Geezer

Just uploaded an update that fixes the Fort-4 right/left orientation problem, and attaches the art to Fort-12 LODs. Now, its back to making some industrial objects for the map guys (see below) and finishing the Halberstadt D5.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it and post an update tomorrow.

Yep, it will be interesting to see what they do. Some of the objects were requested by the map guys, so I'm sure they have plans for them.

I just noticed a mistake I made in the LOD names. Fort-4, an artillery battery, comes in a right hand and left hand version, so the map maker can fit the battery to his terrain. Unfortunately, I have the right and left LOD names transposed. Fort-4L(eft) is actually the right hand fort, and vice verse.

Nice job! I wondered what you had been up to lately.

Wow! Great information. Thanks.

Adding Jpeg capability could significantly improve the tilesets and maps. I used four already existing 1024 art files to make one 2048 art file, and slapped it on an FE 500m tile in Max. Results below. Your hi-res improvement could be huge. It would probably mean revising or making new art, but the results would dramatically improve the sim's appearance.

Noticed in a thread about Gerwin's new map editor that jpg files are enabled for ground tile art - as stated, this should enable higher res artwork. http://combatace.com/topic/68667-alternate-tfd-terrain-tilemap-editorviewer/page-10 This is an area where TW is significantly behind the curve, so I am interested in finding a way to use larger, higher-res artwork - if possible. The average computer has improved significantly since FE2/SF2 were first introduced - has anyone experimented with larger artwork RECENTLY?

(chuckle) Shot of the Lost Temple Of Ozymandias: I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away." The terrain tile is 500x500m (First Eagles), with 1024x1024 art. Think the art originally was from an SF source, but can't remember where. Same tile with lineup of vehicles for possible second phase (1941-43).

Guess I was misinformed.

Thanks. Are you the guy that got landing gear to work in FE?

What FE code does SF contain?

I don't want to hijack this thread, but you guys are discussing stuff that I have some questions about - maybe you can answer them? I am thinking about a 1940 desert mod for FE2 that features biplanes as the main actors, but also has a few monoplanes. Years ago, I tested biplanes in the old FE1 and SF1, and FE1 had better handling characteristics for biplanes. Since returning to modding FE2, I have not had time to make the same comparisons. Is FE2 still better at simulating the handling characteristics of biplanes or has this difference gone away because TK improved the SF2 code? Also, I may have something to contribute. When I asked about retractable landing gear in FE, I found out that TK did not strip the code out of FE. Its still there, as the flaps and gear still work in autopilot, and another guy says you can restore manual control by adding command lines: I am not 100% sure but I think you can have landing gears in FE/FE2 but just adding a couple of command lines in the Control\Default.ini file I know there are other commands that are not enabled in FE/FE2 that I turned on in the past by just adding those command lines. I think these commands (and others) are not in the Default.ini FLAPS_DOWN=JOYSTICK02_BUTTON10 FLAPS_UP=JOYSTICK02_BUTTON09 AIRBRAKES_TOGGLE=JOYSTICK02_BUTTON21 WHEELBRAKES_TOGGLE=JOYSTICK02_BUTTON20 LANDING_GEARS_TOGGLE=JOYSTICK02_BUTTON22 If this information is correct, perhaps other functionality can be restored to FE2 by adding appropriate command lines? If so, then FE2 would seem to have some real advantages. Many files have not been locked, as in SF2, and - if using the same size terrain artwork - FE2's smaller terrain tiles display more detail than SF2's larger terrain tiles.

Interesting. I fooled around with FE1 and SF1 some years ago when there was less of a difference in file organization. Since returning to TW sims, I have not done the same with the newer editions - I did not realize there was THAT much difference between FE2 and SF2.

Bump maps in TW sims are not an option for me. I have an older edition of Max (R9) - TK's export plugin (with bump map) only works for newer versions of Max. I have thought about larger ground tile artwork for SF2. If I understand correctly, SF tiles are 1000x1000 meters, while FE tiles are smaller - 500x500 meters. If the same size artwork is applied to the two different tiles, then FE has twice the pixel density and thus, twice the visual detail. Stated another way, SF requires 2048x2048 tile artwork to look the same as FE with 1024x1024 tile artwork. Has anyone ever tested an SF map with REALLY large tiles, to determine the effect on frame rates? Another possibility: use several different sizes of artwork to reduce impact on the game engine. This may not work in every situation, but in the 1940-42 desert war most of the action occurred in a narrow strip along the coast line, extending south into the desert roughly 100 km (or so). REALLY large tile art could be used along the coast, but - to reduce impact on performance - smaller tiles could be used further inland (where nothing happened). Bear in mind that 70 years ago, that part of the world was howling wilderness once you moved away from the coastal strip. Deep in the desert, there were no oil fields, pipelines, or agricultural experiments like there are today. With nothing to attack, the average gamer would only fly deep into the desert if he were sight-seeing, and then discover there is nothing to see!

I have no idea what else may be required, as this concept is still in its infancy. The 1940 desert war was a transition war - it combined equipment and doctrine from both WW1 and WW2. Consequently, the mod falls in a gray area between FE2 and SF2 because the last biplanes share the skies with early monoplanes. SF2 has the most game features, but is dedicated to high altitude jets while FE2 has fewer game features but is dedicated to low altitude biplanes. Note that Wrench and his band of merry propheads have done an amazing job of adapting SF2 to WW2 monoplanes. Neither is a perfect fit, but I am going with FE2 for now because it can display more detailed terrain - important for an air war fought at low altitude. If the mod concept ever progresses to "phase 2" - the better known desert war of 1941-43 - than it might make more sense to transition to SF2? Time will tell....... EDIT: Another reason for going with FE2 is that FE was specifically developed to model the complex dynamics of biplanes, not swept wing jets (like SF). Biplanes are the stars of the 1940 show, not monoplanes. There is only one monoplane fighter required for the first six months of the desert war, the Hawker Hurricane.

Yep, the popular name was Jimmy. The famous Jeep got it's popular name because it's official designation was GP, for General Purpose. The interesting thing about the desert war is that there were almost no trees or buildings in that part of 1940 Libya - it was empty desert. This could simplify map building as there were very few villages or towns? It will also add more emphasis to the vehicles and guns on the ground because that's all there is for gamers to attack, besides a couple of small harbors.

I'll be tied up with the WW1 objects for a while, so there is no hurry. I would like to experiment with lots of fender trash, as extra gear hung all over the vehicles is common in most of the old photos. Dunno if it is feasible, but maybe we can test a few to assess impact on frame rates? I can add Cinzano to the "liberated" umbrella, and maybe a veddy Brrrritish tea pot (by the front wheel).