OFFbase Update: An Ode to the OFF Community

[+Lothar of the Hill People]

The one with OFF in the name is specifically designed to install in the right place for OFF. Use that. I'll add a note about it as a review.

 

The other one is just the generic JSGME. Haha I guess I've made JSGME less generic!

[+Lothar of the Hill People]

Just a couple quick screen captures showing some of the new features, including your stuff that I've build in, Olham.

 

Maims are fairly noticeable--even on those whose bodies are intact:

 

Meeting the Adjutant for the first time's a little more intense, as he knows more about you and cares if you're up to snuff:

Though some can be push-overs. Like everything else, depends on their (and your) personality.

 

And in flight, the Realism profiles feature Olham's enhanced and less-obtrusive aids where allowed. RSS for Beginners gets them all:

Both friendly and enemy indicators are more subtle colors, and the combined compass/TAC doesn't give as much away but is still very useful for those without TrackIR.

 

And it helps to look stylish over the front in Olham's mask and goggles:

 

Which are selectable from the new and improved Hangar screen:

And since this is Escadrille La Fayette, you and your fellow American pilots must deal with French crew, in this case stingy Munitions Officer Ombredane.

 

Good hunting!

[hood]

I would like to fly in OFF Base but I am too frightened to try to install it.So I will just be one of the old guys leaning over the fence watching you young guys having fun.

[Olham]

 

And it helps to look stylish over the front in Olham's mask and goggles:

 

Mmuahahahahahaaaaa!!!!

 

Hood, I will have a bit more time soon, and then I'll install OFFbase.

I guess what frightens many pilots here is the immense amount of written guidelines and info that come with it?

At least that's what frightens me most - to read through all that.

Maybe I can condense it to a rather short "How I installed OFFbase (and it works!)" essence.

And I'm sure Lothar would answer any questions, which may remain for some of you,

or guide you to the text passage, that might help you.

[+Lothar of the Hill People]

I would like to fly in OFF Base but I am too frightened to try to install it.So I will just be one of the old guys leaning over the fence watching you young guys having fun.

 

It's not scary at all, hood, in fact it's a lot simpler to install than OFF itself! Just:

1. Download and run JSGME_2.6.0_OFF.exe from here
    
   
2. Download and run the OFFbase.exe from here
    
   
3. Then just run the "Play OFFbase" shortcut from your desktop or start menu
   

It's the easiest thing in the world, and it can't mess up your OFF install. In fact, it automatically backs up all your Workshop and CFS3 Config settings so you can restore them if you have real trouble from some other cause, or just need to update your graphics drivers. Doesn't backup pilots though (not a cheat engine!). I suggest starting a new pilot in a new squadron.

 

There's a button for the manual (with a FAQ section) right on the main window of OFFbase if you need it, and of course I'm always happy to help in the forums.

 

I guess what frightens many pilots here is the immense amount of written guidelines and info that come with it?

At least that's what frightens me most - to read through all that.

Maybe I can condense it to a rather short "How I installed OFFbase (and it works!)" essence.

And I'm sure Lothar would answer any questions, which may remain for some of you,

or guide you to the text passage, that might help you.

 

Don't mean it to come across as so intimidating when really it's incredibly simple and intuitive to play and use. If you could post your experiences sometime Olham, I'm sure others would find it helpful.

 

Creaghorn suggested setting up a sticky thread where people can post tips, get suggestions, even post stories and screenshots of the emergent fun.

 

I just uploaded version 0.9.1 (give a little time for admins to approve) which fixes a few small but important bugs--and lets' you request leave if you want to park a pilot safely for a while and fly another in the same squad--send your famous ace on a homefront tour to keep him out of Bloody April, whatever.

 

And this is really cool--you can visit your other injured pilots, have encounters with them and try to cheer them up which can speed up their healing. That's assuming your local medical facilities are equipped to deal with the severity of the relevant injuries.

[hood]

Thank you Lothar.Your post is most reassuring.Perhaps, after a couple of schooners of Cascade Ale I will have a go at iy one night soon.

[Wayfarer]

Lothar, Like several others I haven't been flying OFF (or any other sim) just lately, but the descriptions of OFFbase et al. are really tempting. I currently have JSGME v2.6.0.157 installed actually in the 'CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields' folder (I am sure someone must have said to put it there - I would never have dared do anything with it that I hadn't read) where it seems to run the few mods I use correctly.

If I understand right, to use Offbase, OFFice etc. JSGME needs to be just in 'OBDSoftware', alongside 'CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields' as it were.

 

I just wanted to check a couple of points;

Is this version of JSGME 2.6.0 ok, or is there a more recent version that would be better to download?

If it's ok, can I just move it outside 'CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields', or is this liable to cause problems with the mods I am using at the moment?

 

Thanks,

 

Wayfarer

Edited January 12, 2013 by Wayfarer

[Herr Prop-Wasche]

JSGME should be located in the OBDSoftware main folder, not the OBDSoftware\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields subfolder. The confusion stems from back in the early days of modding for OFF3, when I incorrectly started making mods that were installed in the OBDSoftware\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields subfolder. After awhile I realized my mistake, but I was too lazy to go back and fix all of the mods I had already worked on using the incorrect file structure. However, in order to get Lothar's OFFbase program to work correctly, JSGME and its associated mods need to be installed in the OBDSoftware folder, so that is where you should put it.

