NEWSA+SIMBION_tweaked Support and Gameplay

[EggChen]

You seen this NW??

Not sure if its compatible with the shaders you currently use....

http://stalker.filefront.com/file/Stalk ... ders;95346

The video does not show it off that well, check the screenshots posted in the comments, it makes the water far more transparent than any texture hack could... may be worth a test, I will do so myself as well.

Edit: Not that impressed to be honest, maybe its because I use an old Float32 shader package as well...

Anyway, on the APC and Heli topic, some good and bad news.....

I can get rid of the light bug when you kill an APC, but it is as I thought a side effect of the muzzle flash. I disabled the muzzle flash and killed three different APC's, no light bug. So I can fix it, but you lose muzzle flash when the APC fires, you still see the particle, but there is no light effect. Let me know what you think.... the file I would have to alter is w_mounted in the config/weapons folder.

I can reintegrate the "new" texture for the APC as it already used a different mesh..... but for the Heli, I have to create a new mesh, which I have done... bad news is it also requires some minor changes to the all.spawn for the new mesh to be used. I am pretty sure NEWSA scripted choppers would use my new mesh, but those defined in the all.spawn (vanilla choppers) would not, so it is not essential to alter the all.spawn.

Are you able to edit the all.spawn NW??

It is a very simple tweak, that should not mess with the game, basically finding every chopper, and changing the name of its mesh to my new one. By my reckoning that would be on the Escape, Darkvalley, Rostok, Yantar, Red Forest, Prypriat and Stancia 1 levels!!

New game required though

Edit 2: Just thought, because it is only changing one character in the name of the mesh, I don't even need to decompile the all.spawn, I can do it with a hex editor easily!! If you agree, send me the latest all.spawn for Newsa please buddy.

... and the w_mounted file if NEWSA uses that one already, and you want me to fix the light bug...

[Nightwatch]

Thanks EggChen for very comprehensive look into those matters.

Yes, firstly, the water shaders: I could not see much difference in the end results offered by your water textures and these water shaders. Also, i'm afraid that Sky4CE documentation states that it's not compatible with any shaders mod.

I have thought about the light and debris residue after the hit on the APCs/helis. If we compile the achievements done around the APC and heli matters this I guess will be summary: you say that you've already enabled the debris to remain until the actor leaves the level, and that the long lingering smoke over the debris has been removed/stopped; these are very good, and enhance the game visually and logically as well.

On the residual light matter: as you now confirm that it is the side effect (or bug if we call it that way) of the ACP's muzzle flash, and that it'd be necessary to disable the muzzle flash in order to remove the lingering light over the debris -despite the firing particles would still be visible during ACP's firing- I wouldn't quite wish to lose the muzzle-fire-light effect while ACP fires, as many such cases would occur during the night time (game time) and then the visuals would not be so impressive. Also, when running logic (human, not code logic ) it's possible to achieve a deduction which would allow the residual light over the debris to be rather reasonable as to the fact that almost everybody hits the targets (ACP/heli) with uranium-tipped ammunition and therefore a light source over the debris -due to the radioactive nature of the ammo- would be acceptable, in fact, a part of the whole set-up.

Having said that:
While I can get away with the "residual light over debris" syndrome thanks to the properties of NEWSA weaponry, however, the removal of this light means a great bug repair in vanilla and for other mods. Another congratulations are definitely due, once again.

After this long deliberation I'd be very pleased to be able to apply your work which stops the lingering smoke and enables the debris to remain on site while the actor in the level, but I'll keep the muzzle flash as rad.ammo allows a cover story, in fact a nice touch for it.

The new "New-Look meshes" for the active choppers as opposed to the rotting ones in the zone are also very very good news

No problem with adding them into the all.spawn, buddy. It just needs decompile and recompile, and a bit (more than abit actually ) carefulness... also a computer not running Vista. In such matters, either all.spawn or db base, or anything in that matter, I use my daughter's XP laptop. (Why is that that all GSC things are very archaic, and not even closely related with the current technology and formats? I know they're coming 9 years behind with this game, but one would expect a gaming company to update to industry standard levels. Maybe I need to donate them some software... anyway...)

