Enhancing default terrain in FE2

[scharmers]

Hello folks,

As a new FE2 pilot I'm looking at enhancing the stock FE2 terrains to something a little less sparse.  I've seen screenshots of various mods that add individual trees and other details, but when looking through the FE terrain mod directory I don't see any particular mod that stands out for this purpose.  Any suggestions on this one?  Again, not really looking to add aircraft or new maps just yet, I just want to have something more appealing to fly my SE5a over.

 

Thanks!

 

[+MigBuster]

would recommend the Jan Tuma Terrain

[Panama Red]

This is made for FE1, so you need to tweek it for FE2, but it's the most "realistic" FE terrain out there are the moment.

 

http://combatace.com/files/file/10549-first-eagles-seasonal-tiles-by-jan-tuma/

Edited June 21, 2013 by Panama Red

[+MigBuster]

The building placement - best ever also for the above terrain

 

 

http://combatace.com/files/file/10958-beta-frtown-tiles-summer-season/

 

 

You could try this also http://combatace.com/files/file/11191-seasonal-town-water-tiles-spring-summer-fall/

 

Put the terrain in first - I guess I could package the lot up for FE2 format when I get some time

[scharmers]

Thanks for pointing me to Jan's terrain, folks.  I imagine that the installation process is the same, except that I need to go to the SF2/FE2 saved game mod directory rather than the program directory.

 

 

Yes pretty much:

 

C:\Users\<YOU>\Saved Games\ThirdWire\FirstEagles2\Terrains

Edited June 21, 2013 by MigBuster

[redwolf]

I am interested in this thread too. I have seen many pics of Jan's and I find too much brown for my liking (no offense to Jan) - wish for just an upgrade on the default terrain.

Does anyone know if "First Eagles stock terrains visual upgrade" by Stary will work for FE2? If not, are there any others that keep the spirit of the original terrain?

[+MigBuster]

I am interested in this thread too. I have seen many pics of Jan's and I find too much brown for my liking (no offense to Jan) - wish for just an upgrade on the default terrain.

Does anyone know if "First Eagles stock terrains visual upgrade" by Stary will work for FE2? If not, are there any others that keep the spirit of the original terrain?

Might do with a bit of ini editing but not sure myself

 

Not convinced an upgrade to TKs blanket could ever be better than this:

 

Edited June 21, 2013 by MigBuster

[Panama Red]

If you do not like Jan Tuma's terrain, you could always use Stary's WW1 terrain (in the FE download section too).

[scharmers]

Thanks for pointing me to Jan's terrain, folks.  I imagine that the installation process is the same, except that I need to go to the SF2/FE2 saved game mod directory rather than the program directory.

 

 

Yes pretty much:

 

C:\Users\<YOU>\Saved Games\ThirdWire\FirstEagles2\Terrains

With the "s" at the end of the Terrains.  Yes, I searched the forums :)

[+quack74]

I use Stary's tiles and seasonal tiles for my Eastern Front install. Very nice too. The seasonal tiles are beautiful.

They are used with Stephen1918's Galicia terrain

Edited June 22, 2013 by quack74

[Panama Red]

scharmes:

Since FE2 is based on SF2, you need to read the SF2 Knowledge Base and you will see why the Terrains Folder has a "s" at the back.

[scharmers]

Thanks to all -- Jan's terrain is a thing of beauty.

 

Now, next noob question: understanding that I'll need campaign mods and plane mods, what is everyone's recommendation for earlier war fights?  To be honest, I'm taking my SE5a up in the default 1917 campaign and I'm just having my way with it (10 kills in 3 missions, playing fairly conservatively).

[Panama Red]

The only real early war campaigns out there is ojcar's Armchair Ace's series: http://combatace.com/files/file/13914-armchair-aces-redux/

 

To fly it properly you need to install a lot of items (it's in his "readme" file included in the download). This is where the SF1 & SF2 Knowledge Bases help when they tell you how to install all the new items required to get these mods to work correctly.

 

Enjoy !!!!!

[33LIMA]

Thanks to all -- Jan's terrain is a thing of beauty.

 

Now, next noob question: understanding that I'll need campaign mods and plane mods, what is everyone's recommendation for earlier war fights?  To be honest, I'm taking my SE5a up in the default 1917 campaign and I'm just having my way with it (10 kills in 3 missions, playing fairly conservatively).

 

Hi Scharmers and yeah it can be a bit easy to get multiple kills but IIRC it can be made harder by increasing campaign difficulty to the highest setting. IIRC (again) this works by increasing the skill levels of the enemy AI, but leaves your flight's AI where it was. So you get less kills but your flight mates get killed a lot more. In a stock campaign at this setting, you may be down to your squadron's last few pilots, before you are given any replacements.

 

As I like doing the Mick Mannock mentoring thing, I spend proportionately more time looking after my flight compared to going for kills myself and I stick to the medium campaign difficulty so as not to incur excessive wingman casualties in doing so.

 

Even if you're on the highest setting already, you could try spending more time watching out for your flight. In the essay 'Fighting [meaning 'in'] the SE, January 1918' in the RAF Museum's 1978 book 'Fighting in the Air' (uncredited, but I'm pretty certain it's by Jimmy McCudden, no less), the author says 'I consider it a patrol leader's work to pay more attention to the the main points affecting a fight than to do all the fighting himself.'

 

My ideal would be a campaign optimised for the hardest setting which leveled up your wingies too. I think. Actually I prefer above all AI that seems human, and in particular which accurately reflects the variable levels of skill and experience that existed historically. Better that, than 'uber' AI, just for the sake of a challenge. As Armchair Aces creator Ojcar said, we're most of us the equivalent of highly experienced pilots (in purely sim terms) plus we have no real fear of death.

 

As regards a good 1915-16 campaign experience, I'd definitely recommend Armchair Aces. I made some observations and posted some little after action reviews on Fokker Scourge era missions in pages 1 & 2 of this thread:

 

http://combatace.com/topic/70858-armchair-aces-1915/

 

The later months of the Armchair Aces Flanders campaign set are equally good, if you prefer to be hacking down BE2c's in an Albatros DII or a Fokker DII, rather than in an Eindekker. If you prefer to fly for the RFC and not being hacked down, you might be as well to stick with your SE5 and 1917 :)

Edited June 24, 2013 by 33LIMA

[scharmers]

Ooof, thanks again to everyone for the answers, but building an Armchair Aces install looks like pretty much a massive amount of work.  I guess I'll just have to dream about being shot down repeatedly in Bloody April :)