just starting in fe2 ... excited but overwhelmed! assistance please

[manitouguy]

hi all, i have just purchased fe2 and have tried to read through much of what is here on guidance for mods etc but there is so much that it is a bit overwhelming.

 

the game looks fantastic but i am excited to implement some of the mods ...

 

question one - can i use the jones mod application for all mods or only for some? if i can use it where should it, as an application 'live' and where do i place its mods folder?

 

question two - opinions please on which would be the best sky / clouds mod for fe2 and the nicest terrains mod upgrades as well

 

question three - opinions please on the best sound mods to bring in to the game as well

 

i've decided if i can focus on the above first, then i can delve into many of the other mods as well for planes and theatres, campaigns etc.

 

thanks in advance for any advice and guidance, much appreciated and hope it is ok to ask these types of questions as i fear there might be many ... :)

 

regards, Ron

[manitouguy]

ok, well i'll dive in ...

 

am going to try and place the jsgme app in the users third wire tree, along with its mods folder? and try to add mods in there?

 

as a simple first one was going to try the 'scream' mod from fe or the tracer smoke mod - are these useable with fe2?

 

i see the tracer smoke mod readme is directing to put in an effects folder? which i can't seem to locate in fe2 ...

 

cheers, Ron

[33LIMA]

Hi Ron

I use JSGME a lot for different sims but haven't, for FE2. Reason is I think that it's not really necessary. This is because:

 

1. FE2 - like other 2nd generation Third Wire sims - is already set up for mods to be installed in a separate so-called 'mods' folder;

 

2. the way the 'mods' folder works, it's easy enough to uninstall any mod you decide you don't want, just by deleting it;

 

3. most of the mods you WILL want are extra planes, campaigns and ground objects etc that you will want to be permanently installed; and

 

4. if and when you want to have extra theatres (eg Italian Front, North Sea) the way to do it is not enable and disable them, but to have separate installs.

 

I suspect the place to install JSGME is in the 'mods' folder not in the main sim folder, but best not bother at all.

 

The FE2 'mods' folder location depends on your Windows version but in Vista, it's [your user name]/Saved Games/ThirdWire/FirstEagles2. In there, there is a sort of partial, parallel folder structure similar to the one under Program Files that the sim itself is installed into.

 

Look at the readmes for any of Stephen1918's planes like the BE2c or for Ojcar's Armchair Aces campaign. They explain the install procedure for FE2. Be aware that mods built before FE2 arrived on the scene will work fine - except for effects, clouds etc, due to the different particle system I believe - you just need to follow the different install instructions, and remember that their readmes will only describe the drill for FE(1). For any sort of effects mod, I think it will be necessary to use one designed for FE2, not FE(1).

 

The attached image shows my FE2 'mods' folders, with a lot of stuff installed. Yours won't look like this yet, because it starts off with just a minimum set of  subfolders - you create the extra ones manually, as and when a particular mod needs them. May sound complicated but it's actually quite convenient and getting the hang of it is part of the road to having FE2 fully set up with all the bells and whistles you want, and very well worthwhile.

 

 

Re a sky mod, you might like to try this one:

 

http://combatace.com/files/file/13454-realistic-sky-mod-first-eagles-2/

 

As for a replacement for terrain, Jan Tuma's version is populat tho I like the stock terrain tiles:

 

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

 

 

Don't use sound mods, I like the stock ones just fine.

 

The best bet is to get Ojcar's Armchair Aces, open the readme, and locate, download and install all the recommended mods. Then back up your 'mods' folder to CD. It's a lot of downloading and installing but once you've done that, you've got a great basis to work from and 90% of all you'll every want or need.

 

Another good route is the same, but for Gterl's Italian Theatre, best put into a separate install (my mods folder in the pic is before I created a separate install for that but you can see that there is a separate mods folder for a separate install for ataribaby's Blue Max mod.

 

[manitouguy]

thanks very much 33lima, much appreciated

 

i think i get the basics here for the mods ...

 

i have the sky mod up and running nicely,

 

tried the terrain mod but was giving me wild neon green buildings .. not sure what that was all about ...

 

also tried the tracers puff smoke mod but didn't seem to get that one to go ... anyone else had success with a tracer mod in fe2?

 

the hi res menu images mod works well too, but the hangar images i am not sure where to put those so they appear in the game screens ..

 

lots to learn

 

but thanks very much !!

 

regards, Ron

[33LIMA]

Hi Ron

glad you're making progress!

 

is this the problem you have with the neon buildings? If so see further down for the fix:

 

http://combatace.com/topic/76900-italian-front-wip/page-7?do=findComment&comment=646772

 

The hangar and loading screen images go in the main folder for the aircraft eg those for Stephen1918's Albatros C III (filenames AlbatrosC3_Hangar.bmp and AlbatrosC3_Loading.bmp) go in the FE2 mod folder, as follows:  [your user name]/ThirdWire/FirstEagles2/Objects/Aircraft/AlbatrosC3.

 

Ivor

[manitouguy]

thanks Ivor, yes making some progress and having fun !!

 

got the terrain mod to quit flashing (read through the first 20 some pages of posts - lots of neat stuff in there, and saw to turn down level of objects or something like tha )

 

another question - if i want to download some of the improved flight model files from peter ... is that recommended .. and how do i know which ones to download??

 

regards, Ron

[vonOben]

Hi 33LIMA

 

You mentioned ataribaby's Blue Max mod, but I can't find any information about it or where to download.

Can you please advice?

 

Thanks in advance! 

 

S!

 

vonOben

you can see that there is a separate mods folder for a separate install for ataribaby's Blue Max mod.

 

Edited July 6, 2014 by vonOben

[33LIMA]

Hi von Oben

 

just had a look and the link Ataribaby sent me to that mod is no longer functional. He's a member here and at SimHQ so you may want to pm him - good luck!

 

@Manitouguy - sorry I just saw your post only now. As you may have discovered since, there are two different sets of Peter01's FMs, one set for FE(1) and one set for FE2. Just install the complete set for your sim. It will likely create folders and install the modified files for some planes you may not have, but that won't do any harm. The only issue I have with this mod is that it also neuters AI gunners, by reducing the rates at which they can elevate/depress or traverse their guns; I had to hand-edit all the two-seater data files, to get them back to their more dangerous abilities, which I prefer (especially when I'm flying a two-seater, myself!).