Saw your edit under the post, OK if it's a simple Hex edit job and you're willing to do it, I can send you the all.spawn and as you've designer of the new mesh, you know its name better than me anyway Thanks.

And, don't worry about a new game requirement, I've made enough changes that would already require a new game anyway to experience all new touches, anyway.

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edit: appearance

[MeanderingBeing]

Well to be honest, I think that mysterious light is a particle effect of sorts. If you play the game in Static Lighting, there is a fire animation on the ground that stay there for about 10 minutes, and after it goes out, the light stays, but random sparks spawn in the air. I think if you can find the file that controls that specific animation/particle effect, you can fix the prob.

Not 100% sure though, only 90%

[EggChen]

Hey meandering, no its definitely the muzzle flash....

The particle effect you mention, I had already fixed, I shortened its duration so it did not play that long after the APC had gone. The light remained when I did this, and I noticed it was the same light as the muzzle flash, so when I removed the muzzle flash, the light went as well.... Also, particles themselves do not give off a light source... the light source is always seperately controlled in an ltx, like an anomoly or weapon ltx. Saying all that, NW has decided to keep the light as an "afterglow" of his unique weaponry, so all is good in the end.

NW, don't worry about the all.spawn, I did my own last night in about 5 minutes... as I kept the character length of the mesh the same I can just search and replace.... easy. I'll be using a hex editor, but I'm still on XP anyway.

Current shots of the "dead" and "alive" helis.... the GSC texture was not finished, so I am touching it up a bit...

[busetibi]

love your work EggChen

[Nightwatch]

love your work EggChen

Hear! Hear!

EggChen, beautiful work.

PS: When I said above there's nothing to it when editing all.spawn, I was actually trying look at teh matetr with a little bit light-hearted way. I know it's hell of a job due to the care and attention to detail it requires. )
As to the example of I'm not the most careful man, at least around those I know, I cannot possibly manage to complete that kind of job in 5 minutes. So you win by the margin of a flag-pole.
It takes more than 5 minutes for me, with the snail pace working, to copy the all.spawn to a folder and bring the decompiler, tehnceheck and check again to see if I made a mistake. Just estimate then how long it's take for me to complete, heh he.

(PS: if it turns out to be more than a Hex edit job -which is not easy either- and proves to be too much tim econsuming, you can leave the edding meshes this way, for I need to open all.spawn anyway beacuse I want to remove one or two snipers from roofs in Pripyat (on return game, freeplay) and maybe put them somewhere else... maybe let them loose on the streets. )

[EggChen]

Just checked out the texture folder for NEWSA, and it seems there are three different coloured BTR's, but each reskin has been done using the old texture, so they all appear old!! So I am reskinning the "new" texture to have three coloured versions to match what was in NEWSA... so now all BTR's will look new, except those static ones left rotting in the Zone.

Everything else is done, so I will send you the files later tonight....

One thing I have not been able to figure out is what spawns the car parts on the death of an APC.

Oh, there is a second version of the explosion for you to try out, just a small tweak, it kicks out a ring of vapour just before the initial explosion, which is then consumed by the fire... looks pretty cool in the editor.

Edit: Sorry, where are my manners!! Thanks busetibi and Nightwatch for the kind words. The textures are mostly GSC, with a few tweaks to correct where the textures had not been finished. Its more a case of finishing off what they started, but it seems like Stalker modding is all about that!!

[Nightwatch]

Thanks EggChen
(Yes, those three skins are -or "were" to be precise now - based on the old textures.)

Great news, I can't wait to see the new explosions (this is the result of real excitement, you should not feel that you need to rush. We've a lot of time)

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(Yup this is modding. but now GSC has an anti-modder some sort of manager type on their head, and even stopped the search function on their forum... helping modders... recognising modders? I guess not. That guy, if the word from gaming industry is correct, said to see the modders a threat to the gaming industry, as the modders make free versions and people play them free instead of going out and getting a new game. I hope I've heard wrong and that he doesn't think like that. but there are ones in the industry who think that way. Sad... But players like the mods... and that's all matters.)

