Tailspin

I'm gonna pick the Phillies. Yep, thats right. The Philadelphia Phillies. BTW...I'm a Cardinals fan since 1964 so da Cubbies ain't got nuttin' comin'.

I was reluctant at first but I downloaded First Eagles when it came out and have had no problems whatsoever. You can burn the .exe onto a disc for safekeeping. I've used the downloaded .exe several times (have backup clean install and have reinstalled the game) without a glitch. You may as well get used to it as I think Thirdwire likes the concept.

According to TK the "Soviet Invasion" titles were distributed by Empire Interactive. Empire Interactive are the ones who changed the title.

Go vote if you haven't already. http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=22309

It looks like we're getting some more votes for First Eagles now. I didn't know how many of you check the other forums. THX

I'll admit I've been putting off installing your latest FM updates. Nothing to do with your work. Its my personal additions like engine armor, new German pilot, changing exaust emitters to fit the planes (I think the InlineExhaustEmitter makes a better Exhaust Emitter for radial engines and I don't care for the stock CleanExhaustEmitter effect for any aircraft ) that I have to add/change with every update. Anyway, when I was flying the SPAD 13 I noticed the aileron animation was "locked" in a right turn (just visually, not affecting control) and not responding to stick input. I searched the data.ini and found the following: [LeftAileron] (scroll down to) ModelNodeName=Aileron_L ReverseModelOrientation=TRUE AnimationID= [RightAileron] (scroll down to) ModelNodeName=Aileron_R AnimationID= There is no AnimationID assignment and the ReverseModelOrientation=True line should not be there. The fix should read like this: [LeftAileron] ********** ModelNodeName=Aileron_L //ReverseModelOrientation=TRUE<------- Either comment out or delete this line. AnimationID=1<----------------------------Add the number 1 here. [RightAileron] ********** ModelNodeName=Aileron_R AnimationID=2<---------------------------Add the number 2 here. Now I can get around to flying. Once again, THANKS for all your hard work.

Absolutely un-freakin'-believable............

Its roux.

If you have any version of SF then you would vote yes.

Thanks Charles.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Peter. Just yesterday I started trying to redo the lift factors for the various wing components on a few planes. I'm not changing the total lift for the wing just redistributing the values more evenly among the different sections, trying to take into consideration the different proportions for upper and lower wings, etc. Whereas if you lose a forth of the top wing you lose a fourth of the lift factor for the entire wing. I want to see if this makes any difference in how a damaged plane flys. Initial results are interesting in that, undamaged, the planes don't seem to fly any differently from the player POV. Its going to take a lot of test flying though as its hard to get the AI to just shoot one wing off. ps...this experiment raises a question. Why are the lift values usually set higher for the mid/wingtip sections? Is lift actually greater on the outer sections of a wing IRL?

They've got (or had) an SR-71 on display at the USAF Weapons Museum outside Eglin AFB. You can walk right up to it and touch it....of course it was stripped of anything "important". Anyway, 8-10 years ago the sim world was FULL of modern jet sims. We're just not in that "cycle" right now. Not so sure about the technology argument. At the hight of the modern jet sim era, graphics and effects (avionics, etc) were top notch. Before the advent of the sophisticated FPS's, flight sims drove the top end computer market. Now it takes a monster to run the new games. I don't see flight sims taxing computers any more than they are already.

The way I do it is look to see where the tracers are going while looking straight ahead then fix that point on the screen. Its usually centered between the gun sights and a little above a horizontal line going through the crosshairs. OH and get CLOSE.

Agreed. I don't want YAP's F-100F. I wish someone would build one for the rest of us. Suprised someone hasn't already.

Hmmmmmm.....OK, thats weird. I was just thinking that some of the ATeam planes were done a little differently than the others. ps..gotta run. Got a 9-ball game to go to.

Oooooooooo! F-100F! I need one of those. :yes: Thx USAFMTLDAVE.

Hey, got any screenshot you'd like to share with us?

How did you standardize damage modeling? I think some planes (like some of the A-Team's) are set to certain codes so certain damaged sections will be displayed. I suspect thats what may be causing this: Careful with that axe, Eugene.

If you mean just the terrain "War Over Europe" its here: http://www.majorleesaerodrome.net/

IMHO it may be too soon to be looking at an all-inclusive package. We're waiting on a new release and a major patch/upgrade. We've really just begun to get the FM's ironed out. Then there's damage models, terrain improvements, etc, etc. We've actually only just started tweaking this thing when you think about it. I think it will be awhile yet before a serious attempt at getting it all together won't be just a waste of time. Besides, IMHO, its not that difficult to set up your own sim with the downloads you want. The main thing I do to avoid problems is NEVER use the auto-installers or unzip files directly to the main directory. ALWAYS point the installer or unzip the files to a TEMP folder and manually place the sub-folders/files where they belong. That way nothing gets overwritten that I don't know about or approve and you avoid the problem of nesting folders inside folders.

