Combined Effects.xml Uploaded

[MajorMagee]

Yes, they're in there, but these descriptive headers were removed as part of the alphabetic sorting process as they no longer were connected to anything meaningful. Something similar happened to the connections between FX entries and the individual Particle Effect lines that they use.

At first I was bothered that this might hurt maintainability because you have to hunt down where the components pieces of an effect reside in the list versus them already all being in once section. Then I realized that since everything is alphabetical you can find them quicker than before because you don't have to guess where they might be in the list. For some entries it's the same difference, but for others that reuse existing effect components from other effects, or ones that inadvertently reused names creating conflicts or unexpected results, it actually simplifies the maintenance issues quite a bit.

In the end the most useful thing about alphabetical sorting was that it placed all of the different lines for the same effect next to each other as we tried to merge all of the different versions of the effect files. This made it easy to test each one and then set the best one as the default, while preserving the other ones for reuse if desired. It also makes it easier to test and repair an effect line that was being called by a specific aircraft of weapon system xml.

The challenge in the future will be if developer teams choose to keep setting up new effects in the old format. To keep things simple they will ask the user to drop blocks of new lines in that are out of order, and may or may not include inappropriate references to what's in the rest of the list.

My recommendation would be that in the future any new code be structured using a contiguous naming system, and then the block can be inserted in just one place. For example:

<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT1/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT1_Component1/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT1_Component1_Sub1/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT1_Component1_Sub2/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT1_Component1_Sub3/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT1_Component2/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT1_Component3/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT2/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT2_Component1/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT2_Component2/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT2_Component3/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT3/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT3_Component1/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT3_Component2/>
<FW_190A_AIRCRAFT_EFFECTS_EFFECT3_Component3/>
<FW_190A_DAMAGE_EFFECTS/>
<FW_190A_DAMAGE_EFFECTS_EFFECT1/>
<FW_190A_DAMAGE_EFFECTS_EFFECT1_component1/>
<FW_190A_DAMAGE_EFFECTS_EFFECT2/>
<FW_190A_DAMAGE_EFFECTS_EFFECT2_component1/>
<FW_190A_DAMAGE_EFFECTS_EFFECT3/>
<FW_190A_DAMAGE_EFFECTS_EFFECT3_component1/>
<FW_190A_DX9_EFFECTS/>
<FW_190A_DX9_EFFECTS_EFFECT1/>
<FW_190A_DX9_EFFECTS_EFFECT2/>
<FW_190A_DX9_EFFECTS_EFFECT3/>
<FW_190A_WEAPON_EFFECTS/>
<FW_190A_WEAPON_EFFECTS_EFFECT1/>
<FW_190A_WEAPON_EFFECTS_EFFECT2/>
<FW_190A_WEAPON_EFFECTS_EFFECT3/>

Certainly it will take some foresight to do this in a way that works for both readability and maintainability, but it does let us continue to add to the master effects file without devolving back to the mixed up effect structures we've had to contend with in the past.

 

[mongoose]

1. You two have certainly done a really impressive job and your idea for new effect's notation is a good point. So what I hate to do now is introduce a whole series of new effects which maybe not many people have; although I am sure Dan won't mind if I upload the files and stuff that go with them, as they are mostly his.

Anyway I attach them here FYI and if you want to add them I could upload the things they go with after asking Dan where necessary.

 

[MajorMagee]

I can probably work through integrating in the new effects, but the file you attached is empty.

Once we get past that, we'll have two choices for these:

1. Leave them as they are and put the pieces in wherever the fit alphabetically.
2. Leave the high level naming for the new effects alone so they can be used without needing to edit the aircraft files that use them, but rename the subcomponents to keep them grouped together in the list. (This only works if those subcomponents are not reused by other effects)

Which approach do you think we should use?

 

[mongoose]

Trying again!

I like your contiguous naming system idea

 

[Daiwilletti]

Thanks for the TOW effects, Mongoose. I'm surprised we didn't have the flak search illumination strings...

Despite the master effects file, there is still plenty of scope for personalisation of the look and feel of a specific install. For example, I have added a whole lot of tracer effects to my gun xdp files, based on some old clip I saw. I read about some British tank rounds having tracer, for example, so I've gone nuts adding tracer to guns and flak guns, makes quite a spectacular show.

One thing I'm finding with my new WQHD monitor, is that the increased resolution seems to make some things like tracer sharper but smaller. At the moment I'm on the hunt through old tracer smoke textures, to see if I can't get a more defined tracer smoke. 8x 50 cal in a P47 would surely leave a stain across the sky....

 

[MajorMagee]

Trying again!

I like your contiguous naming system idea

I'm almost done, but the attached list references fx_search_light_Ground_Circle_1 in one of the Group Effects, but does not include it. I've looked through my other installs and none of them have it. If you have it post a copy of the text here, and I can add it in.

 

[MajorMagee]

I believe I've wrapped up the integration of the additional effects. I was able to keep the names of the Group Effects as they were, and only needed to rename the individual elements to keep them together when sorted alphabetically.

 

[alcanallen]

Effects package the Tops

Great stuff, to you,the guys who worked and perfected this add on for CFS3 its amazing,i`m now enjoying all you put into the effects,sound,et al,great job,don`t stop now your`e on a roll!

 

[mongoose]

I believe I've wrapped up the integration of the additional effects. I was able to keep the names of the Group Effects as they were, and only needed to rename the individual elements to keep them together when sorted alphabetically.

Have these been uploaded yet?

 

[mongoose]

upload?