 

Unless I am mistaken, I think Lothar has created an installer that automatically puts JSGME and OFFbase in the correct folder, so you don't even need to worry about if, at least as long as you use his program.

Edited January 12, 2013 by Herr Prop-Wasche

[Hasse Wind]

I finally decided to give OFFBase a try tonight. However, I can't get it to work. It launches OFF and ask me to exit, which I do, then it launches CFSConfig normally and tells me to exit, which I also do. Then it again launches CFS3Config, I close, it launches it again, ad infinitum.

 

I stopped using mods for OFF because they introduced new problems into the sim, but this mod I can't even install correctly. Bugger.

[+Lothar of the Hill People]

JSGME should be located in the OBDSoftware main folder, not the OBDSoftware\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields subfolder. The confusion stems from back in the early days of modding for OFF3, when I incorrectly started making mods that were installed in the OBDSoftware\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields subfolder. After awhile I realized my mistake, but I was too lazy to go back and fix all of the mods I had already worked on using the incorrect file structure. However, in order to get Lothar's OFFbase program to work correctly, JSGME and its associated mods need to be installed in the OBDSoftware folder, so that is where you should put it.

 

Unless I am mistaken, I think Lothar has created an installer that automatically puts JSGME and OFFbase in the correct folder, so you don't even need to worry about if, at least as long as you use his program.

 

The issue is that when JSGME is inside the "CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields" subfolder it's unable to mod the "WW1Scenery" folder, which a number of mods from myself and Bletchley do.

 

As HPW mentioned, I put together an installer than automatically places the most recent version of JSGME in the correct version for all modern OFF mods. The link to it at Combat Ace is right on the OFFbase download page (I know it's long but read it, guys!). It's also now available at SimHQ. Just run the JSGME_2.6.0_OFF.exe and you're good to go. It's okay to leave old copies of JSGME in other folders unused.

[+Lothar of the Hill People]

I finally decided to give OFFBase a try tonight. However, I can't get it to work. It launches OFF and ask me to exit, which I do, then it launches CFSConfig normally and tells me to exit, which I also do. Then it again launches CFS3Config, I close, it launches it again, ad infinitum.

 

I stopped using mods for OFF because they introduced new problems into the sim, but this mod I can't even install correctly. Bugger.

 

Do you have HitR and all the latest patches installed? Pardon the pun, but there's something off with your OFF install (either system registry or CFS3Config) if you're getting the intro-setup sequence at all, let alone to have it stuck in a loop. My software is detecting the problem but for some reason can't fix it.

 

When you first run OFF Manager after a new clean install, it runs CFS3Config to initialize the ConfigOverrides.xml first. But this isn't fool-proof--users might not follow the FAQ and close CFS3Config before the "CFS3 has been configured" message finally arrives, or might just close the window instead of saving settings with File->Exit. Then OFF Manager will just bomb out.

 

So the only reason you're getting this message and having OFF Manager and CFS3Config run, and getting stuck in a loop, is because your CFS3Config is not creating the ConfigOverrides.xml where OFF Manager's system registry settings have referenced it. OFFset and OFFbase are looking for your ConfigOverrides.xml but can't find it, so are trying to create it so your OFF works properly, but to no avail.

 

Hit your start button at type 'regedit' into the search box to launch the Windows registry editor. Expand the KEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > "VB and VBA Program Settings" > OFFManager> Settings tree. There should be an "ApplicationDataPath" key, and the value should go into your user profile, something like:

 

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields

 

If that's not the right path for your user current profile, you've got problems. Try browsing to the folder in Windows explorer, make sure it exists and see if there's a ConfigOverrides.xml there that is updated when you save your CFS3Config (does the file date refresh when you save your settings?).

 

My software's trying it's best to help you, Hasse Wind, but doesn't know how to deal with an OFF install messed up quite the way yours is.

[Hasse Wind]

If that's not the right path for your user current profile, you've got problems. Try browsing to the folder in Windows explorer, make sure it exists and see if there's a ConfigOverrides.xml there that is updated when you save your CFS3Config (does the file date refresh when you save your settings?).

 

 

The file seems to be there and it does indeed refresh its date when I save the config settings.

 

OFF works fine for me, no crashes or anything. I'd really like to try your mod, but I'm afraid I'm no computer expert, so I don't know what to do next.

 

Edit: Here's a screenshot of the folder and the file.

 

Edited January 13, 2013 by Hasse Wind

[Wayfarer]

The issue is that when JSGME is inside the "CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields" subfolder it's unable to mod the "WW1Scenery" folder, which a number of mods from myself and Bletchley do.

 

As HPW mentioned, I put together an installer than automatically places the most recent version of JSGME in the correct version for all modern OFF mods. The link to it at Combat Ace is right on the OFFbase download page (I know it's long but read it, guys!). It's also now available at SimHQ. Just run the JSGME_2.6.0_OFF.exe and you're good to go. It's okay to leave old copies of JSGME in other folders unused.

 

Thanks Lothar, and Herr Prop-Wasche. I realised I had forgotten to ask what to do about the old copy of JSGME.

[Herr Prop-Wasche]