Where are the contrail settings?

[Wing_Z]

I've done ... something, and all high-altitude aircraft flyable and AI, make sort of giant puffy contrails.
A quick look in various .cfg files doesn't show any contrails entry under [effects] and I'm assuming it's a global setting somewhere.

Where are they hiding?

 

[Moses03]

WZ- The contrail setting is under the "[GeneralEngineData]" section.

From the Connie Super G as an example:


[GeneralEngineData]
engine_type= 0
Engine.0= 6.562, -31.417, 0.000
Engine.1= 8.858, -14.701, -1.969
Engine.2= 8.858, 14.701, -1.969
Engine.3= 6.562, 31.417, 0.000
fuel_flow_scalar= 1.0150
min_throttle_limit=0.00990
master_ignition_switch= 0 //Master Ignition Switch
max_contrail_temperature=-20 //choose temp c below which contrails occur


Hope this helps. Moses

 

[aeromed202]

Never changed it but in case the fx file got trodden on there are freeware replacements out there that also claim to be better than the default too.

 

[Wing_Z]

Moses: I'm looking at the stock B777 - no such entry. I know there are custom effects for various models, but you'd find it in the aircraft.cfg file as you point out. The stock models use a default setting somewhere...it's not in the air file either as far as I can see.
Aerom: I suspect I installed something which included such a custom effect, and may have overwritten the stock one. This is used by all the AI, so I guess I should try finding the original default file. Customising every AI plane (there are thousands) is not an option.

 

[Tom Clayton]

In jets, the contrails are activated by default at -20°C. To change that temp, or to activate the effect in other types of aircraft, use the cfg entry.

For your issue, it sounds like your effects have been overwritten by some addon. You can restore the default effect if you need to:

1. Insert CD 1 and close the installer program when it auto-launches.
2. Open My Computer, right-click the CD's icon, and choose Explore.
3. Double-click MSGAME1.cab to open it. Find and drag fx_contrail_l.fx and fx_contrail_s.fx from there into your Effects folder, re-overwriting the overwritten (huh?) files.
4. Done.

 

[Wing_Z]

Nice and concise

Thank you Tom, that fixed the problem.

Now to find what it was that overwrote them in the first place...
Interestingly, I see I have no less than 53 custom contrail files, lurking in the effects folder.
Can't say I've ever taken note of the differences, really.