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Everything posted by Caesar
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Aerodynamically Limited MiG-17s v1.1
Caesar replied to Caesar's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - File Announcements
The only hydraulics I've read about the F and PF having were to the ailerons and the airbrakes, not to the elevators or rudder (and hence lack of pitch control at high speed). It was prevalent enough to build useful tactics to counter the MiGs over Vietnam and instruct students over Tonopah, so I do wonder which models, if any had hydraulics built to the tailplane apart from the "H" model Gepard mentioned. -
Version 1.1
424 downloads
Aerodynamically Limited MiG-17s v1.1 ================= Description: This is a mod which limits the maneuverability of the stock ThirdWire MiG-17, -17F and -17PF at high subsonic speeds, especially above .8M. It has long been published that the MiG-17's lack of hydraulically boosted controls prevented the pilot from turning much harder than 2-2.5g as the aircraft got beyond 400 knots (especially by 450). The stock TW MiG-17s, however, have in excess of 10g authority at the mid-to-high 400s of knots, and this is one of the reasons they are commonly called "UFOs" - they can out-turn almost any fighter anywhere in the envelope. This mod adjusts both the lift coefficient and the aerodynamic pitch dampening coefficient to reduce the MiG-17's ability to pull high-g turns at airspeeds exceeding .8 Mach. This provides the player with the ability to utilize real-world speed tactics employed by F-4, F-8 and other aircrews against the MiG-17. Keep the fight fast, and you can now out-turn the FRESCO. This mod does NOT adjust the lower-speed performance of the FRESCO. As such, if you try to get into the phonebooth and burn away your energy, expect the same results as before. If you choose to fly the MiG-17 with this FM modification, it adds a degree of challenge and realism in that just like the AI, you won't be able to load a 12g turn at 500knots anymore, and will have to pay attention to airspeed. The speedbreak is your friend! I personally had no problem dogfighting with the FM, but it did require better energy management in that it requires you to keep the aircraft neither too slow, nor too fast. V1.1 (23 Nov 17) has also changed the engine response time for the MiG-17's VK-1F engine. It is reported in Red Eagles that the engine took approximately 15 seconds (p.112) to go from idle to full military power. Most engines from the 50s and 60s had slow response times (e.g., the TF-30 taking approximately 8 seconds to go from idle to military and another 4 to stage up to Zone 5), and this required a bit of thinking and tactics to work around. "Jose" Oberle (Lt Col, Ret) explained that the engine worked well enough if kept above 80 percent power, but pulling back to idle, then pushing back towards military power "took forever" (Ibid.), and that the easiest way to handle decelerating was to keep the engine at 80 percent and deploy the speed brakes. The AI isn't harshly impacted by this limitation, but a player using this data.ini will have to consider this limitation. If, as a player, you do not want to deal with the slower engine response, the original entry is simply commented out, and can be restored by editing the .ini. ================= Whats in it: There are three data.inis contained in this mod. One for the baseline MiG-17, one for the MiG-17F and one for the MiG-17PF. This mod adjusts the ThirdWire MiG-17s and will work with any version of StrikeFighters 2, including merged and single installs. ================= Installation: 1. Unzip the contents of the "Aero_Limited_MiG-17sV11.7z" file into a folder 2. Open the folder. Copy the contents of the folder (MiG-17, -17F, and -17PF folders) into your SF2 mod folder's Objects\Aircraft folder, allowing all files to overwrite. 3. The Data.ini files should already be read only, but if not, set them to read only so the game does not re-write or over-write the data file with the game's original files upon booting up (this happens sometimes when a mod changes a core game file). 4. Go fly! ================= Credits: FM: ThirdWire Mod: Caesar ================= Some open-source examples of airspeed and engine limitations of the MiG-17: From "Scream of Eagles," "Tooter" Teague (who flew one of the captured MiG-17's) put it that: "We found out very quickly that the MiG ['17] goes out of control at 450 knots...He [the '17] locks up at about 425 and he goes absolutely left wing down...his wing warps...so if he goes 500 knots he's out of control He's in a left wing roll an can't do anything about it. So just do 500 knots and it becomes only a question of eyes. Keeping sight and keeping fast." (p. 138). From "Red Eagles": "We had to teach them that if they could - as a defender in an American airplane - get the MiG-17 into the 450-knot regime, and then start to turn, then the MiG pilot would have to overcome this huge aerodynamic load on the tail without any hydraulic assistance. He may have had the potential to pull 7Gs, but he could probably pull no more than 2Gs because he simply didn't have the physical strength to overcome the loads on the tail." (p.132) From "Duke" Cunningham (in "Dogfights): [the MiGs are travelling fast. Cunningham knows the MiG, lacking hydraulic controls like the F-4, is hard to turn.] "So I looked at him and said 'nope, can't do it,' so I broke into him and he overshot right down below me." [Engine] From "Red Eagles, New Edition": The VK-1F was slow to respond to movements of the throttle, and it took in the region of 15 seconds for it to go from idle thrust to "military" thrust power setting (the maximum non-afterburning thrust available). Oberle observed: "This slow engine response was a characteristic of the old engines. If you kept the power up above 80 percent you had pretty good engine response, but if you ever pulled it back to idle and then pushed the power up to accelerate, it would take forever for the engine to spool back up to the 80 percent rangewhere you finally started getting power." (p.112) -
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Aerodynamically Limited MiG-17s v1.1
Caesar replied to Caesar's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - File Announcements
Ok, that's fine, just don't use the modified data in later variants of the -17. -
Aerodynamically Limited MiG-17s v1.1
Caesar replied to Caesar's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - File Announcements
The CLa and Cmq Mach tables for the stabs. -
How do you calculate distance on map?
