Tailspin

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showforum=105

Yes the game will limit the A/C available to the years according to those given in each A/C data.ini (ServiceStart and ServiceEnd dates in the MissionData section). The EP is set for late 1917-1918 and the stock A/C data.ini reflect that. Downloading earlier A/C will increase the available years according to the A/C's dates installed. However, most pre-expasion flight models are not compatible with the EP. You will need to download Peter01's updated FMs to fly earlier A/C. Not all are modified yet as there is another hot-fix type patch coming and Peter01 has wisely chosen to limit his work until we see what the patch will do. Those downloads are available here: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...p;showfile=5579 I agree it would be nice to have a good, easy to use, mission builder. ps...for a little more diversity in A/C encountered try INTERCEPT missions.

I understand completely and agree. Unfortunately courtesy isn't a universal trait among people and we have to deal with that. However cutting off your nose to spite your face is not the answer. If your mods are so important to you that you feel you have to do that then IMHO maybe you should find another hobby. If you feel you need that kind of ultimate control then you surely shouldn't provide them for free because, like has been said, once you put them out there for free you really don't have that much recourse...except to rely on the respect and courtesy of others.

Hello and welcome to CombatAce. When playing single missions the game will only generate enemy A/C when you are near the IP of your specified target area. However, since the EP I have noticed an increase in the number of enemy A/C that crash or don't show up when you hit Alt-N to skip to the IP. Also if you use Targeting the game will not usually "auto target" A/C until they are within 2 nm. Sometimes hitting the Targeting key (T on the keyboard) will identify targets at longer ranges as long as they are in your line of sight and not obscured by clouds or terrain. If you want to see more enemy activity you will see that in the campaigns.

Including a EULA with free user mods made for this sim is hilarious to me: suggesting that no one should share them or change them without your approval defeats the whole purpose of having an open sim that supports free user mods! If you post an unlocked file for free download, good luck on enforcing some arbitrary EULA. There is no precedent in the real world for prosecuting people who share or mod something for no monetary gain when it was free to begin with. AMEN!!!

Thanks Peter. I'll try that out when I get a chance. Due to an illness in the family I'll be very busy with RL concerns and probably won't be posting much.

Ah, OK. I just noticed your other post. Thx, I'll try it out.

Frankly, I think both the Auto Pilot and Wing Leveler options have been hosed since the EP (TK's doing). For some reason all planes climb steadily while on wing leveler. Before the EP planes on wing leveler flew straight and level with no climb whatsoever. The AI seems to have more trouble with formations (at least while on auto pilot the N28 shown in the pic is the most extreme I've seen so far) than before. Don't get me wrong here, the previous version of AI "formation flying" didn't bug me at all. However in the screenshot there are 3200+ feet difference in altitude. Thats a little harder to ignore. Didn't mean to be b*tchin' or to insinuate you did anything. I just hoped you could fix it.

"Thirdly, the AI - they are very much optimised for dogfighting (including TKs). Its a tradeoff with formation flying for some of these - so if you worry about porpoising in "Level Flight" mode, AI porpoising a bit, ai going up and down for altitude in formation especially after takeoff or keeping up ith you, well, don't download these - they are not for you. Its not that bad, some are just fine, but some are not. All seem good in combat." Well, this is bad news. I think its worse than "not that bad". I wouldn't have posted about a "minor" problem as there are many "minor" problems with the sim. The problem is with Auto Pilot too. As you can see, there is no "formation flying" after you have flown on auto pilot for awhile. This simply doesn't work very well when you enjoy single missions and campaigns. Sorry, but if it has to be this way I don't see the point in having squadrons and you might as well eliminate the campaign mode entirely. If this were just a "dogfighting game" I wouldn't wasting my time modding target areas like bridges and such. Too bad.

All aircraft I think. Some more than others. Its not porpoising. Its climbing and diving. Just did a flight with the N28. After taking off player plane does a steady slow climb @ 103mph. AI wingies usually wind up following a couple of hundred feet lower. I looks to me like the AI is climbing too steeply then diving to compensate for the loss of speed then climbing again, etc. Since I first posted I found this at the Thirdwire forum. I seem to have the same problem with more that just the Dr.1. http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=4721 TK will probably fix it with a patch. Still, an interim solution would be nice.

