What the clouds should look like in CoD. Video of clouds at altitude with Fighters

[The Kraken]

Considering that all cloud implementations in games or even dedicated tech demos are a far cry from that video, and that no other flight sim has a cloud rendering system that is really superior in all relevant areas to what has been shown so far for CoD, this looks like a severe case of unrealistic expectations to me. Sure Oleg raised those himself back when speaking about his plans, but if people seriously expected that this could lead to anything approaching the complexity of real-life clouds then that's a delusion. It's simply not possible, both for technical and financial reasons. You might as well post real footage of planes, landscapes, explosion/smoke effects or pilot animations, and complain that CoD doesn't look like that.

As with many other aspects of CoD you should consider that this is as good as it gets at the moment; not because the developers don't know any better or don't care, but because they can't do any better. And yes I have a list of stuff I'd have done different to what's been shown myself, but certainly in a different league than this complaint.

Oh and the FSX clouds sure would suck for a combat sim

[JAMF]

I'm pretty sure that the 1c:Maddox guys can create a beautiful cloud. But what they're trying to make is dynamic weather. That has to be a difficult task.

Depressions and high pressure areas moving over a map, the arms of the fronts rotating around the depression, the fronts having big closed clouds and possibly rain below them, the wind going from high to low... How do you make that? How do you make a high that is off the map have influence on the clouds around the depression that's on the map? Do you create a reel of weather "film" that moves from west to east, on which the highs and lows move? Do you create a film that projects weather overlay images on the map, 1 frame every 10 minutes? How do you make the clouds move so they stay near the weather front? How do you make a weather programme stay within English/French weather parameters and not have a heatwave that lasts the whole period?

We've seen Japanese programmers simulate clouds and weather around a mountain, but that has to be done for a whole map. That's a big task. Potentialy bigger task than creating a dynamic campaign (war management AI), as such a programme doesn't need to calculate in 3D.

[Mysticpuma]

This makes me wonder if updated weather and objects (if I remember correctly) could be bought as an option like it was for FSX? Oleg was talking about the Simulation engine being licensed and then other developers could create add-ons (like an Aces Expansion Pack) once it had been authorised.

So if the software is going to be licensed, then their could be future Pay-ware add-ons for scenery and environments as-well as aircraft?

I may have been mistaken when I read previous posts by OM but I was reading them with that impression being given.

It almost makes you wonder if there could be a 'clouds' only map, where the ground is actually a Storm cloud or very low-lying fog (so darkish in colour letting the player know it is the ground layer), but then all that has to be modelled is the lighter and upper cloud layers, giving just a cloud environment to fight in.

If you go through the ground layer you explode, as you have hit the ground under the fog bank, so you have to fight above it?
Just thinking out loud?

Cheers, MP

Just a thought

[Tomahawko]

Originally Posted by Mysticpuma

I may have been mistaken when I read previous posts by OM but I was reading them with that impression being given.
It almost makes you wonder if there could be a 'clouds' only map, where the ground is actually a Storm cloud or very low-lying fog (so darkish in colour letting the player know it is the ground layer), but then all that has to be modelled is the lighter and upper cloud layers, giving just a cloud environment to fight in.

If you go through the ground layer you explode, as you have hit the ground under the fog bank, so you have to fight above it?
Just thinking out loud?

I'd dig it.

[Swoop]

Me too

I just love using clouds in a fight and having to use instruments to ambush a following enemy.

It also makes flying in general more interesting and less of a fight sim and more of a flight sim.

Remember trying to land at the end a tense war mission in a thunder storm with a heavy cross wind, it just adds so much.

[T}{OR]

Originally Posted by sweln

Well, Les Chevaliers du Ciel is a crap movie (Luc Besson production), but the visuals are pretty nice.

+1

The movie is crap, but the footage is awesome - and that is why it is worth watching. All recorded by HD cameras with real planes (cameras were hidden in fuel tanks).