What should I get?

[agrippa]

I've been eying this series of games for a while, but haven't had the money to actually buy. Now that I do, I'm just wondering which one should I get? I'm very interested in the downloadable mods, new planes and especially campaigns (Korea, the Arab-Israeli wars, etc.). Can all the mods available on this site be installed into any of the three games (SF, WoV, WoE)? If so, which is the best to get to mod around with (I think I just invented that phrase)? If not, which game can be modded the most?

[TeTeT]

As the games of the series share the same engine (or at least with latest updates applied), there's not much difference in modability. Especially to the policy by Thirdwire to patch all of them! However, some problems are:

• Terrain tiles: some terrain modifications rely on standard terrain of one game
  
• Aircraft: some add-on aircraft rely on standard aircraft of one game
  

After gaining some experience in modding the game, both of them are solvable, but might require some work of you. For example, check the thread on the Israeli beta terrain and see the screenshot with the white landscape. The Israel terrain uses the SFP1 terrain and hence it won't work in WoE or WoV immediately. However, when you get an update to the desert terrain it will work.

 

So no matter which game you choose, IMO you'll get a good package.

[BUFF]

If cost is an issue I believe that SF P1 is available for ~$5 in places like Best Buy.

 

btw there's a 4th game now, First Eagles set at the end of WWI.

[Lexx_Luthor]

No matter what you get, your diversified holdings should include the WoV, as only WoV has the NAVY cockpits. These are unique and very nice, and also very useful for other aircraft.

 

WoV and (I think) WoE also have the truly stunning F-105 cockpit. This is a must have.

 

I don't know the story behind the SF F-104 and cockpit, but its also nice and useful. Its not in WoV, but may be available in Patches. I don't know about this, as I have the original SF already (along with WoV).

[HrntFixr]

Do you have a Circuit City near you????

 

Here it is SFP1 order online and do a in-store pick-up for $4.99. Can't beat it with a stick!!!!

[+Dave]

You can't go wrong with any of those titles. Because the enjoyment of the titles can be shared between all 3.

[SayethWhaaaa]

SF Gold is also pretty cheap these days too. Just remember that you can port the terrains from the other games into whichever version you decide to buy. Personally SFG's my poison but I would say grab WoV so you can use the carriers. But then again, WoE now has a flyable Mig-27... Awww, this is hard...

[gillg]

Hi guys, just thought i would pose a question.

I have SFG and love it. I have lots of add on aircraft and campaigns and so forth. But i noticed WoE in my local shop and would like to know if it is worth purchasing WoE as well as keeping SFG. Or os SFG just a older WoE.

 

PS sorry if i hijacked this thread.

 

Cheers

[BUFF]

Hi guys, just thought i would pose a question.

I have SFG and love it. I have lots of add on aircraft and campaigns and so forth. But i noticed WoE in my local shop and would like to know if it is worth purchasing WoE as well as keeping SFG. Or os SFG just a older WoE.

TK very kindly updates all his games to the same level so that SFG & WOE at the same patch level are using the same game engine with the same features etc.

So, what you are getting with WOE is a different stock plane set, a different stock terrain & different stock missions/campaigns. It's fair to say that a lot of similar replacements are available as community mods e.g Armourdave's Hunter instead of the Third Wire Hunter etc.

If you also had WOV you can merge WOV & WOE into 1 install.

 

& of course if you would like TK to stay in business, further develop the game engine & bring out more sims then support him with your $s

[SayethWhaaaa]

If you also had WOV you can merge WOV & WOE into 1 install.

 

 

You can merge what now?? I'm intrigued; Exactly how does this work?

 

And just a head up for Aussie players, this series is nigh on impossible to find on the shelves. As no one seems to stock it... Had to get mine online. I'm never gonna pay my credit card off

[BUFF]

You can merge what now?? I'm intrigued; Exactly how does this work?

 

If you already have WOV installed when you go to install WOE you get asked if you want to merge them (if you have a lot of mods installed it would be wise to back up first).

Assuming that they all use the same publishers It wouldn't surprise me if the same proves true with the planned series of WWI games so that you would have 1 big install with the different theatres/timeframes/aircraft available..

[eskaihla]

No matter what you get, your diversified holdings should include the WoV, as only WoV has the NAVY cockpits.

WoV and (I think) WoE also have the truly stunning F-105 cockpit. This is a must have.

 

I agree, the F-105 from WoE is wonderful! I haven't got the WoV yet (haven't seen it for sale here in Europe), but I'm looking into ordering it online (I want to get that Vietnam terrain!). I also have the original Strike Fighters (SFP1).

