Igniter R5! Episode IV - Return of the Phase
With the great addition of DualPhase(TM) in R4, the peacekeepers rejoiced! However, due to the increasing need for great defenses, the phase must return once more to restore prosperity to the galaxy...
and return it has! In R5, the newest addition is the MultiPhase(TM) feature. With this feature, not only can you switch the blade colors on the fly, but you can also switch the sounds, blade effects, and all properties about the saber (save the volume), seamlessly going form one font to the next! And with the classic DualPhase(TM) available on each font, the amount of color changing is endless...
The following amazing abilities become available in R5.
Switch fonts on the fly, forward and backwards!With MultiPhase(TM), switching to the next font is as simple as holding down the aux button and doing the classic DualPhase(TM) motion. This will bring you into the next
or previous font depending on the direction that the saber was twisted. Counter-clockwise advances and clockwise goes to the previous; however a simple config setting can reverse this direction in case you prefer the opposite, or incase the board is installed backwards in the hilt (default is SD card facing the pommel).
Now you can easily, quickly, and seamlessly switch between fonts in orders never before possible, all while enjoying the real-time color changing feature this provides.
HumRetain(TM)If changing hums mid-font isn't for you, then HumRetain(TM) has your back. By setting this on in the config, MultiPhase(TM) will work as above except now volume and hums will remain constant when switching between fonts via MultiPhase(TM). This means that if you do the extension on Font1, then MultiPhase(TM) into fonts 2 and then 3, for both of those fonts you would be using the font1's hum, but font2 and font3's colors, blade effects, and even FX settings! However, once you do the retraction and extension again, then the correct hum from the current bank will be used. So in this example doing the retraction on font3 and then the extension will start with font3's hum. MultiPhase(TM)-ing from there would keep font3's hum for any font used until the next retraction. This allows the ultimate Mix-N-Match option, allowing each hum to be used with each font bank, which gives 16 x 16 = 256 saber combinations in a single saber!
MultiPhase(TM) transition soundIn R5, a new multi.wav is used for each font. This wav file is used when transitioning into the font via MultiPhase(TM). Don't worry if you don't have one; the config editor will auto-generate one based on the font.wav file!
However if you want a more organic DualPhase(TM) sound it is possible in the config editor to use the DualPhase(TM) sound for the current font when transitioning to the next/previous font. This allows for a more natural sound for the transition and prevents the need for setting up extra custom sounds.
HumOffsetTo allow for a more defined transition between fonts, HumOffset can be used to set the offset length in ms from the end of the multi.wav file that the new hum starts playing. This allows for the multi sound to really stand out, and with this you can even do the extension for the current font and then have the hum mix in afterwards!
Hum LengthJust like for the dpLen, mpLen in the config editor sets the blade length of the MultiPhase(TM) effect. It is especially useful for long sounds as the color-change effect used in DualPhase(TM) and MultiPhase(TM) looks sort of silly when longer than 3 seconds. This way the blade color can change quickly into the new color but the transition sound will still play.
Video
Episode IV - Return of the Phase
I hope everyone is happily surprised with the breadth of new stuff added in the R5 release. It has been one of the most challenging releases, but I believe it is one that will extremely enhance the saber experience. Thanks everyone for the continued support!