Helmut_AUT

Okay, after a bit of testing around: Objectdetail determines the distance at which LODs are swapped. I assume it's the same for terrain features.

Sorry for the maybe dumb question, but I searched here and at official board, yet found no answer. What does Terraindetail actually change when set to medium or low? Number of buildings inside cities? There's a separate option "Ground Objects" so I doupt setting it to low gives an "empty" map. Does it change the mesh detail, heightmap detail or such? The geometry of the landscape itself? It seems to me that with a high number of ground objects and high res textures, it looks not any worse at LOW than at HIGH - but I get a significant framerate difference. Thanks for the help Helmut

Tornado is perhabs the one mod-aircraft I'm looking forward to the most. Has there been any half-official mention of when it might be polished for release?

I don't doubt that for the Mirage Factory, but for example I dropped a few addon-aircraft into FE, and the cockpits were definitely much below default standard. Very much below for some. Not to mention a default included flight model which made a 1916 aircraft perform better than my 1918 Fokker. And this is the part I never liked about mods (same for FS2004) that all to often the quality levels differ a lot, and you have to search for the best parts. I appreciate anyone with the time and skill to do 3d modeling who adds stuff into the sim, but I don't have to like it all, and I don't have the time to sort it all. Yet that is the beauty of such a "supermod" that stuff gets selected which matches each other. I've been checking the NF1 to NF4 readme's just now, and it sure makes me almost regret I didn't buy WoE.

Sounds like my kind of thing. I don't dislike the concept of modding as such, I just want the mods to be compatible with each other, no "this might not work if you install that", and it should be the quality level of similar stuff in stock. I think NF will do that.

Thanks for the link, looks sweet! Hopefully someone will get around to updating it, weird though that there are such things in the target list already. The funny thing is that the campaign text already tells you "No 1 Squadron is being forward deployed" when you give it a Highway Strip, in an otherwise stock campaign. So the game knows the function of these strips alright, it just crashes the aircraft at game load. I don't mind a "simple install" addon mod pack, but what I meant is that fiddling with core engine files simple makes the sim workings "too transparent" for me. I had this with FS2000 once I started changing some panels around (2d back then) - soon I was constantly aware when flying how this stuff is just some bitmaps and pieces. I think for now swapping some stuff in the campaign data around was enough for me, I need to fly more.

Well, the names and positions are in the target ini, but the aircraft starts in flight when you start "at the runway" so obviously it doesn't work. Shame really, it would make the Harrier much more fun - but then, can the AI handle short takeoff and landing? Besides, this shows why I'm not too much into modding - when you start looking at files in the background, you lose the "surprise factor" when things happen in game, you see something on screen and think "ah, that's because it's written in that file..." - not fun for me.

I found one, added it's name to the Harrier unit, and - got killed at start. Would be nice if the process was as simple as reading the names from the target.ini and copying them into the campaign_data.ini but it seems there is more involved? I looked trough the downloads section but couldn't find relevant mods.

I'm actually using all stock, so what I could upload would be usable for stock flyers. Spang Code I meant correct writing for the campaign_data.ini, but I found it. So basically I could move the 23rd TFS and give them a stock F-4E late model? And I suppose "Highway Strip Bases" are moded in, not stock?

Storm, what's the exact code for Spangdalem? And did you give them F-4E? I would like an US Phantom group in the late campaign too. The German squads have been corrected yesterday thanks to your guys help, but I'm hesitant to upload since I also changed some other things around, maybe not for everyone. It's true that it seems slightly hurried, for example Harrier3 has a 25% chance of doing SEAD - an aircraft with no ECM, no Chaff and Flares? Suuuuure... OTOH not a single squadron in '79 by default does shipping strikes.

Ah okay. So I don't need to change the order or numbering in the Campaign_Data file, just change the unit numbers in the Campaign.ini? The unit numbers there do not have to be correctly in order from top to bottom? That will be easier to swap then trying to get the campaign_data info correct. Posted at the TW boards, I don't mind the wrong airbase to start from (though as Austrian, I'm very familiar with JG74 and Laage AB) but I'm worried the incorrect unit IDs might even change the supply or mission priorities for the Squadron.

