all the ships' definition files for weapons. I get error messages stating I am missing .txt files related to them in the luascript/worldobjects/ships folder.

 

The definition files for ships call other definition files for specific weapons, but those files are nowhere to be found. Any idea?

 

example: 1124.txt calls for...

 

[attach=0]
    position= 4.913, 1.465, 0
    object = "LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Ships/1124/1124-Gun.txt"

 

but that file is nowhere...

 

Thanks

 

EDIT: after I combined it with the "infinite view distance" mod, many definition files for weapons where not found but I dragged them out of .gtp archives in the game with ungtp-il2.exe . But I can't find graphics or sounds files in the archives, like:

VisualImage=0,"graphics/ships/1124/1124.mgm",true

CollisionBody="graphics/ships/1124/1124.col"

 

I added a version that at least does not pop out an error message, but no sounds nor graphic models for spawned units.

Edited May 3, 2020 by MikeWazowsky

[jollyjack]

Q: is this mod still useful in 4.005d?

[Juliu5]

would like to know also

[jollyjack]

On 9/7/2018 at 3:23 PM, Semor76 said:

This is my mod of the month!

 

Not only for increasing the visually distance...

 

@LizLemon are you aware of the fact that you eliminate the annoying "fading bug" with this mod?

 

I´ve done a few tests and the big black smoke objects are rock solid now. No more fade in or our fade out. The medium grey smoke objects come very close to this but still pops in if the player turns his sight away and back. But I didn´t test all the small objects like burning trucks,tanks etc.

 

you are genius man....

 

Makes me think of the Kuweit oil well fires lit by a Saddam H.

 

[kurdes]

On 10/11/2019 at 10:20 PM, vonGraf said:

I'm not speaking of the big plumes in Stalingrad but the brown and black (new?) colored smaller plumes are all fading in and out in my game.

Just for info: In career mode all smokes etc are consistant, no smoke is fading out, also the buildings remain even when you look in another direction!

Something in career mode is different. In contrast missions generated via Pat Wilson campaign are a mess...

[vonGraf]

6 hours ago, kurdes said:

Just for info: In career mode all smokes etc are consistant, no smoke is fading out, also the buildings remain even when you look in another direction!

Something in career mode is different. In contrast missions generated via Pat Wilson campaign are a mess...

 

Yes, I saw that too. Depending of the game mode you're playing (career, single missions, etc.) the game experience can be different.

For example: I can lower the annoying radio chatter only in career mode; when I'm using Pat's generator it's not possible. Even when the 'technochat' shows the volume is on 0%, the radio voices are always audible on 100%.

Edited August 10, 2020 by vonGraf

[kurdes]

Now we have to find out what the Career mode makes different, so we can change it in the other modes! ?

It would be sad for Pat Wilsons Campaign, not having the same fidelity!

[kurdes]

In the PWCG generated missions-file are sections like this:

 

  MCU_CheckZone
  {
    Index = 52072;
    Name = "CheckZone Smoke Activate";
    Desc = "";
    Targets = [52073,52086];
    Objects = [32];
    XPos = 117924.000;
    YPos = 0.000;
    ZPos = 166183.000;
    XOri = 0.00;
    YOri = 0.00;
    ZOri = 0.00;
    Zone = 20000;
    Cylinder = 1;
    Closer = 1;
  }

 

and like this:

 

MCU_Timer
  {
    Index = 52081;
    Name = "smokeLoopTimer";
    Desc = "";
    Targets = [52077];
    Objects = [];
    XPos = 117924.000;
    YPos = 0.000;
    ZPos = 166183.000;
    XOri = 0.00;
    YOri = 0.00;
    ZOri = 0.00;
    Time = 14;
    Random = 100;
  }

 

Cant cross-check the official career ones, because i cant find them.

 

However my thoughts are, that that these overwrite the better draw distances of the mod...

of course, i might be wrong! ?

[GADDY]

On 9/9/2018 at 7:25 PM, Blitzen said:

Yeah- what he said!?

Thirded.

[GADDY]

On 9/6/2018 at 9:51 PM, LizLemon said:

Yes, individual buildings could be done. But I'm trying to find a better way of extending the draw distance then just having certain objects render all the time.

Wow thanks Lemon. The immersion factor went up by 20%. All smoke is now visible all the time in career mode (I haven't played any other modes) even just now one of my flight destroyed a AAA battery and the smoke was not only visible for most of the flight back to base, it was also very satisfying to watch.

Amazing job.

[Vishnu]

Hi, new to IL2 .  I tried this mod, and when I loaded up a 110 over Kuban to attack ships,  wouldn't work....something to do with the ships...not sure what I did wrong.

