Square cannon tracers

M

mcbob

SOH-CM-2023
All the aircraft in ETO using the "avhistory_gb_gun_hispano_mk2" have the square tracers.

The aircraft with "20mmMkIIHispano_gun" are ok.

The only effects I've change recently were for the wing tip vapor trails. Could this be the problem?

Here is what i did:RENAME tr_condenstrail_basis2.dds to tr_condenstrail_basis3.dds in the effects/Fxtetextures folder Keep tr_condenstrail_basis2.dds also.

Then add this into the [HighAltSprite] section of the shaders30/texturemagic.ini:
tr_condenstrail_basis3.dds= 2500|-1500

Then replace this into the effects.xml file:
<fx_N_gtrail ClassName="GroupEffect" Effect0="N_track_contrail_s"/>
<N_track_contrail_s ClassName="TrackEffect" FlatTrack="0" Lifetime="0" InitialDelay="0" ParticleLifetime="0.15" FadeInTime="0.02" FadeOutTime="0.12" PosX="0" PosY="0" PosZ="0" CountSegments="5"
SegmentLength="2" Width="0.25" WidthGrow="1.2" InitialAlpha="0.00" InitialColor="250 250 255" Alpha="0.55" Color="250 250 255" FinalAlpha="0.00" FinalColor="250 250 255" BlendMode="QuadSprite"
Texture="tr_condenstrail_basis3.dds" ZBias=".03"/>

I found some old threads about square cannon tracers but all that did was confuse me.

Any advise would be appreciated.
 
If i remember correctly it has to do with maybe the new Spitfires or FW-190A's than anything else. Did you recently install them ? If you did please read the readme's included with the aircraft files and you should find your answer there. That is what happened to me.I have bad memory problems due to brain problems but i think that is what i did. Maybe someone more helpful will come along to help. Regards,Scott
 
To MajorMagee

Per your link to the other thread, are you suggesting that I try installing the all in one effects package? I downloaded it a while back.
 
I have never added any aircraft.

I did install the all in one effects package but it didn't resolve the square tracer problem.

I found the following files for the round.

AvHistory_gb_round_hispano_mk2.xpd

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<UnitData>
<General Allegience="" LongName="" ShortName="" ModelName="" BlastDamageScale="1.0" ImpactDamageScale="1.0" FireDamageScale="1.0" Priority="2" Type="weapon" EnteredService="01/01/1944" BlastDamageMod="0" ImpactDamageMod="0" FireDamageMod="0" AllowSpawn="n" Category="weapon" Country="Britain" Mass=".39395"/>
<Description String=""/>
<Weapon WeaponType="shell" ImpactDice="1" ImpactDieSize="1" ImpactOffset="65.39" BlastDice="1" BlastDieSize="1" BlastOffset="63.19" BlastRadius="1.3" FireDice="1" FireDieSize="1" FireOffset="11.6" ExplodeEffect="fx_grndexpl_t" GroundEffect="fx_bltgnd_m" AirEffect="fx_bltpln_m" WaterEffect="fx_bltwtr_m" TracerEffect="tracer_yellow_smoke20"/>
<Loadouts/>
<GunStations/>
<DamageBoxes/>
<Systems/>
</UnitData>


effects.xml
<fx_tracer_yellow_smoke20 ClassName="GroupEffect" Effect0="tracer_yellow_smoke20" />

<tracer_yellow_smoke20 ClassName="TracerEffect" TracerLength="2.0" TracerWidth="2.0" TracerRorationSpeed="500" TracerBlendMode="Add" TracerSideTexture="tracerside5yellow.dds" TracerEndTexture="tracerend5yellow.dds" SmokeLength="1600" SmokeWidth=".9" SmokeRorationSpeed="1200" SmokeBlendMode="QuadSprite" SmokeSideTexture="tracerSmoke4.dds" SmokeEndTexture="black.DDS"/>

I tried all the combinations of "Add" and "QuadSprite". None of them made any difference. I do have all the exact dds files called for as well as several other variations.

At this point I have no idea how to fix this problem. Maybe I need to change to a different weapon.

Anybody have any ideas I could try?
 
I gave up trying to fix the tracers for the avhistory_gb_gun_hispano_mk2 and switched to the 20mmMkIIHispano_gun. Seems to be working like it should, tracers and all, even though I never could find the tracer effects for it. I didn't change any other parameters.
 
