Is there anybody out there?

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

It's been awful quiet around here lately. Is everyone too busy, too shy, or have you lost interest in First Eagles? How about a quick post to let everyone know what you've been up to...

 

The real world is keeping me busy, but I try to get here every few days. I'm still working on Vogesen, I have a few planes in the works, and I'm starting to look at Spanish Civil War planes. I've been playing the campaigns for the Eastern and Western Fronts...

[+whiteknight06604 934]

i think the few of the regulars are still around.I don't usually say much unless it's to comment on something new or on the rare occasions I can to help someone with a question.

[+ojcar 157]

Well, I'm correcting some FM oddities here and there....and working in "another Armchair Aces" and, of course, playing the game.

[+Trotski 936]

I'm still interested, but am tied up with a SF2 project at the moment, and not even had FE running for a few months, but I am still interested mate.

[Silberpfeil 363]

I just got Nippy's new Dogfight2.3 app running correctly, as I was taking a break from trying to understand mue's writings about extending drawing distances for fading objects while getting rid of shimmering buildings!  I'm also trying to get proficient with the items in his Toolbox.  When I tire from all that, I've been entering and checking out tzhitor's tweaked flight models.  Any new updates on Vogesen as to when you are expecting it to be re-released?  Any new images?  

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

... Any new updates on Vogesen as to when you are expecting it to be re-released?  Any new images?  

The Vogesen terrain is very close to being finished, but I'm not able to work on it as much as I'd like. I still have a few cities to populate, and a few locations in the mountains to level, and then a lot of double checking. I have to make a few seasonal tiles, then get everything together and write the installation instructions. Not a lot left to do, but at this rate it will be few more weeks, maybe a month...

[jeanba 1,920]

I am just discovering FE2 and enjoiying it.

At least I can fly over Verdun with most planes.

[+quack74 329]

I'm still around and play FE often. Since the new Terrain Editor came out I got to work on my Verdun terrain again. Been busy with cleaning it up. I just havn't had anything to post or comment on lately. I have so many skins for you guys. I just don't have much time to package anything. I have close to 100 skins just for the Italian-Austria front. I'll get to it soon.

[+VonS 1,424]

I'm busy with Ver7.0 of my flight model tweaks and flying the Palestinian theatre (now into February of 1916 flying Fokker E.Ia, IIa, and Pfalz types, racking up some medals using Cap'n Vengeur's mods and having fun with the game), but I check in from time to time here to see what the latest developments are.

 

Ver7.0 of the FM tweaks will feature a separate Pfalz E.II folder (the 100HP one), also several modifications to the ceilings for early monoplane and parasol types, plus a separate folder for the Russian Morane-Saulnier "I" so that it shows up in game and in menu alongside the earlier N variant. I also want to add a Tabloid and early Martinsyde flown by the Australians into the Palestinian theatre, plus the 375HP DH.4 for late war engagements in the Western theatre - with a top speed of 230kph it'll be hard to catch with the German scouts. I hope to get working on the Tabloid, Martinsyde, and 375HP DH.4 data ini tweaks soon. The other modifications for Ver7.0 have already been done.

 

Ver8.0 will be another big update adding another six or seven FM tweaks to new plane types for the Western theatre specifically. After that I will tweak FMs on a slower basis as I see new ones that catch my attention here on the site.

 

The next experiment will be seeing how to bring multiplayer back into FE2 since I noticed that there is some latent code for multiplayer still lying around in the game - with multiplayer back this will be a game that should nicely fill the spot held previously by RB3D.

 

FE2 is a great-flying game even on lower-end computers (mine is running just fine in WineSkin on a 2012 Mac Mini).

 

Von S

Edited March 29, 2016 by tzhitor

[Nicholas Bell 117]

I'm working on correcting hit boxes using Mue's LOD tool - they are really messed up on a lot of aircraft (and I mean really bad with boxes way outside the aircraft!).  Also tweaking gunnery accuracy and DM models.  So a lot of single missions.

[+VonS 1,424]

I'm working on correcting hit boxes using Mue's LOD tool - they are really messed up on a lot of aircraft (and I mean really bad with boxes way outside the aircraft!).  Also tweaking gunnery accuracy and DM models.  So a lot of single missions.

 

That sounds great Nicholas. I remember the hit boxes being big in RB3D before the Greybeard/Zantack mods reduced the damage boxes to something more realistic - I look forward to the improvements. Speaking of DM models, would it be possible to modify the plane crashes so that tails, wings, etc., come off - with some crumpling of the fuselage (more historical for WWI) - than having the big disintegrating explosions on impact? (Not that I'm seriously bothered by that lack of realism but thought I'd ask anyway...I suppose this would apply for balloon busting too...to have a nice simmering fire with the balloon slowly deflating and descending faster, instead of the big explosion that happens currently in the game.)

 

Happy flying,

Von S

[+ojcar 157]

I'm working on correcting hit boxes using Mue's LOD tool - they are really messed up on a lot of aircraft (and I mean really bad with boxes way outside the aircraft!).  Also tweaking gunnery accuracy and DM models.  So a lot of single missions.

It sounds very interesting. Would you mind to post them when you'll finish?

[Nicholas Bell 117]

It sounds very interesting. Would you mind to post them when you'll finish?

 

I can do that, but I would have to recommend copying over the hitbox data to your own dat files given my are a mish-mash of tweaks...

[+ojcar 157]

I was planning to do exactly what do you said    

[Emp_Palpatine 501]

Here also, even if I haven't much time for siming nowadays. 

[+Geezer 3,569]

It's been awful quiet around here lately. Is everyone too busy, too shy, or have you lost interest in First Eagles? How about a quick post to let everyone know what you've been up to...

