HPW's FM and EW Mod 3.1 for JSGMEUpdate History FM 3.1
For the campaign only, adds upgraded engine versions of the Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Tripe, Spad VII, and Spad XIII. For guidelines for when each of these engine upgrades became available, see the section titled, New Alternative Aircraft in 3.1 Important note: Once you have installed the 3.1 update to your MODS folder, be sure to delete the HPW FM and EW Campaign 3.0 mod. Do not remove the HPW FM and EW 3.0 mods for QC battles. The 3.1 update is only needed for campaign missions. FM 3.0
File structure revised in order to comply with Lothar of the Hill People's Office program. Please install mod inside OBDSoftware/MODS folder instead of OBDSoftware/CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields/MODS folder. Zip file contents: This readme file, plus the following files:
DESCRIPTION OF FM 3.0 The primary reason for this update is to correct the "crash during takeoff" problem that was introduced when I added an empty weight modification back in FM 2.0 in order to eliminate the weight advantage that the AI seems to have over the human player. Unfortunately, the added weight proved to be too much for several planes, particularly some of the weakly-powered, early war planes such as the Fokker EIII, Halberstadt DII, and Sopwith Pup. As a result, these planes (and occasionally a few others) would frequently crash into the trees or hills rather "inconveniently" placed at the end of many airfields, causing rather adverse effects on your flight. In addition, because OFF does not use spawns, I think this may also explain why some users began to report missions in which they never encountered any enemies. Apparently, all of your foes were already dead, having crashed into trees, etc. at the end of their aerodromes! In order to eliminate this problem, I had to reduce (but not eliminate) the extra weight burden put on the AI planes. The reason it took me so long to complete the mod, however, was because I also decided to make a major revision to the FM beyond that which existed in FM 2.2. In additon to extending my FM modifications to almost every aeroplane currently existing in HiTR, I also decided to try and do something about two persisting problems: the poor AI flying at low altitudes--the "dive and swoop," in particular; and secondly, the AI's tendency when flying certain planes to use "climb and stall" tactics when dogfighting against the human pilot. Although the AI's tendency to "dive and swoop" at low altitudes has not totally gone away, I can report that it has been improved in at least two ways: the AI does not begin to dive and swoop until it is now closer to the ground, and the AI now seems to return to level flight much more quickly. Although the AI are still a little too frightened of crashing into the ground to fully satisfy my tastes, they are certainly improved! The other major improvement to the AI's FM is in their dogfighting behavior--particularly a substantial reduction in the "climb and stall" tactics that AI pilots of the Albatros, Pfalz, and a few others seem to be so fond of, but which usually results in easy kills for the human pilot. In essence, I have tried to make the AI pilots of these aircraft a little less likely to "use the vertical" and to be more like turn-fighters, as most WWI planes were historically. For the most part, I think I have been successful in this regard. Unfortunately, because the "fix" for this problem appears to differ from one aircraft to another, the results may sometimes appear to be a bit uneven. Therefore, if you feel that any particular aircraft still suffers excessively from this problem, please let me know about it right away! As you may have already noticed, most of the FM revisions in this update have been made in an attempt to improve the flying behavior of the AI. Unfortunately, I have noticed that some FM changes which benefit the AI also sometimes seem to make the human flown planes feel a bit more sluggish. Although I have tried to make adjustments to the human FM in order to compensate for this, you may notice that your favorite plane may not "feel" quite as nimble as it did before. In most cases, the difference is very slight, but again, please let me know if you feel that "your" aircraft has been unfairly treated. On the other hand, I have been able to improve the handling of some planes, such as the Pfalz DIIIa, so it is even less "barge" like than it was in FM 2.2. Finally, I would like to thank 33Lima, Hellshade, and Panama Red for all of their helpful advice and feedback in both the development and testing of this comprehensive mod. INSTALL INSTRUCTIONSImportant! This version of the mod is ONLY intended to be used with Jonesoft's Generic Mod Enabler and should not be installed unless JSGME has already been installed in your OBDSoftware main folder!In order to install the main campaign mod, optional airplane mods, and the two QC mods, find the "HPW FM and EW Campaign Mod 7z" zip file and click on it. When the new window