Gocad

Perhaps you should turn those readmes into comics... It seemed to work for the M16.

Why don't you try to explain exactly what prevents you from using the cat extractor? Either that or learn to use the other radar modes.

What should that achieve? Other than creating a lot of chaos, of course.

Just out of curiosity, is the WOI F-15 model the same as in WOE?

File Name: VFP-63 "Fightertown" skin for the Mirage Factory F-8J File Submitter: Gocad File Submitted: 15 Mar 2008 File Updated: 22 Aug 2008 File Category: F-8 VFP-63 "Fightertown" skin for the Mirage Factory F-8J ------------------------------------------------------------- Making this skin would not have been possible without the work done by the Gunfighters team and the Mirage Factory or without Column5's fantastic template. Thanks a lot, guys! Installation instructions -------------------------- Extract the contents of the rar file named 'FT_2' into a TEMP folder. Read the text file for further instructions. Legal stuff ------------ 1. The work may not be used in payware projects or in projects that will not be freely distributed under these same terms. 2. You must give proper credit in your readme file. 3. If feasible, include the original readme along with your new mod. Gocad Click here to download this file

Yeah, nice....and I guess that's all you can say about it.

@Wolf65: It's for the MF F-8E. Actually this particular skin belongs to the F-8J, but I think it wouldn't make much sense to release a skin for aircraft that hasn't been released yet...although I'm quite confident that this skin will work with the F-8J as well. I guess I'm saying nothing wrong when I tell you that the MF guys know about it and seem to have done something about it. (Hint: Search for the F-8J pic USAFMTL posted a few pages ago) But you can't change the shape of the sidewinder rails via an .ini fix, since it's a model issue.

*BUMP* I have returned to the jet age! I begun working on this skin over a month ago, but back then I did encounter some problems getting it right and I stopped working on it. But now I have figured out what I had to do to fix it. I guess it's done in two weeks days a few hours, all that needs to be done is to recolor some decals and paint the right side of the tailfin. This skin might be nice for some sort of Top Gun campaign...

FYI: The USAAF did distinguish between air and ground kills.

Did it ever occur to you that some of the pics posted in this thread might feature WiP stuff?

Which carrier? Which terrain? Which campaign/single mission?

Adding carriers to campaigns This article will explain what needs to be done in order to get aircraft carriers show up in-game during a campaign. I assume that you know the basic terms, how to extract files using the SFP1 cat extractor, install 3rd party add-ons and edit game files. I do also assume that you have got the KMD mission editor and know how to determine positions on the terrain map. Several aspects related to carrier operations in the Thirdwire sims will be addressed here: - Basic requirements & limitations - How to modify terrain & campaign files to enable carrier operations - Additional information Basic requirements for Carrier Ops: - Your game should be fully patched (v. 08.30.06*) - You will need an aircraft carrier (obviously) > Aircraft carriers are treated as ground objects and only WOV has carriers by default > There are plenty of 3rd party aircraft carriers available. Some of them, however, need some tweaking to get them to work properly in-game. What may need to be done will be explained later. - You may need to modify the targets.ini of some terrains as well. How to do that will be explained here also. Limitations: - Operating from an aircraft carrier is only possible in campaigns or missions made with the mission editor. It is not possible to fly from an aircraft carrier during a single mission created by the in-game mission generator How to modify terrain & campaign files to enable carrier operations Carriers act basically in-game as floating runways, however their placement is done in different manner than land-based runways. Land-based runways (also known as Airfields, Air Bases, etc.) are placed through the [terrainname]_targets.ini. This file is also needed to place a carrier on the map, but it's not the carrier itself that is placed here, but just the location where it could be placed. The actual placement of the carrier is done by the [campaignname]_data.ini. Several terrains are not prepared by default for carrier operations. To find out whether the terrain supports carriers or not, open the targets.ini and search for the term "CarrierStation". Should the terrain support carrier operations (such as the stock WOV terrain, VietnamSEA), you will find a target area that would look like this: [TargetAreaXXX] Name=[carrier station name] < regardless how it's named, the name is important for the campaign_data file. Position=xxxxxx.xx,yyyyyy.yy < position of the carrier on the map, can be determined with the mission editor Radius=5657 ActiveYear=0 Location=1 < Location name, as defined by the [terrainname].nations.ini Alignment=FRIENDLY CarrierStation=TRUE < Needs to be set to TRUE, otherwise the carrier won't show up If the terrain you intend to use does not have a target area that serves as carrier station, then just add it. Check for a suitable map position first. Once you have created a target area that serves as a carrier station you can move on and begin editing the [campaignname]_data file. How to edit the [campaignname]_data.ini The [campaignname]_data.ini is not only responsible for placing air and ground units on the map, but also the aircraft carrier(s). I will now explain how to add a carrier and the air units based on it to the [campaignname]_data.ini Step 1: adding a carrier unit, usually after the air unit entries. It should look like this example below: [CarrierUnitXXX] CarrierType=[groundobjectname] - It must be identical with the name of the object (its folder, to be precise) CarrierNumber=63 - The number itself is arbritary, but it's important for the placement of the carrier-based air units UnitName=CV-63 Kitty Hawk - the unitname is of no further relevance ForceID=1 Nation=USN BaseArea=[Name as defined by Targetarea entry]. NumSquadron=5 - That's the maximum number of air units that can be based on this particular carrier BaseSize=MEDIUM - means it can handle aircraft that operate from medium runways, but not aircraft that require LARGE runways (this is defined in the .data file of each aircraft) You may place several carriers at the same carrier station (this does also explain why carriers aren't placed directly on the map) Once you have added a carrier, you may continue with assigning air units to it. The entry for a carrier-based air unit is almost identical to that of regular air units. Land-based air unit: [AirUnit001] .... BaseArea=Generic Airbase - Name defined by the entry in targets.ini BaseMoveChance=0 RandomChance=100 .... Carrier-based air unit: [AirUnit009] .... BaseArea=Echo Station - Name defined by the entry in targets.ini, but does not place the unit aboard the carrier! CarrierBased=TRUE CarrierNumber=63 - very important, this line connects the unit to the carrier. The number itself is arbitrary, but it must match with the carriernumber of the carrier unit! .... The lines in bold are used only for carrier-based units. Two things need to be observed here. The aircraft used should be capable of operating from a carrier (check the aircraft's data.ini whether it contains the line 'CarrierBased=TRUE') and the CarrierNumber should match that defined by the CarrierUnit entry. And now you should be able to launch a campaign flying with a unit that operates from an aircraft carrier. Additional information Even when you have done everything exactly as it is explained here you still might encounter some problems, like that the aircraft carrier doesn't show up. This can have several reasons: 1. Check the campaign_data again. (i.e. misaligned CarrierNumbers, Min. Basesize, etc.) 2. Check the aircraft_data. (carrierbased?, min basesize) 3. Check the [aircraftcarriername].ini. Some carriers are not up-to-date and they do therefore lack an important entry there. This entry is: [GroundObjectData] ObjectFullName=[Name that is displayed in-game] ObjectDataFile=[aircraftcarrier]_data.ini Without this entry the game won't recognize the carrier and won't place it at the location as specified in the campaign_data.ini. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *: Except for WOI, of course.

