Good Times in SF2

[Do335 382]

Actually you are not that far of, when it comes to SF series people think CombatAce. We created it for the modders and the fans. So in a way we are united.

Yes Dave, but there is a difference between content platform and content author. CA is the former, as in "I downloaded the mods from combatace" and not "I used CombatAce's mods". Former refers to the website platform and latter refers to a group of people/modders.

 

Anyway I have said enough, hope it is taken as food for thought.

[Stratos 3,191]

What is interesting is that CombatAce has enough top notch modders to create something huge for SF, but do we have any modder that know how to deal with exes? Cause I think the problem is here.

[Do335 382]

because he was apparently from China

I'm also from China, but just another sim head and not in any group. I was a beta tester/modder for BMS (for Falcon4.0) until retiring that is, so aware of all the community rules and ethics. Yes piracy is rampant here, but it has more to do with the government enclosing the internet from the rest of the world, generally doing that to the entire country, and not respecting individualism, than ppl's deliberate acts of IP infringement. In short, big brother's in play and affected its citizens to the point of not aware and not caring. My take on it anyways.

[+Stary 2,427]

damn man! I bet that sucks

[+russouk2004 6,958]

 

Well now that we have the email, that's a good start. Maybe we should be more specific in our questions to TK in what we can exactly do so there is no misinterpretation. To answer someone's question is yes to make patches like they do in Skyrim.

If we all had our own personal cat extractor for locked cats for our own use...then according to TK`s statement...we are free to do exactly that...

as any mod that is made with no locked content would work for the people first mentioned ,if u see what I mean...we are then NOT breakin the agreement with TK to mod stuff further.

Edited February 24, 2015 by russouk2004

[+Stary 2,427]

why do we need stock Lods in the first place? I bet for decaling gurus and maybe some fake pilot or movement tricks, right

[PFunk 198]

The team responsible for YAP and Rising Sun did payware, so we know that barrier has been broken.

 

Like someone else noted, I enjoy the all-inclusive campaigns that bring so much to the table. So much could be done, so much really needs to be done.

 

SF2 is the last flight combat simulation that I still play. DCS World is of no interest to me. I have it, but it doesn't have even the most rudimentary of single player environments. Just loosely coupled single missions strung together.

 

SF2 has the best balance of realism and fun.

[+KnightWolf45 1,147]

why do we need stock Lods in the first place? I bet for decaling gurus and maybe some fake pilot or movement tricks, right

that or new models!

[Stratos 3,191]

SF2 has the best balance of realism and fun.

 

Altough I agree in the most part I think that the avionics department will benefit a lot of more modes added, a proper A-G radar, CCRP... We have seen in the videos that can be done, but unfortunately we don't have any member that knows how. 

[+Soulfreak 6,524]

 

Now that a payware group uses it suddenly it is OK....

 

 

Maybe a stupid question, but which is it? 

[Stratos 3,191]

Maybe a stupid question, but which is it? 

 

There are only two payware groups, as I cannot find anything like that for YAP it must be something related to WTR.

[Stratos 3,191]

It seems no one here knows how to hack exes. I think this has already happened several times.

[beachav8r 360]

SF2 is the last flight combat simulation that I still play. DCS World is of no interest to me. I have it, but it doesn't have even the most rudimentary of single player environments. Just loosely coupled single missions strung together.

 

SF2 has the best balance of realism and fun.

 

While I don't completely agree with you about DCS World - I do agree that SF2 has a fantastic balance of realism and fun. You can't just haul off on the stick and disregard the aerodynamics, but nor do you need to bury your head in a book for weeks to learn how to drop bombs. All the discussion of mods and campaigns and stuff is great (and I love the content that is out there and coming) - but good grief..can you imagine how bad ass and timeless SF2 would be with multiplayer? Gawd..it's all already in there as far as content goes (Vietnam, Gulf War, etc...) but the frustration of not being able to cooperatively fly is frustrating. Sigh.. I know I keep bringing it up..but someday I keep hoping some bolt of lighting will come from nowhere and introduce MP to SF2... <g>

