Enhanced Particles

[Sheridan]

Good evening everybody!

Originally released for Rome II, the popular Enhanced Particles modification has finally made it to Attila.

Enhanced Particles features improved visual effects on the battle map, making units kick up dust as they maneuver around and struggle for tactical supremacy. Unlike Rome II, the Attila version only features dust particles for desert environments currently. This may be changed to include other terrain types later on, depending on the feedback and requests we get as well as how much material there is to utilize.

As you may have noticed, there are no preview images yet. These will be added soon, but we will happily include user images as well. If you would like some of yours to be included, comment here or on Steam.

Performance

Concerning the performance demands of the mod, it's worth knowing that it varies depending on the amount of troops involved in a battle. Generally the more, the more taxing the modification will be on your computer. A slight decrease in performance can be noticed if zooming in very close on the dust, but is otherwise similar or identical to what you would normally experience. If you're not sure if your PC can handle it - try it out!

Permission to use this work

Anyone is free to contact us for permission to use this mod in their own work, be it in the comment section or through a PM. We only ask that you credit the authors.

Download & Instructions

Download using the link provided below. It's in a zip folder together with the main image. Unpack to the data folder where Attila is installed. Enjoy!

Download Link

Regards,

Philip & the Ancient Empires Team

[KAM 2150]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Sheridan again

[Sheridan]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Sheridan again

Hehe, well it's a couple of days 'til it will be out anyway

[ABH2]

I've never had major issues running the Rome 2 version, and I have a pretty low end computer. Attila may be another story as I have issues with it general.

Regardless, I'm glad you decided to go ahead with this on Attila. 18k subscribers on Rome 2 (just saw that today - man did it get up high). I doubt it will be any less popular for Attila.

[Riekopo]

I was trying to figure out how to increase the dust levels. Looks like this mod will fit the bill.

[Sheridan]

Here comes a quick progress update. I'd just like to point out that if you have any feedback or requests, now is the perfect time to bring that up seeing as it's not yet released. It'll be very helpful for determining how it's going to look. For example, do you find the dust too subtle/apparent, does it blend in well with the environment etc? I think it's safe to say that there will be an extreme edition again, and what's been shown so far is for the basic version.

[Sheridan]

And here's another teaser. Basically, the colour is the only thing remaining that's not quite right yet.

[Sheridan]

A first early version is done, and available to anyone who wants to try it out. Just PM me here, or contact over Steam. An official version will be released by tomorrow or Saturday.

[Riekopo]

A first early version is done, and available to anyone who wants to try it out. Just PM me here, or contact over Steam. An official version will be released by tomorrow or Saturday.

I'd like to try it. What's your Steam?

[DramaBelli]

Looking forward to the final release mate, thank'u!

[ABH2]

Philip's Steam account, for those interested:
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198013830173

[Riekopo]

I tested it in a custom battle in an Arabian desert. I can barely see the dust and it seems too brown to me. I think it also was killing my framerate. When I zoomed in my frames went down to the 20s.

[FEARLESS]

At last! Now this really will make the battles and movement feel epic!!

[Olennius]

Can't wait. This will take battles to a whole new level of epicness

[Sheridan]

A first version is now released. Remember that it's very much subject to change and will likely undergo certain adjustments within the nearest weeks. If there's a demand for it, we might also make an extreme version.

[M2TWRocks]

I'm confused by this. Without your mod, I already have dust kicking up from units on the battlefield. What's the difference?

[Olennius]

A first version is now released. Remember that it's very much subject to change and will likely undergo certain adjustments within the nearest weeks. If there's a demand for it, we might also make an extreme version.

Thank you very much for this, I already like it a lot.
I would also really like to see an "extreme version" of the mod. Did the Rome2 version of the mod actually add more dust particles than the current version for Attila?

And +Rep of course

[Sheridan]

I'm confused by this. Without your mod, I already have dust kicking up from units on the battlefield. What's the difference?

The difference is the quality and volume of the dust. Attila already has dust indeed, but it's very flat and looks like sludge. With the mod, you get a dust cloud, or similar to the Rome II version if you've played that.

Thank you very much for this, I already like it a lot.
I would also really like to see an "extreme version" of the mod. Did the Rome2 version of the mod actually add more dust particles than the current version for Attila?

And +Rep of course

Excellent to hear that. They're about the same really, at least with regards to the volume. Let me know if you find the dust too difficult to spot, I'm considering changing the colours to something better.

Thanks for the rep also!

[Olennius]

Excellent to hear that. They're about the same really, at least with regards to the volume. Let me know if you find the dust too difficult to spot, I'm considering changing the colours to something better.

I think the Rome2 version produced a more "hazy" look which I liked very much. Could that have to do with the color of the particles you mentioned?

Example images of Rome2 version:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Rome 2 with Enhanced Particles (and GEMFX)

In the images above I think the dust is more visible than in the few experiments I did with Attila.
However, it could be that the bright lighting in Rome2 produces a different look than the dark lighting that is mostly used in Attila.

[Sheridan]

I think the Rome2 version produced a more "hazy" look which I liked very much. Could that have to do with the color of the particles you mentioned?

Example images of Rome2 version:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Rome 2 with Enhanced Particles (and GEMFX)

In the images above I think the dust is more visible than in the few experiments I did with Attila.
However, it could be that the bright lighting in Rome2 produces a different look than the dark lighting that is mostly used in Attila.

The dust is more coherent in Rome II, homogeneous you could say, while it's a little more spread out in smaller puff clouds in Attila. I think it's largely down to the colour and transparency, but also different graphical settings and other mods in use for example. The intention now is to recreate the Rome II look of it as far as possible, but I suspect we're going to need new textures (i.e new colours).

A sort of white colour worked very well in Napoleon, but I'm not sure it would look as good here as most units, being arranged in deep formations, would produce rather thick particle clouds. Perhaps some sort of combination of white and brown-ish, but it's crucial that it doesn't look off under certain lighting conditions. What would you prefer as colour(s)?

Edit: Here are two examples using a darker, brown colour

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It's quite a lot more visible even at a distance and fits in reasonably well in my opinion.