.Ale knowledge zone

Must do’s when you start:

.ale editor
UTF (I’m using version 3.0)

UTF:

for importing new textures (.dds or .tga)

.dds my save output from photoshop in these setting:

DXT5 ARGB 8 bpp | interpolated alpha

Seems to give me the best results. Must do square textures ie 256x256 pixel, 512x512 pixel etc.

To make a new .ale from the start: (this the way I’ve done them so someone else might do it differently)

Make sure to name your nodes as you go: ie for my example will be generic particle emitter

Load Textures from FX file.
Select them all (textures will end in .txm)

Start new Appearance and Emitter. (mine will be puff)

Appearance-add-appearance-Basic (rename to puff.app)
Emitter-add-emitter-Sphere rename to puff.emt)

Nothing happens, well correct, we have to fill in the blanks. Double click on: New Basic Appearance in node Library.

Node Properties will open. It will be called New Basic Appearance (Basic Appearance)

Change Name to puff.app

Do same for emitter, but name it as puff.emt

There’s a lot of values there, don’t worry about them yet.

In the Effects node (just named Effect), create a new Effect. It won’t let you rename it yet.

Double click on it, in the effects node (just named Nodes) you should see two lines saying Emitters/Miscellaneous.

Right click on Emitters add the puff.emt We are not done yet but you’ll see in the Transform node new values.

[2] puff.emt
[1] <root>In the Nodes where we created Emitter (puff.emt) Should look something like this

Emitter
v [2] puff.emt

Right click on puff.emt, now you can create the appearance. (puff.app)

Emitter
v [2] puff.emt
[3] puff.app

Now go back to the Effects node (just says Effect) rename it puff

Now everything is setup. Next section will get the effect to appear.</root>

Now, you hit play nothing happens. Well that’s because we need a texture, if you don’t you’ll get white squares, but not just yet.

First in node properties under puff.app find texture name.

I’m just using freelancers stock textures, so I type in:

smokecard

Still nothing when you hit play. Well we got to give life.

In the Life span box, put in 1.0.

Still nothing, we have to give the emitter life now.

In the puff.emt (under node props) go to life span enter 1.0

Now hit the play button, you should see the effect now in the preview screen.

This is a good read for understanding some values in the different nodes. Big thank you to Treewyrm for writing this.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FaX3QcZyJlygshJTTa3uXluHzkO0-ZK2oOADYr2sdvk/edit?usp=sharing

Anyone want to see if they can get this ale/effect to work? I think I am coding the ini files wrong, thanks.

I do understand what you are talking about a little and the entries are almost the exact as in the dyson Sphere ale, but with some tweaking. Here’s how I see it in the ale editor:

https://ibb.co/nfp930h

https://ibb.co/nzMHnfH

The main tweaks I did:

Size of texture over life
Speed of texture appearing and disappearing
Lifetime of texture

I did go in and change some of the values you mentioned but still nothing.

Ha ha I’ll take that with a grain of salt I kinda figured it would. I guess my coding of Freelancer is rusty as #$%%. The idea for it came from this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJEBAPRt8AA

The ale is meant to have a sphere model and texture inside. The way I have its setup is so the textures change just like the surface of a sun.

I do know some limitations though. Like at a certain point the flare will disappear, though the sphere will not. I do not how Schmackbolzen has it measure space in the editor. Like if its measured the same in FL, then it’s 50k from the ale itself.

I’ve made quite a few new FX/ales for FL, maybe Ill release a Ale pack once I’ve made sure they all work in game

I am curious on the coding of how you got it to show compared to my coding. Care to share?