The Curse of Uniformity

[Stwa 18]

Since I always wanted to modify terrains, I hardly ever got around to add-on aircraft. I did add some, but only a few export models of the aircraft that came with the game. The list is as so ----->

 

A-4H (Israel, one with avionics hump, and one without). Both appear in game as A-4H Skyhawk, and appear in the drop down menu with the same name.

 

A-4P, A-4Q (Argentina AF and Navy exports of A-4B).

 

F-4E (Israel, which also appears in the game and drop down menu as F-4E Phantom II, same as the USAF version.)

 

Hunter F Mk.6 (RAF predecessor to the FGA Mk.9) 

 

Hunter F Mk.70 (F Mk.6 export to Lebanon in 1959)

 

For the Argentina stuff, I used this as a guide for the decals. I don't have the numbers quite right, since I don't have squadrons, and I am just using generic USN Attack numbers for now. Also, if I place the numbers near the cockpit, there is a warp in the 3d model there and they will look weird.

 

[Stwa 18]

I think for me it is a good idea to make a new aircraft type whenever you get the chance. For instance, I could have left the A-4P, A-4Q skins in the A-4B folder but that created some issues. First of all, the hangar screen is for the USN Navy A-4B. Then, at the load out screen, I had to choose the A-4P camo, and squadron, etc. for all the pilots on the team.

 

Also, I can make the service and export dates (in the data ini) work better this way. Otherwise I would have to add an Export End Year so nations receiving the exported models, can use them long after the service end date of the USN version.

 

When I seperate the export models into their own folder, all these issues (albeit small) go away, plus I get an excuse to make some more hanger or loadout art. This plays an VERY important role in making everything uniform, as I always take the same approach to every hangar or loading screen.  

 

I am not really sure if I like the mirror reverse on the camo, but it seems from the reference pic from Aztec Models, that they at least look like near mirror images.

 

But, I am glad to have it, so I can use in the Falkland terrain. 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2013 by Stwa

[Derk 265]

I'm with you in 1 th Gen Stwa !!

[Stwa 18]

Hey Derk,

 

Don't worry, I am used to one line responses.

 

I thought I would drop by about every year or so, and add some more to the thread.

 

I have been expermenting with some new hangar pics, and if I like them, I might use my existing ones as loading screens.

 

 

[Stwa 18]

Now that I think about it, there is one add-on aircraft that I have. Originally I got it because I wanted some more Israel stuff. The Israel 2 terrain is not the first Israel terrain I have messed with. I did another, the smaller one that was originally made by Gephard ions ago. And, I this bird, the Super Mystere caught my attention.

 

Of course, it had a lot of stuff in it that did not CONFORM to the rest of my birds, but it was a very nice add on model for sure. I get it out every now and then becuase it has an Israeli camo skin, but it is so much like the F-100D, I rarely fly it. The model uses the F-100D cockpit, as well, and its the one I mentioned on Page 1.

 

Anyway, I made it conform by renamining all the skin folders, forcing it to use the stock insignia decals, and renaming every file so the names would match the naming conventions of the other birds in my collection, etc. I got rid of all the French pylon attachment types, and forced it to use NATO and USAF rockets, bombs, etc.. That's kinda too bad because it has a really cool rocket bay that I did not install. However, I did install its 491 ltr drop tank. I think I cheated on the pylon weight thingy so it could carry M117 750 lb bombs too.

 

It's not quite a sluggish as the F-100D and its fun using it for 1950's stuff. Oh, they had changed up the panel configuration on the F-100D and they had changed some of the guages. I wasn't really sure what they had done, I just did not use that stuff. I just went with the stock F-100D cockpit.

 

Edited July 22, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

I never got around to the beeg Weapons Pak because I just don't have alot of add-on birds. But I digress, I wanted to post once or twice more about the Falkland Island terrain.