Caesar replied to MarcQ's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - General Discussion
Approximately 50NM. I put two waypoints on the planning map as close to straight as possible, and as close to each bar as possible (when you zoom in on the planning map, there's still some error). Took off and flew to the first point. The distance to the second point read 53NM. Allotting for placement error and the fact that the plane I was flying rounds to the nearest whole number (I could have been 52.5NM away), the grid bars should represent approximately 50NM. -
Best mods for Strike Fighter 2 Vietnam
Caesar replied to MarcQ's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - Mods & Skinning Discussion
I'd grab SF2:NA along with SF2:V if you do want Tomcats in your sim; SF2:NA has the avionics file that enables multi-target engagements with the AWG-9 (AvionicsF14A.dll). We also have a Tomcat Super Pack here at CA with A, B and D models (NA does come with two A models by ThirdWire), but they require NA to be installed to work correctly, since they use the AvionicsF14A.dll file: http://combatace.com/files/file/16212-tmf-f-14-tomcat-super-pack-v131/ If you're looking to relive some of Fleet Defender, I did a menu set with the music from FD Gold: http://combatace.com/files/file/15268-fleet-defender-gold-theme-for-sf2-1600x900/ As it has been said above, there are a lot of great mods on this site, so take some time and check them out. Welcome aboard! -
Missile flies parallel to BVR target
Caesar replied to TheStig's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - Mods & Skinning Discussion
I think Gepard hit the nail on the head; your missile probably went stupid, but at the range you fired, it could have been because the missile ran out of power (300 seconds) or ran out of energy (speed) as much as it may have been fooled by chaff. Advertized maximum ranges are rarely the maximum range the missile can achieve at lower altitudes, and target closure, aspect and altitude all have a strong bearing on missile performance. In SF2, Phoenix is one of the missiles where this is most visible. While it CAN achieve a kill from beyond 100nm like it has in range situations in real life, that requires significant closure between the launching aircraft and the target, and has to be done at high altitude. One of the tests in 1973 with a successful range kill from 110nm was possible because both aircraft were at very high altitude (F-14 at 44,000 feet, target drone at 50,000 feet), both aircraft were closing very quickly (both at 1.5M), and the target did not attempt to change its aspect to the launch platform. The missile traveled 72.5nm with the drone making up the rest of the distance, and climbed to over 100,000 feet before diving down on the drone, minimizing air resistance during its long travel. At lower altitudes, however, the missile has to compete with much greater air density (hence, higher drag), and if the target turns perpendicular to the missile's flight path, the missile now not only has no extra closure, it has to make up the linear distance the target travels "off-course" as well. The result is a lower effective range. Normally, I wait until I'm about 60nm from the target if I anticipate it will maneuver when I employ Phoenix. It's usually against high-altitude, high-speed bombers that I'll go for a maximum, or near-maximum range shot, and when I do, I like to be above 1.5M and near 40,000 feet before I actually pull the trigger. -
Weird F-14D won't arrest on carrier landing
Caesar replied to TheStig's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - Mods & Skinning Discussion
I can't seem to re-create the problem; they're trapping for me. Only thing I can think of off the top of my head is maybe approach angle/connection with the deck? The SP hooks are slightly less deflected and slightly shorter (by data) than the TW F-14 hooks. Here's the entries in the data.inis: TW F-14A [Tailhook] SystemType=ARRESTER_HOOK MaxDeflection=60.0 Retractable=TRUE DeployTime=2.0 ModelNodeName=tailhook_pivot HookArmLength=2.70 AttachmentPosition=0.0,-6.72,-0.28 F-14SP v1.31 F-14D_96 and 06: [Tailhook] SystemType=ARRESTER_HOOK MaxDeflection=50.0 Retractable=TRUE DeployTime=1.0 ModelNodeName=Hook HookArmLength=2.353 AttachmentPosition=0.0,-6.866,-0.717 -
Weird F-14D won't arrest on carrier landing
Caesar replied to TheStig's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - Mods & Skinning Discussion
Which version of the F-14D are you flying, and which aircraft carrier are you using? While we had tested this before releasing SP 1.31, and hadn't encountered the problem before, I just flew some missions to verify and had no issues trapping the F-14Ds from the Super Pack on the stock TW carriers. -
OK, Explain SF2 Stealth Values to Me...
