FM help please?

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

I wasn't sure whether to place this in the general forum or the help forum, but since this is a problem with an FM mod I am trying to develop, I thought the question most likely belongs here. If anyone or a OBD developer can help me, I would be most apprecciative. You may PM me instead of replying publicly if you wish.

 

Basically, I have been working on a mod to improve certain aspects of the FM. While I have not made too many major changes to how individual aircraft fly (with the possible exception of the Nieuport 28 and several versions of the Albatros), I have been able to make several improvements to the FM "environment" that effect the general performance of the aircraft in OFF. The most significant changes I have been able to make, I guess, is to reduce the dive speed of several aircraft to more reasonable levels, correcting the cruising speed of several aircraft like the Camel and Sopwith Tripe, changing the "g's" so that Albatros' do not break up in a turn so easily, fiddling with the climb and turning radius of most aircraft, etc.

 

My problem is this: although I can get my changes to work in QC, when I try to apply them to my campaign, I get an "unavailable craft" message. The extremely weird part of this is that when I sent my FM campaign changes to a couple of people to test out my mod, they said they were able to get the full campaign version to work! Although I haven't ruled out they may have made a mistake in installing the mod, they say they think they have noticed a difference in the FM! When I try to apply the same campaign version of my mod to my machine, I still get the error! I would like to release the FM mod for others to use if they like, but I don't want to do this until I am sure I have solved the mystery.

 

I'm guessing the problem is most likely in the .air file. I have tried a direct copy of an altered QC .air file and .cfg file (with appropriate file name changes, of course), but I still get the mismatch error. Do I need to do a direct hex copy of the contents of the .air file instead of the whole file, or what?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[+Polovski 460]

Herr PW

Altered FMs will usually not work in campaign. If you sent them to others and they work for them and not for you that doesn't make much sense. They are either lucky in some way, or incorrectly installed, or not using the model they have put the FM into.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Hi, Pol. Thanks for the quick response.

 

I agree that it doesn't make much sense, but it seems to be the case! The two testers are both very reliable and knowledgable members of the forum and I am fairly sure they are installing the mod correctly. Perhaps only the .cfg file or the .air file, but not both are working for them?

 

Please let me know by PM or on this thread your wishes about duffers like me playing around with the FM. I can certainly understand if you don't want people to fool around with it. I will be glad, however, to share with you anything I have found about changing the FM. In particular, I am concerned about the dive speeds and cruising speed of some of the aircraft, and feel I may have figured out how to correct these for some aircraft, if I can only get the change to apply in the campaign!

[+Polovski 460]

It won't work as I say, if it does it's as I say above.

 

Sure send me a PM.

[Olham 164]

Well, I'm not sure, if the sim uses it, but I have moved your DM into the aircraft folder

via Generic Mod Enabler, and I now see that folder "aircraft" in the right windown of GME.

I'm not sure, how I could know, that it is used in Campaign though.

[+Polovski 460]

It has to be the xxxxxx_SQD model folder that contains the FM for campaign use for the player (and all other folders if AI is to fly the same too). But as I say unless you are lucky it will usually not work if modded in campaign.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Thanks, Pol. I'll give that a try to see if it works. I'm still getting feedback from my testers that the campaign changes seems to work on their machines. Weird.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

To anyone interested in helping out: please send me a PM if you are interested in a modified campaign FM for testing purposes. I can't absolutely guarantee that the FM will work on your machine, but it has worked on 2/2 of my other testers. I need others to confirm whether the problem is on my end or somewhere else. Plus, you get to try a different FM--one that I hope is more realistic and a little tougher than the old FM. Thanks.

[Olham 164]

HPW, to me it seems, that the roll rate of the Albatros D.V is improved - in Campaign that is.

Also, I didn't loose wingtips in tight turns anymore.

Still not ABSOLUTELY sure, but it feels like it is working in Campaign.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Thanks, Olham. Yes, roll rate is one of the things I improved a bit on the Albatros--but just a bit! I also aimed to reduce the chances of a wing coming off in a tight turn. One way to test for sure if the revised flight model is working in campaign is to make an "emergency" dive of your plane from higher than 10,000 feet to near the ground to see if you get any lower wing damage. You should with the revised FM.

 

Most of my FM changes are similar. I didn't radically change any of the flight characteristics of most of the airplanes. Instead, most changes correct slight inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the performance of various planes, such as cruising speed or wings coming off of an Albatros or Nieuport in a tight turn instead of a dive. The most noticeable differences in most planes' FM is probably in dive speed (reduced in most), and cruising speed. My overall goal was to make a few changes while adhering as closely as possible to historical performance (of course, often a matter of serious debate), while maintaining overall game balance. For the most part, I think I have done that, although I will have to leave it to others to be the final judges of my overall success.

[Creaghorn 10]

Thanks, Olham. Yes, roll rate is one of the things I improved a bit on the Albatros--but just a bit! I also aimed to reduce the chances of a wing coming off in a tight turn. One way to test for sure if the revised flight model is working in campaign is to make an "emergency" dive of your plane from higher than 10,000 feet to near the ground to see if you get any lower wing damage. You should with the revised FM.

 

Most of my FM changes are similar. I didn't radically change any of the flight characteristics of most of the airplanes. Instead, most changes correct slight inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the performance of various planes, such as cruising speed or wings coming off of an Albatros or Nieuport in a tight turn instead of a dive. The most noticeable differences in most planes' FM is probably in dive speed (reduced in most), and cruising speed. My overall goal was to make a few changes while adhering as closely as possible to historical performance (of course, often a matter of serious debate), while maintaining overall game balance. For the most part, I think I have done that, although I will have to leave it to others to be the final judges of my overall success.

 

ok. when is it usable officially? did you get the mystery sorted?

is the FM of the AI also changed, i mean because AI likes to dive wildly sometimes, are they going to ripp off their own wings?

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

I still haven't figured out why the mod seems to work for others in campaign but will not work on my very own machine. I'll be happy enough if it works for others, as I'll eventually get the mystery solved.

 

Good question about the AI. I don't think that will be a problem, though. First, the AI seems to inherently know the limitations of their aircraft and manages to avoid doing the same foolish things us 'real' sim pilots sometimes do. Secondly, while improved, you REALLY have to dive a long time and maintain a good speed to get your wings to fall off. I probably could make the wings come off earlier, but then even level flight at higher than normal cruising speed might cause wing damage. I'll take a look at it, though, after I finish the DM, to see what I can do more with the FM.

[vonOben 55]

Hi

 

I hope you'll be able to get your FM to work also in campaign.

 

Is this problem OFF related?

Haven't modified FM's been used in CFS3 for a long time?

 

I'll be happy to test the FM, PM sent.

 

Good Luck!

 

Cheers

 

vonOben

[Dej 17]

HPW, have you considered whether it might be a difference in OS, or whether admin. right exist or not, that is accounting for the discrepancy in who apparently can, or cannot get the FM Mod to work in Campiagn Mode?

 

Not saying it IS, but it's another base to cover.

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

vonOben: PM sent.

 

Dej:

HPW, have you considered whether it might be a difference in OS, or whether admin. right exist or not, that is accounting for the discrepancy in who apparently can, or cannot get the FM Mod to work in Campiagn Mode?

That's a possibility, Dej, but so far the only computer that the FM mod will not work in the campaign is mine! Of course, only two other people have tested it, but it seems to have worked on their machines. I'll keep plugging away, but right now I am deep working on my damage model mod.

 

If you are curious, I am still on XP with full administrative rights and full file sharing. Come to think of it, I will have to check the file sharing thing again. Maybe there is something I have missed...