Directional fireEffect from image?

[speedofsquid]

Is there a normal way for a weapon to be given a directional fireEffect created from an image?

[Periculi]

I thought that fireEffect is for the weapon muzzle- like the fire coming out of a cannon, right?

So you want to make it directional... But it would already go in the direction the shot was fired, wouldn't it? Maybe not.

fireEffect uses an &efEffectType; which I am not sure if you can define as directional or not, but it may be worth looking into- it seems like some effects can use weapon elements, such as GemOfSacrifice using <StarBurst> so maybe you can set up an effect that does use a directional="true" attribute in there.

[speedofsquid]

Yes, some of the hard-coded effects are directional, but I just realized the problem with a directional effect based on an image: effects can get used by elements with different numbers of facings, so effects with a set number of facings could orient wrongly.

[Periculi]

I think that <Configuration> might solve some of that. You might try experimenting with some combinations of the weapon elements to see if you can get a directional effect worked out that just stayed with the normal position and direction of the weapon fire.

I think I might try some configuration and fire Effect experiments too, just to see if I can come up with anything interesting.

There are quite a number of effects that weapons can make use of, so it must be possible to get a programmed effect that is drawn rather than an image, and have it drawn directionally no matter the number of facings.

Since it is a fire effect from a weapon, and the weapons are so small in scale- it shouldn't require too much detail.

[Periculi]

I was playing around with the <FireEffect> tag and found that it will take any of these:
<Flare>
<Starburst>
<Bolt>
<MoltenBolt>
<ImageAndTail>
<ParticleComet>

It won't do anything with shockwave, oddly.

MoltenBolt seemed promising as a directional fire effect, but it gets put on backwards.

Starburst and Flare together in this sample looked pretty:

Code: Select all

		<FireEffect>
				<Flare
						style=				"fadingBlast"
						lifetime=			"8"
						radius=				"20"
						primaryColor=		"0xff, 0xff, 0xf0"
					/>

				<Starburst
						style=			"plain"
						spikeCount=		"1d3+2"
						spikeLength=	"2d10"
						primaryColor=	"0xff, 0xff, 0x80"
						secondaryColor=	"0xd0, 0x20, 0x00"
						/>
	
		</FireEffect>

I bet you could work out some better effects using ImageAndTail- it was a little slow on getting the image to appear when firing and turning, but otherwise made an ok directional effect. On slower firing weapon rates that issue during turning didn't appear. Might be related to the time it takes for the animations to actually play being greater than the movement of the ship turning.

[digdug]

personally i would use <Exhaust> and an Image if it works, because in that way you can define 2 images for creating good looking effects.

[Periculi]

Oh yeah? How do you turn the exhaust around?

[digdug]

i still have to tinker with that, but the <image> would be directional and the <exhaust> not, but it can be animated, making a nice dissolving trail, just like <imageAndTail> but with custom tails.

[Periculi]

hmm... tinker away, o master of configurations!