Good idea. Because it would be another reason to have the Spitfire XII/XIV in-game...

More Crusaders! [burns]Excellent.[/burns]

That depends on the skins you intend to use. If you use stock skins then it would make sense to create a decal named INSIGNIA[XXX-actual number depends on position of that country in the nations.ini] and place it in the Decal folder. Many 3rd party skins come with their own insignia decals...unless they are actually part of the texture. Short answer would be that it's not mandatory to do so, but it sure would add something if you did.

Maybe, but sometimes you have to take what you can get. I doubt that Nigeria would be able to order better aircraft from the US, Europe or even Russia at the moment.

I'm currently working on a MTO scheme for a P-38 Lightning (hooray for reverse-engineered templates!) but now I'm really confused which colors I should use. I know that the Lightnings that operated in the MTO theatre around 1943 had a paint scheme that was a combination of Olive Drab and Natural Metal. I used this color chart (Link) to pick the colors I need, but the olive drab there looks way too much like brown. Judging by the color plates in Osprey's 'P-38 Lightning Aces of the ETO/MTO', the olive drab should look way more green than it does now. Has anybody any suggestions for me?

Yeah, there's no question that the US military actually uses a lot of foreign-built/designed equipment, but still 'Not built here' is still a popular argument used during competitions. Remember the VH-X program? Boeing press release: Boeing to File Protest of U.S. Air Force Tanker Contract Award I wonder how long this will take...

Thanks for the input. I guess it's true, you can't trust those color charts too much. I do think that I have found a solution that will satisfy me. Needs more detail work, though.

The color charts at the simmerspaintshop did make a difference, but I'm still not satisfied. This pic might explain why: That's Glacier Girl, which is painted in the same scheme I'm currently working on. Judging by this photo I have a hard time believing that olive drab is used there...

The XFV-12 WAS a mixup of F-4 and A-4 parts.

What Wrench said. All you need is a paint program that can handle layers, some spare time, patience, a steady hand, patience...and more patience. But it's definitely worth the effort. :yes:

"Not built here" ... not really a new problem, though. Nor is it something that exists only in the US. If you check out NG's website for their KC-30 tanker, you will notice that they hardly ever mention that their aircraft is in fact an Airbus.

Indeed. :yes: