FastCargo

Well, I know we still use the term 'in the weeds' for being very low...so my guess would be low altitude as well. FC

Easy guys, lets keep it to a dull roar. FC

1. What are the differences in the LODs between third party Gen 1 and Gen 2 aircraft Answer: 2 additional mesh nodes have been activated in the SF2 aircraft. One is a new 'Afterburner' node...basically a illuminated part of the aircraft inside the engine now 'lights up' when the afterburner is selected. The second is the external drop tanks are now part of the LOD model but can be jettisoned. Which means skins for the tanks can now be placed within the aircraft skin folder...no more 'hex editing' seperate drop tanks LODs. They also can be decaled. 2. What's that mean to me? It means a couple of things. One, the afterburner and drop tank nodes will ALWAYS be visible, unless you make changes in the data.ini to 'hide' those meshes (reference this post: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?s=&am...st&p=306057 for the exact details). It also means that if the model does not come with seperate drop tank meshes that go in the Weapons folder, that you will not have jettisonable drop tanks available for your aircraft.

This question is going to continue to come up as more SF2 only releases are made available, so I figured I'd start a thread designed to help those who haven't made the jump for whatever reason to be able to enjoy creations made for the SF2 series. Now, realize this list only applies to third party aircraft. Stock SF2 aircraft LODs use different code, and so are NOT backwards compatable, period. This list will assume several things: 1. That any Gen 1 install is patched to at least the Oct 08 patch level. 2. That you are intimately familiar with ini files (data, weapondata, gundata, etc) and how to change them. 3. That you are intimately familiar with the Gen 1 directory layout. 4. That you have good skills with the 'search' function. 5. That you have a good understanding of the various terms used in this list. If any one of these statements is untrue, you will need to fix it before you can start making stuff backwards compatible. The modders will increasingly not have the time to be able to make 2 versions of the release. Realize this list is only valid as of 30 Jun 09...any SF2 changes after that may continue to cause the generations of TW sims to deviate from each other, so continue to consult additional sources. I would ask others to contribute to this list as they see fit. Realize, this isn't a 'step by step' list, merely a 'checklist' of what needs to be changed to use a SF2 aircraft.

Well, the question becomes: "Does harming a life financially come close to harming a life physically?" or "Does intent factor into punishment?" or "Does the number of people harmed influence the severity of the punishment?" Consider - Mr. Stallworth didn't intend to kill or harm anyone...but he did. But Mr. Madoff systematically and deliberately destroyed the savings of dozens for his own personal gain but didn't actually kill anyone. Which is the more vicious crime? Personally, I think he shouldn't be in jail. Instead, all his assets should be stripped to repay the people he lost money to. He then should be forced to work as a minimum wage worker for the rest of his life, with any earnings outside of basic needs to be paid into an account to continue to repay those he wronged. As icing on the cake, it should be a job that is deliberately nasty and foul...maybe searching through landfills for recyclables...in a New Jersey summer. FC

Unfortunately, I don't know if there is any way to resolve it. That's the reason I abandoned a similar thing I was doing with the F-5F. The only way I know of is to make them part of the model. FC

Not necessarily. FC

Taken care of once the T-38 is released. FC

I'm assuming any stock (ie ThirdWire) aircraft offered in the SF2 series which can carry drop tanks already has the new tank setup. It would seem silly to not have such a setup for every aircraft which is drop tank capable (editing MAX files to accomplish such a thing was pretty easy...took about 10 minutes if you have the aircraft and drop tank models already available). FC

That is correct! Yep, no more hex editing (for those aircraft with the built in drop tanks). FC

Stary, Very true. TK has mentioned he is going to release a CAT extractor himself. That would be VERY helpful, especially if it has at least the utility of the old TW Gen 1 CAT extractor. I'll tell ya folks, I can't emphasize how much easier installing mods is with Gen 2 ThirdWire sims. For the end user especially, it's a godsend. I can't tell you how many times I've had to help folks dealing with Weapondata errors and pilot addons. Really, except for decals, darn near everything is easier with the SF2 series. And even decals is easy to change as USAFMTL showed me if you're bringing an older mod into the SF2 series....don't even have to edit a single ini file. FC

Not that I'm aware of. FC

I had built a aircraft model with a sphere around the pilot's eyepoint, but all the faces turned inward, then treated like a slimer in the data.ini. Makes everything have a green tint when the lights are turned on, to simulate wearing NVGs. The TGA I used was pretty transparent. I could try with a pretty close to opaque TGA and see what happens... FC

I tested something putting a 'bubble' around the pilot's POV that basically added a green filter to everything when you turned the lights on, but it really wasn't green enough. The problem is you'll start losing visibility if you try to make it real green by making it more opaque. FC

Yep, gotta agree with USAFMTL on this one. The new folder structure makes darn near everything easier (the exception might be decals). No fooling with gun/weapon editors, no fooling with core files, and with the method someone else posted in the KB, you can run ALL your mods with ONE install. That's right, one core directory can run every install you have...each of them self contained. If you have 20 installs, that adds up pretty quickly (considering a normal, stock install will set you back almost 1 GB each). I don't plan to release anything in the future compatible with legacy installs. FC

Or for those fans of TF2: On a more serious note, RIP Billy Mays. FC

Nah...my stuff isn't THAT detailed...but it'll actually run on most computers... Uploaded, awaiting permission from one more person whose stuff I included before the file can be approved. FC

Not yet...but getting there! FC

Release imminent. Finally! FC

That may be true...but how many people you know with XBoxes are? FC

Heh...his name wasn't Buck Wyndham was it? Cool story! FC

Can you put it on a laptop? FC

Don't get too excited, the easiest change was the vertical stabs. There is still much work to be done with weapon separation tests, loadout configurations, new avionics, etc. FC

Far as I know, it was just the StallMoment tweak...made the AT-6B quite flyable in SF2...before it would get 'stuck' post stall. FC

I think I just saw four horsemen... FC