Hello, all!

After several months work, I have created a weather mod to replace the existing WOFF Historical Weather files for the period 1915 - 1918. While the developers' legendary devotion to historical accuracy is well-known--and deservedly so, the existing files have a few problems, which this mod is designed to correct. The mod currently consists of several simple text files for each year from 1915 through 1918, which control the type of weather (clouds, precipitation, etc.) that you may encounter in the game. While these do replace the original WOFF weather files, they are meant to maintain the current fidelity to historical accuracy which is a trademark of the OBD team.

Some of the corrections are purely technical. For example, one or two dates are either missing or duplicated in some of the existing files. There is also a database error (which probably doesn't effect game-play, but you never know). However, there are also a few long strings of "repeat weather" (the same cloud type for days upon end or consecutive days either with or without precipitation) that I would like to reduce. Overall, what I am trying to do is simulate the passing of weather fronts in a more realistic fashion, with clouds building up, followed by precipitation, then clearing, and so on and so forth, while still maintaining historical accuracy along with some degree of unpredictability. I have also reworked the snow cover in the game from January through March, to more realistically reflect the buildup and loss of snow cover over time. There are a lot of other changes, as well, but generally speaking, the weather you will see in the mod will be very similar, if not identical in every respect, to the weather as it appears now.

The mod will be released in two parts. The first one simply consists of replacements to the WOFFHistoricalWeather19xx.txt files, located in the campaigns\campaignData\weather folder. Part two of the mod will include some optional additional cloud types that I am working on, with the assistance of Panama Red (thank you, PR for graciously allowing me to use your additional cloud types mod as a template) as well as a few others.

The mod is JSGME compatible, just unzip the contents into your MODS folder. Of course, the mod is not an official product of OBD, and any use of the mod is at your own risk. As always, if you have any problems with WOFF, uninstall ALL mods before contacting OBD support.

If you have any comments or feedback, please do not hesitate to let me know. Finally, thanks again to OBD, without whom none of this would, of course, be possible.

Link to latest version of Optional Clouds Mod: WOFF Optional Cloud Mod 5.0 Pack Updated 30 September, 2022

Link to latest version of historical weather mod: WOFF Historical Weather Mod versions 2.1 and 1.5 Updated 12 June, 2022

Great mod, BuckeyeBob!

I hope so! Cross your fingers!

Thx Sir!

I will look forward to seeing this in the game. Sounds great all around!

You're welcome. I hope you like it. Hopefully, the differences will be more subtle than obvious, with more snow in some cases and less in others.

BuckeyeBob,

I highly applaud this mod! Thank you!

I too noticed that weather wasn't quite as historical as it could be, and I was toying with suggesting a few changes. (Unfortunately, unlike you, I do not have the skills to actively change these kinds of things.)

I'd like to offer two links which you probably already know of, but just in case let me lead you to them. I used these sites when I was making missions for Rise of Flight. I wanted to have absolutely accurate weather.

1. Great War Weather

2. Weerstation Losser

That second site is a Dutch site, but it's the only site I've ever found that has records of the weather from the war years. It contains wind speed (in the Beaufort Scale), atmospheric pressure, temperature and much more. It's really quite a find. (It's in Dutch, of course, but you can easily translate it using online tools.)

I hope these can be of some use to you and your mod.

Wow, thanks, 3rd! That is exactly the information I am looking for. This will help tremendously.

Careful about adding more wind to WOFF weather, it severely disrupts the formation flying, that is why it is limited in the game now.

Great! I'm really glad that I could help you even if it is a small thing.

I look forward to your completed mod.

WOFF's weather is also dynamic and changes as you fly over different areas. The weather you are altering is possbily just the base weather. Historical weather may not have been available for some regions.

Uploaded to the user mods page:

http://www.sandbagger.uk.com/indexWOFF.html

An updated version of my weather mod is now available at the bottom of the first post in this thread. I hope that more than a few people have actually tried this mod, since the stock WOFF UE version is actually a lot more random than many of you think it is, particularly for the years 1915 and 1916. For example, in WOFF, the entire year 1915 is composed almost entirely of "heavy" weather clouds. The only variation in the cloud patterns and precipitation for 1915 is solely determined by the CFS3 engine.

In general, the mod attempts to simulate somewhat more realistic transitions from weather front to weather front. I also reduced the snow cover in early 1915 somewhat so you see some more variation in snow cover, instead of the present continuous snow on the ground from 1 January until the end of March that currently exists. 1916 was also made just slightly less wet than stock, with 1917 a bit wetter. Long stretches of "no-fly" weather are also broken up just a bit in some cases, while the overall number of "no-fly" days is increased just a bit, in order to simulate the lack of flying during periods of really bad weather.

Overall, I aimed to make the weather feel more "real" while still maintaining fidelity to the overall historical weather patterns already found in WOFF; so this mod should not be considered to be a "fantasy" weather pattern in any respect. The mod should work even better after I have included an optional "additional cloud type mod" that will add approximately 28 new cloud types and variations to several of the existing cloud types that currently exist in WOFF. The new clouds will be designed to fit better within the six currently existing weather categories in WOFF: Good, Light, Medium, Variable, Heavy, and Winter and Spring precipitation. Generally speaking, you should see a greater variety of fair weather clouds, including more cirrus clouds, along with a few "heavier" foul weather cloud types. The optional cloud type mod is currently in final beta testing and should be available within a few days two weeks! or so.

Bb

Glad to see new modders active in the WOFF sim.
In particular I personally love to use mods that enhance the historical perspectives.

I look forward to your mods.

Best Regards.

Sounds great. Downloading now.

Bb -

Looking forward to d/l your latest iteration tonight.

Weather adds a lot to the immersive and graphic aspects of WOFF IMHO.

Thanks, guys. I hope you enjoy the mod.

