WOV F-4C and D Upgrade

[mppd 16]

View File

WOV F-4C and D Upgrade

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This package upgrades the visual models for the F-4C and F-4D in Wings over Vietnam with several small details that have been bugging me for a while, and is really intended for the detail nut like me until the Mirage Factory releases a real F-4C/D upgrade. It also upgrades the textures for the basic USAF camouflage which I created some time ago, fixing some errors. The decals.ini for each plane are set up to use my USAF F-4 decals package available here at CombatAce (also due for an overhaul and update), but can easily be replaced by the default version for the F-4C/D if you don't like it. The LORAN F-4D uses the default F-4D decals and markings - so if you installed my LORAN packages don't use the

decals.ini in this.

 

This package adds four new airplanes so as to not over-write your default F-4C or F-4D. It consists of the F-4C block 21 (a typical post-1966 C model), an F-4D block 30 '67-'69 (the basic F-4D used between those years), an F-4D block 30 '69-'75 (the basic F-4D after the four nose ECM bulges were removed and capped off) and an F-4D with the LORAN AN/ARN-92 Chelton "towel rack" fuselage spine antenna.

 

The textures vary in worn appearance from plane to plane as presented here. The '67-'69 F-4D version has upper surface star & bar with no blue outline as as typical of these airplanes when they left St. Louis for the first years of service in Southeast Asia.

 

My minor add-ons include:

Four nose AN/APS-107 ECM antennas on early F-4Ds (not in quite the correct ositions, but probably good enough)

Silver radome tip

Revised under nose RHAW antennas for F-4C and F-4D

Upper fuselage IFF antenna on F-4D behind canopy

Two black under fuselage antennaa (TACAN I think)

Pitot tubes under nose, on left side of nose and inside air intakes

Structural braces in between intakes and fuselage

 

The inboard leading edge flaps work as they are supposed to. I have also added a newer shape for the 370 gallon external wing tank, which I have enclosed. Each data.ini defaults to this. You must know how to use the Weaponeditor to install it. I used the default values from the simulation's default 370 gallon tank in the weapondata.ini:

 

Mike Druzolowski

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• Submitter
  mppd
• Submitted
  07/24/2008
• Category
  F-4 Phantom II

 

[+Muesli 2,158]

Well Mike,

 

I just downloaded and installed it. I'll give it a go and tell

you what I think (I am easily satisfied so don't worry!)

Thanks for the effort!

 

 

Muesli

[+Muesli 2,158]

Played it.....

 

 

WOW!!!

 

kudo's!

[Viper6 3]

Thanks for your time and effort to bring us another great Rhino!

[+Dave 2,322]

Most excellent work Mike.

[mppd 16]

Thanks all you guys. I could have continued tweaking this project for another month, and I wanted to include a reissue of the Phantom tailcodes and serials I'm repairing, but I really wanted to just get it out for some feedback from someone else. The added-on parts seem to have no real effect on framerates on my PC when viewed externally, so this really opens up a world of possibilities for every little bump/lump/antenna on your own favorite airplane in this sim! The simple parts are colored within the program so did not even require a texture mapping routine (just a little trial and error getting the color shades close to what was needed). Any little vents or details that don't look as good on a texture can be created and stuck on to appear sharp in the sim...I'm really enthused about all this.

 

Still just a patch/kludge job from a hacker until you guys release a REAL F-4C/D.

 

Mike

[Vader2 1]

:yu:

Great work again,sir.

Rhinos forever!

[+X RAY 83]

Mike,best as ever!

[Syrinx 13]

Super stuff thanks Mike.

 

Mr. A. Tentiontodetail.

 

ps: sorry if I haven't replied to any emails lately my friend.

[mppd 16]

Thanks again you guys (and gal!). I'm all fired up for the new Mirage Factory RF-4C available just this morning I see!!! Can't wait to check it out after work today.

 

Mike D.

[+76.IAP-Blackbird 3,557]

Same here, your work is great like this details!!! Have to wait until I get home to check this new RF-4C

[Tannethal 2]

Thanks for this work, especially the skin work and the earlier decal work.

Also didn't notice adverse effects framerate wise with the objects.

On my second "lowend" pc a short hickup occurs when zooming from external view close in.

Seems to be conected to the decals being loaded.

Happend to use the big decals of Mythai as templates, had the same effect with his decals.

 

Anyone ever come around a way to resize the fuselage decals and limit it to the areas really needed?

Asking because during the week can only use the lowend PC and wrestle for every frame.

 

However many thanks for your work and your enthusiasm[spell check?].

 

Regards!

 

S!

[mppd 16]

Thanks for the compliments. Now that I've sort of figured out the 3-D stuff, I can try to help someone else out in between my own projects.

