Nicholas Bell

I would just like to see the missions used to create the engagements filmed posted! Some pretty massive fights there.

Wow! The detail is amazing, simply amazing! The Voisin is especially jaw-dropping! Really displays your talent at this p10ppy!

Recently tried that in WOE and the program generates regular recon missions unfortunately.

Just thought I'd pass this along so no one else wastes their time. I thought that since one can edit the cloud conditions, and even make clouds appear in clear weather (although not in FE), I could work up a hack to create more variable weather in campaigns. The idea was to create multiple environmentsystem.ini files and use a small program to randomly select and rename the files between missions. Each alternate environmentsystem.ini file would have just one weather condition (eg Overcast) for all weather types, so that if the sim program selected clear weather the environmentsystem.ini would force whatever weather condition the hack called up. No matter, there's more to it than just the cloud data. A few tests so that replacing all cloud types with a single type does not mean that will be the weather condition encountered. Changing all the cloud types data to inclement and selecting clear weather did not make the mission weather inclement. It was either scattered or broken. Similar results were encountered in testing campaign missions. So it appears that cloud condition data in the environmentsystem.ini only modifies or provides limited input into what the executable is controlling.

Viper6, You're correct in that any planes you add to your flight will be unarmed. Use the Callsign pulldown menu to select each plane and then load them individually loadinh each weapons station (Pylon/Launcher pulldown), one plane at a time. A minor pain, but worthwhile. Typhoid, the campaign is not ready for prime time. Wouldn't want to get Wrench upset with me for posting Not sure it will anyone's cup of tea either - WOE 1957, based on the 1962 campaign. Selected this because I disappointed in the lack of AI maneuver response to SAMs, so I decided I'd go pre-SAM. I've eliminated all the SAMs from the map and have added 3500+ heavy AA guns and hundreds more light AA. I've played a few campaigns and it works, but there are weapon loadout and supply kinks that need to get ironed out. Among other things...

Viper6, Remember that the program will often have your flight arrive before the supporting flights, so it's a good idea to waste some time flying in circles before heading out to the target...and don't ALT-N or the flight locations will be reset to have you there first. Killing time gives the SEAD and Escort support time to do their jobs. You'll see more coordinated strikes in a campaign than just using the single mission IMO, especially using modified campaigns with additional squadrons (eg NATO Fighters 2) above what is included in the box. Usually get 2 or 3 support flights. I've created a campaign for my own use with a total of 150+ squadrons total and will often see 3-4 Alpha type strikes happening across map, each with 3-4 flights. Another thing you can do is to add additional aircraft from your squadron to your flight, arming the additional flights with different ordnance. If the mission generator gives you 4 planes, take 8 more - one flight armed A-A and the other SEAD. The additional air-mud flights will not hit the primary, but will instead normally target AAA. Don't overload them - just give them enough for one pass - and call them to return to formation before they get themselves shot down. You can let loose your A-A flight and they will usually do a fair job of keeping the enemy interceptors off your back.

All this does is to confirm that Mr 20mm is your best friend - if you're lucky enough to have him

Let's not forget Meteors, F-84Gs, and F-84Fs

Thank you very much Bobrock! A welcome addition for my 1950s campaigns

I've experienced many campaign intercept missions where it simply is not possible to hit the primary targets before they bomb. I've done what you have explained, plus adjusted waypoints to make the distance shorter. Flown the whole distance, used ALT-N -all to no avail. So what I do is accept the fact I can't win every mission, but I can at least hurt the enemy as much as possible which will help in the long run in a campaign, where the more enemy planes you knock down the less you will see in the future. So I slow down and stick with my slow-ass flight and do the best I can to lead them into a nice bounce situation using the map to help. Gain some altitude and look for a nice ripe enemy flight which is RTB, get behind them and lead your flight in. I usually look for those primary targets which I couldn't reach before they bombed. Once they are home bound their escort will often stray, going their own way. For your wingman, using the Attack My Target command and then helping him by sandwiching the bad guy really helps him score. Once he's on him you can take care of someone else. The rest of the flight will pretty much do want they want, but repeatedly commanding to attack air (or ground) will encourage them to continue (although I believe the AI pilot morale and condition plays a role in determining how "determined" the AI pilot is). Again, it helps a lot to lead them into a bounce situation. Unless armed with good missiles, the AI doesn't do well with a head-on merge. I recently completed an 18 mission 1957 WOE campaign flying MiG-19s and had several aces - the top AI pilot had 9 kills. Overall the AI pilots claimed 46 victories of the 75 victories, the other 29 being mine of course. Will eventually post an AAR on the campaign. My gripe with the AI pilots is not so much their inability to attack, but their inability to defend themselves. Out of 20 original and replacement pilots in the campaign, only 4 remained at the end. At the end I got pretty good at hit and run. I found that going to full afterburner and then giving the Return to Formation command would cause the AI pilots to match or exceed my throttle setting to catch up. Given the "19's" excellent acceleration this was normally enough to get them out of trouble. If only they would match my throttle on the way to the target!

