FE2 preview shots!

[Gr.Viper 131]

http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7245

Nothing that new, but still

[JediMaster 451]

Still no ETA?

[+Tailspin 3]

Last I saw TK mention was late 2010?

 

...never mind. That was for the next EP.

Edited December 31, 2009 by Tailspin

[+whiteknight06604 932]

while I am looking forward to the new release I can't help but think it will be lots of work updating the horde of older aircraft and addons to the newer standard.

[Bandy 3]

LOL!!! I love quack74's comment...

 

Well, those screenies could have been taken in 2006.

I know there is likely more under the hood, but FE runs just fine on win7 x64 for me, so I ain't spending another dime until some of the environmental atmospheric issues get dealt with.

[+quack74 329]

LOL!!! I love quack74's comment...

 

Well, those screenies could have been taken in 2006.

I know there is likely more under the hood, but FE runs just fine on win7 x64 for me, so I ain't spending another dime until some of the environmental atmospheric issues get dealt with.

I agree with you 100% on that. From those pics what's different?

[+Tailspin 3]

Well, for one thing this is a Vista update so "normal" users can buy and run the game without having to extract and edit files. For another the SF2 series' got updated, more historically correct cockpits for various "marks" of aircraft. That was an unannounced bonus. We'll have to wait and see if there are any extra goodies in the FE2. Since I run XP and money is tight right now I won't be buying anyway. AND I do agree 100% about the CRAPPY looking horizon in FE. That issue was definately a huge step backwards introduced in the EP. I am still unclear what benefit was gained by changing it. If a couple of mods can nearly fix it by editing a few .ini lines, then it would stand to reason that TK can fix it for good if he is so inclined. Meanwhile FE plays second fiddle in most every respect. Hell, even a nearly DEFUNCT, completely outdated relic (EAW) gets more forum space. Of course traffic here is dead and stinkin'...but still. As long as we've been here its an insult...at least it is to me. Happy EFF'in New Year!!

[+quack74 329]

Well, for one thing this is a Vista update so "normal" users can buy and run the game without having to extract and edit files. For another the SF2 series' got updated, more historically correct cockpits for various "marks" of aircraft. That was an unannounced bonus. We'll have to wait and see if there are any extra goodies in the FE2. Since I run XP and money is tight right now I won't be buying anyway. AND I do agree 100% about the CRAPPY looking horizon in FE. That issue was definately a huge step backwards introduced in the EP. I am still unclear what benefit was gained by changing it. If a couple of mods can nearly fix it by editing a few .ini lines, then it would stand to reason that TK can fix it for good if he is so inclined. Meanwhile FE plays second fiddle in most every respect. Hell, even a nearly DEFUNCT, completely outdated relic (EAW) gets more forum space. Of course traffic here is dead and stinkin'...but still. As long as we've been here its an insult...at least it is to me. Happy EFF'in New Year!!

 

If there are any goodies with FE2, then those of us that dont need to buy FE2( because our install works just fine with XP) wont ever get to see or use them. Does that mean we'll have to buy the same game over again just for some updates? Doesnt make much sense to me. All this stuff should just have been in another expansion pack for all to enjoy. This is getting too confusing. What the heck is FE2? and what is going to be the next ExPack? Will the next ExPack be for FE1 or FE2. Or will it be compatable with both? Will people with FE1 be able to mod along side people with FE2? Questions, questions, and more questions. I'm I being Bitchy or what!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bandy 3]

...Hell, even a nearly DEFUNCT, completely outdated relic (EAW) gets more forum space. Of course traffic here is dead and stinkin'...but still. As long as we've been here its an insult...at least it is to me. Happy EFF'in New Year!!

 

Wow! I hear you. Remember when FE was first relegated to a spot within the SF forums? What was that all about? Things have been stagnating a bit of late, but this forum has seen some pretty fast paced activity and will again.

[+whiteknight06604 932]

as far as I can tell the next expansion pack will be for FE2.the game will be tweeked to allow it to be modded along the lines of SF@,while alot of the content is the same as FE1 FE2 takes the game forward the same way that SF2 is the future of that series.I'm not entierly thrilled at shelling out money for a game thats seems to be 80-90% something I already own but in the end I will because thats the way the game is being developed.The differences between SF1 and SF2 are great under the hood and I expect that that will be the case with FE2.it's like buying a car you can get the same basic car that gets the job done or you can get the next level up that looks generaly the same but has a few upgrades,to me(others can and will disagree)the cost of buying the upgrade is wotrth it to me rather than spending years with a car with manual windows and such.the modding of the newer series is much easier and streamlined and most of the items made for the older series will be transferable with some simple work.Part of me wishes TK had used his limeted resources making a few expansions for FE1 rather than go down this rout but as I am switching from SF! to SF2 I'm seeing much more than a few simple grafics changes.heres hoping that there will be more added to FE2 and that the expansion pack for it fills in some holes.

[+sinbad 27]

Wow! I hear you. Remember when FE was first relegated to a spot within the SF forums? What was that all about? Things have been stagnating a bit of late, but this forum has seen some pretty fast paced activity and will again.

 

 

Correct.