I have a question. As many of you know, the cloud files also contain a setting for wind speed. Through testing, I have determined that the wind speed value is in meters per second, which translates into 1 m/sec = 2.24 mph. Unmodded, values for windspeed varies in the game from 0 to 5 m/sec, or 0 to 11.2 mph. Relatively mild winds, as has been noted elsewhere on the forum.

Also through testing, I have determined that prevailing wind in the game does have an impact on air speed. Flying directly into a headwind will slow your groundspeed roughly by the speed of the wind, with the opposite effect if you have a tailwind. So far so good. Unfortunately, in addition to pushing your aeroplane in a direction opposite the direction of the wind, the wind also causes severe buffeting of the aircraft, particularly affecting pitch and especially on lighter aircraft. Turns also become much more difficult. Never having flown a real-life aircraft myself, I'm not sure how realistic the buffeting really is. We also know that the AI seems to have particular problems dealing with higher wind speeds.

So, finally my question. In my mod, do you want me to adjust the wind speed in each of these files or leave them alone? As I see it, there are a couple of options. In one, I can make two versions of the clouds: one with lower wind speeds, for early war aeroplanes, and another for later war aeroplanes. Another alternative is asking if Oldhat can adapt his high wind mod to my new clouds. Lastly, since the cloud files are .xml files, maybe JJJ or some other intrepid coder could write a program that could read and randomize the wind speed setting for each cloud file -- say a random number between 0 to 16 m/sec -- that would change each time you loaded the program? The last option would be the best one, of course, since it would vary the wind speed each time you ran the program.

Thoughts?

Wind speed in the cloud file or wind speed in the dynamic weather file?

I found changing the speed in the cloud file showed up inside the game, at least when I chose auto weather. Perhaps it works differently in the default campaign.

I too, based my weather mod for 1915 primarily on Bletcheley's work. Like you, I also tweaked 1916 and 1917, as well. I made the fewest changes in 1918, mainly because the WOFF files for that year are pretty well detailed.

Hi Buckeye and OldHat,

I love this mod, Buckeye! The more I fly, the more I appreciate the variation and consistency it creates. For instance, I'm seeing a lot more broken snow covered fields and trends in the winter weather, etc. Very well done!

As you work on wind speed and variation for a better feeling of flight, Google "Max Demonstrated Crosswind Performance" on a couple of planes like the Cessna 150 (about 1000 lbs) and a Cessna 172 (about 1500 lbs). At ground level 16 m/s (36 mph) would probably be too fast for WWI planes in this weight class, in particular for landings.

Probably more like 15 mph to 20 mph max. In real life, I doubt they were rolling with crosswinds above 20 -25 mph knowing they would likely have to land in the same. Although we've all read stories of flying in much worse weather, I'm guessing a max cap of 25 mph would be pretty aggressive for WWI (maybe more like 20 mph).

Just thought I would toss in some real world comparables.

And I'm curious, have you determined if wind is present during take offs and landings, or is it just low wind speeds in place at ground level? If wind at ground level, do we always get a headwind for take offs, or is the direction variable. I would love to see you guys put wind into play during take offs and landings.

Does wind vary by altitude, or location. I know there is variation in wind within a single mission, but I was never sure if it was because I was changing altitude or moving into the next weather region.

Good luck with this!

Great work, guys. Would you, BuckeyeBob and OldHat, join your effort and negotiate on some final formulas/conditions, then I would be very glad to code some simple app for randomizing and implementing it into the campaign dynamic weather file.

JJ65;

That sounds promising! Can you explain in general how you expect the integration to work? I am very interested. I expect you are thinking of JAR as the mechanism to interface with the WOFF core code but this is just my personal thought. I love absorbing the details and find it informative.

Best Regards

The wildcard is the DynamicWeather file. I no longer have CFS3 on my computer. Is the DynamicWeather file a program created by OBD?

In any event, when using the Auto Weather dropdown box, the wind speed and wind direction come directly from the cloud type .xml file. What happens under the hood with the DynamicWeather file after that I am less sure about.

I need to do more testing later today before I can comment on what effect the variables in the historicalweather file have on wind speed and direction, although I'm sure they do interact with the DynamicWeather file program.

Sorry for the cross post.

Honestly, as already suggested by OldHat in his PM, I plan to implement this option as a new feature to Mission Editor. Also, I do not have any clue how to seamlessly attach it to WOFF, since WOFF is written in Visual Basic and I do not have access to its source code .

>>If you can also change the wind direction, that would be great.<<

As posted above..

I have been doing a bit of trial and error on the very simple and short "weather.xml" file in the "C:\OBDSoftware\WOFF\OBDWW1 Over Flanders Fields" folder.

There are lines that indicate 'wind speed and wind direction' with default values of 0'. I believe it is back ground weather. I assumed that it was in meters for speed, but I don't know. The direction line is probably compass point degrees.

I changed the vales from 0 to 5, then 15, and even 25; to see if there was a noticeable effect in flight.

I couldn't say that there a dramatic effect in wind speed, but I believe I noticed changes. Same for direction.

But then it could be the "placebo effect". It seemed very much more obvious in the cockpit view.

Perhaps those that are much more familiar with the weather files (I was just fooling around on my own, spurred on by this thread and others) know more about this xml file's use.

I have AI Weather Mode on in the workshop.

Nice work BuckeyeBob.
I didn't think it was possible for WOFF to be more awesome (or at least some awesome variety) but I guess I was wrong.
Always said modders are the key to any sims longevity and I am glad to see it happening here.
S!

Sorry for being AWOL for a few days. Had to deal with some family matters.

Bucksnort and DukeIronHand, thank you very much! I'm glad you are enjoying the weather mod. I am working with PanamaRed to release some new cloud types in a week or so, which will hopefully add even more realistic type weather into the game.

