Thumper41

My hud with the 27MM gunsight definitely looks different. I'm still trying to figure out how to post my screenshot - it is late here and my brain is very fuzzy, so I'll probably give it a try tomorrow. I managed to get the tracers effect to show, but I still haven't figured out where the cannon sound is, or if I should be using something else that sounds the same. Any advice anyone could offer would be appreciated. I remember the last time I was into SF2, I spent so much time downloading and attempting to install mods that by the time I got them set up, I was too tire to fly. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed trying to figure out how these mod masterpieces went together and what they did, but after a while installing mods took up all my time, leaving me with no time to actually fly. I'm trying to avoid this this time around and spend more time in the cockpit. I'll keep my downloads to the essentials, plus a few favorites. Any help the community offers to aid me in getting there will be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Thumper

I've been a lurker on this board for years and rarely make any posts. I haven't been able to play SF2 much in a while, but I still try to keep up with the daily discussions. I decided to get back into it again this week, and one of my first downloads was your Typhoon. Fun plane to fly, even though I'm really rusty. I did run into a few little things that may already be OBE, or they could be a problem on my end. Still, I thought I'd bring them up. 1. Pilot's legs hanging outside the cockpit. This is probably an easy fix on my part, just need to know where to start. 2. No ammo in the gun. Loadout shows 100%, but nothing happens when I pull trigger. EDIT: As I was typing this it occurred to me that I might not have a 27mm in the guns folder, and sure enough I didn't; problem fixed now. I just need the accompanying gun sounds to go with it. 3. QUESTION: Are the gun sight brackets on the HUD screen supposed to look like large, fuzzy florescent parentheses? I recently updated my video card (Radeon HD 5750) driver, so I don't think that is the problem, or if there even is a problem. I'm not sure if I like them or not, they are just different from what I'm accustomed to. Again, great airplane, even in beta. I love it and look forward to final release :-) Thumper

UPDATE: I tried using a generic sight, but no luck -- maybe I'm doing something wrong. As for the rudder issue, it must be just a graphics issue, since I seem to be getting rudder control in flight. I also noticed the same problem for ailerons and elevators -- they work, but not visually. Thumper

Fun plane to fly, handles very nicely! A couple of questions from a relative newbie at this stuff. First, there doesn't seem to be a gun sight for either air-to-air or bombing -- did I miss something, or this the way it was? Second, the rudder doesn't move when I turn it. I checked my joystick setup and tried with another plane, no problem. Now maybe this is just a graphics thing (in other words, the rudder works, just doesn't show on the screen). I don't recall during the missions I flew if it did or not. Anyway, these are minor nits, great work overall! Thumper

Sorry if it sounded like I was being snippy, that wasn't my intention. As I said, late night plus lack of sleep equals brain/fingers disconnect I knew there was much discussion on this very subject back when Phase III was released, because I experienced the same problem. In my haste to be helpful, I not only gave you the wrong initial answer, but I sounded like a jerk. I broke one of my own rules, which states "read message at least once or twice after typing, BEFORE hitting Add Reply, to be sure it says what you wanted to say." Again, I apologize for this. Thumper

My bad -- that should have been auto trim. Good catch, Winston! Late night, lack of sleep, brain and fingers not connected well

Check the threads here, been much discussed. Turning off autopilot before going into warp will resolve this issue. Thumper

Not much has been said about First Eagles, so I'll put in a little bit of what I know. Third Wire produces FE, along with a series of jet sims that started with Strike Fighters Project 1 and has grown to include titles covering Israel, Viet Nam, Modern Europe, etc. Third Wire is a small company with a few employees and a limited budget, so big budget, eye-popping sims are pretty much out of the question for them. They cater to more casual simmers, vs. those in the Falcon 4 group who are looking for intricate detail with working switches and buttons to the nth degree. This doesn't mean the Third Wire sims are arcadish -- far from it. They are simply targeting a particular niche market, and seem to be doing well there. Their sims are open architecture, so basically just about any aspect can be modified. The sims are download only, and they cost $19.99. The lead programmer, TK, is currently releasing new versions of all the titles which are designed to work with Vista, and which have a new file architecture that makes them easier to modify. Mods are really the heart of the Third Wire Sims, in my opinion. Each sim is released with a basic set of player-flyable and AI-only aircraft, terrains, sounds, weapons, campaigns, etc. This is where the modder community comes into play. New planes are constantly being released, AI aircraft are easily made to player-flyable, FMs and effects can be changed to suit your tastes, and so on. It is amazing what the community has done with these sims, and by the way most of them can be merged to created mega-simulations! Now if you are not into tinkering with your sim then these may not be for you. While they fly fine "out of the box" (or "out of the download" I guess I should say), the modifications are what really make them stand out. Another drawback for some (a plus for others) is the lack of multiplayer functionality. It can be done, but not easily -- these sims are really meant the be played offline. So, that's my 2 cents. I have played OFF and BHaH and generally prefer them over FE, simply due to all the extra things that Winder, Pol, and crew have done with this sim. However, I think FE has great potential, since it is based on a more current simulation engine that CFS3 and therefore may not have the limitations inherent therein. Someday maybe a group of talented, dedicated modders like Winder and Pol will take on FE and build a total simulation experience to rival BHaH. No matter what happens, it is good to see that we do have choices in the small, but historically rich field of simulation known as the Great War.

I thought the "Disable Write-Only Vertex Buffers" and "Disable Write-Only Index Buffers" settings were ATI tweaks only and didn't have any effect on NVidia cards. I may have to give this a try and see if it helps with my 8800GS. Thumper

Remember to use short bursts when firing -- guns are less likely to jam if you use short, 2-3 second bursts. Also, it seems to me that some planes' guns are more prone to jamming than others, but that could be my imagination. Thumper

That's the nice thing about OFF, Jedi, you can choose the level of realism you want. For those that want the "real" experience, including filing detailed claims that may or may not get confirmed, it's in there. And for those who just want to enjoy the flying and fighting, you can set the claims to automatic and let the computer take care of it for you. There are so many settings in the OFF Manager that you can tinker with, you can basically set up the sim to your liking. I like some things realistic (guns, fuel, landings, damage), but I still use warp mode to get from one way point to the next because, like you, I just don't have the time to fly the entire mission in real time. If you haven't tried it yet, you should consider it -- it is well worth the price, and there is a sale on right now so it is even a better deal. Thumper

The setting is "AI Gun Fire (Range)." If you hover your cursor over it, it will tell you this sets the AI range effectiveness for air and ground fire. I believe this also affects their accuracy. Thumper

I've blown up trucks before, no big deal. It was just funny seeing a burnt truck, lying on it's side, but still moving along with the rest of the convoy as if nothing had happened to it. If it happens again, I'll try shooting the truck some more to see if I can really, permanently kill it. Thumper

I just flew a QC mission, dogfight in a Spad 13. After downing my opponent, I headed back to base. I still had ammo left, so I looked for some targets of opportunity. Sure enough, there was a convoy of 3 trucks rolling down the road. I made a quick pass over the convoy, then came back for a strafing run. I hit the lead truck, killing it (or so I thought). I circled around for another pass and noticed that there were still 3 dust clouds moving down the road. I switched my view to Target-Player, and there was the first truck, lying on it's side, all black, but wheels still turning and moving along the road with the rest of the convoy! I tried to take a screen shot, but apparently it didn't work. I probably should have made another pass on the truck to see if I could finish it off, but I was so amused that I decided to end the mission (bad mistake, as I was still in enemy territory and got captured). All I could think was, they just don't make trucks like that anymore Thumper

Make sure you drink lots of water and other fluids -- cranberry juice is good for kidney stones. I've had my share of them, including some that required surgery. I've got a couple right now, but they haven't bothered me in a while. As long as they don't move around they don't hurt. Hope you feel better soon. Thumper