SF2: North Atlantic

[Icarus999]

Has any one else noticed that when flying any air to air scenario in single mission, that the only additional AI CAP Sweep or intercept flights genereated by the engine are the same type of aircraft you chose to fly... with the same skin. In previous versions of the games the engine would generate many random flights much like what you would see while flying in campaign mode.

[Lexx_Luthor]

eraser, would the new bump mapping allow added terrain detail without added hits? Icebergs or sea ice come to mind for one application.

 

I wonder if real 3D cumulonimbus storm clouds can now be added to terrains. IL-2 had its fluff clouds fixed to the terrain -- when clouds were turned ON, every IL-2 game run had the clouds the same positions in a given map.

 

Skate, tga's work fine. Its the effects design that often uses too many tga. We have to optimize the tga usage in effects for boxes of various performance. Shucks in my weirdo mods years back I went out of my way to limit TGA numbers, and I was using a low end budget card. Now with a great performance card, I may need to go back and ramp up the TGAs.

[+Stary]

TGA has nothing to in-game performance, it's the emitters spawn ratio that has FPS hits on most occasions. TGAs as used by terrain textures has only video memory impact

 

just for clarification

[eraser_tr]

Dave, it works fine but my desk is moved and I don't have anywhere to put the sensor.

 

Lexx, maybe. If its all done in max and the engine already supports them. We can't be sure until we get the cat extractor or someone writes a new one.

[mynameismatt]

Does the A-7 have an ILS? Is it supposed to? I can't seem to get it up on the HUD. The F-14 ILS works fine.

[+SkateZilla]

TGA has nothing to in-game performance, it's the emitters spawn ratio that has FPS hits on most occasions. TGAs as used by terrain textures has only video memory impact

 

just for clarification

 

that's what i meant.

 

i know one TGA isnt the problem but the emmission rate of the effects and stuff.

 

as for 3d clouds, Once we get TW Exporter notes at for the terrain, we'll see.

[+Stary]

3D clouds can be added right now to pre-NA terrains as "ground" objects I think, I can't imagine targetizing the map with them though

[ArturR]

Does the A-7 have an ILS? Is it supposed to? I can't seem to get it up on the HUD. The F-14 ILS works fine.

 

There is new submode in HUD section called [HUDModeLanding]. The easiest way to fix disapearing HUD during landing is just copy stuff from [HUDModeNav].

[+Dave]

Ok Kevin, check this, remove the Kiev and all you get is land attack missions. Add the Kiev back in and all you get are missions attacking it.

[+Baltika]

Ok Kevin, check this, remove the Kiev and all you get is land attack missions. Add the Kiev back in and all you get are missions attacking it.

 

Seems to be controlled by the NAVALMAP=TRUE/FALSE flag in the ICELANDNA.INI file.

 

Tested it on my old Iceland terrain, setting NavalMap=true gave me always carrier group strike missions, setting it to false gave me all land-based strike missions, with no carrier groups showing up on the terrain.

 

 

EDIT: Just checked on ICELANDNA terrain, same deal.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Baltika

[+Dave]

So how can we have both?

[+Wrench]

apparently not, right now.

 

sounds like a BIGASS bug to me!!! (ya know, Giant Ants in the LA storm drain kind!!)

 

with some luck, and maybe sacrficing a viggen to a volcano ... hopefully fixed in the patch

[Lexx_Luthor]

Stary, game object LODs vanish about 10km, no matter how large or what distance variable is set -- at least in SF-1. Terrain detail is another story, with no limit to draw distance except practical performance.

 

If 3d clouds can be part of the terrain LOD, they may be visible to maybe a hundred km....like some of these...

 

...scroll down to Russia 2001, and Southern Nigeria 1999...

 

As 3d objects they should look wonderful under the SF Sun.

[+CrazyhorseB34]

the f14Aavionics.dll is not supporting GM radar.

[+FastCargo]

3D clouds can be added right now to pre-NA terrains as "ground" objects I think, I can't imagine targetizing the map with them though

 

I've done 3d clouds in the engine before...the in game shadowing/shading makes them look really bad. And I seriously doubt bump mapping will give better results. I have had much better looking results using airborne emitters from balloon objects.

 

FC

[Lexx_Luthor]

FC how far could you see them? -- your 3d clouds that is.

 

 

Now I'm doing 2008 I need to hop on that balloon.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Lexx_Luthor

[+SkateZilla]

I've done 3d clouds in the engine before...the in game shadowing/shading makes them look really bad. And I seriously doubt bump mapping will give better results. I have had much better looking results using airborne emitters from balloon objects.

 

FC

 

TK changed the shadow engine to allow for Max Properties for Shadows, so you can build the Clouds, right clock and de-select cast shadow/receive shadow.

[+AleDucat]

As a birthday gift, a friend of mine that always heard me talking about the "Strike Fighters Saga", and also likes some of my Facebook's publications, gave me "Jane's Advanced Strike Fighters"... I don't blame her, she read "Advanced" plus "Strike Fighters" and realized that she would give me the best present..

 

Do you know what? I can barely run it on mi rig at minimun settings and the worst thing is that my T-Flight HOTAS is totally useless. Not to mention that it's is just an arcade game and it's not modable at all.

 

So IMHO, people complaining about TK's SF2NA should think twice before posting.. I believe that TK has done a superb job with the entire series and with NA particularly. Something we (I, to be fair) always asked for was an update on avionics and a better sea, since we always (from SFP1!) could better the terrain with 3D-made ground objects (as rocks, cliffs, etc) but the lack of a "real" sea bothers me when playing from carriers or anti-ship missions, and there was nothing we can do about that.

 

I applaud (a one man standing ovation, lol) to the long awaited SF2NA, but now sharpening my theeth while waiting for the new CAT extractor and the new worlds it will open to us.

 

 

Sorry if I came this later to post, but connection problems didn't allowed me to post..

[+Stary]

 

I applaud (a one man standing ovation, lol) to the long awaited SF2NA, but now sharpening my theeth while waiting for the new CAT extractor and the new worlds it will open to us.

 

That makes two of us, all the cracking the new stuff excitement frustration aside.

 

Ale, TK released the CAT extractor yesterday (but it doesn't "see" and do not extract LOD files)

[+Dave]

Can I get an avionics guru to help me with getting the TWS to work with the TMF Tomcats like it does with Tk's?

[+Swordsman422]

Dave, I haven't had a look at it, but I assume certain aspects such as MTT are triggered by selecting Fox 3. I assumed (because I haven't looked at the .ini yet) that there is some kinda entry that limits the maximum number of MTT targets, but I don't know. MAN, is it 5:00 YET?!

[stuntman]

hi guys

I have blank tail markings when i select VF-103 for F-14 77.

 

Is it the same for you, or did i already mess my install up?

[+Swordsman422]

Stuntman, I'm currently working on fixing all the missing decals, including VF-103.

[stuntman]

Can't wait swordsman! thanks!

 

PS: I would also like to take the opportunity to adress a larger thank you to all of you guys who will bring N/A to the next level

[Spinners]

Nice post AleDucat.