Think there might have been a texture problem with the tracer effect. I had to delete a few texture files to get mine to work but that was with a couple of new aircraft i installed.Can't remember what textures i had to delete but it got everything working again correctly. I think there is a link to discussion about it in the stickies,(knowledge base), section.This may not be related to your problem as you said that you have not installed any new aircraft. Regards,Scott
 
Did you modify the mentioned fx texture files,or do you even have them.? It was simple and did the trick for me. Maybe it could be related to the mods you did but i don't see how that could effect the tracer effects.
 
In addition to the square tracers I get these white X's that appear with the effects. Double checked all of the entries in the effects.xml and textures but can't find what's causing it. It happens about half the time I enter the sim and lasts the full session. It also happens in DPC Korea and Rising Sun. Any ideas?
 
Here are the effects I'm using in DPC Korea for that model, and I don't think I've ever had a problem.

<Effects>
<Effect Type="StartEngine0" EffectName="fx_engstrt" Location="emitter_eng0_exh_r"/>
<Effect Type="StartEngine0" EffectName="fx_engstrt" Location="emitter_eng0_exh_l"/>
<Effect Type="StartEngine1" EffectName="fx_engstrt" Location="emitter_eng1_exh_r"/>
<Effect Type="StartEngine1" EffectName="fx_engstrt" Location="emitter_eng1_exh_l"/>
<Effect Type="StartEngine2" EffectName="fx_engstrt" Location="emitter_eng2_exh_l"/>
<Effect Type="StartEngine2" EffectName="fx_engstrt" Location="emitter_eng2_exh_r"/>
<Effect Type="StartEngine3" EffectName="fx_engstrt" Location="emitter_eng3_exh_l"/>
<Effect Type="StartEngine3" EffectName="fx_engstrt" Location="emitter_eng3_exh_r"/>


<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_nav_green" PosX="19.20" PosZ="0.05" PosY="1.02" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_nav_green" PosX="19.20" PosZ="0.05" PosY="1.08" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_nav_red" PosX="-19.20" PosZ="0.05" PosY="1.02" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_nav_red" PosX="-19.20" PosZ="0.05" PosY="1.08" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_tail" PosX="0.00" PosZ="-17.25" PosY="1.25" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_landing" PosX="-4.2" PosZ="3.95" PosY="-2.05" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_landing" PosX="4.2" PosZ="3.95" PosY="-2.05" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_landing" PosX="-9.3" PosZ="3.45" PosY="-1.45" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_ac_Light_landing" PosX="9.3" PosZ="3.45" PosY="-1.45" MinVel="1" MaxVel="58"/>


<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="bomber_exhaust_smoke" Location="emitter_eng0_exh_l"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="bomber_exhaust_smoke" Location="emitter_eng1_exh_l"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="bomber_exhaust_smoke" Location="emitter_eng2_exh_r"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="bomber_exhaust_smoke" Location="emitter_eng3_exh_r"/>


<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_high_contrail" Location="emitter_eng0_exh_r"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_high_contrail" Location="emitter_eng1_exh_r"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_high_contrail" Location="emitter_eng2_exh_l"/>
<Effect Type="Track" EffectName="fx_high_contrail" Location="emitter_eng3_exh_l"/>


</Effects>
 
Roxane-21 said:
FOO FIGHTER

IMHO, what looks the most annoying in your screenshot is the water flooding uphill...
Click to expand...

Could be flowing the other way?:adoration:
Meanwhile the square cannon tracers continues to be a problem; the solution to which needs to be address in the project knowledge or similar sticky!:banghead:
 
For each effect there is a line of parameters that determines how it will look and behave. For the ones that reference a texture dds file they typically end with either BlendMode="QuadSprite" or BlendMode="Add". The problem is that the dds file needs to be made differently to use one, or the other blend mode. Without knowing about this some new textures have been released by modders over the years that were incompatible with the mode that was being referenced in the effects.xml. Since many different effect lines reuse the same textures it can lead to a new effect/texture update breaking something else inadvertently. Going back and fixing that breaks the new one.
Click to expand...

It's a moving target.
 
Yeah, it's a shame the Korea terrain was never properly finished.


@MajorMagee - Thanks Andy. The formatting suggestion made me recheck my nav light textures. Sure enough, they were DXT1 with no alpha. Reformatted into DXT5 with alpha. Also, tried your effects listed but the problem still persists.


If one effect has bad textures (nav lights), how can that affect another separate effect (tracers/smoke)? I would think the problem would be isolated to the bad effect (if it's textures aren't shared). My thinking is that there is some overriding parameter that is off(?).
 
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