Intermediate DM 2.2 update available!

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

IMPORTANT: This is a recommended update for all users of IDM 2.1.

 

INSTALLATION: Simply right-click the IDM_2_2.zip file and extract to the OBDSoftware\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields folder. DO NOT unzip the file into the aircraft folder itself! If prompted, simply click "Yes to all" when asked if you wish to replace files.

 

If you later decide to go back to either the normal or hardcore damage models, simply run the appropriate DM program from OBD.

 

Changes in 2.2

 

Added appropriate bdp files for each aircraft. In certain circumstances in previous versions, the bdp files from other DMs were not being deleted, resulting in the failure of the IDM to work correctly. This update takes care of that problem. Also included a file to automatically remove bdp files from other DMs. Click on "deletebdps.bat" to run this program, if needed. BHaH will automatically recreate the bdp files based upon the currently installed DM the next time you fly.

 

To be absolutely safe, please back up your aircraft folder before installing this update. For changes to previous versions, please refer to the IDM_2_2_Readme.txt file, installed to your main CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields folder.

 

Edit: Version 2.2 is available in combatace's 3rd party file and mods release forum here: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=44766

Edited July 23, 2009 by Herr Prop-Wasche

[TSmoke 2]

Being curious but being computer stupid and I am sure I am not alone.

 

Messing with stuff I know little or nothing about amounts to a kid sticking a fork into a wall socket to see what happens.

 

Now if it were possible to have things like this made into a self insatller that install this and would backup our stuff I'm sure alot more would be willing to give it a whirl.

 

Not knocking the effort it takes to do stuff that you do it's just being afraid to mess stuff up. So I guess I'll continue to sit on the fence, damn glad it isn't a picket fence.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Aw, TSmoke, where's your sense of adventure?

 

Seriously, my IDM is really very easy to install. All you have to do is unzip the file to the CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields folder and that's it! The file will automatically install the correct xdp and bdp files into each aircraft folder. Although I mentioned backing up your aircraft folder, it really is not necessary. At worst, all you have to do to restore the original OFF DM is simply to re-run OBD's installer program for either the normal or hardcore DM.

 

If you are nervous about not backing up your aircraft folder, all you have to do to do this is to right-click on the aircraft folder and select "Copy" from the drop-down menu. Then, right-click anywhere on your desktop and select "Paste." This will create an exact duplicate of the aircraft folder contents on your desktop (the paste process may take a minute or two depending on the speed of your computer).

 

Anyone else care to reassure TSmoke that his computer will not blow up if he uses my DM?

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

This is from a recent QC battle where four Spad XIII's eventually got the better of me--and how! This is using a slightly revised version of 2.2 that I am currently working on.

 

[Hasse Wind 46]

You guys keep releasing these DMs too quickly! How can I decide which one to keep using?

 

TSmoke, it's perfectly safe to use these mods. I've been switching between different damage models a lot lately without any problems.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Hasse Wind

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

I can't stop tweaking!! I know I need help...but I've not hit bottom, yet!

 

Is there an organization for tweak-alcoholics? TA stands for something else, I'm afraid. :drinks_drunk:

[Hellshade 110]

That looks amazing PW! Any chance all of those incredible damage effects will be in the final official BHaH Hardcore Damage Model?

 

Hellshade

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

H-

 

Although Pol and OBD have been very helpful with suggestions and file copying (there are over 380 folders in the aircraft folder), I don't have any special access to what OBD is up to regarding the DM.

 

While by no means do I think they neglected the DM, I sometimes fancy that my and Fortiesboy's work on the DM has opened their eyes a bit as to just how much damage detail they can get out of the CFS3 engine. My guess is that the next official OBD DM will include even more damage effects, including some new graphics. Since I can't even draw a straight line, I can't hope to compete with them in that area.

 

I have also heard rumblings of a "dynamic" DM from OBD. My guess here is that they are developing a program that will either load DMs based on date and aircraft type, or a "multiple version" DM which will vary slightly each time you start the game. Either one would be very exciting, IMO.

 

Whatever they decide to do, I will be eager to see what tweaking I might be able to do on it. It's a sickness on my part!

[+Polovski 456]

We appreciate the work done by Herr Prop-Wasche and Fortiesboy. They have had more time to tests specific values in the XDPs. Although to put some perspective on it we have throughout the 5 years of development tried many many settings, including reduced threshold values of the Break parameter, and various values higher and lower of the parts, combined with the gun round types, gun damage values etc.

I know as we have sat and edited entire aircraft xdps 100's of times and tested over and over until our brains hurt (even more than normal ;)).

