streakeagle

The problem is that the behavior of targeting has changed. You used to be able to target anything detected on radar. i.e. if you had a blip on radar and pressed the 'T' key, you targeted it. However, the new patches with clouds changed the rules. Even though a text message appears like it always did indicating the aircraft that was targeted, it will not actually target the aircraft unless it is within visual range with a valid line of sight. Once targeted, if the aircraft goes outside visual range or the line of sight is blocked (clouds block line of sight!), then you will lose the target. Visual range seems to be about 6nm. It is easy to test this: acquire an aircraft on radar then lock on to the aircraft. Fly toward the locked aircraft and keep trying to target the aircraft using <CTRL><R> (which targets the acquired aircraft). When you see the target info in the lower right hand corner, check the range.

Those aircraft are also supplied in Wings Over Europe. So if you can wait until that release reaches you, you will eventually have those aircraft ;)

Well, you can change the standard loadouts in the ini files. But that becomes the default loadout in all conditions.

All sims have flaws. Name one that doesn't have flaws comparable or worse than these. Combat flight sims are really just detailed mathematical physics models and as such have plenty of room for errors. As it is, I don't know of any published data on the effectiveness of older missiles versus ECM environment, much less the AIM-120 (and I don't mean brochure claims used for sales and lobbying). Game developers have a lot of lattitude when it comes to modeling ECM functionality. I have never even seen an air combat sim that models ECM to the publicly available standards. In the absence of hard data, the developer gets to fudge the numbers as he sees fit. You may not like the 70% failure rate of the AIM-120 versus chaff, but that does not make it incorrect.

Some people never play campaigns. Personally, all I am interested in is quick and dirty dogfighting. So I could care less whether campaigns are dynamic or not. I prefer the variety and low-tech of SFP1/WOV (I am a Phantom Phanatic), but being a fan of the F-15 and Su-27, there is no better sim for flying these two aircraft than LOMAC. Falcon 4.0 doesn't do much for me since I never cared for flying the F-16, so I actually prefer LOMAC and have more hours on it than Falcon 4.0 despite the fact the Falcon 4.0 has a lot of great features going for it. In principal, I don't like the idea that known bugs were not fixed for free. In practice, I bought Flaming Cliffs anyway and thoroughly enjoy the improvements it brought. LOMAC is not all eye-candy either. Name another game that models the weapons systems of the flyable aircraft to this level of detail and realism. If it just had clickable cockpits, I would easily call it the equal of F4.0 and Jane's F/A-18. Why they would go to so much trouble to make such a detailed sim and not bother with clickable cockpits is beyond me?

I went one step further than you asked... I deleted all of my internet logins/passwords via the appropriate content tab of the internet options. No dice! If I try to log into the website, new cookie appears and connectivity to the combatace.com is immediately broken in response to the query after clicking to log in.

I deleted EVERY cookie that contained "combatace.com" in any way shape or form... a couple were associated with the website, a couple with the forum. This permits me to go to the website. But if I log in to the website, the new cookies cause the same problems as the old cookies. If I don't log in, I can come and go as I please. I have only one browser, IE6, and it is always patched to the latest updates.

deleting the cookie restores access, but if I try to log in, even without using the remember me button, it locks me back out again. obviously, I can log into the forums without any problem ;)

The F-4E as depicted in SFP1/WOV/WOE has green radar graticule lines implying that they are being painted on the screen. This is correct for later F-4E aircraft (after TO 1F-4E-588, TO 1F-4-1056 and TO 1F-4Ej-614). However, prior to this, the graticule lines were etched into the glass. I have taken an image from the F-4E flight manual and converted it into the proper radar bitmap for the early style graticule. The in-game display resizes the bitmap to a lower resolution than shown here, but it still looks pretty good: Here is the image I used from the F-4E flight manual: The F-4B, F-4C, and F-4D all had the etched glass as well, so I modified TK's otherwise accurate green line bitmaps to have the gray etched glass look: Here is the image from the F-4D flight manual: You can download the appropriate bitmaps by clicking on the F-4 radar graticules link listed here: http://web.tampabay.rr.com/sflores1/StrikeFighters.html To use these files, simply extract the zip file into your Aircraft folder.

