Dynamic Astroids

    Author: Unknown


    Dynamic asteroid fields require editing 4 separate files.


    Solar\Asteroidarch.ini
    Solar\Asteroids\Asteroid_field_name.ini
    The system file you will place the field.
    ...and the hidden secret, FX\Explosions.ini


    1. Asteroidarch.ini.


    You will use the dynamic asteroid function to create the field. So you first make new archetypes for dynamic asteroids, but using larger 3dbs for the visual.


    Code example:
    [DynamicAsteroid]
    nickname = DAsteroid_rock_10;<--- new name for the asteroid field file
    DA_archetype = solar\asteroids\models\ast_rock_10.3db;<--3db found in the asteroids\models directory
    material_library = solar\ast_rock.mat;<---corrensponding MAT file
    explosion_arch = Explosion_DAsteroid_rock_10;<---custom explosion for the asteroid. You will need a custom explosion for every single dynamic asteroid archetype you make!


    2. Asteroid_field.ini


    Make a new field, and get rid of the cube, billboards and band sections. Also remove any loot sections, as the asteroids are supposed to be indestructible, not popping apart like balloons!


    Example:
    [TexturePanels]
    file = solar\asteroids\rock_shapes.ini


    [Field]
    cube_size = 1000<--
    fill_dist = 1<--only used for the cube section, so this these two are unimportant actually
    diffuse_color = 255, 255, 255
    ambient_color = 1, 1, 1
    ambient_increase = 0, 0, 0
    empty_cube_frequency = 0.400000<-- this does not matter, either


    [properties]
    flag = rock_objects
    flag = object_density_high


    [DynamicAsteroids]
    asteroid = DAsteroid_rock_10<--our new DynamicAsteriod archetype
    count = 100<--number of asteroids of that type to be generated at once
    placement_radius = 5000.000000;<-- area around you in which they exist.
    placement_offset = 0;<-- Just leave it zero, worked best for me
    max_velocity = 100.000000<--self-explaining
    max_angular_velocity = 1.000000<-- too
    color_shift = 1.000000, 1.000000, 1.000000


    3. Now build that field into a system


    [Asteroids]
    file = solar\asteroids\custom_asteroid_field01.ini;<---name of the file for the field created above
    zone = Zone_Custom_Asteroid_Field01;<--name of the zone in the system, featuring the field


    (...)


    [zone]
    nickname = Zone_Custom_Asteroid_Field01
    pos = 0, 0, 0
    shape = SPHERE
    size = 20000
    property_flags = 68
    visit = 0
    density = 10
    sort = 1
    interference = 0.500000
    pop_type = nonlootable_ast_field


    Defines asteroid field properties like position, shape and size, sensor efficiency reduced and appearance on the map, as usual.


    4. Now the part that is the key to making them asteroids indestructible!
    EXPLOSIONS.INI!


    [Debris]
    nickname = debris_explosion_DAsteroid_rock_10;<--debris type definition
    death_method = vanishing
    lifetime = 0, 0;<--lifetime 0, 0 makes the debris not disappear at all!
    linear_drag = 0
    angular_drag = 10, 10, 10;<--reduces spinning. For larger asteroid 3dbs you should set this higher


    [explosion]
    nickname = Explosion_DAsteroid_rock_10;<---the explosion archetype name from the first paragraph
    lifetime = 0.000000, 0.000000
    process = NONE;<-- all dynamic asteroids must use an explosion with process=none.
    debris_impulse = 0;<--leave at zero
    debris_type = debris_explosion_DAsteroid_rock_10, 1
    innards_debris_start_time = 0.000000
    innards_debris_num = 1
    innards_debris_radius = 1
    innards_debris_object = simple_explosion_DAsteroid_rock_10


    [Simple]
    nickname = simple_explosion_DAsteroid_rock_10<;--the appearance of the asteroid after you shot it is set here!*
    DA_archetype = solar\asteroids\models\ast_rock_10.3db
    material_library = solar\ast_rock.mat


    Look carefully at the code. What does it do? When you shoot the asteroid, it is destroyed and triggers the explosion defined in asteroid_arch.ini. That explosion however, has no visual or sound effect, and just creates one single debris object with an unlimited lifetime. And that single debris object...