 

Many things have to be considered to balance up all things; people's shooting skills, (some can get 7 kills at the drop of a hat (ahem Speedski ;)), some can't hit a barn door at 10 paces (no names), some fight in a/c with 1 gun and a tiny amount of ammo (Nieuports), some fight in top craft like the Fokker DVII with 2 guns and 1000 rounds so eat aircraft for lunch, some have effects set low, etc

 

Importantly, these effects are all, already in BH&H, i.e. they are not "new effects". The broken wing is not suddenly appearing on the model because it's new.

The damage value or break point value is reduced in these modifed XDPs so it will appear more often - quicker and easier to see.

 

Every broken wing strut, every shattered wing tip is modelled by the modeller and already there on the craft they made. (Dull job it is too doing all these things that are not often seen).

In the Fokker DVII I modelled the broken wings and wing tips on that craft as above. I showed video of the flapping canvas I added to some in the past too. These bits haven't been added by Chris and Dave but have been allowed to show earlier from reducing values.

 

So in other words these effects are seen by people already - just not as often as these revised lower values in Chris and Dave's modifed XDPs allow.

 

We have gone back to the reduced TVs as we had before, nudged by Chris and Dave's work to have another look, however we must keep the balance and realism and have made some similar changes plus others which gives a more rounded experience we feel plus more effects. This will be in a future update. We are however still trying to keep the kills reasonably realistic - to have our cake and eat it hopefully.

 

P4 will have even more improved effects as we now have time to spend on all the other ideas we have had sitting there waiting for a free moment over the years.

[Hellshade 110]

Pol,

 

That all sounds good to me. I agree that while we all love to see the cool damage effects, it needs to be balanced with realism to keep the flight sims historical integrity. Wings didn't come off and engines didnt explode every time a plane went down. I'm quite confident that you guys will come up with the perfect balance of visual excitement and realistic combat effects to keep us all hooked. I'm just amazed that no matter how much work OBD puts into a certain area of OFF, if they see a way that it can be improved they are always willing to revisit the issue and see how they can make it better. If only all devs had that philosophy.

 

Thanks to PW a FB for taking the time to mess with those values so we can all see the different damage effects. Your work has been most interesting to follow. I'm glad you are tweak-a-holics. :)

 

Hellshade

[+Polovski 456]

Well put Hellshade, a toast to tweak-a-holicism if that's a word lol.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Thanks, guys. I'm sure I also speak for FB when I say that we don't mean to take anything away from OBD. Nor could we. All of the credit for the graphics and the DM goes to them, not to me and FB. THEY were the ones who originally played around with the CFS3 DM files, added many cool graphics, and plugged them into the game. Indeed, it is a tribute to them that despite all of this work that they have resisted the temptation to say, "Hey, look what we can do--ain't it purty?" and waited for the ooohs and ahhhhs from the arcade shooter fans at the expense of a realistic WWI simulation.

 

Their vision has been to make OFF as realistic as possible as a tribute to all who fought and died in the Great War, and they have remained true to that vision, I think. My hat is off to them.

 

Salute!

[Fortiesboy 3]

Thanks, guys. I'm sure I also speak for FB when I say that we don't mean to take anything away from OBD. Nor could we. All of the credit for the graphics and the DM goes to them, not to me and FB. THEY were the ones who originally played around with the CFS3 DM files, added many cool graphics, and plugged them into the game. Indeed, it is a tribute to them that despite all of this work that they have resisted the temptation to say, "Hey, look what we can do--ain't it purty?" and waited for the ooohs and ahhhhs from the arcade shooter fans at the expense of a realistic WWI simulation.

 

Their vision has been to make OFF as realistic as possible as a tribute to all who fought and died in the Great War, and they have remained true to that vision, I think. My hat is off to them.

 

Salute!

 

Yes- I second the above . And I too look forward to the new patch.

 

cheers

[BigJim 0]

Thanks, guys. I'm sure I also speak for FB when I say that we don't mean to take anything away from OBD. Nor could we. All of the credit for the graphics and the DM goes to them, not to me and FB. THEY were the ones who originally played around with the CFS3 DM files, added many cool graphics, and plugged them into the game. Indeed, it is a tribute to them that despite all of this work that they have resisted the temptation to say, "Hey, look what we can do--ain't it purty?" and waited for the ooohs and ahhhhs from the arcade shooter fans at the expense of a realistic WWI simulation.

 

Their vision has been to make OFF as realistic as possible as a tribute to all who fought and died in the Great War, and they have remained true to that vision, I think. My hat is off to them.

 

Salute!

