gerwin

Good to hear your succes on building a merged install. I also could not resist and worked on a merged install myself. It seems it is reasonably easy: all is done and working here after just one evening of swapping files. It certainly illustrates just what a flexible game engine TK has created. the actual game engine files (.dll) seem identical in all three games. Indeed the CatPack program is quite indispensable for this matter (it was made it just in time). You can also pack all decals (5000+ files) in ObjectData01.cat, but you have to use the WOI executable for the game to use that cat file. Finally a high quality 'Jane's Fighters-Anthology' successor! I made the merged install as compact as it could possibly be; attached the installation folder index. MERGED.TXT

Same for me, First I did not touch WOI because it was incompatible with all my addon stuff. But since the august patch I give it another try and now it is the other way around, the opponents behave much more interesting, and that seems to count for more then being able to fly just that particular aricraft in WOE... I suppose that is a good thing.

File Name: Generic Hill Scheme F-16A (Netz) Skin for TW model File Submitter: gerwin File Submitted: 15 September 2008 File Category: F-16 Fighting Falcon Skins Generic Hill Scheme F-16A (Netz) Skin for TW model version 1.0 by Gerwin 15..22-9-2008 DESCRIPTION: The F-16A Netz in Wings over Israel looks and flies great, but by default lacks an USAF Hill scheme in which most of the worlds F-16's are seen. This package contains such a Hill grey scheme and matching USAF markings. This is basically a cleverly recolored version of the original IDF camo skin. INSTALLATION: Copy the included folder with contents to the folder that contains the F-16A Netz files, for example: WOI\Objects\Aircraft\F-16A_Netz When in the game select the skin in the loadout screen. THANKS TO: Third Wire for the Strike Fighters Based Games Column5.us for their F-16A skin (colors reference) and tail code decals Click here to download this file

I assume you mean the hill grey one on this page. ACIG - GD/L-M F-16A/B Netz in Israeli Service Seems like a good subject. I saw the tail art is already in the game as a decal. ...I can't seem to find the attach image button no more?

Thank you crusader, that slipped through quality control, I fixed and uploaded it a minute ago. @spinners: Sure, I will post the template in the days ahead.

The skin is now finished; Redone textures and added tail markings. Enjoy. When desired I could also upload my modified F-16 templates, to make it easier for other people to make skins for this aircraft model.

Yes I had that idea too, such an all-inclusive merged install is what I eventually hope to have on my Disk, (I am only waiting for the older games to get WOI flight-models with the expected patches) Good to hear it works, thanks for the feedback. Attached is a new version of CatPack. (You can delete the old one) Features: -Unpacking of cat archives (by dropping a cat file on the icon). -Much more error checking. -No seperate dll required. PS. you can press ctrl+break to interrupt+quit the program. CatPack.zip

Already looked up the Dassault Mysteres (IV) but they do not match the picture, I can only make it an F-84.

Okay, it took me a long evening, but look what I attached already! It is a little Cat Archiver program. It does not have much of a user interface, neither does it work with parameters, since these are hard to use in windows for most people. Instead it archives all files in the folder that it is started from, and always outputs to catpack.cat. But I figure that should enable modders to make any desired cat files reasonably easy. I am a bit unpatient to post it, it could use some more testing and finetuning, so please check what you create with it. So far I tested it with the files of menutext.cat and it produced a 100% exactly the same cat file. It also managed to repack all files from SFP1 objectdata.cat (quite fast) and it gave a functionally indentical file, except that the file order in my Cat file was sorted A-Z. So now I am curious too in what way this tool can be of use. (As I suggested before I suspect WOI by default will read from objectdata02.cat objectdata03.cat objectdata04.cat etc. when available) I am afraid I currently don't see any easy way to produce an enhanced file extractor. the coding libraries I work with have either poor or verry complicated handling of big file lists... they are not much use for making a selection of files to extract. PS1. the unidentified value of 2 in my first post refers to the number of file-extensions, which are listed right after the filename index. PS2. cat files do not contain any folder information by design. PS3. About CatPack: Freeware Beta version, use at your own risk. CatPack_Beta.zip

could also be the amount of cycles concerning game logic (not graphics), where it calculates things as movement and interaction of objects etc. just guessing

I personally did not think about writing things back to an existing cat file.. I was thinking since WOI has objectdata.cat and objectdata01.cat IIRC, maybe it will also read objectdataXX.cat with XX being any number. So you might put a specific aircraft LOD's and textures in objectdata02.cat or something? Admitted, also because cat files remain uncompressed, the usage of a packer is debatable...

I was considering painting some alternate tails for the WOI F-16A, but I just found that the game already contains a few nice ones. Especially the Flying Dragons look slick. Here are some pics.

