Heads up!! Airco DH-2 by Aladar released..

[+Tailspin 3]

 

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=16365

[Gr.Viper 131]

The model itself is good but some LOD editing is needed. When I switched to external view and looked at 16 of them my PC nearly froze. Didn't get such an enormous drop of frame rate on other planes.

 

This plane is definitely for the fans of hardcore combat. It gets easily overtaken even by the German two seaters :) Just flew an intercept mission. Was able to score two kill because DFW were coming from behind and going right in front of my gun. The gun... having single 'Lewis' with 4 really small clips sucks :)

[+bortdafarm 1]

you might be able to help the frame rates with an edit to the ini file in the aircraft's folder

this is the albatros one

 

LOD001

Filename=AlbatrosD5a.LOD

Distance=100

 

LOD002

Filename=AlbatrosD5a_LOD2.lod

Distance=250

 

LOD003

Filename=AlbatrosD5a_LOD3.lod

Distance=500

 

LOD004

Filename=AlbatrosD5a_LOD4.lod

Distance=1000

 

LOD005

Filename=AlbatrosD5a_LOD5.lod

Distance=8000

 

(as long as he has included the LOD facility)

 

so in theory you can set the lower detail model files to show much closer up try this

 

LOD001

Filename=AlbatrosD5a.LOD

Distance=50

 

LOD002

Filename=AlbatrosD5a_LOD2.lod

Distance=100

 

LOD003

Filename=AlbatrosD5a_LOD3.lod

Distance=300

 

LOD004

Filename=AlbatrosD5a_LOD4.lod

Distance=600

 

LOD005

Filename=AlbatrosD5a_LOD5.lod

Distance=4000

 

 

cme to think of it this would be a good way to help frame rates on all the models in the game if folks are having FPS difficultys...often in game you can't really notice the difference once your immersed

 

gonna have a look at the dh now might be a idea to just fly it against two seaters...untill some one makes the Eindecker then we can do the Fokker scourge period!

 

 

 

great cockpit for dogfighting....where's them eindeckers...

 

yup he's only incorporated three levels of detail (LOD)

 

LOD001

Filename=DH2.lod

Distance=300

 

LOD002

Filename=DH2_LOD2.lod

Distance=600

 

LOD003

Filename=DH2_LOD3.lod

Distance=6000

 

so you might try lowering the distance the LOD's swop in...this way the lower detail version show at a closer range

 

LOD001

Filename=DH2.lod

Distance=100

 

LOD002

Filename=DH2_LOD2.lod

Distance=200

 

LOD003

Filename=DH2_LOD3.lod

Distance=3000

 

should help...it's a lovely model

 

he he! i knocked up a repaint of the DFWCV to represent the early war DWFCI altered the performance and lowered the firepower acordingly so i could create mission set in 1916 and the game will automatically load the DFWCI (it's a seperate install so it didn't affect the stock DFWCV) as the only other aircraft in the mission (due to the availability date in the data inis)

 

ugly ain't it but it'll do

 

it's obviously going to be one of the major boons of this game that what ever year you set the mission at the game automatically only load those aircraft into the mission that were available at the time

nice touch...

Edited December 23, 2006 by bortdafarm

[+Dave 2,322]

Bort if you want to change the default years open the options.ini scroll down to the single mission part and change these entries

 

[singleMission]

AircraftType=SPAD13

MissionMap=WWIVERDUN

MissionType=SWEEP

MissionTime=AFTERNOON

MissionWeather=SCATTERED

AirActivity=HEAVY

AirDefenseActivity=RANDOM

LoadMission=FALSE

LoadMissionFilename=FokkerD7F vs SE5a (1v1)

StartYear=1914 <-----------------

EndYear=1918 <--------------

MissionYear=1918

Service=USAS

 

Wasn't sure if you knew this or not.

[+bortdafarm 1]

Cheers USA!!

i didn't know that thanks for the heads up...

[Gr.Viper 131]

When I start single intercept or support missions on Dh2 I never see any enemy planes other than DFWCV. I saw SPADs on my side on several occasions but more often I only see DFWCV and Dh2. Once after some single missions on Dh2 other planes and (enemy's too) just stopped appearing on the battlefield. Is that a bug or some feature? Didn't use any date mods and stuff.

 

Just saw about 20 allied tanks at once... never saw more than 8 before..

