WW2 Nightfighter Campaign

[Tecumseh 0]

Hey ya'll,

Been too busy to play for a while, but I'm looking to putt around in some ww2 nightfighters. Has anyone done a bomber stream formation mod? or anything else that would be of help to me? The aircraft I need are available, I just bought WoE for the Europe map- now have the whole series- but really have always wanted to try flying night fighters for the RAF or Luftwaffe.

 

Thanks to the folks who created these cool aircraft btw!!!

[Syrinx 13]

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autoc...um=10&st=30

 

It's not actually a bomber stream, but not that far off.

[Bandy 3]

If WWII is what your after for night fighting, why not start near the beginning with an add-on for Baltika's excellent and renown Battle of Britain for SF?

Some midnight missions over London during the Blitz would be awesome!!!

 

See BoB thread in this forum...

[+Baltika 85]

If WWII is what your after for night fighting, why not start near the beginning with an add-on for Baltika's excellent and renown Battle of Britain for SF?

Some midnight missions over London during the Blitz would be awesome!!!

 

 

In the BoB campaign pack, you will see that 1 Sqdn RAF Hurricanes have a supercool jet-black paint scheme. This is not just because they wanted to look badass, but because they made early experiments with night interception missions. Of course, the RAF had no dedicated nightfighter at the time, and they had no radar in the Hurri so it was all a bit hit and miss, not to say nerve-wracking and highly dangerous.

 

For a quick hack to enable nightfighting Hurris in the BoB timeframe, edit the Hurricane1_data.ini entry "AircraftCapability=DAY_ONLY" to "AircraftCapability=DAY_AND_NIGHT"

 

Of course, this will affect all Hurri Mk 1s, not just 1 Sqdn.

 

Don't say I didn't warn you

[+Gepard 11,457]

With nightfighter missions, (i normaly use the He-219 UHU) i faced very often daylight fighters which flew bomber escorts during night. Its stupid to fight a Spitfire or Mustang with an Uhu.

[Bandy 3]

Of course, the RAF had no dedicated nightfighter at the time, and they had no radar in the Hurri so it was all a bit hit and miss, not to say nerve-wracking and highly dangerous.

 

I'll have to go back and double check, but the RAF did switch the Boulton-Paul Defiant (not currently modded unfortunately) over to strictly night fighter status after a disastrous intercept missions in August, and (IF memory serves...and that's not saying much) I think I do remember a reference stating that they tried an early on board radar with this A-C...

 

From Wiki...

 

During the winter Blitz on London of 1940-41, the Defiant equipped four squadrons, shooting down more enemy aircraft than any other type. The Defiant Mk. II model was fitted with the AI Mk IV airborne interception radar and a Merlin XX engine. A total of 207 Mk. II Defiants were built.

 

A nice link with profilesHERE

 

. 264 and 141 squadrons became dedicated night-fighter units. The Defiant night fighters were painted all-black and fitted with flame damper exhausts. Success came quickly, with the first night kill being claimed on 15 September 1940. From November 1940, an increasing number of new night fighter squadrons were formed on the Defiant. Units operating the Defiant shot down more enemy aircraft than any other night-fighter during the German 'Blitz' on London in the winter of 1940-41. Initial operations were conducted without the benefit of radar. From the Autumn of 1941, AI Mk 4 radar units began to be fitted to the Defiant. An arrow type aerial was fitted on each wing, and a small H-shaped aerial added on the starboard fuselage side, just in front of the cockpit. The transmitter unit was located behind the turret, with the receiver and display screen in the pilot's cockpit.

Edited February 23, 2008 by B Bandy RFC

[Wrench 9,893]

There is a Blenheim Mk1F NF, as well as the P-70A & B. You won't catch anything with them...but they're there!

opps..forgot the Beau NF, too.

 

Wrench

kevin stein

[+Baltika 85]

 

Something else to add to the list for v0.61

 

Nice link, Bandy

Edited February 23, 2008 by Baltika

[Heck 496]

In the BoB campaign pack, you will see that 1 Sqdn RAF Hurricanes have a supercool jet-black paint scheme. This is not just because they wanted to look badass, but because they made early experiments with night interception missions. Of course, the RAF had no dedicated nightfighter at the time, and they had no radar in the Hurri so it was all a bit hit and miss, not to say nerve-wracking and highly dangerous.

