bortdafarm

i haven't noticed any real difference for the player by reducing or increasing the accuracy entrys tho very ironically reducing the accuracy to even as low as 10 percent...does actualy improve the AI's hit rate....as they are such bad shots to start with that making the guns innacurate actualy improves their chances of hitting something...(by accidently firing in the right direction every now and then lol) rate of fire round per minute etc does have an effect on the player tho..but it allso affects the AI again and it can become a bit of a catch 22...make the guns weaker and the AI has even less chance to shoot you down...

cheers guys thanks for the feed back what i suppose i'm doing here is brainstorming the thing...i am testing one change at a time then building up a collection of alterations ..then posting the results here...what has really thown me side ways tho is the placement of the individual sircraft data.inis into the aircraft folder rather than the root object folder....(i had assumed that because the object.cat was in the root object folder that that was where the se5a data ini etc needed to go...at the moment i am really considering not making any changes to the individual airaft data.inis at all and concentrating on the aircraftobject.ini gundata.ini and the wwicamp1_data.ini (for the boosted AI pilot stats... if i can find the file that allows me to boost the AI pilots skill condition experience etc a little further (their experience can exceed 100 on the roster screen) then this i think will give the best results...i can't locate this stuff out side of the wwicamp1_data.ini and that is capped at 100 (AFAIK) strange to say that the campaign it self allthough the sim is supposed to be a sim-lite (??) and the enemy aircraft can be extremely easy to shoot down in large numbers..surving for any length of time in the campaign is extremely difficult.. in fact the FE campaign has got to be one of the most difficult campaigns to complete i have tried! (without reflys etc) the sim is a bit of a contradiction... the AI is certainly no worse than any other period sim and a lot better than some... testing is extremely hard work..as i don't use any specifically designed mission to test i prefer to test "in the wild" as it were....in genuine campaign patrols...which makes it harder (and more time consuming) still to gauge and progress...i want to avoid the armour issue as much as possible allthough an expert on that side could really cook up something very special here's the armour entrys from the tanks Chassis ModelNodeName=Chassis EffectSize=1.0 MaxExtentPosition=1.40, 3.98, 2.53 MinExtentPosition=-1.40,-3.95, 0.00 HasArmor=TRUE ArmorMaterial=STEEL ArmorFRONT.Thickness=14 ArmorRIGHT.Thickness=12 ArmorLEFT.Thickness=12 ArmorREAR.Thickness=12 ArmorTOP.Thickness=8 ArmorBOTTOM.Thickness=6 had to remove the brackets to post it here check the tank inis for the real thing note that you can assign different thickness's to each side top and bottom....now this suggests that you could assign armour to the wings of an aircraft that only worked from the front and rear....meaning that it would be nearly impossible to cause damage to the wings from directly behind or in front of the aircraft BUT if you attacked from above or below the aircraft then the wings would have no protection at all...etc you see what i mean....same for the other parts of the aircraft this sort of thing i reckon could give some interesting results in game one second an enemy is a tough as nails the nest as soft as putty --depending on which angle you attack it from.. i'll have a go myself but if you see any possibilities with this idea then please have a bash at it and post the results ..(and the files if your willing) anyhuw it is confusing i'm getting a bit bedraggled myself... what i suggest you do if your having trouble keeping track of the changes is to only install the AIRCRAFTOBJECT.ini GUNDATA.ini and the Feexperience mod (either version) and leave the other files as stock this gives some pretty reasonable performances from the AI roleplay the roster board a little and send out those pilots who have high skill experience and CND (condition)

ok no worries...i'm still trying various different approachs to the problem... the real catch 22 here is that what works well for the player nearly allways makes life doubly difficult for the AI...so you squadron mates get no kills at all...or going the other way they get shot down far too often for them to become a serious part of the gameplay... that's kinda my intention ..to try to make the AI pilots as effective as i possibly can whilst not getting too far out side the box..mainly it's the gunnery that seems to be the problem.. the armour is a littl bit confusing i must admit....i had some VERY inconsistent resluts has me slightly baffled.. thanks for the feed back

