JTD Fire And Smoke

[DMarkwick]

JTD_FireAndSmoke beta 0.2 is released.

***IMPORTANT INFO***
The JTD_FireAndSmoke_config.hpp file now must go into a new folder, ArmA2\userconfig\JTD\. If you do not have this path/folder, make one. This is apparently a standard of approach that modders will be encouraged to use.
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JTD_FireAndSmoke v0.2 changes:
-More smoke particle texture variance.
-Altered smoke colours.
-Fire damage now per-tree instead of per-area.
-Fire colour changed to orange, also user configurable.
-Minor config fix.
-Forest fire sound added.
-Vehicles have altitude check before emitting fire & smoke.
-User config path changed to ArmA2\userconfig\JTD\
-Keys added.

ArmaHolic Mirror :
ArmaHolic

ArmedAssault.info Mirror :
DOWNLOAD - JTD Fire And Smoke (v.beta 02) - [850 KB] from ArmedAssault.info

Required Addons :
DOWNLOAD - CBA: Community Base Addons


Please read the readme for correct implementation (particularly concerning the .hpp config file).

Readme:

JTD_FireAndSmoke, by JTD.

***IMPORTANT INFO***
The JTD_FireAndSmoke_config.hpp file now must go into a new folder, ArmA2\userconfig\JTD\. If you do not have this path/folder, make one. This is apparently a standard of approach that modders will be encouraged to use.
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Anyone can use this addon for use in ArmA2, including hosting the files for download. It must remain intact with this readme. Anyone wishing to include this addon in their own package have that permission, and although not a requirement, you might like to drop a line at http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=86237 to let us know.
The addon may not be altered without permission for public use. In the spirit of community sharing, without which this addon wouldn't exist in the first place, all scripts can be viewed and purloined for further use, with credits, as long as the addon itself remains intact as per the official release.


***What is it?***

JTD_FireAndSmoke is an effects addon that adds bigger, better and more useful smoke than the default ingame smoke. The ingame smoke is unaffected, this addon "layers" effects over the top. It's MP compliant, looks great, and is AI viewblock by default. Destroyed vehicles will send up huge plumes of smoke visible from miles away and last a long time, very useful for a sense of battlefield presence and history. Additional to this there is a propagating fire functionality that will set forests, buildings and vehicles on fire dependant on proximity, wind, and rain.


***What do I need?***

You need the JTD_FireAndSmoke.pbo file, the JTD_FireAndSmoke_config.hpp file, and you need the CBA (Community Base Addons) install.


***How do I use it?***

You treat the JTD_FireAndSmoke.pbo file just like any other addon file, you place it in the mod folder of your choice, in the addons subfolder. The JTD_FireAndSmoke_config.hpp file MUST go in your ArmA2\userconfig\JTD\ folder. It contains settings and information that the addon needs to run.


Step-by-step instructions:

1. Extract content to someplace.
2. Put the @JTD folder in your ArmA2 folder
3. Make a shortcut to your ArmA2 game with the switch -mod=@JTD or add the @JTD to your list of mods already there.
4. Place JTD_FireAndSmoke_Config.hpp file into your ArmA2\userconfig\JTD\ folder, if it doesn't exist, make one.


Instructions for the totally clueless (as requested):

1. First, make sure you copied the @JTD folder into your ArmA2 game folder, AND you also copied the JTD_FireAndSmoke_Config.hpp file into your ArmA2\userconfig\JTD\ folder, if it doesn't exist, make one.

2. right click on your desktop ArmA2 shortcut, copy it and paste the copy right back in the same place. You now have TWO desktop shortcuts, one of which we will now modify to use the JTD_FireAndSmoke mod, the other will remain just ArmA2.

3. Right click one of the shortcuts, and choose Properties from the list.
In the Target textbox field you will see the command that is executed by this shortcut, it will read something like:
"D:\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA2\arma2.exe"

You will now add
-mod=@JTD
to the end of this, so in the example above the entire line in the textbox will read:
"D:\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA2\arma2.exe" -mod=@JTD

4. Now you can OK the Properties box and the shortcut will now run JTD_FireAndSmoke. You can rename the shortcut to remind you of what mod it runs, I have several shortcuts that run various different mods.


***How do I alter it?***

There are several config settings you can use in the JTD_FireAndSmoke_config.hpp file, mostly to do with enabling and disabling various aspects of JTD_FireAndSmoke. You can also alter the lifetime of effects to give you longer, or shorter, smoke effects over time. You can also set the number of concurrent tree fires so that forest fires don't get out of control and bog your PC down. The settings have descriptions in the file.
Also, you can add or subtract tree names from the list of trees in there, so you can add any custom trees you've made for your map for example. The trees that are currently in there are trees from ArmA2 and ArmA1 also, so if you use the CAA1 mod for example the addon will work in ArmA1 maps just as it does for the ArmA2 maps.


