WOI update

[UllyB 1,206]

I know that 99% of you moved on to SF2, except me. Searching for something else I found out, from Gepard, that WOI has another update, except the well known one, from october 2008, the one which comes with the Suez Crysis add-on. He also let me know that there are real improvements in it. I bought it and went for a spin in a single player mission. Looking back , I always found the "old" engine (which contained the 2008 update) lacking in the A.I. wingmen department. It always came into my mind the situation when my wingmen, no matter how skilled or experienced was, after a few brave manoevres , he flew straight like there was no one chasing it and sooner or later was, stupidely, shot down by enemy chaser's gun. This time it was different, I switched immediately just to see what my wingman does (there was a recon mission, with just 2 planes). My plane was shot down quickly by a radar missiles, but what this wingman did was impressive. The enemy was a formation of 8 Mirage IIIEA, my wingman was a Gripen-39. The wingman not once flew straight, made tons of manoevres, and shot down 4 planes in the process (all with his missiles). The other 4 break formation when were bingo fuel I guess and left. So my question for you who, in the past for sure tried this update and felt it, is: was what I experienced an accident or is there real improvement for the AI wingmen ? Please let me know your thoughts.

Edited January 28, 2019 by UllyB

[+streakeagle 871]

WOI with the expansion pack was just short of being SF2I. Much of the code going into the first SF2 release went into WoI, its patches, and its expansion. WoI with the expansion pack provides a unique situation: it can import the 3d models and textures of the stock aircraft from the early SF2 releases and it also supports multiplayer. However, there were still plenty of bugs in the final patched version which TK never addressed. So, if you don't notice or mind the remaining bugs, it is the most advanced version of the SFP1/WoX series, just short of SF2.

[UllyB 1,206]

I see, so it is a big deal. It's good to know , thanks.

You said that limited  it can import things from SF2. Can I import even cockpits from SF2 ? That indeed would be a fat reward :) but I guess I'm just dreaming LOL

Edited January 28, 2019 by UllyB

[+streakeagle 871]

There was a point where SF2 was patched to lock up the stock lods and a point where the 3d models were changes such that they wouldn't work in earlier patch revisions... I am thinking that was when bump mapping was added? I was always a fan of SFP1/WoX multiplayer and had done a lot of work importing SF2 aircraft models (external and cockpit) into WOI with expansion pack 1. SF2 was more complicated / realistic avionics, such as the RWR functionality, so you have to dumb down the cockpit ini files to match the capabilities of WoI Expansion Pack 1. My work was primarily on F-4 variants. You have to splice relevant ini lines from the WOI F-4s into the SF2 files to create an F-4 with WOI functionality and SF2 models/textures. It is not hard, but a little time consuming.

I think my main problem with WoI Expansion Pack 1 in terms of bugs was with the F-16. I vaguely remember it had some kind of flight model problem.

But the real work is integrating the other WoX games into SF2: merging the terrains, objects, weapons, etc. I decided it wasn't worth the time. 

Edited January 29, 2019 by streakeagle

[UllyB 1,206]

I encountered a weird thing. I finally got a extractor for the CAT introduced by the add-on. I can access the ini files only and some files for the cockpits, of course no LODs, for model, or cockpits, but also...NO files for the parts of the plane's textures. Where are they ? Are they hidden ? Why can I not access them , see them etc ? Furthermore..I discovered that the ini files for the "new" aircraft are in unicode (why??) and after starting the game and exiting, the textures from the ini files are gone!! So when I choose a new plane , as a result, it has no textures ! I saved them in ANSI, but the texture still disappear after starting game. But in the same time I can fly, in this new updated engine, any of my old planes from the aircraft folder .What the hell is going on?

EDIT

I tried a workaround, to set readme attribut for the file. Now the textures appears in the loading screen, but in game, there are no textures, the plane is white! I don't understand what is happening.

Edited January 30, 2019 by UllyB

[UllyB 1,206]

On 1/29/2019 at 6:43 AM, streakeagle said:

... You have to splice relevant ini lines from the WOI F-4s into the SF2 files to create an F-4 with WOI functionality and SF2 models/textures. It is not hard, but a little time consuming...

 

I did exactly that in the last two years, I converted what I could into SF1 word, planes, terrains, weapons etc. It's a lot to work but I like to do that. But when the model are in unicode encrypted or they have JPGs , it's game over, is a wall you can't jump or pass. I wish TK had it right from the first time in a single game LOL. I think we all wanted that LOL

[+streakeagle 871]

Unicode files can be saved as simple text files. JPGs can be saved as bmp files, but WOI with the expansion pack should be compatible with unicode and JPGs if I remember correctly.

[UllyB 1,206]

yes I know that, but trouble is that I can't see them where they are in th "special" CAT (the new one). I can open it but bitmaps/jpgs , parts of the plane are "invisible". It's a difference of 30MB, the CAT has 167 and the rest of files I can extract have 136MB, so those three new models, their LODs and their parts must be the ones, but they are hidden, at least for the extractor I have.