Enhanced Sky And Weather - is an add-on developed by Armstrong Powerhouse, designed to significantly improve the visual and atmospheric experience of the game. This mod overhauls the default sky, lighting, and weather systems, providing a more immersive and visually appealing experience for players. It introduces new sky textures, refined sunlight effects, and a wide range of dynamic weather patterns tailored to reflect seasonal changes in the south of the United Kingdom.
Features Enhanced Sky And Weather:
- New Sky and Sunlight Colors:
- Replaces the default sky with updated textures, featuring white sunlight at midday that transitions to a warm orange glow at sunset, mimicking real-world lighting progression.
- Enhances the overall color palette of the sky for a more vibrant and realistic appearance.
- Accurate Sun Angles and Times:
- Adjusts sun angles and sunrise/sunset times to align with seasonal variations specific to southern UK, improving temporal accuracy in scenarios.
- Improved Mist and Fog:
- Introduces vastly improved mist effects that blend seamlessly into the environment, eliminating the unnatural blue tint of the default mist and creating a more cohesive look.
- Enhanced Glass Transparency:
- Makes glass on trains and structures more transparent at night, allowing players to see interiors more clearly from outside, as seen in real life.
- Dynamic Weather Patterns:
- Includes a variety of new weather conditions, such as thunderstorms with fork lightning, though these are affected by the aforementioned TSC update and may not always function as intended.
- Offers 125 new weather patterns in the original version (v1.0), with v2.0 refining these further, though exact numbers may vary.
- Adaptive Bloom Shader:
- Adds a new "Adaptive Bloom" shader to enhance lighting effects, making bright areas (like sunlight reflections) more visually striking without overwhelming the scene.
- Scenario Integration:
- Comes with a prototypical 50-minute scenario for the AP MML: London to Bedford Enhancement Pack, showcasing thunderstorm and fork lightning features (though reliability is impacted by the TSC update).
- Fork lightning is limited to this scenario and any future Armstrong Powerhouse scenarios designed to include it.
- Route-Specific Application:
- Core enhancements (mist, bloom, glass transparency) apply globally across TSC, while sky and weather changes must be manually applied to supported routes like AP Wherry Lines: Norwich to Great Yarmouth & Lowestoft, with instructions provided for other routes (on a no-support basis).
- Compatibility and Requirements:
- Designed for Train Simulator Classic, with optimal performance on versions post-2013 (e.g., TS2017 and beyond).
- The included scenario requires additional packs like AP Class 43 (VP185)/Mk3 Enhancement Pack, AP Class 319 EMU Pack Vol. 1, and AP Class 375/377/379/387 Enhancement Packs.