[EggChen]

Without mods, we would all have stopped playing Stalker a long time ago, and I think it is hypocrisy for GSC to think like that when Clear Sky is just a glorified version of AMK!!

I am amazed at how many scripts and configs in clear sky refer to AMK functions....

Anyway, no rush, but I have almost finished, just the textures to do now.

[Nightwatch]

I totally agree.
I haven't played the CS yet, but seen some extensive videos of it. From this, you seem to be correct on your assessment on that as well; hopefull I'll try a fast play soon just to get the taste of it. But from all those reports, I don't get an appetising smell...

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I'll need to be out (just going out now) until 10-11 pm tonight not for fun, though; I wish it'd been ) so, if i can't reply during that time, that's the reason.

[EggChen]

I may have got carried away....



You want versions like those already in NEWSA, or some camo apc's???

[fiznerpin1962]

Just hurry up, Eggchen - my (mouse) trigger finger is ITCHING!

[DARK TEMPLAR]

These look real nice

[EggChen]

I'm working pretty fast!!!

I believe NW was aiming for this weekend for the patch, and I promise anything I do will be finished well before then, so it shouldn't hold the patch up... in fact I am finished really, just tweaking some textures.

Nightwatch may not even use them, but I know I'll be having some camo APC's in my game soon

[fiznerpin1962]

Cool. I was just yanking your guys' chain with the hurry up bit - "good things come to those who wait"

[Nightwatch]

Yup, great work EggChen :thumbright: These camo ACPs are much better than the vanilla ones. Repating myself, as I mentioned on your APC Retextures thread, I wonder if it could be possible to add some colourful body numbers and insignia on them as well, though not important at all.

while speaking about colour touches, in order to make choppers a bit meaner, how about colour touching their rockets under the wings, and colouring the engine air intakes (double) under the propeller?

though I don't want to cause you additional pain, this version is already superb, I'm just thinking loudly around the pictures, as you asked for feedback.

And you don't need to hurry at all. when I said it could be possible to relase the patch this weekend, firstly it was not a promise, but rather a foresight based on the work finished at that time according to set program, secondly, this program has now been extended and expanded with the addition of new things, so inevitably it'll be later than this weekend.

I'm also considering, well, I've decided actually, I will work on Pripyat a bit, trying to reposition (if not remove) a few snipers that confront player on his NPP return to Pripyat; those ones are proving too much for the engine while it struggles to keep up NPC spawns of up to 30-50 times of the vanilla at times. More fluid paths can help them, needs to be seen. So the patch is not coming this weekend.
Anyway, people have quite a few games currently, newly released FC2 and Fallout and others are already keeping everybody busy at some extent at the moment (thanks, fiznerpin1962, he waits eagerly ) but when they start cursing at these new release games, the patch will be ready then for everybody to release some angry steam.

PS: The patch is not 2.4.1 anymore, it's gone well beyond the targeted work, it's 2.5 at the moment :)
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edit; appearance, colours

[fiznerpin1962]

Oh,- my bad. I forgot to mention I'll be out killing Bambi's mom & dad the next two weekends.

[Nightwatch]

Thanks EggChen, got the well-packed files Tonight, they'll make the Zone more impressive.

[Nightwatch]

OK... I'm impressed...again

A spectacular chain of explosion... Right on the correct doze and sequence... heat wobble, smoke, particles flying around, dense smoke and fire... that's the death decented upon the unlucky target from those depleted U-tipped missiles. Perfectly depicted. Thank you is not enough.
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VIDEO

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm2UoB42a74
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All the other effects are also working perfectly. Smoke on the ACP debris stays only for the necessary time and disappears, chopper debris stays until you leave the level (it took me an hour to shoot down a chopper,damn it, am I losing the touch or is it getting too difficult? )

Helicopter looks very wel--dressed in its new suits very active looking, not as if it's been brought back to service from a junkyard anymore as it looks like in vanilla. We have a new chopper to kick our ass, guys

All great.