 

But talking about the cockpits... It seems that the original SFP1 and WoV planes (LODs, cockpits and data files) are included within the WoE's ObjectData.cat file... So it's possible to have any add-on to use them if you want. I even managed to make the A-7, F-8 and A-6 flyable in WoE by downloading some third-party skins and creating appropriate folders and ini-files.

Edited January 3, 2007 by eskaihla

[gillg]

And just a head up for Aussie players, this series is nigh on impossible to find on the shelves. As no one seems to stock it... Had to get mine online. I'm never gonna pay my credit card off

 

I am thinking of making my WoE purcase from EB games in Centro colonades down south. They have 3 copies at 25% of at the mo. The new center that opened up at Noarlunga last November.

[charlielima]

It appears picking the right gruppe is the easy part. :ph34r: CL

 

[SayethWhaaaa]

Yeah, that's a bit far south fer me, I'm a northern bogan

 

I tried the city, berlin wall, the EB's dotted around adelaide, T.T.P. nada. A mate of mine ran a games store recently in Clovercrest until he shut it down in dec, that's where I got SFG for. I didn't realise there was a new centre down thataway, gonna have to go have a look...

[RangerX3X]

Could someone explain briefly what the difference between SF & WOV is? I have WOV and everything I read about SF seems to indicate it has the same planes during the same time period.

[+streakeagle]

Go here for a great comparison chart: http://www.column5.us/sfchart.htm

SFP1 definitely has some things WOV does not, first and foremost the F-104G Starfighter and the C-130A Hercules (as well as the semi-fictional desert terrain and associated campaign).

Since SFP1 is sold at Circuit City for $5, what have you got to lose by buying it? (2 gallons of gas?)

 

SF Gold is more expensive and was missing the F-104 and C-130, but a later free addon made the F-104G available and the F-4J and A-4F were standard instead of addons. It has a couple of more campaigns.

If you don't mind the cost or the loss of the C-130 and really like flying campaigns, it is a good way to go.

 

For me, there is no question. I love this sim series and have tried to support TK / Thirdwire fully as well as simply completing my collection by buying everything available:

SFP1 (Wallyworld edition) for $40 from Walmart upgraded for free by Strategy First to the final gold release.

SFP1 (ValueSoft edition) for $5 from Circuit City

SF Gold (GMX) for about $40 imported from Britain

WOV for $30 from Best Buy

WOE for $30 from Best Buy

and the much less popular, First Flight for $50 from Bihrle

 

I did not need the $5 ValueSoft edition, but it was so cheap and came already patched to SP2a (a long time standard version and a good start for patching prior to the release of the new all-in-one service pack patches.

Edited January 18, 2007 by streakeagle

[+Dave]

Could someone explain briefly what the difference between SF & WOV is? I have WOV and everything I read about SF seems to indicate it has the same planes during the same time period.

 

When fully patched up they are pretty much the same. You can put carriers into SF, you can get a separate Vietnam terrain in SF as well. I keep SF around for mods of different eras but I keep WOV strictly Vietnam.

[Tannethal]

The WoV objects.cat was updated with SP4 to include most of the SFP1G planes and objects.

The C130, F104G, Su7, Tu22, Il28 and a ton of vehicles are hidden there.

As Eskahila wrote, this stuff needs skins and proper ini files in the right folders to work.

 

S!

Edited January 23, 2007 by Tannethal

[eightlein]

Do you have a Circuit City near you????

 

Here it is SFP1 order online and do a in-store pick-up for $4.99. Can't beat it with a stick!!!!

 

 

..and then of course your going to want to get Yankee Air Pirate to addon to WOV.

 

www.yankeeairpirate.net

Edited January 24, 2007 by eightlein

[Lexx_Luthor]

I agree, the F-105 from WoE is wonderful! I haven't got the WoV yet (haven't seen it for sale here in Europe), but I'm looking into ordering it online (I want to get that Vietnam terrain!). I also have the original Strike Fighters (SFP1).

 

But talking about the cockpits... It seems that the original SFP1 and WoV planes (LODs, cockpits and data files) are included within the WoE's ObjectData.cat file... So it's possible to have any add-on to use them if you want. I even managed to make the A-7, F-8 and A-6 flyable in WoE by downloading some third-party skins and creating appropriate folders and ini-files.

That's good news, as I've been wondering if the ThudWire NAVY cockpits would vanish forever with the end of WoV. TK should sell these aircraft+cockpits seperately -- both online sales and old fashioned mail order that successful businesses have used for a hundred years -- as these cockpits are very nice.

 

For example of what can be done, below I am using a hex editor to chop the canopy frame of the A-7 cockpit for use inside the incredibly detailed B-58 external model's crew compartment...

 

~ http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.p...asc&start=8