Lothar of the Hill People

Uh oh. Creaghorn just discovered that while your squadron can fly the planes with modified flight models in the campaign, something is preventing OFF from scheduling AI flights of modified planes during campaign missions. That means Crumpet pilots in Bloody April have nothing to fear but DFW CVs! From the OFFlog: ??Craft Invalid! Sopwith_Pup_SQ1 ??Craft Invalid! SpadVII_SQ1 ??Craft Invalid! SpadVII_SQ2 ??Craft Invalid! Sopwith_Pup_SQ2 ??Craft Invalid! Sopwith_Tripe_SQ1 ??Craft Invalid! Sopwith_Pup_SQ3 ??Craft Invalid! AlbDII_SQ1 ??Craft Invalid! AlbDII_SQ2 ??Craft Invalid! AlbDII_SQ3 ??Craft Invalid! AlbDII_SQ4 ??Craft Invalid! Halb_DII_SQ1 ??Craft Invalid! Alb_DIII_early_SQ1 ??Craft Invalid! Alb_DIII_early_SQ2 ??Craft Invalid! Alb_DIII_early_SQ3 ??Craft Invalid! Alb_DIII_early_SQ4 ??Craft Invalid! Roland_CII_SQ1 ??Craft Invalid! Roland_CII_SQ2 ??Craft Invalid! Roland_CII_SQ3 ??Craft Invalid! Roland_CII_SQ4 ??No Squadron Aircraft available for Enemy Flights at this moment in time! ??No Squadron Aircraft available for Other Enemy Flights at this moment in time! ??No Squadron Aircraft available for Other Enemy Bomber Flights at this moment in time! Anyone have a clue what's wrong, or how to fix it so AI flights can use the modified planes? Otherwise HPW's FM mods are simply not compatible with campaign mode.

Oh just read on DailyTech that MS has already stripped out the code that allows 3rd-party hacks to bring the start menu back onto the desktop. So it may work in the Release Candidate, but won't in the release version, even if you could download and install it.

You've been lucky, Bullethead. Craziest thing I've ever seen in OFF (using OlPaint01's combined 33Lima's Flak Mod and Bletchley's AA Mod) happened when my flight returned from an uneventful patrol to find a group of Nieuport's strafing some ground troops marching less than a mile from our home airfield. We engaged, and of course our guys on the ground just kept firing into the furball. I closed on one of the Nieuports and got a good close hit, but almost too close--he pulled up, engine smoking, and I nearly rammed him, diving in time to just miss. Just then I noticed my wingman coming in for a pass on the same enemy plane. A "friendly" flak shell exploded into my wingman, sending him careening into the Nieuport. The flaming Nieuport dropped right onto my head. Somehow survived with injuries (OFFbase will soon fix the problems with "Die Roll on Death"), but wish I'd managed to capture it all on video: "Three Planes, One Flak" ???