Be careful playing around with the historical weather file. The number 4 noted above controls which weather type is loaded into the game, with 1= Good 2 = Light 3 = Medium 4 = Variable 5 = Heavy and 6 = Precipitation. As Oldhat points out, the higher numbers result in higher wind speeds being loaded by the DynamicWeather file. However, the number (1 - 6) also determines what cloud type will be loaded. But, not all cloud types are in each weather pattern. Furthermore, each cloud type has a setting for both wind direction and wind speed. However, it also appears the DynamicWeather file overrides the wind speed settings found in the various cloud type files. As far as I can tell, the wind speeds loaded by the DynamicWeather file only come in three flavors: 3, 6, and 8 mph.

Interestingly, I noticed if you load a specific cloud type using the Auto Weather button in the Briefing screen, you will get exactly the wind direction and wind speed set in that cloud file. So, for example, I was able to create a 40 mph wind by altering the wind speed setting in the cloud file. As I said, however, the DynamicWeather file overrides this if you don't use the Auto Weather button.

Thanks Buckeye Bob,im using your mod along with Triple J,s editor which incorporates OldHats wind mod..they work perfect

Thanks, Adger. Great to hear.

I expect that the cloud mod that I and Panama Red have been working on will be out in a few days.

Version 1.25 of the Weather mod is now available by clicking on the link in the first post in this thread.

Changes include:
1) Changing the name of the mod from "WOFFUE Weather Mod" to WOFF UE Historical Weather Mod."
2) Fixing a small error to the OFFHistoricalWeather1917.txt file. Weather from July to 31 December 1917 is now working as designed. Thanks, JJJ65 for catching this error!
3) Adding a short readme file to the zip file.

The mod is JSGME ready. Just unzip into your WOFF\Over Flanders Fields\Mods folder. Enjoy!

WOFF UE Optional Clouds Mod Now Available!

After much work and with the advice and assistance of Panama Red, the WOFF UE Optional Clouds Mod is now available. This mod is designed to be used either as a separate mod or as a compliment to my WOFF UE Historical Weather mod, which has just been updated to version 1.25.

From the readme file:
The WOFF UE Optional Clouds mod adds 44 cloud types (more than doubling the number of cloud types found in the original game). Eighteen of these additional clouds are from Panama Red's Weather Additional Types 1.1 mod, eighteen are from my new mod, and eight are original files from PR's mod that I modified slightly to include new, improved fog and mist effects -- thank you, Panama Red, for kindly granting me the permission to use these clouds from your earlier mod.

Although the current mod is specifically designed to be used together with my WOFF UE Historical Weather Mod, it can just as easily be used separately as a standalone mod with the stock WOFF UE game. When used with the WOFF UE Historical Weather mod, the additional clouds contained in this mod should more realistically depict the build-up and passing of weather fronts in the game. Clear or fair weather clouds should gradually give way to increasing clouds and eventual precipitation, with clouds then generally decreasing after the passing of each front.* Overall, the user should notice that fair weather periods have a greater variety of fair weather clouds, while heavy or wet weather will have a greater variety of thicker and more threatening clouds.

*Note: Due to the design of the CFS3 game engine, it is impossible to have total control over the weather patterns in the game. Actually, this is a good thing, because it introduces a degree of randomness to the weather you will see on any particular day as you play different pilot careers.

Features:

Clouds: 44 additional cloud types, including 1 clear, 2 cirrus, 6 cirrocumulus, 2 altocumulus, 3 light cumulus, 11 medium and medium-heavy cumulus, 6 heavy or overcast, 5 rain, and 2 mixed cloud types, along with new fog effects.

The original WOFF UE contains approximately 30 different cloud types. However, a majority of these types are variations on different cumulus cloud formations, particularly light cumulus clouds. Therefore, this mod significantly increases the variety of different cloud types you will encounter in each of your pilot careers.

Wind: Although wind speed values largely conform to those from the original game, they should now be somewhat more variable. Wind direction is also slightly more variable, so that winds from a westerly direction (SW, W, and NW) now occur approximately 74% of the time instead of 82%.

Miscellaneous: While this mod is compatible with OldHat's Strong Wind mod and Panama Red's Thunder and Lightening mod, it is not currently compatible with PanamaRed's Weather Additional Types mod. Activating this mod will overwrite several settings in the Additional Types mod, so it is recommended that you deactivate that mod before you use the WOFF UE Optional Clouds mod.


A link to the mod can be found below and at the end of the first post in this thread. Finally, thanks again to Panama Red, who was the original source of inspiration for this mod, and who very kindly lent me both his advice and assistance, as well as his permission to use several clouds from his original mod. A tip of the bowler to Panama Red!

WOFF UE Optional Clouds Mod 1.0

BB
Will your cloud mod work with 4L0M's latest Cloud Mod or SkyBox Mod?

It should, since 4LOM's mod only changes the .dds files.

Thanks BuckeyeBob for this,il try it out later when I get in from work.
I've already downloaded and enabled with JSGME and it doesn't overwrite any of 4LOMS work so I'm also assuming it works fine.
Thanks again pal.

Buckeye thanks. Looks like a great mod addition to WOFF UE

Just a quick heads up BB,1st of all thank you for this mod some of the settings in game look great. I am having a slight issue however mate.

I get a flickering horizontal line when ANY fog is selected in the weather option in QC mode mate..The mist options and all the others are fine but the fog ones give me this issue.

Ive tried Trackir on/off disabled 4LOMS clouds,tried different times of the day in game,Sweetfx on/off and i still get this just with fog,im wondering if this issue replicates itself at your end?
Best Regards
Adger

Hi, Adger. Always great to get feedback, even if reporting a problem.

Can you describe the problem in more detail? When do you notice the line? Are you increasing/decreasing altitude, what altitude are you at, etc? I've noticed this "line" sometimes in other cases, particularly when flying through a thin layer of clouds, so I'm wondering if this is when you are seeing it, too? Also, is it a white line or a gray line?

There are several files that use the fog effect, including four types of "plain" fog and two cloud and fog files. Do you see the problem in all six files? Thanks.

