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Operation Desert Storm: 30th Anniversary Edition 0.9.8.1

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About This File

Welcome To Duty

Built with the extraordinary expertise and dedication of modders from CombatACE.com, Operation Desert Storm – 30th Anniversary Edition promises to be the most complete total conversion ever made for Strike Fighters 2 by ThirdWire.

Fly with more than 50 aircraft ranging from Cold War relics to the most advanced platforms. Gain air superiority in the mighty F-15C Eagle or challenge the Coalition with the agile Fulcrum. Support troops with the A-10A Thunderbolt II, bomb strategic targets with the stealthy F-117A Nighthawk, lead airfield denial operations in the iconic Tornado.

Enjoy a beautifully rendered scenario on a scaled and accurate terrain. Fly over the lakes and rivers of Mesopotamia, the oil-rich fields of Kuwait, the mountains of Iran and Turkey. Take-off from aircraft carriers stationed in the Persian Gulf to watch over Kuwaiti oil rigs. Perform landings and patrols in more than 90 airports and air bases in the Middle East.

Take part in different campaigns including the Iraqi blitzkrieg on Kuwait and the US-led liberation of the Kuwaiti Emirate. Discover how the Iraqi Army was one of the biggest in the world, through the eyes of American, British, Canadian, French, Italian and Arab pilots. Test your skills and abilities flying for the Iraqi Air Force during all stages of the conflict.

Thirty years after, Operation Desert Storm still remains the largest air operation of modern warfare to date. Modders and flight sim enthusiasts at CombatACE teamed up to bring you a unique product in the lite flight sim world. Exquisitely detailed aircraft and paint schemes are delivered in a well-researched and thorough order of battle.

The ODS 30th AE Development team would like to thank CombatACE.com, its admins, moderators and contributors.

We are sure you will enjoy and appreciate this high-quality freeware product. From the aviation enthusiasts, to the aviation enthusiasts... and for the pilots of tomorrow.

 

Minimum Requirements

Required products from ThirdWire:

  • Strike Fighters 2, July 2013 patch
  • Strike Fighters 2: Israel, July 2013 patch
  • Strike Fighters 2: North Atlantic, July 2013 patch

Full support for:

  • Mission Editor DLC
  • Campaign Customizer DLC

System specs:

  • OS: Windows 7 x86
  • Processor: Dual Core 2.7 GHz
  • Memory: 4.0 GB RAM
  • Hard Drive: 17.0 GB Free Space
  • Video Card: 1024 MB DirectX 10

 

Sneak Peek

 

Disclaimer

CombatACE.com shall at all times retain ownership of the Software as originally downloaded by you and all subsequent downloads of the Software by you. The Software (and the copyright, and other intellectual property rights of whatever nature in the Software, including any modifications made thereto) are and shall remain the property of CombatACE.com and of the respective developers/modders.

In no event, unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, shall CombatACE.com, or any person be liable for any loss, expense or damage, of any type or nature arising out of the use of, or inability to use this installer or program, including, but not limited to, claims, suits or causes of action involving alleged infringement of copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or unfair competition.

The Operation Desert Storm: 30th Anniversary Edition modification does NOT comply with CombatACE's Freeware Licensing. Various contents of this modification are exclusive, as such you are NOT allowed to share, redistribute and/or make use of the mod and/or its contents for other purposes, without the consent of the mod's developers. Contents of the modification are the copyright of their respective authors.

 

Notes about the installer

Beware, the mod is available only in the ISO format. You can either mount it on a virtual drive, burn it on a DVD like in the good old days, or unzip it with 7-Zip or equivalent software.

The installer will automatically detect your installation of the required Strike Fighters 2 games by reading through the registry keys. Game folders that are copied from or manually moved from where they were originally installed are not supported. You need all three aforementioned Strike Fighters 2 games and they must be installed with ThirdWire's original installers, not manually copied from other sources nor moved elsewhere after installation to other folders or drives. If you do not meet any of these requirements, installation cannot proceed and you are on your own. If you install all required games properly, the installation of the mod will proceed correctly as intended. The installer then lets you choose where to install the mod folder; you can even install the mod on a different drive or partition than the one where Strike Fighters 2 is installed. No further user input nor manual edits after installation are ever required; the installer takes care of creating all proper links to your desired path for the mod folder. After installation is over, simply run the mod by using the created Desktop and/or Start Menu links.

If you have a previous version of the mod installed, please use the uninstaller to remove it completely. Clean installation is mandatory. You might want to make a backup of the Controls folder, so that you can easily restore your controller settings afterwards.

 

