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FastCargo

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Everything posted by FastCargo

  1. In another reality... Soon, very soon! FC
  2. Dude, bring on the map! I want to cruise at Mach 3 for a hour.... FC

  3. Paint Shop Pro X4 sale

    FastCargo replied to SFP1Ace's topic in The Pub

    I'm curious, I've been recently getting into using Gimp and I'm wondering how 'it doesn't handle 32-bit TGAs properly'? I'm serious...I don't quite understand what the issue is in that I've been using it to make some TGAs and they seem to be fine... Also, I just found out last night that Gimp can read, open, manipulate and save .PSD files...who knew? :) FC

  4. F 16 Oskosh crash

    FastCargo replied to Derk's topic in Military and General Aviation

    I had wondered what happened in that accident. At least he was able to keep it near the centerline. FC

  5. All my work gone

    FastCargo replied to JonathanRL's topic in The Pub

    Two words for the future...online backup. There are several services that allow a ridiculous amount of online storage space for free. I use these services to store stuff I wouldn't mind if it went public, but would be annoyed if I lost (like my modding stuff). Some even have auto sync and will auto update everytime you change a file. I'm surprised more folks don't do this for non personal stuff. Sorry to hear about your computer issues. FC
  6. As long as you consume the product, companies have some say in how it is consumed because they created it. Pretty sure a drill company isn't going to cover your expenses because you used their product as a rectal thermometer. You pays your money and you takes your chances. You do not have to buy the product. Period. Because piracy was difficult back then...not now. Also, games cost MUCH more to develop, but have actually gotten cheaper over time. Don't believe me? First, read this...all of it. This is still the best article I have read about the subject...in depth, researched, referenced, and balanced. http://www.tweakguid...m/Piracy_1.html And an overview of how game development costs have increased over time: http://en.wikipedia....ame_development Note that for instance, GTA IV is estimated to have cost $100 MILLION dollars to develop. Yet, new, it's original price was $45 USD in 2008. Typical development for an A list game now is 30-40 MILLION dollars. 20 years ago, a PC sim highly regarded, with many purchases (for the size of the market) for its time, F-19 Stealth Fighter, was the exact same price back then. Inflation means that PC games should be worth $80 USD if sold today. Also, that means that PC games back then should have cost 15-20 MILLION USD in 1988 dollars to develop...pretty sure they didn't cost that much back then to make. But they aren't, yet are far more capable then the games of yesteryear. So, can I sum this up for ya? Games cost far more to develop because they are so much more capable, yet the inflation adjusted price has dropped by almost half. Piracy of any sort of scale back then required banks of copying machines (either floppy disk or CD-ROM copy 'racks') and a distribution network...now only requires a high speed internet connection. Get it yet? More money to create, less money made per copy, and easier to get illegal copies. Any wonder why companies keep coming with new ways to try to protect their investment, help pay for development and put off the eventual losses each title will sustain once it is pirated? FC
  7. I want to say I think it was Monty as well.... FC
  8. The link I posted is for FBX. I have found that OBJ import/export from/to Blender/3ds MAX has resulted in more distortions than the FBX method. The main reason I am going to focus on Blender (and to a lesser extent, Gimp) is that: 1) They are open source, widespread, and free...no shareware, no time periods, no cost, not tied to any particular large company (which is why I don't use Sketchup). 2) They are powerful with comprehensive features. 3) There is widespread and detailed documentation on use. 4) They are portable...you can run both of them from a USB stick. FC

