latest on merged installs

[luckyluca]

Hello,

 

I've been away from SF2 for a little less than a year and kind of lost track of the pro/cons of merged installs with mods.

I was planning to merge SF2,SF2V,SF2E into a single install and add NF4+ and SF2VG mods too and can't remember if it is possible/advisable to merge the mods in the users documnets path so that they were both available with a single .exe launch

 

Thanks a lot

Luca

[eraser_tr]

It's always possible to merge everything. You just need to be careful and know what you're doing. I've got everything SF2+SF2V+SF2E+SF2I+XP1+NATO Fighters+everything I had in SF1 series converted and working together in one gigantic install.

 

It takes forever before the main screen loads though.

[+Wrench]

I have the merged, AND seperate! Only way to go, if you're TRUELY wanting correct aircraft with the correct terrains, etc (even though the UserLists and LimitedNations statments on most terrains handle that quite nicely)

 

wrench

kevin stein

[luckyluca]

merged gigantig installation sounds interesting, do you have all of your mods under a single mod folder called by a single exe right?

I just purchased SF2:I so I'll be busy with it for a while, however I wanted to install natofighters4+ too and the vietnam gold expansion and I would rather have a single exe with a single mod folder, much easier for me..

 

Thanks

L

 

 

It's always possible to merge everything. You just need to be careful and know what you're doing. I've got everything SF2+SF2V+SF2E+SF2I+XP1+NATO Fighters+everything I had in SF1 series converted and working together in one gigantic install.

 

It takes forever before the main screen loads though.

[+Dave]

I have all mine merged however I use the individual exe's for each sim. I have my mods installed in the folder for each individual sim as well. So NF4+ is on SF2:Europe and I use the SF2E exe for it, Vietnam Gold is the same thing. The only one I use for everything else is SF2, I have everything in there.

[+daddyairplanes]

agreed with Dave. i have individual exe's for SF2V, E, I and NF4+ on a completely sep install on my external HD, plus one offshoot i call SF2E-1950s. i think it keeps it from bogging down your system if you keep seperate folders for what you want. After all not much use for A-1 Spads in a primarily european install, or strike Voodoo's in vietnam. my SF2I install is mostly for testing conversions from Gen one right now since i mainly got it for the TW Viper and to be able to get the expansion pack. Meteor F8 all throught NATO in the early fifties!

[+Dave]

 

 

It takes forever before the main screen loads though.

 

I cured that by cleaning out my aircraft folders. I use this program swambast made me and now I have planes sets I load into the sim before I start it. Having said that though, my point is clearing out unsed planes greatly speeds up the loading process.

[+FastCargo]

That's what I've noticed as well...reducing a particular mod's aircraft requirements to only what it used vastly speeds up loading...esp on slower computers.

 

FC

[+daddyairplanes]

all of that said would it affect the game much if one took the stock birds they don't use much(like say A-10 and F-15 in a 50's based install) and deleted their folders from the mods aircraft folder? i would suspect it will only revert back to the main cat files to tell what it needs to do. but im not the most knowledgeable on this talking box with the pretty bright pictures:grin: if it does work the way i think it would it would clean things up abit esp. over several installs.

[+Wrench]

you can always just rename the folder, and it'll disappear off the aircraft list

 

example:

 

zA-10

 

that way, it's easily 'brought out of mothballs', without having to extract the cats.

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+daddyairplanes]

not quite what i meant. i mean when you have the stock aircraft in the mod folders, the ones that just have "aircraft"ini and a folder for the skins with only the texture sets inside, if you delete ones you arent planning on modding then will the game just revert to the aircrafts info in the cat files? or does it need that little bit of info in the mods in order to function in game properly?

[+Wrench]

that's how it works right now, hence the only thing you see is main ini (A-10A.ini), and the empty skin folder, with just the textureset ini

The main ini (A-10A.ini) tell the engine what to look for. It already 'knows' that if something is NOT in the game's folders, to look in the cats

 

Since the cats are stored "off site", renaming the aircrft folder removes it from the game engines radar (so to speak).

 

Try it and see.

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+daddyairplanes]

yup still there just much plainer.

[+Dave]

I will ask swambast about releasing that aircraft mover to the public. It can remember favorite aircraft sets, it can also move out weapons. Its just a great tool and its awesome he did that for me. I am sure he wouldnt mind sharing it but I need to ask him first. In fact it will can actually get rid of the need to say a 1950's only install when you can move planes sets in and out and accomplish the same thing.

 

 

[luckyluca]

I agree with you guys, separate mod folders and merged main folders... however we end up with lots of redundant files this way and my poor laptop harddisk is complaining :-)

I think I'll try a frankenstein uber mod folder at some point in the future

[+Wrench]

there is, of course, the option to "delete non-theatre specific aircraft" from the various mods folders. IE: have USN Rhinos and Scooters and Cruds (oh my!) in SF2I just ain't necessary.

 

wrench

kevin stein