Suggestions on common issues

  • Make sure that you are using your dedicated GPU. By default, Strike Fighters 2 usually selects the integrated GPU you may have on your CPU, which is much weaker in terms of VRAM.
  • In case you have frequent crashes or black/missing textures, I highly suggest you download and install the DXVK graphics wrapper (x86 DLLs) into your Strike Fighters 2 game folder: https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk. You need a Vulkan-compatible GPU. The wrapper can greatly improve the experience with the mod. With DXVK I can play the mod on a mere Intel UHD 710, whereas without it the mod would always crash to desktop.
  • Go to Sound and set Sound Channels to 32. We got reports that 16 is not enough and will cause crashes on some systems, due to the higher quality sounds included within the mod.
  • The mod is pretty heavy for the game engine despite huge optimizations. Strike Fighters 2's engine is 32bit only and apparently does not manage VRAM properly; consecutive campaign missions might show black/missing textures on objects or cause crashes to desktop because the game does not release the occupied VRAM from the previous mission you played, thus the more missions are loaded consecutively, the more easily you may run out of memory. Set Ground Objects to Medium or Low, Horizon Distance to Near, and Shadows to Medium or Low. These are the most troubling settings. Avoid Unlimited settings as much as possible.
  • If the mod used to work and suddenly crashes to desktop, updating or reinstalling video drivers should help. Make sure that DirectX June 2010 Redistributables are also installed, they are included inside the ISO disk image of the mod.
  • Inside the mod folder, you'll find some extra text files. "(Coalition Order of Battle)" should be of your interest; the mod's terrain covers the entirety of Iraq, at the cost of not having all of Saudi Arabia; this means that a number of important units are based on airbases that are beyond the in-game playable area. With those units you always spawn near the target area, you'll never get to start from a runway nor to land on the assigned runway beyond the invisible wall. You have an entire list of the affected units in the aforementioned text file. By pressing ALT+N, the plane returns to base automatically.
  • The mod is fully compatible with the Campaign Customizer and Mission Editor DLCs by ThirdWire. The Campaign Customizer might be an alternative way to experience those off map units I mentioned previously, since it assigns you to a random airbase of the in-game flyable area.
  • Escort missions are often broken, this is not an issue of the mod, but a bug of the stock game; sometimes the AI flight you escort does not engage its target and keeps flying in a straight line instead of following waypoints, thus the trigger for mission success will never happen. Abandon the mission or retry it if the issue happens, sometimes it works.
  • Pray for ThirdWire AKA Tsuyoshi Kawahito to work on a 64bit version of Strike Fighters 2, maybe even with support for DirectX 12. With that done, any out of memory issues should become an old memory.

What's New in Version 0.9.8.1

Released

v0.9.8.1 - January 19th, 2024:

  • Fix unwanted issue with wrong position of the EA-6B cockpit.
  • Added more recent version of the CVA-59 carrier developed by guuruu.
  • Replaced stock ship smoke effect with a better one by guuruu.

v0.9.8 - January 17th, 2024:

  • Remade installer to allow users to install the mod folder to a path of their choice.
  • Major overhaul of effects with great help by guuruu; improved Stary's Unified Effects package and fixed various issues.
  • Modified DTV filter data for all avionics files to use a different BlendOp for better visibility at night.
  • Resized various cockpit and aircraft .TGA textures to improve performance and reduce memory load.
  • Cleaned up Pilots folder of unnecessary files, fixed few occurrences of missing textures.
  • Optimized Decals folder, resized void and/or plain color decals to 1px, removed unnecessary decals.
  • Standardized brightness and range values of landing lights for all aircraft of the mod.
  • Standardized values for the DetectSystem data of all aircraft, namely MaxVisibleDistance, BaseRCSModifier and HeatSignatureModifier.
  • Standardized control keys for all kinds of animations on all aircraft.
  • Standardized HUD color values, gunsight textures and night lighting for all cockpits.
  • Added DetailLevel statements to all terrain objects in order for them to be scalable depending on Ground Object graphics settings.
  • Added new runway models for major Iraqi airports (as well as Kharg Island and Kuwait Int'l airports) recreated very accurately by Jimbib.
  • Added proper 3d model of the Ziggurat of Ur in the vicinity of Tallil air base, by Jimbib.
  • Added realistic Easter Egg to Tallil air base, 3d model by guuruu; history aviation enthusiasts should look for an aircraft.
  • Added huge ground objects update by yakarov79 with brand new 3d models for tanks, radars, SAMs, howitzers, anti-air guns, vehicles for the Iraqi faction.
  • Added dozens of nicely detailed 3d models standing in as destroyed models for ground objects, by yakarov79.
  • Added brand new, proper 3d model for the CVA-59 Forrestal-class aircraft carrier, made by guuruu.
  • Added new, nicely detailed 3d models; M270 MLRS, RORO ship, Zhuk-class patrol boat, Bulk Carrier ship, M102 and M110 howitzers by guuruu.
  • Added Victory Arch aka Swords of Qadisiyah landmark to Baghdad, with 3d models recreated by swambast.
  • Added four missing Saudi Arabian airports: Buraydah, Al-Artawiyah, Jubail and Al-Khafji.
  • Added Veltro2k's C-2A(R) aircraft released by Wrench and properly reworked for the ODS environment.
  • Added FastCargo's F-5F with brand new RSAF and BAAF skins made by paulopanz.
  • Added brand new Mirage F1CR by the Mirage F1 Team, with specific tweaks for the ODS mod.
  • Added brand new Mirage F1EQ-5 and Mirage F1EQ-6 aircraft by the Mirage F1 Team, with specific tweaks for the ODS mod.
  • Added latest versions of the Mirage F1EQ-2, F1EQ-4 and F1EDA aircraft released by the Mirage F1 Team.
  • Added improved skins with more accurate panel lines and colors for the F-15C, F-15D and F-15E aircraft, by daddyairplanes.
  • Added revised weapon data for all AIM missiles including additional sub-variants, all by Crusader, and revised loadouts for aircraft.-
  • Added missing CBU-78 and updated 3d models for some other CBUs, all made by ravenclaw_007.
  • Added airburst version of the 1000-lb GP Bomb Mk.13 and more realistic SEAD loadouts for the Tornado GR.1, by dtmdragon.
  • Added smokeless rocket effects by simonmiller416 for the AIM-120A and for all AGM-88s and all AGM-65s.
  • Added specific Kuwait skin to the BMP-2 ground object by yakarov79, for use in the Invasion of Kuwait campaign.
  • Added experimental desert camo skin applied on one F-16C Block 25 aircraft before Desert Storm began.
  • Added experimental Peanut and Flipper A-10A paint schemes conceived for the Gulf War (scrapped before Desert Shield).
  • Added prototype Lizard camo to the F-15E Strike Eagle as a fun bonus, with its correct serial number.
  • Added prototype paint schemes to the F-117A Nighthawk as a fun bonus, with proper serial numbers.
  • Added overhauled skins and decals for all Mirage 2000 aircraft, as well as new hi-res textures for fuel tanks, by ludo.m54.
  • Added period correct Euro I camo and Shark Mouth skins to the F-4G aircraft with correct ODS serials and decals, by ravenclaw_007.
  • Added overall grey skin for the F-111E representing the unique 68-0050 serial number that took part in Desert Storm.
  • Added Improved Countermeasure Effect mod by simonmiller416, increasing realism and improving looks of flares.
  • Added BQM-34 Firebee by yakarov79 as a target drone eventually for training missions for the Coalition aircraft.
  • Added KDS-155 dispenser by Coupi to the MiG-25PD, with specific tweaks for use by the AI in the ODS mod.
  • Added much better detailed AGM-62 Walleye bombs made by ravenclaw_007 in place of old ones.
  • Added F-16D Block 40 aircraft made by ravenclaw_007, with Bahraini skin and decals previously made for ODS by Viper63a.
  • Added proper Saudi Arabian E-3A 3d model (E-3A with CFM engines) made by Sundowner, with skin and decals done by PeacePuma.
  • Added new hi-res skins for the E-3B/C Sentry by daddyairplanes with templates produced by yakarov79.
  • Added new hi-res skins and decals for the KC-135E and KC-135R made by daddyairplanes with templates produced by yakarov79.
  • Added new hi-res skins for the KC-135A by using templates produced by yakarov79, alongside improved tail decals.
  • Added Lizard camo skin based on the F/A-16C proposal to the F-16C Block 25 aircraft as a fun bonus, with correct serial numbers.
  • Added Iranian camo skin to the F-5E aircraft by Crusader as a fun bonus.
  • Added Iranian camo skin to the MiG-29A aircraft by The Mirage Factory a fun bonus.
  • Added Iranian camo skins made by ravenclaw_007 to the F-4E aircraft as a fun bonus.
  • Added Iranian camo skins and VX-4 black livery skin to the F-14A aircraft as a fun bonus.
  • Added improved sight textures by michaelk for Stary's Su-7 cockpit.
  • Added M992A2 and proper V-150 APC, 3d models created by GKABS.
  • Added MovementX and MovementZ data to all cockpits to allow XY slewing for TrackIR users.
  • Added The Mirage Factory's F-14A cockpit in place of the stock one by ThirdWire, alongside reworked textures and data.
  • Added Foxmonter's original S-3 Viking cockpit to make the aircraft flyable, with a hi-res repaint by Viper63a.
  • Added working canopy animation to both aircraft and cockpit 3d models for all MiG-21s/F-7s.
  • Added shells ejection update for the MiG-29, as suggested by Crusader.
  • Added KS-3 and KS-4 ejection seats created by 76.IAP-Blackbird and Flogger23 to all Iraqi Fitter aircraft.
  • Added correct list of serial numbers to the Iraqi skin of the Su-24MK aircraft.
  • Added reworked, higher resolution strobe light texture for aircraft and runways, for improved in-game looks.
  • Added numerous real Gulf War pilots to the campaign data and correct ranks for the Iraqi air force.
  • Added bonus Unknown Contact mission as a fun Easter Egg, inspired by a rare demo video of F22 Total Air War.
  • Added more RWR sounds specific to certain aircraft in order to increase variety.