opens, you should see six folders plus this readme file. Click the "Extract" button at the top of the window and copy the six folders to the MODS folder created by JSGME inside your main OBDSoftware folder. The files are correctly installed if you see all six folders the next time you start JSGME. After copying the folders to the MODS folder, you can either keep or move the readme file to another location on your computer. In order to activate any of the mods, simply start JSGME, highlight the mod you wish to use, and click the top button. Click okay and the mod will become activated. Please note that there are two mods designed to be used for QC only -- one for use against Allied AI enemies, and one for use against German AI enemies. In other words, if you wish to fly as an Allied pilot in a QC battle, you must first activate the HPW FM and EW QC Mod - German Enemies mod. Then, if you later decide you wish to "fly for the dark side" i.e. the Germans, you must remember to deactivate the German Enemies mod and activate the Allied Enemies mod. This is necessary in order to maintain consistency between the empty weight values used in QC battles and those used in the main campaign. In addition to the main Campaign mod, five additional
planes, consisting of the Sopwith Pup 100 HP, Sopwith Triplane 130 HP,
Spad VII 180 HP, and Spad 13 220 HP and 235 HP are also included as
upgraded, higher horsepower variants of each original aeroplane model.
Therefore, while the main mod contains the "earlier" original production versions of these
aircraft, the optional files represent the later variants that
gradually superceded the earlier models. If you decide to use a later
version of these aircraft, use JSGME to activate the appropriate
mod over the main mod (it is safe to ignore the JSGME warning messages).
To go back to the original aircraft, simply disable the optional mod, again with JSGME.
As an approximate guide to when each aircraft engine upgrade
entered service, please see the following chart:
In order to simulate when a particular squadron might have recieved their engine updgrade, I recommend that on the first day of each of the above months marked with an asterisk, the player should roll a six-sided die. If the player rolls a number equal to or higher than the following guide, his squadron gets the upgrade and can install the newer engine. If not, roll the die again seven days later until you obtain the upgrade. (If you wish, you may add +1 to each roll if you are in an elite squad).
Note: The stock BHaH HITR simulation often uses the upgraded versions of these aircraft, even when the upgraded version--such as the Pup 100 HP version--was used in fewer front-line units than the earlier version. Of course, you have the option of choosing which version of each aircraft you wish to fly! I just thought it might be fun to see if people are able to notice any major differences between different versions of these particular aircraft. Note: Please note that if you decide to activate the upgraded version of one of these aircraft to use in your squadron, you are in effect giving the upgraded version to ALL of the squadrons that use this aircraft. At present, there is no way for me to "mix and match" so that some squadrons have the 150 HP Spad VII while others have the 180 HP version, for example. Note: If you like to fly German planes and want to give yourself a bit of a bigger challenge, activate the most "modern" version of any of these aircraft. For a rather obvious example, compare how difficult it is to escape from a pursuing Spad XIII when it is using a 235 HP engine, rather than the stock 200 HP version. From the previous readme file included in FM 2.0 LIST OF ADDITIONAL AIRCRAFT ADDED TO FM 2.0The following aircraft have been added to FM 2.0:SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO EXISTING AIRCRAFT IN FM 2.0 and FM 3.0One important change to the FM of many of the existing planes in this update is in the empty weight (EW) values. EW helps determine climb rate, turning radius, ceiling, and top speed, among other factors, and so is a critical value when adjusting the FM. The following chart lists the empty weight values for select aircraft in the original OFF version and in FM mod version 2.0:
Perhaps the most noticeable change has been made to the Albatross DII, with its EW increasing from 1125 lbs. in the original OFF version to 1364 lbs. in FM 1.0 and 1489 lbs. in FM 2.0. As a result, the DII should no longer significantly out-perform its cousins, the Albatross DIII series-- the historically superior aircraft.1 In addition to the aircraft shown in the chart above, several other aircraft have also had their EW values adjusted in this update. For a complete list of these aircraft, please contact me at the forums either at simhq.com or combatace.com Several planes, notably the Pfalz DIIIa, Airco DH5, Fokker EV, Fokker E III, and Nieuport 28 are particularly difficult to fly using the OFF FM. This is largely due to unusual rudder behavior in turns, i.e., increasing left