Particle effect for DevilsTongue melee attack

OrangeNero · Commander **Joined**: 11 Jan 2012

I changed the Devils Tongue in my mod to attack structures with a melee attack only. Sort of like in the cutscene where it eats its way through a gate and a GDI soldier.

As a placeholder it uses the repair one. looks ok but yea leaves lots to be wished for. It also spawns the particle effect above the unit rather than its front.

I am experimenting around with it. Don't really have much experience with it but once I have a satisfying result I'll update this post here. If anyone got an interesting code for a particle effect then its welcome. A hint for the place where its spawned is welcomed too.

I also attached the repair particle effect to the hover mlrs when it fires its missiles. that one looks nice too just not optimized yet. it does have potential I think.

ModEnc has an entry about Particle effects (thx to graion for his "helpfull" post showing it to me).
Why are particle effects so rarely used by modders btw? Any issues? Desync?

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Dutchygamer · Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 2:10 pm Post subject:

Causes lag afaik. And pure particle systems look less good then SHP particle systems (like the original DTFT flames or gas clouds).

Lin Kuei Ominae · Seth **Joined**: 16 Aug 2006 **Location**: Germany

Particles cause very noticeable lag when used in masses. The repair tank welding spark works because you never have 10-20 of these units firing at the same time, which is different for normal fighting units like a hover mlrs or devils tongue where such masses are quite regular.

Any PS with more than 20 particles can cause lags already very quick. (20 units creating 20 particles each are 400 separate calculated particles after all)

Better is to render such a PS effect with 3ds max and create an SHP.
Like i did for the TI cleaver drone

This is just a single SHP with 21 frames which would be 100-200 separate particles when done with the engine PS.

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ApolloTD · Commander **Joined**: 19 Nov 2003

Using the Engine drawn particles is ill advised given it has to literally draw them via individual pixel drawer from scratch, much more effort than drawing complete shapes from SHP thus if particles are used, they are often coded to use shp within themselves if possible.

If you played your mod online with someone and massed those units, the lag would be horribly evident unlike skirmish run which gives false sense of performance.

OrangeNero · Commander **Joined**: 11 Jan 2012

hm this would also apply for the railgun which I gave to a few units which are used in masses rather than the 2 with buildlimits.
damn.

Gotta look if I can find something to atleast make the flamethrower of it more pretty. flames look awful and spawn at the wrong position, though it looks like a tongue gotta give it that.
Heck maybe I'll kick that fuckup of a unit out for something else.

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