Back to searchlights

[mongoose]

Seeing the TextureMagic.ini and the search_light.dds input and yet not seeing any search_light.dds in my install, I am wondering where we are with a good searchlight? Does WOFF have one or do we?

[MajorMagee]

There was some work on this here a few years ago, but I don't know if it was ever finalized. WOFF has one.

[NachtPiloten]

We tried to work on one a while back but ran out of steam. We struggled to get the texture alignment correct but we did with a nice fade out at the edge of the light's range. However, we ran into problems trying to get the light to track targets. We used the old ground crew model, spied on the WOFF ones; but alas we just failed to get the tracking down as we had earlier with the GC ones. So anyone that wants to jump in and help us sort this out it would be great to see new lights with Ankor's effects.

So if you have a model that tracks targets well send it my way and I'll map the revised textures and we'll see. I even have the original meshes too from several years ago, but again we were not satisfied with how they tracked the target if I remember correctly.

Don't say this too loudly but placed the WOFF ones in an install to test and there were some issues with that IFRC?

[mongoose]

Has anyone actually used the woFF searchlights in WOFF? I have it but never used it. I assume it is still a gun as in vehicles and weapons folders. What controlled the tracking thta semed to be different from the gc ones?

[gecko]

Well, the idea is to create an AA gun shaped like a searchlight, and there are a couple requirements for how the beam is set up to make it work with the shaders. Somehow we couldn't get the searchlight gun to shoot in the right direction, and thus the beam almost never pointed at an actual target, making it pretty much useless. Either there's some special modeling convention for AA guns we missed or there's a conflict between the modeling requirements for a working AA gun and the requirements to make the beam work in Ankor's shaders. As Ted said, we couldn't get it figured, despite numerous attempts.

[Frosty]

... Somehow we couldn't get the searchlight gun to shoot in the right direction, and thus the beam almost never pointed at an actual target...

Daniel, what do you mean by this? Does the searchlight point in a completely different direction or 'in-the-general-direction-but-not-quite-right'?
I once modelled a 40mm Bofors gun and that works as it should. I don't know how the searchlight is created (the effects involved and what 'bullet/shell' characteristics it was given), but effective range and muzzle speed leap to mind as having something to do with it.

If the searchlight is coded as a 'gun', it probably leads the target (depending on range, muzzle speed and target altitude). So you may never see an AC in the light's beam as it always is in front of the target. I would try to give the gun a large effective range (otherwise it won't engage a target at high altitude - check what they did for the 88mm) and the shell the speed of light (it is light, after all). Then it should (theoretically) point directly at the target, as there is no need for leading.
But you might already have tried that and I could be wrong...