tracer fire graphic

The highly anticipated second release in the Panzer Command series, featuring an updated engine and many major feature improvements. 3D Tactical turn-based WWII combat on the Eastern Front, with historical scenarios and campaigns as well as support for random generated battles and campaigns from 1941-1944.
User avatar
British tommy
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:13 pm
Location: mission control, Cardiff UK
Contact:

tracer fire graphic

Post by British tommy »

Is this my graphics card (Geforce FX 5600XT) or does the tracer fire always look like this??
ImageImage
Play the game for more than you can afford to lose... only then will you learn the game.
Winston Churchill
User avatar
NefariousKoel
Posts: 1741
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 3:48 am
Location: Murderous Missouri Scum

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by NefariousKoel »

Mine looks like that too.  Pretty large isn't it? [X(]
User avatar
Titanwarrior89
Posts: 3282
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 4:07 pm
Location: arkansas
Contact:

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Titanwarrior89 »

Their firing "Big Bull-witts".[:D]
"Before Guadalcanal the enemy advanced at his pleasure. After Guadalcanal, he retreated at ours".

"Mama, There's Rabbits in the Garden"
User avatar
Stridor
Posts: 1391
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:01 am

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Stridor »

It was done that way so that you could see tracer fire from a zoomed out map position.

It is possible to mod these to your liking, they are simple pngs found in Media/Graphics/Particles
User avatar
Stridor
Posts: 1391
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:01 am

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Stridor »

Actually on further investigation it may be a bug or a design decision which can't be modded

The tracer files are 16x16 res pngs. Ok. But notice that every so often (not all the time) you get one Giant tracer at the start of a burst of fire. I don't yet know what is the trigger for the big "tracer" as you don't get them all the time, not even all the time at the start of a burst.

So even if you modded the stock tracer graphics, you would still get the giant tracer which is what some people are upset with I think.

If you wanted to play truely grogcore, then just copy over the tracer graphics will empty (null) pngs. This way you will get NO tracers which is more historically accurate than the fireworks you get now. However as a concession to game play that might not be the best solution.
User avatar
Erik Rutins
Posts: 39640
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2000 4:00 pm
Location: Vermont, USA
Contact:

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Erik Rutins »

Yes, it's moddable to an extent and looks better on some video cards than others (and looks better in motion than freeze-framed, in my opinion) but the goal of it is strictly visibility. We wanted you to be able to play at level 3 (3 key) and still see the exchanges of fire, so when you zoom in some of those tracers look pretty big.

Regards,

- Erik
Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC


Image

For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.
User avatar
NefariousKoel
Posts: 1741
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 3:48 am
Location: Murderous Missouri Scum

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by NefariousKoel »

They're still too large even zoomed out, IMO. I mean - the tracer color is the size of a squad. [&:]

  I'm guessing an 8x8 is out of the question?  
User avatar
Prince of Eckmühl
Posts: 2459
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 4:37 pm
Location: Texas

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Prince of Eckmühl »

The tracers look fine on my system. All that I see is a faint little ball-shaped thingy, truckin' down range. I've got all the graphics settings maxed out, and run the game at 1280x1024.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)
Government is the opiate of the masses.
User avatar
McGlu
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:20 am
Location: Texas

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by McGlu »

Perhaps make it so that the colored box dynamically scales based on how far you are zoomed in or out? Or add an option to color the bullet itself?
-McGlu
User avatar
Prince of Eckmühl
Posts: 2459
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 4:37 pm
Location: Texas

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Prince of Eckmühl »

ORIGINAL: McGlu

Perhaps make it so that the colored box dynamically scales based on how far you are zoomed in or out? Or add an option to color the bullet itself?

McGlu,

On my system, there is no "colored box" as depicted in British Tommy's JPG above. All that I'm seeing is small, gray orb-shaped objects that are hurtling about.

They are so unremarkable that they don't even show up when I make a screenshot, at least not in way that would allow me to post a screen that would effectively illustrate what I'm seeing.

It was mentioned above that what's rendered on-screen is dependent on our video-cards. Perhaps that explains why our experiences are so dramatically different.

My video card is an Nvidia 8800GTX.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)
Government is the opiate of the masses.
User avatar
EagleMountainDK
Posts: 520
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 6:17 pm
Location: Denmark

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by EagleMountainDK »

I sometimes see those big boxes like British Tommy. My video card is a Nvidia 88800 GTS....
User avatar
NefariousKoel
Posts: 1741
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 3:48 am
Location: Murderous Missouri Scum

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by NefariousKoel »

I suspect that since I'm using a 1680x1050 widescreen resolution, I'm able to zoom in closer & still keep the same field of view... so I don't have to zoom out very far. The '2' key zoom is as far back as I go.