  • Added unused AI-only Transfer mission type to all cargo aircraft of the mod.
  • Added missing position/navigation lights on the KC-10 and VC10 K2 aircraft.
  • Fixed many inaccurate hitboxes for most of the more 170 ground objects included in the mod.
  • Fixed inaccurate hitboxes and/or collision points still present on few aircraft.
  • Fixed several issues with AI failing to properly land with more than two dozens of aircraft in the mod (mainly cargo planes).
  • Fixed the AI not landing properly on carriers with S-3, F/A-18s and AV-8B aircraft.
  • Fixed inaccurate values of service ceiling, radius/range, empty weight and fuel capacity on AI-only heavy aircraft (cargo planes, tankers, etc.).
  • Fixed missing or wrongly displayed landing lights on several aircraft of the mod.
  • Fixed weapon stations data for the F-117A so that now it carries LGBs only, including GBU-10s.
  • Fixed weapon stations data for the UAE Mirage 2000s, the RAD variant now carries the Harold recon pod.
  • Fixed weapon stations data for the F-15E in order to avoid weapon 3d models clipping between each other.
  • Fixed data for the F-15E so that the AVQ-14 pod does not appear on loadouts with dumb bombs, by dtmdragon.
  • Fixed weapon stations for the F-15C and F-15D aircraft, so that AIM missiles won't be hanging in mid-air without CFTs and their pylons.
  • Fixed wrong gun ammo count for the MiG-21F and the F-7s; the MiG-21F-13 carries 1x60 rounds, the F-7s 2x30 rounds.
  • Fixed exaggerated BaseRCSModifier value for the F-117A, now it can be targeted by other aircraft.
  • Fixed exaggerated jammer strength value for the MiG-25PD, now it can be properly locked on by other aircraft.
  • Fixed AimAngles values for the internal gun on all F-15s, so that the HUD gunsight is properly aligned.
  • Fixed Hawk's cockpit so that it features correct viewpoint, working HSI, lighter reflections and proper gunsight data.
  • Fixed some cockpit data for all MiG-21/F-7 cockpits, as found in a topic written by Crusader.
  • Fixed misplaced RWR screen on the Jaguar GR.1A's cockpit 3d model.
  • Fixed inaccurate ECM/CM data and avionics for the Jaguar A, by pvince.
  • Fixed misplaced wingtip vortex effects on all F-111s, all Su-20/22s, the MiG-23UB and the Su-24MK.
  • Fixed missing exhaust emitters on the A-10A and OA-10A aircraft.
  • Fixed exhaust emitters on the AV-8B so that they appear not just on thrust vectoring controls.
  • Fixed nose landing gear being textured improperly on the S-3 aircraft.
  • Fixed pilot's head stuck looking in the same direction on the AV-8B aircraft.
  • Fixed excessive fuel flow values and sluggish flight model on all F-16C aircraft.
  • Fixed wrong, outdated flight models and data for all F-15 aircraft.
  • Fixed few loadout.ini files referencing the AGM-84A instead of the more period correct AGM-84D.
  • Fixed few gun sounds not playing in-game due to their filenames containing a dot character.
  • Fixed overlapping parking spot reported by Viper63a on Ali Al-Salem and Ahmed Al-Jaber airfields by Jimbib.
  • Improved terrain target areas and objects, removed unused and duplicate terrain objects.
  • Improved AI altitude and strafe, rocket and bomb attack values to reduce weird flight behavior at low altitudes.
  • Improved all ECM data (fixed or removed where necessary) in all relevant aircraft of the mod in order to provide more realistic gameplay.
  • Improved ViewList.ini file, now you can take better screenshots of your preferred aircraft and gameplay instant.
  • Improved and optimized all files of the Sounds folder, now being less than half the original size for faster loading, by guuruu.
  • Improved guns data, now featuring unified warhead weight based on caliber, standardized light range and tracer size, by guuruu.
  • Improved visibility of ground objects at night through the DTV camera by increasing MaxVisibleDistance, by guuruu.
  • Improved aircraft data for all Mirage F1s for proper AI use of ECM and countermeasures, by pvince.
  • Improved all MiG-21 cockpits with reworked gunsight and cockpit textures, removed gunsights embedded into the 3d models.
  • Improved F-7B and F-7M cockpit textures by using the hi-res repaints of MiG-21 cockpits by comrad.
  • Improved MiG-25 cockpit and avionics with tweaks done by OlWilly.
  • Improved MiG-23 cockpits between variants with OlWilly's improvements and with different gunsight textures.
  • Improved Su-7 cockpit with fixed typos and additional tweaks, by OlWilly.
  • Improved A-6E cockpit by reworking few textures and by making the bombing gunsight reasonably sized.
  • Improved RF-4C cockpit by using and tweaking hi-res cockpit textures by streakeagle made for the F-4 cockpits of SF1.
  • Improved F-15C and F-15E cockpits, repainted HUD glass and needles, moved misaligned 3d model parts through .ini tricks.
  • Improved F-16A cockpit with more accurate position of indicator light boxes.
  • Improved little skin texture details on the MiG-23UB, added cockpit files to make it flyable by the player.
  • Improved small texture details on the F-7B, F-7M and Hawk aircraft.
  • Improved F-5E with flight model and cockpit tweaks by baffmeister.
  • Improved exhaust emitter effect size on most aircraft, by guuruu.
  • Improved viewing angles in all F-16C cockpits to feel more natural, as suggested by TaktischesGenie.
  • Improved SpeechText subtitles, now on par with the Speech Enhancement mod by yours truly.
  • Improved data and drag values of chaff and flare to be more realistic, by orsin.
  • Improved FlightEngine.ini values to provide better texture quality on lower settings and to reduce out of memory events.
  • Improved realSKY mod with modified cloud shaders, purple-ish twilight transitions and reworked lens flare textures.
  • Improved SoundList.ini data for better doppler effects, extended sound range for engines and explosions, by guuruu.
  • Improved LandingAimPoint values for the decks of the CVA-63 and CVN-68 carriers to prevent aircraft from missing the deck.
  • Removed the Maverick EO aiming symbol from the A-10A's HUD, to reflect Gulf War avionics, as suggested by dtmdragon.
  • Removed GBU-15 from being selectable for the F-15E, as no data confirms it was used by F-15Es during ODS.
  • Removed double versions (EOGR and ASM) of AGM anti-ship missiles, now only ASM ones are selectable.
  • Removed SA-13 9S80 radar as it is historically inaccurate for Iraq in 1990-1991.
  • Removed anachronistic AIM-7 and AIM-9 missile variants from the Weapons folder.
  • Removed RWR from the F-117A since it never had one in reality, as pointed out by dtmdragon.
  • Removed ECM from the MiG-25PD aircraft as it did not have any in reality.
  • Removed R-73 missile from the mod since it never got exported to the Iraqi air force.
  • Removed JATO from C-130s and from Tu-22s as they are not needed and not proper for the Gulf War scenario.
  • Removed tracer texture from specific guns where tracers rounds were not used operationally, as suggested by dtmdragon.

