Squadron Decal Question

[Royohboy 0]

I'm working on a skin for French Skyraiders, i.e. it's one bare-metal skin for which I'd like to use for several different French squadrons. The basic idea of WO* seems to be that you name your squadron-specific insignia (tail-codes, badges, etc) corresponding to the squadron's number in SQUADRONLIST.INI. However, this number would seem to depend heavily on the user's installation. Is there a canonic list of squadrons, or some other way of doing it 'the proper way'? I hope I don't have to split the skin into several just because they differ in the colour of wing-tips and squadron-badges.

 

On a somewhat related note: Does anyone have a photo/drawing/illustration/description of the badge of the French Escadron de marche 2/21 that operated Skyraiders in Madagascar? That would be a diamond-shaped badge as painted onto the cowlings of their Spads.

 

BTW, here are some in-progress shots taken on my graphically challenged laptop:

[+allenjb42 4,234]

Don't know if this is any help

 

http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww3/a/593/21/0

[Wrench 9,855]

Panel lines are WAAAAAAYYYY to dark -- reduce the opacity in the panel lines layer to at least 25% ie: fade them down a LOT!!

 

If you doing the squadron insignia as a DECAL, you can use level 2. But then, if you're using a 'full wing" say, 36 aircraft you'll need to make three decals, and name them to match the 'number' you want them to start on.

ie:

 

Aircraft 1-12 (for decal purposes, 000-011) would have, say a blue square. You'd need to make 12 decals for just that

Aircraft 13-24, (ie: 012-025) would have say, a Green Diamond. You'd need another 12 decals for them.

Aircraft 25-36 (ie: 026-035) .... I think you get the picture

 

You can do the same for the wingtip/tail tip decals...but you'd need a lot them!!! ***

 

In the above, we're treating them like serial numbers or nose arts

 

The other way, is of course, 3 different skin sets, each with the one squadron insigina (Leval 1)

 

To answer your question, you MAY have to spilt into 3 skin subfolder in the AN Spad.

 

I don't think they have anything to do with the squadorn list; at least, I've never treated them that way. Individual skin folders with individual decal sets. It may be more work, but you'll be able to control what shows up on who (whom?) as you want it.

If there's another way to do it...I'm all ears!!!

 

Wrench

kevin stein

 

*** EDIT: I just noted a goof there ... the wingtip/tailtip decals can be set to level 0 or 1, depending on usage. For individual squarons, set to 1

[+littlesmoke 64]

also, if you're building a campaign, just use:

 

StartNumber:13 <-- for green diamond squadron, etc... in the corresponding entry in the campaign_DATA file

[Royohboy 0]

@Allen: Thanks a ton, mate

 

@Wrench and Littlesmoke: So we can't really use level-1-decals the same way as we use level-2 and level-0... bummer!

 

It looks as if it's the one-squadron-one-skin approach then. However, that would make all of level 1 pretty much redundant as you might as well paint anything squadron-specific onto the skin directly. I'll keep on searching for a better solution and will post it here if I find it.

 

Thanks for your input

[Royohboy 0]

I just found out why the squadron-specific decals didn't work the way I wanted...

 

[drumroll]

 

Editing SQUADRONLIST.INI in the FLIGHT folder doesn't help any, because it belongs in PILOTDATA :blush2:

However, adding my French Skyraider squadrons to the right SQUADRONLIST.INI helped, and I can now chose the squadrons I want from the drop-down menu in the loadout-screen or the mission-editor and have the corresponding markings show up on the plane:

 

 

In the above example I assigned three different squadrons to the first three planes, and none to the fourth.

 

The only problem is that the filenames of the squadron-decals have to correspond with the numbers of the squadrons in SQUADRONLIST.INI, i.e. for the green-tipped Spad that is

[Squadron231]
Name=E2-20FAF
DisplayName=Escadron 2/20 'Aures-Nementchas'
Nation=France

 

The decal for the squadron code (20-L) would be SqCode231.tga at level-1 in this example (or SqCode***.tga in general). The fourth digit of the code is the aircraft number (or rather letter) at level-2; Letter001.tga in this case.

 

However, the drawback is that as a skinner you don't know at what number the squadrons used will run if users have to add them to their squadronlist.ini, and hence the numbering of the level-2 decals is not set in stone (as it is at level-0).

 

Wrench's approach of using level-2 for the squadron-stuff has the advantage that you don't reiterate the same aircraft serial numbers over several squadrons, but that each serial number is (can be) unique. However, there would be too many redundant files for my taste.

 

BTW, thanks for the heads-up regarding the panel lines and the rivets

 

So, does anyone think a canonic SQUADRONLIST.INI along the lines of the already canonicized NATIONS.INI would be a good idea? Nations could be allocated slots of so-and-so many squadrons (not neccessarily all the same number), leaving 'blank' squadrons for further / user development. OTOH that thing might turn out monstrous in the ned.

