Some FMs that needed rework

[+peter01 2]

I'm sure you will like these updates, certainly some are major improvements.

 

All up there are a couple of new FMs, a few major changes, and some minor changes.

 

Have said before that these FMs are just extraordinarily hard to do well, certainly compared to the pre-Expansion game FM style. So these took some time, and maybe some could be better, but it is getting rapidily to the point of diminishing returns - a slight improvement to the FM can literally take days. Some of these did in fact take days to redo.

 

So any major update to these will be a while, if ever, but of course, there could be minor modifications. I'm also redoing the Fokker E1s/E3s, N11, and N16. These are taking some time too, could be a few weeks, and when thats done I'll upload those and everything else including these to the Download Section here at Combat Ace. In the meantime these will be just available on the forum.

 

New FMs: N24, N24bis. Different to N27s. These include loadout.ini's for Le Prieur Rockets to work.

 

Major changes: Halberstadt D3, Roland C2, Albatros D3, Albatros D3 OAW, Fokker Dr1, Camel, Dolphin, Se5a, Spad 7 (150).

 

Minor changes : DFWC5, Fokker D7, Phonix, Spad 13, Albatros D2s (the one in base directory is for TKs model of AlbD2 if you use that, and Borts are included in a subdirectory).

 

Generally the minor changes includes improvements to AI, stalls, takeoff and altitude peformance, and fixes to things like dates, aircraft roles, wheels submerged in ground, aim angles on guns, etc.

 

The Camel FM uses TKs precession parameter. TK doesn't seem to use it for FE or any other game AFAIK, not sure why, cos' it does work, and I think it works quite well.

 

Of course you just place the files in the corresponding Aircraft Folders for each plane.

 

May_2009_Selected_Update_Revised.zip

 

EDIT: Ooops, wrong Camel - its the A-teams - now corrected to TKs 130Hp version.

Edited May 19, 2009 by peter01

[deep 5]

Thank you!

[+peter01 2]

Thank you!

 

Your welcome Deep.

 

BTW, had to revise my update ... wrong Camel!

[don246 65]

Thanks peter01 much appreciated.

[Southside Bucky 1]

Excellent work Peter!

 

Your continuous support for all the third party add-on a/c is what makes this game a cut above IMO!

 

More power to you.

 

Bucky

[PinkPanther 0]

Thanks!

[Bandy 3]

Peter01,

I haven't sat in the DR1 for quite a while, so I'm not sure when you mastered that FM, but it is now SUBLIME! A big thank you!

You've really worked in the finless rudder behaviour and flat turn perfectly; I feel like I can take on 6 SE5a's now

Haven't seen the AI do a flat turn though

 

But a question: ALL my pilots have disappeared, every one of them, German and Allied.

Searching within the ini's revealed that the code is pointing to pilot files that I DO already have in the main aircraft folder, so I'm at a loss to explain.

[djm 0]

I lost all my pilots as well -- have you found a solution?

 

d

[+Tailspin 3]

Hmmm...I've not lost all my pilots but some A/C don't have one. Also I'm not seeing decals/insignia on some planes. Assuming its just some typos in the .ini files.

[+peter01 2]

Not sure why some are losing pilots - I haven't seen this. No idea about decal stuff, but I doubt the FM would effect that.

 

Which planes don't have pilots? Otherwise there is no way I can help.

 

Did I mention that I use gambit's german pilot model for some planes? Some earlier german ones where the model needed to be smaller to fit in the cockpit.

[+Tailspin 3]

Yeah, I saw the WWIGERPILOT call-up in the data ini for the Pfaltz DVIII, which was one without the pilot. Changed it to the newpilot2 or whatever and see what you mean by the pilot being too big. What was the download with gambit's pilots? Since I've rebuilt I don't have my old HDD hooked up...not enough IDE slots in my new MoBo. The Pfalz DIII is one of the top of my head that won't show decals.

