Attaching an FX to a gun

LancerSolurus

**Just wondering, does anyone know how to attach a FX to a gun?

I have found a way to make mountable lights but this is the only holdup.**

Wolfie

then tell how? ;D

Forsaken

If I know LS, he’s going to get everything hashed out before posting a how to.

mknote

This is complete conjecture, but the most likely way that I can see, looking at the INIs at a glace, is to imitate a thruster:

particles = gf_ge_s_thruster_01
hp_particles = hpthrust

Still, whether that would work without firing the gun (or even if firing the gun), I don’t know. Is it even possible?

MK

LancerSolurus

**Well I have tried fuse, explosion arch, loadout, equip, addon and many more things trying to get the light flare added to the light. So far nothing has worked.

Well one thing worked. In the freelancer.ini is the order of files that FL uses. By having the light_equip.ini before the weapon_equip.ini, I was able to override the light with a real light. But once I docked this light disappeared from my weapon mount and I was no longer able to see it. Placing the light_equip.ini after the weapon_equip.ini, I was able to see the light again but the FX was gone. Funny how certain FL files are order sensitive.

To understand how this works, it is a simple sphere model with a glow map added to it. I believe Gibbon has made a tutorial on making glowmaps already. You create a gun mount that will hold the new light and simply create a new gun using your new 3D glowing model. Just remember to include the standard HpMount, HpConnect and HpFire01 hardpoints. The color of your glow map will be the color of your light.

Beyond that, it will not show any normal light effects such as blinking. Also, remove all FX calls in your weapon, otherwise it will show a weapon FX in the -45 to 45 degree range. I have been unable to get this to change even using a revolute weapon.**

Mini_Me

Perhaps changing the flash animation to use a constant effect instead of a short-life one? But wouldn’t the “lights” still show up in your weapon list menu? (enable / disable menu, bottom right of UI) I was adding some dummy turrets to simulate cameras that track with your cursor and had that problem…
From what I’ve seen on running lights, they don’t actually light jack, its more of a simple transparent texture with glow mapping. So with that in mind, its just a matter of finding an effect that looks reasonable and adjusting its ale animation. But the upside to doing it in an ale is you can vary the color over time as well, or have it get brighter as throttle increases.

It’s rather hard to see in such a small video, but this does get brighter with more throttle in the second one
Example of one of my favs -the kusari gunboat maingun (the “core” section in the middle of the ship) -vanilla style / no change http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1382100/vanilla_kusari_gunboat_maingun_ale_effect_custom_mounted/

and here’s throttled brightness and frequency

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1382092/modified_ale_effect_using_throttle/

FriendlyFire

Why not use an AttachedFX-kind of thing with the light being a new ALE? It would be even more flexible than a true light…

I just don’t know if you could actually give an AttachedFX a goods entry, or if you can use the “particles =” param on guns. Would be worth a shot, though.

LancerSolurus

I can make a glowing mesh but I have been unable to get any type of FX to attach to it. Still, it is a mountable light which I haven’t seen before.

Mini_Me

Anyone tried making a CargoPod for this?
As most can probably attest to, if you have an equip = LargeRed, Hp(non-existant hardpoint name) and that hardpoint does not exist… there is no light mounted.
Now this might be a bit of a mess to look at in code, but would it mess up a server?:
CargoPod will use a shield.3db (no mesh) but add a unique light hp - say… HpRedLight01. This would also need to have an IDS name / info reflecting that HP name so players would not buy more than 1 of the same type.
Next would be the entries in shiparch.ini -this is where it’s ugly. There would need to be entries for each color / type, and number. You can see how this could get out of hand quick, perhaps restricted to fighters and then only a couple custom lights would be available.
So, player buys /mounts the cargopod with its specific light hardpoint, which then allows the light already present in shiparch.ini to show up. Kind of a domino effect. If it does work, that opens the door for other mountable fx as well… say some uber expensive eyecandy specific for each ship.

CargoPods even mountable? Could work on a shield gen as well?
Worth the hassle?

Anyhoo, was looking over solar loadout / construction and remembered this topic. Thought I’d toss out one last thought before hitting the hay.

