Patch 82

[Easyscor]

I'm still away from home, (3 to 4 months of the year) and working on my laptop with no vid card.

I considered putting this is the TE section but it probably belongs here in patch 82.

~Paths and Beaches~

In Patch 79, both of these worked but in p80(I think it started here), 81 & 82 they have stopped and crash the Terrain Editor:
Beaches have stopped working and crash the TE when placing the second point.
Paths crash the program when placing the first point.

[MADe]

Double Trouble Too is looking good. 



The glare seems rather bright. This is the left and right view with the sun on the left.

Dam what a beautiful pic. What are you using to get that type of clarity? It almost makes it as a photograph.

[Easyscor]

Without a vid card, I'm unable to see the waypoints for Task Groups while setting them in the Terrain editor. I managed to save the wpt file, so I believe it's working for me otherwise.

[MachNix]

Battleship: LOD of guns.
Launch to one of the smaller defensive guns (20 MM Single for example) on the battleship, hit F3 then F8 for external view, and then use the bracket keys to move the camera in or out, and the key pad to change the direction of the view.  As the camera move away some of the guns disappear only to reappear as you get farther away.  If the gun shapes where removed to improve (or reduce) the level of detail, it seems they should not be added back in as you move farther away.  Some of the guns will change their visibility as you pan around the ship.  The attached image is of a damaged battleship but indicates which guns where having visibility issues.
Image: p82_Battleship.jpg

Battleship: No wake visible.

Battleship: Deck plates and railing protrude from the side of the ship.
I have no idea if this is the way it is supposed to be or not.

Battleship: Slides sideways instead of turning with TG.
The battleship seems "fixed" or "welded" to the carrier so the battleship just slides sideways through the water instead of turning.  The battleship slides left and right as the carrier swings to port and starboard to acquire the new course line.

Suggestion: While in the hanger and selecting guns, automatically launch to the gun if double-clicked with mouse.

[FLS]

Dam what a beautiful pic. What are you using to get that type of clarity? It almost makes it as a photograph.

Thanks, it's basically a straight in-game screen shot (alt s) with default settings so credit belongs to HTC and Fencer for the skin. I just see that it looks nice and push buttons.

I tweaked the brightness and contrast a little bit. You're probably noticing the screen resolution, 2560x1440. The image is cropped smaller to remove system messages and for composition. Also, I tend to use a zoomed in view for pics so the perspective matches what you're used to seeing with a telephoto lens.

[Chilli]

There is a constant horizon color transition dark layer at all hours. You can just make it out in the dark. Here are screen captures of early morning and mid day.

Fixed for the next patch

   Does this also effect the "dark" water color seen when looking at close proximity seas?   These areas of very dark waters lose whatever reflective properties that are so very nice in AH2 and pond water.  This causes an "un natural" loss in depth perception / or distance from water when flying at low altitudes.  Basically, it reminds me of the difficulties in flying AH2 with terrain detail off.

In a main arena environment, this may not go over so well, if it is seen as a step backwards.  I don't mean this to be harsh criticism, especially since I have seen how much effort that you are putting into that particular area, with much improvement noticed.  Also, I am aware that you stated in the previous patch that you were not satisfied with the water (I assumed you mean lighting/ post-lighting).

Perhaps the inability to set underwater terrain texture is providing the challenge, I don't know    Anyhow, sun and moon lit reflections, the rolling surf and the ability to see torpedoes running underwater blew me away!   I just hope this is not the price to be paid.

[hitech]

Without a vid card, I'm unable to see the waypoints for Task Groups while setting them in the Terrain editor. I managed to save the wpt file, so I believe it's working for me otherwise.

I happened to have fixed that yesterday.

HiTech

[hitech]

Setting .date without parameters crashes the alpha (instead of printing an instruction message like other dot commands do).

Stars match my planetarium program (stellarium) well.  The moon position almost matches, but it is ever so slightly off.*  Moon phase seems to match.  Planets are either wrong or not implemented. 

The rotation is also incorrect, been looking for a piece of code that gives me the correct rotation for date/time.

Is the discrepancy possible just try verse adjusted for atmosphere affects?

I also have all the code for the planets positions, I just havn't thrown them in yet, and need some color/magnitude info on them.

Is the latitude still set to Dallas?

The Ndisles is now centered on the Solomon Illands if  you updated yours from the host.


All other Terrians are still Dallas.

[/quote]

HiTech

[hitech]

Are there special instructions for skinners in AH3?   For example, if I'd like to update some of my oldest bare metal P-38 skins, how would I do it?

The new skin viewer should work the same methodology as before, but some of the file extensions have changed.
Along with the diffuse, you now have.
_N normal map
_S Spec map
_A Alpha
_E Environment
_P Specular power multiplier
Note if both alpha and power can not be used at the same time.

HiTech

[Greebo]

Note that if anyone wants to see what the new skin files look like they can. Run the alpha skin viewer, set it to view the TBM3 and hit "save textures". The files will be in the Aces High Beta/skins/tbm3 folder.

[hitech]

I believe the p15d default skin also has all the channels.

HiTech

[oboe]

This is how one of my P-38G skins looks with the default P-38G skin's maps.   I do like the way the skin has a bit of hard shininess to it.  Its subtle but gives a better impression of painted metal than the same skin in AH2.  By comparison, the AH2 skin looks more like painted cardboard.

I notice there seems to be a "gap" between the shadow and the object casting the shadow, however - look at the outboard wing root of the left wing...


But the shadow gap doesn't appear to be present at all angles:

[bustr]

Need to get ya some scratch guard on that canopy.

Coogan

Hey Waffle, you could remove the scratch effects file and replace it with that special one you made for one gunsight. Your big fat finger prints all over the place. Just for the next patch........

[Greebo]

Regarding the test goals the Euro terrain downloaded in about 30 seconds and the date command worked as intended.

[FLS]

Note on the glare pics I posted I didn't post the right side wing, I posted the left wing twice. I tried to reproduce it to fix the pic and the glare was reduced on both wings.    In flight the first time the right wing was completely white from glare along with the left side. I think I need to pause longer between screenshots since the left wing shot didn't get recorded and with all the glare I didn't notice when I posted it.