Fubar512

The weapondata.ini file is editable in notepad (or any other text editor), and is basically there for the convenience of the developer. The weapondata.dat file contains all the info that's in the weapondata.ini (or, at least it should ) in hexadecimal format, and is what the game engine actually reads. That's why it's important to save any edits made in the weapondata.ini file with the weapon editor; the weapon editor creates a new (or updated) .dat file.

Paul, this is all you have to do with AmericaNW: [TargetArea001] [TargetArea002] Name=Elk Airfield Position=260500.000,345000.000 Radius=6000.000 ActiveYear=0 Location=1

If the plane is invisible, then you're missing its .lod files, or the path to them is not correct (in a separate folder, etc). and the game cannot find them. Lod files are the actual 3D model files.

Go here: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=9323 If you're using WindowsXP, make sure that you run the Weapons Editor in Windows 98 compatibility mode (otherwise it will not launch). If you're not sure on how to do that, just run a Google search on "Windows XP - Windows Compatibility mode".

Paul, Open up the targets.ini file for the terrain that's giving you problems, and make sure that target area 001 is NOT an airfield. That, believe it or not, is what causes the issue you've mentioned.

Is the weapon-in-question listed in your gundata.ini?

Ya know.....I took one look at the thread title, and expected a parody of "I Want to Rock" by Twisted Sister...

Raising the cruise speed will not fix the issue, as the AI is not "cruising" during a dogfight. Raising the corner speed by 10% or so, and bumping the stall speed up to at least 70 m/s helps to a degree. The real trick is limiting the AI's tendency to exceed alpha stall, or, better yet, having the developer add an AI max alpha variable that can be defined in each aircraft's data.ini. I've discussed the latter with TK, and he seemed receptive to the idea. Another approach is to edit the "AIData section of the aircraftobject.ini to limit the AI's predilection to-wards radical turns, excessive pitch inputs, and to force it to throttle up at the slightest drop in airspeed.

As I recall, someone once accused the F-105 of being "AC/DC", as it had both a boom and a refueling port

Really? Won't refuel a USAF fighter? Needs a boom?

Why not just use the same TGA that the contrail emitter uses?

Those figures are not in degrees, they are instead measured as"Units" of AoA. General rule-of-thumb, 20 units of AoA = 16 degrees. To get the proper figures for AoA limits, you really need a dash-1 manual for each of the USAF birds, and a NATOPs for the Marine and Navy A/C. The MiG-21/23/29 and SU-27 are easy to figure, the limits are plainly marked on their alpha-meters Simply knowing the stall limit (AlphaMax) is only part of the story. You also need to find out where the stall buffet (AlphaStall) begins to set in. That data that us usually not listed in any manual, you'll need to obtain "anecdotal data" for that, preferably from someone who's flown the aircraft type that you're modeling. Also, a variable-sweep design such as the Tomcat is impossible to model accurately, as the SF engine currently supports only one set of values, whereas you'd need values for each wing-sweep position. The obvious work-around is to model the values as an average, ie., "mid-sweep".

The target view is really a "super zoom", from the player's perspective, and moves with the player's AC. To release any view, just hit ctrl+F12. That will allow you to pan around and travel.

