First Eagles ScreenshotsThread

[Blade 341]

I-15 in Soviet colors.

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

Very nice! Will you upload the skins to the download section?

[Blade 341]

On 10/12/2019 at 7:00 PM, Stephen1918 said:

Very nice! Will you upload the skins to the download section?

Thank you. File uploaded, pending approval.

And something completely different: USAS S.E.5a
The 25th AS was the only American fighter squadron equipped with the S.E.5a. They did not see much combat, as the squadron flew only two uneventful patrol missions before the hostilities ended.

[loborojo 213]

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

Nice skin. Are you planning to upload it?

[Eugene2 327]

Work in progress. Some "near completed" skins for FE1/FE2. The first one  is WIP skin for Avia B-534 as Hawker Fury of SCW time. I hope there will be official release of B-534 soon.

[JacksonM 74]

On 12.10.2019 at 2:36 AM, Blade said:

I-15 in Soviet colors.

Thank you so much for this skin, sir! Good job, I appreciate))

And, by the way, your new skin's for S.E.5a quality is great!

Prosto velikolepno! (rus. Just magnificently! )

 

Thanks again.

Edited October 17, 2019 by JacksonM
Added smth new

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

On 10/16/2019 at 7:16 PM, Eugene2 said:

Work in progress. Some "near completed" skins for FE1/FE2...

I enjoy your skins Eugene2. I'm looking forward to these.

[+gterl 1,204]

[+Coupi 4,379]

From my new specific SCW install... 

[+Coupi 4,379]

Emergency landing... 

[+gterl 1,204]

[+VonS 1,424]

Had some free time to try out gTerl's latest ver. 2.1 of the Caporetto terrain on the Mac and this map is great. This time I booted into the Mac side of the Mac Pro (2013) so the pics. below are from FE2 in WineSkin. Some things to tinker with for those running FE2 in WineSkin on a beefier computer - freely increase the resolution from 1600 x 900 to 1920 x1080 in the options. ini file as I did, force DX9 on (with the "True" command) - since WineSkin doesn't like DX10 for some reason - and force v-sync off. Average fps are around 50-60, not bad considering that the Mac side doesn't even take advantage of video crossover so I was only using 6 GB of vid-ram on a single FirePro card, plus I'm running it in the WineSkin wrapper too. Obviously it's better on the Windows side but I think it looks fine even at medium graphics settings as in the pics. below, and it's easier to set up left/right stereo sound on the Mac side for further immersion.

Von S 

 

Nothing worse than seeing your flight mate going down in a fireball (I was flying the E.III here since the E.II, my favorite, is not available historically in the Italian theater)

Managed to get a pesky Bullet even though the E.III is slower

The Bullet's pilot eventually bailed out, with no parachute, once it turned into a fireball

Managed to put another fellow into a stalling flat spin but didn't bother to strafe him

gTerl's 'dromes are worthy of some nice sight-seeing

Note to self, do not admire enemy airfields in FE2 in the future (two Nieup. 12 were coming in for a landing apparently, or had snuck up somehow)

I prefer getting two-seaters from below, just in case the observer is a good shot

He glided off and eventually made a fairly smooth landing

Didn't bother tangling with the other Nieup. 12 but got out of there as soon as possible, to admire more of the scenery

NOTE: some of the trees in the pics. are from Geezer's enhancement pack for the Italian terrains, available under the New Aircraft thread (can't remember the page now) - also used is the higher quality flightengine.ini file from my FM update pack, still giving decent frame rates if the graphics settings are kept at medium, in WineSkin.

Edited November 9, 2019 by VonS
Added some info. in note after the pics.