Hi BB..the line is noticable even during takeoff mate. I also have noticed the line when flying through clouds etc.

Id say its more of a white line,and its like 2 different colored textures of the game below and above the line,and it seems to me at least to be occuring with all 6 "Fog" files..the 4 fog ones and the 2 that incorporate the clouds.

Its a strange one because every other type is fine including the mist files,im just wondering if anybody else who uses your mod is seeing the same issue Pal.

Thanks again BuckeyeBob

There are a few WOFF cloud texture files that cause this "banding" effect. Unfortunately, two of those appear in several of the fog files in my mod. I think I can delete one of these cloud textures, but the other one is what creates the foggy look down low. However, I think I can lower the line so that you shouldn't see it once you climb over 750 feet or so (down from roughly 2000 feet as it is now).

If you still can't stand seeing the line down low, I can revise the mod to give you the option to use the older fog effect created originally by PanamaRed. His fog is still very good, just without as much thick fog down low.

Keep in mind that fog will occur less than 10% of the time in the campaign, so you shouldn't run across it very much.

Thanks for the reply BB,its a great mod if you could possibly lower the "ceiling" to 750ft i think that,d make a massive difference.
Id only see it very rarely (just on take off) then,as it does,nt take long to get to 750ft.

Thanks again pal

An updated link to version 1.05 of my WOFF UE Optional Clouds mod is now available at the bottom of the first page of this thread. Highlights of this update include:

1) Revised fog effects to eliminate/decrease "banding" problem. This should address Adger's observation about the line or band that appears in the fog files. The line should disappear, or at least not be as noticeable, after you have climbed to around 1000 feet. You may still notice some shimmering or popping of the fog clouds down low, but that problem is beyond my capabilities, I'm afraid.

2) Added two optional files:
WOFF UE Optional Clouds 1.05 - Panama Red Fog Option
WOFF UE Optional Clouds 1.05 - No Fog Option

These files are meant for those who do not like the new fog effect or who can't stand the shimmering of the fog clouds down low. The first file uses Panama Red's fog files, which do not include the fog effect that sometimes causes the shimmering clouds problem. The second file does not include any fog effects at all. Either one of these optional files can be used in the main campaign.

Installation and use of the revised mod can be found in the readme file included in the zip file. I am also happy, of course, to answer any questions you may have about the mod. Enjoy!

Reminder: although the Historical Weather mod and the Optional Cloud mod were designed to work together, they also work perfectly fine as separate mods, so you can use either one by itself with a standard WOFF installation.

Both mods should also work in all previous versions of WOFF, from WOFF 1 to WOFF UE.

Good MOD, it changes the game for the better, I think.
I use the Weather mod+ Panama Red fog option.

Been flying a few missions now as an Re8 pilot in March 1917.
Orders are good, but when you take off you might find that the weather gets in the way...i.e. "bloody clouds, bloody mist, can't see a thing down there!"
Weather now makes spotting or being spotted much harder too. Navigation is almost impossible at times.
Sounds like a book I read.

The only down side I can see, is FPS drop when using time compression ( for me). I guess alllll that cloud appearing slows thigs down a bit.
Other than that I can see this mod combo as being one of those that I cant live without.

danke

I am very glad to hear that you are enjoying the mod.

One question: do you feel at all that it may be too cloudy at times? I wanted to make it cloudier than the original game, but I also want it to remain playable and enjoyable. Have I struck the right balance?

Buckeye;

Please read your PM from me.

The last two missions for me have been very cloudy, but it's too early to tell if that was just a fluke or how the sim works now. I'll keep a tally and let you know.

Sometimes weather is like that!


+1 Thanks

err no..tooo much, the mod is crap.

no seriously, its very good, I'm not an expert about weather, but it seems fine to me.

Thanks, lederhosen.

I have removed the link to the WOFF UE Historical Weather mod 1.25 since the mod is now part of the 4.14 patch. Future updates are planned to be included in the latest OBD patch.

The link to the Optional Cloud mod is still available at the end of the first post of this thread.

After years of flying this Sim I must say that the mission today was absolutely horrible.

Line Patrol at 2900m with my F2b with TrackIR.
The weather was so bad you would of thought that all flights would have been cancelled! Heavy cloud with snow at 2000m,
and 7 of us are supposed to find the enemy. Bahhh I doubt the Kaiser lets his pilots fly in such conditions.
We had to constantly drop out of the cloud just to know where we were. We lost the “A” flight group over the lines and then I missed one of my lads buzzing off with a dud engine (they became bacon trying to land).
Visibility was very poor indeed. To get home we had to fly under 800m just to navigate.

And what’s worse… My Observer copped it on landing.
Must have been the weather and not my flying I suppose. Poor man.

That was a very challenging flight today. No action but boy I could almost feel the cold up there! Well done Modders.

You can't let a few clouds get in the way of the war now, can ya?

On the bright side, if you can't see the enemy, he can't see you either!

Hello everyone...I am just now loading mods into the JSGME mod enabler, and I notice two different cloud mods at sandbaggers website (thanks everyone for the awesome looking mods and thanks sandbagger for hosting them!)....I see clouds 1.0 and 2.0 *and* clouds 1.05. When I downloaded these mods, they look rather different, and now upon reading this thread (I'm looking to make things a bit more challenging and in particular more wind), I do believe that the "clouds 1.05" has the author incorrect and also perhaps the description...is this correct? WHen I first downloaded these two days ago I thought they were all basically the same mod and was rather confused, but now if I read things correctly, I could use both clouds 2.0 *and* clouds 1.05 as they are completely different mods, correct?

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

stljeffbb

I'm not sure regarding your specific question, so I won't comment and leave for others more familiar with the Clouds Mod.

However, I am a "wind guy" (let's keep the jokes to a minimum ) and really enjoy the challenge of the added wind mods.

There is Ankor's Head Shake mod that I believe simulates the wind movement in Cockpit view. Which on it's own is a terrific mod.