FastCargo, We seem to be talking past each other a little bit. I know old desktop is there and functions pretty much as in Win7, and have said as much. The problem is it's being deprecated, and right off the bad doesn't integrate with newer Metro apps. When you're in the desktop everything seems fine, but say you're using a Metro browser (soon they'll all be Metro browsers) and a desktop text editor, and you want to paste some text from the web into a document. You first have to switch to the desktop, then you can alt-tab or use the task bar to switch to your editor. It builds a wall between Metro apps and desktop applications that is purposefully designed to make it cumbersome to use both, in order to pressure users just to stay in Metro. On the other side, MS is making it more difficult for developers to produce software for the desktop. MS even dropped all support for producing desktop applications from the free version of it's developer kit, meaning you'd have to pay $400-$500 bucks to MS to write software for the desktop while anyone can write for Metro for "free" (but more on that below). The goal: no more free Windows software for the desktop. Period. From ArsTechnica: After much outcry MS relented a bit, but you can see what Win8 is all about: killing the desktop. As for the software itself, I'm glad there's a 3rd-party hack that makes a "replica" of the Win7 start menu (* while it lasts, see below). A full screen start menu is retarded--makes it impossible for example to type something into the search field while looking at another window, from simple things like getting the spelling right to calling a command-line program while reading arguments from a manual page, etc. But is the solution really to buy and install Win 8, hack it a bit, cross your fingers, and try to avoid Metro applications entirely? Why not just stick with Win7 that doesn't require such hacks, won't run Metro applications at all (thankfully), already boots and runs faster than XP, has proper development support, lets me install the software I want, and I've already paid for? So I "know the full story." Which is why I'm pissed. There's absolutely no reason to upgrade to Win8 unless you want to run Metro apps. There are almost no new desktop features in Win8*, and Metro intrudes as much as it can through the full-screen Metro start window and a number of control panel applications and other bits of the interface being reskinned to look like Metro on the desktop (in a horrid clash with your regular desktop appearance). * The new backup system just replaces the old "previous versions" system which works just fine. More info in the task manager is nice I suppose. I don't use windows explorer anyway (Directory Opus) so I don't care that explorer's getting a 'ribbon' interface but this'll probably just annoy most people anyway. And don't tell me buying software through a fascist "Windows Store" is a "feature." The Windows Store is the only way you'll be able to distribute Win8 software, and everything has to be approved by MS. What's more, you have to pay MS for the privilege of letting other people download your "free" software, and if you want to sell it MS gets a %30 cut! Try if you even can to take inventory of all the free software you've installed for Windows. How many of those developers are going to suddenly be willing to pay Microsoft to keep giving away software for free? Thunderbird's just the tip of the iceberg. That "free" start menu replacement for Win8 you linked is only "free" to download install because MS hasn't locked in the Windows Store yet, soon they'll have to pay MS (if MS approves) and you won't just be able to download and install it off a web page, or any other software that supports Win8. This also means modding communities like have developed here for OFF are impossible for future games built for Win8 and beyond. Imagine if we'd had no choice but to play OFF through xbox live all these years with the experience completely controlled by MS!!! None of the programs in my OFFice incomplete campaign editor for OFF--my OFFset settings manager, OFFramp mod manager, and the big OFFbase role-playing simulation game--will support Windows 8. I can't afford to! Every copy of Windows 8 you buy is a nail in the coffin of desktop software development and PC gaming, as MS tries to turn our PCs into locked-up ipad/xbox-like appliances for idiots, pinging their piggy bank every time a user installs software, "free" or otherwise. In short, if you're going to like Windows 8, please do so "knowing the full story".

From Buddy1998 himself, with emphasis added: You always seem to have problems with the mods not working right, Olham. Again it's probably not installed/activated correctly. Hate to keep beating a dead horse, but the mod manager in OFFice will take care of everything for you so it all just works. Everyone else is enjoying the mission mods just fine. And it also opens up the possibility of even more custom mission mods triggered by more specific conditions--Bletchley's working on one for training missions, for example.

Great report, Wayfarer. If you do try the Eindecker, I suggest HPW's flight model mod which greatly improves handling with the rudder. Version 2.2, which combines the AI Empty Weight mod, is here at CA. Version 2.05 doesn't include the AI EW mod, which causes some AI planes to have trouble taking off, and is available at SimHQ. The mod manager built into my OFFice campaign editor lets you easily switch between them if you have both installed.

Good eye, corsaire31, guess Olham and I were focused on... other details. But it looks like the Czechs got the last laugh after all.

You could have a point there, Olham, says recorded in Germany but doesn't specify East or West!

Gorgeous reproduction, Lou, thanks for cleaning it up and sharing.

I played with the RC a bit on a virtual machine. That's as close as it's getting to my actual hardware. Don't get me wrong; I'm not against progress. I was a big supporter of getting people off the mess that XP had become onto Vista. But Windows 8 is a huge step backwards. But I'm not on a phreaking phone with a tiny touch screen, I'm on a powerful workstation with a giant monitor. The full-screening of all apps is completely ridiculous on a real monitor, with scores of square inches of blank space everywhere, making the inability to look at more than one thing at a time feel even more retarded. There's a reason "windows" was the big innovation of Windows (of course others such as Amiga and Mac already had gui interfaces with windows, which hardly made sense on the Mac since it couldn't multi-task). To make matters worse, you can't even alt-tab between all these full-screen apps and your desktop applications either. You have to first switch to the desktop, which is now just a separate full-screen pseudo-app, and then you can switch between applications. And no getting around the horror that is the new Metro start screen. The whole point is to make using desktop applications a cumbersome pain in the arse to use--in order to drag users and developers into Metro. No thanks, I'm Hetero.

