Notes While Tuning Smoke Grenades in Panzer Elite’s Particle Editor

 

Panzer Elite's Particle Editor under Windows 11


Why I Opened the Particle Editor

I’ve been playing Panzer Elite on and off for over quarter of a century. Some parts of the game still hold up well, especially the way it handles vision, ranges, and the general feel of the battlefield. But visually, some of the smoke effects always felt a bit thin or too clean.

I wasn’t planning a deep dive.
I just wanted to see if the smoke could be made a bit more convincing.

Opening the Tool

Panzer Elite includes a Particle Editor that has been circulated alongside other modding utilities for years. It’s clearly original PE-era, and the interface reflects that:

  • multiple boxes per parameter

  • vague labels

  • effects that sometimes don’t preview without adjustment

  • no obvious guidance inside the tool itself

Running the Particle Editor on Windows 11

Getting the editor to launch on a modern system takes a bit of a dance.
On Windows 11, it only ran reliably after enabling a few specific compatibility settings:

  • Compatibility mode: Windows XP (Service Pack 2)

  • Reduced colour mode: 16-bit (65536 colours)

  • Run this program as an administrator

Without these, the executable either refused to start or the preview window stayed completely black.

 

Compatility Settings

 

Finding the Actual Readme

Later on, I opened an archive named particles.zip, which I’d originally overlooked.
Inside was a PDF created by Wings Simulations GmbH, the original developers.

This small document explains the core logic of the particle system:

Each parameter has a start value and an end value.
The engine randomises between those two numbers.

Those are the U and V columns in the editor.

This means:

  • the middle two boxes control behaviour

  • the outer boxes are not used for the parameter’s start/end values (according to the PDF)

  • once you know this, the whole tool becomes far clearer

That single PDF clarified what the UI itself does not.

Smoke Grenades

Once I understood which values mattered, I started with smoke grenades. Adjusting:

  • speed

  • weight

  • cone angle

  • friction

  • particle lifetime

…gave me a smoke effect that felt closer to period smoke grenades:
a thicker bloom, slower rise, and better ground coverage.

Nothing dramatic — just more natural-looking smoke.

Large Smoke Effect (Smoke Curtain)

Next, I tried the larger smoke effect.
Originally it appeared as scattered, separate puffs.

By setting more appropriate U/V values and using the correct smoke sprite index, it turned into a fairly convincing smoke curtain:

  • continuous

  • low

  • wide

  • useful for concealment

This is where the old engine’s potential started to show.

SmokeGrenadeLarge

 

What I Learned

A few practical points became clear:

✔ Only two values matter for each parameter

U = start
V = end
Exactly as the Wings Simulations PDF states.

✔ Sprite Index controls appearance

There is no tinting system — the smoke looks like whatever sprite it uses.

✔ Friction, Weight, and Life drive most of the movement

Getting these balanced changes the entire feel of an effect.

✔ Some effects look odd simply due to sprite choice

Burning-tank smoke was one example.

✔ The editor itself works fine once you understand the layout

Most confusion comes from the UI rather than the engine.

Settings

Why Write This Down

None of this replaces the work done by previous modders.
For decades, people have improved PE’s visuals through PP2x, Ostpak, PE-X, Brit44, and many other projects.

This is simply my own set of notes while experimenting in 2025, based on:

  • the original PDF

  • what the preview window shows

  • and what happens in-game

If anyone else finds it useful, great.
If not, it still gives me a reference for the future.

What’s Next

I’ll likely continue with:

  • fine-tuning burning smoke

  • muzzle smoke

  • dust

  • exhaust

  • mapping sprite indices

  • maybe preparing a cleaned-up tank.pss file

I’m not treating this as a major project — just documenting as I go.

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