Cheers Buckner! cheered me up a bit!! i've attached an updated version to this post with a new corrected readme and installation instructions and reduced armour for the aircraft.. or if you fancy a bash ..right click on the aircraft data.ini ..select open (or open with) choose notepad from the list and scroll down to the [AircraftData] EmptyMass=694.5 EmptyInertia=1512.9,1224.3,2709.4 ReferenceArea=24.77 ReferenceSpan=8.13 ReferenceChord=1.52 CGPosition=0.00,0.00,0.00 OnGroundPitchAngle=12.5 HasArmor=TRUE DefaultArmorType=STEEL DefaultArmorThickness=0.5 etc etc this is the entry you need to edit...(i believe it's in milimetres thickness) UPDATED further reduction in armour AIMODv4.zip

well i have to say your right..i tried the aircraft data inis in the individual aircraft folders and yes same result as you...reducing the armour thickness to around 8 or so has the balance about right..BUT as you say the sound isn't right...AND the same result should be obtainable by using much thicker wood armour..giving the correct sound....with any luck...any huw many thanks for the heads up..fairly critical oops on my part that one...still the other files seem to be in the correct place?? there's something fishy going on tho here...as SOME of the alterations to the aircraft data inis in the object folder DID have an effect.....i wonder if there's more to this than meets the eye..

here's a link to the third wire thread (re Jokers new campaign) where Tex gives the fix for the bombs LINK TO TEX MURPHYS BOMB FIX INFO i've allso added my version of it here as an attachment...i've added the fix to all the aircraft but i may have not have got it spot on ...let me know if you see any aircraft dropping bombs..(if you notice) cheers guys! Bucky customise it to your heart's content..that's half the fun of a sim like this thanks for the feed back keep it coming.. Indio i think the egnine is supposed to have siezed but perhaps the engine noise sometimes doesn't catch on.. FEexpermodv2.zip

thanks guys! yes i kinda thought the data ins for the aircraft went into the aircraft individual folder..but i figured that as the original was stored in the cat and the cat was just in the object folder...i dunno seems to work ok (i'll try and double check on that just to be sure) you could reduce the armour thickness to see if you can get things balanced out....what i suggest tho at least at first is to use the way the sim models precise locations for the damage areas...you can bring dow a plane with one shot if you hit just behind the pilot ..fuel tank goes up..or hit the nose area and the engine stops..(i really like the way this is so well modelled!) as an extra thing Tex Murphy (over at the third wire forum) has just told me how to get the bombs working in the campaign so i'll add that to the experience mod (goes in the same file) and post that here as well..

an increase in the general squadrons experience skill stats (for the campaigns) in the WWICAMP1_DATA.ini (flight folder) like thus [AirUnit026] AircraftType=SE5A Squadron=1RAF ForceID=1 Nation=RAF DefaultTexture=RAFBrown1 StartNumber=1 BaseArea=Sainte-Menehould Aerodrome RandomChance=100 BaseMoveChance=10 MaxAircraft=16 StartAircraft=16 MaxPilots=16 StartPilots=16 Experience=100 Morale=100 etc... this gives you AI pilots with reasonable stats on the roster screen, not 100 per cent but middling to good stats spread more evenly over the entire squad....40 plus for skill experience for most pilots... ---------------------------------- Player Squadron Formation fix in the AIRCRAFTOBJECT.ini object folder (-use the cat extractor from the downloads section if your not sure what i mean) edit the [AIdata] section entry MaxRollFormation=5.0 reducing it thus to 5 or there abouts prevents all that sloppy zooming about behind you as you head out they settle down to a good looking flight ..

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...ode=sst&id=3718 File Name: FEgreyskys File Submitter: bortdafarm File Submitted: 18 Dec 2006 File Updated: 17 Jan 2007 File Category: Environmental Mods GREY SKY MOD FOR FIRST EAGLES CHANGES THE DEFAULT SKY COLUR TO GREY GIVING A LESS "SUNNY" OUT LOOK TO THE GAME... EARLY MORNING MISSIONS WILL STILL BE SUNNY AND BLUE SKYS SLOWLY CHANGING TO GREY AS TIME GOES BY install to the flight folder bortdafarm Click here to download this file

same with the AI versions...if you pan round to the other side often it can be seen from there which makes me wonder if they're isn't a missing texture for one side of the rudder...? or an LOD problem...