Edit Victory!…. sort of
Well, since I was curious, I had to test it out. I used a shield generator, buyable in a store, mountable, sellable, light shows up when it’s mounted, gone after it’s sold.

foxUnit01

Yeah, I first noticed what Mini_Me said when I was hardpointing the Lifeboat to be a pilotable rare ship (hey, I was bored) - I fudged up and forgot to actually place the RunningLight hardpoints that I defined with the ship package, so when I launched the first time I noticed the lights on my Torpedo launcher rather than the ship itself, which I thought was really neat. The problem with making a custom light system using this, as Mini_Me pointed out, is that it would be the biggest mess of mountable things ever, as you’d have to have a specific hardpoint for each light type for each light spot and blargh that’d be messy. lol

LancerSolurus

Do you mind posting your shield so others can see how it’s done. My method works but I am unable to attach a light FX to it.

Mini_Me

ST_EQUIP.INI section
[Shieldgenerator]
nickname = Plight01r
hit_pts_scale = 1.25
hit_pts = 19000
HP_child = SpConnect <-stock shield entry is HPConnect which is why mine didn’t show up at first
category = equipment
ids_name = 0 ;GENERATESTRRES(“Mountable Red Light01”)
ids_info = um, yeah, stuff here
DA_archetype = equipment\models\st\Plight01r.3db
mass = 10
volume = 0.0000
lootable = false
debris_type = debris_normal
hp_type = hp_freighter_shield_special_1

ST_GOOD.INI section
[Good]
nickname = Plight01r
equipment = Plight01r
category = equipment
price = 10000
item_icon = equipment\models\commodities\nn_icons\equipicon_weaponupgrade.3db
combinable = false
ids_name = 0; (“Mountable Red Light 01”)
ids_info = 0 blah
shop_archetype = equipment\models\commodities\nn_icons\equipicon_weaponupgrade.3db
Of course, this method will require quite a few renamed shields, but I suspect you already can imagine the lovely headaches ahead I can trim down my testing mod and plop it somewhere if need be.

SHIPARCH.INI
just set up a hp_freighter_shield_special_1 on say… HpLight01

MARKET_MISC.INI
[BaseGood]
base = ST04_01_Base
MarketGood = Plight01r, 0, -1, 100, 100, 0, 1

GOODS.INI
addon = Plight01r, HpLight01 <– your new hp, which you sadly had to make on every ship you wanted a light on ;-(
addon = SlowXLargeRed, HpPlight01r <–- this is the HP you added via UTF edit to the shield.3db “model”
If you’re wondering which shield model I’m referring to, go to \data\ships\liberty\LI_FIGHTER\ li_fighter_shield.3db
that only contains a hardpoint (which you need to set the position for to 0, 0, 0 and then add the unique light Hp as well)
rename the shield to same as hp for ease, and repeat.

The downside is for every light you want to be mountable, -with this method they must be declared / equipped and “built into” the model that way. So essentially the shield you buy with the light’s name acts as a key to switch that already existing light on.

Edit: This does have some other nifty applications as well though. Player Ship upgrades , for one: special thrusters or power plants, and built-in weapons, as well as whole ship sections (modular ships weee) -like perhaps macross fighters with the booster packs as an upgrade.

JONG

Thank you for your information for sharing, but I have a question to want to ask, this function just adds the light result, are there other application ways?

Mini_Me

Well, it turns out that getting Effects to be buyable / mountable from a store is a royal pain in the booty. And as far as I’ve seen, you cannot specify a “loadout =” for anything mountable. So far this is the only way I’ve personally been able to get an effect / light to …kind of… be buyable.

JONG

Oh I see, I think perhaps it by the discovery, apply to other the part which we can’t employ get on originally.

FriendlyFire

@Mini_Me: Well, considering how you do your things…

Have you tried replacing the light (SlowXLargeRed in your example) with an AttachedFX?

addon = this_is_an_equipped_fx, HpPlight01r 

[AttachedFX]
nickname = this_is_an_equipped_fx
particles = this_is_an_actual_fx

[Effect]
nickname = this_is_an_actual_fx
...

Mini_Me

@FF: Just tried testing it with Contrails and it works for that as well -same as standard, which should mean its good for any attached. Only other ones I’‘’'ve tried is Small_Station_E3_2001, outer_sanctum_shieldgen, and mplatform_smoke_red, which look odd, but work as well.

As with lights, the HP must already be defined / present in shiparch.ini. And the Contrail (or whatever attached effect) must already be defined / present in goods.ini (the ship package) loadouts.ini. It’‘s just a switch really -a way of adding or removing a hardpoint for equipment that’‘s already there. You’'re buying the hardpoint.

LancerSolurus

**Dont ever remember seeing contrails that could be put in the market list. Have you found a way to do this?

Why is the forum changing single quote to a double quote?**

Worfeh

@Lancer:

Why is the forum changing single quote to a double quote?

Due to magic_quotes_gpc = on
Now its off (php.ini)