Clouds - Can they be made?

[Diamax]

Hello guys!

Well today I open Cloud Editor that comes with TE. I was dissapointed, actually that program doesn't do anything, it only loads the .bmp file but nothing else, doesn't even load the whole user interface, I can only see the top menu, no other buttons.

Well, I said to myself, let's try the one on the Pokie's website, and that one worked, it loaded the whole user interface.
I opened up my bmp file and using the all the default values I adjusted the map size to fit to my bmp, and also adjusted the vector points A and V, so the clouds start to take shape right at the edge of the terrain, and dissapear at some distance past the other edge.
I saved the .awa file in the terrain folder as Pokie says, and now fired up AHII load the terrain in OFFLINE mode, and started to wait for some sunshade, but I was getting a sunburn and those clouds were nowhere in sight, no matter how log I was waiting, and now I treat myself with aloevera gel, darn clouds didn't come... and I look like roast beef now.
Is there somewhere a skilled weather man! someone who can make clouds appear out of the blue sky like rainman?!
If so, please shed some... clouds around.

Thank You!

[Easyscor]

Diablomax the problem is you need to first set your monitor to 1280 x 1024.  Then use the cloud editor that came with the latest release.  I'm sure Poke's instructions will get you through from there.

I almost forgot, move the .awa file you'll find in your texsrc file to your game ahiiterr folder with your new terrain.  I think there's a way to build it directly into the terrain, but hey, this will get you started.

[Diamax]

Hello Easy!

Yes, you were right about the resolution change, I finally got to see the Cloud Editor complete, with all the buttons.
I have the latest release of the TE, just downloaded it today.
I moved the .awa file to the ahiiterr folder where I also placed the .res file, but still no clouds appear on teh horizon.

I wonder if I can ask you a favour.
Well I'll ask away, and you tell me if it is possible.

I assume that you have a working awa file that I could use, I wonder if you could send that to me, or even better (if you don't mind) copy and paste its contents here for me to use them in my .awa file.

My awa file looks like this (like I said I used the default values):

72,3600,30,51670,1000,8,8,0,2,1000,1000,1000,3000,3000,3000,-115500,15000,74250,61380,0,0,0,0,53790,0.500

The map size is 64.

Thank You Easy!

[Dux]

You need a little bit of patience, Diablomax... the clouds need to build, and it can take hours. The preview that the cloud editor gives you is extremely sped up.

I also wish there was a way to have "developed" clouds as soon as you load the terrain.

[Dux]

Originally posted by Easyscor
I almost forgot, move the .awa file you'll find in your texsrc file to your game ahiiterr folder with your new terrain.  I think there's a way to build it directly into the terrain, but hey, this will get you started.

Yes, the AWA file should never be in the TEXSRC folder... not sure why yours is, Easy.

Easy is right about building the weather into the terrain... just put it into your MYTERR folder with the rest the other file, like the MYTERR.OBA, MYTERR.TYP, etc. Make sure the weather file is called MYTERR.AWA. then build your terrain as usual.

[NHawk]

Originally posted by Dux
I also wish there was a way to have "developed" clouds as soon as you load the terrain.

There is, it's the "First Create Hour" box. a setting of 0.02 creates clouds 2 minutes after the terrain is loaded.

[Easyscor]

Right Dux, like Nhawk said, the best you can do as far as I can tell is set them to start forming at T+1 or 2.  I moved the front to form over the default airfield so I could watch them from there but it takes forever for the second row to show up.

My .awa file was put in the texsrc folder, I guess because I loaded the .bmp and hit Save instead of Save As.  I’m a noob with this, it would have made more sense to save it in the  folder with the .res file.

I see from the help files that you can’t build the weather into the terrain for Offline or H2H but I know ndisles has clouds after one minute, I don’t know how they did that.

Diablomax, check your "First Create Hour", set it for 0.01 and give it a minute to form in the game.

[NHawk]

Originally posted by Easyscor
I see from the help files that you can’t build the weather into the terrain for Offline or H2H but I know ndisles has clouds after one minute, I don’t know how they did that.

I don't know why your weather wouldn't work offline. It does for me. The awa file is in the same folder as all of the other source files for the terrain. And, it builds directly into the .res file when compiled. So, weather works offline.

[Easyscor]

Thanks NHawk, I'm just saying the Help files say it won't work. Like I said, my .awa file ended up in the texsrc folder by mistake and I didn't do a proper build if it's supposed to be in the folder with the .oba file.  I'll try it again sometime.

[MachNix]

The .awa file will get built into the .res file as mentioned above.  If you place the .awa file in the Aces High II/ahiiterr folder, it will override the weather that was built into the .res file.  This gives you a way to test your weather without having to keep rebuilding your terrain.

Below is an example of a weather file for a 256x256 mile map.  I'm going to insert some comments and there will be word-wrapping problems.  You will have to re-assemble it in Notepad to actually use it.

72,3600,30,132000,1000,2,1,0,2,1000,1000,1000,3000,3000,3000,0,15000,0,132000,0,0,5280,0,491040,0.500
First line (Layer 1) is a "dead" line.  Every time I start the Cloud Editor (CE) this first layer gets changed.  I work with a copy in the CE, then open Notepad, delete this first line and then Save As myterr.awa.

