Weather mod v16 for DCS

[bandit648]

Happy Friday everyone! Sorry for the long delay in getting an update out. Busy with life lately

In this update I achieved something I've been wanting to do for long time. I modified the cirrus shader so the cirrus clouds should now look much more natural and instead of covering the entire sky over the map they will appear in random patches. I think this looks much better. I hope everyone agrees!

3/28/2025 - Updated to version 16

-Updated files for compatibility with DCS version DCS 2.9.14.8394
-Updated cirrus shader for a much more natural random look. Cirrus clouds will no longer cover the entire sky over the map and will appear in random patches.
-Changed cirrus cloud fade interval to 30 minutes. The cirrus layer will fade in/out over a 30 minute period. Previously this was set very high to 24 hours so the cirrus clouds
  were basically static.
-Added [Bandit648] tag to Scattered Thunderstorms 1 and Scattered Thunderstorms 2 cloud presets.
 

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3335023/

 

[Minsky]

5 hours ago, bandit648 said:

3/28/2025 - Updated to version 16

Hi, thanks for the update!

May I have a tiny request to make this mod OvGME-friendly?

It's quite simple: the name of the archive (currently "bandit648_Weather_Mod_v16", ignoring the .zip extension) and the name of the archived folder inside (currently "bandit648 Weather Mod v16") must be identical for the OvGME to recognize it.

It's not a pressing issue, of course. Just something to consider for one of the next updates.

[bandit648]

12 hours ago, Minsky said:

Hi, thanks for the update!

May I have a tiny request to make this mod OvGME-friendly?

It's quite simple: the name of the archive (currently "bandit648_Weather_Mod_v16", ignoring the .zip extension) and the name of the archived folder inside (currently "bandit648 Weather Mod v16") must be identical for the OvGME to recognize it.

It's not a pressing issue, of course. Just something to consider for one of the next updates.

 

Good suggestion. I'll try to remember that in the next update.

[fagulha]

1 hour ago, bandit648 said:

Good suggestion. I'll try to remember that in the next update.

I just unpack the .zip and copy/paste to the Ovgme folder. isn´t the same?

[bandit648]

1 hour ago, fagulha said:

I just unpack the .zip and copy/paste to the Ovgme folder. isn´t the same?

That's what I do. I suspect some people want to keep it zipped and load it that way.

[Zhanny001]

Morning, ive noticed that in VR with the cumulus cloud layers that the fps is quite reduced overall, the hit is considerable, weirdly for me this is worse then using full clouds with rain, does anyone notice the same when using the mod?

[VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants]

1 hour ago, Zhanny001 said:

VR with the cumulus cloud layers

Which one(s) exactly?

[Zhanny001]

17 minutes ago, VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants said:

Which one(s) exactly?

Not sure what it was called exactly cant check atm, but cumulus layer up high, however we also had some fog on the map i wonder if that impacts performance with clouds on ultra. 

[VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants]

I try "Overcast Cumulus Light Mist" first.

[Zhanny001]

I have now seen that fog is a killer for VR performance seeing its directly linked to cloud quality, seeing mine are on ultra adding fog lowers the overall fps. 

I therefor assume this is the culprit instead of the actual mod.

[VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants]

Good to know. I have just made a mission but I have not fired it yet.

[jef32]

There's a long time that I tell that: This mod is one of the best mods ever done for DCS. It enhances sublimely the poor native weather of DCS.

Once again bandit648: A big thank to you !

[fagulha]

15 hours ago, Zhanny001 said:

Morning, ive noticed that in VR with the cumulus cloud layers that the fps is quite reduced overall, the hit is considerable, weirdly for me this is worse then using full clouds with rain, does anyone notice the same when using the mod?

Not on my side but i need further testing. I only made two flights over the weekend, nevertheless, i have no FPS loss with rainy weather but i also use a rather "old" VR headset, Valve Index (set at 120hz and 1.5 PD).

Edited March 31 by fagulha
Typo

[bandit648]

9 hours ago, jef32 said:

There's a long time that I tell that: This mod is one of the best mods ever done for DCS. It enhances sublimely the poor native weather of DCS.

Once again bandit648: A big thank to you !

Thank you, I appreciate that! I certainly wouldn't mind if ED added it the base game so I don't have to update it after every DCS update

16 minutes ago, fagulha said:

Not on my side but i need further testing. I only made two flights over the weekend, nevertheless, i have no FPS loss with rainy weather but i also use a rather "old" VR headset, Valve Index (set at 120hz and 1.5 PD).

The mod itself doesn't change anything with the way weather is rendered, other than adding some higher resolution textures into the cirrus shader. In my experience, clouds by themselves don't impact performance much. It's the rain, mist and fog that do. 

[fagulha]

23 hours ago, bandit648 said:

Thank you, I appreciate that! I certainly wouldn't mind if ED added it the base game so I don't have to update it after every DCS update

The mod itself doesn't change anything with the way weather is rendered, other than adding some higher resolution textures into the cirrus shader. In my experience, clouds by themselves don't impact performance much. It's the rain, mist and fog that do. 

Thanks for the clarification.

I use mist on all of my missions and sometimes medium/high fog, no issues so far.

As i said before, a must have for me. Looks awesome and works awesome.

Edited April 1 by fagulha

[VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants]

I tried a new and my old missions feature the weather with mist. No difference in performance with other Weather mod setting and misty weather.

[Rob Mason]

Firstly, thank you bandit for this truly sim changing mod, I honestly have been using it since it's very beginning and now I'll never fly without it.

Is there any chance you could bring out a version with all your "heavy" cloud formations such as overcast, low overcast etc etc but without any rain whatsoever, it would be awesome if this was possible, for me anyway it would add that extra little bit of variety without the performance hit of rain, might help people with low end systems as well, just a simple request from a simple Viper pilot lol.

Thanks again mate.

[bandit648]

20 hours ago, Rob Mason said:

Firstly, thank you bandit for this truly sim changing mod, I honestly have been using it since it's very beginning and now I'll never fly without it.

Is there any chance you could bring out a version with all your "heavy" cloud formations such as overcast, low overcast etc etc but without any rain whatsoever, it would be awesome if this was possible, for me anyway it would add that extra little bit of variety without the performance hit of rain, might help people with low end systems as well, just a simple request from a simple Viper pilot lol.

Thanks again mate.

This would be easy enough to add. I was working on a pretty substantial update but I'm in the process of moving right now so it's going to be a delayed for a month or so.

[Rob Mason]

Thanks bandit, there's no rush. Good luck with your move.