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Was somebody waiting for a bus ???

Dear Friends, As the summer goes on, the work continues. One of the collector planes in development, Li-2, is nearing its release. Here are some of the WIP shots we wanted to share with you (no airborne operations shots yet - the paratroopers will learn how to jump from it next week). As you can see, unlike its unarmed C-47 cousin, this one was like a gunship wannabe - it had turrets AND a forward-firing machine gun - who knows when it might come in handy, right?! An armed transport aircraft with paratroopers and cargo inside - how much more versatile can you get? Well, add the bomb-carrying capability to this mix as well and you get a machine that ticks nearly all the boxes you ever wanted. Usually going the 'jack of all trades' route meant sacrificing something in every trade, but the USSR needed versatile aircraft. While the Western Allies during the war had plenty of long-range fighters to cover their bombers and mainly unarmed transport aircraft and had air superiority most of the time, Soviet VVS resources were always not enough. You may notice many other differences to the C-47 - different instruments and cargo doors, for instance. Even the engines were different, being Soviet-built. We hope to release this interesting aircraft later this month or in early August. See you in the skies!

I'm terribly sad to hear these news. It's been a while since last time I heard from Marty via email... I'm as shocked and saddened as much as I'm honored to have known him. One of the kindest men I've ever known. I'm keeping all posts from him with care. Our chats and his positive posts and comments made my day more than once. I lack the words to truly express how I feel about this loss. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, and to the guys of the CombatACE community who, like me, had the pleasure of chatting and collaborating with him. Rest in peace, Marty.

As we all know, the LOD exporter we can get at present can only support the old versions of 3dsmax and blender; So being used to using the newer version of 3dsmax (2018) I ran into some troubles. First of all, I can’t install max2009 because of some system reasons. I don’t want to describe it in detail. In short, I can’t, so I have to consider doing most of the work in 3dsmax first, such as splitting parts, setting axes and generating animation layers, and then Pass it to blender in FBX format. Okay, let's end the bedtime story, After importing the FBX file in blender, my axis settings and animation layers are all lost, damn, do I have to make it from scratch in bledner? Or am I simply overlooking some step? Basically, my approach is, 3dsmax2018 → latest blender → blender2.79, or directly 3dsmax2018 → blender2.79, the result is the same Or will any capable friends consider making an exporter based on the new version of 3dsmax? (I'm just saying) By the way, upload one picture to prove that I am really working on this, lol

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to share any common work or comments, but like many members I have seen your nickname continually appear on many published works over the years, which is a sign of your generosity. in sharing his knowledge with modders and enthusiasts in the community. My condolences to his family and to those who knew him and shared in this beautiful hobby that unites us. Thank you for the time you gave to this group. Have a good trip, Niels.

Su-33 Flanker D in parani colours by GKABS and team.

It's doable but it requires first some additional 3D meshes. Currently the hierarchy is : Fueslage_2 / LeftCanard Fueslage_2 / RightCanard If you would had : Fueslage_2 / "LeftPivotCanard" / LeftCanard Fueslage_2 / "RightPivotCanard" / RightCanard you could use the "LeftPivotCanard" & "RightPivotCanard" (whatever the names) as control surfaces, and use them as leading edge flaps "DeploymentMethod=AUTOMATIC_ANGLE_OF_ATTACK". I think it would bring some issues when on ground, with the canards moving without reason when the plane is stopped. (or maybe not, depending on the settings)

Apache pilots watching DA's Buick.......

next PR UK base... RAF Fairford.

In the wake of the news that Strike Fighters 2 is being bundled up into one and some of the comments on the forum, maybe we should list what should be in a Strike Fighters 3. I don't speak for or from the developers so don't get excited. But this can only help, urge them to please make a SF3. Here goes my list. First, the must-haves: Backwards compatibility with SF2 aircraft & terrain The ability for aircraft to target more than one target in missions & campaigns due to modern precision weapons The bug removed of telling a bomber wingman to attack a target The ability to control a two-ship formation the same as a four-ship True stealth/RCS capability for fourth & fifth gen fighters A Su-35, SU-34, F-15EX and F-35 modern warfare pak Now for the fantasy stuff... and don't ask me to prioritize this just yet: Some serious modern fleets - I'd start with the USN, PLAN, Taiwanese, Russian, British, French, Italian, Australian, and yes Japanese. More detailed maps and mission planning The option to use photoscenery in making maps. A tutorial how to write a campaign The ability to see in 3D where you place objects on the maps - Jane's Fighters Anthology had that ability in the late 1990s. Situational awareness plummeting without an allied AWACS in the air A helicopter sim mode with Seahawk, Knighthawk and Blackhawk models - for starters. Real Environment Xtreme (REX) weather goodies - even if just better textures and a simple weather control interface. But the freeware third-party mod I got are almost REX-quality. Aerial refueling Artillery that can be controlled from the strike lead or division lead aircraft... Good start, eh?

CD? CD! its gonna be 2024. Its gotta be whatever the hell this is on side note i now must add "wagner CD not included" to my readmes

i'm holding out for Strike fighters 4

of course, you should be aware that the wish list has nothing to do with final product...thing is there will be no final product. And I believe in any case such a wish list will not help developers in any way. You can say that there will be as many wish lists as many users of SF around a globe. Because everyone would like to have something different. For instance, comparing with your wish list I do not give a crap about any new aircraft..even Su, F or any other ...B, A C...it's proven many times that community is capable of creating excellent mods without developer money support ( I mean for free). For instance, i would like to have a real dynamic campaign with a better ground campaign so you have a feeling that you are really supporting some troops. AND real DYNAMIC weather...not the same clouds for 3 hours of flight. every user will have different demands...and at the end of the day.. there will be no new game anyway. unless we will crack it.

