malibu43

Those are .rar zip files. You need to download winrar (free), open those files, and then follow the instructions on the readme to install.

If OFF will run on a PC with similar specs and Windows 7, then it will run on the MBP through bootcamp as well. I do all my gaming on my MacBook using Bootcamp and XP, but I've never played OFF. Once you partition the hard drive and install Win7 (using bootcamp) it just like any other (PC) laptop with an intel chip and Nvidia graphics. Best of luck. I've run WoX, SF2, F4AF, Janes F/A-18, EECH, IL-2 1946, FS9, etc... with no (Mac related) issues.

Just a game.

OK. After shopping around a little, I have decided that an upgraded gaming experience is going to be a "bonus criteria" for a new laptop (if/when we get one). Some of the ones that look feasible have the NVIDIA GT 320M (not the G-force 320M, which I think is less capable). I have also decided that running SF2 with eye candy turned up (at least high if not medium) is my ultimate goal here. DCS games and the like just won't run on the laptops within my budget. So, can anyone comment on how SF2 will perform with the GT 320M?

Huh... I might actually rent this for my 360 and give it a try...

Well, I don't have time for a full "blog" style write up at the moment, so I'll post here... I am now a Private Pilot.

The line you defined in the movement.ini file is the starting front line. It's used in single missions and the START of campaigns. However, once strategic nodes are captured and lost in a campaign, the game engine will adjust the front line accordingly. What you're seeing is most likely a result of the way your campaign is set up or the way it's playing out after a few missions. The only way I know of to fix it is to look a the planning map before each campaign mission to see where ground units are so you can get an idea of who's moving where and how to adjust the strategic nodes so that the front line looks the way you want it to. PS - it's not just limited to ground units capturing nodes. Enemy or friendly units at airbases will affect the front line as well.

Yeah, it's just like a PC when booted up in that mode. The only downside is that macs still cost a lot more than an equivalent (hardware-wise) pc laptop.

All Intel Macs come with a program called Boot Camp, which allows you to partition off your hard drive and create and Windows partition. You can then boot into either OSX or Windows. Basically it's like having two computers. I do all my gaming on my Macbook right now.

Ah... I see. So it seems like I can probably get something that will run SF2 with lots of eye candy turned on for around $1000 - $1200. Like one of these... http://www.shopping....nce/dv8t_series http://www.toshibadi....to?poid=478186 http://www.dell.com/...ienware-m15x/pd http://store.apple.c...ACBOOKPRO-INDEX Obviously the mac has the worst bang-for-buck out of the four. The rest ain't bad, though. What do you guys think? After doing some research, I think I'm going to give up on a laptop that can handle DCS. That would just be way too much. I'd be better off going with a desktop...

Which GPU do you have? How's it handle SF2 (and any other sims, if you play any others )

Something like this is in my (potential) price range... http://www.toshibadi....to?poid=478186 ...or some of these HP's further down the list have ATI "switchable" graphics... what's that mean? http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/series_can.do?storeName=computer_store&landing=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=High+performance&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/High_performance

I'll chime in here... I'm running XP with a modest system, and seeing a significant FPS drop when the TV comes on. Never happened with any of the other patches. Something definitely changed with the last one...

You wouldn't want to inadvertently lock onto a friendly aircraft far away that you didn't know was there (cuz you couldn't sight - I mean see - it).

There's a knob where you can select which pre-programmed CM program you want. IIRC, setting the knob to number 4 gives a combo of flares and chaff. PS - It's all in the manual.

Is this in the SF2V expansion pack? Sampans were added as ground objects in the exp pack so they could be attacked on anti-ship missions (which was a possibility during the vietnam conflict). The game engine usually seems to go through the ground object folder and find the first alphabetically listed ground object with the correct type (CARGO_SHIP or whatever it is) and use that in the mission. I know eburger and I played with this, and we left it so Sampans were the usual choice by the game engine, since they worked the best with the anti shipping routes that were defined. If you want a different type of ship (or tank or AAA gun) to show up instead: 1. Find out what the "type" is for the sampan in its data.ini file. 2. Change the data.ini file for whatever you want to show up to that type. 3. Make sure what you want to show up is the first object with that type when listed alphabetically. If something else is there first, you'll have to rename it or change its type. I suggest backing up your ground objects folder first, if you're not familiar with this sort of modding.