 

Aircraft development, (and programming) if done properly, takes time.

 

Stay tuned.

[+whiteknight06604 932]

@sinbad I always love to hear that.

[Bandy 3]

Not meaning to be redundant, but if it wasn't perfectly clear already...

First Eagles 2 is just a Vista/Win7 (DX10/11) version of the First Eagles, its based on Strike Fighters 2 code, nothing new will be inlcuded. It'll be out *soon* I hope (trust me, we want this out as much as you do ;) ). If you don't have Vista/Win7, there should be no or little reasons to pick this up. Expansion packs are where you'll see new planes and maps, and next one is probably later next year.

No, [First Eagles 2] doesn't add anything new, so if you already got it working in Vista/Windows7 and you don't want to spend $20, you do not need to purchase this.

 

Just in case anyone missed TK's pretty explicit comment HERE. Reading b/t the line maybe, but me thinks he doesn't anticipate much interest, so why go the extra mile. OFF3, now with new improved HitR , and perhaps ROF??? probably have really impacted FE sales... Sometimes a good idea has its time, but I'm really liking the ability to make a choice of what flavour to fly now. But then again, maybe we'll be surprised like Tailspin pointed out...

 

EDIT: So those screen shots WERE taken in 2006!!!

Edited January 2, 2010 by Bandy

[+quack74 329]

I know FE isnt a top priority for ThirdWire. But there seems to be a big demand for WWI sims these days. There is a lot of traffic over at OFF and ROF forums to prove this. FE was a big contender and still could be. Unlike the other sims, FE is endless. One can make FE the way they want it with its endless modabilty. Thats one reason I like it so much. The aircraft models are incredible with all their detail. If TK wasnt into FE anymore then why bother with the Vista and Windows 7 fixes? I just think other more popular TW sims come first (which is how you do business).We all know that. So I understand 100% why ExpPacks and Updates take so long for FE. I would just hate to see FE wither away because of the competition. Almost 2 years for another ExPack or any kind of update could kill FE. There are many issues with FE that need to be tended to. Nothing really major, but it's the little things that eventually turn people away. Especially when you have other sims for them to try out. I did mention this before, but if you throw a dog a bone every now and then, he'll be your best friend. A new aircraft, a new map, sounds, new objects, or even a better mission builder. Anything, something. I dont know. Keep us interested. I for one dont plan on leaving FE or this forum. So I would definitely be upset if FE lost its support from TW. Since I started FE in early '08 I though the ExpPack and Nov'08 update was the greatest thing. And I couldnt wait for the next ones. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Been a long time. Throw us a bone TK!

 

What I dont understand is, why call FE2 FE2? If it's not going to include anything new other than fixes for operating systems, then why the different name. Why not just have FE(1) patched like other games do? Thats what is confusing everyone. Well, me anyway. I would really like to know TW intent for FE. There really isnt any answers at TW either. Keep getting conflicting answers.

 

Im getting my new PC in a couple of days. It's an HP with Windows7. So I'm a little worried about transfering all my FE files over to my new setup. Some people say FE works just fine with W7. I hope so. I dont mind buying FE2 if I have to. I'm really not looking forward to remodding the new FE2 install to get it the way I had it with my FE1 using XP. Even if my FE works with W7 it's still very time consuming transfering all the data. Almost 7.5G worth of data. Argh!

[+Tailspin 3]

Well lets give the man credit where credit is due. He's taking the time to get out a version that runs in Vista without user modification. Just because I don't need it, doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile. Just because its easy for me to "fix" the original version to run in Vista doesn't mean others would be so inclined. How many potential buyers see where is isn't Vista ready and simply don't buy it? If people don't buy it then TK will be less inclined to spend precious resources on further development. I think he's trying his best to serve the community while moving forward as he does so. If you don't move forward you will be left behind. That also applies to a bunch of jaded old grumps like us.

[+quack74 329]

Well lets give the man credit where credit is due. He's taking the time to get out a version that runs in Vista without user modification. Just because I don't need it, doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile. Just because its easy for me to "fix" the original version to run in Vista doesn't mean others would be so inclined. How many potential buyers see where is isn't Vista ready and simply don't buy it? If people don't buy it then TK will be less inclined to spend precious resources on further development. I think he's trying his best to serve the community while moving forward as he does so. If you don't move forward you will be left behind. That also applies to a bunch of jaded old grumps like us.

 

 

I give TK and everyone at TW full credits. After seeing how things work within FE (without the engine because that stuff is locked) I cant imagine tending to multiple simms at once like TW does. I completely understand their situation and the work they're involved in. Lol! I just want FE to be top priority!

