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Wrench

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Everything posted by Wrench

  1. is the question "what if, aircraft had landing gear"? (couldn't resist!!)
  2. you're forgetting one thing, though...2 words Flush Riveting same with the panels; they are all "butt joined", with a filler of some type (usually a felt or rubbery compound) to seal them joint to joint. One of the disadvantages of having been so close to the real birds in museums & flight lines that I've run my fingers along the joints and over the skins, seeing them taken apart, and reading the maintanence and erection manuals! (not for Sabres, but other ww2 birds) think of smoothness -- all these birds are exceedingly clean; anything sticking up even a millimeter induces drag. The last thing the engineers want. for rivets, I'd suggest a layer under the primary rivets, also in black, then hitting it with a " Gaussian blur" of 2-3 pixels width, then fading till it looks right (somewhere around 30-40% opacity - this is obviously for NM skins) simulates dirt accumulation in the rivets dimple. As we'll never get these bump and spec mapped, that's the best we can do one of the best examples I can give, is the actual test I did to myself, a couple of years ago a the Chino Museum -- I stood at the very wingtip of a P-47M (so, call it "half span", approx. 20.5 feet), and looked inward. I could barley make out the rivet lines on the fuselage, and the panels were literally just that - lines where they butted together. but, everyone does what they think 'look right' -- and that's the real trick. Does it LOOK right??

  3. SF2:E F-86F-40 Sabre, USAFE Skin Pak

    Wrench posted a file in F-86

    Version

    160 downloads

    SF2:E F-86F-40 Sabre, USAFE Skin Pak 2/7/16 -- For SF-2, FULL-5 merged, Reccomended -- This mod is to be applied to the "F-86F-40 Remod Pak", available at the following url: http://combatace.com/files/file/13788-sf2-f-86f-40-sabre-remod-pak/ It is also advised, if/when installing both the original Remod Pak and these skins in SF2:E you =MUST= remove any/all other skins for non-European based users (such as JASDF, IIAF, EtAF). This will preclude any "oddites" that you might see over The Continent. See "Notes" below for more information on the included data and loadout inis. In other words, this is a European-centric skin/decals/ini package only!! In this package are skins for Sabres from the 50th FWB, USAFE, in the mid-1950s ... 10th FBS 81st FBS 417th FBS also a remoded/corrected version of the... 461st FDS, 36th FDW (corrected FDW) skin/decal ini with 'fixed' tail skin, and corrected Wing affiliation in the texture set ini. Also, a "Level 1 decal" has been added, activating the Squadron Displayed Name on the Loadout Screen. When installing, just allow the overwrite for this skin. I've been unable to run down exactly WHICH F-86F version was used by these squadron, so simply chose to use the F-40, given the time frame they operated them (1953-58-ish). As all the Sabres are mapped the same, can be used for any of the F-86F variants. However, if NOT using this on the -40 model, do =NOT= use the included data ini!! (but you can copy the changes, which are the 1950s pilot figure and 'steerable nose gear' callouts) Almost all markings are decals, with the exceptions of the nose color bands for the 50th FBW birds. Tail bands are decals, at Level=1, and will activate the Squadron Displayed Name on the Loadout Screen (these are stock units, listed in the game's SquadronList.ini). All skins use a "pool" of serial Serial and buzz numbers; while these should be considered 'generic' in nature, are for the variant depicted. Decal randomization is TRUE. All skins are in jpg format. As well as a slightly tweeked data ini, a new "USAFE only" style loadout ini is included. . REMINDER -- this loadout ini is =ONLY= for use by American Sabres (this version) as used in the SF2:E mods folder!!! Don't use it anywhere else! As always, fairly easy to follow, yet detailed install instructions are included. So, please read them! Also, as this mod pack is specificly designed for an SF2:E (Europe) install, PLEASE read the "Notes" section for important information on the 2 inis included! It is HIGHLY ADVISED you read this document through, after unzipping, but BEFORE installing to you game. Just so we're clear on everything, this is for use in Europe (SF2:E) ONLY!!! Happy Landings! Wrench Kevin Stein Update 2/9/2016: Replaced "1.jpg" on all skins, removed anti-glare panel.
  4. you know you can save yourself a shitload of time by simply using Ravenclaw's templates that I upload last year. IIRC, there should be a 'clouds' layer already there