Excellent. Wow, it's like a candy shop around here! Had no idea the Herc had a HUD in the cockpit...very interesting.

Yeah, the one with cannon's instead of those useless rockets! Hard to believe...no guns. And D's and L's were deployed in Europe and the Far East as if the only things in the air there were unescorted bombers. Fools at the top, and poor bloody pilots flying at the bottom.

Hey, wishes do come true Looks terrific, and will be much appreciated!

I would use normal when flying against the Soviets. Easy dumbs things down too much. Apart from the effects on pilot's abilities, tail gunners rarely fire. In campaign's the AI setting also affects the number of AAA & SAM objects placed on the map. On easy there are rarely any SAMs, if any, and few AAA guns. There is a wide variety of abilities for AI pilots in normal. Often they are more difficult than pilot's generated on "hard". They seem to have a bit more self-preservation. On hard (esp with the UberAI mod) the AI pilots try too hard and often end up running out of airspeed making them easy targets. This is especially true with many early US aircraft which are not turn and burn fighters. Just my experience based on flying in WOE campaigns.

Not sure if this is what you intended, Peter. The damage model seems a bit too forgiving. Was able to easily land this cripple. I'm thinking that the damage rating of wings might need to be changed to destroyed rather than disabled - at least for me.

I second that request Or maybe just the template so I could give it a try myself...

The MiG-21 cockpits we have make it to appear more like a hole in the glass. Not trying to throw stones at the artist - I certainly don't have the ability do that level of work.

Joke's on you Gocad, I already knew Bunyap's guide says the following: "NormalMissionRateDeviation=120 - Not sure. I think it randomizes the number of days between missions." So that's not much help. And apparently the "knowledge base" does not answer all questions. I asked KA if he knows HOW the deviation value affects campaign, given the fact it is obvious he's been digging and experimenting with the campaign files. And while you seem to think it obvious, and I the fool for asking since I have the mission rate set to 1 per day, do you think it possible the deviation rate might just modify mission rate? An informative answer would be appreciated if you understand how it works.

Pretty sure that the lower supply level squadrons are assigned in the campaigndata file to Soviet squadrons ensures a lower availability rate.

Check them out here: Declassified Constant Peg Photos The MiG 21 cockpit view is quite enlightening. Apart from the clearness of glass, the small size and color of the piper really struck me. I'm always grumbling on how hard they are to see, that there isn't enough contrast, and they seem too small. Maybe I'm stop complaining now

Thanks for the insight, KA! A few questions: In which theatre is your campaign? I don't see any max mission entry for individual squadrons, only in the [CampaignData], this in WOE campaigns. You have any idea of the how these deviation values work? NormalMissionRate=1 NormalMissionRateDeviation=3 OffensiveMissionRate=1 OffensiveMissionRateDeviation=2 I always end up with one mission a day, and would like a missions to vary a bit more, with a variable number of skipped days.

KA, do you think limiting the resupply have an effect on the ground units supply level? Supply level is important in how the ground war is waged.

Interesting, KA. You just explained why all the extra weapons appeared in my current campaign (flying for the Red Airforce in WOE). IIRC correctly this never happened when I played a campaign using just NATO Fighters. I recently "upgraded" my NF aircraft and campaign files to full Weaponspack compatibility, and now I have this problem. So perhaps there is a connection with the Weaponspack and the changes in hardpoint and user settings? BTW, once you start a campaign, all the data concerning the squadrons, weapons on hand, pilots etc is written into the savegame file. Did you try loading any of the non-stock weapons which were listed on the loadout screen but which you had eliminated from the weapondata.ini and the weapons folder? I bet that would cause a crash. But stock weapons you couldn't eliminate since they are maintained in the ObjectData file as you note. You could try extracting all the weapons from the ObjectData and either change the user or availability date of the weapons you don't want to show up as listed in the loadout screen.

TK mentioned you need to have the Weapons set to "Hard".