Looking further into the files, there's a TOTAL mixup of german units. JG74 Mödlers should be at Neuburg, but is at Lechfeld Airbase - because the unit ID from Campaign.ini is actually JBG33 which is at Lechfeld. The decals don't show either when doing a campaign. I'm just not sure how damn complicated it could get when swapping ID's round. Basically the Order of Human Flyable and AI-Only squadrons gets incorrect in Campaigne2_Data.ini after the RAF flyable squadrons. Where the human squadrons should be, there are a few unit numbers taken up by AI 104G Starfighter squadrons, and that screws everthing up.

SF2E, 1979 Red Lightning campaign. This is what I see in the campaigne2.ini and campaigne2_data.ini. I'm not really a modder yet, so maybe I'm missreading, but shouldn't the Air Units match? From the .ini where player selects an unit for campaign: And from Campaign Data Also, AirUnit39 and AirUnit40 are both labeled as "I./JBG 31 'Boelcke'" I suppose Unit40 should be II./JBG 31 'Boelcke'. Is it safe to fix this by swapping unitIDs around?

Ah, I never noticed. Thanks!

Hi all As I try to fly with only realistic amount of information available (no info boxes, no cones, no map icons...) this is something that has been bothering me a bit. In BVR, the only way to know what you are locking up is CTRL+R. But how realistic is it for the F-4 and F-15? I know the F-15C does NCTR - non cooperative target recognition - based on a signature database that reads the radar cross section, number of engine blades... and gives the pilot a "best guess" what he is targeting. The process takes a bit, only works from some directions (preferable head on) and is never 100%. Not sure if the F-15A had the same radar already with the same feature set. The F-4 certainly never had this. Then there's IFF (Transponder based). As modelled in most other sims, the locked target get interrogated and either replies or doesn't. I'm not sure when this came about, and if any Phantom model had this. Lastly, there should be a radio option "declare" for the AWACS, which would identify the target you have locked up. But I'm also not sure when that came about. In summary, for addon campaigns from 1985 on I think STRG+R is alright - but is it realistic to use in the 79 or 69 campaign? Is it an acceptable compromise for lack of other features (like more detailed AWACS picture)?

MiGBuster, thanks for explaining the airborne flights. Wow, "virtual cargo" - warehouses as supply stores - that is a mighty campaign engine.

Holy cow. So the supply level of an airfield attached squadron can be reduced by hitting their parked stuff outside? Oh boy, there really is more to this than meets the eye. Anyone has a clue if the "raided at takeoff" scenario or similar also happens in First Eagles? There it seemed to me the first half of the flight to the front was pretty carefree - which is a shame, since I like to navigate by map and hand, yet not if there's zero chance of enemy encounters.

Kowalski - how is that possible? I thought in Thirdwire games all friendly and enemy flights start on the runway when you launch the mission. At least that's what I heard about First Eagles. So it is in fact possible to get surprised early, even during takeoff by enemy already airborne?

Yeah, maybe an idea for the next patches - have a "save mission" button at the debrief screen for a random single mission (or campaign mission too?), which adds it to the "Load a single mission" screen (which is empty in SF2E anyway, and not that full in First Eagles). Does this sound like something TK might consider , maybe for posting on the official boards? After all, during the debrief as long as you can REFLY, the mission has to be somewhere in the system still, and I would think the game would already be using the same format internally as with mission-generator designed ones, so maybe it's just a question of "writing them down" somewhere. I kind of wanted this for First Eagles today, first time I ever had to intercept a flight of AEG G.IV. I failed two times and would have loved more chance for practice, but had to quit for time reasons. With First Eagles, it's a bit of a shame that aircraft can not start before YOUR flight. That means you'll never randomly encounter enemy bombers over your side while flying to the front, because they are usually still on their ingress themself - seems the only downside of the current generator compared to, for example, IL-2 which spawns aircraft in air. Advantage to SF2E compared to First Eagles seems that the "radius" of aircraft engagements is much larger, so you actually get random enemy action before you cross the front, and the Air Defense is ready too. BTW, I deleted IL-2 and LOMAC from the drive today. While they have more details in some things (engine management in IL-2 versus always 100% throttle in FE... more proper avionics in LOMAC) they simple do not have the replay value and also IL-2 looks slightly dated compared to FE aircraft and cockpits, LOMAC really suffers from the static single player missions. For someone who for years ignored TK sims based on the "survey/light sim" myth I'm sure a convert now ;)