Can anything be done about the AI (ie. the rest of your flight) not being able fly with you on auto pilot without constantly diving and climbing trying to follow you? They act like they don't know how to climb at a steady speed. Can't recall if this is just stock A/C behaving this way, been too busy to put much time in flying.

If you want TK to see, you should post at the Thirdwire forum.

It all depends on what Exhaust Emitter the aircraft data.ini is calling for. The expansion pack introduced a new rotary engine exhaust emitter effect for the new stock rotary engined A/C. Some add on A/C still use the old CleanExhaustEmitter which is a different type of effect and much less pronounced than either the Inline or Rotary emitters.

Captain! Censors have detected Klingons around Uranus!

Yep, EmlD, I think you are correct about the nodes and meshes...just swapping data inis probably wouldn't work because of this. I remember when we were doing the very early work on the N28 I used data from the SE 5 to get a working FM but I don't recall exactly how I did it. I'm thinking now I just copied some of the aerodynamic data and not the entire data.ini.

I don't know about the +/- 10% factor, but if you want all the planes to perform the same just copy the FM data from the aircraft you want and paste it in each aircraft data.ini. If you keep the first section (MissionData) for each A/C you should be OK.

Ok folks. Since there seems to be a lull in new developements with First Eagles lately, lets do a little survey. What aircraft do you all like to fly most? I try to get some action in all of them but there are a few that I always seem to go to when I want to do some "serious" flying. Feel free to list as many as you like and they don't have to be in order of preference. Comments on why you like them are welcome too. In no particular order: 1. Nieuport 11. So much better than the early German birds its not funny, yet still challenging due to the limited firepower of the single Lewis gun. You have to fly the plane and be patient or your ammo won't last. GREAT MODEL in every way! 2. SPAD XIII. Fast and powerful. Two guns. The SPAD was my original favorite plane in FE and it still is in the top three. 3. Nieuport 27. Yeah, the wing fabric ripped in a steep dive. No worse than the Albatross D series breaking wings though. Anyway in FE the N 27 is a force to be reconed with. ANOTHER GREAT MODEL in every way! 4 Sopwith Triplane. Another "World beater". Whats not to like? Sorry, don't mean to slight the German planes, I just don't fly them much. Jump right in folks. Lets hear your faves.....

Those in the first post are all pretty much fixed by the first patch. Most of the rest are still applicable, I think. I haven't gone over each one. Not sure how the Exp. Pack places the extra aircraft on airfields or how that would apply to 3rd party terrains.

Oh yeah! Look out big bombers. Don't have time right now to check this out (gotta go work awhile) but I have the XII mod from before and its fun. I have the SPAD VII flying with the XIII pit. Works OK with some adjustment. Need to realign the gunsight, though.

I'm sure getting shot up/down a lot more than before.

Yep, half of the folks say they would pay for an add-on. However there are different categories. I consider FE's Expansion Pack an "Official" add-on so I voted YES. If the choices were limited to 3rd Party offers I would have said NO. Since the YES vote is split into different specific situations, IMO, the solid 47.92% NO votes is pretty significant.

I don't think current versions of the Weapons and Gun Editor work with the expansion pack. http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=4679

Didn't get a chance to post earlier but I've updated the Airfield AAMGs for the Expansion Pack 1. Its an easy install this time as I've included the complete Targets and Types .INIs for both Verdun and Cambrai. http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...p;showfile=5434 If you've got mods to your terrain .INIs that you don't want overwritten, you can always install them the hard way according to the original instructions provided in the original mod.

Thanks Heck. Working on the update for the Bridges mod but that is going to take longer as there are some changes in the new terrain.

Yeah, turning off Shadows was the first thing I had to do to get anything better than a slideshow on my rickety old machine. Still, IMHO, everything looks better than the original FE.