RealTracer V.9b

[pazuzu]

Is this script good for MP?

[Grendel]

Is this script good for MP?

I don't think it would work in mp the way it is set up at the moment...and to be quite honest I have never delved into MP scripting as of yet...

I'm sure it would lag the hell out of a server though if it was required to track all the rounds fired, and create all those particles, but then what do I know about MP scripting...(answer: not a whole heck of a lot).

Maybe some scripting genius can figure out how to convert my script if it is possible...the alternative is waiting untill I finish working on my SP MOD so that I can learn MP. Sorry I'm not much help on this

-Grendel

[penguinman]

when are you going to delete all external addons so I can test the tail streak version.  

[Grendel]

when are you going to delete all external addons so I can test the tail streak version

Tonight by about 1900 hrs Pacific.

Again, sorry about that...I think you will be happy with the results.  Non player fired tracers now have a yellow(west) or white (east) "head" and a 5m long trail (of the appropriate tracer color) that looks pretty close to the pic you posted.  They are pretty disconcerting when they are coming your way too BTW! They will make you want to duck.

I am still trying to find a perfect balance of size and scale (I have to make them bigger as they get farther away to stay visible, yet still appear as though they are shrinking due to distance...very tricky to find the right algorythm).  So right now they look a little larger than I would like.

-Grendel

[penguinman]

cool
how about you just make the tails get longer as they get further away

[Pilot]

I just tried the script again.  Now the tracers are flying through the air.  Don't ask me why it's working now

-Student Pilot

[Grendel]

Now the tracers are flying through the air.  Don't ask me why it's working now

Two words: Flashpoint Gremlins. I swear they are real!

how about you just make the tails get longer as they get further away

I'll see if that works.

And (drumroll) with 15 minutes to spare....here is the new version which should be cleaned up and working.

-Grendel

[Pilot]

Two words: Flashpoint Gremlins. I swear they are real!

Lol, I think you're right!

I tried the new version.  Wow, it looks really good!

-Student Pilot

[penguinman]

well, i tried the new version, i saw a few little ball tracers(like 7 for the whole firefight) but no trails, i barly saw anything except the default BIS tracers and then a little colored ball flash here or there, but i dint see any moving balls and only a very few instantanious ball flashes. let alone any trails,

so i put setacctime .3, and tried,

wow! theres all the tracers with trails, only i cant play missions in .3 acctime

maby slow the tracers down a bit so there easier to see.

[Grendel]

i dint see any moving balls and only a very few instantanious ball flashes. let alone any trails

Is anyone else having similar problems during normal game acceleration?

Maybe It is a processing power issue?  I'm running a 1.5 ghz with 1gig RAM and a pretty fast GeForce, but I should represent the lower end of the CPU power spectrum and I can see the trails during normal game accel.  It could also be your view distance...mine is set pretty far (with low resolution terrain and textures-not as pretty but pretty don't count when you cant snipe at 1000m )

Wow, it looks really good

Thanks! Wait till you see the next version:

Busy as ever, I have further improved the script to implement the alternate strike effects!  The tracers now have three possible effects (all randomized): They can, of course, richochet (20% chance ), 'burn in' which means it will sit there flickering/smoking untill tracer burn out (10% chance,  or it will disintigrate into smaller sparks of the tracer's 'core color' (yellow sparks for red tracers, white for green...70% chance).

The script has undergone some other refinements.  Most notably, you can now set the script up to pump out tracers for user definable multiples or individual rounds much easier, without having to use the huge tracer array.

The user can also set the script up to add an improved dust kick up for heavy weapons, and I will include a bonus Mini Demo mission where this effect is added to a BAS MH60's M134 minigun with a 1 for 1 tracer load (I highly recomend playing from both the ground and as the MH60 gunner  )...The only downside:  It will need BAS Ranger/Delta 1.55, JAM2, BAS MH-60 pack, and the Tonali OPFOR.  I would link to them, but if you don't already have these, I doubt my little script will be enough incentive for you to DL 300MB worth of addons :-\ (although you really should do yourself a favor and pick these up sometime!)

Once again, the new (and hopefully final) version will be uploaded tonight at around the same time...

I don't really get off on tooting my own horn, but honestly with the new effects, this is as close to real tracer fire that I have seen modeled in any game (but then I have spent about 12 years so far watching them spit out of various weapon systems)

*gratuitous horn tooting complete, horn stowed and corked*

-Grendel

[penguinman]

oh, now it works, its just because my ofp had been runing all day and was laggy

now im not going to tell you how to do this and its completely up to you,but if I were you and its not to much work id have

1 seperate script for rifle tracers,
users should be able to decide in the syntax for each individual unit: the color of the tracers, weather they want the bounce/ break up/ stick n' burn effects(using 0 for no and 1 for yes), weather they want tracers with tails(once again 0 no, 1 yes) and the number of rounds between each tracer, and also the size of each tracer.

a seperate script that alows any vehicle mounted weapons to have tracers
same changeable stuff as for rifle tracers.    

a seperate script for dust kickup(because maby the user wants dust but not tracers)

maby say,, how big the dust puff is, the color(so they can change it for snow, desert, red clay), maby how long it lasts too., I dont know if that wouldnt be too hard to do.


ya but basicly stuff like that,
stuff that would provide the user with more options so he dosent have to email you and ask you to make a script with white tracers or tracers that fire every round insted of your defaullt 3. IMHO that would make the script
easier to use and more dynamic and stuff,

might be alot of work I dont know but if it isint to much i think you should definatly go for it.

thanks and great script.

[Grendel]

Those are all good ideas Penguinman, and I should be able to implement them all in the final.

Until then here is the updated script with the new stuff:
It would have been sooner but since it was the Army's B-day today I had to work a bit longer...go figure.

-Grendel

[Grendel]

And the BAS special metioned above here:

-Grendel

[Pilot]

I just tried V.94B, and I have to say, these tracers get better with each version.  It looks very nice!

One bug though,
G36A should be G36a.  Don't ask me why the lowecase matters, but it does.

One observation:
I noticed you had an Ak74GrenadeLauncher, but not an M16GrenadeLauncher or an Ak47GrenadeLauncher.  Any reason for this?

Anyway, keep up the good work!

-Student Pilot

[Grendel]

G36A should be G36a

Arghh darned case sensitive stuff!

I noticed you had an Ak74GrenadeLauncher, but not an M16GrenadeLauncher or an Ak47GrenadeLauncher.  Any reason for this

Not really, I just didn't add them to the easttw array in the init yet because I am still implementing a check in the script to keep tracers from being attatched to the grenades...

Thanks for the compliments too!  Once I get the GL issue fixed and add some of the functionality Penguinman suggested this baby should be Alpha.

-Grendel