Thanks. I am trying to sharpen the lines a bit... but it seems the only way to do that is to make them too thick like TK did on the stock ones.

Extensive list of links to SFP1/WOV websites with downloads: CombatAce SFP1/WOV weblinks Okay, you just bought Strike Fighters Project 1 (SFP1), Strike Fighters Gold (SFG), or Wings Over Vietnam (WOV) and you want to play online... Installation Being able to play online starts with the most basic of steps: getting the game installed correctly. Someone cannot join your game when you host, nor may you join someone else who is hosting if you don't have the same version. 1. Start with a clean install separate from any other installs you have used with user made addons. 2. Go to http://www.thirdwire.com, then download and install all of the latest Service Packs or patches for the game you purchased. 3. If you have SFP1 (not SFG or WOV), you should also download and install the official F-4J and A-4F free addon aircraft. Online Internet Multiplayer via Game Lobby Servers Now you are in a good position to host or join a standard server. So how do you join? To easily find other people, you need to download and install a game lobby server: 1. Hyperlobby is packaged with Wings Over Vietnam and supports SFP1 and SFG. This is where you will find most people who are playing online. However, the version of Hyperlobby included on the WOV CD is already obsolete. You will need to go to http://hyperfighter.sk to download and install the latest version. If you have SFG, Hyperlobby won't recognize the "SFG.exe" as Strike Fighters, so you should do the following if you want to use Hyperlobby: a. Go to the root folder of your install. By default it should be "C:\Program Files\ThirdWire\SFG". b. Copy the "SFG.exe" and paste it into the same folder. It should be named "Copy of SFG.exe". c. Rename the copy to "flightsim.exe". 2. Gamespy Arcade was originally packaged with SFP1. If you have SFP1, you can use this software if you want, but you will have to download the latest version. You will find almost no one is ever playing SFP1 through their lobby. Gamespy does not support WOV. I haven't tried SFG. Connections through Routers and Firewalls Okay, you have a clean, patched install and a game lobby program, what next? It could be as easy as logging in to the game lobby server, choosing the appropriate game room, and either hosting or joining a host. It could also be a lot harder. You may be using a router and/or a firewall. SFP1/SFG and WOV can be very picky about how it communicates over the internet. Whether you are hosting or joining a host, you may need to open certain ethernet ports for communication. There are too many different makes and models of routers and versions of firewall software to describe how to open these ports, in general you need to use port forwarding and/or port triggering. Note: A special consideration when using port forwarding, is your IP static? If your PC's IP is dynamic (which is the normal DHCP setup), you will have to make sure your port forwarding is going to the correct IP before you start playing or change your PC and router to support a static IP. Please read the appropriate manual or get help from the router manufacturer as required for more specific information on port forwarding and static/dynamic IP assignment. WARNING: Opening ports in a router or firewall is circumventing some of the security that these devices/software are supposed to provide. SFP1 (WOV does not appear to require these ports!) requires the following ports to be opened: 1234 TCP & UDP 46000 TCP & UDP Microsoft DirectX 9.0 DirectPlay is used by SFP1/WOV, which requires the following ports to be opened: 2300-2400 for both TCP & UDP 6073 for UDP HyperLobby requires the following ports to be opened: 1698 TCP & UDP 21000 TCP & UDP Hyperlobby also requires ICMP echo reply protocol for latency calculations, so you may want to disable Block Anonymous Internet Requests (or the equivalent) if you want people to see your ping status. Online Internet Multiplayer without Game Servers If you know the IP of the host computer, you can connect directly through TCP/IP by typing the following from the command line: FlightSim -join:[xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] -n:[callsign] -c:[c] -p:[password] where [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] is the IP address of the game to join, [callsign] is your callsign, and [c] is an optional number 0-15 representing your color. [password] is an optional password required to join private session. A host can start the session normally, or start using the following command line: FlightSim -host -s:[sessionname] -g:[g] -m:[m] -n:[callsign] -c:[c] -p:[password] [sessionname] is the name of the game session, and [g] is the game type (0 = dogfight, 1 = co-op) [m] is the maximum number of player, default is 16. [callsign] is your callsign, and [c] is an optional number 0-15 representing your color. 