Forgot, I'm really hoping for it to work in Multiplayer. I figure if it's a client-side thing, it won't affect other players or the server, or what not.

You could simply dl the mod, compare two files from the part of the script that changes engine trails and see what's different

Actually it's very simple - you need to change lines like
trail_effect_player = gf_li_smallengine01_playtrail

_playtrail in the end should be replaced with _trail in the end of these lines, then you'll get trails like NPCs have. You may use search & replace feature of any text editor to do this.

And yes it's actually clientside.

http://www.discoverygc.com/' Target=_Blank>Discovery Gaming

Edited by - Igiss on 8/15/2006 12:32:54 AM

Ok. Thanks to you it looks like it is doing what I wanted it too. I even somehow got the Titans engines to stay red, though I'm not sure if all the ships are accurate (meaning, whatever engnie color it is when an NPC flies it, it is for the player)

I'm not sure if it works right for the others because I don't have that kind of access to other ships and what not, but I did use the engine_equip_trail.ini and the engine_equip.ini files.

I also figured out how to make it work with my FLMM, so maybe we could upload so the other two people in the world who might like it can download it.

Edited by - e101 on 8/15/2006 10:44:06 PM

In Discovery engine colors were changed to be similar to NPCs. They should all be accurate.

Releasing Discovery files apart from the mod isn't the best idea, for they've got other modifications inside (like engine colors, etc). Besides, engine trail mod already exists for Vanilla ships.

Ok, but just to follow up, which .ini folder affects engine color?

I was thinking of replacing the white, default engines to the LSF transport ship engines. (Bluering around base of engine, yellow flame, then blends into a blue trail, but basically it's a yellow flame)

Edited by - e101 on 8/16/2006 10:22:35 PM

I won't remember right now where engine effects are stored, but they are surely assigned in the same engine_equip.ini file. So if you wish to change some existing effects without creating new ones, look through this file.

Having trouble with finding what engine certain NPC/player ships use? Player ship loadouts are in goods.ini, NPC loadouts are in three loadout files in SHIPS folder.

If you need new effects, I may try to remember...

The engine colors and flame affects are in the data file, under equipment, then engine equip.

And as for the blue base, yellow flame, blue trail...can't be done. there is 1 flame affect,. then the npc trail, then the player trail. and the reason some NPC ships have a different color than when the player buys the ship and trails also, is that not all the NPCs have the right engine equipped. Such as the bounty hunter ships have a corsairs engine.

So to get all of the NPC ships their right engine, that takes a good few hours of tedious work, and as for custom flame affects, that is rather simple.

Find the engine you want to modify.

I gave all the civilian ships kusari flame affects and trails. simply by editing 3 lines in their engine files.

[Engine
nickname = ge_gf1_engine_01
ids_name = 263671
ids_info = 264671
volume = 0.000000
mass = 10
max_force = 48000
linear_drag = 599
power_usage = 0
reverse_fraction = 0.200000
flame_effect = gf_ku_smallengine01_fire <---these 3 lines. See part B
trail_effect = gf_ku_smallengine01_trail
trail_effect_player = gf_ku_smallengine01_playtrail
cruise_charge_time = 5
cruise_power_usage = 20
character_start_sound = engine_ci_fighter_start
character_loop_sound = engine_ci_fighter_loop
character_pitch_range = 10, 65
rumble_sound = rumble_ci_fighter
rumble_atten_range = -5, 0
rumble_pitch_range = -25, 25
engine_kill_sound = engine_ci_fighter_kill
cruise_start_sound = engine_ci_cruise_start
cruise_loop_sound = engine_ci_cruise_loop
cruise_stop_sound = engine_ci_cruise_stop
cruise_disrupt_sound = cruise_disrupt
cruise_backfire_sound = cruise_backfire
indestructible = false
outside_cone_attenuation = -3
inside_sound_cone = 60
outside_sound_cone = 180

And i also recently found out you can put a missile constant affect into an engine flame file. Such as the rh_missile02_drive has a dark green smoke trail. I had the rheinland engines all have their default green gaseous look, then i has a dark green smoke trail following them, instead of the green line.

part B:
Here are all the flame affects
gf_li_smallengine01_fire - standard white flame
gf_br_smallengine01_fire - a very nice blue flame
gf_rh_smallengine01_fire - the gaseous green glow
gf_ku_smallengine01_fire - the random kusari orange flame
gf_co_smallengine01_fire - the red - blue flame on the corasir and order ships
gf_no_smallengine01_fire - no flame at all, this is what the nomad ship has, it has a seperate affect, i haven't found yet.

so in those 3 lines, simply replace the ku, or the abreviation, with another abreviation. And it'll have a different flame and trail.