This screenie is zoomed in a bit more than I generally play at but I just wanted to show what it looked like on mine.

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2616 ... eenkf7.jpg

The big halo kinda kills the immersion for me somewhat. Makes it feel like Christmas time? [:D] I've tinkered with the PNG but I'm no expert and there's still a bit of a halo after I tried to cut it down to about half-size. Of course, the screen above is stock.
User avatar
Stridor
Posts: 1391
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:01 am

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Stridor »

ORIGINAL: NefariousKoel

I suspect that since I'm using a 1680x1050 widescreen resolution, I'm able to zoom in closer & still keep the same field of view... so I don't have to zoom out very far. The '2' key zoom is as far back as I go.

This screenie is zoomed in a bit more than I generally play at but I just wanted to show what it looked like on mine.

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2616 ... eenkf7.jpg

The big halo kinda kills the immersion for me somewhat. Makes it feel like Christmas time? [:D] I've tinkered with the PNG but I'm no expert and there's still a bit of a halo after I tried to cut it down to about half-size. Of course, the screen above is stock.

Yes the "big" tracer is generated by the game code regardless of what ever you do to the source png (except of course deleting all the pixels) Hopefully it can be fixed.
User avatar
British tommy
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:13 pm
Location: mission control, Cardiff UK
Contact:

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by British tommy »

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one who could see the bulky tracer! [:)]
Pity you can't really adjust it but glad it's now on the 'to do' list.
I'm not too concerned with it as it does not effect the game (not a bug).
Play the game for more than you can afford to lose... only then will you learn the game.
Winston Churchill
User avatar
EagleMountainDK
Posts: 520
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 6:17 pm
Location: Denmark

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by EagleMountainDK »

ORIGINAL: NefariousKoel

I suspect that since I'm using a 1680x1050 widescreen resolution, I'm able to zoom in closer & still keep the same field of view... so I don't have to zoom out very far. The '2' key zoom is as far back as I go.

This screenie is zoomed in a bit more than I generally play at but I just wanted to show what it looked like on mine.

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2616 ... eenkf7.jpg

The big halo kinda kills the immersion for me somewhat. Makes it feel like Christmas time? [:D] I've tinkered with the PNG but I'm no expert and there's still a bit of a halo after I tried to cut it down to about half-size. Of course, the screen above is stock.

Mine looks precisly like yours.... [:)]
Grell
Posts: 1064
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2004 8:16 pm
Location: Canada

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Grell »

Hmm, that is interesting.

Regards,

Greg
User avatar
Prince of Eckmühl
Posts: 2459
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 4:37 pm
Location: Texas

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Prince of Eckmühl »

Never mind!

PoE (aka ivanmoe)
Government is the opiate of the masses.
User avatar
PoorOldSpike
Posts: 243
Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:59 pm
Location: Plymouth, England

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by PoorOldSpike »

These pics show what I'm getting too (GeForce2)

The first rounds of incoming green Russki tracer are horribly boxed.
Image


Likewise the first burst of outgoing orange German tracer is boxed (up near the trees), but following bursts are okay..
Image



"Fight with your brain first and your weapons second!"
Mraah
Posts: 1085
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:11 am

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Mraah »

ORIGINAL: Stridor
Yes the "big" tracer is generated by the game code regardless of what ever you do to the source png (except of course deleting all the pixels) Hopefully it can be fixed.

Stridor,


DON'T FIX IT !!!!

I think the big graphic is the "lens flare" effect ...

The key to a good Tracer ... is a better tracer [;)].

If you like this, check the MODS forum soon ... I'll have a tracer mod up shortly.

Thanks!!

THE RED TRACER :




Image
Attachments
screen_4_1..55_06PM.jpg
screen_4_1..55_06PM.jpg (329.33 KiB) Viewed 217 times
Mraah
Posts: 1085
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:11 am

RE: tracer fire graphic

Post by Mraah »


Green + White Tracer :



Image
Attachments
screen_4_1..06_54PM.jpg
screen_4_1..06_54PM.jpg (340.13 KiB) Viewed 217 times
Post Reply

Return to “Panzer Command: Kharkov”