[=RS=Funkie]

@LizLemonwith the recent changes to the disappearing smoke fix, is this mod still relevant? 

 

[Goffik]

9 hours ago, =RS=Funkie said:

with the recent changes to the disappearing smoke fix, is this mod still relevant? 

 

I had two different smoke mods at one point, one which fixed the "smoke fade" and the other (this one) which increased draw distance. I assume the patches fixed the former, so this one is probably still a thing if you want to see smoke from further away.

[LizLemon]

21 hours ago, =RS=Funkie said:

@LizLemonwith the recent changes to the disappearing smoke fix, is this mod still relevant? 

 

 

What changes?

[Sandinourcoffee6]

In the ME now you have 2 versions of the smoke effects,I see no difference they still fade in and out.

 

[=RS=Funkie]

@LizLemon
In update V4.505 

"12. The giant smoke columns from the Stalingrad city fires should now be visible up to 100 km away from the player starting point in QMB mode;"

 

[T_O_A_D]

I'm getting this error now with this mission,any ideas @LizLemon it is a Syn Generated Mission that I was not able to play with the guys today, so I grab the files so I could test my Game and Mods setting to narrow it down.

 

 

 

[Stonehouse]

I think it's because some of the game files and where they are located got updated in recent patches and so the mod is not aligned with the game anymore. I believe the mod at the link below incorporates this one. I am not the author of the one below but I did do an update to it last year for a similar reason as the error you describe as the original author was MIA. I haven't revisited it for some time but it still may work ok for you. Page 2 holds the relevant discussion. It describes to another person how they could get the equivalent of the draw distance mod without the random battle smoke etc if that is your preference. I guess give it a try and if it works then you are ahead if it doesn't then you aren't worse off.

 

 

[T_O_A_D]

Thanks @Stonehouse   looking into it!

[kaizerhund4]

i play with il sturmovik great battles latest patch 4.6.0.2 and i see no ship folder does this mod work with this version?

[AEthelraedUnraed]

14 hours ago, kaizerhund4 said:

i play with il sturmovik great battles latest patch 4.6.0.2 and i see no ship folder does this mod work with this version?

Doesn't matter. The folders are packed inside the .gtp files, but any files in unpacked folders will overwrite those. Meaning you can still use it.

 

How relevant this mod still is, and whether it'll even work, is a different matter. This mod was created nearly 3 years ago, and many of the effects and graphics have seen major overhauls since then. The visible distance of many of the effects (including the Stalingrad smoke) was increased in the base game, and many other changes have been made as well (not sure about the current draw distance of ships though). There's a good chance the mod will not work anymore, and if you look literally 3 posts above yours, there's an indication it indeed doesn't.

Edited July 31, 2021 by AEthelraedUnraed

[kaizerhund4]

thanks for ur reply, thats what i suspected however i just needed a second opinion....have a great weekend

[Vishnu]

I tried this mod, and can confirm its broken a while ago.   Most of the draw distances for smoke have been added to the base game, including the fix for the disappearing and reappearing smoke clouds.   My guess is the base game is now in conflict with this mod.

[Stonehouse]

As I said a few posts up the main issue is that in a patch earlier this year/late last some game files moved location within the game folder structure. As people have already said this is not obvious as the structure and the game files are largely within compressed archives ie gtp files. which are like zip files but a different format so you need a special tool to unpack the gtp files (search the forum for ungtp).

 

I believe you can get an equivalent of this mod by using the Random Dynamic Battle smoke mod and by a bit of effort on your part and tweaking follow the concepts shown here https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/42490-random-dynamic-battle-smoke-and-ground-units/?do=findComment&comment=1049245 

 

Alternatively you can just use the battle smoke mod as is and get the draw distance mod equivalent plus ambient battle smoke etc (which in my opinion really makes the landscape and missions come alive and feel like you are in a war zone) - I put up a version which is working for me with the latest patch in the same thread here https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/42490-random-dynamic-battle-smoke-and-ground-units/?do=findComment&comment=1109832

 

Please take note of my comment in the above linked post that I deliberately turn off 99% of the randomly spawning units (I don't want enemy units spawning almost at my airbase which was the default original for the battle smoke mod) and push the smoke out to 10kms plus from my location (I want ambiance not a pea soup fog after 5 mins) for most of the different smokes etc and have a very low frequency of spawning. Very importantly the version of the battle smoke mod I uploaded is network enabled and it is critical for MP that only the host has the mod loaded and running. If you read through page 2 of the battle smoke thread you will see all the background info about this as well as how to edit the config file to change what spawns and how often and how far away.