Caesar replied to PFunk's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - Mods & Skinning Discussion
There's been some discussion on this over the past few years. FastCargo explained it in this thread: http://combatace.com/topic/58746-ecm-and-rcs/ But, as has been indicated, it helps to have ridiculously small numbers to affect detect-ability. Some aircraft used negative numbers, which basically meant you couldn't lock them up, regardless of distance or radar power, and that is totally unrealistic. So, a little while back, I investigated using positive numbers and took the F-22 on as an example. I swapped the negative number for a positive number and found the following: Entry can be found at: http://combatace.com/topic/62762-sf2-series-dact-reports-and-related-a2a-discussions-game-only/page-68 -
Speed won't reach 1000Km/h
Caesar replied to nadvgia's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - Mods & Skinning Discussion
Something else to bear in mind is that the numbers you're seeing at the bottom left of the screen reflect indicated airspeed, vice true airspeed. So, not only are you not going to hit the advertized maximum speed at sea level, but if you get to higher altitudes, those numbers are probably going to read lower than expected until the game swaps from IAS to Mach numbers. See this discussion: http://combatace.com/topic/85255-change-aircraft-speed/?hl=airspeed&do=findComment&comment=685772 -
up to date Iranian F-4's?
Caesar replied to Spudknocker's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - General Discussion
Erm? http://combatace.com/files/file/8875-sf2-f-4d-iriaf/ -
Loadout Issues with F-15E's & F-16's Especially in Strike missions
Caesar replied to SkyStrike's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - General Discussion
TempestII, Looks like you're right! I did the initial test with my own flight. Just re-ran as an escort with one group armed with LGB's with LANTIRN pods, and they did absolutely nothing once they got to the target area. -
Loadout Issues with F-15E's & F-16's Especially in Strike missions
Caesar replied to SkyStrike's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - General Discussion
I remember a number of munitions broke at different patch levels, so this got me curious. I recall at one point the AI didn't want to drop LGBs, and I can't remember if it ever broke JDAMs (which I believe are actually coded as EOGBs, or were at one point). So, I flew a couple of strikes in the F-14D. The AI successfully engaged with GBU-10 laser-guided bombs with LANTIRN pod attached, and successfully engaged with GBU-31 JDAMs. Dumb fall bombs work as well, so it seems like the AI can use these guided munitions again. Will have to see how the F-15E loadouts work. ADDED: Went ahead and tested the F-15E with a variety of default loadouts. What it looks like is that the Loadout.ini is automatically putting the correct weapons onto the aircraft, but certain hardpoints aren't being used, so in the loadout screen, it shows "Empty." We use this trick in the F-14 to load TARPS (differential ALQ/ECA on Phoenix stations 3R & 6R, TARPS on station 4R), and also for loading a single AIM-7 on station 4 with Phoenix on 3R &6R, since station 5 couldn't actually fit an AIM-7 with Phoenix on 3R & 6R (resulting in 2 AIM-54, 3 AIM-7 and 2 AIM-9, or a "2-3-2" loadout). In the TARPS case, 3R/6R show "Empty" in the loading screen, even though the ALQ-167 and ECA or EFA are loaded, functional, and quite visible in-game. In the case of the 2-3-2 loadout, the fuselage Sparrow stations (4 & 5) show "Empty" on the loadout screen, even though another AIM-7 is actually loaded on station 4. I tried to manually load the F-15E with bombs on those stations, and apparently, there is a third location in between the front and back bomb hardpoints, which causes 6 bombs to be loaded instead of 4. This causes large bombs (e.g. GBU-24, GBU-10, GBU-31, etc.) to crunch inside of each other. My question now is: even if it shows "Empty" in the loading screen, do your bombs still appear and function once you actually get in-game? -
Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard
Caesar replied to denissoliveira's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 2 Series - File Announcements
Just checked it out. Great job, beautiful bird! -
Not one that uses TWS in a correct manner! Avionics70.dll has a basic TWS function, but it doesn't allow for multiple target designations, followed up by multiple AIM-54 shots. I also don't know if the smooth wing animation, VDI functionality or "tape" HUD symbology (e.g. range, altitude) work without SF2:NA or AvionicsF14A.dll (I wouldn't think the wing animation would be affected by this). What I will say is that the pack still includes the SAR-enabled F-14D, which uses Avionics70 (AvionicsF14A doesn't support the APG-70's SAR mode), so that one should work correctly without SF2:NA, but it also can't do multi-shot engagements with the Phoenix; it focuses more on the Strike role.
