i think the smoke and dirt effects in lfs are not very realistic. I wish the devs could release a patch that would:

1. increase the amount of smoke
   
2. Enable the smoke to stay visible for longer, like hanging in the air etc.

i think this would improve the game dramatically. Like when you are driving down the staight for example, if someone as spun in front of you, their tyre smoke would hang like a cloud over the track and you would have to drive through it. I think adding this feature would greatly improve the realism of LFS any thouhts?

I think there's an addon that increases smoke (Kegety made it iirc) ..

Not sure if realistic smoke would improve the game dramatically, but it would be cool :up:

I think that the only thing that is forcing that not to become a feature, is that most systems have enough problem with FPS as it is because of physics calculations, until PC's get more powerful, that most likely won't be present.

I changed the texture (I think kegtys' site) rather than use the mod and that had quite a positive impact on it.

The smoke mod is fine, although LFS doesn't rotate the particles so it can look a bit strange to have lots of particles because they all line up neatly and seem to dissipate at the same speed.

One major problem with increasing smoke levels is that it is a disadvantage to drive through it, smoke hampers visibility and as a consequence it should be the same on all systems rather than a slider controlled graphics option.

I think this is why we have the rather poor effects we have now.

A few simple tricks could improve the smoke, and make the smoke mod look better for those who use it. If Scawen could be encouraged to rotate the particles and give them different interupt timers for the fade out, that would improve it.

To make the smoke look better an animation could be used (I usually use between 5-10 frames for smoke in games I make) instead of a single image and alpha fade, but it probably isn't necessary to go that far.

I have the smoke textures installed from kegetys and it's enough, no need for whole smoke mod (decreases also my FPS like hell). I sometimes have such weird situations in league races with smoke texture, you exit a corner and see
a smoke/dust wall in front of you (but no yellow flag) so you don't know what lies ahead of you, it's rather cool .

best smoke ive seen was in papys nascar racing 2003 season. If smoke like that was in LFS it would be awesome

the only thing i don't like about the smoke is that it comes only from the tyre part which is on the tarmac. In reality all tyre is burning (if it's all hot enough ofc).

Best smoke I've ever saw was in real life

P.S.: And it didn't came from a cigarette or weed or what else, it came from tyres.

best smoke I ever saw had wee red hairs on it and the smell made me dizzy.

Best smoke I have is weed

Quote from LRB_Aly :

Best smoke I ever seen was in real life

Quote from Goop :

best smoke I ever saw had wee red hairs on it and the smell made me dizzy.

Have to agree with you there, and the second best smells like skunk!

That's 4 spam posts in a row, so, to turn this one around from spam, I'll agree with Sp3cTr3 in that NR2003 has the best smoke in any racing sim I've played.

Quote from Astro [ BJRL ] :

Best smoke I have is weed

Nothing beats drifting (well trying to drift) while stoned :P



But on topic

There needs to be more smoke, drifting just aint the same with sfa smoke

Quote from marsaz :

the only thing i don't like about the smoke is that it comes only from the tyre part which is on the tarmac. In reality all tyre is burning (if it's all hot enough ofc).

thats not true. when a tyre is locking up smoke only comes from the patch that is contacting the tarmac.
if you got your tyres hot enough to be smoking all over then your in trouble! lol!!

Quote :

Best smoke I've ever saw was in real life

Funnily enough, I dont agree. Real tyre smoke looks so unrealistic after playing computer games for 25 years...

Quote from nikimere :

thats not true. when a tyre is locking up smoke only comes from the patch that is contacting the tarmac.
if you got your tyres hot enough to be smoking all over then your in trouble! lol!!

while drifting or spinning wheels all tyre heats up. (lololol!!!)

Quote from Becky Rose :

Funnily enough, I dont agree. Real tyre smoke looks so unrealistic after playing computer games for 25 years...

hehe!

What would be really realistic, in LFS, and also cheap on CPU/GPU is a brief white-out. When you drive through smoke (or for that matter, patchy fog), you see it approaching (or you approaching it) Then before you properly realise it or actually expect it, it's all white and you have either nearly or NO visibility for a moment, til you get through it. You don't actually SEE the smoke or fog you're in. You're just struck with seeing nothing at all.

AFAIK, the experience isn't difficult to simulate graphic-wise. Becky, you're a programmer.. wotcha thinkings?

Quote from marsaz :

while drifting or spinning wheels all tyre heats up. (lololol!!!)

you need to be more specific then, i was talking about the racing sense. considering it is a racing sim after all.

the smoke mod as mentioned above is good although i found when running it i take a FPS hit of about 10 - 15 with a few cars about. But as i only get on average about 45 FPS i dont use the smoke mod too much.

As said before, we dont have a lot of these extra effects simply because a lot of peoples computers cant handle it, and i love this game for that reason, because many games are patched with improved graphics or effects and all of a sudden i cant play it anymore, because i have a mid-powered computer. Effects such as smoke, to be realistic and fair, need to be mandatory on all system, not just an option, and personally, my computer right now struggles with 10-15 cars infront of me with around 30FPS, so adding that smoke effect will either force me not to play or get a better system (yea right illepall ) So I'm sure all these effects will come at one point, when the standard for systems will be a bit higher. For now they are better left out.

Quote from nikimere :

you need to be more specific then, i was talking about the racing sense. considering it is a racing sim after all.

even the hot flatspots are smoking only when they touch the tarmac and you get this little ball of smoke from time to time depending on how fast you are going. It should be smoking all the time untill it cools down.

Quote :

AFAIK, the experience isn't difficult to simulate graphic-wise. Becky, you're a programmer.. wotcha thinkings?

On the plus side: It would be very easy to achieve, you set the fogging (which is just a few commands into the 3D engine and it's all handled by the card) 3D range to about 80% of the camera cull range (which is reduced as you drive through the effect).

On the down side: It would look crap.

Quote :

It should be smoking all the time untill it cools down.

I have often had a wispy smoke effect coming off my tyres when i've come into the pits after a stint - but the amount of smoke generated is not sufficient to be visible whilst driving as it becomes too thinly dissipated and i'm not suprised and not bothered that it isn't simulated. I'm not into science much, I guess the effect might also be caused by the tyres cooling.

LFS simulates smoke from locking the tyres, which is a different thing.

EDIT: I think in retrospect you are referring to certain lock ups we've seen this year in F1 races where smoke appears to billow out of all parts of the tyre. This is because of something that F1 drivers do that a lot of LFS racers dont... When they lock up the inside front wheel they work the brake so that the flatspot is spread out over more than one area of the tyre, this creates a locked up smoke effect which is different to an outright contact patch plume, and it isn't simulated in LFS.

i have been searching all over LFS- where can I get the Keg's Smoke texture?

kegetys.net

yeah found it and wow! treat stuff, and no hit to the FPS!