 

The real world is keeping me busy, but I try to get here every few days. I'm still working on Vogesen, I have a few planes in the works, and I'm starting to look at Spanish Civil War planes. I've been playing the campaigns for the Eastern and Western Fronts...

 

Hi, Steve -

 

While I have new priorities, I have not lost all interest in FE - I still check in from time to time.  I have some excellent refs for several SCW aircraft, so lemme know when/if you get interested and I'll send them to you.  I've also made a start on SCW ground objects - I'll look them over and see if they are compatible with my new priorities.  If so, I'll continue work and contact you.

 

Speaking of contact, I've tried several times to re-establish communication with gterl but he does not respond.  I hope he's OK.

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

I'm working on correcting hit boxes using Mue's LOD tool - they are really messed up on a lot of aircraft (and I mean really bad with boxes way outside the aircraft!).  Also tweaking gunnery accuracy and DM models.  So a lot of single missions.

Nicholas - Let me know if you find anything that needs correcting with my planes. I try to be accurate, but mistakes happen. I'll be happy to upload a revision with your corrections.

 

... I have some excellent refs for several SCW aircraft, so lemme know when/if you get interested and I'll send them to you.  I've also made a start on SCW ground objects - I'll look them over and see if they are compatible with my new priorities.  If so, I'll continue work and contact you. ...

Thanks Geezer, I'll keep that in mind. It's tempting to start a new project, but I really need to grind my way through Vogesen before I get serious about anything else.

[Nicholas Bell 117]

Nicholas - Let me know if you find anything that needs correcting with my planes. I try to be accurate, but mistakes happen. I'll be happy to upload a revision with your corrections.

 

Stephen, your models are impressive.  I'm not really keeping track of the corrections I'm making nor do I want to highlight the mistakes I've found on anyone's specific model.   I know no one intentionally put in bad data. 

 

Some examples of the serious problems:

-Vertical stabilizers the size of barns

-Tails extending 5 meters in front of the aircraft

-Wings hit boxes misaligned on various or all axis

-Wing hit boxes less than half the actual wingspan

-Missing hit boxes on one side of because of missing or adding negative signs resulting in 2 hit boxes in the same location (very common problem)

 

I'm also tweaking wing thickness and attempting to standardize the hit boxes.  Some errors I cannot address because of problems with nodes.

 

I've gotten through a good number of mid and late war aircraft.  My biggest challenge is how to present the data given the fact that not everyone is using the same .dat files.  Suggestions welcome.

[+Stephen1918 1,474]

Nicholas, for me, the data files are one of the tedious things that have to be done to finish the plane. It's easy to make mistakes, like forgetting to flip the signs, like you mentioned. If I make a mistake, I can fix it. It's only a mistake after all, everyone makes them. So, if you happen to spot something I did wrong, I'll fix it if I can.

 

I've been trying to put revision dates into the data files I have revised. I have multiple FMs for some older planes and I really don't know which one is the most recent. 

 

I think we owe it to future FE users to keep things as correct as possible. If you send me corrections, I'll add them to the most recent version of my (ojcar's) FM and replace the file here. That way future downloaders will have the best available package.

[Wrench 9,847]

Mue's Lod viewer is an indespensible tool for reading hit boxes (and bounding boxes too!)

 

below, the DH-2. you can see several missing hit boxes

[+VonS 1,424]

Stephen, your models are impressive.  I'm not really keeping track of the corrections I'm making nor do I want to highlight the mistakes I've found on anyone's specific model.   I know no one intentionally put in bad data. 

 

Some examples of the serious problems:

-Vertical stabilizers the size of barns

-Tails extending 5 meters in front of the aircraft

-Wings hit boxes misaligned on various or all axis

-Wing hit boxes less than half the actual wingspan

-Missing hit boxes on one side of because of missing or adding negative signs resulting in 2 hit boxes in the same location (very common problem)

 

I'm also tweaking wing thickness and attempting to standardize the hit boxes.  Some errors I cannot address because of problems with nodes.

 

I've gotten through a good number of mid and late war aircraft.  My biggest challenge is how to present the data given the fact that not everyone is using the same .dat files.  Suggestions welcome.

 

 

Nicholas, for me, the data files are one of the tedious things that have to be done to finish the plane. It's easy to make mistakes, like forgetting to flip the signs, like you mentioned. If I make a mistake, I can fix it. It's only a mistake after all, everyone makes them. So, if you happen to spot something I did wrong, I'll fix it if I can.

 

I've been trying to put revision dates into the data files I have revised. I have multiple FMs for some older planes and I really don't know which one is the most recent. 

 

I think we owe it to future FE users to keep things as correct as possible. If you send me corrections, I'll add them to the most recent version of my (ojcar's) FM and replace the file here. That way future downloaders will have the best available package.

I'd also like to chime in by adding that I'd be happy to include  the hit box improvements down the road in my own FM tweaks of the Ojcar/Peter and Laton FMs - this shouldn't be too much of a problem beyond cut-and-paste since it doesn't change my other physics tweaks for the FMs - perhaps in a Version 9 or 10 upload.

 

Happy flying,

Von S

[Mike Dora 171]

I just got back from a 3-month TDY to Afghanistan. Used off-duty time to carry out long-overdue conversion to FE2 of the 5 FE configs on my system (Western Front, Eastern Front, Italian Front, Palestine, North Sea). Helped while away many otherwise boring hours!

 

Now that I'm back have transferred results from laptop to desktop and now in final (I hope!) stages of tinkering to get them all running as well as old FE versions. Hence the questions you see me asking from time to time.

 

Mike