***What's the downside?***

Inevitably there is a performance hit for a mod of this nature. However, considering the visual complexity this adds to your gaming experience you might find this performance hit negligible, I have a fairly old machine and I'm constantly surprised at how much extra smoke I can get before noticing any slowdowns. Plus, you can always tweak the config settings for taste and performance. Very heavy battles will of course have a bigger impact on performance than lighter, more moderate battles. Personally speaking, longer more drawn-out encounters with smaller "flurries" of action over a few hours work the best.


***What should I watch out for?***

If you use JTD_FireAndSmoke in the ArmA2 editor, and you preview the mission, then you will get an addon dependancy written into the mission.sqm file. Exactly the same as if you'd used any other addon in your mission. If you wish to have your mission JTD_FireAndSmoke independant you should manually remove this entry with a text editor.


***What's next?***

As ever, constant improvements, tweaks and bug fixes. Things I want to do include addon sounds, improving existing textures and adding extra functionality for more realism.


***Release history***

JTD_FireAndSmoke v0.2
-More smoke particle texture variance.
-Altered smoke colours.
-Fire damage now per-tree instead of per-area.
-Fire colour changed to orange, also user configurable.
-Minor config fix.
-Forest fire sound added.
-Vehicles have altitude check before emitting fire & smoke.
-User config path changed to ArmA2\userconfig\JTD\
-Keys added.

JTD_FireAndSmoke v0.1
-Initial release.


***Acknowledgments***
JTD:
DMarkwick
TRexian
ReconPathFinder

Credits to:
DeanosBeano, Wolfrug, Planck, h-, Worldeater, Killswitch, UNN, kju, Sickboy, Kronzky, Maddmatt, Manzilla, Tankbuster, Icebreakr, Alex72, Snake Man

Special acknowledgments:
CBA team, and of course BIS.

We hope everyone gets a lot of value from it.

Feedback, screenies etc are welcome.








*edit*
OK, a little information about The Birds

Yes, for those who've expressed an interest, it's the same startled birds from way back when. Implemented at last in a meaningful way

They work like this:
There's a very small chance that units moving sufficiently fast will startle a small flock of birds from their tree. When I say sufficiently fast, I mean that a normal ArmA2 walk will set them off, but a crouched walk will not. So stealth will pay off in MP pvp games.

Any unit on the map will have this small chance of scaring up birds, but it is a very small chance per unit. This means that one, lone unit walking through a forest might never set off a flock, but a whole platoon probably will eventually. A group made to walk through a forest will have a definite chance of setting off a flock, increasing with group numbers. A group made to walk through a forest but set to stealth, has a much smaller, but non-zero, chance of scaring up birds. So again stealth will pay off.

The faster a unit moves, the further ahead is the possible random position of the flock. A tree is needed for a flock to appear. Vehicles will also scare up birds.

Also, a firefight will set off all the flocks in the whole area, not to return for a long time (several minutes at least). So the flocks of birds is a "quiet time" ambient effect. The first time a weapon is fired, flocks all around the area will take to the skies. After several minutes of inactivity (weapon wise), normal bird logic will resume.

As far as the birds themselves go - they are an ambient atmospheric effect. They're sprites used to suggest a flock of birds, and while very effective, close inspection might reveal some birds apparently flying backward. There's nothing to be done about this, as it's difficult for me to know from what side each player will view the sprites, and which way they'll be flying for that matter (although for MP synchronicity I think they all go the same direction anyway). So please, take them for what they're meant to be, an atmospheric effect, useful for becoming suspicious and paranoid in missions involving stealth.
In any case, almost every time you'll see them you won't be able to tell which way they're facing, you'll just get the subliminal flapping object effect, which was always the intention.

Oh, and one other thing. While testing, I found out that rabbits can also set off birds. I spent a paranoid ten minutes hunting down God Knows What in a map that I thought I was all alone in before finding that out.

[TRexian]

About freaking time....

Oh -and might want to update your sig.

[JuggernautOfWar]

Awesome! Love your work DMarkwick. I see my consistent nagging you for an ArmA II addon has paid off.

---------- Post added at 06:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:49 PM ----------

Could we get some screenies please? It'd get a lot more downloads that way.
**EDIT** Thanks for the screen shots, that was fast.

[Betsalel]

Oh hell yes my friends...the day has finally come! Woohoo!

[Nosedive]

Man i have been looking forward to this for weeks! I am so looking forward to coming online tomorrow to test it out.

Thank you!!

[AmnesiacJack]

Freaking awesome! Cheers mate!

[s|ck]

sick!

[Rambler]

Been eagerly waiting for this. Thanks!

[gunterlund21]

Hi D
Great start to this project. A couple of things Ive noticed. Sent a VBIED into town to take out a tank. It exploded on Q with a nice flame coming from the vehicle. A couple of nearby buildings subsequently caught on fire with great affect. Great Flames but no smoke with the flames. Also troops were standing in the middle of the flames with no impact to their health. Also the color of your fire is quite different than the default game flame. FYI

[xclusiv8]

i cant say that i like the flames. they are to yellowish. flames should have a more red collor on the outside and going from yellow to whitish on the inside. Take a look here: Fire