only just sussed this but it helps enormously in the AIRCRAFTOBJECT.ini object folder (-use the cat extractor from the downloads section if your not sure what i mean) edit the [AIdata] section entry MaxRollFormation=5.0 reducing it thus to 5 or there abouts prevents all that sloppy zooming about behind you as you head out they settle down to a good looking flight ..

i agree cheers for the info... be very nice to have the bombs working in the campaign hopefully it will get a look in when the patch gets built..the airfields are destroyable as are the canvas hangers....so destroying an airfiel or having your own destroyed should on paper have a big impact on the campaign dynamics and it will just look so atmospheric watching bombers make their runs...give a good reason to shoot them down as well...

here's the latest WIP version of my AI mod if any one fancies see-ing if it helps matters.. AIMODv2.zip

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...ode=sst&id=3714 File Name: FEterrainL File Submitter: bortdafarm File Submitted: 16 Dec 2006 File Updated: 17 Jan 2007 File Category: Terrains FAST RUNNING TERRAIN/GROUND OBJECT TEXTURES FOR FIRST EAGLES ALLOWING YOU TO GAIN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN FPS NO NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE IN APPEARANCE FROM THE NORMAL LOW DETAIL SETTING BUT AN INCREASE IN FPS OVER STOCK.. install into the terrain/wwiVerdun folder bortdafarm Click here to download this file

ALT+D twice will switch the info off...

cheers..i just hada look at it...changed the type of mission that gave the SE5A's bombs to include all types of mission..but no luck...you can allways (even before) select bombs from the loadout screen pre mission...but i can't select them in the campaign patrol...it just cycles thru the normal machine guns.. i did try editing the weaponary setion for the Se5A data.ini as that showed that the maximum weight limit for bomb loadout was less than the weight of the two 25lb bombs...that sounded like the fix..but no luck again...not sure what the problem is.. i tend to only play the campaign ,as i can use time excell or skip to next action to shorten the thing if i don't have the time and i like the sense of continuing on thru something as i play...i like to see what the campaign cooks up for me ..makes every go a surprise sort of thing

will do! at first attempt using the bomber asignment and limited primary/secondary role entrys it seems to be quite happy with the alterations...there seemed to be more fighters around than usual and found quite a few squadrons of the Bomber two seats escorted by large numbers of fighters...which may be part of the dynamic of the campaign (which by the way does actualy seem to be a proper dynamic campaign (?) if so then this truly is an amazing sim...if the failure in patrols results in the reduction in supply for your side and possibly an increase in supply for the enemy resulting in more enemy aircraft and fewer friendly ..then zoot alors...that is fabolous ...i'm fairly sure that's how it works do you know?? stunned and amazed by this .. there is an issue with bombs and bombing i seem to have ..even as stock i can't understand how to select and drop bombs (at least from the Se5A) i select the air to ground weapon but all i can select is the normal MG's no bombs available even when added in the hanger screen.. the reason i ask this is that if bombs are available and work for the AI and this responds to the BOMBER assignment....then it may be possible to duplicate the two seaters and have them set up with different armement and loud outs specifically for bombing missions...limiting them to STRIKE roles... do bombs work ....i havent seen anything bomb anything as yet??? (stock or other wise ...so far) anyhuw the AircraftRole=BOMBER AircraftCapability=DAY Availability=VERY_COMMON Exported=FALSE PrimaryRoles=RECON,ARMED_RECON,STRIKE SecondaryRoles=TRANSPORT set up works fine for the two seaters...(thus far) last patrol the enemy tried a mass attack on an airfield dozens of two seaters all escorted by even more fighters... complete mayhem haven't had so much fun in a game for ages!! "Huns...thousands of 'em!" that's why i ask about bombs...they should have obliterated the aerodrome..but not one bomb dropped.. my AI squadrom mates put up a fairly good show...(top ho!!) and one one was lost which was pretty stowt stuff considering the number of enemy..sadly tho they didn't get any kills...mind you if they survive long enough to gain experience points (does the campaign actualy do this or is it just static info on the roster screen?) if they gain from surviving then maybe they will get some kills as they continue improving..heck i dunno...wish the manual was more in depth on this stuff... i'll check the files and browse around looking for other possible asignments... i'll try to figure out how to duplicate one of the aircraft and customise it specificaly for bomb runs...the try adding it to the campaign ...wouldn't mind flying the Albatros..must be possible there's a cockpit for it some where here...anychance of a tutorial section for the sim how to add new or duplicated aircraft? (if i figure it out i'll write one..if there's not one allready)