 

BeachAV8R

[turkeydriver 4]

While I don't completely agree with you about DCS World - I do agree that SF2 has a fantastic balance of realism and fun. You can't just haul off on the stick and disregard the aerodynamics, but nor do you need to bury your head in a book for weeks to learn how to drop bombs. All the discussion of mods and campaigns and stuff is great (and I love the content that is out there and coming) - but good grief..can you imagine how bad ass and timeless SF2 would be with multiplayer? Gawd..it's all already in there as far as content goes (Vietnam, Gulf War, etc...) but the frustration of not being able to cooperatively fly is frustrating. Sigh.. I know I keep bringing it up..but someday I keep hoping some bolt of lighting will come from nowhere and introduce MP to SF2... <g>

 

BeachAV8R

 

 

This +10.    Multiplayer in this game would allow gamers interested in learning the more hardcore sims a "gateway" sim.  Just way too much fun.  Imagine taking a flight of A-4s against ground targes in Israel and then having to deal with attacking MiG-21s and ground attack SU-7s.  That would be awesome.  The difficulty level could be restored for SF2:NA and it would be easier to both destroy the Kiev fleet and take out bombers aggressively trying to launch 16 Vampires at your floating home!  That would be awesome, and bring in more revenue for TK.....I'm sure he has some chart showing its not worth it though...

Would be great if it included an ingame voicechat instead of relying on TeamSpeak.

Edited March 2, 2015 by turkeydriver

[PFunk 198]

While I don't completely agree with you about DCS World - I do agree that SF2 has a fantastic balance of realism and fun. You can't just haul off on the stick and disregard the aerodynamics, but nor do you need to bury your head in a book for weeks to learn how to drop bombs. All the discussion of mods and campaigns and stuff is great (and I love the content that is out there and coming) - but good grief..can you imagine how bad ass and timeless SF2 would be with multiplayer? Gawd..it's all already in there as far as content goes (Vietnam, Gulf War, etc...) but the frustration of not being able to cooperatively fly is frustrating. Sigh.. I know I keep bringing it up..but someday I keep hoping some bolt of lighting will come from nowhere and introduce MP to SF2... <g>

 

BeachAV8R

 

No doubt about that.  If SF2 had MP, it would be the go-to game for a lot more people.  

 

The thing about DCS (and this is the reason it's still on my PC) is that it's tiresomely pretty and it really does do an effective job of giving you an idea of how complex flight combat really is.  Sure, it needs some work.  Even SF2 lets you launch a carrierborne aircraft from an actual carrier without having to fiddle around with much of anything.

 

For me, and for my limited time, SF2 does the job it needs to without too much fanfare.

Edited March 2, 2015 by PFunk

[+Brain32 265]

Maybe a stupid question, but which is it? 

 

I'd like to know too. What did they change, how did they hack it and what group is it...

[+Dave 2,322]

I'd like to know too. What did they change, how did they hack it and what group is it...

 

 

I am not sure who did it either. 

[beachav8r 360]

Imagine taking a flight of A-4s against ground targes in Israel and then having to deal with attacking MiG-21s and ground attack SU-7s.  That would be awesome. 

 

That's a legit scenario. Of course, I would dream of getting a squadron of A-6 pilots to do an Alpha Strike on the Vietnam map. With F-4 cover and maybe human MiG-21 adversaries. I mean..how awesome would that be?? Pretty much you can insert whatever theater/plane/war is your favorite though and you can dream of how good SF2 multiplayer would be...

 

Oh TK..why??? WHY!!???? LOL... (I know why - he said it would cost somewhere around $100,000 to add good MP if I remember correctly?)... Sigh..

[PFunk 198]

I'm imagining the opening night of Desert Storm.

[+Viper63a 667]

Hey, I'm pretty new to all this. Did some mods in Jane's USAF. In fact, I got started on SF2 when I couldn't run USAF on Windows7. Then I stumbled onto CombatAce and you wonderful people! This is pretty AWESOME! Good times!