v0.9.6.1 - January 19th, 2021:

  • Recompiled installer with x86 compression, now 32bit systems should be able to execute the installer.
  • Added improved ballistic coefficient data increasing accuracy of ground objects' guns, by orsin.
  • Added decals to few Iraqi tanks, inspired by a similar mod by Gepard.
  • Reworked FlightEngine.ini in order to improve performance and reduce chances of CTD when load is high.
  • Reworked skins for the M60A1 and M60A3, removed meaningless distance LOD from the M60A3.
  • Reworked small texture details for the F-15C/D cockpit, by orsin.
  • Fixed MiG-25PD cockpit 3d model with most dials and switches now working, by orsin.
  • Fixed unwanted regression with inner pylons missing on the AV-8B aircraft.

v0.9.6 - December 24th, 2021:

  • Added Arabic speech audio files for the Iraqi TACC, made by GKABS.
  • Added new MiG-25PD 3d model by Coyote Aerospace, with improved decals and skin.
  • Added background sound of a typewriting machine to the Award Screen, by Viper63a.
  • Added specific RWR sounds by MGGUY to all F-14s and F/A-18s.
  • Added brand new RWR sounds to all Mirage F1 variants, by the Mirage F1 Team.
  • Added M-84 main battle tank for Kuwait, created by GKABS.
  • Added M109A2 howitzer with specific tweaks for ODS, created by GKABS.
  • Added correct IRM rails to the OV-10D, by RustyKurnass with help by dtmdragon.
  • Added empty Sidewinder launch rails as requested by RustyKurnass for the AV-8B, by yakarov79.
  • Added minor texture bits missing on the F-16Cs, F-111s, RF-4C, F-5E, Iraqi Jet Provost and MiG-29A.
  • Added newer version of the A-7E quality skins by yakarov79, including bonus post-war desert camo.
  • Added 900804 Tank Buster mission, based on a game generated CAS mission for the Iraqi Su-25K.
  • Added TODs to some tiles, replaced bad-looking city TODs with simpler ones from TW's stock terrains.
  • Improved Saudi E-3A skin and decals, with few data tweaks and disabled bugged shadows, by Viper63a.
  • Improved EF-111A, F-111E and F-111F skin textures, with help by Viper63a.
  • Improved AGM-84 textures with correct letters and colours, by Viper63a.
  • Improved many gun, AAA and other miscellaneous sounds by guuruu.
  • Fixed numerous hitbox and collision point mistakes on almost all aircraft, alongside misc improvements.
  • Fixed missing weathering details on the IrAFCamo1 skin for the MiG-23UB.
  • Fixed wrongly referenced 2BR rack for the Mirage F1CK-2, as noted by RustyKurnass.
  • Fixed fuel probe missing from cockpit view on the A-6E SWIP and EA-6B aircraft.
  • Fixed misaligned display crosshair in the A-10A/OA-10A cockpits, by Viper63a.
  • Fixed missing and/or wrong data about the BRU-3/A rack for the F-111E, as reported by dtmdragon.
  • Fixed wrong position of objects in the Ras al-Qulayah Naval Base target area.
  • Updated loadout and miscellaneous data for the P-3C aircraft, by Viper63a.
  • Updated F-16A loadout and data to include the GPU-5/A gunpod, by dtmdragon.
  • Updated all F-16 skins so that AGM-65 launch rails are properly green, by dtmdragon.
  • Updated the included realSKY environment mod to the latest version.

v0.9.5 - August 2nd, 2021:

  • Removed all helicopters and related files from the mod, moved them to a future add-on.
  • Removed unused cockpits for AI-only aircraft (B-52G, C-130s, C-160F, S-3s).
  • Removed shadows from pilot and seat 3d models for more performance and less rendering bugs.
  • Removed legs meshes/nodes from cockpit 3d models having them, for quality consistency.
  • Removed music track from the Award screen; it can be heard by accessing awards from the Medal List screen.
  • Removed Hebrew markings on the starboard nose from the F-15 RSAF skins, thanks to yakarov79 for noticing it.
  • Removed nose arts and relative names from the EF-111A aircraft, as they are not correct for the Gulf War.
  • Removed custom destroyed models for aircraft in favor of stock ones where proper, for quality consistency.
  • Changed some Effects textures with different ones always made by Stary.
  • Changed first two selectable pilot pics, to be generic ones for both sides of the conflict.
  • Cleaned up Weapons folder, standardized LOD and shadow distance values, overall bug fixes.
  • Cleaned up aircraft folders of unused textures and fixed distance LOD textures for the A-10A.
  • Cleaned up Pilots folder of duplicates, standardized LOD and shadow distance values for better performance.
  • Cleaned up cockpit folders of any unused textures, converted many cockpit textures to JPEG.
  • Added Arabic speech audio files and proper call signs for Iraqi AI pilots, provided by GKABS, with tweaks by guuruu.
  • Added a decent amount of unique prop and jet engine sounds for use by many aircraft, by guuruu.
  • Added SoundList properties to many aircraft audio files missing specific entries.
  • Added different Loading music, an ambient music track from DID's F-22 Total Air War.
  • Added major weapon and aircraft loadout and ECM improvements by yakarov79, dtmdragon and guuruu.
  • Added missing Search and Sight .tga textures referenced by aircraft data to the Flight folder.
  • Added Mirage 2000EAD/RAD aircraft with brand new skins, and relative UAE units added to the campaign data.
  • Added Mirage F1BQ aircraft as released by the Mirage F1 Team.
  • Added Su-7BMK aircraft with tweaks by paulopanz and cockpit 3d model by Stary.
  • Added C-9 aircraft by Veltro2k with USN, USMC and Kuwaiti skins by daddyairplanes.
  • Added VC10 K.2 aircraft by Veltro2k and yakarov79, with flight model tweaks by baffmeister.
  • Added P-3C Orion aircraft by Florian with data tweaks, skins and decals by Viper63a.
  • Added TNC-45 fast attack boat made by GKABS, with specific tweaks for ODS.
  • Added FPB-57 patrol boat made by GKABS, with specific tweaks for ODS.
  • Added Crotale, M113, M113 ACAV, M163 and M577 by GKABS, with specific tweaks for ODS.
  • Added Challenger 1 tank created by guuruu, removed Chieftain Mk.11 placeholder.
  • Added Chieftain Mk.5 tank made by GKABS, with skins by compufat.
  • Added P-40 Long Track radar ground object created by yakarov79.
  • Added FV101 Scorpion, M109 and a stand-in V-150 ground object, all with desert skins.
  • Added new M2/M3 Bradley APCs by guuruu, with bug fixing provided by GKABS.
  • Added more detailed Jaguar aircraft 3d models by yakarov79, made thanks to Sundowner's source files.
  • Added latest 3d model for the Il-76 by Veltro2k, compatible with previous skins by paulopanz.
  • Added brand new skins, decals, bump maps and damage textures to all USN Hornets, by yakarov79.
  • Added Bahraini skin and decals by Viper63a for the F-5E, added relative unit to the campaign data.
  • Added proper 5-digit serials and relative decals for the MiG-29A, by paulopanz.
  • Added much improved data for all MiG-25 aircraft, by Crusader.
  • Added accurate avionics and data update for all Mirage 2000s, by Crusader.
  • Added more accurate canopy glass tint for all F-16C aircraft, by dtmdragon.
  • Added missing seat texture for the L-39C/ZO aircraft and cockpit 3d models.
  • Added better stand-in cockpit for the A-4KU/TA-4KU, the Kfir one modified by Nyghtfall, further repainted.
  • Added Canadian pilot LOD for the CF-18A, thanks to dtmdragon for noticing it.
  • Added some brand new terrain TODs by baffmeister and custom SAM site tiles by yakarov79.
  • Added custom GreenTVFilter textures to each aircraft cockpit referencing one.
  • Added missing loadout.tga files for recently added heavy aircraft, by Viper63a.
  • Added latest version of the realSKY mod with all of its environment tweaks and textures.
  • Added tweaked Wind values by VonS to the environment data, as suggested by Stick.
  • Added StartWeather statements to campaign data, as suggested by Stick.
  • Added single missions about the Battle of Al-Khafji, recreated by Stick.
  • Added new Scramble/Instant Action mission using a different, better-looking bonus terrain (thanks to gerwin for the help).
  • Added single mission featuring balloons as targets, using the old, previous bonus terrain from the first release.
  • Added better water bump map effect using an older texture created by luk1978.
  • Added photorealistic Faylakah Island and Kharg Island tiles by tiopilotos to the main terrain.
  • Improved Mirage F1CK and F1CK-2 with the latest data, cockpit and aircraft 3d models.
  • Improved OV-10D textures using higher quality ones from the original FSX add-on.
  • Improved 1977Frenchie's skins for the USN Hornet aircraft, by Viper63a.
  • Improved Viper63a's skins for the F-15 aircraft, by dtmdragon.
  • Improved 1977Frenchie's decals for all F-14s and added grill detail to their skins, by RustyKurnass.
  • Improved textures of low-poly ground objects, repainted or created desert skins where needed.
  • Improved movement routes for Armed Recon, Anti-Ship and CAS missions.
  • Improved Mission Radius values for some aircraft to increase realism of campaign missions, by dtmdragon.
  • Improved Mission Rate values for units in campaigns; more realistic number of missions assigned, faster campaign playthrough.
  • Improved ground order of battle for the Invasion of Kuwait campaign, now it should work properly.
  • Repainted Mirage 2000C cockpit by YEYEYE so that it features more realistic colours.
  • Repainted Jaguar A and Jaguar GR.1 cockpits so that they look better and more detailed.
  • Repainted F-15E cockpit, alleviated issue due to bad mapping of front canopy glass.
  • Fixed missing cockpit textures in some instances, standardized "mirror off" textures for all cockpit 3d models.
  • Fixed crash to desktop when flying with AI-only aircraft by activating the FlyAll=TRUE cheat in Options.ini.
  • Fixed data files and some cockpit files (A-6s and F-111s), to remove low-poly pilots from cockpit view.
  • Fixed issues due to canopy glass aircraft textures not being placed inside each skin folder.
  • Fixed missing RWR data and radar distance values for many ground objects, by guuruu.
  • Fixed missing RWR sounds for the F-4G and A-7E, thanks to Viggen for reporting it.
  • Fixed MiG-29A mission types and fixed weapon stations so that the AA-10 is loaded correctly.
  • Fixed ALQ-167/Phoenix rack assemble not showing up in the F-14A/F-14A+ aircraft, by RustyKurnass.
  • Fixed pilot 3d model issue in the A-10A/OA-10A aircraft data.
  • Fixed Su-22M3 having broken avionics due to using Avionics70.dll instead of Avionics60.dll.
  • Fixed avionics issues reported by RustyKurnass on the F/A-18A Hornet.
  • Fixed wrongly referenced radar avionics textures for all Hornet aircraft.
  • Fixed wrong afterburner effect for the F-7M, now it's the same used on the F-7B and MiG-21s.
  • Fixed unusual bug discovered by RustyKurnass about weapon racks in campaigns, with help by yakarov79.
  • Fixed Su-20/22 flight model issues thanks to baffmeister.
  • Fixed OV-10A/D flight model issues and improved prop textures, by guuruu.
  • Fixed decal bleeding issues on the tail of all F-15s, by Viper63a.
  • Fixed ARM stations' coordinates for all Hornet aircraft, by yakarov79.
  • Fixed annoying campaign bug; missing ForceID=2 for Iraqi's 5th Squadron caused many sorting issues.
  • Fixed VA-115 unit being aboard the wrong carrier in the campaign and added missing VA-155 unit to it.
  • Fixed wrong parking spot locations for the Kuwaiti airbases, thanks to Viggen for reporting it.
  • Fixed numerous bugs in the terrain's target areas, removed all objects from (neutral) Iranian cities.
  • Like 28
  • Thanks 21

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Recommended Comments

citizen67

CTD at 80% launching a campaign... With every aircraft and every graphic setting... Such a pity.

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Menrva
13 hours ago, citizen67 said:

CTD at 80% launching a campaign... With every aircraft and every graphic setting... Such a pity.

Do you meet minimum requirements? The mod obviously is not for low-end computers. It works fine for others on High settings.

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PetitInconnu
5 hours ago, Menrva said:

Do you meet minimum requirements? The mod obviously is not for low-end computers. It works fine for others on High settings.

Same as @citizen67 i CTD around 80%, sometimes it's happen at 40% (very rarely). Impossible to do the 2nd mission of campaign only CTD. Scamble seems to works with no problems. Solo Mission sometimes works, sometimes CTD at 80%

I meet miminum requirement. I only tested Unlimited and High settings for my part.

 

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Menrva
25 minutes ago, PetitInconnu said:

Same as @citizen67 i CTD around 80%, sometimes it's happen at 40% (very rarely). Impossible to do the 2nd mission of campaign only CTD. Scamble seems to works with no problems. Solo Mission sometimes works, sometimes CTD at 80%

I meet miminum requirement. I only tested Unlimited and High settings for my part.

