Realistic Survival Settings - now posted

[Guest British_eh]

Hi there,

 

After weeks and hours and hours of research we are fortunate to be able to present this offering to you as a Standard to which you may wish to fly to. While it is certainly the Sim uses choice, as the OFF Dev Team has given us the Workshop Settings to tweak to our desire, this presentation is based on as many historical facts that we could locate, expert opinions from here, and Forums like "The Aerodrome".

 

The Realistic Survival Settings contains three documents which make up the RSS. These are now posted in the Sticky - Survival In the Air Series - OFF- Pilot primers and Workshop Settings.

 

Cheers,

 

British_eh, Bletchley

[OlPaint01 0]

Hello British_eh and Bletchley

 

RSS looks very doable for my game play. Outstanding effort by you fellows sifting through all the sim options available.

 

I have a question about the TAC setup paragraph in the '1915 to June 1916.pdf document...

 

"TAC: Recommended: only for those without TIR. TAC must be set to Aircraft and 1 NM. In addition only the lower 60 % of the TAC should be visible, from 930 to 230, so as to allow the pilot to scan ahead through standard view lines or Zoom.

TrackIR is highly recommended, but which precludes TAC use."

 

Could you show us a picture - the TAC at 60%? How would you setup the TAC display to appear on the screen? I am kinda' scratching my head over this point. Also, is there a way to lock-in these TAC settings to be the start-up defaults? I always have to reset them to my choices at the beginning of each mission.

 

OlPaint01

Edited September 17, 2010 by OlPaint01

[Guest British_eh]

Hi there OlP,

 

Thanks for the note. I'm sorry about the TAC thing and should have made it a bit clearer.

 

Keyboard commands are:

 

Shift + T = Display

 

T = cycle

 

Ctrl + Shift + T = changing NM

 

You start with "All" items listed on the TAC so hitting T once will get you to Airplanes. Next go to Ctrl + Shift + T and toggle it 3 x to get to 1NM which will show up on the bottom of the TAC.

Next, use your mouse to click on the TAC and drag it ( I use the top right corner) to where you can see it but it's not in the way. I'm thinking this is about 60 % of the TAC showing and the clock markings are ~ 9:30 and 2:30. Good to go!

You can also get a hint at where you're going to as you can see the Waypoint arrow and use the OFF Map or your own to figure it out. Missions that are Scouting or Recon of course you will not follow the Waypoints to their destination as per the notations in the RSS.

Cheers,

 

British_eh

 

Edited September 18, 2010 by British_eh

[OlPaint01 0]

Hey British_eh

 

That's the ticket! The 60% TAC is just about what I had imagined. I was definitely having issues trying to figure out which edge of the screen to hang it over. Now I know...

 

I am looking forward to the rest of the RSS period standards to be published. Great Work, guys!

 

Do you suppose we could adapt JSGME.exe 'Generic Mod Enabler' to swap each of the dedicated period standards file sets in-and-out for each of the various period configurations? I am using JSGME right now to swap Creaghorn's period dependent Bullet/Tracer-Smoke files and HerrPropWasche's Damage Models files.

 

Nothing like field mods to customize WM and the Dev's masterpiece. You got to love our team of flightline mechanics!

 

OlPaint01

[Guest British_eh]

Hi there OIP,

Unfortunately that is not my expertise but it sounds like an excellent idea. Could you provide a bit more, or where could I read up on it?

Cheers,

British_eh

[OlPaint01 0]

Hello British_eh

 

I have been using JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler for several years. It allows me to swap in and out modification files for my various simulator games. The advantage is that it preserves the original configurations and files of the game so that a 'mod' can be tryed and then removed if need be. Thus the original version of the game can be restored. The latest version of Generic Mod Enabler can be found here http://www.users.on.net/~jscones/software/products-jsgme.html

 

I think that the changes to the Workshop settings you suggest for RSS may be preserved in the Config.xml and the HUD settings may be saving in the UIVIEW.xml. JSGME utility processing would backup all the old files to a safe location then overwrite the old files with the new 'mod' files in the original directory locations. Really Neat!!!

 

OlPaint01

Edited September 19, 2010 by OlPaint01

[Guest British_eh]

Thanks so much OIPaint01,

 

Thanks for the link. I will look at it soon. Ideally this would be an excellent piece of software as the RSS's do change for each time frame we are proposing, thus each pilot may fly on different settings. It is perhaps a bit cumbersome, but as there will be only a few changes each time, a quick fix for flying RSS. This is just the ticket to get back to the Original stuff.

 

Thanks:salute:

 

Cheers,

 

British_eh

Hello British_eh

 

I have been using JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler for several years. It allows me to swap in and out modification files for my various simulator games. The advantage is that it preserves the original configurations and files of the game so that a 'mod' can be tryed and then removed if need be. Thus the original version of the game can be restored. The latest version of Generic Mod Enabler can be found here http://www.users.on....ucts-jsgme.html

 

I think that the changes to the Workshop settings you suggest for RSS may be preserved in the Config.xml and the HUD settings may be saving in the UIVIEW.xml. JSGME utility processing would backup all the old files to a safe location then overwrite the old files with the new 'mod' files in the original directory locations. Really Neat!!!

 

OlPaint01

[SirMike1983 3]

What was your source for the Nieuport and Lewis Gun loadouts? It looks to me like a single drum load suggested, which would be ok. But I'm also left wondering what the number of pilots flying on a single drum was, versus those who had systems for attempting to reload the guns. These would all be pre-Foster mount, so 1 drum would work for some pilots. But I've also read accounts of different people who tried to reload the guns. Would there be some way of simulating that as well?