rudder in a left turn often leads to a sudden stall, snap-roll, or spin; while increasing right rudder in a left turn actually sharpens the turn. Rudders should now work as expected in these planes using FM 2.0. Adjustments were also made to eliminate any effect from the use of engine reduction gears, at least from aeroplanes that did not historically have these gears. Several aircraft also had the length of their propellors changed slightly. In the sim, propeller length seems to have a small effect on several factors, including speed, climb, and ceiling. Next, mean aerodynamic chord (MAC) was adjusted in all aircraft to reflect the absence of taper in most of these early warbirds. However, it is currently unknown if MAC has a significant effect on the performance of most aircraft in BHaH. Parasitic drag, which is especially important in determining dive speed, was also adjusted so that planes like the Pfalz have a high dive speed, while other planes, like the Fokker EIII, remain slow. Finally, the speeds of all aircraft (both old and new) were adjusted and tested to more closely conform to historically reported figures (where available). 2 1 A few sources list the empty weight of the Albatross DII at 1409 lbs. and the DIII at 1499, even though the DII is slightly longer and has a greater wing area. 2 A brief note about historical data and this FM: Wherever possible, I have attempted to use historically accurate data in creating this FM. However, as most of you by no doubt already know, obtaining reliable information about the performance and construction of most WWI aircraft is notoriously difficult. For instance, the reported "empty" weight for many of these aircraft varies widely and is subject to a great deal of interpretation, so the empty weight values I have decided upon for many of these aircraft may not agree with other people's opinions. In a few other cases, I have had to slightly adjust the wing span, wing area, or other physical characteristics of a few aircraft in order to get them to perform more closely to my understanding of the historical record. Whenever I have had to make these adjustments, I have always tried to stay within reasonable limits (for example, changing the reported wingspan of an aircraft from 227 sq.ft. to 222 sq.ft. or vice versa because a 2 and a 7 can appear the same--especially in old, often hand-written documents). If anyone has a violent disagreement with any of these changes in my FM, please remember that this is my interpretation of the FM and that I do not claim to be an expert in the performance of WWI aircraft. In other words, please don't shoot me! I'm just a simple modder!
From the readme file included in my previous Combined FM and AI Weight Mod As in my initial FM release, most of the significant changes to the FM of the following aircraft involve changes to their top speed, ceiling, dive speed, turning radius, and g-forces rating in order to more closely comply with my understanding of the historical performance of these WWI combat aircraft. The first chart below contains a summary of some of the changes that were made in my first FM revision. The next chart summarizes the changes made in this FM update and includes several aircraft not included in the first FM mod. (Maximize window if either chart appears difficult to read).
Note: Numbers in parentheses in Table 1 indicate speeds compared to measured OFF speed readings, with a positive number indicating a faster speed using the new FM and a negative number indicating a slower speed using the new FM. Differences of less than two mph are not noted. 1 From 10,000 feet
Note: Numbers in parentheses in Table 2 indicate speeds compared to measured OFF speed readings, with a positive number indicating a faster speed using the new FM and a negative number indicating a slower speed using the new FM. Differences of less than two mph are not noted. 1 top speed of 130.25 @ 2000 meters
As you can see in Table 2, the main differences between the FM contained in the Allied and German FM Packs and this revised FM, in addition to the FM for the new airplanes, is the differences in performance between the Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Triplane, and the Albatros DII. In the new FM, the 80 HP Sopwith Pup is somewhat slower than the Pup in the old FM, and the 100 HP Pup is somewhat faster. Both retain somewhat better overall performance than the Albatros D series at heights greater than 10,000 ft. and generally worse performance at altitudes less than 10,000 ft. Also, please note that in the revised FM, both versions of the Sopwith Triplane are now faster at altitude than at sea level, reflecting the Triplane's historical performance advantage over Entente aircraft at higher altitudes. Along these same lines, the Albatros DII's FM has been slightly altered to improve its performance at low altitudes and decrease its performance slightly at high altitudes. Relatively minor changes have also been made to the FM's of most of the other aircraft in this update. In particular, the