Jasta 2 Albatros DIII look?

[Stratos 3,188]

I just got the confirmation for my 5th kill in the Jasta 2 Albatros campaign I'm playing and will like to design a skin for my new "ace", but I have a doubt, how the Jasta 2 Albatros DIII look? and when they appear? I will like to have a white tail, but IIRC all Jasta 2 have that right?

Anyone konw how the default Jasta 2 Albatros DIII skin look?

[+elephant 36]

Should be, standard scheme of 3 colors camo upper wings, light blue undersides, with a white tail outlined with a thin black strip.

 

Here is a Werner Voss Jasta 2 example:

I'm not sure weather the black spinner and wheel covers were standard black or Voss' personalisation...

 

 

PS From: Osprey Elite 26, Jagdstaffel 2 'Boelcke':

"By the late Spring of 1917, Jasta 'Boelcke' had adopted a unit marking of an all white tail unit trimmed in black, as displayed on this D.III.

Quite often the propeller spinner was black as well."

Edited November 19, 2010 by elephant

[Olham 164]

There were Albatros D.III (early) and the later, stronger ones.

They had a top wing camo of pale gree, dark green and brown; spinner/nose and

tailplane were white, the rest of the fuselage clear varnished plywood. The metal

hood was light grey.

 

Stratos, get yourself the free "IRFANVIEW", install it and browse through the skins.

 

You find the skins here: [your game folder] > campaigns > CampaignData > skins

 

http://www.irfanview.de

Edited November 19, 2010 by Olham

[Stratos 3,188]

Thanks guys! I installed Irfan and checked the skins. Nice ones. Wondering how can I create my personal skin? Nothing but but adding some bars and maybe a crest, don't want to bother you guys with that as I will like to paint my skins for the planes I use, so my question is, how you paint the skins? using a template or something or directly over the skin? And to make the skin seleactable? Do you make a copy with different name?

Thanks

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Stratos, you will want to use an image editor that allows you to work in layers and save them. If you don't have something like Photoshop and do not wish to purchase that program there is a very nice free editor called Paint.NET and here is the link:

 

Paint.NET v3.5.6

 

This is the program I use for all my OFF painting tasks and it works great.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Also, Gous' OFF skinning primer is very, very helpful, and that is available here:

 

OFF Advanced Skinning Tutorial

 

Have fun.

 

.

[Olham 164]

Not sure, if you can convert the skins in Lou's recommended program.

If not, download the free program DXTBmp.

With that, you can convert the skins into BMP files you should be able to paint in.

Later use the above progr. to re-convert the skins into .dds files.

 

And yes - have a look into Gous' tutorial! You'll see - after a while you'll get there!

Edited November 20, 2010 by Olham

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Oh yes thanks Olham, forgot to mention DTXBmp. You'll need that no matter which image editor you use, and that download is available via the following link:

 

DTXBmp Converter

 

.

[Olham 164]

Lou, if I should ever consider to move to the USA, I'd ask for a job with you first.

We're a good team, I think.

(And Minnesota should be fine for long bike rides without too much heat.)

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

A good team indeed I dare say! And Olham, if ever you find yourself in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" be sure and let me know. I'll show you round the place and we'll have a day of swapping war stories.

 

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[Stratos 3,188]

I think I have a plugin in PSP7 that let me convert DDS, my modificantions shouldn't be really big, simply add some bars and maybe a crest or a letter or something like that, but I better learn how to do myself, as I don't want to bother anyone.

Thanks for the help.

[nbryant 8]

Using Photosop 7. That and many many hours and layers later I have developed a few templates. Mostly entente but venturing into Olham country lately. As others here taught me........ patience, perserverance, and research.

[Stratos 3,188]

A template for the Albatros variants will be an amazing file to have! Anyway I'm not planning to release anything only to create the skins for my own pilot.

[Olham 164]

Stratos, some of us skinners inc. myself have offered to make a personal skin for everyone who wants one.

So, if you send me an emblem in Jpeg or GIF format, or an idea for one; as well as for stripes, bands or

chevrons, I would make you a personal Albatros D.III from the original basic Jasta 2 skin.

It can then be saved and used as both the early and the late version.

[Stratos 3,188]

I apreciatte that Olham, really, but what will happen when I got transfered to the D.V?, and then to the Dr.1? and later to the Fokker? I don't want to abuse you, thats why I asked for a template.

[Olham 164]

Okay, you downloaded and installed the programs we gave you links for above?

Then go to the skins and have a closer look. There are not only the thousands of ace skins,

but there is also a basic skin of each craft for each Jasta. It won't have any more markings

but the basic Jasta colouring.

 

Search for:

 

Off_Alb_DIII_early_t_Jasta 2 1917.dds

 

and

 

Off_Alb_DIII_t_Jasta 2 1917.dds

Edited November 20, 2010 by Olham

[Stratos 3,188]

Thanks a lot! Really apreciatted. Hope to get a template one day, then I will be able to create full skins.

[Olham 164]

I don't understand what you mean, Stratos - the skins from the sim ARE our templates we work from.

All OBD skins are available in the directory I gave you. They are all one layer .dds files.

 

With "DXTBmp" we convert them into BMP files and work on them.

Different graphic/photopaint programs can be used for that. Here, and only here, every skinner may

create his own layers per copying & pasting, adding colours etc.

When a skin is ready, we convert them back to .dds and put them in the skins folder.

That's the whole story - no other "templates" there anywhere.

 

Perhaps you have seen the skins from RoF and wanted something like that?

I know they have layers and Alpha channels you can access for your own works.

But that is not the way OBD worked.

Edited November 21, 2010 by Olham

[Stratos 3,188]

Thats what I wanted to know! Thanks Olham, is time to mark my D.II

[Olham 164]

Great, Stratos - I will hopefully see screenshots soon?

I have just made me a D.III for Jasta 2 - I also will fly there soon.