Effects parameter problem

[spotlope 0]

I'm trying to set up a burning oil drum effect for use in lighting my small airstrip at night. However, I can't seem to find a combination of parameters that result in the effect only being visible during dusk, night and dawn. I read the effects SDK, and those parameters seem to be settable, but when I use them they have no effect (no pun intended). I feel as though I'm missing something here, but the parameters are so simple I can't figure out what it might be. Here's an example of what I'm trying currently:MOY=01,12;DOM=01,31;HOD=00,23;MOH=00,59;DAWN=1;DAY=0;DUSK=1;NIGHT=1;I've tried many other combinations, but all result in the same thing. Either I get burning drums all day and night, or none at all. Does anyone have insight into this? thanks,

[Guest christian]

Have a read of the SDK again and have a closer look at your command:>MOY=01,12;DOM=01,31;HOD=00,23;MOH=00,59;DAWN=1;DAY=0;DUSK=1;NIGHT=1; It contradicts itself! you are telling your drums to be burning from 00 to 23 hours, but then you say don't burn during the day. the HOD setting will override your DAY setting.Just tryDAY=0and see what happens.Cheers, Christian

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Christian.It's good to hear from you!Would this work?MOY=00,00;DOM=00,00;HOD=00,00;MOH=00,00;DAWN=1;DAY=0;DUSK=1;NIGHT=1;Dick

[spotlope 0]

Interesting, Christian! I thought just the opposite would be true; that I was telling it to be on all the time, and then overriding that with the DAY=0. I'll try it the other way around.thanks,

[spotlope 0]

Just a friendly bump... in the hopes that someone knows the answer to this riddle!

[spotlope 0]

Nope, I can't find any combination of using the day=0 parameter that actually turns things off during the day. I'll keep digging, but I thought someone here might have gotten this to work.

[Guest christian]

Have you tried DAY=0 just by itself WITHOUT ANY OTHER PARAMETERS?Christian

[Guest christian]

just thinking, maybe also try:day=0; dusk=1; night=1; dawn=1Have a look at the las vegas effect bgls in the scenedb/cities folder with a hex editor. Those effects are using these values...Christian

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Bill.This is a test I created with BGLPlacer.What I did was to create the effect CSV file with DUSK=1;, then saved it. Then, without closing the BGLPlacer, I deleted that entry and added NIGHT=1; Then added the effect. Then I again deleted the parameter entry and typed DAWN=1; and added it... then closed BGLPlacer.It gave me the following CSV file:; Generated by BGLPlacer 8.0;; format for each line is the following:; EFFECT, ,,,,,,,,; LIBRARY, ,,,,,,,,; WINDSOCK,,,,,,,,,; BUILDING,,,,,,,,,;EFFECT,fx_kilauea1.fx,N 42.6494006,W 88.6281921,AGL,0.00,0.00,0.00,Very Sparse,"DUSK=1"EFFECT,fx_kilauea1.fx,N 42.6494006,W 88.6281921,AGL,0.00,0.00,0.00,Very Sparse,"NIGHT=1"EFFECT,fx_kilauea1.fx,N 42.6494006,W 88.6281921,AGL,0.00,0.00,0.00,Very Sparse,"DAWN=1"Note there are 3 separate entries for the effect. Each with their own parameter. This produced a valid working effect for Dusk, Night and Dawn.======================When I tried to create the effect in BGLPlacer with the following added as a parameter: DUSK=1;NIGHT=1;DAWN=1; ( all three at once )...EFFECT,fx_kilauea1.fx,N 42.6494006,W 88.6281921,AGL,0.00,0.00,0.00,Very Sparse,"DUSK=1;NIGHT=1;DAWN=1"... it created a CSV file, and it BGLC compiled it.... but it doesn't display anything in FS2002!======================Following Christian's Suggestion:EFFECT,fx_kilauea1.fx,N 42.6494006,W 88.6281921,AGL,0.00,0.00,0.00,Very Sparse,"DAY=0".... also produces the desired effect!=======================So each effect parameter must apparently treated as a separate effect, and can be added to the same CSV file, to make one BGL.