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Wings spoilers used as airbrakes (F-111 / F-14 TMF)
Caesar replied to Cliff7600's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 1 Series - Mods/Skinning Discussion
Slight modification for the SP Turkey in SF2: this roughly preserves the roll rate from the original spoilers. The updated ones are a bit quick and put a pretty high negative "g" load on the aircraft at max roll rate (almost -3.5). Updating the CDdc, Cldc and Cndc numbers to match the original entries with an input factor of 0.4/-0.4 was a bit too slow, so I put the original entries there and followed up by putting the input factor at 1.0/-1.0. This gets the lateral stick inputs just about right: [LeftSpoiler] SystemType=CONTROL_SURFACE InputName=THRUST_VECTOR_CONTROL MaxDeflection=60.0 MinDeflection=0.0 CDdc=0.0096 Cldc=-0.0126 Cndc=0.0004 CldcAlphaTableNumData=15 CldcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CldcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CldcAlphaTableData=0.415,0.877,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,0.877,0.415 CndcAlphaTableNumData=15 CndcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CndcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CndcAlphaTableData=1.432,1.360,1.288,1.216,1.144,1.072,1.000,0.928,1.000,1.072,1.144,1.216,1.288,1.360,1.432 ControlRate=2.5 LockOutSpeed=FALSE ModelNodeName=Leftspoiler ReverseModelOrientation=FALSE SecondaryInputName=ROLL_CONTROL //SecondaryInputFactor=-0.4 SecondaryInputFactor=-1.0 [RightSpoiler] SystemType=CONTROL_SURFACE InputName=THRUST_VECTOR_CONTROL MaxDeflection=60.0 MinDeflection=0.0 CDdc=0.0096 Cldc=0.0126 Cndc=-0.0004 CldcAlphaTableNumData=15 CldcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CldcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CldcAlphaTableData=0.415,0.877,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,0.877,0.415 CndcAlphaTableNumData=15 CndcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CndcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CndcAlphaTableData=1.432,1.360,1.288,1.216,1.144,1.072,1.000,0.928,1.000,1.072,1.144,1.216,1.288,1.360,1.432 ControlRate=2.5 LockOutSpeed=FALSE ModelNodeName=Rightspoiler ReverseModelOrientation=TRUE SecondaryInputName=ROLL_CONTROL //SecondaryInputFactor=0.4 SecondaryInputFactor=1.0 [LeftSpoilerInner] SystemType=CONTROL_SURFACE InputName=THRUST_VECTOR_CONTROL MaxDeflection=60.0 MinDeflection=0.0 CDdc=0.0096 Cldc=-0.0126 Cndc=0.0004 CldcAlphaTableNumData=15 CldcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CldcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CldcAlphaTableData=0.415,0.877,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,0.877,0.415 CndcAlphaTableNumData=15 CndcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CndcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CndcAlphaTableData=1.432,1.360,1.288,1.216,1.144,1.072,1.000,0.928,1.000,1.072,1.144,1.216,1.288,1.360,1.432 ControlRate=2.5 LockOutSpeed=FALSE ModelNodeName=Leftinnerspoiler ReverseModelOrientation=FALSE SecondaryInputName=ROLL_CONTROL //SecondaryInputFactor=-0.4 SecondaryInputFactor=-1.0 [RightSpoilerInner] SystemType=CONTROL_SURFACE InputName=THRUST_VECTOR_CONTROL MaxDeflection=60.0 MinDeflection=0.0 CDdc=0.0096 Cldc=0.0126 Cndc=-0.0004 CldcAlphaTableNumData=15 CldcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CldcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CldcAlphaTableData=0.415,0.877,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,0.877,0.415 CndcAlphaTableNumData=15 CndcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CndcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CndcAlphaTableData=1.432,1.360,1.288,1.216,1.144,1.072,1.000,0.928,1.000,1.072,1.144,1.216,1.288,1.360,1.432 ControlRate=2.5 LockOutSpeed=FALSE ModelNodeName=Rightinnerspoiler ReverseModelOrientation=TRUE SecondaryInputName=ROLL_CONTROL //SecondaryInputFactor=0.4 SecondaryInputFactor=1.0 [LeftSpoilerOuter] SystemType=CONTROL_SURFACE InputName=THRUST_VECTOR_CONTROL MaxDeflection=60.0 MinDeflection=0.0 CDdc=0.0096 Cldc=-0.0126 Cndc=0.0004 CldcAlphaTableNumData=15 CldcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CldcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CldcAlphaTableData=0.415,0.877,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,0.877,0.415 CndcAlphaTableNumData=15 CndcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CndcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CndcAlphaTableData=1.432,1.360,1.288,1.216,1.144,1.072,1.000,0.928,1.000,1.072,1.144,1.216,1.288,1.360,1.432 ControlRate=2.5 LockOutSpeed=FALSE ModelNodeName=LeftOuterspoiler ReverseModelOrientation=FALSE SecondaryInputName=ROLL_CONTROL //SecondaryInputFactor=-0.4 SecondaryInputFactor=-1.0 [RightSpoilerOuter] SystemType=CONTROL_SURFACE InputName=THRUST_VECTOR_CONTROL MaxDeflection=60.0 MinDeflection=0.0 CDdc=0.0096 Cldc=0.0126 Cndc=-0.0004 CldcAlphaTableNumData=15 CldcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CldcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CldcAlphaTableData=0.415,0.877,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,1.000,0.877,0.415 CndcAlphaTableNumData=15 CndcAlphaTableDeltaX=4.00 CndcAlphaTableStartX=-28.00 CndcAlphaTableData=1.432,1.360,1.288,1.216,1.144,1.072,1.000,0.928,1.000,1.072,1.144,1.216,1.288,1.360,1.432 ControlRate=2.5 LockOutSpeed=FALSE ModelNodeName=RightOuterspoiler ReverseModelOrientation=TRUE SecondaryInputName=ROLL_CONTROL //SecondaryInputFactor=0.4 SecondaryInputFactor=1.0 -
http://www.duffelblog.com/2016/11/darpa-reanimate-eisenhowers-corpse-time-presidential-election/ XD
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Wings spoilers used as airbrakes (F-111 / F-14 TMF)
Caesar replied to Cliff7600's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 1 Series - Mods/Skinning Discussion
I was wondering if the DLC (Direct Lift Control) could be done on the F-14. I just tested this and looks like you proved it can be! -
US Navy numbers
Caesar replied to drdoyo's topic in Thirdwire: Strike Fighters 1 Series - Mods/Skinning Discussion
Pretty much. By making custom decal numbers, you can also eliminate the xx8 and xx9 MODEXes from Navy aircraft. The Navy hasn't used those since at least the 1960's (I've heard at least two reasons as to why, one dealing with an IBM computer's data input limitations), so numbers would always skip from x07 to x10 (e.g., 106, 107, 110, 111, etc.). You'd make your decal, using the numbers you desire to appear, and save each iteration followed by increment numbers (e.g. USFtrNum000, USFtrNum001, USFtrNum002, etc.). In the decals.ini, call out the decal, but without the number (e.g., FilenameFormat=Aircraft/DecalFolder/D/USFtrNum). I believe the DecalLevel= needs to be 2 for incrementing numbers. An example from the F-14 SP: [Decal001] MeshName=Nose DecalLevel=2 DecalFacing=RIGHT FilenameFormat=F-14A_74/VF1NK74/D/USFtrNum Position=7.70,-0.136 Rotation=0.0 Scale=0.95 DecalMaxLOD=4 Also works if you want to match appropriate bureau numbers to the aircraft, nose art, etc. -
I remember watching this documentary as a kid. Always loved it, but heretofore, could never find it online or for sale. Well, someone uploaded it to YouTube!
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One of my friends had Chuck Yeager's Air Combat. We didn't play it much, but I remember it was pretty fun. Another one of my friends had a C64 with the Harrier Combat Simulator; that one was a blast! Our family didn't get a computer 'till I was 10, so I got spoiled with Fleet Defender Gold as the first flight sim I actually owned (well, maybe F-15 Strike Eagle II on the Genesis, but that was pretty simplified from the PC version...or maybe Combat on Atari?). Still running today in DOSBox!