But when wind is enabled in the WOFF Workshop AND using JJJ's fabulous Mission Editor (which allows you to additionally mod the wind speed and direction), both together will have you a bit queezy after a few minutes flying; which I imagine would be the case during strong wind conditions.

JJJ's recommendation is to dis-able wind tick box in the WOFF Workshop when using this function in his Mission Editor.

I go back and forth, depending on how I feel I would like to fly a particular mission.

Jeff,

The three mods listed by you do different things with the clouds. Cloud mods 1.0 and 2.0 (created by 4L0M) are texture mods that modify .dds files for clouds that are already in WOFF. The Optional Cloud mod 1.06 (created by BB) modifies .xml files and adds a number of new cloud types to the game.

Basically, different cloud types (.xml files) are created by mixing different cloud textures (.dds files) together. Optional Cloud mod 1.06 therefore works with either the stock .dds textures or with 4L0M's .dds files.

Capiche?

And that my friend, should be in a help file somewhere for all to see!

My pleasure, Robert.

Before I started my cloud mod, I was confused by the same thing! In fact, I was putting the final touches on my mod when 4L0M announced the release of his cloud mod 1.0. At first, I thought he had beaten me to the punch, until I figured out he was working on improving the textures that are used to "paint" clouds, instead of creating new cloud types. Phew!

Thanks much BuckeyeBob for spelling this out!

When one goes to sandbagger's mod website as of 7:45am CDT, here is the scene:



I do believe that the upper mod in the photo has the incorrect author (should be BuckeyeBob and not 4L0M, correct?)...also, the names of the mod and pics are exactly the same... that also confused me a bit.

Thanks much for these mods...they add a lot to the overall experience!

Regards,

Jeff

P.S.: To echo what has been said previously in this thread regarding the compatibility of these two separate mods, I started testing BB's 1.05 mod (using PanamaRed's fog option) and 4L0M's 2.0 mod and there seem to be no issues at all...

Glad to be of help, Jeff.

The author's names on Sandbagger's page are correct. If you scroll down to the bottom of Sandbagger's page, you should find my "Optional Cloud Mod 1.05."

I believe that 4L0M's cloud mod 1.05 is simply a minor update to his cloud mod 1.0, and has nothing to do with my mod.

Maybe I should rename my mod to BB Optional Cloud Mod?

Or name it Weather Mod 1.05 since it involves more than just clouds !!!!

Thanks BuckeyeBob!

OK, I just (9:23am CDT) clicked on the upper mod of the two pictured, downloaded what is there, and the the first picture shows what was in my download folder. The second picture shows the contents of that compressed file. It seems to me that BuckeyeBob's "Optional clouds 1.05" has been put in the "Clouds 1.05" spot (showing 4L0M as the author).





Regards,

Jeff

Good catch, Jeff. There is definitely a mixup on Sandbagger's​ page. No wonder you were confused.

That's what I get for speaking without looking first.

Oh no worries BuckeyeBob...it is fantastic that you are making mods for WOFF!

Regards,

Jeff

Hi Guys,
Ooops - Corrected now.
Buckeye's Optional cloud mod 1.05 is now at the top of the tabulated downloads (further down the page).
The 'bogus' download has been deleted.

Thanks, Sandbagger.

I may have a very small update tomorrow. I'll also include a pic to put on your download page.

I have just uploaded a small update to my WOFF UE Optional Cloud Mod. The new version is 1.06. A link to the update can be found at the bottom of the first post on this thread.

Changes include:
1) renamed the main installation folder to "Full Installation" folder.
2) removed one heavy cloud type from the OBDWW1 Over Flanders Fields/campaigns/CampaignData/weather/Medium.txt file (the cloud type was too heavy and thick for this type of weather).

I also provided Sandbagger with a new screenshot to help distinguish my mod from 4L0M's mod.

The mod is JSGME ready. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions on improving the mod.

Enjoy!

Version 1.06 uploaded to the User Mods Page.

Is this mod not included in the 14.5 update?

Hi, Dutch.

No, the Optional Cloud mod is separate from the Historical Weather mod. Only the Historical Weather mod has been incorporated into the WOFF patches.

I have revised the title of this thread to hopefully make that a little more clear.

I am currently working on a small update to the Optional Cloud mod. So far, I have added a few more light cloud types. Does anyone have any suggestions for any other type of cloud they would like to see?

No suggestions? Ha ha, I guess most people are more concerned about not getting shot down than they are about the clouds they are flying through! At any rate, maybe I can whet your appetite with a few sample pics:

New Fluffy White Clouds


New Mares Tails and Haze


New Feather Clouds


New High Overcast Clouds

Buckeye...I love the high feather clouds. They definitely make the spring and summer campaigns enjoyable.

I've been staring out the window these last few days so I'll start taking pictures and posting them to see if they're in game or not.

Those clouds look great BuckeyeBob, and will be a great addition!

Regards,

Jeff

Buck that cloud mod is a must. One can easily imagine why in some months it was hard to find the enemy if at all !!

They look fantastic BuckeyeBob,great work pal

Thanks​, guys. I've found that people either love the clouds or hate them. Personally, I love flying (and hiding) in them.

I don't know how people could hate it. The more types of clouds to fill the sky the better.

I will soon give them a check and let you know, thanks for the effort BuckeyeBob, they look superb.

Here's another sky type I have been working on:

Heavy Dark Rain Clouds

I don't think the recce/obs types will like this one very much! Fortunately, you will only see this cloud type on rainy days.

I think I am almost finished tinkering with the new types. When I am finished, it looks like I will be adding approximately 10 new skies, which will provide an even greater variety of cloud conditions to fly in. The update will also have a few minor revisions to a few of the existing cloud types in the current mod. I also recently discovered a setting which controls some of the fog or haze on the horizon, and I will be interested in tinkering around with that setting, as well.

