mue

Is it possible to select the GPU from within the game: Options->Graphics->Display Device?
I can't test it because I have only one single GPU.

@Wrench I think ponyboy meant the links to thirdwire.com (posted by crusader) are dead.
@ponyboy314 The links crusader posted are indeed dead. But as Wrench wrote, you can also download the thirdwire tools here from combatace.com. But I also recommend the cat extractor from mues toolbox. After a small configuration step (i.e. setting the SF2 install directory) the cat extractor (from mues toolbox) searches all CAT files at once. In contrast with the thirdwire cat extractor you must open each cat file separately, meaning you have to know what cat file contains the file you are looking for.

I think Gepard is correct. Maybe the road you added is seen by the game as runway. Can you please check what TargetType the road is? Maybe something like MEDIUM_RUNWAY?
I made some tests and it seems that if you add a second runway to a target area then the headings of both runways are added up and the other objects are rotated according to the sum of both headings.

In game at airfields the objects are oriented in reference to the runway orientation. E.g. if you rotate the airfield then the other objects are rotated too.
The target area editor also supports this but with the following limitations:

1. The runway object must be the first target in the target area.
2. The offset of the runway must be 0,0.

It doesn't matter if you first add the objects and then rotate the runway or the other way around.

3 hours ago, bearnoceros said:

Anyone have suggestions for spotting bogeys in this game when you're not riding the radar signature to it and they get some distance from you?

You can try the dot label mod: http://combatace.com/topic/86215-showing-label-as-a-dot-mod/

This mod overlays all friendly/enemy objects within a 10 nm radius with a blue/red dot. The disadvantage of this mod is, you lose the target info box.

3 hours ago, bearnoceros said:

@mue, I looked for the viewlist.ini in the user and root game folder without finding it. Do you know where it typically lives?

While digging around in the config files, I saw info about multiplayer. Did that ever get off the ground?

You must extract VIEWLIST.INI from FlightData.CAT (located somewhere in the game install directory tree, I think in the Flight folder). To extract the file you need a cat extractor program. You can use the cat extractor from the 3W toolkit or the one from Mues Toolbox.
VIEWLIST.INI must be extracted into <mod folder>/Flight/

Neither SF2 games support multiplayer. The multiplayer entries you found are legacy from the SF1 games.

20 hours ago, bearnoceros said:

One thing I noticed from a quick flight was the inability to see completely back to your six, at least in the F4. Is that intentional, as you're strapped in with all the gear keeping you from getting all the way around?

You can disable the view pitch and yaw limit in the VIEWLIST.INI with

[ViewClass002]
ViewClassName=CockpitViewClass
...
LimitPitch=FALSE
LimitYaw=FALSE

9 hours ago, Chugster said:

yup, found some tutorials for how to fly but i cant seem to work out how to bind commands to my HOTAS, ive set up the control axis but cant see how you assign other controls like weapon select and targeting etc...am i missing something?

Back then, as I last played the game (around 2010?), the command bindings were hardcoded to key presses. You couldn't bind commands to your HOTAS from within the game. You had to use the programming software of your HOTAS to map HOTAS buttons to key presses.

EECH brings back memories. I haven't played it for years. BTW, with EECH I started my modding activities. Back in 2008 I implemented the MFD export feature in EECH. Having access to the source code definitely helped (TK, do you hear me? )

Regarding tutorials: have you checked EECH Central? Maybe the original game manuals are also still applicable?

10 hours ago, franconinja14 said:

hi mues, great job, how can i cast shadows in the game? what configuration need the marial?, thanks

Transparency of the material must be disabled.

From the lod_exporter_readme.txt:

Quote

-Transparency (if transparency is enabled, then the object doesn't cast and doesn't catch shadow. if transparency is disabled, then the object cast and catch shadow.

And maybe you have to add something like

[Shadow]
CastShadow=TRUE
ShadowCastDist=500
MaxVisibleDistance=500

to the object' .ini file.

On 13.8.2020 at 10:34 PM, Cliff7600 said:

If it's not in the data.ini file it might be the 3D model itself (remember the Impala).

I only know about two "domains", where the 3D model has an impact on the FM:

1. Ground handling depends on position of the 3D model' gear nodes.
2. Mass balance change by loadout depends on position of the weapon station nodes (e.g. pylon, ...)

Are there any further "domains", where the 3D model can influence the FM?

2 hours ago, UllyB said:

Nope it was not that. I installed all SF2 games with updates and everything , as anyone elses, after that I followed the suggestions from the knowledge base given by MIGBUSTER ("Running mods from a different disk partition"), how to move folder content outside , in order to protect it from interferrence. I only moved the SF Israel content as instructed. Except that file which I modified it (hangarscreen.ini), nothing , until now, disappeared from this folder. That is why I found it odd and I came here to ask people.

Could it be that you already lost the file while moving the SF Israel mod folder, meaning the game is not to blame for removing the file?

44 minutes ago, Menrva said:

 It keeps happening from time to time, ...

Do you remember if it does happen on random or only after a game/DLC update/install?

I doubt that the game removes any files from the mod folder. I've never experienced such things.

But what I think the game indeed does (and then only after a game update or a merged install of another SF2 game or DLC) is to revert stock aircraft and ground object ini files, i.e. Object/Aircraft/<aircraft>.ini and Object/GroundObject/<groundobject>.ini. I think no other files, e.g. *_data.ini files are touched. Can anyone confirm this?

There are no individual Effect.ini files in the CAT archives. All stock effects are defined in particlesystem.ini (contained in FlightData.CAT).

16 hours ago, russouk2004 said:

Im baffled...

in max looks fine...in mues lod viewer no problem...

15 hours ago, russouk2004 said:

narrowed it down...its either spec or bump map doing it...  no spec and bump...using game settings for it.. at least I know whats doing it now..

Yes the LODViewer has no problem with spec and bump (normal) maps, ... because the LODViewer completely ignores them

11 hours ago, DaniloE31 said:

This isn't in fact the case, but you brought me into something:
The TGA's were saved with 24bit depth but compression ON... It has to be Uncompressed!

Thank you mate!
 

It seems every GIMP user stumbles upon this (myself included, of course ): https://combatace.com/forums/topic/93235-how-do-you-make-serial-number-decals/?do=findComment&comment=753952

On 3.5.2020 at 10:25 PM, Gepard said:

...because the target editor spin buildings in 5° steps.

Holding the shift key gives you finer control.

From the readme:

The position and heading of selected objects can be changed with the mouse:

-translation (coarse): ctrl + left click + move
-translation (fine): ctrl + shift + left click + move
-rotation (coarse): ctrl + mouse wheel
-rotation (fine): ctrl + shift + mouse wheel

21 hours ago, A48Racing said:

How do you view them in LODViewer then?

The LODViewer can read the LODs directly from the CAT files. For this you have to set the SF2 install directory and enable CAT file access under Settings->CAT File Access. If you open an aircraft.ini file with the LODViewer and it didn't find the lod file in the same directory then it tries to load the lod file from the CAT files.

Technical explanation:
TK uses for decal texturing the "clamp to edge" (or rather its DirectX equivalent) texture wrapping mode. For more info see: https://open.gl/textures

13 minutes ago, yakarov79 said:

Yes. But still, switch with normal texture will still be flat mesh. And switch made as 3d mesh will be 3d mesh. And if you are saying that it shouldn't make a big difference then I prefer 3d mesh than bumped texture. 

Of course for a switch it won't work. