1918 markings change?

[+quack74]

I would like to try to change the stock 1918 markings. They are correct for the end of the war, but dont work historically for the April 1918 change to fat black crosses with thick white outlines. Many photos of 1918 planes have the fatter markings. I've created some skins in the download section that have these markings. My point to this post is I was wondering if I am able to change the stock 1918 markings to the fat April 1918. Could I paste it over the 1918 file? Or even create a third marking to be used in missions that start in April 1918 . The new marking will appear at this date. Just like planes appear at certain dates in the game.

Just thought this would be a cool task to undertake. If it's possible of course. What do you guys think?

Edited October 21, 2008 by quack74

[+p10ppy]

have a look here

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=23338&hl=

and here

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=23296&hl=

 

have fun :yes:

[+quack74]

have a look here

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=23338&hl=

and here

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=23296&hl=

 

have fun :yes:

 

 

Thats exactly what I've been looking for! I thought I was the only one Obsessing over this.

Very cool. Thanks p10ppy.

Edited October 21, 2008 by quack74

[+quack74]

Thats exactly what I've been looking for! I thought I was the only one Obsessing over this.

Very cool. Thanks p10ppy.

 

 

Problem! I've removed the stock 1918 crosses in /objects ( using SFp1e to extract the decal files) and replaced them w new fatter ones (historically correct for early 1918). I did save the originals just in case. But in game the thinner stock markings still appear. How is that possible if I removed them?

TAIL004, FUSE004, and INSIGNIA004 is what I changed. Do the decals have to be change for each aircraft individually? If thats the case I'll just keep making my own skins. Probably faster.

[+p10ppy]

yeah sorry looking back at that post it is a bit obscure

 

a brief overview

In the NATIONS.INI file countries are designated by number

 

Germany (default) is [Nation004] = Balkenkruez

and GERMANY_OLD is [Nation019] = Iron Cross

 

GERMANY_OLD is a subset of Germany and the only thing this really changes (I think) is the nation decals (DecalLevel=1)

 

in the NATIONS.INI under

[Nation004]

Name=GERMANY

---snip

ActiveDate=03/20/1918

AlternateDecal=GERMANY_OLD

 

this is the date that the [Nation004] decals become active and the decals to use before that ([Nation019])

 

I didn't find a way (and I didn't try all that hard) to have three decal sets for a country i.e Iron Cross, Transitional cross, Balkenkruez

 

so you really need to replace one or the other with the Transitional cross...

hope that's clearer

 

To actually do this

I don't "think" its possible to delete a file from the XX.Cat files

nor is it necessary, it just a matter of finding the correct place/folder to stick the override files

 

In the case of the nation decals its straight in the \Objects\Aircraft folder (not in specific aircraft folder)

 

And you will deed to rename them to the nation you have decided to replace (FUSE019.tga or FUSE004.tga for example)

 

and that should do it

 

as an aside I always paint as much of the aircraft as I can on to the skin, this so far has always included the national insignia

paint schemes are not shared often between country's anyway

 

This particular case (changing decals at a certain date) is a good reason to use the decal system for the national insignia I guess

 

but in most other cases skin painting can look better than a generic decal IMHO

 

hope that helps :yes:

[+quack74]

yeah sorry looking back at that post it is a bit obscure

 

a brief overview

In the NATIONS.INI file countries are designated by number

 

Germany (default) is [Nation004] = Balkenkruez

and GERMANY_OLD is [Nation019] = Iron Cross

 

GERMANY_OLD is a subset of Germany and the only thing this really changes (I think) is the nation decals (DecalLevel=1)

 

in the NATIONS.INI under

[Nation004]

Name=GERMANY

---snip

ActiveDate=03/20/1918

AlternateDecal=GERMANY_OLD

 

this is the date that the [Nation004] decals become active and the decals to use before that ([Nation019])

 

I didn't find a way (and I didn't try all that hard) to have three decal sets for a country i.e Iron Cross, Transitional cross, Balkenkruez

 

so you really need to replace one or the other with the Transitional cross...

hope that's clearer

 

To actually do this

I don't "think" its possible to delete a file from the XX.Cat files

nor is it necessary, it just a matter of finding the correct place/folder to stick the override files

 

In the case of the nation decals its straight in the \Objects\Aircraft folder (not in specific aircraft folder)

 

And you will deed to rename them to the nation you have decided to replace (FUSE019.tga or FUSE004.tga for example)

 

and that should do it

 

as an aside I always paint as much of the aircraft as I can on to the skin, this so far has always included the national insignia

paint schemes are not shared often between country's anyway

 

This particular case (changing decals at a certain date) is a good reason to use the decal system for the national insignia I guess

 

but in most other cases skin painting can look better than a generic decal IMHO

 

hope that helps :yes:

 

 

It does. I'll defenitely try it soon. I didnt know about the Nations.INI.

Im doing some more skins now. For now I'll make my own markings. But Thanks again

Good info. Would be cool to have three national markings from 1917 to end of 1918.

[+quack74]

I did try to change the stock 1918 german markings with my own, but in missions they still show up. Maybe they cant be overwriten. Where is the Nations ini. file located exactly???? I cant find the data for decal dates and such. I checked those two links in the previous post but didnt quite undrstand where to find the Nations INI. to edit them. can anyone be more specific por favor

[gumpy]

Nations INI. is in Flight folder in the Mission Data.cat

[+quack74]

Ah Ha!

i'll try it tomorrow. Thks

[+quack74]

Ah Ha!

i'll try it tomorrow. Thks

 

 

I,ve tried almost everything. I cant get the game to recognize the new german markings that I made. I installed my new markings in the OBJECTS folder under Fuse020, Insignia020,and Tail020.

