changed Pilot Seat Position and Crosshair-view

[Becker02 35]

Hallo all,

 

again and again players asked, if it is possible to see more from the environment in cockpit-view. Some oft them want to zoom out simply. The change from zoom out has the problem, that all objects around are smaller than in default / reality and that in consequence the optical distance to the objects is bigger. Other players want to slide the pilot seat back to see more from the instruments and around, but with default zoom. Okay, with some buttons you can change the seat-position, see wokshop the „map keys / controllers“. But this change from the seat position you can’t safe during the flight.

 

So in the following I try to explain an other option to change and safe the pilot seat position without to change the original zoom (so the size of all objects and the optical distance to them remain most realistic!) and without  fisheye-effect. And this way works for WOFF and WOTR! It is not so much, once you have done it a few times you will know the way.

 

So step by step and for example I have taken aircraft > ALB_DIII_Early_QC1:

At FIRST open outside from WOFF two new free folder, for example „„Original cockpit-view“ and „Changed cockpit-view“. Then copy the xdp.file from the aeroplane ( aircraft > ALB_DIII_Early_QC1 > ALB_DIII_Early_QC1.xdp) in both folder. The copied file in „Original cockpit-view“ is only for back up. Now open the file in the folder „Changed cockpit-view“ (f.e. with editor) and make the changes you can see on the screenshot with the red underlining.

 

(Excursion - these changes have 3 meanings:

Meaning 1: You change the seat position (Station Name= „Pilot“) with x, y and z – values (see  screenshot: X="0" Y="-0.02" Z="-0.17")

What is the difference now?

x positive will move eyepoint to right, negative will move eyepoint to left (here not necessary)

y positive will move eyepoint to up, negative will move eyepoint to down

z positive will move eyepoint to forward, negative will move eyepoint to back

0.1 are equivalent to ca. 10cm

So in this case the pilot sits a little bit more down and more back. 

Meaning 2: If you look through the crosshair (F6) you will get the normal realistic size of an obcect in front of you as in default cockpit-view now. For this you change the values from Station Name= „Iron sight“ > FovUp=18 and FovDown=14 to the same values from „Pilot“ > FovUp="25" FovDown="17" (see screenshot). 

 And 3: If you want, you can move back your head a little bit for this crosshair view now (see screenshot X="0" Y="0" Z="-0.3"), because your safety belts fix your shoulder / body and you can’t move forward so much as in default).

 

At SECOND safe this file in your folder „Changed cockpit-view“ now.

THIRD: After this copy this changed file back to your aircraft-folder in WOFF. THIRD-B: Open this file again there and save it new and close it (then you see the actual date and time on the right side next to the closed file on Windows Explorer). This step is necessary because WOFF doesn’t registrate the copied changed file, it means: Copy and paste is not enough here! Addition: Please read also the following posting from @Polovski with a very useful info for this point!

Now start WOFF and start a flight with this aircraft in QC for a test.

FOURTH: Here is the last important step. You must look in an other direction once and back to forward view to see the change, a short movement via snapview or with the number pad on the keyboard is the best way. Now you can see your changed seat position. This also applies to the changed crosshair view (F6)! Don’t forget it!

If the new view is okay, you can do the same with the ALB_DIII_Early_Sqd > ALB_DIII_Early_Sqd.xdp now, if you fly the aircraft in your campaign too. Notice: take into account, that you can use the QC1-file for Quick Combat and the Sqd-file only for Campaign Mode!

 

That’s it!

 

I recommend to change the pilot-seat only for those aeroplanes, which you fly at the moment. In my case it is the aircraft-type for the actual campaign. Because you safe the changed files in the folder „changed cockpit-view“ you will collect more and more changed files with new seat-positions for different aeroplanes with the time and can use, what you need. Of course you can set up your own mod for JSGME (f.e.: New seat positions and CH-view > OBDWW1 Over Flanders Fields > aircraft > ALB_DIII_Early_QC1 > ALB_DIII_Early_QC1.xdp). But don’t forget, you must repeat step THIRD-B after you have activated the mod!

For comparison I have integrated screenshots from default and new cockpit-view (labeling at the lower left corner).

And you see, this works for WOTR too!

The differences are these points:

You need the „…_PL.xdp“.

Instead of „Iron sight“ you will see the line „Gunsight“.

To get the same realistic object-size through the crosshair as in normal cockpit-view you delete MaxFov“20“ in the gunsight-line and copy  FovUp="19" FovDown="23" from the pilot-line at this place (in this case Bf109-E4).

Supplement: After an OBD-update / patch you must copy again the changed file (from your extern folder, see above) in the according aircraft-folder because the patches overwrite the files automatically! Only if OBD develops an update for an aircraft and changes the files from it new with a patch, you must re-edit the xpd-file and change it new again. 

Of course all at your own risk!!

 

Thanks to @OrbxP, who gave the deciding info for this solution to me some time ago.

P.S.: @Pol, maybe it is an idea for a patch to safe changed pilot seat positions via a button (Workshop).

 

Have Fun and Greetings!

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Becker02

[+Polovski 460]

Great write up Becker01. 

One thing, when you copy in your changed XDP the first time, you can check the "Date modified" column of the file. 
If your file explorer default only shows "Date" and not "Date modified" then you can change that (best to do this much more useful and accurate than "Date".

(To change it - right click in the folder area in File Explorer, then choose View, Details.  Then on the headings for the columns where it shows Name, Type, Size etc...  on Date, right click on it and instead select "Date modified" for the heading).

This Date modified attribute will ALWAYS show if a file has been edited and when - the best way to check a file's date.

Then if that "Date modified" of your edited XDP shows it is newer than the original XDP, all you need to do then is to delete the  .BDP file in the folder.  WOFF will regenerate that when you fly - in other words no need to open and resave.

However don't delete too many aircraft bdp's at once - but one or two should work fine.

 

[Becker02 35]

Hallo @Pol,

Thank you very much for this very useful info! I have mentioned it as addition at the according point. 

Greetings!