Then you should avoid Unlimited and use Medium to High settings. Only very high-end computers can run Unlimited without encountering CTDs. The crashes happen because you run out of memory, the campaign features the highest number of aircraft and ground units ever seen in a SF2 campaign. Nothing else we can do, the campaign data is bug free, it's all a matter of the settings and system on which you run the mod.

It's also advised to set Sound Channels to 32 instead of 16, due to higher quality sounds of the mod, but your experience may vary.

Edited by Menrva

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PetitInconnu
Just now, Menrva said:

Then you should avoid Unlimited and use Medium to High settings. Only very high-end computers can run Unlimited without encountering CTDs. The crashes happen because you run out of memory, the campaign features the highest number of aircraft and ground units ever seen in a SF2 campaign. Nothing else we can do, the campaign data is bug free, it's all a matter of the settings and system on which you run the mod.

I just did what you just recommanded. It's seems to work on Medium settings, so i tried some customs settings based on Medium settings: it's seems 1:  the Horizon distance option set on "very far" seems to block the loading at 40% (no CTD) with the option start on the runaway (airfield). 2: the same options (Horizon Distance: "Very Far", the rest is Medium settings) but this time with the start directly in the air near the mission seems to CTD at 80%.

For my actual spec:

OS: Windows 10 x64

CPU: I7-8700K

GPU: GTX 1080, 8 gb Vram DirectX12

Memory: 32 GB Ram

Hard Drive: enough space but playing on SSD (not HDD)

 

Thanks for the help. I will tweak the customs options settings around Medium now.

 

 

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citizen67
8 hours ago, Menrva said:

Do you meet minimum requirements? The mod obviously is not for low-end computers. It works fine for others on High settings.

Hi Menrva,

yes, 3.2GHz processor and 8Gb RAM... Lot of black skin and black cockpit texture, even the same I use in other installation without problems...

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citizen67
22 hours ago, Menrva said:

Then you should avoid Unlimited and use Medium to High settings. Only very high-end computers can run Unlimited without encountering CTDs. The crashes happen because you run out of memory, the campaign features the highest number of aircraft and ground units ever seen in a SF2 campaign. Nothing else we can do, the campaign data is bug free, it's all a matter of the settings and system on which you run the mod.

It's also advised to set Sound Channels to 32 instead of 16, due to higher quality sounds of the mod, but your experience may vary.

I'm trying setting graphic on Medium and by now I haven't encountered issues. However it's a pity to me not to experience the real performance of this mod... In any case, it's a awesome work. Five stars!

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ProxyAgent

Hey there. The mod crashes on the first loading screen after I start it from the shortcut. My game is installed on HDD and the mod folder is on the system drive (SSD) if that's important. Can't find any logs to troubleshoot this so maybe someone here will help me.

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elo82

I install the game  and then the game doesnt start.Somebody can help me?

 

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Menrva
2 hours ago, ProxyAgent said:

Hey there. The mod crashes on the first loading screen after I start it from the shortcut. My game is installed on HDD and the mod folder is on the system drive (SSD) if that's important. Can't find any logs to troubleshoot this so maybe someone here will help me.

The mod folder gets installed automatically on the system drive. If you run a stock game executable, I think a blank mod folder would be created in the same spot, so this shouldn't be a problem. You need all three TW games that are listed, one does not suffice. You might want to move the mod folder elsewhere and see if it changes anything, but then you'd need to fix the mod's path inside the Options.ini file manually. If you don't know how to do it, check the SF2 Knowledge Base: Running mods from a different disk partition - Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - Knowledge Base - CombatACE

11 minutes ago, elo82 said:

I install the game  and then the game doesnt start.Somebody can help me?

Wish I could help, but you gave zero details. The above post may help you understand what may be wrong with your system. I cannot see nor imagine what the situation is on your end.

Edited by Menrva

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ProxyAgent
32 minutes ago, Menrva said:

The mod folder gets installed automatically on the system drive. If you run a stock game executable, I think a blank mod folder would be created in the same spot, so this shouldn't be a problem. You need all three TW games that are listed, one does not suffice. You might want to move the mod folder elsewhere and see if it changes anything, but then you'd need to fix the mod's path inside the Options.ini file manually.

I moved the mod folder so everything is on a single drive but no bueno so far. I have a merged NA install (jul 2012 patch) with everything but expansion 3. My SF2 NA Options.ini contains some traces of previous mods installs but it shouldn't be a problem since this mod has its own executable and mod folder. Other than that I can't think of anything that can be causing this problem.

Edited by ProxyAgent

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elo82
On 3/1/2022 at 11:57 AM, Menrva said:

The mod folder gets installed automatically on the system drive. If you run a stock game executable, I think a blank mod folder would be created in the same spot, so this shouldn't be a problem. You need all three TW games that are listed, one does not suffice. You might want to move the mod folder elsewhere and see if it changes anything, but then you'd need to fix the mod's path inside the Options.ini file manually. If you don't know how to do it, check the SF2 Knowledge Base: Running mods from a different disk partition - Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - Knowledge Base - CombatACE

Wish I could help, but you gave zero details. The above post may help you understand what may be wrong with your system. I cannot see nor imagine what the situation is on your end.

Hello my computer is a i3 from 7° generation, have 2gb video ram,8gb of ram and i dont know why the game dont works.I desactivate my antivirus, put with administrador privilegies too and the game doesnt work and dont know what i need to do.

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Erik
7 hours ago, alecsandru1990 said:

different mod but same campaigns and similar filles within the mod ,by asking here it increased the chances of having an answer , until you came along 

Support questions for another file do not belong in this comment section, they belong in the support topic belonging to the other file. This is not up for debate.  