I have to admit, that I didn't understand everything you wrote. Modding SF2, creating new stuff, campaigns and everything else you will find here is simply a hobby for most people, that like to spent their free time being creative and have fun. So if that campaign is not as well balanced as you would like it to be, you can always start modding it to your needs. See the current one as a story someone tells you in his own words. If you ask another person, maybe he tells you more on one thing, but less on another thing. To make it short, feel free to mod everything to your needs...add planes and whatever. But be warned, not everything will work the way you would like, simply because several things are hardcoded and cannot be modded/changed.

Hello, I have the package installation of the ODS, it works perfectly, sounds, flying airplanes are very real and I extend my congratulations to all those who have participated in the same. But I have to make a criticism, the simulator as such should behave like a simulator, this means that the simulator creates a situation that can be given or not. In this MOD the story is told on the American side, and if I fly an American aircraft won without making the greatest effort, on the contrary case if I fly an Iraqi plane, I'm torn down without any possibility of flying, which means that the MOD ODS, is modified by 1,2,3 or seteado who tells the story, Try placing aircraft from other countries and if they are not American planes, the game removes them, so it is not real, it's not a flight simulator is simply a corral where one can not leave the margins or eliminated. For example, Case 1, if flight a F15 and visualize through the map, I have several miles to the target, and I can bear arms, turn on the radar etc, In case 2, if flying a plane Soviet or Chinese, for example, that do not participate in the war, and visualize the same plane from the map, I do not have time to see where my squadron and where are the bandits (USA) in this special case, the plane is shot down. Since the era of technology and the Internet everyone has access to information, When this package is distributed should be clear that in this case tells part of the story, but in reality no longer a simulator

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we now tearfully announce the loss of our greatest contributor, our biggest fan and a wonderful person…Marty James Nielson ("NIELS" around here). “Utah Air National Guard, Senior Master Sergeant, Marty James Nielsen left the airspace of this world on his last refueling mission with God's angels on May 21, 2023, surrounded by his loving family. Marty was born on July 7, 1960, the first of three sons to James Nielsen and Nancy (Fullmer) Nielsen. Marty grew up in the Glendale neighborhood of Salt Lake City...he joined the Utah Air National Guard, where he served honorably for 30 years as a boom operator, refueling military aircraft in mid flight, and as a crew chief." Marty was a constant supporter and advocator of the When Thunder Rolled Project since Day 1. He was always willing to help out wherever possible with enthusiasm and passion and was an official team member. Marty provided helpful research support, but more importantly, was one of the masterminds behind our target area creations. He became known as the target placement king; having a keen appreciation for detail and creating some of the most meticulous target areas ever created for this sim such as the North Vietnamese rail yards (the last he was working on before he passed). Many of our custom assets were directed by his requests. And we would happily create them; he always put them to great use and genuinely appreciated them. Moreover, among many development lows resulting in slow downs, Marty was always there providing motivation, encouragement and willing to help out whenever called upon. His presence and influence alone greatly contributed to getting back in action, delivering the goodies he needed to do his placement magic and feeling blessed to have such an amazing supporter with us. I personally enjoyed my discussions and collaboration with Marty, and felt so fortunate that our paths would cross sharing a common passion and hobby together. A foundation in Military Service, Family and Faith further helped unite us. My last communication from Marty was as follows: Thank you for the reply Steve and the kind words. Got home yesterday from the hospital. Struggling a bit today can’t guarantee much progress. I will do my best in the next few days…Godspeed my friend. Bless you and your family. Marty Well my friend, I know it’s too late for you to respond…but you have ALWAYS done your best for this project, for me and for the greater good. Today we lit a candle in your honor. Today we immediately thought of you when we heard the words: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Right back at you: Godspeed Marty, Blessings to You and Your family…and until we meet again...rest in peace and thank you for the impact you had on my life, it was a true honor to know you. Post Script and Lesser Thoughts Beyond just the WTR Project, many members here have interacted with Marty in various ways as he was an avid fan and supporter of this community. I’d ask for each of you to please remember him and his family in your thoughts and prayers, his enthusiasm and appreciation for all the collaboration and modding work here will truly be missed. Feel free to share in this post any fond memories or other thoughts you may wish to share, he would love that. In Marty’s memory and honor, we will be memorializing him within the WTR Project. We have finished our tribute plans for him and are currently collaborating with an artist to make this a reality which includes Marty featured as the KC-135A Tanker Boomer, a renown F-105/Thud Pilot (among his favorite aircraft ever) and even more. We will post more details as that tribute continues. With Marty’s passing, he takes with him most of the WTR target area lay-outs we planned and nearly finished. Obviously, this is a significant set back and therefore another progress update will be delayed until late Summer. As usual, if you have an interest in helping please send a Private Message. Take time to reflect on this loss, how Marty might have made your day in some way. Time is short and yesterday is not promised, so remember to love and appreciate today...take this moment right now to thank someone for their love and support. All of you, be well. In sadness for the loss, in gratefulness for the friendship... Steve (aka "Swambast")

Wow ! what a shock, I had no idea of him even being ill. Another great guy lost, always a pleasure to work with. RIP my friend.