 

It takes only a few minutes to add Argentine specific bombs (Mk83, etc.) and rocket launchers into the weapons data file. Its just new type entries into the weapons.dat file, since the models for the bombs, etc. already exist. All I did was just check the Argentina check box to add a valid "Argentina" attachment type. Me thinks this must be done, so that the non-player birds in the campaign can be armed with these weapons.

 

In the pic, I am flying as enemy A-4 near Port Williams, where we just took out a cargo ship. Port Stanely (and docks) are in the background west of the Airport. In real life this Airport was on the peninsula that juts out to the north toward Port Williams, but the stock airfields were too long so I had to move it south some. Of course, this was the problem during the real Falkland campaign. The runway was not large enough for the Mirages, and they had to remain based in Argentina. Too bad the Argentines could not have moved the runway a little south like I did.

 

Edited August 6, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

But what is really fun about the terrain, is when you play as Argentina, and of course you want STRIKE missions.

 

Note the planning map in the pic. Because the "Enemy Airbase" is off map, you only see the way points near the target (a cargo ship near Goose Green).

 

So, just use the near target option, and just end the mission, don't really RTB.

 

On some of the early Falkland Island terrains, they would include Argentina. The near target option functioned just like it does now, but the actual size of the island was very small. This way I get a more accurate scale, and lots of room.

 

[Stwa 18]

But, the most simple way to properly set up Argentina birds is to just make a small air-air campaign. And in the end, its this method I use for my game. So, with created missions the FAA is FRIENDLY and fights against the Soviets like everyone else. In the campaign, they are defined as ENEMY and fight against the RAF. I did not have to make any changes to FAA birds for this method, other than make the attachment type for bombs = NATO,ARGENTINA. So the weapon dat has to be changed with the Weapons Editor. I only modified Mk83 and LAU-3A by indicating Argentina as a valid attachment type and then saved the newer version of the dat file. Also, I did not have to make any change to the Nations ini file. Here, Argentina (and their Navy) remain as FRIENDLY. 

 

I use a very simple air-air campaign format for these small island terrains. (Falklands, Solomons, Iceland). And it is very important that they are UNIFORM in every respect, because I have to maintain them. After all, the main goal (for me) is to have a single installation with all the terrains and campaigns within a single game folder. Mine is called Strike Fighters 2006. I did not use actual FAA squadron names, but I suppose I could look them up on the net. Same way for the Brits. The campaigns do not require that you use data from the squadron list.

 

 

Edited July 27, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

I must admit over time, I raided the MarcFighter site for skins for the Israeli A-4s and F-4E. I also got all the skins for the Argentine A-4s at that site as well. He is an incredible skinner, but the main reason for getting the skins there, was uniformity. You can tell, all the skins were by the same skinner. The Insignia had been painted on the skin, so for each skin I had to remove them, so I could apply decals. But I like his choice of colors.

 

The Falkland campaign is the only campaign in my collection where you can play both sides. It is also the only campaign where all birds are ATTACK aricraft. But to make the campaign work properly, I had to add SWEEP and CAP (as secondary priorites) to each Argentine A-4. So in essence their role became fighter. Mostly I had to do this because I have yet to include a Mirage or Dagger. 

 

I have been tinkering a bit with the campaign, making it smaller actually, with less components. I renamed the off map bases after the Argentine bases (Rio Grande, Santa Cruz, etc.) Funny though, the A-4C was not flyable. I cant remember why I did that. Anway its flyable now.

 

And really, its too easy playing as the Brits. As I mentioned the AIM-9L makes it just a hilarious sport. So flying the Argentine birds is more challenging.

 

[Stwa 18]

Unfornuately for me, I didn't see a lot of uniformity in the UI either. Of course, this was a combined install of WOE/WOV. The WOE screen art was very different that WOV screen art. And so it was with music too. So, I basically started with the WOV screens and added to them to make 1360 x 768 set. Here is the main menu. I eliminated Instant Action and Multiplayer, by just not including these choices in the menu system. All this stuff, I did back in 2006. 

 

With a game like Strike Fighters, its worth every minute. I have never encountered a sim quite like this one, and I will be very sad when it won't run on the next generation of operating systems.

 

I like being able to included screenshots of the game into the game's UI. This create's uniformity that is very pleasing to me. I know its just art, but the colors in this game are outstanding in my opinion. Each of my terrains has a theme that is used by the UI. I can change the theme by running a cmd file (one for each theme) before I start the game. Here is the main screen for the South Atlantic game.

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

But, the best place to go wild with screen art is in the campaign section. When I first got the game, I liked it so much, I spent several weeks snapping shots if all the bases used by the flyable squadrons in WOE/WOV. Of course, as I have added campaigns, I have kept up with it all.

 

I wanted to keep the game stock, but sometimes that works against me. I dont have any add-on ships, so I used the same carrier that came with WOE. CVE-63? Well, I never could find a Sea Harrier skin for the Thirdwire model of the Harrier. You can find Sea Harrier skins for other models of the Harrier. I haven't checked in a while. But the next pic is just a base screen in the Falkland Islands. I had to use GR3s for the carrier aircraft, and of course this carrier doesn't come close to the Invincible.

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

But, the real driving force behind all these attempts a uniformity, is me trying to make everthing appear as if it were in fact one game, and that nothing was in fact and add-on. For some reason that I can't really explain, appeals to me. If you don't really like the games graphical art, then you would not like this approach at all. It is not the professional approach either. Many people like photoreal material. (screens, terrain tiles, etc.).  

 

In the Solomon Island Terrain I wanted to include the MERC faction (or service/nation), since it was a part of Strike Fighters, but you don't see it too often anymore. In the campaigns, I keep the storylines amazingly short.

 

Edited July 29, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

Hi again,

 

I spent a few hours this weekend making some practical changes to my Falkland campaign. I have always loved that campaign, but I guess it was just a beeg shooting gallery. Fun for the Brits, but not so for the Argentines. So, I decided to even things up abit, and I learned some stuff that I never knew before or I had just forgotten about altogether.

 

1. As before, I decided to NOT add Mirages, Daggers, or Entendards. What I did was take the total number of ready A-4s, Mirage IIIs, Daggers, Entendards, etc. rounded up slighlty and divided them as so. 

 

16 A-4C, stationed at San Julian.

 

16 A-4Q, stationed at Rio Grande. If I add the 25 de Mayo, I may take 8 planes from this group and assign them to the carrier.

 

90 A-4P, stationed at Santa Cruz and Gallegos in 5 (16 plane) squadrons.

 

2. I removed all SWEEP missions from all aircraft on both sides. I had used this before for the Argentine birds, but they were getting wasted too fast. 

 

3. Here is the best part. On the Wiki I discovered that the GR.3 didn't really get the ability to use AIM-9L (or any AIM) until 1982 or Falklands, when 10 or so of them were rushed up to FR.1 standard for the impending campaign. They were asssigned to Hermes (not Invinceible). Ok, at least that is the way I interpreted the reading. Soooo, I made another instance of GR.3 on my system with a service start date of 1982, where these birds get the sidewinders. I also let this GR.3 get the wrap-around camo, since I have never been 100% sure when this was introduced for the 1st gen Harriers. For the original GR.3 with start date of 1969, it no longer has ability to use IRM. And for some reason, it can only use the normal camo, not the wrap-around.

 

4. So with all that in mind, in the campaign, I stationed the later batch of GR.3 (IRM capable), on Hermes, and the other batch of GR.3 (no IRM), at the FOB near San Carlos.

 

This alone makes the campaign much for balanced than it was before.

 

Also, since the Argentine air bases are off map, it would be kinda hard taking a screenshot of their base. So, I just used generic air pics for their bases.