0 = red 1 = green 2 = blue 3 = yellow 4 = magenta 5 = cyan 6 = orange 7 = purple 8 = violet 9 = ochre 10 = sand 11 = maroon 12 = pink 13 = olive 14 = peach 15 = turquoise [password] is an optional password; the session will be private (and only those with correct password can join) if this parameter is present, and public (and anyone can join) if this is not. A sample DOS batch file for starting and joining TCP/IP sessions, "join.bat", has been included with SFP1, but it can be used with WOV as well with very little modification. Simply change "flightsim" to "wov". The batch file can be found in the Strike Fighters directory. If you only have WOV you will have to create the batch file. Batch files can be created and edited by any text editor (such as notepad). Just remember to change the file extension from "txt" to "bat" (if it isn't already "bat") after you save the text. To join my WOV server, the batch file text should be of the form: wov -join:70.127.88.212 -n:your callsign here -c:your color index here A complete example using my callsign and an arbitrary color is: wov -join:70.127.88.212 -n:streakeagle -c:1 Note: I do not have a static ip so it is subject to change at any time. Hyperlobby is the most reliable way to join my server. Offline LAN Multiplayer via built-in game interface A LAN offers several advantages over playing via the internet: a built-in interface for doing so, lower chances of lag due to network connections, and no need to configure a router. However, software firewalls may still get in the way. The only big disadvantage is that you need to get two or more players with computers and joysticks together in the same place. 1. Start the game (SFP1, SFG, or WOV) Note: things go smoother if you get the host PC up and running before trying to join with other PCs. 2. Click on the MULTIPLAYER button. 3. The screen will go black for a while, then the main Multiplayer screen appears: 4. The host PC must click on the HOST button. Note: The remaining steps (5 through 10) only apply to the host PC. Other PCs must click on the desired available SESSION NAME, then click on the JOIN button to join the session. 5. The HOST A NEW GAME pop-up window appears on the host PC: 6. Type in a SESSION NAME (if you don't like the default one). 7. Choose a SESSION TYPE (normally PUBLIC for a LAN). 8. Choose a GAME TYPE (DOGFIGHT or CO-OP, discussed below). 9. Choose the MAX PLAYERS (if the default is too low). 10. Click on ACCEPT to start the session and continue to the next screen. DOGFIGHT Session This is a free-for-all death-match with respawning. 1. The Multiplayer Dofight screen appears: 2. The Host PC must select the DATE, MAP, and LOADOUT. 3. Other PCs may join this session at this time. 4. Every player (including the host PC) may select any available AIRCRAFT, PAINT SCHEME, MARKINGS, and SQUADRON. 5. Click on the FLY button to start flying. Note: the FLY button may not be clickable for a number of reasons such as not having the same files installed as the host PC or the host PC has not clicked the FLY button. 6. If a player is killed, the player will respawn after a small delay. 7. Any player can press the ESC key at any time to exit flight and go to the Debriefing screen: 8. Click on the REFLY button to return to the Multiplayer Dogfight screen and choose another aircraft, or click on the ACCEPT button to exit the session. Note: The host PC will no longer be the host if the ACCEPT button is clicked on after the ESC key has been pressed. All other PCs can join and exit the session at will after the host has started flying until the host PC exits the session. Beyond the obvious choices through the game interface as detailed in the above procedure, the Options.ini file in the root folder has the following configurable values to vary the dogfight environment: [DogfightHost] MissionMap=DESERT MissionYear=1968 Loadout=1 StartTime=10:30:00 RespawnTime=30 RespawnDistance=4000.000000 MinHeight=2000.000000 MaxHeight=5000.000000 HeightDeviation=1000.000000 ContrailAlt=7000.000000 StartYear=0 EndYear=0 StartTimeDeviation=240 ScreenshotsDelay=60 WeatherType=SCATTERED In addition, a dogfight ini can be placed in terrain folders so that each terrain has its own configuration (this is important if you install addon terrains!). The file should be named "x_dogfight.ini" where "x" is the name of the terrain. For a clean install, the file would be placed in the only available terrain folder, "desert", and named "desert_dogfight.ini". The contents of such a file might be: [startPosition] Position001=266000,392000 Position002=536000,366000 Position003=246000,538000 Position004=410000,424000 CO-OP MISSION Session This is a lot like random single missions except the every aircraft always start in the air and the players are free to choose which side they are on. 1. The Multiplayer Mission screen appears: 2. The Host PC selects the MISSION MAP, MISSION DATE, SERVICE for both sides, and both the MISSION and AIRCRAFT for each flight. 