[Bletchley 8]

Yes, you are right SirMike - one drum of Lewis (47 rounds up to mid 1916, then 97 rounds thereafter):

 

These two comments from pilot's combat reports in Henshaw's 'The Sky Their Battlefield' appear to sugest that the over-wing Lewis might not have been routinely re-loaded in combat, and that the small 47 round drum was used at least up until the end of April 1916:

 

30th April 1916 Nieuport 16: "Carlisle [pilot] complained that with more than the maximum of 47 bullet burst available that both [Aviatiks] would have been shot down"

 

29th May 1916 Nieuport 16: "Combat with Albatros A-type ... ended combat at 3000 ft when unable to change drums" (Ball).

 

I have nor come across any similar comments yet with reference to the DH2, which sugests that the fixed Lewis in front of the pilot was much more easily reloaded (drum changed).

 

The introduction of the Foster mount made it easier to change a drum whilst flying, but it was apparently still a time consuming and difficult task (particularly at higher altitude, and gloved up). I don't know if there is a good way to simulate the problems of re-loading the Lewis - the options we seem to have are either (a) Restrict loadout to 1 drum, or (b) continue with the current arrangement where the player gets a full 3 or 4 drums of Lewis ammunition already pre-loaded (like having a single 300 or 400 round drum). We came down on the side of having just a single drum, at least for the wing-mounted Lewis.

 

Bletchley

[Creaghorn 10]

Yes, you are right SirMike - one drum of Lewis (47 rounds up to mid 1916, then 97 rounds thereafter):

 

These two comments from pilot's combat reports in Henshaw's 'The Sky Their Battlefield' appear to sugest that the over-wing Lewis might not have been routinely re-loaded in combat, and that the small 47 round drum was used at least up until the end of April 1916:

 

30th April 1916 Nieuport 16: "Carlisle [pilot] complained that with more than the maximum of 47 bullet burst available that both [Aviatiks] would have been shot down"

 

29th May 1916 Nieuport 16: "Combat with Albatros A-type ... ended combat at 3000 ft when unable to change drums" (Ball).

 

I have nor come across any similar comments yet with reference to the DH2, which sugests that the fixed Lewis in front of the pilot was much more easily reloaded (drum changed).

 

The introduction of the Foster mount made it easier to change a drum whilst flying, but it was apparently still a time consuming and difficult task (particularly at higher altitude, and gloved up). I don't know if there is a good way to simulate the problems of re-loading the Lewis - the options we seem to have are either (a) Restrict loadout to 1 drum, or (b) continue with the current arrangement where the player gets a full 3 or 4 drums of Lewis ammunition already pre-loaded (like having a single 300 or 400 round drum). We came down on the side of having just a single drum, at least for the wing-mounted Lewis.

 

Bletchley

 

in mccuddens "flying fury" he wrote that he once tried a loop with the DH2. when he pulled the nose up and was on top, just to fall on his back, he hesitated and got scared and pushed the stick forward again, and therefor the 0G moment lifted all drums of his lewisgun from the bottom of the cockpit and the flew directly into the propeller behind him, breaking 3 of the 4 blades. also he wrote on more occasions how he turned away from the enemy to change drums, and then attacked again. also on one occasion he was angry about himself because he once just took one drum with him without a reason, and the hun escaped because he was out of ammo. so it seems to be rather common to have more than one drum.

personally i'm not flying too many allied campaigns, but at the ones i did, to simulate changing drums i flew away for the enemy and tried to fly as level as possible while lowering the lewis with shift+c, then leaving like that for about 20 seconds and then attack again. a bit like the reload patch in RB3d.

[Bletchley 8]

With the DH2 we recommend the full load (100% from July 1916 onwards, 50% before that when the drums held only 47 rounds each). recognising that it would probably have been easier to change the Lewis drums on the DH2 - voluntarily breaking off combat to simulate the re-load process can be done, but you have to be able to estimate how many rounds you have fired. I found in practice that this is very difficult to do (in the heat of action it requires a cool head to time the bursts and calculate the rounds fired), but if you are good at this then that would be a good alternative. Something similar to the RB3D ReLoad patch would be even better :)

 

Bletchley

[SirMike1983 3]

A reload mechanism like the RB patch would be fantastic. If you wanted to really simulate it, you'd run the patch and do level auto pilot (simulating the need for a steady plane to reload). When the reload period is done, you'd take the auto level off and fly again. Perhaps a little warning saying "reloading" and "loaded!" would help simulate the pilot's knowledge of when he's reloading and when he's done.

 

A single drum would be appropriate-- some pilots, I'm sure, didn't want to risk reloading that top wing gun. Some did and had some real adventures doing it.

Edited September 20, 2010 by SirMike1983

[shredward 12]

Thanks so much OIPaint01,

 

Thanks for the link. I will look at it soon. Ideally this would be an excellent piece of software as the RSS's do change for each time frame we are proposing, thus each pilot may fly on different settings. It is perhaps a bit cumbersome, but as there will be only a few changes each time, a quick fix for flying RSS. This is just the ticket to get back to the Original stuff.

Thanks:salute:

Cheers,

British_eh

 

Hi Briteh, Bletch,

I'm out in the boonies right now, and have been out of touch, and with no internet, for the past fortnight. Our conversation has been cut off for some reason, but I'll have a look at your opus when I get home (in another couple of weeks). Thanks for all your sleuthing, on behalf of me, OFF, and the community.

Cheers,

shredward