[+bortdafarm 1]

When I start single intercept or support missions on Dh2 I never see any enemy planes other than DFWCV. I saw SPADs on my side on several occasions but more often I only see DFWCV and Dh2. Once after some single missions on Dh2 other planes and (enemy's too) just stopped appearing on the battlefield. Is that a bug or some feature? Didn't use any date mods and stuff.

 

Just saw about 20 allied tanks at once... never saw more than 8 before..

 

i think this is because the dfault start dates for the DH2 are 1916-17 where as most everything else in the game is set to appear in 1918...sounds like you can alter this by doing the edit USA' gave

[+bortdafarm 1]

i've knocked up a edited and repainted stock albatros DVa to represent the 1916 Albatros DI

just up-loaded it here

which was a contempory of the DH2..for a while)

 

so it should automatically appear in missions created for 1916-17

(it's a seperate "aircraft" install so doesn't alter the DVa)

flyable too great fun against the DH2..roughly equal performance..fun!

it should do untill the "real thing" comes along

 

[Gr.Viper 131]

Is it something with this model, or just a general glitch:

I got it after installing Dh2 - sometimes end mission log would show no hits and no kills despite the fact that I ran 3-5 planes into the ground. What's more, this happens even when I switch to other plane.

[sandbagger 1]

One point to note is that if you lower the LOD1 file value too far, it will reduce or even remove aircraft detail (as with the LOD2 file). This can increase frame rates but means you can lose external details (engine, Prop, rigging, tail skid etc).

Edited December 25, 2006 by sandbagger

[+Tailspin 3]

If you are having frame rate issues with the DH-2, try reducing the .bmp skin files from 1024X1024 to 512X512. BACKUP THE ORIGINALS FIRST!!! :yes:

[sandbagger 1]

Hi Tailspin,

I tried reducing the bitmaps to 512, but it didn't work for me. Having said that it could work for others. Someone has stated that the polygon count for FE models tends to be higher than for models is SFP1, so maybe it's that that can cause some to experience frame rate issues. The frame rate hit does seem to be linked to the fine details (rigging etc).

 

I've read that reducing the in-game horizon setting to NEAR can help.

 

Whatever, it's still a great model and won't stop me from flying it

Edited December 26, 2006 by sandbagger

[+bortdafarm 1]

i notice it has exhaust smoke incorporated...removing this might help a little as well?

 

engine section of the DH2_data.ini

 

ExhaustEmitterName=CleanExhaustEmitter

ExhaustPosition=0.0,-0.9,-0.25

 

edit it to this

 

ExhaustEmitterName=

ExhaustPosition=

[Gr.Viper 131]

Don't think exhaust is the problem. I've got Albatross and Fokker with exhausts, use the latest smoke effects mod and the game never slows down (even with many planes) as much as it does with one or two Dh2 on the screen...

[+bortdafarm 1]

yikes,,,

if the lod trick ,texture reduction, smoke removal and perhaps the additional tweak of setting it to use the stock proploop.wav doesn't help then that's the lot ..there isn't anything else..

[Gr.Viper 131]

Well, I didn't try the LOD or texture tricks yet :) All I know is that even F6 view on my own plane alone causes slowdown...

[Guest IndioBlack]

Since the DH.2 is a rotary engine aircraft, and quite an early model, is this one of those aircraft that wouldn't have a throttle ? Instead you just either have the engine on or off ?

 

I was thinking that maybe I could emulate this a bit with switches on my game controllers where one switch would give me full throttle, and the other would give me zero throttle. Just a thought to enhance the immersion.

 

This is a really terrific aircraft. All praise to the author.

[+Tailspin 3]

Since the DH.2 is a rotary engine aircraft, and quite an early model, is this one of those aircraft that wouldn't have a throttle ? Instead you just either have the engine on or off ?

 

I was thinking that maybe I could emulate this a bit with switches on my game controllers where one switch would give me full throttle, and the other would give me zero throttle. Just a thought to enhance the immersion.

 

This is a really terrific aircraft. All praise to the author.

 

You can do this. Look in your Controls folder and open the default.ini. Scroll down until you see [Ranged Control 004] which is the throttle control. Find the line KeyControlRate= and increase this number. The result is when you press the "-" or "=" key it will reach 100% or vice versa almost instantly. Then all you need do is assign those keys buttons and there you go. You can also try increasing the ThrottleRate= in the DH-2 Data.ini. Watch that one though as the torque can get pretty nasty when the engine spins up too quickly. The KeyControlRate trick won't affect your normal throttle operation but the ThrottleRate will.