perhaps if i try something like this for the two seaters? AircraftRole=BOMBER AircraftCapability=DAY Availability=VERY_COMMON Exported=FALSE PrimaryRoles=RECON,ARMED_RECON,STRIKE SecondaryRoles=TRANSPORT what do you think?

yes you could be right there!! i'll keep playing and see how it works out in game..it may be affecting the numbers of fighters in certain missions..i dunno...i have tried setting all to ATTACK...but it's quite difficult to tell what was intended to happen using the stock settings and wether the changes have changed the type of aircraft doing the different mission types..i must admit that if i can get an improved feel to the AI behaviuor and maybe even the long hoped for but never achieved balanced between player kills and fellow AI squadron kill numbers i'll accept that aganst any negative impact on the other features within the campaign..i doubt i can do it tho my pet gripe alert!! why oh why does the AI allways take a back seat when games are developed--my only gripe that covers every game/sim i've ever played !!! when will devs realise that in single player ..at the end of the day the AI IS THE GAME!!!! gripe alert over... i think i've cracked the AI maneverability and they both get into good attack positions AND make every attempt to evade when under attack (most times) so what i need is to get them to open fire with a little more aggression...if they fire often enough they will get the kills.. on the whole i find messing about with stuff like this a good way to pass the time and FE is a good sim worth while spending the time..thanks for the positive words they are most appreciated..and i do understand that what migth be good for one issue might very well create other problems which other folks won't like being messed with or damaged...good thing here is that it's just a mod i'm making so it's not compulsory!! i don't think the ATTACK/FIGHTER role is a bug .. i just noticed that the ATTACK ROLE AI was noticably smoother and more well intelligent than the FIGHTER ROLE AI......just one of those things i like to swop round when i notice them to see what happens! (can't resist the temptation to try these things out) i'l check to see if i can see if the campaign assigns aircraft to airfields/missions/ escorts etc by name or by role ( i know it uses the PRIMARY?SECONDARY ROLE section (?) one assumes)...that should help clarify things alittle..wether the role affects the AI only or wether it affects the actual campaign it self.. i'm still looking for the dang weather stuff...this is Europe!! it's allways overcast ..well a good deal of the time anyway.. if i can find the ratio that controls how many missions are in bad weather and how many in good and so on i'll be altering that but i can't find it anywhere..any thoughts? anyhuw lots of things to mess about with...which is what i like to do...the computer equivilent of "doodling"

Cheers Tailspin! here's another possible tip for the squadron guys...i have been watching the two seaters flying in combat and one thing kept puzzling me ..why they performed far more effective evasive maneuvers than the fighters..in fact most of the time they were able to shake a fighter and get on it's tail and make an attack of their own...the fighters tend to get confused and break of an attack where-as the two seaters cling on like grim death most of the time.. so as an experiment i set all the fighters in the data inis from FIGHTER to ATTACK [MissionData] NationName=RAF ServiceStartDate=06/1917 ServiceEndDate=11/1918 AircraftRole=ATTACK and set all the two seaters from ATTACK to FIGHTER (lol i know...but the behaviour actually seems to be reversed in game) and now the fighters have the upper hand... make better maneuvers and usually survive most patrols ! all i need to do now is figure out a way of upping their kill rate... any way the combat is slightly more convincing to watch in the next plane view while cruising home... i'll do a new version of my little AI mod as soon as i pick up a few more details

you get the occasional issue when taking off..they may take a while to get into formation behind you..(those sharp turns straight after take off tend to throw them a bit..but they just take a little longer to form on you.) other than that nothing seriuos..following waypoints etc fine..and as soon as combat starts or a enemy is detected then they maneuver at full capability.. the formation isn't tight they just don't over correct all the time trying to stay behind you..they just make slow casual turns..