I started fiddling with the thirdwire games again, and now I tried to add a playable mercenary unit to a WOE campaign. Now I don't own SFP1, so I just tried to find some ini settings on the internet and also I peeked in the existing ini files. I got it working 90% pretty easily. I did notice the game lacked an invoice background so I made one myself. Now I can choose a Merc. unit, buy weapons and aircraft, and earn money with missions. The only problem is the aircraft list in the loadout screen: the entries listed in the listbox do not trigger the proper aircraft. Example: I select an A-4 in the list, but everything else shows I selected an F-100. Any ideas on how to fix this, Maybe I am missing some mercenery related ini-file? I attached my current WOE-mercenery mod to this post. woe_mercs.zip

As far as I can see that is not the case with most of the stock aircraft, as the file names are the code only (like F-15A) Whilst the aircraft display name usually has additional characters (like F-15A Eagle). But thanks for the tip. I will try it out.

Just made a copy of the original F-15A folder and named it F-15C, changed the ini filenames to F-15C and edited F-15C.ini to point to the renamed files. That's all I did and then one gets a flyable aircraft which again messes op the aircraft list as described earlier.

Actually I did... Stock Wgerman and British F-4 phantoms behave fine, Non-Stock USAF F-16A and Wgerman F-104 do not. So the nationname does not seem to cause it.

Maybe.. So I removed all non-stock aircraft from the WOE installation, and then the aircraft selection list behaves properly :) . Unfortunately as soon as I add even one custom aircraft to the installation (A-7 or F-104 or F-16a or MiG-21) the list begins to mix up the selection. Like i select an F-100 but get the F-104, or the other way around.

I managed to add a static C-130 Hercules to an airfield in a single mission. There seem to be two ways: 1- Place it as an aircraft object (ini hack in downloads section). 2- Place it as a ground object (model by capun, with destroyed lod, in downloads section) The first way adds the aircraft, it looks good, but once destroyed there is no wreckage left. Also IIRC the thing was not hurt by gunfire, and it would probably be a A-A missile target? The second way I liked more. Though again this ground object remains untouched by any amount of gunfire. Also I am kinda disappointed in the destroyed model: From far it looks like it isn't a wreckage but the same intact airplane. This is because the LOD file uses the same texture. So I made a burned alternate texture and edited the lod binary. file to point to the new bitmap, yet it doesn't seem to accept this and the destroyed plane looks all white. Though I am sure I could pull this trick in other situations... Any ideas?

sure, except that is exactly what I wrote, so where did I write something not true? beats me.

The linked article showed the reviewer having to reinstall after using the weapons pack, I didn't know there was a workaround yet as you showed. anyway it sucks to read your quoted remark, can you be more subtile..

That weapons pack will mess up your WOI installation: http://www.simhq.com/_air11/air_345d.html use this instead (haven't tried it myself though): Mirage Factory Weapons Pack for Wings Over Israel

File Name: Gull Grey A-6 Intruder Skin for Third-Wire model V1.1 File Submitter: gerwin File Submitted: 02 May 2008 File Category: A-6/EA-6 Intruder Skins Gull Grey A-6 Intruder Skin for Third-Wire model V1.1 Update by Gerwin 6-4-2008..2-5-2008 DESCRIPTION: I noticed the Navy Aircraft skins in WOV have been skinned quite consistend in color and style ...except for the A-6A that is. This skin seems to be a more blue-ish grey and the weathering is rather thick and black. I tried to overhaul the original existing skin to better fit between the other aircraft: The Base colors are now exactly the same as the F-8 and A-7. The weathering was toned down and various details have been adjusted. Also I replaced the style of the nose cone and the fuselage air-brakes. On itself the white and yellow nose cones and the white/grey airbrakes represent real-life appearance, yet I do not know in which squadrons and in what combination they actually appeared. This skin does not include custom decals. UPDATE: In version 1.1 I weathered the skin in a way that is consistent with the other navy aircraft. The insides of the jet intakes have been recolored. The grey/white transitions have been slightly relocated. The white bottom is lighter now. The red color under the flaps does not shine trough so much now. INSTALLATION: Copy the included folder with contents to the folder that contains the A-6 files, for example: WOV\Objects\Aircraft\A-6A When in the game select the skin in the loadout screen. If you prefer the white nose cone you have to rename: A-6_Texture5.bmp to A-6_Texture5_yellownose.bmp A-6_Texture5_whitenose.bmp to A-6_Texture5.bmp THANKS TO: Third Wire for the Strike Fighters Based Games JSF_Aggie for the recolored nose cone parts Click here to download this file

I might have a suspicion of the cause: When waiting for my bank-to-paypal credit transfer to buy WOI. I stumled opun a 90MB game rip of the game on the web (hard to avoid if you google "wings over israel"). Curious me tried it, and it is messed up like described above. I know what the actual problem is, but hey lets keep it a secret.

Just checked out the first two WOI skin templates at thirdwire.com and I noticed the "lines and rivets" layers are not seperate, as with earlier releases. As far as I can see there is not much added value compared to the bitmaps in the game itself. I know there is the 3d studio max unfolded layer and a legend but I hardly use these anyways... Any Ideas?