[+VonS 1,424]

Been tinkering some more with the environsys files for FE2, also for WW2 and Cold War installs in SF2 - will eventually include this with a ver. 10.0 of the FE2 FM update pack. Have now gotten a more subtle blue color for noon and afternoon skies in FE2, and a slightly more subtle horizon color (always thought the default blue was a little too saturated). Will also tinker further with explosion effects for observation balloons soon...ideally I'd like to get an effect between the one included around ver. 9.0 of my FM pack, and the very small effect included around ver. 9.5. Notice also the nice spiral that the downed Mosca MB-bis is making in one of the pics. - that's one of the many things I love about FE2 - destroyed aircraft follow the physics of flight - no scripted crashes in FE2/SF2 that use only a limited number of patterns. There was also a Spad A.2 that went into a flat spin after being flamed but I didn't have time to take a pic. in the excitement of the battle.

Happy flying,

Von S 

P.S. These pics are with dx10 on (from the BootCamp side of the Mac).

 

[+VonS 1,424]

Well, flying in FE2 always brings the modding addiction out in me so I'm currently working on a mini, ver. 9.9 update of the FM pack before I tinker with my early WW2 install for SF2. Included will be the atmospherics tweaks posted above (as well as some subtle changes to clouds), also some more subtle changes to balloon explosions, for consistency, and lockout speeds will be included for control surfaces on the following early aircraft (Caudron, Taube, Longhorn, Shorthorn, HF.20, HF.20u, Pfalz E.I, MS type G 25/45/60hp, MS type H, MS L early one-seater, MS L early two-seater, Pfalz E.II, Pfalz E.III, MS type N, Fokk. E.Ia (Parabellum), Fokk. E.II (Spandau), Fokk. E.IIa (Parabellum), MS L late one-seater, MS L late two-seater). Will also include some tweaks to the AI for the Pfalz Parasol since it sometimes tries to climb too quickly, and aileron and rudder sensitivity have been further reduced on the Alb. D.II Oeffag. Should be enough for a mini-update. FM tweaks for the Snipe and some two-seaters that I've never touched on CombatAce will follow later in a bigger ver. 10.0 update.

Von S 

 

Improved atmospherics

Improved mesh numbers and other entries in the flightengine.ini (will provide a mid-range and higher-end flightengine.ini) - these tweaks are particularly good for sightseeing and expansive vistas

More tinkering with balloon explosions

Let's not forget the observer with parachute tweak for immersion

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

On 12/6/2019 at 12:12 AM, VonS said:

 

...

Let's not forget the observer with parachute tweak for immersion

Will the parachute be included in your update?

[+VonS 1,424]

4 hours ago, Stephen1918 said:

Will the parachute be included in your update?

Yes, the two parachutes (white and green) from the old EzMoneeStevens package available here on CombatAce are located deep inside my ver. 9.7 FM pack (somewhere in the 9.5 folders) - but I will simplify the ver. 9.9 update, updating everything to ver. 9.7 in a separate folder, and will dig the parachute files out and include them in the ver. 9.9 folder, for simplicity.

Have further simplified some things so that the balloon explosion file will be an update only to the ini file that includes the parachute, since observation balloon occupants were using parachutes consistently since the summer of 1915 already, perhaps even earlier irregularly. The different environsys ini files with different cloud patterns and heights will now all be tweaks of the variant that includes very light wind with occasional light gusts - this is the most realistic variant for FE/FE2 since it provides for subtle (realistic) cloud movement, and on occasion gives dynamic smoke/fire effects.

Owing to the way wind/environment is modelled in FE2 - the moderate and strong wind variants do not look as realistic as light wind with occasional gusts. (I will however leave the old variants of the environsys files in place, in the ver. 9.7 folder of the FM pack - for those who like to rummage through the older files.) Currently tweaking the data ini further for the Pfalz Parasol, in dogfights with the MS type N (yes, technically the Bullet was not available in the Italian front but I like to dismantle it and carry it to most early war fronts in FE2 anyway ).

 

Von S 

 

[+VonS 1,424]

Further tweaks (and tips) under way...was enjoying a dogfight with a pesky Pfalz Parasol when his own Austrian aa took him down in front of my nose (great variety of outcomes in FE2 that always pleases me).