Edit: Can anyone tell me why my picture appears so large and doesn't show an attachment at the bottom of the post? I copied the link to the pic from Photobucket, but obviously I am not doing it right.

That looks perfect for low altitude flights. Can't wait to test these out.

Looking good BuckeyeBob,looking forward to these pal

Buckeye;

I have a question for you. Any chance of creating ground fog of varying density and depth?

He has already done that with my fogs that he incorporated. There is Heavy, Medium, Light and Patchy.

BuckeyeBob, you are doing it right. When you copy from a photo hosting site you don't have the attachment at the bottom because it's not necessary.

Thanks, everyone. Feedback is one of the main things that keeps us modders going (although I hesitate to call myself a modder, at least compared to the work of many of the real artists on this forum).

You gain a real appreciation for the many more countless hours and years of work that the OBD team has already put into WOFF when you start putting together even a relatively small mod such as this--not to mention the tens of thousands of lines of code that had to be written by Rex Hannover and others on the OBD team.

As a modder, sometimes I feel like the chauffeur who drives a Ferrari or a Bentley. I didn't design or build the car, but occasionally I can polish it up a bit!

Buckeye, is it possible to have solid overcast? I don't think I've seen that

Hi, Robert. As Panama said, I already have fog in the Cloud mod. However, I am not entirely happy with the result. I can produce "fog" at low levels, but at the cost of such graphic anomolies as cloud "popping" and "banding," so some people don't like the result. A cure would probably require someone with .dds file expertise to actually "build" some new cloud types from the ground up. Do you wish to volunteer?

It is possible, Ace, but once again, doing so leads to some really bad cloud banding and popping, so the Heavy Dark Clouds shown above are probably the best I can do at this time.

Buckeye, I'll take it. You've done great work. I owe you a beer.

BTW, I think the cloud popping problem is similar to the graphics anomoly you often see in some older first person shooter games where you sometimes see a characters arm or leg sticking though a wall or a door. I bet my bottom dollar that the cloud popping problem is a holdover from the old version of DirectX used in CFS3.

I was thinking of taking a trip up to Rhinebeck, NY sometime. Maybe I should include a trip to Niagra Falls as well, so I can take you up on your offer. I'll go to almost any lengths for free beer!

The cloud popping is caused by two cloud texture edges intersecting each other. This can be mitigated somewhat by making the cloud image itself not completely reach the edge of the texture file.

What you describe above buckeye bob with fps games is geometry clipping where a models collision mesh is not a perfect fit to the model itself.

Perfect geometry meshes for 3d models take a ton of cpu cycles to calculate, so most games use a simplified mesh on an object, this is what occasionally causes your examples above, like a gun sticking through a door etc.

Neither make any odds on dx version.

Edit : Actually, the dx version could make a difference, in regard to DX11.1 adding new dds file compression methods, this may eliminate the problem completely (although equally it may not make a blind bit of difference). Obviously the game would have to be ported to DX11.1 and I'm pretty sure that's never going to happen.

. The special edition of Skyrim and Fallout 4 use these new dds types, that's why 99% of original skyrim texture mods work in the new Special edition no problem, but the one's saved in the one of the older dds compression types will crash the game.

DX11.1 is only found on Windows 8 and above, that's why it always makes me laugh when people have convinced themselves that staying on Windows 7 is the best for gaming.

Just let me know! I could use any excuse FOR a beer!

Ah, thanks for the explanation. It helps to have someone who knows what they are talking about!

I now see why the overcast cloud files are the most likely to cause the cloud popping. They are the files where the cloud image is most likely to extend to the edge of the texture file. Unfortunately, pulling the cloud image back from the edge of the texture file likely produces a "bowl" or a hat-like cloud effect, with clouds sitting directly above you but not extending to the edge of the screen. Neither situation is ideal.

You will see the effect more in cloudy conditions obviously because you are rendering more clouds. As for reducing the cloud image inside the dds file, so you have more transparency on the edges of the texture wouldn't actually make much difference visually, in fact unless you had told someone it had been done, I doubt anyone would notice. The clouds would still look like they do now pretty much.

It's just not really worth the hassle making all the cloud textures a uniform smaller image, as it may not even fix the problem, and is a lot of work for something that's a very minor annoyance in game.

I'm basing my cloud intersection theory on the fact that the same thing happens occasionally in FSX, but seems to be eradicated in P3D DX11.1 (and I have actually witnessed the intersecting clouds mess up in Woff when flying,so there's that too, lol.)

It's good to hear from you again, 4L0M.

Any E.T.A on the updated cloud mod Buckeye?
Or are we looking at

Only joking mate,I'm looking forward to seeing your extra cloud types
Cheers for the mod,it really is a great piece of work

I may have jumped the gun a little when I said I only had a few more tweaks. Also, real life has interfered a bit, with my 80 year old father in the hospital with pneumonia and work being crazy for the last week or two. Hopefully, not more than though

Thanks for your interest!

Sorry to hear about your dad mate,hope he feels better soon.
Yep I can relate to the work situation aswell.
Take as long as it needs Buck,il be ready to test as soon as your ready to release.
All the best pal
Adger

Aye, good to hear from you again 4L0M! Cloud popping is one of a very few remaining technical issues that (for me) will pull me out of immersion. It would be great if it could be resolved, but I totally understand there are limits to the technology. Maybe in WOFF Ultimate Edition 2.0. LOL

I feel a change in the weather is coming....

Can't wait!

Version 2.0 of the Optional Cloud mod is here!!

Here is a partial list of some of the changes in this major update:

1) Thirteen additional "skies" including:
Broken Overcast and High Clouds
Cirrus Clouds with Haze
Fluffy White Clouds
Heavy Dark Clouds
Heavy Dark Rain Clouds
Mares Tails
Mostly Cloudy with Rain
Overcast and High Clouds
etc.

2) Improved horizon fog
3) Updates to many older cloud files from OCM 1.06
4) Adjusted fog effect in cloud files to reduce cloud "popping" and "banding" from fog
5) Adjusted several other cloud files to further reduce cloud "popping" and "banding"
6) Revised file structure for simpler activation of mod via JSGME (see readme file)
7) Many other miscellaneous tweaks

With the assistance of Robert Wiggins, OCM 2.0 will also now be available in either a standard zipfile format or in a self-extracting .exe file. The zipfile can be found at the bottom of the first post of this thread, while the self-extracting .exe file will be available later tonight or tomorrow. Both formats are designed to be placed in the JSGME Mods folder of your WOFF UE installation.

Please note that activation of the mod via JSGME has changed slightly. Full details may be found in the accompanying readme file.

OCM 2.0 represents a substantial upgrade and improvement to the original mod, so I urge everyone who has tried the earlier version of the mod to try it again (especially if they didn't like the cloud popping and banding in v1.06). While I have not been able to totally eliminate all cloud popping, you should find it reduced considerably in the new version.

As always, comments are both suggested and welcomed! I hope everyone enjoys the mod -- and happy flying!

Note: Slower systems may see some loss of frame rates, particularly with some of the heavier cloud types.

Bob, many thanks for your constant efforts. Looking forward to testing this new mod. I just can't seem to locate it. You mentioned bottom of first post, but it's showing v1.06. Still to come?

Oops! Link should be working now.

Got it!

The JSGME self installable version should be up on Sandbagger's site soon.

Now on the User Mods Page here:

http://www.thatoneplease.co/indexWOFF.html

Thanks Robert and Sandbagger!

Looking forward to giving it a try. Off to download now.

After a few missions I have not encountered any issues, apart form the well known low-level flat cloud flickering while flying through it to a higher altitude (flying with no-fog option). Also, I've noticed that there are now more frequent skies with just a few (2-3) individual small clouds in the entire sky usually grouped in one area. I don't remember seeing this type before, so if that is part of the mod, then well done! If I'm dreaming and this isn't something new, then you must excuse me. My head is currently in the clouds after all.

Glad you like it, even if it comes from someone with their head in the clouds!

There are actually at least two issues with the cloud popping. Some flickering, while flying through clouds either horizontaly or vertically, is mostly unavoidable. What I really worked on in this update, is the white or grey "bedsheet" effect, which appears as a distinct horizontal line in the sky with clouds that seem to flash on and off - very annoying. Hellshade has a brief video showing that in another thread somewhere on the main forum. Hopefully, I managed to get rid of most of that.

I am glad to hear you are getting some more light clouds mixed with blue sky. I did add a few light cloud types to go with the heavier ones, so maybe that is what you are seeing.

No issues on my end. the added cloud types are a beautiful and welcome sight. Well done, Bob.

Great job on the cloud mod!

Jeff

Thanks, everyone!

No thank you Buckeye,it's a great piece of work pal

I am enjoying the new mod. I love the added variety and the work is just incredible. I highly recommend folks give it a try!

Great Mod ! I made my peace with leaving out the fog option, cause i assume, they wouldn't have flown in that bad conditions anyway...

Well they might start out in good weather and then encounter the fog. It's really too bad that it can't be rendered properly. It would have really added a new weather capability. IMHO

Bump, and to let people to know I will likely be adding a few more "snow" clouds in the near future. I'm also exploring the possibility of getting it to snow (at least snow in the air) during the month of December.

Thanks BuckeyeBob your cloud mod is fantastic,the added snow would be fantastic

Hi Folks

This is a new mod update:

WOFF UE Consolidated Custom Airfields Mods Repository Folder zip available on Sandbaggers mods page.

This update contains RAF_Louvert's "Thetford" and "Catterick" training facilities as well as the winter tiles for Havrincourt Wood.

Here is an extract from the contained "Reame" file:

Created: 11 June 2017
Author: Robert Wiggins at SimHQ forum
Version 2.1

Changelog 2.1

 This release contains the additions of Winter tiles for Havrincourt wood, as well as the Catterick and Thetford training fields all of which were created by RAF_Louvert. These additions require that you apply all the mods contained in this release in order for things to work properly.

Best Regards

The latest update to my cloud mod has taken longer than I expected, but is slowly coming along. I feel I have a better understanding now of how precipitation works in the game, so most of the update will be concerned with that.

I also have hopes of eventually working with JJJ in order to produce even more customized cloud and sky conditions, but that will have to wait until at least the end of the month when he gets back from his mountain holiday! (Currently, each of the five weather types have one or two generic skyboxes which are used for all cloud conditions in that weather type. Hopefully, with JJJ's help I will be able to create customized skyboxes for each of the different cloud types that are now in the cloud mod)!

Buck, I look forward to your work. Can you explain briefly what changes to the sky box will achieve as an example. It is rather vague to me.

Skyboxes are nothing more than the far Horizon background .dds. and currently each individual type Weather is assigned a Skybox in it's file.

I've spent a lot of time on making custom skyboxes, and they can be tricky to get right because you're mapping a sphere onto six flat faces.

That's a little over my head Major! Can you recommend a 101 type article that would give me an in depth orientation of what they are and how they are applied?

Whew, where to start? It is a bit complicated. PR and MajorMagee are both correct, of course. The extra difficulty is the OFFDynamicMissionWeather.xml file. A little background:

1. Each cloud type has a Background weather section, like this:
in addition to different cloud layers.

2. Each weather type (Good, Light, Medium, Heavy, Variable, SPrecip, and WPrecip) has 1-3 Skyboxes associated with each type. Each skybox also has its own Background weather section, which is identical to the Background weather section for each cloud type, except that the values are different. Here is an example from the OFFDynamicMissionWeather.xml file, which is created at the start of each mission:

Currently, when a mission is generated, the Background weather section at the start of the OFFDynamicMissionWeather file is created from one of the skyboxes associated with one of the 7 weather types and not from the background weather section of the specific cloud type. In effect, this creates a "one size fits all" for each cloud type assigned to a particular weather pattern. My aim is to create customized background skies (as well as wind directions and wind speeds) that come from the background weather section of each cloud type instead of from the weather type.