3. Other PCs join. 4. Every PC must choose a flight by clicking on an <OPEN> pilot slot. 5. The host PC must click on the ACCEPT button after everyone has joined and all of the appropriate selections have been made. 6. The Multiplayer Hangar screen appears: 7. The host PC begins the mission by clicking on the FLY button after all the players have appeared in the hangar. Addons You have successfully gotten multiplayer to work. You either hosted other people or successfully joined a game hosted by someone else. But, you are bored with the stock terrain, aircraft, and/or weapons. What about the hundreds of free addons available on for download on the internet? In theory, almost all addons will work with online multiplayer if everyone has the same files as the host installation. Certain addons that work great with single player may cause issues online multiplayer due to size, complexity, or bugs in the multiplayer implementation. 1. Addon aircraft should be limited to a small list of aircraft that everyone wants to fly. This avoids problems with the filechecker and makes it easier for everyone to download and install exactly the same files. 2. Addon weapons and fuel tanks are completely covered by the Weapons Pack addon. Unfortunately, the sheer size of this file gives the multiplayer file checker a lot of trouble, which means people will have trouble joining. Even if everyone is able to join with the Weapons Pack installed, you may experience some strange bugs while flying and fighting. It is better to use the weapon editor to create a custom weapons pack with only the weapons and fuel tanks needed to support the installed aircraft. 3. Addon terrains do work, but may cause some inexplicable anomalies. Check-Six Multiplayer Standard I mainly host clean/patched installs to keep my servers as accessible as possible, but custom installs are a great idea and a lot of fun if everyone involved can agree on a standard that works. A group of French players have set a such a standard that can be found at CheckSix! Of course that is in French. If you can't understand what is posted, the people involved understand English and hang out at forums like Column5 and SimHq Voice Comms Trying to type a chat message in the middle of a dogfight or a ground attack run can be very difficult. The solution is for everyone to use the same voice chat program. Modern internet service and PCs have plenty of bandwidth and CPU cycles to spare for good voice comms. Many free downloads are available: the old reliable RogerWilco, Teamspeak, and Ventrilo to name a few. Even IM and netphone programs like MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and Skype will work with some sacrifice of bandwidth and CPU power. It helps if there are free servers available to everyone to support the comms. I have used all of the above programs at one time or another. Presently, my I suggest Teamspeak for several reasons: It is easy to install and configure (almost anyone can get it talking within a minute or two of downloading it), it is very tunable to work on different levels of PCs and internet connections (i.e. there are plenty of advanced options to meet anyone's needs), and best of all there is a free server at CombatAce.com open to any and all flight simmers! To get Teamspeak, go here: http://www.goteamspeak.com/index.php?page=downloads If you go to the homepage of http://CombatAce.com, there is a link to the free public Teamspeak server. After you click on the link, you are on the Teamspeak page. Click on the server IP to open the login dialog box and type in your nickname. Click on the submit button and then click on the "click here to log in" text. This will automatically open teamspeak on the lobby channel so you don't have to figure out how to connect! You can now adjust the settings as necessary to permit voice activated or button activated mic and try to talk/listen to other people that are there. There is even a test mode in case you are alone. You haven't achieved the full immersion of multiplayer until you have experienced live voice while flying coop or dogfight.... 10x the fun!]SimHq[/url]

