FastCargo

What's the point? For the same reason folks do other things that put their life and limbs on the line - because it is hard, because it is dangerous. Approximately 4000 people have attempted to climb Mount Everest in recorded history. I want you to think about that for a good, long minute. Now, approximately 660 have reached the summit successfully. Think about that for a minute more. Finally, about 180 people have died attempting the climb...which puts your odds at about 1 in 20 that you won't come back from an attempt. Climbing Everest is akin to being an astronaut for 3 reasons: 1. It is difficult - mentally, physically, emotionally (and arguably monetarily). 2. It is dangerous - climbing to an altitude where airliners normally hang out. What's the last thing you did that 1 out of every 20 people died as a direct result of doing it? (Soldiers in active combat zones have much better survival rates on average). 3. It is rare - even if you only use the number of people who currently exist (about 7 billion), that means just attempting a climb is 1 person in 1.75 million people. Reaching the summit successfully is now 1 person per 10 million people. The numbers get even rarer if you start including all the people that have existed since the first recorded attempts. Does it make more sense now? Unlike a lot of other human endeavors that can be overcome with tons of money, engineering and/or technology, climbing Mt. Everest is still a legitimate challenge. FC

The question is, will they hit anything? FC

The CG position in the data.ini does not correspond with the actual LOD CG. A mod was put in somewhere that didn't take into account the CG shift. FC

Actually, I think the disappearing sound in map mode is a feature. It does come back when you go back to any other view (at least in my install)... FC

Also, I think we are being a bit pessimistic of how healthy ThirdWire would be without mods. Now, I'm not saying that TW would be as healthy with mods, but lets think about this a second. What does TKs air combat sim series (I emphasize air combat, so XPlane and the MSFS series are out) offer? I want you to name any other current air combat series that offers what TK's sim offers out of the box. When you start adding up the amount and specific aircraft TK sim's offer, you realize pretty quick that he's literally just about the only game in town if you want to fly and fight in a certain era with modern graphics. Now, in the future, that could change certainly...time and technology march on. But for now, I really challenge you to find another air combat sim that is as flexible in making and adding mods while offering several aircraft that no one else does. FC

Dave, What I'd recommend is let folks say their stuff, then at some point, close the thread and make a concise, clear list and present that to TK. I agree that him trying to wade through what could be a long thread is pointless...keep the final list short and sweet. Also, I reiterate what Dave said...keep it to core engine specifics. FC

Make sure...a stock AGM or a modded AGM. TK has slowly been implementing all the subtle weapon guidance flags. A bomb/missile could be EOGR, but use GPS/radar/optical guidance. The sim used to not implement the difference. That is no longer true...a GPS guided missile/bomb will not hit a moving target. FC

Actually, you might be able to. Here's an experiment I just did with a SRAM modified to come out as a high drag bomb and delayed rocket ignition: Increase the drag factor and lessen the weight (maybe add some drag when slick too). FC

Well, the 08 patch changes the weapons in a semi fundamental way. What I would recommend instead is reinstalling WOE, patch it up to the 08 level, then download this weapons pack: http://combatace.com/files/file/7791-weapons-pack-252-by-the-wosfp1-community/ You will find it works much better than the 06 pack. FC

Lexx is correct...it does the same thing when nearing Mach/speed limits. FC

Well, the problem is based on circumstance, I'm stuck with keyboard and mouse only, so any flight sims other than for testing are right out. I've been thinking about Mech 4...I assume they finally got the whole thing straightened out (still wasn't available last time I checked). I own Mech 4, but this computer doesn't have an optical drive... FC