That's how a CCIP is supposed to work. It takes into account speed, altitude, etc... so you shouldn't have to fly to any specific parameters.

If the nation for an aircraft is set as USAF, for example, that is the only nation that will be able to fly that aircraft in game if export is set as FALSE. If export is set to TRUE, any nation defined as FRIENDLY will be able to fly the aircraft as well. The export start year is the year that the aircraft becomes available to the other friendly nations.

Totally random question - I was thinking about the fact that the F-18 and F-16 in NF4+ do not carry the AGM-65. I know this is accurate for the early blocks of these aircraft (thanks, wikipedia). But I'm curious why? The F-18 entered service in 1983. F-4's had been able to carry mavericks for years at that point. Is it just because the development cycle time to add that capability is so long that there is a huge lag? Just curious. I'm betting that I can get 3 or 4 half-page replies within 5-10 minutes.

Well, refueling isn't modeled in the game. So I say put fuel usage to medium or easy to make up for it.

I see nothing in the readme about correcting the tree/cloud issue... bummer. Guess I will continue playing the June 2009 version...

I think the campaign save file is in the pilots folder...? Someone may want to verify that, thought. And as far as the format goes, I don't remember what it was exactly but I know you can't just open it up and read it. It's readable only by the game. And lastly, hgbn is right. You can lose a campaign when you get too low on pilots and/or aircraft.

Thanks Dave! Adding 'cats and carriers to NF4+ was the only thing I customized in my install. Now if I need to reinstall for some reason, it'll all be just the way I need it "out of the box!"

That is due to the Hangar and Loading screens being jpeg format, and your install not being patched up to the latest patch. Screens have to be bmp's with the older patches. I had the same problem. Do one of the following (not both): - Patch to the latest patch - go into F-14A.ini and comment out the lines for the hangar and loading screens I did the latter since I added the F-14's to my NF4+ install and I don't want to patch until the update's out.

I have a couple questions regarding editing some smoke/cloud effects: 1. In the entry below, how would I make the resulting flak could smaller in size? [EmitterType004] Name=FlakCloud23mm EmissionType=RADIAL_EMITTER UpdateType=NON_MOVING LifeTime=2.000000 MaxVisibleDistance=8000.000000 PositiveZOnly=TRUE EmissionRate=0.0500000 EmissionVolume=0.0000,0.0000,0.200000 EmissionVelocityTableType=CONSTANT EmissionVelocity=0.000000,0.000000,550000.000000 EmissionVelocityDeviation=0.80000 RadialVelocityTableType=CONSTANT RadialVelocity=175000.0 ;RadialVelocity=350000.0 RadialVelocityDeviation=0.500000 ParticleUpdateType=SIMPLE_POINT ParticleRenderType=SPRITE ParticleRandomOrientation=TRUE ParticleLifeTime=5.000000 ;ParticleLifeTime=7.5000000 ParticleLifeTimeDeviation=0.20000 ParticleWeight=0.30000 ParticleRandomness=0.010000 ParticleDragFactor=0.350000 ParticleInheritence=0.00001000 ParticleWindFactor=.25 ParticleColorTableType=TABLE ParticleColor[01].Time=0.000000 ParticleColor[01].Value=0.600000,0.600000,0.600000,0.600000 ParticleColor[02].Time=0.10000 ParticleColor[02].Value=0.700000,0.700000,0.700000,0.700000 ParticleColor[03].Time=0.400000 ParticleColor[03].Value=0.800000,0.800000,0.800000,0.800000 ParticleSizeTableType=TABLE ParticleSize[01].Time=0.000000 ParticleSize[01].Value=0.7500 ParticleSize[02].Time=0.0500000 ParticleSize[02].Value=2.00000 ParticleSize[03].Time=0.1500000 ParticleSize[03].Time=0.3000000 BaseSizeDeviation=0.3 TextureMaterial=GraySmokeMaterial 2. In the attached SAM trail effect, what line would I have to change to get the initial booster/dust cloud to be an orangish-pink color (as I've seen it described many times). How would I know what to change the line to? LargeSAMTrailEffect.txt Any help or pointers would be appreciated! Thanks.