New IL2 Clouds Tips and Tricks

[Sketch]

So I've been playing with the new clouds and seeing how they all work. I've created a Google Doc that lists out the cloud type, and the associated cloud number in the mission editor. 

 

Cloud Types to Mission Editor Reference

 

The thickness of your cloud choice is based on clear, light, medium, heavy, or overcast. (See blue line in image.)

The type of cloud choice is based on the number at the end of the list name. (See red line in image.)

 

 

The rain and snow also looks very cool now with the correct cloud type. When you use less clouds, you get patches of clear skies and patches of rain. You can set rain level from 0 to 10 -> 10 being the craziest of storms.

 

 

This is light clouds, and rain level set to 10. As you can see, it's mostly clear skies, except for that big patch of nasty weather!

 

 

 

 

Finally, here's a video to help you out:

 

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by Sketch

[SCU_Server]

Thanks for this info, im trying to set up the new clouds in the missions I run on my server and I get this msg highlighted in red on every preset I try, I cant figure out what integer I need to set, I tried editing every box on the Mission Atmosphere Options panel but nothing makes this msg go away

[JimTM]

13 minutes ago, SCU_Server said:

Thanks for this info, im trying to set up the new clouds in the missions I run on my server and I get this msg highlighted in red on every preset I try, I cant figure out what integer I need to set, I tried editing every box on the Mission Atmosphere Options panel but nothing makes this msg go away
...

 

Change your Level setting under Precipitation.

[SCU_Server]

Thanks JimTM, that was it

[JimTM]

You're welcome SCU_Server.  

[Spaz-505]

Hi Sketch, thanks a ton for explaining how to decipher the cloud setup in the ME.  I follow some of the changes that occur when you change it within the mission editor and view it,  others I'm still a little confused.  An example, if I start with 04_Overcast_00 and increment to 04_Overcast_09, the lower cloud layer appears not to increment with greater coverage at each setting... hence some confusion.  Are you seeing that?

[Sketch]

That's because 04_Overcast_00 and 04_Overcast_09 are two different cloud types. The "_00" in 04_Overcast_00, tells us that the type of clouds will be Cumulus clouds. The "_09" in 04_Overcast_09, are Dual Layer Cumulonimbus/Altostratus clouds. Cloud coverage is based on: clear, light, medium, heavy, and overcast. However, you're going to get much denser cloud coverage with the Dual Layer Altostratus clouds, because they're just thicker, darker clouds.

Medium_00 clouds - Cumulus clouds

 

 

Medium_09 clouds -Dual Layer Cumulonimbus/Altostratus clouds (obviously much thicker cloud coverage because of their type)

 

 

 

Cloud type chart to help identify the types of clouds you want in your mission. Use this chart and my Weather System Chart to get the clouds you want in your missions.

Edited December 10, 2021 by Sketch

[IckyATLAS]

Haze is between 0.1 and 1.0 correct?

 

Turbulence should be localized (mountains, around the big clouds etc.) and not global but this would be too much I suppose.

Edited December 10, 2021 by IckyATLAS

[DiFiS]

I can make a video with all types of clouds like this one.

 

Spoiler

il-2 clouds. 36 weather presets for 3 min.

 

 

Allocate one minute for each type of cloud cover.

 

Spoiler

24

 

25

 

26

 

27

 

Would it help for mission creators?

Edited December 11, 2021 by DiFiS

[ITAF_Airone1989]

46 minutes ago, DiFiS said:

I can make a video with all types of clouds like this one.

 

  Hide contents

il-2 clouds. 36 weather presets for 3 min.

 

 

Allocate one minute for each type of cloud cover.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

24

 

25

 

26

 

27

 

Would it help for mission creators?

 

Absolutely!!!

I would suggest to write on the video the type of clouds (medium_00, etc.)..

And maybe do also an "above the clouds" version, if is not to much work.

In any case, I really like the idea!

[FTC_Mephisto]

Does rain only occurs with heavy / overcast levels? Or can rain be also generated with medium / light clouds, then obviously in less patches given overall less cloud coverage…

[Sketch]

6 hours ago, FTC_Mephisto said:

Does rain only occurs with heavy / overcast levels? Or can rain be also generated with medium / light clouds, then obviously in less patches given overall less cloud coverage…

Rain can be generated from any cloud density it seems. With light/medium density, you get pockets of rain; which is pretty cool in my opinion. Heavy and overcast can also produce pockets, but obviously you're going to have greater concentration of rain.