 

Since FE is my game of choice I would just like it to keep putting out great things. I just want to know that it will still produce. Thats all. We as skinners and modders can only do so much wit out TK's help. It's still a condender against OFF and ROF. You are right about the Vista version for FE. People do need to see a game with an easy install thats for sure. I'm one of those people . But two years for any patches or expansions. Thats a long time for all of use who are currently using FE and do so much on our own to make it better. Like I said above, when I started FE in'08 I had the basic install. Then there was the ExPack 1 (awsome) and then the Nov'08 update. The ball was rolling. It was exciting and I coudnt wait to see what was next. What planes? What environment or terrain mods? Or even what new ground objects? But there has been nothing. It does get kinfd of boring when you use the same stuff for a long time. And there doesnt seem to be any thing new for almost a year, man thats realy boring. I shouldnt say boring. FE is far from boring. There is no anticipation. I'm sure the new expansion packs or updates will be quite amazing. No doubt there. Just a long time to wait. Gradual updates would be the way to go. But I know thats not how things work for TW. Even give us an update on what the next ExPack will contain. What new planes etc etc. TK and TW created a great WWI sim. Thats why I use it. The fact I spend time creating skins for all those planes is evidence enough. That should show the credit I give to TK.

 

 

[+whiteknight06604 932]

I think the confusion with FE and FE2 is while content is roughly the same the way the content will be delivered is different.The content in Strike fighters and Strike Fighters 2 is about the same but the game under the hood is vastly different,everything is changed many "functions were added and it was made even more modable.I think thats what TK is doing in the FE series.While the "engine" that drives FE can work on Vista it's kinda an evilutional dead end,With FE2 it will allow the game to be contiualy developed with future operating systems and grafics updates.I play both FE and the SF series and their is so much thgat has been done with SF2 over SF1 that is not seen in aircraft content or new terrains.the game is made less buggy and seems to play more fluidly on Vista,SF1 worked on Vista but it never felt "right" now with SF2 not only is the game easier to mod it also "feels" beter.I agree with the time between updates and releases is long but TK has limeted resourses so there is not much that can be done.(I still get impatient)so while staying with FE in the near term is ok FE2 is the future it will improve gameplay and stability and add functions that are not visable that will expand the ability to mod the game into the future.I'm sure that the mods will be upwards compatable so work done in the past with a little modification will be usable in the newer version.In Strike fighters 2 the stock stuff is not backwards compatable.

 

oh I wouldn't mind a bone once in a while either...maybe a small ground object pack or some terrain pack....anything.

[Mike1997 0]

I transferred over to a new Windows 7 rig with no problems. Unless you call maxing out all settings a problems

[+quack74 329]

I transferred over to a new Windows 7 rig with no problems. Unless you call maxing out all settings a problems

 

 

Thats good to know. I should get my new rig monday. Did you do a reinstall or copy and paste? My FE is on a add-on hard drive. So I might try to install the hard drive as a second hard drive on my new PC. Good for backing things up when you're constantly modding and messing things up

[Mike1997 0]

I transferred my copy of FE to an external hard drive as I did not want to lose all the goodies I have downloaded from here. All I did was plug in the external hard drive, put a new shortcut on the desktop and that was it! It looks amazing by the way.

[Bandy 3]

I think we're all on the same page here (if not the same forum ) in our opinions. FE is one of our favourite sims and we wish it got more attention.

 

In a very odd way, FE and the fantastic updates TK created to the FE flight model (stalls/spins) and the excellent AI behaviour (IMHO second to none!) have greatly benefited his 2nd generation of jet sims. Now they are selling well all over again indirectly because of FE, but FE remains the runt of the litter! I think TK is justifiably proud of FE as a project, but his other daughters are just so much prettier and more likely to get married off... A tough business decision when resources are limited in the current economic climate, so we have to be patient suitors to the ugly duckling. Perhaps too many mixed metaphors, but you get the picture.

 

 

Quack, if you haven't already chosen 32 bit, make sure you have/get win7 64 bit installed and then get some extra RAM. It makes a big difference. Mike1997 is correct, move those settings up!

 

IMHO do a fresh install of FE (vintage 2006!) to the non-default location C:\Thirdwire... (you do not want to install to the programs folder!) and then just copy over your heavily modded WWI folder from XP to replace the stock. Works perfectly, no Expansion Pack install required.

 

EDIT: a caveat for x64, many report that force feedback is not supported for their Saitek joysticks (yet?). My olde Logitec Wingman FF works fine, as does TIR and CH pedals. It has been a good experience thus far, except when win7 lost my 3 restore points just when I needed them...

Edited January 3, 2010 by Bandy

[+Stary 2,426]

quack74, just to let you know that the jet titles had no updates/patches for more than TWO years between '06 and '08.

 

And if you ask me what's the point buying FE2? There would be tons of things in the inis to discover, but most important feature will be Advanced Shaders -no point in having good rig when you have 20 fps maxed out (my case with heavily modded SFP1) -with advanced shaders it goes up to 70-ties in SF2! All on unlimited. And this does it for me just fine.

 

If you expect new planes or mannable gunners seats, well, you won't find these in FE2 AFAIK.

 

And no collidable trees, this one's a downer for me

Edited January 4, 2010 by Stary

[JediMaster 451]

To be clear, advanced shaders are DX10-based, so if you don't have Win Vista or 7 and a DX10-capable video card, you won't see that.

 

Anyway, I plan on getting FE2 because TK deserves it (and so do I!)

[+Stary 2,426]

Sure thing JM, I was pointing out that "old series" engine hits it's limits at some point, anyway in my case it did, the next gen updated rendering pushes it further.

 

And roger-roger on the second one