streakeagle

View File F-4D Hi-Res Cockpit V1 Continuing the series, this F-4D high resolution cockpit looks as good or better than my previous F-4B/C/J efforts. I could not get a good photo of the radar scope, so I did the best I could with what I had. Submitter streakeagle Submitted 09/21/2006 Category Jet Cockpits

Hyperlobby does not support Wings Over Europe, but it does support Wings Over Vietnam. So, I copied the WOE.exe and renamed it WOV.exe. I then configured Hyperlobby to find the WOV.exe in the Wings Over Europe folder. While I have not yet had anybody join externally, tests from within my own LAN went well. I have a dogfight host up now with the year set to 1978. To ensure being able to join, you need to: Install WOV. Install WOV Service Pack v05.15.06 Install WOV Patch v08.30.06 Install WOE (check the option to merge WOV). Install WOE Patch v05.25.06 Install WOE Patch v08.30.06 Copy the WOE.exe in the Wings Over Europe folder Paste a copy into the same folder Rename the copy WOV.exe If you already have Hyperlobby and it is already set to open Wings Over Vietnam, then you will have to: "Disconnect" from Hyperlobby Select "Wings Over Vietnam" from the Hyperlobby Connect/Select list of games Press <CTRL><SHIFT> while clicking on "Connect" This opens a dialog box for setting the path to the WOV.exe, you must either manually type in the patch, or do a search and select the copy of WOV.exe in the Wings Over Europe folder. I cannot promise compatibility if you have any mods installed, especially the weapons pack. Follow the above procedure and it should work.

I did those very quickly and didn't have time to test them, so let me know if there are any problems. I am not worried about getting any credit. All I did was resize the gif files you provided to 512x512 squares, copy them into an existing tga file, mask out the background color, save the mask to the alpha channel, save the tga. For all its "complexity", one advantage to using PSP7 over Adobe Photoshop is that it can be bought dirt cheap from eBay :)

I used a vpn connection to get to my home PC and PSP7 from work :) Try these out. The decal tga files should be square and it is useful to have them in a binary dimension (512x512, 256x256, 128x128, etc). I made two versions: large (512x512) which are 1 MB in size and small (256x256) which are 256 kB in size. I think the smaller ones will be better to use, but try them both to see what works best for you. MarineFleiger_Decals.zip

If someone else doesn't beat me to it, I can do it for you. I am at work right now, but maybe sometime tonight or tomorrow I can make your decals. It doesn't take long.

There is simply no other sim since Jane's Fighters Anthology that models this era so well. It is both fun and reasonably realistic. Each of the aircraft has a distinctive flight model that makes for interesting dogfights. If the AI was just a little smarter and the flight models just a little more realistic, this would almost be the perfect sim. Offline, I primarily fly various versions of the F-4. The F-4E has more power, maneuvering slats, and a built-in gun, which easily makes it my favorite variant for dogfighting. When I am online, I fly a wide variety of aircraft, but tend to fly the more difficult ones like the F-104, F-105, and F-100 to help out the newbies.

I have extensive experience with making decals using Paint Shop Pro. Paint Shop Pro 7 handles tga files perfectly, but the technique for loading/viewing/editing/saving is somewhat cumbersome since the mask is not treated as a separate layer, yet has to be loaded and saved separately: Open tag using PSP7. Edit the color bitmap part if needed. Load mask (alpha channel) from the file. View and or edit mask. Edit the color bitmap part if needed.Save mask to the original alpha channel in the file. Hide mask. Edit the color bitmap part if needed. Save the file (with the mask hidden). Unfortunately, Paint Shop Pro 9 and Paint Shop Pro 10 changed how tga files were handled in such a way that when you save the file, it doesn't work right in the game. According to the FAQ at their website, this problem was fixed by a patch a long time ago for PSP9. In my experience, they didn't fix anything. So, to this day, I have to use PSP7 to save my tga files for SFP1 series decals. Sometimes, I need the features of PSP10. So I edit the tga in 10, save and close it, then open it with PSP7, load the mask, and save it per the above procedure. Apparently, Adobe Photoshop has none of these hassles.

