Just saying...

[Hansa 12]

I just want to say that FE is the best WW1 combat flight sim because there are many high quality models that modders and skinners have built.

 

TK never worried about the FE players.

I remember the day the first expansion pack (the only one) was released: It was filled with bugs, many many bugs that modders like Peter01 and others fixed. Bugs like campaign data with airfields that were not present in the terrain and things that any person could detect, even me (i discovered that some airfields in the cambrai campaign were not present in the cambrai terrain with a fast look at the data files).

 

I remember one day i saw quack in the TK forums asking for a fix for the DR.I bump map (i'm not sure but i think that quack pointed that the lower wing of the DR.I didn't had bump map, i can't look at it since i didn't downgraded to FE2, but i guess that it hasn't been fixed cause TK has not released a new patch since... )

 

Well, i was thinking about all the years i've been playing with FE and i would like to say THANKS to all the modders, without their models and skins i would probably deleted FE from my HD long time ago.

 

Keep up the good work !!!!

[Heck 496]

Fully agree, Hansa. The modders transformed FE/FE2 into the spectacular sim it is today. And they continue to pour themselves into it today. They are a very dedicated group of people.

[33LIMA 972]

Spot on there, Hansa. I am grateful to TW for getting FE to market, and patching/expanding it beyond its initial very limited release, tho it was the modders who ensured that its good basic qualities have been built upon, to the point it really is the all-round best WW1 air combat sim available today.

Edited April 6, 2013 by 33LIMA

[Panama Red 22]

Amen !!!!

 

The really ironic part about TK not patching FE2 beyond Jul10, is that it is not as "messed up" as the SF2 series is now. I have several versions of SF2 series on my PC and my older (Jan11) SF2 series play a lot smoother (zero micro stutters) and have a lot less "bugs" that the current Jul12 SF2 series. Plus, now that TK has “locked down” parts of the game, it makes it even harder to mod the game as you might want to fix or change something.

[Heck 496]

The only piece that the newer SF2 series has that I wish FE2 had received is the mission editor, although, as others have pointed out, there are ways around that. But, as you said, Panama, I really don't miss the bugs and things that you have to take with that addition, because just using single missions generates lively dogfights with multiple flights. So, many is the time I've actually wished that TK wouldn't be asked to update, because it might break the "Golden Age" sim we have now, even though some additions would be nice to have. I guess it's a question of, "If it ain't broke, please don't fix it."

 

I was flying just last night, and leafing through the list of aircraft, it suddenly came back to me how many were in the original TK sim that I bought. The impact of the modders; 3d modders, and skin artists (and I do mean artists), struck me like a blow. 90% of my sim is not original Thirdwire. And I received all this beautiful work for free. I haven't even done my Italian front yet! I better get cracking!

[Panama Red 22]

Heck:

I agree, right now my FE2 Western Front has 173 different planes folders and four different terrains, and that is not counting the different planes or terrains for the other three fronts. Without all the modders, this game would have "died" a long time ago. As it is now, it has more to it that any of the other current WW1 flight sims out there right now.

[+sinbad 27]

TK once said the FE was a "niche within a niche." TW is a business and must generate funds for the payroll. All that is a reason we need to do a good job with the mods in order to increase interest in the game so TK will then have more reason to upgrade the engine. Our mod team is getting better and better. All this must be done as a team effort, there is no other way to get there.

Edited April 21, 2013 by sinbad

[Padraig 1]

I am glad to see this SIm still gets action and support. Having a rather humble PC made me choose it. RoF was in the radar a year ago or so but I couln'd even get it to load for being locked out because I wasn't going to use my bandwidth to download the upgrade and my PC had only the very bottom of what was recommended.

Anyway being so new to this I need to ask if anyone is using FE1 for multiplayer? I do not see anyone out there when I look. After applying patches, textures and planes it is pretty awesome. I wonder however if it's really so much different in FE2 to go ahead and buy it. It is a very affordable game so price isn't what's stopping me.

[+whiteknight06604 934]

I havn't herd mention of anyone playing online in a long time. As for FE2 it is very similar but has a lot of stuff fixed or updated under the hood. it is easier to mod and tends to run alot smoother then FE1. the experts can give you more details but I would say that if you have a dual or quad core PC it should run much better and unless money is really tight I would go with FE2. FE2 also comes with all the stuff FE1 ep1 added out of the box.

[33LIMA 972]

I have FE1 (FE Gold) and FE2 and with FE1 patched to date, it is much the same as FE2. Developer TK has said as much over on the Third Wire forums. However, there are some differences:

 

FE2 doesn't have multiplayer, FE1 does - makes little difference tho if, as seems to be the case, FE1 MP is pretty dead;

 

FE2 doesn't have seasonal terrain variations, FE1 does (but you can copy the FE1 seasonal textures over from FE1 to FE2 or use mod community terrain textures which DO have seasonal variations, if you like them);

 

FE2 runs more smoothly on multi-core PCs (not a vast difference in my case);

 

FE2, setting for setting, has a more distant horizon than FE1 (tho I needed to tweak an FE2 data file to push out the draw distance of towns, to avoid visible draw-in at longer horizon settings)

 

FE2 AI seems different, somewhat better in ways I can't recall now;

 

FE2 plane wrecks are 'persistent'; in FE1, unless there's a setting I never found, they just disappear after the initial ground strike;

 

FE2 supports bump-mapping so giving a 3-dimensional impression to things like rivets, panel lines and wing ribs, for plane models whose textures support this, at the highest graphics setting (FE1 may do so also, but IIRC you may have to hand edit the options.ini file to set UseAdvancedShaders=1, to get that to work).

 

FE2 is easier to mod/install mods into, EXCEPT that in mods built only for FE1, you sometimes need to adapt the install instructions to get some things to work eg decals/markings.

 

FE2 is definitely better in my experience and I play it more or less exclusively now; Hansa evidently has a different impression but not having been patched recently, FE2 seems at least to have escaped the controversial effects of recent patches on other TW sims.

 

The FE2 DR1 doesn't appear to have a bump-mapped lower wing as the screenie below shows, but it's still a pretty beautiful model:

[Padraig 1]

Thanks for the input brothers. Have downloaded FE2 already. Hopefully dual core is enough. Memory being added soon and just got a fanless 1gb graphics card.

33LIMA> I work with an Ulster Lad who transplanted to western NY 5 years ago or so. Took me a bloody year to understand him ;)

[33LIMA 972]

Thanks for the input brothers. Have downloaded FE2 already. Hopefully dual core is enough. Memory being added soon and just got a fanless 1gb graphics card.

33LIMA> I work with an Ulster Lad who transplanted to western NY 5 years ago or so. Took me a bloody year to understand him ;)

 

'bout ye, Padraig :)

 

{='Belfast' for 'How are you?' as in 'What about you?')

Edited April 26, 2013 by 33LIMA

[Padraig 1]

American born of Irish descent (well 90% or so) From what little research I did years ago, County Clare's O'Duibghinn Family (spelling?) Anglo spelling "Patrick Deegan" the family call me Paddy. I took Padraig as my handle because Patrick was taken, but I was surprised Padraig wasn't! My mate at work; Alan is from the port town of Donaghedy. He showed me a picture on his desktop. Looks like a postcard - I don't know why anyone would leave Ireland from what I've seen. Beautiful scenery, good beer and pretty girls.

He asks me if you're Green or Orange? LOL ..not that I care a flip.

 

ps. 33LIMA - Nice screenies, and sorry about forgetting the quotes - I'll catch on here soon enough.

 

'bout ye, Padraig :)

 

{='Belfast' for 'How are you?' as in 'What about you?')

 

I will catch on eventually - haven't really done a lot of blogging.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Padraig