The rest of the OFFDynamicMissionWeather file creates variable sky conditions based on other cloud types found in the same weather type as the selected cloud type, but always based on the same background sky as found at the start of the OFFDynamicMissionWeather file. I am not proposing to mess with this part of the OFFDynamicMissionWeather file.

Robert, I'm afraid that is more of a 300 or 400 level course than a 101 course!

Here are two pics to illustrate what I mean. Both use the same cloud type I created in my cloud mod: OFF_BB Mist and Clouds. The first pic is with an unaltered WOFFDynamicMissionWeather.xml file. The background sky color is: 4284111450

WOFF Mist and Clouds


The second uses an altered WOFFDynamicMissionWeather.xml file that uses the BackgroundWeather data from the beginning of my OFF_BB Mist and Clouds file instead of the Background weather data from one of the skyboxes associated with the SPrecip weather type. Notice the background sky color is now: 4293784308

BuckeyeBob Mist and Clouds


Obviously, you would not want the same background sky color you see in the second picture for all cloud types! However, with my suggested alteration (if possible), you would have much greater flexibility in creating different background cloud conditions customized for each cloud type instead of each weather type.

The main problem with this approach is whether (no pun intended) the background sky color for each specific cloud type would look good with the other clouds generated for the mission by the OFFDynamicMissionWeather file. That will take some further testing.

Thanks for the explanation Buckeye. I feel I have a much better understanding than before and what really stands out here is how complex the whole issue is. I also understand that proper testing for all scenarios will take considerable time. Cudos to you for undertaking this mod. It is already very good and what you are proposing will make it considerably better.

I look forward to each stage of your release!

My pleasure, Robert.

If JJJ and I can pull this off, not only will we get customized fogcolors tailored for each specific cloud type, but also customized wind speeds and directions. Right now, unless you use JJJ's mission editor, there are only approximately 12 or 13 Background wind conditions in the game. It should be possible to create any number of different wind conditions by altering the beginning of the OFFDynamicMissionWeather file. In fact, JJJ's mission editor already does this, but only with wind speeds.

If you are drawing new images for the skybox each patch is drawn as Front, Left, Back, Right, Front to make the joins seamless.
Front is displayed looking South
Left is displayed looking West
Back is displayed looking North
Right is displayed looking East

Within the weather xml files there is a parameter called fogcolor that uses a 10 number sequence to define it's color. This is a decimal that converts to hexidecimal as FF followed by the Red, Green and Blue color values as numbers from 00 (darkest) to FF (lightest). A pure gray would have R = G = B. For example scatteredclouds4low.xml has the BackgroundWeather fogcolor as 4288789972 which converts to FF A1 BD D4 which is a light blue grey R=161, G = 189, B = 212. The choice of this shade will have a significant impact on how well the fog will blend into the skybox background colors. AnKors latest shaders address the grey band that frequently was seen along the horizon, but they cannot completely make up for poorly matched fog/skybox colors.

The method used for the tuning of the fog color was to check the color at about the middle of the skybox texture using PhotoShop, and then to turn down the brightness by 12% in the color checker. The Hexadecimal RGB values were then put in a calculator with FF added at the beginning, and converted to the decimal equivalent. This is the value that went into the fogcolor. A quick check in the game was then used to refine the brightness value up or done slightly in PhotoShop, and a new hex and decimal value was tried until the match was optimized for most conditions.

Just for a little more complication AnKor's shaders use the suneffect.xml to change the environmental lighting effects based on the time of day and direction you're looking, so a skybox fogcolor combination that works at one time of day and direction, may not be a perfect match at another combination.

Major, many thanks for your discertation. I see the process as a very tedious trial and error undertaking.

UPDATE: I am now in the final stages of testing version 2.1 of the OCM. In addition to adding a few more cloud types, I also made a few tweaks to a couple of existing clouds to further reduce "banding" and "popping." Users of the BB Fog Option should particularly notice improvements to several of the fog sky types.

I also found and corrected a relatively minor bug in previous versions that may have resulted in some weather anomalies (although I haven't actually seen any evidence of this in the actual game).

The mod should be ready in a few days and certainly no later than

Thank you sir.
Looking forward to it.

Eleven days is shorter than two weeks, isn't it?

Version 2.2 of the WOFF UE Optional Cloud Mod is now available at the end of the first post in this thread! Here is a list of the major changes to the mod:
• Fixed bug where some larger cloud files can result in a truncated OFFDynamicMissionWeather file, possibly leading to some weather anomalies
• Added 3 additional snow cloud types for winter precipitation and 2 additional heavy cloud types
• Adjusted balance of rainy and snowy cloud types in SPrecip and WPrecip folders
• Tweaked cloud types in Medium, Variable, and Heavy folders so clouds have a better chance of matching the weather "forecast" for that particular day
• Tweaked appearance of high clouds in several "heavy" cloud types
• Reworked fog effect (again) in BB Fog Option folder to further reduce cloud popping and banding
• Miscellaneous changes and tweaks

BONUS: I have also updated the OFFHistoricalWeather files to version 1.42. Please see the link at the end of the first post on this thread. Changes to the historical weather files are mainly cosmetic, with several spelling errors corrected and some modifications to the daily weather "forecast." I also made a few alterations to the seven weather types so they will work better with OCM 2.2. Users may notice a very slight improvement to the overall weather, with not quite so many "heavy" weather days.

Please share your experiences with the two mods and any areas you may have for improvement. Enjoy!

BuckeyeBob;

I have just sent JSGME self installable versions of both your mods of to Sandbagger for inclusion on his mods page.

Bueno!

Version 2.2 (latest) now on the User Mods Page here:

http://www.thatoneplease.co/indexWOFF.html