 

Edited July 29, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

Once I had thoroughly debugged a campaign, then I would add another variation with a different start year, replacing out the birds with newer versions. And of course, changing out the screen art that goes with the campaign.

 

This ability to change out the artwork in the game became almost more important to me than aquiring new birds or weapons.

 

 

[Stwa 18]

OK, so the storyline for the Solomons terrain is a little lame. It is still a great terrain and a very fun campaign.

 

But, campaigns can be whacky sometimes, and it REALLY pays to proofread them over and over again. For instance, on the Falkland campaign, I am updating, I just noticed that I forgot (or accidentally deleted), the command that disables the ground offensive. Be sure to do that for BOTH forces.

 

I also gave the initiative to the Argies. And, the campaign kicks butt now. Of course, as the RAF player you are knee deep with A-4s, and I noticed that the AI still assigns SWEEP missions to some of the Argie squads, no matter what I have tried to script to prevent it.

 

Anyway, without AIM-9L for the land based Harriers, RAF bases get pounded day after day. Carrier based Harriers still have them, but just like in the movies, they always show up after the battle is over.

 

It looks like they are firing rockets into the ammo dump.

 

Edited July 29, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

OK, so I am done messing with the Falkland campaigns. There is one for 1982 and one for 1985. In 1985 the Mount Pleasant Air Base comes on-line. The Royal Navy is gone, but there is a sqaud of Phantoms there, and a squad of GR.3s (with AIM-9L) at Port Stanely, so the shooting gallery returns with this campaign.

 

But, with the 1982 campaign, if you give the Argies the initiative, then they win in about 2-4 missions.

 

Last year I finally replaced Major Lee's older DBS terrain (I called it Bering Strait), with one of my own making. Major Lee's terrain was my first add-on, and my rendition was somewhat sub-standard.

 

Now, I have a newer Bering Straight terrain that features St. Lawrence Island. There are no off map air bases, and although the map has 25% of the area of the original, there is still lots of room. There is a single USAF air base on St. Lawrence where the historical DEW site was located.  So my map collection is as follows.

 

Germany and Vietnam (Thirdwire)

 

Israel and Persian Gulf (Gepard)

 

Cuba and Iceland (Tonix & Baltika)

 

St. Lawrence Island (Bering Strait), Hawaiin Islands, Solomon Islands, Falkland Islands, Korea (Stwa, Korea and Hawaii not finished)

 

I really want to do Hawaii. The Japanese return, but this time with Phantom IIs.

 

Edited July 30, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

Here is Hawaii. It is 500km square, and I have added 6 air bases, which includes 3 off map enemy airbases. I will probably add some more targets, and I am just painting the harbors and Honolulu in by hand. (i.e. not autotexture).

 

Over time, I will add a few more shipping routes, etc...

 

 

 

 

 

[Stwa 18]

Thank goodness WOE/WOV has an excellent campaign system that is easy to modify. I have had more fun with these than any other part of the game. The Cuba and Iceland campaigns are really just add-ons to the RED series of campaigns for WOE. Of course it is the Cuban missle crisis that starts Red Hammer. So the Cuba campaign gets the ball rolling. Then, after Red Hammer comes Iceland.

 

I am sure SF2NA is much better than my lowly Iceland campaign. But the 57th squadron gets plenty of action, intercepting bombers, and any other Soviet air units that attempt to fly over.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2013 by Stwa

[Stwa 18]

This summer has been a blast messing with Strike Fighters. I have been making changes to all the campaigns trying to improve them, changing out the art, re-doing some of the story-lines, etc.

 

All this just reminds me how fun this game is. Here is the Cuba start screen, so it threads into Red Thunder.

 

If you give the Soviets the initiative, and if you try to use Near Target when you fly, their bombers totally waste Miami, and Homestead.

 

Maybe you guys can stop the bombers using the Near Target option, but I cant!

 

Edited August 8, 2013 by Stwa

[blackwasp73 16]

Looks Nice   that will make playing thos Campains less of a pain lol