 

For a quick hack to enable nightfighting Hurris in the BoB timeframe, edit the Hurricane1_data.ini entry "AircraftCapability=DAY_ONLY" to "AircraftCapability=DAY_AND_NIGHT"

 

Of course, this will affect all Hurri Mk 1s, not just 1 Sqdn.

 

Don't say I didn't warn you

 

If you created a new version folder for the Hurricane I, like Hurricane NF, and made that version NIGHT_ONLY, you could have 1 Sqdn fly night missions only, and they would be the only squadron to do it, since they'd be the only ones equipped with a night fighter version of the Hurricane. All the rest of the squadrons would remain day only. And if you make sure your German bombers are DAY_AND_NIGHT, and your German fighters are DAY_ONLY, wouldn't that cure the problem of day fighters escorting the bombers? Just some random thoughts...

[+Baltika 85]

Great suggestion Heck, and logically it should work.

 

Tried it out, and yes, I get night-fighting Hurri Mk 1s. Sadly, I was up against bomber flights of Ju-87b and Bf109E-4b, with an escort of Bf109E-3, all of which are defined as DAY_ONLY. That was in a single mission, but even so, d/k what's going on there

 

I have also learned that:-

 

1. The night sky in TK's sims is unutterably beautiful, I could look at the stars for hours.

2. Night flying is dramatic and atmospheric, turn out the lights and you are there.

3. Luftwaffe tailgunners can see in the dark, to wit -

 

 

Time to call the boss, I think

[Syrinx 13]

3. Luftwaffe tailgunners can see in the dark, to wit -

 

Must have taken a leaf out of "Cats-eyes" Cunningham's book and taken a secret stash of carrots up with them, lol

[+Jarhead1 27]

Yikes, some flame effects u got there, I like them

[+Baltika 85]

Yikes, some flame effects u got there, I like them

 

Part of CA_Stary's WW2 effects pack v0.91, included as part of BoB campaign d/l, also available separately right here:-

 

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autoc...p;showfile=5072

 

Flame effects are gloriously OTT, but I've gotta say his tracer/gunfire effects are just marvellous, couldn't go back to stock for my WW2 installs.

 

 

@Nicky,

 

Yup, got to munch a few carrots myself, can only see the bombers when they blot out the stars, by then it's too late, as demonstrated above

 

 

I'm thinking that the way forward with WW2 Nightfighters is to script a single mission or two so that only the right type of planes show up, i.e. no daylight-only-capable fighter escorts. Would still have to cope with the uncannily accurate defensive fire, though. Maybe TK could implement a similar type of masking for night missions as we see with cloud cover at the moment. At night, every plane is visually "invisible" to every other plane, no external (or internal) padlocks, just what you can see out the window. Tricky to implement, I suspect - AI can only "see" you attacking when you are firing your guns, etc - but it would add a lot to the whole night-time experience.

 

Just a thought.

[Syrinx 13]

I think a Nightfighter sim is kind of the missing link for flightsims.

 

Imagine having a dedicated nightfighter simulator where different marks of AI were modelled, having to train on the early stuff in 1940 in Blenheims before progressing to the Beaufighter and ultimately the Mosquito. Having to learn how to read and interpret the cathode ray tubes, all the interference and ground echoes prevalent in the early models.

Having instructions for an intercept passed up from a GC and then guiding your virtual pilot (you!) in for the kill.

 

Also having the option for the German stuff too, flogging your heavily laden Bf110 up to 20000ft to catch the bomber stream.

 

Now that I would gladly pay for ! Developers take note !

 

Crikey, I'd even open my bedroom window in winter and sit with my feet in a bucket of cold water whilst at the PC just to add to the realism

[+Crab_02 8]

there was an Uhu addon aircraft and mission set for CFS1 out there I thought was pretty decent for the time... I added every German type I could find - Ju-88s, Bf-110s, TA-154s, modded several types of Rusatz for the Uhu...

 

concur - a Night Fighter specific sim would be great - Blenheim, but even better w/Defiant.... then flip side bomb with Wellington and Hampton!!!

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Don't forget the Wild Boar visual intercepts using Bf-109s and Me-262. But, they often were led by searchlights to their targetsl, and often bailed out at the end of mission.

 

Nicky::

I think a Nightfighter sim is kind of the missing link for flightsims.