Now the idea is that an Apple customer should be able to operate a computer. Even worse!

Hilarious, Bullethead, thanks for sharing. OFFbase needs a drinking song mini-game or something. Ran into this record at my local shop last weekend: From 1964, including classics such as Kaiser Wilhelm's Hitparade, Nos 1-4. Don't have time to type up and translate lyrics, but you can get a CD or download tracks from the Smithsonian.

If you want to know why development of Thunderbird is dead, check out Ars Technica's preview of the MS's new Metro email client. The most basic of things are difficult or impossible under Metro, the result being fewer features than the email client I was using 15 years ago. Who needs multitasking any more? Everything's full screen under Metro, aside from a side-bar of fixed proportions that's most often wasted blank space. Application development for Windows is dead. Long live pretty but useless "apps" that can only be sold through an online app store with approval from your corporate overlords. Did MS reanimate Steve Jobs' fascist corpse? How did Apple go from like 5% of the PC market to completely ruining the desktop computer?

They said it could never be done. Well, I said it could never be done. Being wrong can be a good thing: Yes, that's right. Not only can you now see your pilot in OFFbase, thanks to a custom vector-based bilinear-sampling image renderer, but you can also change your pilot's photo when you rank up. No fiddling with image files, renaming dossiers or logs, changing XML data--the OFFice incomplete campaign editor takes care of all that crap for you. This fellow will make a great Adjutant someday: And you can also edit your background info, with much more room including paragraphs, to keep track of his exploits and injuries. So show off your pilot. But it's not just you! Yes that's right, you'll see who you encounter, and watch your fellows encounter each other in glorious low-definition 2D black and white! So go get the latest OFFbase. If you haven't played it before, and even if you have, you're about to get a lot closer to your squadmates. And there are more surprises in store as well...

Hey cptroyce, I'll think about adding more looks at your fellow pilots elsewhere. Cramming them all into the duty roster might be a mess, and I don't want to slow down the program too much (my hackish image renderer is a big bottleneck if you haven't noticed), but stay tuned. Should be able to see the Adjutant in his office at least. And thanks Olham. Just wondering what I gotta do to get you to use it.

My "Horst Graeber" is one of OFF's original photos, but elephant gave me higher-quality versions of this Gunther Plüschow fellow nicely sorted into a marine pilots folder, which will replace the low-res photo in a future photo mod. As for making photos match service branches,ranks, medals, personality traits, etc.--there's a rough system in place for this already but requires writing rules to characterize all the photos. I've gotten a little start, mostly with the German campaign, so at least your Mess Chief is less likely to be seen with a chest full of medals and Chain Smokers more likely to be photoed with a cigarette. Lots of German pilot photos with dogs (only 1 in the stock OFF set but elephant has a bunch more), so I'm adding a Dog Fancier trait that will ultimately give you access to special encounters with the squadron mascot. I'm sure photos will inspire even more traits. But to really do what Olham hopes will require scores of thousands of rules just for the stock photos, even before adding more. Big project that will require community help. At some point I'll probably slap a little program together from bits of OFFbase that'll let people vote on how well photos match random pilots. And it's not just about helping people tell stories, but also improving the in-flight experience. Just wait for gunnery mod OlPaint and Von Paulus are working on.

Don't worry, Flyby PC, they'll still continue security updates and such. The issue is there's really nothing left to develop in terms of a standalone email client--what new exciting email features are there to add? Web email clients get updated a lot because they suck (no support for right-click context-menus and other basic UI features). That and there's just no way they can make a Metro version of some actual complex software like Thunderbird. Windows 8 will kill development of a lot of software. So stick with Thunderbird, you'll be fine.

