Skip to content
OpenTS Manual

DamageParticleSystems

The particle systems a damaged object gives off, sorted into sparks and smoke by their own behavior.

Specification
Applies to
AircraftTypeBuildingTypeInfantryTypeUnitType
File
rules.ini
Section
[<ObjectType ID>]
Value
list of ParticleSystemTypes
When omitted
(empty)
rules.ini
[MYTANK] ; a UnitType registered in [VehicleTypes]
DamageParticleSystems=MYSPARKSYS,MYSMOKESYS ; ParticleSystemTypes registered in [ParticleSystems]
DamageSmokeOffset=0,0,90

Each entry’s BehavesLike decides its role. Spark entries supply the object’s damage sparks and Smoke entries supply its damage smoke. An entry with any other behavior is never used.

Sparks start by chance. On every frame that a damaged object meets all of these, it rolls for sparks:

  • its strength is below ConditionYellow;
  • it is less than ten leptons underground;
  • it has no spark system running.

The chance is ConditionYellowSparkingProbability, or ConditionRedSparkingProbability once the object is below ConditionRed. On success, one Spark entry, chosen at random, starts at the object’s center plus DamageSmokeOffset. The burst stays at that point and ends by itself once its SparkSpawnFrames have passed; repair does not cut it short.

Damage sparks share a slot with the spray of a UseSparkParticles=yes weapon. While damage sparks are running, such a weapon cannot fire. While its spray is running, no damage sparks start.

Smoke starts on a hit. A damaging hit attaches one Smoke entry, chosen at random, when all of these hold:

  • the object’s strength is at or below ConditionYellow after the hit;
  • the hit takes the object below half strength or below ConditionRed, or is the killing hit a Cyborg=yes soldier survives by going prone;
  • it has no smoke system running;
  • it is less than ten leptons underground.

The smoke is attached at the object’s position plus DamageSmokeOffset. Healing or repair that lifts the object back above ConditionYellow removes it, and so does travel more than ten leptons underground.

An object runs at most one spark system and one smoke system at a time, so a longer list widens the choice, not the count.

See also — DamageSmokeOffset, ConditionYellow, ConditionRed, ConditionYellowSparkingProbability, ConditionRedSparkingProbability, Cyborg