GETTING THE STATIC AIRCRAFT FROM EDWARDS FLANDERS TERRAIN TO APPEAR IN OTHER TERRAINS. First, thanks to christian59 for getting the ball rolling on this idea. You'll need to dowload and install Edward's Flanders Terrain if you don't have it already. Open up the terrain folder. You will see several aircraft LOD and BMP files for 7 different A/C. There are also LODs and BMPs for the Ground Crew (GrndCrew). Copy and Paste all these files to your Verdun or Vogesen terrain folder. Now find the WWIVERDUN_TYPES.INI file (you may have to extract it fromt he .CAT file per instructions given elswhere in this sticky topic). Open the TYPES file and add the following lines: [TargetType056] Name=AlbatrossD3 FullName=parked Albatross D.III ModelName=AlbD3-Static.lod TargetType=MISC ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=250 UseGroundObject=FALSE DamagePoint=0.001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=50.0 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=16100.0 DestroyedEffect=VehicleFireEffect DestroyedModel=AlbD3-Dest.LOD SecondaryEffect=SmallRocketGroundExplosion SecondaryChance=80 [TargetType057] Name=PfalzD3 FullName=parked Pfalz D.III ModelName=PfalzD3-Static.lod TargetType=MISC ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=250 UseGroundObject=FALSE DamagePoint=0.001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=50.0 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=16100.0 DestroyedEffect=VehicleFireEffect DestroyedModel=PfalzD3-Dest.LOD SecondaryEffect=SmallRocketGroundExplosion SecondaryChance=80 [TargetType058] Name=SchuckertD3 FullName=parked Siemens-Schuckert D.III ModelName=SchuckertD3-Static.lod TargetType=MISC ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=250 UseGroundObject=FALSE DamagePoint=0.001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=50.0 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=16100.0 DestroyedEffect=VehicleFireEffect DestroyedModel=SchuckertD3-Dest.LOD SecondaryEffect=SmallRocketGroundExplosion SecondaryChance=80 [TargetType059] Name=Camel FullName=parked Sopwith Camel ModelName=Camel-Static.lod TargetType=MISC ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=250 UseGroundObject=FALSE DamagePoint=0.001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=50.0 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=16100.0 DestroyedEffect=VehicleFireEffect DestroyedModel=Camel-Dest.LOD SecondaryEffect=SmallRocketGroundExplosion SecondaryChance=80 [TargetType060] Name=BE2c FullName=parked BE-2c ModelName=BE2-Static.lod TargetType=MISC ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=250 UseGroundObject=FALSE DamagePoint=0.001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=50.0 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=16100.0 DestroyedEffect=VehicleFireEffect DestroyedModel=BE2-Dest.LOD SecondaryEffect=SmallRocketGroundExplosion SecondaryChance=80 [TargetType061] Name=Dr1 FullName=parked Fokker Dr.I ModelName=Dr1-Static.lod TargetType=MISC ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=250 UseGroundObject=FALSE DamagePoint=0.001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=50.0 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=16100.0 DestroyedEffect=VehicleFireEffect DestroyedModel=Dr1-Dest.LOD SecondaryEffect=SmallRocketGroundExplosion SecondaryChance=80 [TargetType062] Name=SE5a FullName=parked SE.5a ModelName=SE5a-Static.lod TargetType=MISC ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=250 UseGroundObject=FALSE DamagePoint=0.001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=50.0 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=16100.0 DestroyedEffect=VehicleFireEffect DestroyedModel=Se5a-Dest.LOD SecondaryEffect=SmallRocketGroundExplosion SecondaryChance=80 [TargetType063] Name=GrndCrew FullName=Ground Crew ModelName=GrndCrew.lod TargetType=Misc ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=10 UseGroundObject=FALSE GroundObjectType=GrndCrew DamagePoint=0.0001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=0.555 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=6100.0 DestroyedEffect=HMGObjectHitEffect DestroyedModel= SecondaryEffect=20mmObjectHitEffect SecondaryChance=50 [TargetType064] Name=GrndCrew2 FullName=Ground Crew ModelName=GrndCrew2.lod TargetType=Misc ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=10 UseGroundObject=FALSE GroundObjectType=GrndCrew DamagePoint=0.0001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=0.555 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=6100.0 DestroyedEffect=HMGObjectHitEffect DestroyedModel= SecondaryEffect=20mmObjectHitEffect SecondaryChance=50 [TargetType065] Name=GrndCrew3 FullName=Ground Crew ModelName=GrndCrew3.lod TargetType=Misc ActiveYear=0 TargetValue=10 UseGroundObject=FALSE GroundObjectType=GrndCrew DamagePoint=0.0001 ArmorValue=0.0 ArmorType=0 RepairRate=0.555 StartDetectChance=0 StartIdentifiedChance=0 IncreaseDetectChanceKey=0 MaxVisibleDist=6100.0 DestroyedEffect=HMGObjectHitEffect DestroyedModel= SecondaryEffect=20mmObjectHitEffect SecondaryChance=50 NOTE! The number sequence for TargetType at the header of each entry MUST follow the sequence in YOUR file. Your Types.ini may not end with TargetType055 like the example posted here so check it and change the numbers if necessary. Now, find and open the WWIVERDUN_TARGETS.INI. Find ALL the FRIENDLY airfields and add the following to the Target list, again making sure the number sequence matches the rest of the file. Target[039].Type=Camel Target[039].Offset=-133.00,0.00 Target[039].Heading=90.0 Target[040].Type=Camel Target[040].Offset=-133.00,20.00 Target[040].Heading=90.0 Target[041].Type=BE2c Target[041].Offset=-133.00,40.00 Target[041].Heading=90.0 Target[042].Type=BE2c Target[042].Offset=-133.00,60.00 Target[042].Heading=90.0 Target[043].Type=Camel Target[043].Offset=-133.00,80.00 Target[043].Heading=90.0 Target[044].Type=GrndCrew Target[044].Offset=-140.00,61.00 Target[044].Heading=90.0 Target[045].Type=GrndCrew2 Target[045].Offset=-134.50,40.70 Target[045].Heading=270.0 Target[046].Type=GrndCrew3 Target[046].Offset=-131.00,20.00 Target[046].Heading=90.0 Do the same for all the ENEMY airfields using the following: Target[039].Type=AlbatrossD3 Target[039].Offset=-133.00,74.00 Target[039].Heading=90.0 Target[040].Type=AlbatrossD3 Target[040].Offset=-133.00,54.00 Target[040].Heading=90.0 Target[041].Type=AlbatrossD3 Target[041].Offset=-133.00,34.00 Target[041].Heading=90.0 Target[042].Type=AlbatrossD3 Target[042].Offset=-133.00,14.00 Target[042].Heading=90.0 Target[043].Type=AlbatrossD3 Target[043].Offset=-133.00,-6.00 Target[043].Heading=90.0 Target[044].Type=GrndCrew Target[044].Offset=-140.00,15.00 Target[044].Heading=90.0 Target[045].Type=GrndCrew2 Target[045].Offset=-133.50,34.70 Target[045].Heading=270.0 Target[046].Type=GrndCrew3 Target[046].Offset=-130.50,74.00 Target[046].Heading=90.0 You can mix and match aircraft types or make them all the same by changing the Type= to whatever A/C type you prefer. This works the same way for the Vogesen terrain by editing the appropriate Vogesen files.

