Gladiator

[+Geezer 3,569]

Resumed work on the BoF Gladiator, plus tweaked the colors for the BoB CR42.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wilches 1,169]

Perfect! Inside the "TextureSet" place the following:

 

Specular=0.4
Glossiness=0.4
Reflection=0.0   <---- Always ZERO unless for silver color - Higher number, more reflection.

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

I really like the camo on the CR-42.

[+Geezer 3,569]

I really like the camo on the CR-42.

 

Edited September 17, 2015 by Geezer

[+Geezer 3,569]

Spent the morning working on Gladiators - finally got the guns to fire correctly.  Having figured that out, I'll apply lessons learned to the Hurricane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[+Geezer 3,569]

Saw a posting by LloydNB today - some time ago he said he might be interested in skinning a Sea Gladiator.  So, I got the version with the tail hook working, plus experimented with some test colors.

 

 

 

[+Geezer 3,569]

LloydNB is going to town on the Sea Gladiator skins, and Baffmeister is tweaking the FM.  Meanwhile, I'm making good progress on the MK2 cockpit, shown next to the CR42 cockpit.

 

 

[+Coupi 4,380]

Beauty... full!!!

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

Looking good! How soon can we expect this? Right now I just have the CR-42 flying around by itself.

[+Geezer 3,569]

Looking good! How soon can we expect this? Right now I just have the CR-42 flying around by itself.

 

As soon as we can get it done.    I don't need to tell you how much work is required to release an aircraft - we are talking THREE Gladiators here!  Baffmeister's efforts are significant, but subtle.  For instance, he has worked out some "typical" recip engine performance tables that better simulate real engine performance at various altitudes.  The good news is this stuff can roll into other aircraft as we get them done.  The bad news is that TW software does not model propeller performance well.

 

Baff, Lloyd, and I are exploring late 1930s aircraft technology - the last biplanes (Glad, CR42, etc) and the first monoplanes (Hurricane, etc).  They are interested in 1940 Italian East Africa, Battle of France, Battle of Britain, and Malta.  I'm helping, but am also interested in earlier stuff such as 1937 China.

 

Edited November 12, 2015 by Geezer

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

This is very cool. Yes, I know how much more work is involved after the actual plane is done. I'm looking forward to more of your planes. Do you guys have a terrain you're using?

[+Geezer 3,569]

This is very cool. Yes, I know how much more work is involved after the actual plane is done. I'm looking forward to more of your planes. Do you guys have a terrain you're using?

 

Yep, and once again I want to thank you for teaching me the mod ropes.  Two Gladiators (Mk 2 and Sea Gladiator) use the cockpit I am working now.  The Mk 1 cockpit has different instrument panel and gunsight, and will get done after the Mk 2/Sea Glad.  The models also require new gun and sound files, plus the usual packaging effort so I'm guessing they should be ready by around New Year. 

 

After that, I will make some Asian river objects and try to get the Hurricane's landing gear working.  Landing gear, flaps, radio, etc all work in FE, but I have the same problem you do when making gear animations. 

 

No dedicated game maps as yet, but I occasionally tinker with terrain tile art so I think I know enough to start a map of Libya/Egypt someday, using 1024 tiles in FE/FE2.  Example below.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Geezer

[+Coupi 4,380]

WOUAHHHH!!!

[+Geezer 3,569]

WOUAHHHH!!!

 

Thanks.  More test shots below, where I screw around with Google shots of various sizes.  First shot is 1024 artwork pasted to a standard FE ground tile.  I've had some interesting discussions with Gepard and the When Thunder Rolled guy about constructing realistic maps.  Also, I have professional experience making models and gameworlds for aerospace training simulators, so I hope to roll everything I've learned into a Libyan game map suitable for the 1940 and maybe 1941 North African campaigns.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2015 by Geezer

[+Coupi 4,380]

Geezer,

 

Your "world" is very rich!

 

Coupi

[+Geezer 3,569]

Thanks.  Two examples of research below, to further enrich the gaming experience.  First shot is of primary source docs, and second is what an actual 1940 desert airfield looks like today.  For more airfield info: http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/targetnorthafrica/Libya/index.html

 

 

Edited November 14, 2015 by Geezer

[+Geezer 3,569]

For those of you who like doing research, here is some interesting stuff. 

 

Desert airfields in Egypt: http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/targetnorthafrica/Egypt/index.html

 

Shot below shows active airfields/airfield complexes June 1940 - December 1940.  Italians are green, and Brits are blue.

Edited November 14, 2015 by Geezer

[+Geezer 3,569]

Spectacular work by LloydNB.  He is painting the rib tapes into his Sea Gladiator artwork.  Lower wing shows art in preliminary stage, while upper wing shows final look. 

 

The tape art lines up with the actual 3D ribs of the model! 

 

Second shot of my art shows how sunlight falls on the 3D shapes that simulate the wing ribs.

From certain angles, the wing ribs were very evident. 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2015 by Geezer

[+Coupi 4,380]

For those of you who like doing research, here is some interesting stuff. 

 

Desert airfields in Egypt: http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/targetnorthafrica/Egypt/index.html

 

 

Hello,

 

Interesting Maps around Tobrouk:  http://www.39-45strategie.com/articles-historiques/pages-dhistoire/rommel-a-tobrouk/

[+Geezer 3,569]

Hello,

 

Interesting Maps around Tobrouk:  http://www.39-45strategie.com/articles-historiques/pages-dhistoire/rommel-a-tobrouk/

 

Yes, VERY interesting maps.  Thanks.  

 

Below is a snippet from a 1942 US Army Air Corps map - this is what pilots actually used in WW2.  I've often wondered if it would be possible to hit the M key, and see maps like this?

Edited November 14, 2015 by Geezer

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

The maps you see in flight are made from the actual terrain tiles, so your idea isn't possible there. The planning map you see from the hangar screen is drawn by whoever made the terrain, so more realistic maps might be possible there.

[+Geezer 3,569]

The maps you see in flight are made from the actual terrain tiles, so your idea isn't possible there. The planning map you see from the hangar screen is drawn by whoever made the terrain, so more realistic maps might be possible there.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!  I'll remember that if/when I ever release the Libya map.  On that subject, more shots below.  Once again, this ground tile art should not bring a recent computer to its knees as it is only 1024x1024.

 

 

 

 

[+Geezer 3,569]

If this 1940 desert war map ever gets made, then it would be easy to use it for 1941-42 scenarios.  Afrika Korps models shown below.

 

Edited November 15, 2015 by Geezer

[+Geezer 3,569]

LloydNB and I are making good progress.  Shot below of inwork cockpit.

 

 

[Wrench 9,801]

me likee!!!