 

I'm redoing the original USAF F-4 tailcodes with some corrections and a touch up here and there. Not sure what you meant about making the forward fuselage decals "limited it to the areas really needed" - my railxxx.tga decals were exactly what I needed - from the rear canopy rails all the way forward to include the red nose radome band on 497th TFS F-4Cs at Ubon. Feel free to modify these as you wish. Too bad about the limits to number of decals. I have seen very detailed canopy rail decals (check out the Thunderbird F-4E package available here I think) but then you lose the nose intake details (the colors on these don't fit all that well...). As usual, any add-on package is a compromise and eventually one reaches the point of saying that it's "good enough".

 

There is a thread I've been watching about detailed/accurate add-ons - I can relate to that. I would love absolute accuracy and detail, but often times information is scarce. I should release ALQ-71/87 ECM pods this week - and as with any add-on, I reached the point of saying that it's good enough for the typical distances I view them at. If someone else likes it enough to use it - great. If they are'nt good enough for you, don't download it, and send me some super detailed photos and drawings for something better. I did it for my own use anyway - feel free to use it if you'd like to!

 

Happy flying,

Mike Druz.

[Bananimal 0]

Hey Mike. I'm having problems getting the decals to show on any of the Phantoms. The default Thirdwire F-4C, D as well as the Block 21 - 30 - 30L and Lorans. For some reason I'm getting a squadron code that is small and is at the very top of each tail. No serial number shows up either. This is on all F-4 aircraft. I went back and installed the F-4C and D Upgrade aircraft from scratch and then added the F-4 decals and still the same problem. Any idea what might be causing this?

Edited November 10, 2008 by Bananimal

[Czech6 15]

Hey Mike. I'm having problems getting the decals to show on any of the Phantoms. The default Thirdwire F-4C, D as well as the Block 21 - 30 - 30L and Lorans. For some reason I'm getting a squadron code that is small and is at the very top of each tail. No serial number shows up either. This is on all F-4 aircraft. I went back and installed the F-4C and D Upgrade aircraft from scratch and then added the F-4 decals and still the same problem. Any idea what might be causing this?

 

Bananimal,

 

The F-4C/D Upgrade only included insignia decals. Did you install Mike's two previous tailcode patches: USAF_F_4_Tailcodes and Revised USAF_F_4_Tailcodes? Those small tailcodes are the default TW decals. I had the same problem after a new install patched up to Oct2008. I put Mike's skins in there but forgot to reinstall the tailcode patches from 2007.

[Bananimal 0]

Thanks. I didn't know that. Went back and installed the other packages and all is fine.

[ericjau 0]

hello Mike, i have a little bug with your f-4c upgrade. I try to place it on my wov with oct08 patch, any trouble except in external view, i can only see my weapons, any aircraft. Wat is the trouble?

[mppd 16]

Delete the .LOD file supplied with the mod and use the F-4C/D .LOD files supplied in the simulation after the Patch (copy to correct folders and re-name as necessary). You may need to extract them from the objects .CAT file using the CAT extractor utility available here at the CA forum.

 

These pre-patch .LOD files are not compatible in a post-patch install. (TK fixed the leading edge flap issue on the F-4s with the patch, so the supplied .LODs are no longer necessary).

 

Mike

[+eburger68 201]

Mike:

 

Saw this thread and decided to install this package of Phantoms -- great stuff, really. I did encounter a few issues, though.

 

First, I noticed that the rudders on all aircraft included in the package were not functional -- meaning that they had no effect on the flight performance of the aircraft (though I could see the rudders moving in the external view). Looking through the ControlSurfaces section of the DATA.INI, I noticed that the CldcAlphaTableData and CndcAlphaTableData lines for the rudders and ailerons had line breaks in the middle of the data. You'll need to turn word wrap off in whatever text editor you use to see these line breaks, which occur in the DATA.INIs for every aircraft included in the package. Once I removed the line breaks, the rudders magically became functional. The aircraft also began rolling better.

 

Second, the AttachmentType lines for many of the weapon stations specify either Italy or Brazil, not USAF/NATO, which prevents the usual ordnance from being loaded on those hardpoints.

 

Third, the WeaponStations for the IR-guided missiles use LoadLimits that are low, preventing Sidewinders from being loaded on the Sidewinder stations and AIM-4D Falcons being loaded on the two dedicated Falcon stations.

 

Aside from the above, the aircraft look and perform beautifully. I also went ahead and installed your F-4E-35-MC long gun mod -- no issues whatsover with that one.

 

Best,

 

Eric L. Howes

[ericjau 0]

Many thanks Mike, all works fine now. Thanks for your great job for the wo simulation fan.

 

Have a nice flight.

 

 

Eric

[mppd 16]

Eric,

I just noticed your post - just wanted to thank you for the time you took! The data.ini files were sort of experimental - I was trying to assign certain missiles to an odd country attach point to prevent them from being available in the weps loadout selection menu for certain aircraft types. I'll check the rudder issues - I had not noticed the problem before.

 

All these files need a real overhaul - and combined with the new F-4C/D 3D models that I'm starting to work on with Crab_02, will hopefully be better than ever before.

 

Watch for them soon ....well, two weeks, at least...

 

Mike D.