MORE INFO RE: HELP-SKIN/DECAL PROBLEMS IN WOV

[jrdani 0]

Thanks again everyone for your replies to my previous post regarding this issue. I wasn't able to get online all day yesterday because of more health issues, but I'm feeling better now and last night was able to try some additional things regarding this missing decal(s) issue. The results of this experiment left me with more skinning questions as I'll try to explain below.

 

As I mentioned earlier in the other thread, a couple of days ago I installed nine skins on the F-4J in SFP1 [6 or 7 of which I'd attempted previously in WOV with missing decal(s) results]. Every decal on every skin appeared perfectly in SFP1.

 

Since then, I've tried to implement everyone's suggestions (responding to my plea for help) in WOV with no success. After Dave (USAFMTL) posted that Allo's Aardvark skin worked in his copy of WOV and that I might have to "do the dreaded uninstall and reinstall", I decided to try that as well (BTW Dave, my oldest grandson's completing his freshman year at the AFA. He loves it, made the Dean's List last semester, and hopes to be a fighter pilot. He's also a quarterback on the football team and had a great freshman season).

 

Last night I took a "clean install" and fully patched copy of WOV and installed and tested each problematic skin, one at a time, beginning with the VF114 Aardvark, and continuing with VF31 Tomcatters, VF33 Tarsiers and VF96 Fighting Falcons. Each skin produced the same result (missing decals) as it had in my fully modded version of WOV. Missing decals were: (VF31) Red stripe, squadron no. and USS Saratoga on both sides of the fuselage; (VF33) Gold star w/AG, lightning bolt and plane no., all on both sides of the vertical stabilizer; (VF96) Black falcon and plane no. on both sides of the vertical stabilizer; (VF114) Slanted stripe(s) on the fuselage and aardvarks on the vertical stabilizer.

 

Because of these results, I stopped installing skins and decided to try some "trial and error" with respect to graphic settings in the Options Menu. My usual configuration has everything set to "High" with horizon "Normal" and cockpit mirrors, cockpit reflection and shadow "Off". I changed the settings one at a time and tested each change. When (and only when) I set the Object Texture to "Medium", every missing decal appeared on every skin except the VF114 Aardvark's fuselage striping and the little aardvarks on the v/s. However, when using this "Medium" setting, many smaller details seriously bleed, fade and blur, such as squadron nos., plane numbers, ship ID, etc. So this tradeoff of component appearance versus component visibility doesn't seem to be a viable solution.

 

As mentioned above, I'm now left with more questions regarding skins and sim differences which I'm sure my lack of experience and knowledge contributes to. Some of these questions are: (1) Why do all of these skins show perfectly in SFP1 with all graphics settings on "High" and even cockpit mirrors, cockpit reflection and shadow "On", but not in a clean and patched WOV installation using less demanding graphics settings? (2) Does this mean there are fundamental differences in the architecture of SFP1 and WOV? (3) Are there fundamental differences in the architecture and composition of different skins regarding their ability to "stick"? (4) Every one of my ten F-4B skins I'd installed previously in WOV show perfectly. Does this mean there's that much difference between different versions of the same plane regarding skins of similar complexity and detail?

 

I'd like to thank everyone again for their advice and suggestions. The reason for my initial post was to get help in resolving an issue and to gain more experience by learning more about that issue from all of you. The reason for this post is to pass on what I've learned from my recent trial and error testing in the hope that it might help some newer "newbie" than myself, and hopefully, to get some answers and/or opinions with respect to the questions listed above.

 

In closing, I'd also like to say to all the "skinners" that the detail and beauty of your creations make flying these two sims a much more enjoyable and visually pleasing experience for me, and I'm sure, everyone else as well. Thanks so much for your efforts.

[+Dave 2,322]

I never thought that would of been an issue. Glad you got it worked out.