Coming 'soon'! Airfield runway lighting.

[mongoose]

Nactpiloten has been working or stock runways to provide runway, approach, and other lighting for all the stock airbases; and hopefully ACC ones in future. Below is just a hint of what will come soon. Some of the main issues to check on are:-

Effects. Making sure all the effects which are needed are pinpointed. Some are already in Daiwilletti's and MajorMagee's combined effects.xml but some are not, so we have to work out what effects need to be added to that. Now everyone has a variety of effects.xml files so this could be an issue which we are trying to solve for everyone.

Shaders and Ankor's Shaders30, I run a whole different set of Shaders30 and d3d8. cfg files for my TOW nighttime Eras. We have to check the appearance in
My night shaders30
Regular Shaders30
No Ankor Shaders
to see what they look like!

Files: We have to check what dds files are needed for the effects and if they are generally available. Of course files specific to the lights will be needed and included in any upload.

OK the first teaser! A nachtjagd Bf110 about to take off at Cologne. I will upload more later and do a video as well. This is with my TOW night shaders30 and d3d8.cfg

A better view of a night scene can be had here http://www.mediafire.com/view/rf9fc1so95po85o/Teds airfileld lights.png#

 

[sixstrings5859]

Exciting news ! Hope it will work without AnKor's shaders.

 

[Frosty]

Very interesting (and looking good!!)


[With this at hand, it is perhaps about time to start thinking about a small update to ETO v1.50:

- there's a couple of high quality new aircraft that could be incorporated,
- updated versions of the stock v1.50 (not stock CFS3, to make the distinction ) sounds/effects xml files without all the duplicate or wrong entries,
- without redundant, missing or duplicate .dds and other files,
- with corrected referrals in some .xml files etc.
- with some added possible key assigments in the .xca
and anything generic/other that would enhance the general quality of v.150

It's basically a combination of work that has already been done by some of you. But all these are separate endeavours, prompting my JSGME that 'X file has already been altered by Y mod' each time something new has been uploaded to SOH. To manually alter my ETO v1.50 files and keep track of all the changes is becoming a job in itself (if case I ever want/need to go back to vanilla ETO)
It's just a thought but why not? Most of you were already involved in creating v1.50 anyway...]

 

[mongoose]

Sounds like a task for Daiwilletti for a start! The basic CFS3 he did was very good, but a big job for anyone. BTW Joost, do you have any non stock airfield source files lying around and Ted and I could do with them! I've spoken to Clive!

More teasers. I put on my mediafire as night screenshots need to be big! No searchlights in this old ETO install without any Ankor stuff.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/jczed80i822kv86/ETO no shaders30 Kohln 1.png#

http://www.mediafire.com/view/fnsitrmx49mfz5k/ETO no shaders30 Kohln 2.png#

 

[NachtPiloten]

Task at hand

Not a terribly demanding job other than understanding how the xml files are structure and a bit of trial and error. There are sooooo many ACC fields so I decided tackle the stock one since these are the basis for the LW fields in ETO anyway. These are with Ankor's shaders and a set of files from O-1. In the stock CFS3 these mods cover ALL airfields. In ETO I think some renaming is needed to make these work for the Axis aerodromes.

The approach lights make it so much easier to land at night - wonder why!!!!

 

[Frosty]

... do you have any non stock airfield source files lying around and Ted and I could do with them! I've spoken to Clive! ...

Do you mean the gmax files used to build the airfields?
I only have those of the ones I did: Kenley (with Clive), Stoke Orchard 1941, Leiston 1944, the 3 ALGs, and some unfinished and unpublished stuff (new versions of Mount Farm 1945, Matching Green 1945, Winkleigh 1944, Halesworth 1944 and Christchurch 1945). The basic layouts for those are mostly complete (location of runways, peritrack, roads etc.) but it finishing them usually hangs on various structures/buildings that I need to model first. But you can have the groundtextures and/or gmax files, if they are of any help.