Yeah, I saw that throttle! It turns out it is harder (nearly impossible) to get a real throttle quadrant. I found C-130 and F-100 throttles online, but nothing even close to the F-4 throttle. I am aware of the Cougar mods and how much they cost. Some people get lucky and it works out for them. Some go through multiple Cougars due to hardware failure problems and give up. For that kind of money, I would rather build my own since I really don't care for F-16 style joysticks and I have the skills and knowledge to do so. CH sticks have a much better reputation for quality and longevity, but I can't see paying $300 for a stick and throttle only to have an F-16 stick configuration and a throttle layout I don't really want. The X-36 is much closer to what I want and I already have one :) At one point I had a Top Gun Platinum which pretty much was a replica of the B-8. I loved the grip, button positions, and the fact that it was identical to the F-4 and F-15 sticks. However, the mechanicals were worthless. My main motivation for making a custom stick is a strong desire to replicate an F-4 cockpit. Unfortunately, what I want to do and what time, space, and money allow are two different things.

View File F-4C Hi-Res Cockpit V1 This is more than just a high resolution repaint of the stock F-4C cockpit. The instruments have been carefully calibrated. In the case of the Engine RPM and Temperature gauges, new functionality has been added. The smaller 0 thru 9 gauges are now fully functional. Submitter streakeagle Submitted 09/09/2006 Category Jet Cockpits

[Edit] I finally got my MC-2/B-8 stick grip. Despite using the stock number for an actual F-4 grip on eBay, it has the hand rest that was not present on F-4 grips. It is definitely used, but has been restored to a nearly new condition. I would have been happier without the hand rest, but the stick looks good and all the buttons work. Now I have to figure out how I am going to use it :) I have figured out how I am going to use it! I got lucky, a guy on eBay is parting out his F-4 cockpit collection. I can't afford to get the instrument panel, but look what I got: It comes with everything but the stick grip, including the $100 metal connector lug that my stick grip doesn't have. [/Edit] I didn't want to draw the X-52 Pro thread any further off topic, so I started this one The more I re-read other people's experiences with Cougars, the less I want one. Too many quality control issues to risk that much money. I am thinking about buying a B-8 stick grip to make my own realistic F-4 stick. The B-8 was used in many aircraft from the P-80 to the F-15A, so it is a good choice for playing Third Wire's Strike Fighters series games. If I decide to do that, I will probably use my X-45. If I make a mistake, no big deal since I mainly use my X-36. But if it works... the X-36 will get moved to the server and the X-45 will become primary. The stiff spring of the X-45 will be meaningless if I actually replicate the F-4 mechanical setup using metal piping and levers. The weight and leverage of the long stick will probably require supplemental springs to generate sufficient centering forces. If I wanted to go all-out, I could make the trim-hat 100% functional by connecting it to drive motors with fine worm-gears that would adjust the centering forces mechanically rather than via computer keys as on the real F-4, but I think I will be lazy and just map the hat switch to the pov hat, which also offers more flexibility if I don't want or need trim controls. I could use pneumatic pistons similar to the ones that hold open hatch-backs on cars to provide centering forces with a hydraulic feel when moving the stick... but once again, I am probably too lazy to do that initially. Apparently it is pretty easy to get a B-8 stick grip: Replicas with prices varying from $144 to $539 depending on the quality you want: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/el/gripspistolstick.html Here is an actual PC joystick available: http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/95025100.htm A high-end military grade manufacturer: http://www.guardian-electric.com/html/b_8_control_grip.htm Not B-8s, but interesting industrial custom sticks: http://www.daco.co.uk/html/custom_built_controllers.htm Real ones for widely varying prices depending on condition (brand new is $235): http://www.warbird-parts.com/invent/postwar.htm The F-4 E-gress trainer (basically a complete cockpit on wheels for $2800!) is very tempting! But I don't have a place to put it and need the money for more important things including a baby boy due in December and finally getting my real pilot's license. Looking at these prices for just grips with switches (no electronics) makes the Cougar look like a bargain, but these are for real aircraft which means the switches should be very reliable unlike many Cougars. I am leaning toward the brand new military grip for $235 if I decide to do this.