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Bill.Did you ever get the effect working right?I'm still having some fits with the DAY=0, but the 3 separate entries for DUSK=1, DAWN=1, and NIGHT=1 works.Here's some SCASM code that is it's equivalent, but with the scenery density set to normal, and the V2 object radius set to 20:; DelavanVolcano N42* 38.97' W88* 37.67'Set( FSVers 0x800 )Header( 1 N42:38:57.79 N42:38:57.79 W088:37:41.49 W088:37:41.49 )LatRange( N42:38:57.79 N42:38:57.79 ); ----------------------------------------Area( A N42:38:57.79 W088:37:41.49 100 ) IfVarRange( : 0346 2 32767 ) RefPoint( rel : 1.00 N42:38:57.84 W088:37:41.49 V1= 0 V2= 20 ) GObj( EFFECT "cntrl_kilaueaeruption.fx" "DUSK=1" )EndA; ----------------------------------------; ----------------------------------------Area( A N42:38:57.79 W088:37:41.49 100 ) IfVarRange( : 0346 2 32767 ) RefPoint( rel : 1.00 N42:38:57.84 W088:37:41.49 V1= 0 V2= 20 ) GObj( EFFECT "cntrl_kilaueaeruption.fx" "NIGHT=1" )EndA; ----------------------------------------; ----------------------------------------Area( A N42:38:57.79 W088:37:41.49 100 ) IfVarRange( : 0346 2 32767 ) RefPoint( rel : 1.00 N42:38:57.84 W088:37:41.49 V1= 0 V2= 20 ) GObj( EFFECT "cntrl_kilaueaeruption.fx" "DAWN=1" )EndA; ----------------------------------------The effect called is the controller. This works very well, and is not present during the day. The code is essentially the same as BGLC or the BGLPlacer's CSV-derived code. The added benefit is that I believe this can exist right in with other SCASM code without problem.Many thanks to Arno for the tip at his website.Dick

[spotlope 0]

Thanks, Dick. Yeah, I got it working. I basically used your previous suggestion and just called it three times, one for dawn, one for dusk and one for night. Curiously, I could include two non-contiguous times of day, like dawn and dusk, together like this: "DAWN=1,DUSK=1" and it would work fine. Notice that I didn't separate the two param blocks with a semicolon, just a comma. However, putting a NIGHT=1 in the mix too meant that it never showed. There's definitely some weird science, or lack thereof, going on in there somewhere. Another thing they don't mention is that these switches seem to imply exclusion as well. So if I put in "DAY=1", the effect only shows during the day, even when followed by all the other time parameters set to show at all times. However, you can't do the same thing by putting in "DAY=0"; the command is then completely ignored. According to the SDK, the time of day params take precedence. Looks like it might just be another thing they weren't quite right about.

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Bill.Yes, it looks like another SDK that is "almost" right. I swear, these guys didn't check a thing they wrote about.In another post on placing library objects, BGLPlacer creates the correct CSV file, but there is a bug in the new BGLC that actually causes the CSV to compile into code that displays the object twice...that'll cut your framerates! Another thing not checked ( missing 'BGL_RETURN' code ). Additionally, only the standard fs2002 library objects can be placed, and then the SDK warns us to not place some of those. oooph!And Christian swore the BGLPlacer couldn't place objects in the southern hemishere... It's just too much!I'll probably use SCASM to place library objects and effects, as it does a good job, and is relatively painless. BGLC code is just a tad tedious. The only remaining problem is that some of the default objects are not allowed outside of very restricted bounds... but that should not effect newer object libraries created from Gmax-fsregen, or API objects.:)Dick

[spotlope 0]

Sounds like SCASM is a more tried-and-true method for now. Speaking of that, I don't have any SCASM experience, but it sounds as though I should have at least a nodding acquaintance with it if I'm going to get serious about scenery design. I've heard a lot of things about SCASM and decreased frame rates... is there any real "hit" to the performance of scenery to do things like place effects and use library objects, provided those objects use the new opcodes? I'm guessing not.

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Bill.There's no hit at all placing effects or placing ( calling ) library objects... but how those objects are made can make a huge difference.I'm not very skilled with SCASM or object creation, so I'm not a real good source.I think you have to watch what kinds of object API's you use. The new floating point opcodes are supposed to be used by all objects in CFS2 and FS2002. I don't know if older object API's can be translated to the newer floating point code, but I believe SCASM does support the newer opcodes.I believe Gmax created objects are all floating point opcodes, but the number of polys and facets will still affect the framerates.I would hope code from Airport or FSSC is optimised SCASM... but you never know.Whenever possible, I think TDF scenery should be used ( LWMs and VTPs ), as well as landclass and mesh. A lot can be done with that alone, and they have no discernable framrate hit ( other than autogen ).I'm thinking the older style of ground polys needs to go, for the most part, as they require flat terrain to display properly, and chew up framerates.I also think animation may be a CPU killer, but I can't say for sure.Dick