speed and handling of the Fokker EV has been improved. The N28 has also been adjusted to make it somewhat less vulnerable to sudden stalls and snap rolls. From the earlier readme file included in Allied and German FM Packs 1.0 For the aircraft on the German "side," the most noticeable differences are the slight increases in speeds for the Albatros DII, DV, DVa, and DVa200, as well as the Pfalz DIIIa. At the same time, the ceiling for the DII has been reduced by about 2,000 feet to reflect its somewhat poorer performance at high altitude. Dive speeds have also been increased in a few cases, and decreased in most other cases, in order to reflect the relatively slow dive speeds of most WWI airplanes, and to better reflect their comparative dive performance. For instance, the dive speed of the Pfalz has been increased to reflect its superior dive performance compared to most other German scouts in WWI. Another major change to the Albatros series of planes from the DIII early to the DVa involves an increase in their maximum G's so that these planes should no longer lose a wing in a tight turn, except in very exceptional circumstances. On the other hand, all of the Albatrosses are now more susceptible to losing a lower wing in a steep dive, due to excessive wing twisting caused by the effects of high speed on the lower wing spar of these so-called "V-strutters." For the ultimate in realism, I recommend when you first start flying with the new FM enabled, that you temporarily enable advisor messages and simulation warnings in Workshop in order to give you an idea for when you might be overstressing a wing in a dive. Then, after one or two flights, disable the messages--but don't make a habit of exceeding 170 mph or so in a dive for more than 1,000 to 2,000 meters or you may be sorry! Finally, perhaps the most significant change to the FM of all of the planes in this mod involves a few slight adjustments to the center of gravity and center of lift settings in order to try and solve a problem that seems to effect the Albatros' and a few other planes in the stock game: the dreaded "hanging stall" or tail-first slide into the dirt which makes kills against AI pilots flying these planes very easy in most cases. With this FM mod, the AI seem to do a better job of avoiding this poor flying behavior at both high and low altitudes, making dogfights against these opponents much more challenging. Of course, no mod is perfect, and I cannot claim that I have completely solved this problem. Still, I think the flying behavior of most of the planes in this mod has been significantly improved. On the Allied aircraft side, the most noticeable differences are the decreases in speed for most of these aircraft. For instance, the Re8 was reported to have had a top speed of 102 mph at 6500 ft. However, in the unmodified game, its top speed was measured to be 111.5 mph at 3281 ft. Therefore, I reduced its speed to more accurately reflect its historical performance. Similarly, the Sopwith Triplane was reported to have had a top speed of 112 mph, but in the game, its top speed was measured to be 122.5 mph. The other major change in the FM of these planes was to reduce the maximum dive speed to more historical levels. Again, in the unmodified game, the Sopwith Triplane has the highest dive speed in the game at more than 275 mph! With the new FM, the Tripe now has a dive speed that, in my view, corresponds more closely to the historical record. Please note that in most other respects, such as ceiling, climb, and turning radius, these planes perform just as well, than they do under the stock game. If you are a German pilot, you are still likely to get shot down if you try to engage either the Pup or the Tripe in a turning dogfight. Another change to the FM I made in the case of the Sopwith Pup involved the same adjustments to the center of gravity and center of lift settings I made on the Albatros series and the Pfalz in the German FM pack in order to try and reduce the dreaded "hanging stall" or tail-first slide into the dirt that the AI tends to do on occasion. However, the problem is much less severe with the Pup, so my changes here were comparatively minor. Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to OBD Software for their help in the making of this revised version of the flight model. As always, with the exception of the tweaks contained in this mod, all work on the original flight model remains the sole work and property of OBD software. Finally, I would also like to especially thank the following OFF fanatics who helped me in the research, development, and testing of this mod: Creaghorn, Hellshade, Olham, RAF_Louvert, Bletchley, Lewie, 33Lima, and anyone else whose name I may have accidently forgotten. Thanks, guys! If you have any questions or experience any problems with the installation of this mod, you can reach me at combatace.com and asking for me at the Over Flanders Field forum. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the mod. Happy flying! HPW readme file 1/12/2013 |