    "DA_archetype = solar\asteroids\models\ast_rock_10.3db
    material_library = solar\ast_rock.mat"


    ...has the very same appearance as the original asteroid!


    That's the whole trick.


    If you want to have different asteroid meshes, just overlay several fields over each other, all using a different dynamic asteroid (cut down the individual count then to save performance), each with its own archetype and explosion and simple_archetype. They can share the same debris_type, however.


    Be warned, above 8 of those fields overlaying, Freelancer can't properly load the system, or it just takes ages to do so. I tried putting more and more fields with lots of different asteroids on top of each other, until that problem occurred. Removing one field again solved it, no matter which one it is.

    You can also add particle_effect sub-entry to the DynamicAsteroid entries. It's a nice addon for burning lava asteroids. A gf_dynamiclavaast value will look nice for a lava asteroid.

    Quote from "Firekiss"

    You can also add particle_effect sub-entry to the DynamicAsteroid entries. It's a nice addon for burning lava asteroids. A gf_dynamiclavaast value will look nice for a lava asteroid.


    how to do that ?


    May you can tell me ?

    Accushot was the first person to post how to achieve dynamic asteroid fields - back in June 2003 - the tutorial still exists here, but the method is substantially different from this one. I'd look towards Reynen Starfyre as he also utilised Dynamic Asteroids in 2005 in his mod.


    Just realised that when the db is properly imported, this should all become clear (with regards to all tutorials). It should be noted that some tutorials were actually people posting a tutorial based off of the Newbie Questions and Answers thread - so tutorial authors should be Accushot, Victor or myself in the early/mid days. In the latter days I'm afraid I didn't keep track of whom took care of that thread :D

    Quote from SWAT_OP-R8R

    keep in mind that TLR was not the only FL community out there which has posted tutorials
    many where ported from other sites to TLR
    during that time (2003) lancersreactor was not the main FL modding community

    I think you have a misconception by what I meant. This thread has "author unknown", the authors may actually be known - and with the db, you can find whom ;)


    I am not saying (unlike some people) that modding revolves around just a few people who mysteriously appear years later. Newbie questions didn't even start until June 2003. However, I'm not getting into some sort of attempted and pathetic penis measuring contest over who, where, and when everything occurred.


    It doesn't detract from the fact that quite a few tutorials in this very forum (and not the tutorials forum now imported) are derived from other people's posts and work. Put simply, they are reposting.


    However, since you don't believe lancersreactor.org was the main modding community, and since I was a member of many communities, I look forward to reading which communit(y/ies) you think were at the forefront :) :) :)


    Names please :P

    no no no
    no misconception at all
    to me it doesnt even matter who wrote a tutorial (next to the fact that i am glad that those people did write those tutorials at all). Most tutorials are based on other ppls work or other ppls researches.
    I have personally introduced many concepts to FL (eventhough some ppl deny that) but i have not written tutorials about them ... in all that time ive not written more than 10-15 tutorials in total.
    To a big part i consider many of the tutorials either wrong or way too complicated.


    And yes TLR started modding discussions relative late.
    I joined TLR in 2000, left in 2002 because the TLR admins refused to support the SL community any longer and joined various other sites that were more "cooperative" during that time. TLR even stopped the clan hosting. I came back after 2 years and only by request.
    In 2003 many sites supported FL and FL modding, LancerHQ, LancerNews, Station Network, PlanetFiction, Freelancerfan,.. in fact the modding scene on the german sites was much bigger than on TLR during that time (one of the many reasons why I spent the most time there).
    FL modding started right away after the release of the game. Right after the US release of Freelancer (to be more exact on the first week) I have started to host my first FL server. Hosting servers during that time was a pain since there were so many players running around with modded FL installations that most vanilla servers crashed every 30minutes. I also remember that this was the reason for Digital Anvil to host an own server where they have developed the 1.1 server patch to catch such "mods/cheats". That server was up and running for about 2 months.


    What i also remember is how I recruited a guy into my clan 1 or 2 weeks after the FL release that introduced me into FL modding. 5 or 6 weeks later we released our first FL mod - the very first mod released by the SWAT Portal but for sure not the first FL mod at all. Just telling you to show that modding started much sooner and the tutorials appeared much later.
    Before i released the first Crossfire version (which was in 2004) i have released 5 other mods... so it is not that i wasnt doing my work during the time that i was not active at TLR.