Okay folks, I'm going to step in a bit here. First, there are some legitimate reasons folks may stick with Gen 1 series sims. One of the biggest of course is multiplayer, as rudimentary as it is. Second is ease of use...Gen 1 sims can be run off a USB stick, Gen 2 can be done that way, but its more involved. Third, for some folks, online buying isn't a player (no Paypal, etc available in their country), but the older series can be bought on physical media. That being said, Gen 2 sims have more features, many of which are incompatible with the Gen 1 code. It takes time and energy to make multiple versions of mods. It's not just a matter of exporting models, it's things like DDS vs BMP/TGA, AB nodes, FM changes, RWR changes, etc. I could go on, but the list is long and gets longer everytime. In fact, TK has just said that due to the changes that will be required in the Dec2010C patch to fix the odd 'shadow' issues (what most people have seen as square props), that a new exporter will be required AND that he is going to reexport the ThirdWire models and they will NOT be backwards compatible. In other words, any future models exported to take advantage of the new shadow effects will not be compatible with any Gen 1 sim, not even the WOI expansion pack. This doesn't even include what SF2:T will bring to the table...and I guarantee THAT won't be compatible with the SF1 series. Mods take time and energy...great mods take LOTS of time and energy. At some point, it all adds up, and even the supposed 'little' bit of energy and time required to make a model fully Gen 1 compatible becomes too much. For me, I still work in BMP and TGA, so swapping out the exporter to reexport the model is easy. I use the older LODs as lowel level models. Maybe after I switch to the DDS format, that folks who decide to use the model in Gen 1 sims will find that LOD HEX editing will still work for them. But I'm not going to expend one erg of energy in making a separate Gen 1 release...I just am not interested in that series anymore except in very limited circumstance. One more note...there have been some who are thinking of leaving modding because the sim has not changed enough. There are some that leave because the sim changes too much. Both viewpoints are legitimate concerns. I know that I have expressed frustration at both ends of the spectrum. In short, everyone is in it for different reasons, and they get different things out of it. But it is all a choice...no one forces you to download or buy anything. If a modder supports Gen 1, great! If he doesn't, that's fine too. Fairness is relative to each person. And quite frankly, in the big scheme of things, it is a trivial matter. FC

JM, You should, its still as funny as ever. "Are you insulting my monkey?!?!" FC

Oh, okay...cool! FC

I thought we had a black U2 skin already somewhere. FC

If you turn it into a shooting war, then its no longer the Berlin Airlift, its SF2E 1948. FC

Yeah...Deus Ex! Haven't played that in a while... FC

Except I'm pretty sure no shooting actually occured...so I'm not sure how interesting a mod it would be. FC

One of the longer Hellfire missiles would be a close shape and size. FC

The term 'differential' implies that the stabilizers move differently. In other words, all variants of the F-14 had stabilizers that moved symmetrically for pitch, and asymmetrically for roll. Several other fighters (and some bombers) of that generation also employed this technique to increase manuverability. FC

And can I get an 'Amen!'. I used to enjoy AA when it was new, but after a while, it got old for the same reason. I have a life outside of gaming and simply won't be able to compete with some guy who eats, sleeps, and drinks gaming. And besides, I dislike people in general. That's why I like the SF series...it allows me to game the way I want to. Gaming by my rules and schedule. FC

Actually, that's not funny. You don't screw with an aircraft on takeoff roll...period. It is one of the most dangerous parts of any flight, because the power settings are high, altitude and speed are slow, and conditions are changing every second. The crew's workload is high, and they're on a hair trigger for emergency procedures. This is why the majority of any EP's we practice and train for happen in the takeoff phase. It was unprofessional for the B737 crew to taunt the waiting aircraft. It was STUPID for one of the waiting aircraft to cause these guys to do a high speed abort. Imagine the consequences had the high speed abort gone badly..."How you do like them apples" indeed. Hey, banter while on the ground during taxi, or at cruise, sure, it happens, no big deal. Unacceptable during takeoff or landing. FC

CDL is induced drag, that's not really what you want to change. CD0 is the number you want to fix and the CD0 tables are what you need to adjust. FC

Also, if you edit the file, you should probably make it read-only afterward, or else the first time you open the keyboard options, the file will be altered and the entry you made for unjamming the gun will vanish. FC

Well, considering you are trying to alter the fundamental laws that govern airborne flight, it would probably help to have at least a basic understanding of the terms used, which means becoming somewhat familiar with aircraft in general. Assuming you are, the 2 main forces you are concerned with are Thrust and Drag. Increasing one and decreasing the other will get you your higher speed. First, look here for definitions of some of the terms used in the flight model of each aerodynamic component: http://combatace.com/topic/21867-definitions-of-aero-coefficients/page__p__96438 And look here for definitions on the Engine data: http://combatace.com/topic/12100-basic-ini-editing-enginex/page__p__52908 After reading these sections, you should have a basic idea of what you need to manipulate to go fast. FC