 

Here's a question. Anyone (better than me, pretty much all of you) thought about making a Nazi Bell fighter (AKA UFO)...or an Independence Day Campaign? LOL....That would be cool.

Ditto on MP - MP would be awesome!

[beachav8r 360]

I'm imagining the opening night of Desert Storm.

 

I never get tired of reading about the drama of that opening night. The Pave Lows escorting the Apache's to the radar sites, them opening the hole, and then the Allied packages pouring through.. Hot damn I bet that was something...

 

http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/gulf-war-20th-apache-raid/

 

BeachAV8R

[JediMaster 451]

I had a friend who flew SF1 coop MP with me. We even did the full NATO Fighters dance (he's not very keen on modding that is more than one-click .exe installers) to get it working right.

 

Unfortunately, the limits on it (only 4 types of planes, always 4 of each of them, always 2 types per side, and no non-flyables) prevented us from playing it too much. I was very hopeful SF2 would broaden that...instead it got yanked.

 

I still think TK dragged his feet and deliberately said it would cost more to put it in than it would have just because he didn't want to. Besides, here's the big question--$100,000 to WHO? I thought he did all this stuff himself, didn't he, aside from some art? So the money figure is meaningless. What he SHOULD have said was how long it would take him to do it if he worked on it exclusively. Would it be 4 months? 6? 12? With the understanding that he'd not be making any other new content or patching bugs or whatever during that period, just how long would it take? For my money, if it was under 6 months he should've gone for it because the return would've been worth it. If it was over 12 months, then I agree it was out of the question. If it was 6-12 then I would say he should not work it exclusively and instead do it part-time, such as if it would take 9 months full-time then take 18 to do it part time.

 

Incidentally, an 18 month development started after the release of SF2: NA would've come out 18 months ago!

 

Bottom line is TK couldn't be bothered to do it, he didn't want to because it wasn't a 2-day hack job which was apparently as much time as he felt willing to put into it. I wish he'd just unload the source code so someone could at a minimum port the SF1 MP into SF2 (or more likely re-enable it as the bones of it are still there, it would've been more work than it was worth to actually strip it all out) or even go and make a more fully-featured one. Sure, no dedicated server means smaller numbers of people per flight than the sims that have them do, but who cares? 8 people flying coop SF2 against a few dozen AI planes would've ROCKED.

[+Stary 2,427]

8 people flying coop SF2 against a few dozen AI planes would've ROCKED.

I think so

 

also

 

Bottom line is TK couldn't be bothered to do it, he didn't want to because it wasn't a 2-day hack job which was apparently as much time as he felt willing to put into it

this JM, with time was my general impression of the new features added with each title of the SF2 series NA aside (ohh the manpower and resources put into totally wasted "new" terrain engine development! Ohh I can soo imagine The Guy with his Windows notepad opened typing x,y position values for each and every terrain LOD piece as he goes along, unchecking every single of these from a printed list lying next to his monitor as he progresses throught the cold long night like it's 1991. Totally not a pun TW guys! Totally! )

 

having now also the very first install of Wings over Vietnam, pre-patched out of the box, 2004 edition I notice how much stuff apparently was in the code just "unlocked" as the new titles were coming

 

you old timers do know that that particular old WoV has statements for  ie. clouds shadows still left there, don't you? plus correctly rendered gunsights etc

[+Geezer 3,569]

While not an SF2 guy, I have been following this thread with great interest.  The comments about a more cohesive, collective mod effort have a great deal of merit.  The modest numbers of talented modders working on WW2 stuff and First Eagles stuff could make real contributions so long as the subject matter was not confined to jets.  If some sort of accommodation could be worked out, I would happily contribute my graphics talents to such an effort.

[Saavedra 5]

The modest numbers of talented modders working on WW2 stuff

 

I would love to get in on that, but I´m not jumping through A-Team´s hoop to get their LODs.

 

I don´t even know why they force people to go through that.