 

I've created a new line in the Nations INI. in the Flight folder.

I copied [Nations004] and changed to [Nations020]

I changed the name from Imperial German Air Services to to March German Air Services

and removed the StartDate just to see if the new markings would appear at all

 

The new name appears in the single mission screen when selecting the nation (March German Air Services). but in game no markings appear at all on German planes. So I couldnt create a new nation in the NationsINI. file

 

Is it that this aspect of the game can't be edited? Is it locked?

[+p10ppy]

well i've never actually added a whole nation...

 

but the decals need to go in the object/aircraft/ folder (but not in a specific aircraft folder)

 

And tho i'm pretty sure you can add nations no worries... it will probably need more than just the nations.ini file modded

 

and it wont work in the campaigns (unless you edit the campaign of course)

 

hope that helps

[+p10ppy]

Ok you resparked the interest in me :yes:

 

And with a bit of fiddling I got the 3 nation cascading date change working (either TK fixed it with the last patch, or most likely I stuffed up last time)

 

this means that the German insignia can change 3 (probably unlimited now) times seamlessly by date with no effect on anything apart form the decals

 

included in the zip is a modded nations.ini which goes in your flight folder (backup your nations.ini first)

and 2 new sets of decals for Nation019 and Nation020 which go in the object/aircraft folder

the Nation020 decals are redone versions of the stock Nation019 decals,

you could extract the stock Nation019 decals instead and use the if you like them better, you would need to rename them to XXXX020.tga though

the new Nation019 decals are modify version of the transitional decal i posted in the old thread...

 

transition dates are (flavour to suit... should be obvious where to change the dates in the ini...)

before 03/18/1918 (iron cross)

03/18/1918 to 06/09/1918 (transitional)

after 06/10/1918 (Balkenkruez)

 

have fun :)

new_insig.rar

[+quack74]

Ok you resparked the interest in me :yes:

 

And with a bit of fiddling I got the 3 nation cascading date change working (either TK fixed it with the last patch, or most likely I stuffed up last time)

 

this means that the German insignia can change 3 (probably unlimited now) times seamlessly by date with no effect on anything apart form the decals

 

included in the zip is a modded nations.ini which goes in your flight folder (backup your nations.ini first)

and 2 new sets of decals for Nation019 and Nation020 which go in the object/aircraft folder

the Nation020 decals are redone versions of the stock Nation019 decals,

you could extract the stock Nation019 decals instead and use the if you like them better, you would need to rename them to XXXX020.tga though

the new Nation019 decals are modify version of the transitional decal i posted in the old thread...

 

transition dates are (flavour to suit... should be obvious where to change the dates in the ini...)

before 03/18/1918 (iron cross)

03/18/1918 to 06/09/1918 (transitional)

after 06/10/1918 (Balkenkruez)

 

have fun :)

new_insig.rar

 

Everything you did there is what I tried. But I made Nation020 the new Balkinkreuz. I changed the dates like you did. Obviously in the order of my markings and coulnt get it to work. I couldnt overwrite any existing markings( thats why I made [020] the new marking]. I hope this works! Will be very cool if it does. Thanks again for putting your time into this

[+quack74]

Everything you did there is what I tried. But I made Nation020 the new Balkinkreuz. I changed the dates like you did. Obviously in the order of my markings and coulnt get it to work. I couldnt overwrite any existing markings( thats why I made [020] the new marking]. I hope this works! Will be very cool if it does. Thanks again for putting your time into this

 

 

Well I tried it your way and my way one more time. No Go :close_tema:

Still in a mission that starts around 4/1918 (wich is what we've changed to Balkinkreuz markings) still appears as the GERMANY_OLD markings. I dont get it! This really can't be that hard can it?

[+p10ppy]

hmmm, thats strange ...

 

just to be clear the zip i just posted contains no new selectable countries

 

it contains Nation004 (GERMANY)

its the default where the "other" germanys get their info from

its important to do it in this order (i think) with the lower numbered nations being the later dated nations(in this case the 004 is the Balkenkruez)

nation019 is the transitional cross (next most "modern")

nation020 is the Iron cross, the oldest

 

the game looks at the nations in the ini and if the mission/campaign includes germany and the date is before ActiveDate=06/10/1918 it goes to AlternateDecal=GERMANY_TRAN (nation019)

 

when it finds GERMANY_TRAN it looks at the date and if it is before ActiveDate=03/18/1918 it goes to AlternateDecal=GERMANY_OLD (nation020) effectively the decal default

 

I guess check the folders where you have put stuff, Nations.ini in FLIGHT and the decalXXX.tga in OBJECTS/AIRCRAFT

and make sure you test with a stock aircraft (i used the Dr.1) some 3rd party stuff does not use the nation level decal

and check your mission dates...

and one other thing which i just thought of...

I'm using a fully patched version of FE + Addon only...

and I couldn't get this to work before the last patch... (the 3rd decal change) so that might be the problem...

 

failing all that, one of our installs is borked I guess....

[Southside Bucky]

Hey Quack!

 

It seems that TK might've noticed this thread...The new October 08 patch seems to have the Dr.I's March '18, stubby cross included!

[+Tailspin]

Yep. I noticed that on all the late DVIIs too.