[geezer205 0]

I'm new at FE, but I like it despite some rough edges that should get smoothed out with time, patches, and mods. I'm a life-long aviation history buff (and occasional modder) so I would like to make a few observations in response to some of the other posts here.

 

1916 aircraft are definately for the hard-core FE enthusiasts and I love the DH2. Considering the number of 1916 enthusiasts are likely to be small, AND the time and effort required to produce a new aircraft for the sim, why not take a kind of "cost-effective" approach? Instead of producing the obvious compliment for the DH2 - the Fokker E1/E2 - why not devote the time and effort to aircraft that had a more realistic performance and can be used over a longer time-span. The Fokker Eindecker was a very mediocre aircraft that is remembered primarily for it's armament, and was soon withdrawn from service when the Allies introduced the DH2 and Nieuport 11. Other German aircraft were introduced in 1916, contemporary with the DH2, that were more successful than the Fokker and served for much longer (because of their success).

 

While my personal favorite would be the Halberstadt D2, the best use of a modders' limited time would be to produce the Albatross D1/D2/D3 series. They used used fundamentally the same fuselage, armament, and powerplant so it would require less time to produce the necessary 3D models, texture maps, and associated files. Also, the D2 served into 1917 while the D3 served well into 1918, so the models could be spread over many different missions and color schemes, in contrast to the Fokker Eindecker. The same approach could be taken with a number of German two-seaters, such as the early Aviatik and Albatross designs.

 

This would result in worthy opponents for the DH2 that were both historically accurate AND could be used against other Allied aircraft for 1917 and 1918. In effect, more bang for the buck.

[+Tailspin 3]

Hi Tailspin,

I tried reducing the bitmaps to 512, but it didn't work for me. Having said that it could work for others. Someone has stated that the polygon count for FE models tends to be higher than for models is SFP1, so maybe it's that that can cause some to experience frame rate issues. The frame rate hit does seem to be linked to the fine details (rigging etc).

 

I've read that reducing the in-game horizon setting to NEAR can help.

 

Whatever, it's still a great model and won't stop me from flying it

 

Hey sandbagger,

 

Good to see you here. With my old rig (P4 1.8g, 512DDR, GeF 3 Ti 200) setting the horizon distance to NEAR and most details to MED. is a must for everyday gameplay with FE so I agree its definately a "step up" in the demand on computer power. I still get frame rates in the upper 20's lower 30's with all the other planes. One DH-2 doesn't drag them down much but for each extra plane in the external, I lose about 5 fps. It seems reducing the skin bmps to 512 gains me some fps but only 5 or 6. Someone posted on another forum that reducing the 1st LOD view distance to 1 "cures" the problem but it removes a lot more than just the rigging details in external view. So, like you, I'll just live with it. BTW...In my experience of all the fps saving "tricks" I've tried so far reducing the horizon distance to NEAR works the best. You can also try extracting the FlightEngine.INI from the FlightData.cat and change the [HighDetailOption] MaxTextureRes=-1 to 0.

 

TS

[+bortdafarm 1]

for me the thing that really makes this game playable is reducing the quality and playback rate bit rate etc etc of the sound files (all of them if you just change some it actually makes it worse)...it transformed the game from a slow down jittery annoyance to a double click and play it'll run well no matter what's happening on screen game....i get at least 30 FPS no matter what is going on..even with the DH2 ...go figure...normal horizon distance normal everything in the graphics settings (other than low detail ground texture settings...but that's beacuse for some strange reason i think it actualy looks more atmospheric)

[Jambock__36 0]

Amazing kite! Is the first model i can "feel" the behaviour handling her in lower speeds!

 

Great job Aladar and Charles!

 

[wingstrut 0]

I think the ghosts of RB3d have returned in this sim. At least its open for editing....as I echo from the past....anyone wanna take a shot at fixing the Spad FM from crashing into the ground...............

[+Tailspin 3]

wingstrut...I fly the SPAD regularly and never crash it anymore. Oh I did at first but once I learned how it behaved in the sim I find its quite an effective, deadly mount. The trick is using the rudder input to keep the nose up and never ignore a stall warning.

[wingstrut 0]

wingstrut...I fly the SPAD regularly and never crash it anymore. Oh I did at first but once I learned how it behaved in the sim I find its quite an effective, deadly mount. The trick is using the rudder input to keep the nose up and never ignore a stall warning.

 

Sorry for my lack of clarification, I was thinking AI control issue.