In the other pic, some results of further tweaks to the AI and stall/lift values for the Pfalz Parasol (and more broadly the entire Parasol line). The Parasol will now sometimes go nose up and into a flat drop if the pilot is killed or jumps out after suffering damage in certain positions, while in other cases the standard nose-down spiral is seen. One Pfalz E.III even went onto its back while stalling/dropping - very pleasing (was reminded in that moment of Cecil Lewis' comment that only a lunatic would try to loop the Parasol).

Have also slightly reduced back-stick pressure necessary to keep the Parasols level (about 10% now on the two-seaters and 5% on the one-seaters). Further reduced are their climb rates although they still "hang well" and will bite if you're not careful. The AI on the Pfalz Parasol is I think now more reasonable, avoiding tight turns if possible and willing to do wider circles before charging back into the fight.

Third pic displays fps info. after I patched up the FE2 exe using what's known as the "4GB Patch" (available at this link: https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371). I have a feeling that while the SF2 exe has probably been "patched" by TK to allow access of more than 2GB (virtual?) memory - this may not have been done with the FE2 exe (can't remember now but I think FE2 is a 32-bit exe while SF2 is already 64-bit and probably won't benefit from this patch).

Anyway, might be a placebo effect but I'm now seeing fps ceilings that hit the 300 mark and higher - whereas before the patch ceilings were around 150 or so, on the BootCamp side of the Mac Pro.

If you are interested in doing the patch experiment, I recommend making a backup first of your unpatched FE2 exe (I've encountered no problems so far running the patched version). Might be worth a try with SF2 too.

Happy flying,

Von S 

 

Edited December 20, 2019 by VonS
Added info.

[loborojo 213]

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

Nice skin! Is that a three color camo, or are my eyes playing tricks? What terrain is that?

[loborojo 213]

terrain is a scw mod for a-team

[loborojo 213]

[+VonS 1,424]

More testing of the ver. 9.9 FM update pack...FE2 always delivers with tight, white-knuckle dogfights, and with the 4GB patch applied to the FE2 exe, I think I'm getting even smoother fps and better viewing distances. Representative pics. below - a rare encounter with some single-bay Fokker D.II (B.II) variants used by Austria, Sept. 1916. (Have now removed armor from the pilot and nose area on the B.II, for more realistic damage chances - didn't spot that before today's flights.)

Von S 

 

Looks like something out of the books.

Enjoying the better mesh views.

Let's go up higher and admire the maps.

Time for some higher-alt. action.

Managed to put a few shots into this fellow. He then went into a spin and never recovered (great variety of AI response).

Had part of a wing knocked off by this other fellow who came too close - but I still had some flying surfaces left for another try (didn't end successfully).

[Sky High 166]

The game is at least as good-looking as Rise of Flight at this moment and that's not taking into account any of many other facets in which it excels. Visuals, sounds, AI, FM's, DM's, variety, compatibility with controllers and TrackIR, in all these it is top-notch. For all this, we mere players owe thanks to TK and all you modders.

[+VonS 1,424]

18 hours ago, Sky High said:

...Visuals, sounds, AI, FM's, DM's, variety, compatibility with controllers and TrackIR, in all these it is top-notch....

Yes indeed, the TW sims have some of the best views in the business (padlock, hat switches, panoramic views, etc.) - I'm always impressed by the precision of the padlock view in dogfights in both FE2 and also in the high-speed prop aircraft in my 40s/50s SF2 installs - a great sense of immersion and neck craning to see your opponent. ROF and WOFF/WOTR also have good view systems but the views/toggling only feels fully organic (and the most precise) to me in the TW sims.

Also picked up IL2-1946 for two dollars recently on Steam, largely as a novelty, and while the graphics look acceptable for a mid-2000s sim (with the "vp modpack" installed) - the padlock view leaves something to be desired and is often hit-or-miss, while toggling between cockpit and external aircraft-to-target view during dogfights really breaks immersion in that sim.

Obligatory FE2 screenies below.

Von S