    I was in the glad position not to learn from tutorials but to learn modding by trying. Tutorials are good but they are also very limiting in my eyes.
    What i need to admit is that there has been 2 mods that i considered extremely inspiring. The Return to Earth mod. Also a development of a german FL community but unfortunately never finished. Eventhough the development stopped 3 years ago i think that even today it could mess with current mods.
    And the 2nd mod was the 5th house mod, i remember pretty well the concept art that was released with it in 2003. But like many mods during that time it never was released at TLR.

    Return to Earth was an IMG mod right? I remember reading an idea on their site about having our Solar System and a System called Sirius Prime as the path "back home". This mod and this sentence were a turning point motivation for my own mod Order Evolution which was before just a loose compilation of my earlier modding efforts. Unfortunately Order Evolution just doesnt get on it's feet cause it got too big for me to handle alone.


    I was looking forward a lot to the release of the Return to Earth mod. But then development stopped and soon after the site was shut down. But Sol, Sirius Prime and part of the idea live on in my mod (which I'd still consider Alpha state after 5 years -.-)


    What concepts did you introduce Op? I'm intrigued :)
    The first "tutorials" aren't even in the tutorials forum. How to do various things was posted inside the General Editing forum from around March 1st 2003 onwards, whilst the release is posted as the 5th of March.
    From memory, the tutorials forum wasn't even created til late April 2003 ;)


    When was Freelancer released in Europe again?

    i got my official FL copy exactly 2 days after the US release eventhough i was able to play FL before


    Concepts i introduced first with my mods:
    quests
    dynamic economy based on daily updates
    GLS bypass
    dynamic universe
    licences
    holoprojectors
    ingame music selector
    first custom starspheres
    planets with dynamic cloud layers
    planet surfaces with weather effects
    dust (transparent) nebulas instead of the solid ones
    Datastorm blocker
    Lag Reduction Kit
    Dynamic News based on ingame events
    billboards
    cloaking devices that consume energy crystals
    a destructable universe that doesnt let the server crash when ppl launch but still lets station work like in normal FL
    Automatic Bounty System
    Robotic Referee System
    + many more (i would need to take a look into the various change logs of my mods)
    my concept because during the time of release these features were not covered by any other mod or tutorial


    If i wouldnt constantly introduce new stuff that has never been seen before in a FL mod i wouldnt have kept Crossfire that successful over such a long time. Currently in development is a concept that creates an automatic conquest model for FL players, and more is planned for future releases.



    But seriously this thread is not about my concepts so lets switch back to the dynamic asteroids.

    You have the dubious pleasure of being the second person I've ever met who can even list things they've "done" :lol: and some of those are tenuous at best (in my little opinion).


    It does speak volumes about personality though :rolleyes: Its amusing that you weighed into the thread and turned it into what you've done... before deciding it was now off topic. You took it off topic with your post :lol:


    Good luck with lancersreactor.org

    The thread pertained to correcting an error about whom wrote it. I posted who I think is responsible. If you disagree, speak up!!


    I was also trying to say that many threads here with "author unknown" aren't necessarily author unknown - mainly as a few are taken from one huge help thread (never posted as tutorials!!), but as said, it's irrelevant as the old db will show.


    Locations of modding aren't that important. Certainly a cross pollination between LancersHQ and here (although I'd strongly disagree that LancersHQ was more active or contributory - I was there too!), but German sites? I'd think it's reasonable to assume that they had an individual development path for the most part...


    But references to your work? I do not see how those are even remotely relevant to any part of the thread :rolleyes:


    The reason the original post remained once I remembered the merger was because I couldn't see how to delete it ;) The fact this all grew out of that IS rather amusing.

    I didnt disagree with the correction (eventhough i dont understand that it is neccessary after almost 3 years).
    If you need to correct more threads like this one feel free to go on correcting mentals posts.


    Referance to other FL sites and finally to some of my work aswell was just result of explaining a general statements about tutorials and answering upcoming questions on this thread.