When are you experiencing stuttering? Fly random single player missions with light air defenses and see how it goes compared to using heavy air defenses. I play at 1600x1200x32 with max quality except for disabling mirrors and shadows on a much less capable P3 1.2GHz PC with a 9800 Pro 128MB. Your system should do well with mirrors and shadows enabled. However, when the air is full of SAMs, flak, enemy aircraft and is there are a ton of radio calls "SAM launched!", the game really bogs down sometimes (seems to be related to sound). I wouldn't drop the resolution to 1024x768 but you might try reducing the number of sound channels, especially if you are using the built-in motherboard sound which taps into cpu power.

The slight change in growl tone is the indication you are looking for. When it gets louder, it has a target. Early AIM-9Bs are notoriously ineffective. They will generally track and hit a target only if the target is in afterburner and flying in a straight line or a very gentle turn. If you fly in later years in Navy aircraft, you get much better versions: AIM-9D, AIM-9G, and AIM-9H. While not all-aspect, these versions are more maneuverable and track much better. The improved USAF versions (E and J) are hardly any better than the B in comparison to the USN versions. While the AIM-9 is a close-in weapon, don't get too close to the target, give it enough room to maneuver after coming off the launch rail.

NIIIIIIIIICCCCCEEEEEEEE!

It is very hard to sell people on SFP1/WOV MP due to its many limitations. But the fact is, if you can live with the canned Co-op missions, it is very fun... even after hosting and playing it for years. I don't know why so few have tried to play it MP. Since the last round of patches, it has been working fairly well. It seems the biggest drawbacks are that you can't script your own custom missions and that you can't start on the runway. The AI is presently broken (fixed very well in WOE!), but if you could get enough people together to fly both sides, AI is much less of an issue. WOE MP eliminates several bugs and provides the best MP experience this series has ever had. But it still suffers from the aforementioned two big drawbacks.

If you loved Flanker, then LOMAC is a must have. Of course you have to have the Flaming Cliffs upgrade to get the latest version of the code, but in my opinion Flaming Cliffs is worth it. You can get LOMAC and Flaming Cliffs together as a package for less than what I paid for Flaming Cliffs by itself :( While LOMAC requires really high-end hardware to even try to run maxed out, it can and does run well on intermediate systems with reduced graphics settings and/or a few user tweaks to the files. Lower end PCs will not be able to handle more CPU intensive missions with more active units, but I could play instant action with the F-15 on my old P3 1.2GHz with 1GB of RAM and a radeon 9800 Pro 128MB. But even my newest PC with an Athlon 64 3800 and a Radeon x1800XT 512MB cannot run this sim well maxed out. Like any PC game/sim, LOMAC has its flaws, but overall it is an outstanding sim for the flyable aircraft it models. But supposing you were primarily interested in flying the F-15 and A-10 as opposed to the Su-27 and Su-25, Wings Over Europe (the successor to Wings Over Vietnam) is a nice alternative. WOE definitely has a lot less eye candy in terms of terrain, but in most other ways matches LOMAC in looks. But the avionics are simplified a bit (fewer modes and buttons to press) and it runs okay on low-end PCs. WOE should be released within a week or two if we are lucky.

Maybe you didn't understand what he said: LOMAC IS FLANKER 3.0. The makers of Flanker 2.0 improved the code and added the F-15 and A-10. It did not lose its focus on the Su-27. It covers the Su-27 even better than Flanker 2.0.

In SFP1 and WOV, you shouldn't have to do anything... when you start the game, it detects track ir and uses it. Perhaps you tried to "set something" and broke it :)

Enhanced mode should work with TrackIR 2. I have TrackIR 3 Pro and it works great, but I know others who have TrackIR 2 and have enhanced mode. Have you downloaded the latest software for it?

If you go back to my keyboard layout page, I have updated it to include my Saitek X-45 profile and a PDF of the stick mapping in it. Go here: http://web.tampabay.rr.com/sflores1/SFP1Keys.html If you open the profile for editing, you will note that every key command from the game is already available in the dropdown list for mapping. So even if you don't like my profile, you can quickly and easily edit it to what you like.

Another satisfied customer! The people that are unhappy with this game expect too much out of it. Given a chance, the whole SFP1/WOV/WOE line is really impressive and always improving.