  9. New sign on the CA offices....

    FastCargo posted a topic in The Pub

    Note the original name of the image was "This means you, Dave!" Coincidence? FC
  10. I was thinking that myself there Eric. Also, McFly's tutorials are for MAX, and some of them, especially the mapping tutorial, are very much out of date. FC
  11. Okay, first thing I've found for Blender: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro Looks like a comprehensive guide to Blender...it can even be downloaded as a single PDF file. I will be using this as a basis for getting familiar with how Blender works (I went from GMax to 3DS Max, so I never got familiar with Blender). Looking at just the basic beginning, the document already goes into common terms and usages for 3D modeling (coordinates, rotations, etc) so it's a good resource just for learning the terminology that modelers use.
  12. Global scaling is very easy in MAX...it can be done by a tool visually, or the parameters can be typed in. FC
  13. Okay, some encouraging signs of interest so far. Upfront, here is the technique used to bring a Blender file into 3DS Max: http://wiki.openuru.org/index.php?title=Importing_Blender_Objects_To_Max Note that most of the work is done by the person with MAX, but even then, it is pretty simple. I verified this technique yesterday and can confirm that it works a treat and imported the model perfectly (including the mapping). Anyway, my goals are the following: 1) To remove most of the traditional barriers to modding...mainly, the cost associated with 3DS Max and therefore expand the range of talent. 2) To increase the portability of being able to mod. Due to recent circumstances, I find myself at computers that typically don't have or can't run what I use (3DS Max, Photoshop, etc). 3) To educate folks on exactly the effort required by letting them try it themselves. To this end, I plan on using Blender for my next 3D project, and using Gimp for the templates for my current 3D project. While I am educating myself on both Blender and Gimp, my plan is to upload an example of a Blender aircraft ready for conversion to 3DS MAX, and hopefully an example of a Gimp template to use to build textures. As well as find appropriate tutorials suited to Blender and Gimp for our purposes. What I won't be doing is making a tutorial here...there is simply too much to explain to be able to do it well, or in a timely fashion. The idea is that potential model builders need to simply get out there and flail a bit....that is really the best way to learn. FC
  14. Again, I don't necessarily mind complaining. To an extent, complaining is good. We all do it about everything every once in a while. It's actually healthy in that it relieves tension and 'gets it out there'. We have a saying in flying circles...'A pilot isn't happy unless he is unhappy about something'. But, like anything else, it can be overdone. Now, TK and DanW are big boys, and can take a bit of ribbing about this or that like anyone else. But, like anyone else, there are good days and bad days, and the same joke that would be funny one day may not be funny the next. There is always a balance to be struck, and sometimes the line is a bit fuzzy. Remember, ultimately, TW is a business, and as such, decisions are made in pursuit of that business...they are not made just to annoy you. They may have that side effect, sure, but it isn't personal. Remember, this is a hobby. Hobbies are meant for enjoyment...if you aren't having fun, maybe it's time to move to something else for a while. FC PS And before anyone asks, I do not work for TW in any way, shape or form. They have not said anything to me to intervene in any way...my posts are my own opinions and are not to be taken as gospel from CA or TW.
  15. I suspect this was the comment that sent the thread over the top along with your expression of glee at finding a bug in the A-4 DLC. Folks, bitching about changes or directions developers take with their products is fine. Constructive critique is better. But really, the best way to influence what you want to see in the future is to vote with your wallet and your modding time. If it becomes too much, move on to somewhere else...it really is that simple. FC
  16. Well, technically considering the series doesn't address campaigns past the early 1980s, it's surprising that there is any support for GPS weapons at all. Having said that, it's a bummer the latest patches 'broke' them. Since GPS weapons are coordinate weapons, they work similar to INS weapons (in fact a lot of GPS weapons are actually INS weapons with GPS updating). has anyone tried to switch to INS guidance with low CEP to see if they work properly? FC
  17. It's okay to walk away...we all do it at one time or another. A hobby is meant to be enjoyed...if you aren't enjoying it, it is time to take a break. Good luck! FC

  18. Houston..we have a problem

    FastCargo replied to UK_Widowmaker's topic in The Pub

    Jug, Great story...had more than a few incentive rides upchuck in the back seat...could still smell it up front! Most of them got it in the bag...but had one kid fill the bag and then it burst. That wasn't pleasant.... FC