From looking at the logs of the mission generator, I'm convinced "Active" just means your squad's on an Offensive Attitude, while "Quiet" means a Defensive Attitude. OlPaint's right that this determines the type of missions, not necessarily the density of flights. That depends on a number of factors including your CPU power.

Awesome, Andy73! I admit I just closed my eyes and listened to the video. Are you doing different sounds for the different engine variants of the Spad and Sopwith Tripe/Pup included in HPW's FM mods as well? And you should either let OlPaint collect the files in a JSGME bundle or package them in a JSGME auto-installer of your own. The kit I put together is pretty easy to use, but let us know if you need any help.

Any luck with it, Widowmaker? All this stuff is so much more fun with photos: Too bad their facial expressions never change:

I have a feeling the dependence on CFS3 is more legal than technical at this point. Those bonds can be tougher to sever.

File Name: OFF JSGME NSIS Mod Installer Kit File Submitter: Lothar of the Hill People File Submitted: 29 June 2012 File Category: Modding Tools and Add-on Software This archive contains instructions and an easily-customizable example script to help OFF mod authors build installers that automatically put JSGME mods for Over Flanders Fields in the right place, and that updates to mods are safely applied. No more worrying that users get your files in the right place! Requires: Over Flanders Fields JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler 2.6.0 nullsoft scriptable install system Installation: Extract this archive into wherever you do your mod development for OFF. One suggestion is a MODDEV folder alongside your JSGME MODS folder, allowing a side-by-side parallel structure for mods in testing and those in use. Download and install NSIS. Building the Example Mod: Right click the NSIS installer script, Example_Script.nsi, and select "Compile NSIS Script" from the context menu. When the script has completed successfully, you'll see "NoDrums_1.0.exe" appear in the directory alongside the script. You can test the installer from the MakeNSISW window (or check for errors), or just close the window and run the newly-compiled executable directly. The installer will first check the registry and try to find the location of your Over Flanders Fields install, then look for the JSGME.ini config file and read it to find the name of the JSGME mods folder to use. The new example mod should install automatically there, and then JSGME run so you can activate it. The text shown in the install comes from the "Example Readme.rtf" documentation/license file, which is also installed in the JSGME mods folder for users' reference. Building Your Own JSGME Mod Installer: It's just a matter of changing a couple lines in the included example script. See the included readme for modders! Click here to download this file

Version 0.7.9 of OFFice has been uploaded and will hopefully be approved by admins soon. It incorporates OlPaint01's suggestion for a "mood ring" mod that dynamically recolors that user interface to reflect the conditions of your pilot and squad. It's not pictures, but you do get instant sensory feedback on how encounters affect your mood as the control bars around the buttons change color. Things just become much more natural--you feel it when your character gets angry--but I'm still not sure about the super-barmy war-is-a-tea-party pastels. A couple screenshots of the extremes are also on the download page. Let me know what you think. Try starting off with a fresh install or a pilot in a new squadron--the personalized color scheme fades in as you learn more about your new squad. The effect can be especially dramatic with poorly-rated squadons. Also included in the download list is a repacked version of HPW's FM mod without the AI Empty Weight adjustments that cause problems with some planes taking off. OFFice will give you the choice which FM mod to use in the Mod Manager.

I've yet to hear from HPW, so I included the repacked version of the FM mods without the AI EW mod in the download list along with the OFFice 0.7.9 download, which should hopefully be approved soon by admins. Both are in handy installers that put everything in its right place. Once HPW gets a chance to update the documentation and upload it himself I'll take the file out and just add a link. 0.7.9 is worth the upgrade as well, incorporating OlPaint01's suggestion for a "mood ring" mod the dynamically recolors that user interface to reflect the conditions of your pilot and squad. It's really cool, mostly because you get instant sensory feedback on how encounters affect your mood as the control bars around the buttons change color. Things just become much more natural--you feel it when your character gets angry--but I'm still not sure about the super-barmy war-is-a-tea-party pastels. A couple screenshots of the extremes are also on the download page. Check it out while you turn off the EW mod and let me know what you think. Try starting off with a fresh install or a pilot in a new squadron--the personalized color scheme fades in as you learn more about your new squad. The effect is especially dramatic with poorly-rated squadons.