Go here for my keyboard command layout (it is for SFP1 but the two are identical except for one key: to break radar lock in SFP1, it is <SHIFT><DELETE>, for WOV it is <DELETE>): http://web.tampabay.rr.com/sflores1/StrikeFighters.html You have two options, a smaller one page printout or a larger 2-page printout. I have an X-45 profile, but I have never bothered to post it. It is very much specialized to suit my needs and is largely based on the same profile I use for most jet sims. I can post it if you want.

It is quite a bit of overcompensation. He obviously never served on a US nuke sub and doesn't have the first clue about how they really operate. I served on SSN-687 and also served on our only remaining diesel, AGSS-555. While the rocket torpedo isn't an overwhelming threat, the fact is that subs were not detecting each other at 30 miles. While I was serving (from 1989 to 1997), the subs on both sides were so quiet that the threat of collision was the biggest threat while attempting to detect and track enemy subs. Detection ranges had gotten very short, even when using towed arrays. At close range, the rocket torpedo could be fired in a spread that no sub could escape given that it was going slow enough to be quiet. Sonar would easily detect and announce the threat... then the officer would have to give orders to evade, then the helmsman would have to respond to those orders. At short ranges and low speeds, the sub would have trouble accelerating and turning quick enough. Let us assume that both subs are doing 5 kts and that the detection range is 2000 yards (approx. 1 nm). If a single rocket torpedo is immediately fired down the bearing of the detection without any target motion analysis, it will travel 1 nm at 200 kts in 1/200 hours = 18 seconds. The sonar operator will barely have time to tell his supervisor "Torpedo in the Water!". The submarine will have moved at most 1/200 * 5 * 2000 = 50 yards in that time (150 feet) assuming that it is moving across the line of sight rather than toward it (an unrealistic assumption since the two subs had to be pointing at each other to some degree to get within detection range). Our subs are over 300 feet long. You could fire two rocket torpedos and easily cover the 150 feet the sub will have moved and have a fair chance of hitting in the horizontal plane. It is the vertical plane that is the problem. Unless the sound conditions are ideal or the subs are very close, depth is always a best guess and the hull diameter is ony between 30 and 40 feet. Unless fighting in extremely shallow water or in a narrow sound channel, you have a very slim chance of getting the depth close enough to score even a proximity hit. Is 2000 yards close enough to assume direct path and/or allow for the curvature of the sound propagation per an environmental measurement that may be over 24 hours old? I really don't want to find out the hard way. It should be quite apparent from the above calculations that a sub has NO time to respond to a rocket torpedo. If the attacker had sufficient time to get a solid solution before firing, he will get a solid hit if he can estimate the depth accurately enough. A MK 48 can be decoyed or even outrun. A 200-knot rocket torpedo fired close aboard gives you no time to react and is impervious to decoys/countermeasures. Contrary to what this guy is saying, US subs were very concerned about this threat while I was serving. Since the time I have left, my friends tell me that we have regained the acoustic advantage we once enjoyed in the 60s and 70s. If that is the case, then the rocket torpedo becomes useless since the platform carrying it will be detected and killed long before he is close enough to employ it accurately As for his assertions about how subs work as a team with other assets... Subs work best alone. When attached to a battlegroup, they have to move too fast to keep up with the fleet and the fleet makes too much noise to maintain an effective search. You also have to spend a lot of time at PD to be able to communicate with the battlegroup, which is not a good thing to do if you want to remain undetected and at an optimum depth for searching. Sub operations may have changed since I left, but I doubt it. US subs prefer to hunt alone deep in enemy waters... that way classification is a lot faster and easier: if you hear something it must be the enemy since you are the only friendly around ;) I left the Navy as an E-6 up for E-7 and stood Sonar Supervisor watches for 4 of my 6 1/2 years of sea duty. I can assure you that gives me some insight that Tom Clancy wannabe's will never have. Unfortunately, congress frequently listens to armchair admirals more than they do the real admirals when deciding on the Navy's budget :p

You need to extract the F-104G decals from SFP1 and copy them to the Objects folder of WOV... look at your screenshots, the skins are missing some markings ;)