It's up your tail-pipe! Sorry...couldn't resist

Post-stall behavior (ie; departures) have not worked properly in SF since the 3.X service packs. Streakeagle had it down pat with his F-4B flight model, until a change was made in how the sim interprets FM data, and it has been porked since then. For example: A.) stall induced drag is no-longer linear, it arrives all at once. The work-around is to "stagger" stall values for the effected surfaces. B.) Any positive value in the stall moment variable will now result in an unnatural pitching moment. That being said, here's some snippets from the man himself (TK), that may shed some light on stall modeling. "StallMoment= StallMoment is the additional pitching moment you get when the wing section starts to stall. positive pitch (+) makes it so it pitches up as you stall (making it more unstable), negative pitch (-) makes it so it pitches down when you stall (making it more stable). The default value, if you don't specify a value, I think, is -0.02, which I think would make for gentle mushing forward type stall I was looking for... There are a couple of other stall/depart variables added, all of them have default values so if you don't specify, you just get the default behaviour you see... PostStallCma= determine the Cma (pitching moment due to Alpha) past stall. Pre-stall, the engine uses lift value and xac value to calculate the pitching moment. Once the wing stalls and departs, additional pitching moment of StallMoment + the PostStallCma * (AoA - AlphaDepart) is added. I think this defauls to -0.2 or something. StallHysteresis= (should be from 0.0 to 1.0) determine how far the AoA has to be reduced in order for the airflow to reattach itself. I think 0.0 means the wing section will be unstalled as soon as AoA goes back under the stall angle, 1.0 means wing will unstall only when AoA goes back to 0 deg. I think the default is 0.4 or something. PostStallZeroLiftAlpha= this is the angle at which the lift goes down to zero. Post AlphaDepart, the lift is linearly reduced down to zero at this angle. I think this defaults to 90-deg..."

Who are you? Are we like, supposed to know you or something?

You must either install the F-104G from Thirdwire, or extract the F-104 from SF:P1 into WoV, in order to get the necessary lod files.

The creation of a realistic FM for SF:P1 is a rather lengthy process. It involves exhaustive research on the model in question (weights, fuel capacity, stall limits (etc.). Then, one must obtain precise measurements of the aircraft's aerodynamic surfaces (wing span & surface area, root chord, tip chord, reference chord, sweep angle) and then use formulas to calculate values and tables for them. Then you move on to ancillary surfaces & systems: flaps, slats, ailerons, elevators, rudders, landing gear (etc), all which will have an impact on the model's behavior when they're extended or deployed. Next, comes engine thrust values, altitude and thrust tables, fuel burn, etc. I'd say it probably takes a good 40-120 hours of continuous work to produce a usable FM. And then, the game developer throws a wrench into the works by changing one seemingly obscure value that changes how the game engine interprets your data, and you're suddenly back to square one. That's also why no one has created a simple editor for SF...yet.

All you need to do is either set the burst limit per gun (by round) in the aircraft's data.ini, or set the global burst length for the AI in aircraftobject.ini. Don't simply add ammo as it actually adds weight in this sim, effecting an aircarft's handling. At .26 kilograms per round (20MM M53 API round), it can add up rather quickly.

In the terrain folder for any add-on terrain there is an .ini file named after that terrain. For example, in Deuces Euro terrain, it's named (appropriately enough) :"Deuces.ini". In that *.ini file, there is a line that directs the game where to look for the terrain cat file, or catalog file. It should look something like so: CatFile=..\Desert\Desert.cat In the case of WoV, you must edit this, as any third-party add-on terrains were most likely created for use in Strike Fighters. In WoV, there is no Desert.cat, but there is a VietnamSEA.cat file, that serves the same function. And that is to provide a neat, tidy place for the developer to place the files for, buildings, runways, oil tanks (etc.). All you need to do is edit that line on any add-on terrain .ini files to read: CatFile=..\VietnamSEA\VietnamSEA.cat And thats all there is to it.

Just for the helluvit, I've created an intercept mission where two F-4J's intercept two AN-12s. My wingman, when told to engage my target, did so every time, and more often than not, shot the target down with a sparrow just before the merge. About 30% of the time he missed with his first shot, and attacked the target only when it was within sidewinder range. Out of approximately one dozen replays, only once did he fail to hit the AN-12. And....when I tasked him providing support, he engaged one of the AN-12's when its tail gunner opened up on me.

I explained this to YOU more than a month ago. If you did not see it then, here's a link to that post...check the last reply: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=10306

Ask around for a dude (dud?) named CF-104. He can tell you.

If they're your wingmen, choose the "attack ground units" command, usually attack command 2. If they are other friendly units tasked as a strike or SEAD package, they will only attack units that meet the neccessary criteria (structures, air defense units, etc.) at their preset objective point. The AI will only attack what's within its engagement envelope, either enroute to, or at, its objective point. When it expends all its ordnance, it will RTB.