[SCG_Limboski]

Thanks for positing this as I started playing around with the clouds today and was initially somewhat confused before reaching the same conclusions as you.

 

One question:  Cloud height parameter has NO EFFECT, correct?

 

[FTC_Mephisto]

It does, for example for 02_medium_02 pre-set the clouds height varies, but only in the 6000-7000m range. 

[Sketch]

Agree with @FTC_Mephisto, the cloud height variable can adjust the second layer of clouds. Try using "_06" as an example. You'll see that the second (upper) layer starts at the cloud height you set.

 

For those dual layered cloud configurations....

If you set:

Base clouds: 1000m

Cloud height: 6000m

 

Then:

First layer will start at 1000m

Upper layer will start at 7000m

[SCG_Limboski]

I was able to replicate Mephisto's result and cloud height only changed between 6k and 7k but all other larger and smaller values resulted in no changes.

 

On Sketch's example, I am unable to discern how the second layer is affected by a cloud height parameter despite trying many values--upper layer altitude seems fixed and you cannot get it very close to the lower layer.

[Gambit21]

About to begin tackling a Havoc and Hawks comprehensive cloud update this week. Thanks Sketch!!

[FTC_Mephisto]

This is useful mapping between quick editor descriptions and mission editor pre-sets:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UqfHI7cSrEbfFuhwvoVb2blmQc7KaT1ctJHj2WU0rEg/edit#gid=0

[FTC_Mephisto]

Any experience with morning / evening fog with new clouds? Range of time / temperatures / cloud pre-sets to make it work? Thanks.

[Sketch]

It seems like to me, the only way you can get dawn/dusk fog to work is when you have at least some haze in your mission. However, I am unable to produce condensed fog clouds over lakes and rivers that happen in early mornings of Autumn - instead, it seems, I can only produce a large fog cloud (when there is some haze). I know in the previous weather systems I was able to create these fog clouds. I understand if it's not possible anymore, but if someone else figures out how to make true fog - let us know.

 

Here is an example weather setting with 1.0 haze and no Dawn/Dusk fog. Notice there's haze, but it's uniform from the ground to the cloud base.

 

 

Here is the same weather settings, but with Dawn/Dusk fog enabled. You can see that there's more haze/cloud effect nearest the ground and you also have your uniform haze from the ground to the cloud base.

[SIMBIOX]

Hello, 

about fog, and linear visibility. I´ve asked about this (wish list forum). I'm creating IFR APP missions with ndb and I simulate low visibility effect this the overcast clouds close to the ground. It almost worked, but it's not real. 
Haze parameter is only for the horizon and it's very far from your cockpit position.

[Hamaha15]

Good morning,

 

I reworked the Parker's Corner three missions campaign to the new 4.701 standard, a TC Battle of the Bulge scenario. Dense fog played a significant role during the real events on 23rd december 1944.

 

The thick fog initially produced by overcast clouds at an altitude 25m above local ground level had gone with the new version. The cloud height appears to be not freely controllable anymore as you stated in the thread above. After much trying, I found a setting that places the clouds low enough to produce thick fog on the battlefield at 650 m altitude:

 

04-overcast_09

level 10

height 100

 

The new dawn/dusk fog option produces a nice haze in the distance. Altogether the result appears OK for me for this specific campaign. I’m afraid that the solution works fairly well because of lucky circumstances rather than design.

Any idea to create dense fog at lower altitudes would be highly appreciated as a number of flight missions I created (not shared yet) are affected because they don't work without ground fog.

 

Cheers

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by Hamaha15

[SIMBIOX]

hello,

thanks

I hope they add this option or let us lower clouds base to solve it.

I will look for high altitude fields to do it
;).

Edited December 26, 2021 by SIMBIOX

[IckyATLAS]

I also agree that the morning autumn or spring say around 07am cloud layer at ground level is gone. I had one mission that made use of it and that will need change.