 

Herr Prop

just a note to tell ya that I tried your DM's and both cause my GTX260 to lockup and then drop the video causing me to do a hard boot to reset. I reloaded the original DM and it all works fine, no lockups.

 

not sure what is causing the Nivida card to lockup?

Edited July 25, 2009 by BigJim

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

That's odd, BigJim. Can you give me more details? When does OFF lock up? While loading or during a mission? Also, sometimes you have to go to Workshop and reset your screen resolution using the Graphics Config button after installing the DM.

[BigJim 0]

That's odd, BigJim. Can you give me more details? When does OFF lock up? While loading or during a mission? Also, sometimes you have to go to Workshop and reset your screen resolution using the Graphics Config button after installing the DM.

 

It always happened during the mission, while I was "looking around" with trackiR then I would crash to "safe mode" with a "N4 driver has failed" message

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

I can't think of any reason why my IDM would lock up your computer in the middle of a mission. All I've done is changed the value of some text files. No reason for a driver to lock up.

[BigJim 0]

I can't think of any reason why my IDM would lock up your computer in the middle of a mission. All I've done is changed the value of some text files. No reason for a driver to lock up.

 

I agree with you but it happened? maybe something I did wrong on my machine? and btw the error message was NV4 not N4.

 

I did not reset my rez after the patch either, maybe thats the problem (come to think of it I didn't see much change in damage either)

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Damn, the dog ate my post!

 

Well, what I was trying to say was that I am bumping this thread for some of the newcomers to BHaH, and in particular, the users of HITR.

 

Some of you may not be aware that I released two slightly different alternative damage models (DMs) back when OFF had two optional DMs, the "hardcore" version and the "normal" version.

 

The first DM I created is called the Intermediate Damage Model (IDM) and is up to version 2.2. This model was designed to be a compromise between the hardcore DM, which some users thought to be too hard, and the normal DM, which most agreed was too easy. In the IDM 2.2, every airplane in every squad, friendly or enemy, has roughly the same general damage model (there are individual variations in aircraft types, but the DM is based on the same principles. You can find the link to IDM 2.2 at the top of this thread.

 

The second DM is called the Herr Prop Wasche and Fortiesboy's Variety DM (HPWFB DM)and is at version 1.1 for JSGME users and 1.0 for non-JSGME users. This DM is made up of a combination of slightly different damage models and is designed to give the player a greater variety of damage effects when he or she encounters enemy aircraft. Please see the release thread for more details and for a link to the mod. The release thread for HPWFB can be found here: http://forum.combata...__fromsearch__1

 

Please note that neither of these DM mods has been updated yet to encompass the new planes in HITR. Therefore, planes such as the Fokker EV and the N28 will continue to fly, but will be using whatever DM OBD has created for HITR. In all other respects, both of my DMs are compatible with HITR. I plan to update both IDM 2.2 and HPWFB 1.0 and 1.1 very soon to incorporate the new planes.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Herr Prop-Wasche

[themightysrc 5]

" some can't hit a barn door at 10 paces (no names)"

 

Aw, Pol, thank you for being so discrete! There are times when you really don't want to be name checked, and this is one of them.

 

Oh s**te, that's given the game away...

[carrick58 23]

Being curious but being computer stupid and I am sure I am not alone.

 

Messing with stuff I know little or nothing about amounts to a kid sticking a fork into a wall socket to see what happens.

 

Now if it were possible to have things like this made into a self insatller that install this and would backup our stuff I'm sure alot more would be willing to give it a whirl.

 

Not knocking the effort it takes to do stuff that you do it's just being afraid to mess stuff up. So I guess I'll continue to sit on the fence, damn glad it isn't a picket fence.

 

 

I agree with Tsmoke. It takes all my sense of Adventure just to try and get a skin to the campaign folder

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Don't get put off by the installation instructions! Although it might sound complicated, it really is easy to do. All you have to do is follow these steps:

 

1. Back up the "aircraft" folder by right-clicking on it and copying and pasting it to your desktop or other location where you can find it easily. This may take a few minutes, depending on the speed of your computer.

 

2. Unzip my mod to the OBDSoftware\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields folder. It will automatically replace the xdp files that already exist in the aircraft sub-folders with my modded xdp files.

 

That's it! If you decide to go back to the OBD DM, simply locate the aircraft folder you pasted to your desktop, right-click and select copy, and paste it back over the modified aircraft folder.

 

With HPWFB Variety DM, you can also use JSGME to automatically handle mod installation and backup. Once you set up JSGME, installing and uninstalling ANY mod is extremely easy. If you want to know more about JSGME, just let me know. I will be glad to answer any of your questions.