 

[mongoose]

Need files which would assist with light placement. Would be much appreciated! I assume every airfield was unique or were all the runways basically the same type. In any case as Ted does the approach lights as well, we would need more than just the runways layouts.

 

[mongoose]

Just uploaded at CFS3/Other http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?catid=13

Stock_Airbase_Lighting

These airfield lighting sets for all the stock airbase types have been put together by Ted ‘NachtPiloten’ Kaniuka, and it’s hoped more can be done in the future. Meanwhile these can be used in any install you have using the stock airbases. Ankor’s Shaders is not essential!

INSTALL

1. For all versions, you must install the 2 folders; ‘facilities’ and ‘vehicles’

2. Check (by searching the root install) if your install already has the 3 dds files in the effects/fxtextures
folder here. If it doesn’t, then you must add the effects folder to your install. Or just over install!

3. Now comes the first tricky part; dealing with the effects.xml. You have 3 choices really;
a. Use NachtPiloten's version, which has not been updated for a while.
b. Use my version in full which is Daiwilletti’s and MajorMagee’s combined effects.xml plus
additions at the top .
c. Just add the lines in the attached text file to your effects.xml but there is no guarantee those
actually cover all the needed effects, some of which I may have missed!

4. Next tricky part; Ankor’s Shaders. The lights have been tested without Ankor’s Shaders and seem to
work well. Enclosed are my Shaders which are pretty comprehensive. In any case just add ‘BU’ at
the end of your versions before adding mine to try. At the very least you must add my
TextureMagic.cfg file, or the [NightSprite] section to your TextureMagic file.

 

[mongoose]

Just uploaded at CFS3/Other and at the bottom of all the sections.
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?catid=13

Stock_Airbase_Lighting

These airfield lighting sets for all the stock airbase types have been put together by Ted ‘NachtPiloten’ Kaniuka, and it’s hoped more can be done in the future. Meanwhile these can be used in any install you have using the stock airbases. Ankor’s Shaders is not essential!

INSTALL

1. For all versions, you must install the 2 folders; ‘facilities’ and ‘vehicles’

2. Check (by searching the root install) if your install already has the 3 dds files in the effects/fxtextures
folder here. If it doesn’t, then you must add the effects folder to your install. Or just over install!

3. Now comes the first tricky part; dealing with the effects.xml. You have 3 choices really;
a. Use NachtPiloten's version, which has not been updated for a while.
b. Use my version in full which is Daiwilletti’s and MajorMagee’s combined effects.xml plus
additions at the top .
c. Just add the lines in the attached text file to your effects.xml but there is no guarantee those
actually cover all the needed effects, some of which I may have missed!

4. Next tricky part; Ankor’s Shaders. The lights have been tested without Ankor’s Shaders and seem to
work well. Enclosed are my Shaders which are pretty comprehensive. In any case just add ‘BU’ at
the end of your versions before adding mine to try. At the very least you must add my
TextureMagic.cfg file, or the [NightSprite] section to your TextureMagic file.

 

[Frosty]

James & Ted,

you got a PM .

 

[mongoose]

James & Ted,

you got a PM .

Thanks Joost. Clive?

 

[mongoose]

Just a video taken over an airfield while working out an approach, Definitely won't be easy!

http://www.mediafire.com/file/sac4kd5us5i11t3/Airfield_Lights.mp4/file

 

[MajorMagee]

I loved seeing that the video included the instrument lights and reticle in the cockpit.

 

[mongoose]

Yep! They look good with clights and dynamic reticles!

I have found an error in airbase_triple_2.xml facility whith the name for the white runway lights which should just be"runway_light_d" with no numbers at the end. the correct facility is

View attachment airbase_triple_2.rar

 

[NachtPiloten]

and the rest

Just received a few models and will add lights to hopefully cover many more aerodromes. Need to fire up the old XP based machine.....