I started work on an F-15 tutorial... but I am more focused on the F-4 right now. I want to finish the cockpits I started and then get back to finishing the new F-4B FM. The thread here was locked, but I added a basic F-15 radar post at TW: http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2343

Aces High I ran well on just about any machine... but Aces High 2 cranked up the eye candy to try to compete with IL-2 as much as a MMOG could. Aces High 2 has been refined quite a bit and runs suprisingly well on my slower machines: P3 1.2GHz with Radeon 8500 128MB card can play it just fine with the settings at defaults... and that's at 1600x1200x32 with FSAAx2 and AFx16. However, if too many explosions, flak bursts, tracers, etc. are on the screen at one time, the CPU and its "slow" 133MHz bus/memory show their age.

You don't need to ask other people what they think, try it for yourself! 1. You can download Aces High 2 and play in the pay-for arenas for free for 2 weeks with absolutely no obligations. They do not try to use any tricks to get you credit card number and take your money. 2. After the two weeks is over, you can still play online for free with up to 7 other people (8 all together), but someone has to act as the host. From October 2000 to sometime around 2003 or 2004 I played Aces High extensively, but I got a real job in 2003 and got married that year too. What time I had left for sims I spent playing Operation Flashpoint with friends or flying F-4 Phantoms in Strike Fighters. I still keep up with the latest Aces High 2 patches. It works better than ever and is by far the best WW2 air combat sim in terms of flight model, gunnery, and damage. If they ever finish making Combat Tour or whatever they are calling it now, it will be the ultimate realistic campaign game as well. I might make some time to subscribe again when that comes out. I can't say enough about how good I think Aces High is. The only limit is that your fun depends on how the other people around you play. You can't make other people play the way you want to play.

I would watch engine temperatures. The data ini file includes a lot of detailed engine modeling. The engine gets hotter as speed increases. The engine has a temperature limit. If you take an F-104G up to altitude and leave afterburner on then you will ezperience the same thing. In the case of the F-104G, the engine has been programmed to follow real-world limits. Since the Talon is a fictional aircraft, there are no real-world limits to follow. The engine part of the data ini file probably contains some information copied/pasted from some other aircraf including the temperature limits ;)

I was at CompUSA this past weekend and played around with two of the joysticks on display: ThrustMaster Cougar and Saitek X-52. I have read many posts about the Cougar, so I know it has some problems with quality control and internal design including using old-style analog pots. However, it feels so solid. Perhaps it is worth the $250 even if I have to buy a kit to retrofit it with better sensors. The heavy spring does provide a lot of resistance, but in a way that permits smooth, precise operation (unlike my X-45 which I have modified to reduce spring tension for better precision control). The X-52 feels even lighter than the X-36. I like the X-36 better than the X-45 because of its lighter/smoother control feel, but perhaps the X-52 makes it too light? I wish I could fly with both sticks for a week and then decide which one I like better. The Cougar has the added bonus of being all-metal and an exact replica of a real stick... I just might get a Cougar, which I would have never even considered without having tried it out in the store. As for the X-52 Pro: I question the value of the toggle switches at the base of the stick. The whole point of buying the more expensive HOTAS is to keep your Hands On the Throttle And Stick!!!! If I wanted to reach for a switch, that is what the keyboard and num pad are for. That isn't a problem on the cheaper AV8TOR stick since one hand is already free. Normally, I would say more buttons is always better, but not if I am not going to use them and they increase the price ;)