[Bandy 3]

Hi,

This is not a complete list, but only from what I remember over the weekend. I do not see pilots in the Camels, DR1, Alb DIII, SE5a, etc. BUT my memory is not serving well (I alternate between OFF and FE all the time, so which mission and AC I was flying in which game is a bit scrambled...).

 

Can't right now, but will edit the ini and go to an old backup and pull the old pilot files out and see if that resolves it.

 

OH, PS Peter01: As mentioned, loving the DR1 and the rudder characteristics, but with more time in her, I noticed that hard rudder also initiates a strong roll unless you use ailerons to compensate. Is this intentional behaviour? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that behaviour is only seen in jets, particularly delta wings. Again, I make no illusions to deep aerodynamic knowledge, so correct me please.

[+peter01 2]

I think gambit's German pilot is in both the PfalzD8 and D12 Tailspin.

 

Wow, Bandy, sounds like a problem. Can't think why, it shouldn't be the FMs I did.

 

To test, just delete one of my FMs for TKs plane, or rename, say the Dr1. It will revert to TKs FM in the "cat" file, and then check to see if the pilot is still missing. If yes, you probably should do a fresh install. If no, let me know.

 

Yes, roll on yaw is common on all planes, as is yaw on roll. Both these affects were strong and very common in WW1 planes, and used, eg, rudder induced rolls and snap rolls. Modern planes are designed to compensate somewhat for these aerodynamic effects, but they would have been defining characteristics of ww1 planes.

 

The Dr1 probably could do flat turns, as documented, maybe a combo of its rudder, short length, small dihedral. But its very likely that it would have required skill, ie, coordinating roll and pitch together with full rudder, which is the case here.

Edited May 26, 2009 by peter01

[Bandy 3]

OK, sorry to be so long getting back, it's just REAL LIFE stuff...

 

I've flown 'Instant Action' in the 3rd wire A/C without modded data ini's and the SPAD and DVII are missing pilots.

 

I went to my solid FE backup and restored the pilot files from there, and STILL no go, no pilots.

 

This is very weird, and glad I'm not the only one, otherwise I'd feel that the gods of flight sims were truly against me.

 

Swapping out a video card and my TIR4 drivers are as buggered as I've ever seen them, and I cannot get the camera to initialize on my OFF partition, though it runs fine on the FE partition... Go figure.

 

I've found the TIR4 drivers to be flakier than the ATI drivers...

[+peter01 2]

Bandy in a clean install of the game, the pilot bmps are in the Aircraft folder. Are yours there?

[+Tailspin 3]

I don't think that matters as I just did a quick test and the game seems to call up the pilots whether the .bmps are in the Aircraft folder or not. Btw there is another pilot in the Objectdata.cat, "wwipilot", that can also be used. Anyway I think I got my pilot situation straightened out. Not having the WWIGERPILOT installed for the Pfalz DVIII was one problem. That model is a bit narrower in the shoulders than the "new" pilot so he works better. The other was the Pfalz DIII and I can't remember exactly how I fixed that.

 

I'm still having trouble with the A-team's planes and decals showing. Can't figure that one out. Has the format changed with the Nov. patch?

[+peter01 2]

Yes it has changed. Can't remember offhand exactly, but you need to specify the files in the Decal file for each plane with problems differently .... ie, "FilenameFormat=xxxxx". See how TK does his. I had to go thru many decal files to fix.

 

Apparently non-standard paths were used at times that were fine previously, but not after Oct/Nov 2008 patch.

[+Tailspin 3]

Ok, thanks. I realized I hadn't any add-on aircraft in my previous install with the Nov. patch so I didn't notice until I added them recently.

[Bandy 3]

Bandy in a clean install of the game, the pilot bmps are in the Aircraft folder. Are yours there?

 

Yep, main Aircraft folder, not individual aircraft folders (that's right, right?). I just haven't had time to trouble shoot like I should be doing.