  19. Version

    1,591 downloads

    B-70 Valkyrie (Beta) by FastCargo and friends. ********************** Version 0.97 *********************** (Note, this release includes the XB-70 beta released in November 2010) SF2 Version for Dec 2010 Patch. Models, some decals, most ini adaptions by FastCargo Textures and most decals by Sundowner Dyess AFB serial numbers by Dave from B-1B Redux 3D Rocket Effects by Lexx_Luthor (Lord of the Analog) B-1B Cockpit by Dels Engine Effects by Deuces, Fubar512 Any errors are mine... Package contains: XB-70 aircraft in prototype markings for AV/1 and AV/2. B-70A aircraft in 28BMS and 62BMS markings RS-70B aircraft in 337BMS markings B-70C aircraft in 9BS markings High Resolution versions of the textures and bump maps Original Readmes This readme Notes: This release is a beta, and as such, is somewhat incomplete. The cockpit is from the B-1B, and there are no damage textures. However, almost all other features of a full release have been included. Aircraft include: XB-70 - The original research aircraft in it's actual configuration...not really set up for warfighting. However, this set also includes semi fictional versions of operational aircraft: B-70A - This is most probable version of the Valkyrie that would exist had it gone into production. It is done in 2 paint schemes, the high altitude anti-flash white, and a version painted in an odd silver coating designed to reduce the IR signature (as proposed by the USAF). This version also includes the wing pylons for the Skybolt ALBM, and projected pylons for the smaller nuclear gravity weapons available at the time. RS-70B - Proposed version of the Valkyrie in an attempt to save it from the budget axe. Similiar to the B-70A in capability, but with additional reconnaissance ability similiar to SR-71. This is simulated by an internal camera window taking the location of the forward weapons bay. I projected that the RS-70B would come into existence during the late part of the Vietnam war, using the camera bay to carry the targeting laser, and dropping PGMs since conventional bombing at 80000 feet and Mach 3 would be very inaccurate. As a result, the first LGB drops in Vietnam are done by the RS-70B, not the F-4. B-70C - Completely fictional version of the Valkyrie. In the history where the Valkyrie was produced, most of the B-52 fleet was retired very soon after the Vietnam War, only the G and H models remained to carry the AGM-86B cruise missile. The B-1 was never proposed, with the B-70A being the main gravity nuke delivery system and the RS-70B being the PGM bomber. The F-111 and FB-111 remained as the medium range, low altitude conventional and nuclear penetrator. The B-2 was designed at the outset to be a low altitude penetrator, avoiding the costly redesign the actual B-2 went through, bringing unit cost down. As it was, the B-70 and RS-70 were expected to be retired at the beginning of the 1990s as high altitude, high speed SAM systems became more and more lethal. However, after Desert Storm, the lesson was learned that big, long range SAM systems are vulnerable and expensive, but anyone can have AAA...so the doctrine was adjusted for more medium/high altitude operations with PGMs. So all Valkyries underwent a modernization to the B-70C standard, with the ability to carry all PGMs, including the JDAM, JSOW, JASSM for employment in regional conflicts. There are a few bugs that we haven't been able to solve and may not be solvable due to simulation limitations. The main one is the AI will not take advantage of the high speed and altitude capabilities of the aircraft. Even if you create an actual mission with waypoints dictating altitudes and speeds, it will not fly those parameters (tends to fly a maximum of Mach 1.7). We are still working to squash the remaining issues...and one day we will have a proper cockpit for this machine. This is a long range aircraft, you can hit a few of the 'walls' on several of the stock maps so give yourself plenty of turning room when planning your flight. Have fun...report any crippling bugs (except trying to use it in SFP1/WOV/WOE/WOI...you're on your own) in the release thread at CA. FC 20 Dec 10

  20. First Indian C-17 Globemaster III

    FastCargo replied to ghostrider883's topic in Military and General Aviation

    Now that I would like to read!

  21. First Indian C-17 Globemaster III

    FastCargo replied to ghostrider883's topic in Military and General Aviation

    As long as it isn't '50 Shades of Grey'...or is it '50 Shades of Gray'... FC
  22. Speaking of which, does GH3 still work with the current patch level on SF2V terrain?

  23. Skyfall...

    FastCargo replied to Slartibartfast's topic in The Pub

    I personally liked the Daniel Craig Bond...more true to the original concept that Ian Fleming brought to life with his novels. FC
  24. Hey, thanks for bringing this up...I've been having a problem with jets less than 100 numbers showing up without serials. Sometimes even in the same flight! This thread solved that issue for me...thanks! FC
  25. Prezmek, Outstanding...thank you! FC
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