 

Imagine having a dedicated nightfighter simulator where different marks of AI were modelled, having to train on the early stuff in 1940 in Blenheims before progressing to the Beaufighter and ultimately the Mosquito. Having to learn how to read and interpret the cathode ray tubes, all the interference and ground echoes prevalent in the early models.

Having instructions for an intercept passed up from a GC and then guiding your virtual pilot (you!) in for the kill.

 

Also having the option for the German stuff too, flogging your heavily laden Bf110 up to 20000ft to catch the bomber stream.

 

Now that I would gladly pay for ! Developers take note !

There was one in development, Target For Tonight, RAF bombers and Mossies vs Luftwaffe night fighters, radar, aurora borealis, everything, but it was cancelled a few years back.

 

Old Target For Tonight (T4T) interview now LOST -- website gone ~> http://www.womengamers.com/interviews/t4t.php

 

 

Night operations would involve different gaming challenges than the industry standard dogfight simulation. The Silent Hunter series of sims modelling strategic intercept with long range underwater unguided missiles seems popular with many combat flight sim players, so its not the "type" of gamer, since both sims are enjoyed by the same players, but it is a vastly different type of game. Night air warfare operations with features more deep than "flight model" such as ECM for example, would offer a game with more thinking and planning features like I assume Silent Hunter offers (I never played it).

 

 

[Heck 496]

Great suggestion Heck, and logically it should work.

 

Tried it out, and yes, I get night-fighting Hurri Mk 1s. Sadly, I was up against bomber flights of Ju-87b and Bf109E-4b, with an escort of Bf109E-3, all of which are defined as DAY_ONLY. That was in a single mission, but even so, d/k what's going on there

 

It would seem then, that the only way to get it to work in TK's sims, would be to remove all day only aircraft and build just a nightfighter version, with only the aircraft you want flown at night, because it seems to be hardcoded into single missions at least, that bombers sometimes need escorts. Would it be possible to change the formations ini to show the bomber stream type of formation and the single fighter type of formation used at night? Again, I don't know much about this stuff, or how it works, but it seems there should be a workaround, and perhaps it's the formations ini.

 

Just some random thoughts before the coffee kicks in. And having flown a few night missions in a Lanc, I know what you mean about how beautiful TK's sims can be at night, especially when the tracers are flying somewhere behind you, and you suddenly see a flash, then watch a flamer go down, only to realize it's one of your Lancs as you watch it slam into a riverbank below. These sims can be awesome visually at night...

 

Heck

[+sinbad 27]

Don't forget the Wild Boar visual intercepts using Bf-109s and Me-262. But, they often were led by searchlights to their targetsl, and often bailed out at the end of mission.

 

But is there (or could there be) a searchlight mod for TK sims/ These were especially important in 1915-18.

 

sinbad

[+Veltro2k 6,351]

I'll have to go back and double check, but the RAF did switch the Boulton-Paul Defiant (not currently modded unfortunately) over to strictly night fighter status after a disastrous intercept missions in August, and (IF memory serves...and that's not saying much) I think I do remember a reference stating that they tried an early on board radar with this A-C...

 

 

 

[Bandy 3]

@ Veltro2k,

 

That is great news! And a nice model by all appearances!!! Please keep going with the project, it is a very important addition for the early years.

 

Always wanted to hammer out a Battle of France Campaign. Maybe some year.

 

PS: who were the bandits? I can't read from the screen shot.

Edited September 2, 2009 by B Bandy RFC

[Shaolin 0]

@ Veltro2k,

 

That is great news! And a nice model by all appearances!!! Please keep going with the project, it is a very important addition for the early years.

 

Always wanted to hammer out a Battle of France Campaign. Maybe some year.

 

PS: who were the bandits? I can't read from the screen shot.

 

Vierlingsflak 20mm?

[Ice Man 10]

I have a problem with the Beaufighter Mk.1 NF,I can't switch on the radar.Someone can tell me how can I do?Thanks!

 

Greetings,

Ice Man

Teo

[Wrench 9,893]

does it have one? Cause it didn't when originally released ...

 

have a look in the Tweeks thread above, there should be a whole section on adding the proper avionics

 

wrench

kevin stein

[usafphantom2 19]

I think Stary did a searchlights mod,Look in the D/L section.