REDUCING "SAFE LANDINGS" BY THE AI DUE TO ENGINE DAMAGE. All you have to do is add Armor values to the Engine itself by editing the Engine section of each aircraft DATA.INI. Find the Engine section, scroll down to the end and add the following: USE LEFT AND RIGHT BRACKETS INSTEAD OF * HasArmor=TRUE ArmorMaterial=STEEL Armor*RIGHT*.Thickness=5 Armor*LEFT*.Thickness=5 Armor*REAR*.Thickness=10 Armor*BOTTOM*.Thickness=5 These are just values I have chosen. You can modify them as you see fit. These settings won't eliminate safe landings entirely but will reduce them significantly. Thanks to J18Dread for bringing this up on the Thirdwire Forums.

Adding objects to VOGESEN AIRFIELDS. Getting them "combat ready". This is from a couple of months ago. Thought I'd add it to the sticky before it gets lost. I've just recently revisited Gepard's excellent Vogesen Terrain and I really like it. I did a search and didn't find anything where Gepard had done anything to update the airfields yet so I took it upon myself to try and fix them. Its really just a simple .ini edit so I thought I'd post it here for anyone who wants to do it themselves. First open the Vogesen_targets.ini. Luck would have it that all the airfields are right at the beginning of the file. The first entry is Sundhoffen. You will see it has all of the targets like hangars, tents, AAA, etc. in place. If you scroll down you will find the rest of the airfields only have the runway Target[001]=Airfield entry. So what we need to do is go back to the Sundhoffen section and select (left click/highlight) entries Target[002] through Target[038]. Then right click...COPY...and PASTE [002]-[038] in all the rest of the ENEMY airfields in the target.ini. There are 9 total. SAVE your work and then do the French side next. Scroll down to the French airfields [TargetArea010] and do the same thing using Rehaupal Airfield as the source for the FRIENDLY airfields. There are 6 of them. Now we are going to have to change some of the Airfield heading entries to get all the stuff to appear on the fields correctly. Look at the first Target entry [001] on each Airfield section. You will see this: Target[001].Type=Airfield Target[001].Offset=0.00,0.00 Target[001].Heading=90.0 <----------This is the entry we want to change on some fields Some don't need changing but unfortunately when I was doing this I forgot to note which fields I actually had to change so I will list the Heading entries for all the airfields. Just make your numbers match these and you'll be good to go. ENEMY: Sundhoffen.....90.0 Ensisheim.......90.0 Habsheim....... 90.0 Freiburg..........90.0 Breisach........180.0 Colmar.............0.0 Schlettstadt...180.0 Neubreisach....90.0 Marckolsheim..90.0 FRIENDLY: Rehaupal........90.0 Gerardmer....270.0 Belfort............90.0 Ronchamp....180.0 Ternuay.........90.0 Errevet..........90.0 Now all the fields should be populated and everything oriented correctly. Of course now would be a good time to add those Machine Gunners too.