  5. Battlefront issue/problem

    Wrench replied to dsawan's topic in Star Wars

    no text files? no pdfs? not even a link to a manual??? that seems very odd!
  6. well, that came out a LOT better than I'd hoped for!!! Had to make the red a lot darker so it wouldn't fade under the clouds layer and the texture set's settings
  8. it would just be a mass of craters....
  9. geary, can you point me to the original 21st FBW skins? (72nd FBS, with the red nose and with stars) Can't seem to find them want to try something... edit -- never mind! I found it. It was hiding in plane site (sort of)
  10. fast and low over the German countryside
  11. 'struth!! LOL!!
  12. it's a GH *something*. Maybe just plane 3.0. Yes, it's obviously a VN tile set -- the tile names give that away right off. you should have seen the original set -- even worse, just awfull!! the problem is, there exists NO tile set by anyone that can accurately represent the nightmare forests of the SoWePac*. I know this from first hand stories from relatives and people that were there during the war (my main auto instructor at school was Pappy Gunn's mechanic in PNG, and Joe told us of that horrid jungle, with all it's ills. My Dad was in the Philipines in 44/45) The only things that come close would be the MS CFS series, and even that ain't perfect! *or most anywhere for that matter -- take Spain/Portugal at one end of the Med, and Greece/Turkey at the other for examples; the Germany tiles can't represent that properly at all. The closest would be the Israel set, and even those aren't perfect. We make due with the "best we have" Part of my (over)reacting is I've had my work, -well let's just call it what it is- stolen/pirated/misused by "other parties". I put hundreds of hours into the research* to try and get it as close to Reality ™ as possible. Within the (very) confined limits of the game and terrain engines. So, yeah, I'm a bit overprotective. *hundreds of megs of period maps/charts -real ww2 stuff!
  13. I don't want to take over the whole thing!!! After all, it was YOUR idea!!! tail is decals, unfortunately, I had to paint on the nose bands. The decals just stretched too oddly..
  14. tgas work on everything! Gimme a day or 2 I can also whip out a 'gerneric' set that won't exactly match the skin mapping -- in seconds! (yes, extract and rename stock ones!!)
  15. ok, that's better!!! if you want, Geary, I'll take care of the 50th FBW, you can do the others <gr>. I have to update the 461 FDS skin as well; forgot the dielectric panel on the fin top on the old skin! also corrected the color on the serials and buzz numbers -- now they'r the right blue
  16. let me see what I can do do you want tga or dds, or both?
  17. Then, you create them That's pretty obvious! In fact, I know some readme state "if the folder does not exist, simply create one" (of course, that assumes the mod creator actually wrote that INTO his readme!! Sometimes, it gets forgotten!)
  18. please, do NOT fuck with my terrains btw, that tileset is a GreenHell, just don't remember which one. the 'holes' you describe are because I use custom made "specials"
  19. THIS is a great idea! And Welcome to CombatAce! I know for modes Track While Scan Single Target Track Air Combat Mode (possibly "boresight") TV (optical scanner -- TV/IR guided weapons) also GM (in SF2, Ground Map - in sf1, was Ground_Map in detect system, types that I know of..off the top of my head Air_Intercept Nav/Attack *(may have been replaced wit the following..) Surface Attack Ranging (ala Sabre gun ranging radar) the visual blind and limited arc may be for the AI to use, but am not sure
  20. not liking the nose stars at all!! trying to find a better way of doing them... 10th FBS
  21. that's why you do them underneath the weathering (always the topmost layer) and the panels/rivets (somewhere in the middle). The actual skin surface is at the bottom. just look at the Ravenclaw templates for the Sabres I uploaded -- all the layers I added are under the lines.
  22. one never just "blows up the skin" to the new size without repainting the stripes. It's just another layer. I've done it countless times making decals is nothing...getting them the right size is the trick (look to my F-89 Scorpion for an example) the books are available on pdf off the net, if one knows where to look.
  23. and more importantly, information about you machine, system specs (ram, processor, graphic card & it's ram), and which terrains (one or all?) need MUCH more information before we can even begin to asses the issue
  24. also important to realize, using FU-900 as an example, 2nd image, that paint job represents the wing commander's aircraft ONLY. As only he would have a ship with all 3 colors of the wing's squadrons. Each squadron is assigned it's own color. Finding out which is the real trick One can make are argument, based on the stars on the tail stripes (1st squadron, red, 2nd squadron yellow, 3rd squadron blue). This would fit with color markings carried over from WW2, as that same pattern was used Of each of the three squadrons ONLY the squadron commander carried the color on the fuselage band; all the rest carried them on the tail only. (sometimes the deputy squadron command had a fuse stripe as well, but I can't remember the pattern - full or partial?) as to the Euro camo, iirc (and may be stated in the readme) only used by one squadron as a experiment, and only for a short time. what you'll probably want to find are the Squadron Signal books " Fighting Colors: USAF in Europe 1948-1965" vols 1 & 2. (although 2 deals more with bombers and transports and such) what's sad is the painted on fues stripes really show the non-smoothing of model's meshes. Considering the lod's age -- that's not too (there are MUCH worse ones out there). It might best be done as a decal, set at either level 1 or level 2. If there's enough "space" remaining on the fues mesh as to which variant, yes indeed, mostly F models -- with all it's variations too
  25. File Name: XvT/BoP Imperial Operation: Tatooine Patrol File Submitter: Wrench File Submitted: 06 February 2016 File Category: Star Wars Games XvT/BoP Imperial Operation: Tatooine Patrol 1/25/2016 For XvT =WITH= BoP addon (original CD) or the new GoG version This is the first of 20 full battles for Imperial players, covering the time frame from before the Battle of Yavin, to after the Fall of the Empire. In this set, you are a newly graduated pilot, and are assigned to the Tatooine Patrol Fleet, monitoring commerce to and from this desert planet. It's a very quiet duty, almost boring, with little action with the exception of the occasiional smuggler or other scoundrel violating Imperial Law. As has been said, "if there's a bright center to the universe, this place could be the farthest from it". But as always, things beyond your control are happening... These are to be used/placed into your ...Balance of Power/Combat folder. All missions have been edited for fairness & balance (hopefully!), due the the enhanced AI and weapons effectivness in XvT/BoP. All have new briefings and descriptions. I've added radio messages to act as "in game hints" and to further plot lines. Please pay attention to them, as some may save your life or your mission critcal craft. As always, =PLEASE= read the install instructions. Of course, the usual "Notes" and other nonesense. Wrench Kevin Stein original set for TFCD by Michael Raven, circa 2000 Click here to download this file
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