0,0,10,132000,1000,8,8,100,100,1000,1000,1000,3000,3000,3000,0,16500,0,132000,0,0,0,0,316800,0.500
High altitude cirrus clouds that start immediately.

0,8928,15,160000,500,8,12,0,3,15000,500,10000,20000,800,15000,-176880,2250,143880,384120,0,-66000,20142,0,117080,0.800

0,8928,15,160000,500,8,12,0,3,15000,500,10000,20000,800,15000,219120,2250,79200,-250800,0,-300960,90838,0,-76563,0.800

0,8928,15,160000,500,8,12,0,3,15000,500,10000,20000,800,15000,-38280,2250,-231000,-135960,0,366960,-111385,0,-41313,0.800
The next 3 layers are low scud also starting immediately.  They will restart as the rows in the finial layers are ending.

5400,5328,30,320000,4000,8,14,2,4,9000,3000,9000,11000,5000,15000,-161040,12000,236280,390720,0,-66000,64565,0,390701,1.000

5400,5328,30,320000,5000,8,14,2,4,9000,3000,9000,11000,5000,15000,274560,12500,33000,-260040,0,-295680,298223,0,-260536,1.000

5400,5328,30,320000,5000,8,14,2,4,9000,3000,9000,11000,5000,15000,-102960,12500,-261360,-135960,0,370920,-370989,0,-138503,1.000
These 3 layers are cumulus clouds designed to start as the first row of scud is disappearing.

14400,7128,45,480000,500,8,14,0,3,8000,1000,6000,18000,2000,16000,138600,14000,265320,134640,0,-370920,445665,0,164916,0.750

14400,7128,45,480000,500,8,14,0,3,8000,1000,6000,18000,2000,16000,154440,14000,-223080,-394680,0,26400,-31610,0,-474147,0.750

14400,7128,45,480000,500,8,14,0,3,8000,1000,6000,18000,2000,16000,-267960,14000,-38280,211200,0,331320,-400747,0,255376,0.750
The final 3 layers are altostratus and will begin to form as the first rows of cumulus disappear.

The entire process runs for 6 hours then starts again.

[zmeg]

I always make my 1st front a 'layer' instead of a numbered cloud type and the 1st front never get changed.

[Dux]

Originally posted by NHawk
There is, it's the "First Create Hour" box. a setting of 0.02 creates clouds 2 minutes after the terrain is loaded.

That creates the very first row at 0.02, then they move over and the next row is made, and the next row.....

I mean it would be nice to open a terrain and have the complete system already developed... the sky full of clouds and ready to be played in.

Like if you could give the start time a negative number or something.

[Dux]

Originally posted by Easyscor
I see from the help files that you can’t build the weather into the terrain for Offline or H2H but I know ndisles has clouds after one minute, I don’t know how they did that.

In Offline mode, you can drag a weather file into the HTC/AH2/AHIITERR folder (not the Editor folder, the Game folder) and if that weather file is named the same as a terrain in there (i.e., Ndilses.awa) it will replace whatever built-in weather that terrain has. But it only works for you, and only in Offline mode. I'm really not sure how H2H works. (oops, just saw that Machnix wrote the same thing.)

CMs will have Skuzzy load replacement weather files into the server whenever they need different weather for an event or scenario.

[Diamax]

Hello guys!

Wow! nice, loads of info in here!
I like that example MachNix, even tough I don't understand all those numbers I likke that you provided some explanations on what they do.

Now guys I'll give you the run down of what I did the last time, maybe you can spot mistaches.

To start fresh I made a really tiny terrain, only three in line tiles, at each edge I placed an airfield. So two airfields, one for Bishops, and one for Knights.

I loaded the bmp file in the Cloud Editor, setup the map size to 64 to be same as the clipboard map.
Now the only values that I changed are the following:
First Create HR and Down Time HR.

I set them as follows:
First Create HR = 0.01
Down Time HR = 0.01

So these are the only ones that I changed from the deafult values that are in the editor.

Then I saved the awa file, and the Cloud Editor placed it in the Texsrc folder. I moved it from that folder to the same directory where all the other files are, the Clouds folder (that's the name of my terrain).
I build my terrain, so that means the weather would get embeded in the .res file (Clouds.res).

After all that done I took the .res file and the .awa file and place them both into the ahiiter directory that is in the game folder. Like I mentioned I also added the .awa file in there just to make sure the weather (clouds) would take effect and show up in the sky, even if they supposed to be embeded in the .res file.

Well I started the game, and put up a H2H host, I played for 40 minutes with few other guys, but I didn't see any clouds, still no clouds...

Now I'm thinking... I definitely remember playing terrains that had clouds long ago in the original AH, and also a while back in AH II, but latelly since I started to play again, couple of weeks ago I never saw a trace of a cloud anywhere.

To conclude this... could you guys give me the link to a terrain that has built in clouds, as many clouds as possible, just to to see those clouds??

Thank you!!

P.S. Same as Dux, I'd like to see clouds from the beginning.

[Diamax]

I made another awa file, this time

First Create HR = 0.00
Down Time HR = 0.00

Again these are the only values changed from default ones.

I'm testing it right now in offline mode, but no clouds yet!

After over an hour and a half still no clouds...

Maybe the clouds are too high up in the sky and they cannot be seen from the ground??