I don't want to make a single large download, but I thought it would be good to include links to all of the packages in each thread: Streak Eagle's High Resolution F-4B Cockpit Version 1 From CombatACE: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...p;showfile=3094 From AVSIM: http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID...&DLID=89896 Streak Eagle's High Resolution F-4C Cockpit Version 1 From CombatACE: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...;showfile=3194# From AVSIM: http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID...&DLID=90889 Streak Eagle's High Resolution F-4D Cockpit Version 1 From CombatACE: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...p;showfile=3237 From AVSIM: http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID...&DLID=91364 Streak Eagle's High Resolution F-4J Cockpit Version 1 From CombatACE: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...;showfile=3125# From AVSIM: http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID...&DLID=90271 Click on these thumbnails for larger images of the F-4B Hi-res cockpit: Screenshots of F-4C, F-4D, and F-4J Hi-res cockpits (respectively): Credits: Batman1978 for providing Hi-res F-4D, F-4E, and F-4J cockpits that inspired me to make my own. For the record, I have not copied/pasted anything from Batman1978's files. The internet only has so many good photos covering various aspects of the F-4 cockpit, so I ended up finding and using a lot of the same photos Batman1978 used. I compiled various photos used to create the new textures via the internet. Source websites for photos include: http://www.topflightimaging.com/panels.html (F-4D-31-MC 66-7773 Front Instrument Panel) http://members.chello.nl/m.waterloo/f4b-panel.html (McDonnell Aircraft F-4H-1 (F-4B, F-4N) Phantom II main pilot's cockpit instrument panels) http://members.chello.nl/m.waterloo/f4c-panel.html (McDonnell USAF F-4C, F-4D and F-4E Phantom II aircraft cockpit layouts and instrument panels) http://members.chello.nl/m.waterloo/f4j-panel.html (McDonnell Douglas F-4J (F-4S) Phantom II cockpit instrument panel layouts) http://www.5053phantoms.com/photos/index.php (5057 Phantoms) http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/AWA1...Gcp/walk163.htm (Aircraft Resource Center F4-G Wild Weasel Cockpit) I did not get permission to use any of these images. If you are concerned about that sort of thing, these mods are not for you. I have been contacted by M. Waterloo via email. He has given me permission to use his images and even added CombatACE links to my cockpits at his website :)

View File F-4J Hi-Res Cockpit V1 Adaptation of my F-4B Hi-Res Cockpit to represent an F-4J. The stock F-4J cockpit is a mix bewteen the F-4B and early F-4J cockpits. In reality, the two are very similar except for the radar scope and radar warning receiver. So this release is really my F-4B cockpit with those two changes. Unfortunately, the 3d model uses the F-4B radar scope shape. The F-4J radar scope texture does not wrap onto the F-4B shape very well in some places. Submitter streakeagle Submitted 08/26/2006 Category Jet Cockpits

Functionally, it looks similar to having a old MS Sidewinder Pro USB (which I have as a spare for travel and/or guests). Looks like a fairly useful stick without needing the space/weight of a full HOTAS setup. I will look for it in stores to get a feel for it. I used to give MS SW Pro USBs to my friends to try to get them to fly, but this looks like a great replacement.

One way to get around the decals per mesh limit is to combine several smaller decals into one larger (sometimes massive!) one... especially if they are all a fixed image that doesn't change with the aircraft number. But you can even do this with tail numbers if you don't mind have a large number of decals of a substantial size. If you download my A-1 Skyraider package from avsim.com you will find the included MiG Killer skin is a good example of the single large decal solution. I started with MarcFighter's excellent skin and reworked it as best as I could to increase the accuracy of the details while overcoming mapping limitations of the A-1 Skyraider model. Another work around is to paint some of the details onto the skin itself. This method is limited by the resolution of the skin and the distortion of the mapping. For instance, Sundowner makes very high resolution F-4 skins using few or no decals that are most impressive... however, the mapping does distort the national insignias.

Go here to see screenshots from the next SFP1/WOV/WOE patch: http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2889

1. This forum requires you to be a member to follow your link. 2. This forum no longer accepts new members. Therefore, I have no idea what this topic is about

I might actually buy an X-52 if it looks like that ;) I still like the appearance and functionality of the X-36 USB best, but making a black X-52 is a big step back in the right direction. Style aside, what made the X-36 and its successors superior to the competition was providing comparable functionality (and to a lesser extent quality) for half the price. If this "X-52 Pro" is really just a black X-52 with metal knobs and they charge a lot more $ for what is purely a superficial change, I would be more inclined to buy the original for value or CH Products for quality. I love the idea of the Thrustmaster Cougar, but the internals did not match the price. I never understood why Saitek deviated from the all-black, realistic look since the majority of people spending the $ on this type of equipment tend to be the hard-core realism fanatics. Saitek sticks would also look a lot more realistic if they got rid of the "c" brace in front of the stick. What games other than realistic flight sims even need this kind of hardware? So why not make realistic sticks like CH Products and TM Cougar? It would really be nice if you could plug in the stick grip of the airplane you like as TM Cougar planned but never supported. I wish I had not thrown away my TM Top Gun Platinum sticks. I would love to adapt the grips from those to a Saitek base since they were the standard US grip from the F-4 and early F-15.