[charlielima 328]

Cool project! are you also going to skin the AD-4Ns of Gabon and Cambodia? No snivel or request from me but I believe they were French airframes that were sold or transfered to them. Are you skinning up for an Algerian campaign? I'm chomping on the bit for a fennec / T-28 Myself.

 

 

 

I wish you good success on your project but I prefer My multi seat ADs blue, grey or or SEA camo.

 

 

 

:ph34r: CL

[Royohboy 0]

are you also going to skin the AD-4Ns of Gabon and Cambodia?

 

The Gabon ones most certainly - They are basically eight ex-French Skyraiders that had some trimming added and the insignia changed.

 

BTW, I'm done safe for the trim colour for Escadron 3/20 "Oranie", and the squadron badge of Escadron d'appui aerien 1/21. Does anyone know if the latter is perhaps a smaller version of Escadron 1/20's Tiger badge (upper left of the pics below) ?

 

[charlielima 328]

Bitchin! No Skyraider left behind.

Do you have suitable pilots too?

 

 

 

:ph34r: CL

[Syrinx 13]

Very nice!

 

Always nice to see the old workhorses in later life.

 

Looking forward to trying them.

 

Personally I tend to stick with the Razbam Skyraiders. Maybe a French\Gabon skin later ?

 

Keep up the good work

[charlielima 328]

Hey Nicki. I think the Razbam SPAD package has the Gabon Merc AD-4 in it. An A-1D? Decal work is probably the same as the other Razbam birds. Most likely like most folks, I just loaded up with what I needed. AD-6 and AD-7s. Some day I'll ping on WhiteKnight for a desert camo Dhimari A-1 / AD skin. I think he only does fast movers tho. I haven't seen him post on a SPAD thread.

 

 

 

:ph34r: CL

Edited July 29, 2008 by charlielima

[Syrinx 13]

Hey Charlie,

 

I have all Razbam's Spad's but I actually don't think Ive flown the A1-D !

 

I'll take a look-see, thanks.

 

I have tended to stick with my favourites, the A1-E & H.

 

Yes, they're there. Silly me, I'm a blind bat.

[charlielima 328]

I just loaded the Razbam A-1D and took a gaggle of them for a hop. The skins are French, Gabon, and Chad. Decals are single plane only. Someone whiley with decals could really fill a gap here. The planes I believe are right on. AD-4Ns. 2 little doors on the sides instead of spoilers for the GIB, Flying AT, or what. I guess if the pilot wants more air brakes he can have the radar operator push the doors open.

 

 

 

I kinda dig the one in the back with the bluish trim. :ph34r: CL

Edited August 2, 2008 by charlielima

[Syrinx 13]

The planes I believe are right on. AD-4Ns. 2 little doors on the sides instead of spoilers for the GIB, Flying AT, or what. I guess if the pilot wants more air brakes he can have the radar operator push the doors open.

 

 

Probably used the space to carry beer crates, or knowing the French...onions !

[Royohboy 0]

Probably used the space to carry beer crates, or knowing the French...onions !

They often carried mechanics and spares to forward bases AFAIR, and apart from that an empty space with neither radar equipment nor an airbrake mechanism meant saved weight, and thus more payload.

 

Having seen a photo of what that compartment looked like I'd say it would have made for perfect onion storage, though

[charlielima 328]

Good thing Our Ad-4ns went to the French then. All the other usual suspects would of had goats and chickens in there as well. Could you imagine the havoc that would of been in the greenhouse of an AD-5 / A-1E? Going thru a link I saw a pic of a French AD with 3 drop tanks. Perhaps one or to of the tanks could of been an onion pod or served to haul other groceries. Hey Roy I notice your plane has a square window. Your' not using the Razbam bird? It's worth the price. You get French AD-4Ns, US Navy and Marine AD-4s and AD-4Ns, US Navy Spads, US Airforce Sandys / Zorros, and Republic of Vietnam A-1s. And you get a way workable cockpit with radar screen. I hate the compass tho. And the best part of all is the sarcastic, cynical, irreverent responses from functional mental patients who also bought a jet flight simulator to drive a piston engine prop plane. Could you ask for better web buddies?

 

:ph34r: CL

Edited August 3, 2008 by charlielima

[Royohboy 0]

Hey Roy I notice your plane has a square window. Your' not using the Razbam bird?

Nope, I used MontyCZ's bird that Wrench INI-modded to an AD4N and which is freely available in the download section.

Is the Razbam-bird that much better?

[charlielima 328]

I liked the Monty CZ SPAD alot but the incomplete cockpit was annoying. I only bought the Razbam bird for the Pit and the USN Birds.

I thought the decaling of the Razbam birds was unsatisfactory but our skinners here made skins and decal fix paks before any of us whined about it.

I think I found my must have for a French Skyraider Snivel from The Jacques Borne collection @: http://skyraider.org/skyassn/otherpics/borne/5d.jpg

 

 

Check out that drop tank skin!

 

:ph34r: CL

 

Just saw your 3 skin packages on the new files group. Downloading now. Way to fill a way to much neglected subject.

Edited August 4, 2008 by charlielima