There is also an issue with the Kuban high mountains. The previous cloud system was working very well with the mountains. Now it has become tricky to find an acceptable realistic interaction between the clouds and the mountain peaks and valleys. Hope that with new cloud models that should come in the future this may improve.

[FTC_Mephisto]

Any changes to this in the last patch?

[Hamaha15]

No Sir,

 

clouds cannot go lower than 500m...

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Hamaha15

[Hamaha15]

Update 2022-01-12, after the latest hotfix: no news in this matter. All quiet...

[Gambit21]

I can drop them lower.

[Hamaha15]

Would you mind telling us how?

Please have a look at the two pictures I posted above. Which paramenters need to be adjusted?

 

Your suggestions are highly appreciated...

 

Cheers

[Gambit21]

48 minutes ago, Hamaha15 said:

Would you mind telling us how?

Please have a look at the two pictures I posted above. Which paramenters need to be adjusted?

 

Your suggestions are highly appreciated...

 

Cheers

 

I apologize, I just went into the editor to show you, and realized that in fact the clouds are not dropping lower than 500 like I thought I'd witnessed last night.

So the limitation still stands.

[Hamaha15]

Sorry to read the bad news.

 

A working solution would have saved my week...

 

Do you think the issue is inherent to the new cloud design?

[Gambit21]

11 minutes ago, Hamaha15 said:

Sorry to read the bad news.

 

A working solution would have saved my week...

 

Do you think the issue is inherent to the new cloud design?

 

I don't see how it can be inherent to the design, my guess is that it's a mistake that will be fixed.

Just reported this in the Beta forum.

 

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by Gambit21

[FTC_Mephisto]

On 12/22/2021 at 7:49 PM, Sketch said:

It seems like to me, the only way you can get dawn/dusk fog to work is when you have at least some haze in your mission. However, I am unable to produce condensed fog clouds over lakes and rivers that happen in early mornings of Autumn - instead, it seems, I can only produce a large fog cloud (when there is some haze). I know in the previous weather systems I was able to create these fog clouds. I understand if it's not possible anymore, but if someone else figures out how to make true fog - let us know.

 

Here is an example weather setting with 1.0 haze and no Dawn/Dusk fog. Notice there's haze, but it's uniform from the ground to the cloud base.

 

 

Here is the same weather settings, but with Dawn/Dusk fog enabled. You can see that there's more haze/cloud effect nearest the ground and you also have your uniform haze from the ground to the cloud base.

So any updates in the recent patches? Just add dawn fog and have Haze at 1.0?

Edited August 28, 2022 by FTC_Mephisto

[IckyATLAS]

I see still no change. Cloud level still blocked at 500mt and Haze does create haze but global overall, and Dawns/Dusk enabled does not bring much.

In any case you cannot have the low fog cloud patches over the fields in Rheineland map and in mountain valleys on the Kuban map which remains the best map up to now.

Before the new Cloud technology it was possible to have more dense fog at ground level. 

Let's hope this gets improved with BON.

 

[kraut1]

Very interesting topic!

I have one question: has anyone already tested the impact of different cloud types on FPS?

(my computer is always at the limit)

[Sketch]

9 hours ago, kraut1 said:

Very interesting topic!

I have one question: has anyone already tested the impact of different cloud types on FPS?

(my computer is always at the limit)

As a designer, how would we test for that? My computer is different than yours, and yours is different than theirs, and theirs is different than mine. This is something we can assume the engineers (aka: the developers) have already tested for. Maybe you could create a few missions; each with their own clouds settings and report back your findings? It would still be anecdotal but maybe it could enlighten us to future testing?

[IckyATLAS]

I made a quick test with the AQMB.

All set to ULTRA Max, Clouds Extreme, Antialising MSAA 2x, Full 4K.

Beach Head patrol with Overwhelming enemy action settings, flying a 4-spitfire IX flight.

 

FPS from inside cockpit flying level, 120Hz flat with Clear blue sky.

I tried various type of clouds (cloud limit at 2'000mt) and with settings from Few to Overcast. Not 1 FPS difference, always 120 Fps flat.

 

 

[FTC_Mephisto]

Did anybody collect the data on the altitude ranges for different clouds pre-sets? E.g. impact of Level and Height settings? You can input any numbers but the only way to see if it actually works or has an impact is to try it out. At least the devs should have such data readily available...