To think that I ignored this series for so long... the dynamic created missions are the best stuff I've seen in a sim (maybe not Falcon 4.0, but I never tried that one). In flight one (F-15A Fighter Sweep) I killed two MiG-21s, flew a 360 degree turn to check radar, called Control for nearest bandit and got "clear". Felt mighty proud of myself and formed up the flight again, was actually watching my 4th guy in external view - when suddenly green tracers hit him and almost fragged him. Number 3 sorted the remaining boggy, another Fishbed. Before we formed up again for the flight home, I had in fact no clue if #4 was still alive and pretty mad at myself for having been so careless in breaking off the initial engagement. I've never before been jumped in a sim that models Radar and AWACS. Never ever. Here the era and mission dynamics are just right to make it happen. In the other memorable flight today (A-7D CAS), I finally managed to kill the russian tanks BEFORE all my own died. I was seriously happy I had a few surviving ground pounders left on my side, and that I saved their butts, and so circled overhead to see if any single russky can was hiding somewhere between the wrecks. Coming out of the last turn with eyes on the ground, suddenly my own tanks burst in a carpet of explosions, as four russky Beagles hit them. I got really pissed and shot two down with my Winders, the next with gun - I only flamed one of his engines in a fast pass, but as I turn around for another hit he explodes. I mean, how crazy is this when you actually run into a CAS flight from the other side for the same battle? When you just saved the life of those tankers and next second they are all gone in a massive bomb carpet? A bit of "futility of war" impression here in fact, would make a good movie scene. Was also impressed to see that the Fishbeds tried to run out of Sparrow range BVR, but as I closed they decided it wouldn't work, turned around and came to fight. This is the best Air Combat single player (also in First Eagles) since... ever? IL-2 had some nice "random" moments, but nowhere near close to this.

Thanks, funny that someone else stumpled upon this today too. I did some math and found that speed is likely True Air Speed - at 400 knots, the average 180 miles to target are a small hop and leave a lot of fuel, so that is sorted.

Thanks, I just found this today as well and wondered about what's going on. Which .cat do I need to extract for the F15A_COCKPIT.INI, or has someone done the mod and can put it here as file? later

Hi all Small question about the F-15A: 1) Is the distance readout on HUD and HSI to next waypoint with a decimal, or not? IE 999 on the analogue HSI counter is 99.9 miles, or ninehundred? the HUD does use a decimal, spelling it 99.9 2) Is the HUD speed true Air Speed or Indicated Air Speed? It shows the same as the analogue speed clock. Solving those two mysteries should allow me to manage my fuel y calculating flight time, which right now I can't get my head around. Oh, and I gotta say I'm now hooked. It's not LOMAC in it's details, but the random nature of the missions, together with the "less than super lethal" missile tech of the era really make for some awesome BVR/WVR engagements. Very refreshing to not get fragged by every single incoming missile for once. And the AI plays it's part well too, even BVR. thanks for the help

If the Radar was as complicated as the real F-4 version, you'd be correct, but since the workload is reduced a lot trough "simplified" avionics and flying is also not as detailed as real life (engine overstress? Radio coms), you are much closer to the workload of an F-15 or f-18 single seater. Even if you switch off the aids.

Dave, does your edit also kill the center text box which announces stuff like "MiG-23 targeted" and "sparrow selected"? Works for SF2E? So far I removed the left and right bottom info boxes, map aircraft icons, the rest is gone on HARD anyway. I'm not sure if killing the center display will work, since I haven't looked yet if all default cockpits have the necessary indicators for weapons, flaps and so on.