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ColonelKlink

I ran the installer when I mounted the iso file, but when I loaded the mod, other than the loading screen being different, it was just regular Strike Fighters 2. When I looked in the mod folder that had been created, I found that a lot of things were missing, in fact the aircraft were the only part of the mod that was there, other than the default folders like the Pilot data, controls, etc. Am I missing a part of the installation process? I have a merged Strike Fighters 2 setup with all DLCs.

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Menrva
On 1/30/2022 at 4:00 AM, ColonelKlink said:

I ran the installer when I mounted the iso file, but when I loaded the mod, other than the loading screen being different, it was just regular Strike Fighters 2. When I looked in the mod folder that had been created, I found that a lot of things were missing, in fact the aircraft were the only part of the mod that was there, other than the default folders like the Pilot data, controls, etc. Am I missing a part of the installation process? I have a merged Strike Fighters 2 setup with all DLCs.

Never heard of this issue before. Make sure that no third-party AV software interfere, and run the installer as admin. Make sure that all content gets saved in the "X:\Users\YourName\Saved Games\ThirdWire\OperationsDesertStorm" path. I recall few had issues in other language versions of Windows; the stuff apparently would get copied in a different Saved Games folder for no reason.

Edited by Menrva

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ColonelKlink
14 hours ago, Menrva said:

Never heard of this issue before. Make sure that no third-party AV software interfere, and run the installer as admin. Make sure that all content gets saved in the "X:\Users\YourName\Saved Games\ThirdWire\OperationsDesertStorm" path. I recall few had issues in other language versions of Windows; the stuff apparently would get copied in a different Saved Games folder for no reason.

I got it to work, it turns out it installed to a saved games folder in my B:\ drive instead of my SSD, so the game couldn't find the files (and neither could I). I just moved them to the right folder and it worked! Thanks for your help!

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1Patriot-of-many

Works great for my older HP Workstation. Settings on high, will try unlimited next.

Dual Xeon(R) E5-2670 @ 2.6Ghz

Ram 96 GB

GTX1070 graphics Win7 64bit professional

 

THANK YOU FOR MODDING THIS!

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kesegy

What an amazing mod, jawdropping really. This afternoon I saw it mentioned on Tim Stone's Tally-Ho Corner website and it made me immediately find and install my old SF2 collection that I haven't touched in several years at least.

Menrva, my thanks to you and the rest of the mod contributors for this work of beauty and craftsmanship..

So far, it runs perfectly (75fps, 71 fps min) on my system (AMD Ryzen 3600, 16GB DDR-3200 RAM, GTX 1070 Ti 8GB, W10x64) on Unlimited details.

Just now flying to a strike target in the F-117A at Angels 30.

Thanks again

Strike Fighters 2 04_02_2022 21_31_30.jpg

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hunterman

A hugely impressive mod, many thanks for all the hard work this Labour of love must have been!

It's got me back into flight simulation for the first time in years, flying the Tornado, Jaguar and Buccaneer is a dream come true for me.

I've got a powerful office system I use for Cad with 16 gig of Ram, it runs really well at high levels.

One slight glitch I've found is with the Buccaneer, on Hard settings it can't be flown, it pitches to the right, out of control, but works fine in normal settings.

All in all, excellent work 👍

 

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DeltaDagger

Sadly I get a CTD once the mission puts me in the cockpit.  I managed to play for quite a while on my initial playtest but I cannot play anything, Scramble or otherwise. However, I have managed to narrow it down to: IF I do spawn (on the runway) that I only crash if I look around and see something that my computer can't handle.  Maybe a missing model or texture.

No settings are set to Unlimited, i5 5600, GTX 1080 Fndrs Ed., 32GB ram, ample excess SSD and HDD space.  All my other heavily modded SF2 games run flawlessly.

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Menrva

Menrva 4,200

Posted (edited)

8 hours ago, DeltaDagger said:

Sadly I get a CTD once the mission puts me in the cockpit.  I managed to play for quite a while on my initial playtest but I cannot play anything, Scramble or otherwise. However, I have managed to narrow it down to: IF I do spawn (on the runway) that I only crash if I look around and see something that my computer can't handle.  Maybe a missing model or texture.

Thanks for reporting. The terrain features many third-party objects, some of which are pretty dated. There's a possibility that crashes are related to such very old 3d models casting shadows. If it's the case, a simple fix would be to remove shadow rendering from said objects (though to narrow down which ones is going to be tricky). Missing terrain 3d models and/or textures do not cause crashes to desktop, Strike Fighters 2 has shown to work in such instances.

Please try setting Shadows settings to Low and see if it improves. Apparently this issue is also system related, since some players seem not to experience the issue, while some other do. Crash logs always point to the game's graphics engine library using DirectX 10. This could be video driver related; a member of the development team experienced the issue from time to time when Nvidia drivers got updates, reinstalling them seemed to solve the CTDs on his end.

EDIT: I just reread your post. The Scramble mission uses an entirely different, smaller and low-res terrain, with little to no 3d objects on the terrain. So this should be more video driver related than anything, as mentioned above. Try to reinstall/update video drivers as well as the DirectX June 2010 redistributables from Microsoft.

Edited by Menrva

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DeltaDagger
7 hours ago, Menrva said:

Thanks for reporting... Try to reinstall/update video drivers as well as the DirectX June 2010 redistributables from Microsoft.

What the hell? How are you guys so smart?! How did you know that was the problem?? 

Either way, thank you.  Back to getting my ass kicked by Fulcrums, I'll fill you in if anything else goes amiss...

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guuruu
2 hours ago, DeltaDagger said:

How did you know that was the problem?? 

Nah ... we just have "Wheel of Fortune'. Menvra is turning and we hope it's correct solution :smile:.

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DOC5234

Ummm, it's obvious that the mod is beautiful in every way, but for some reason when I click on the shortcut or run it as an administrator, I can't play the game. The splash screen comes up and after 10 seconds it throws me into windows. I checked everything, but I didn't feel anything wrong. Can I get help on this issue?

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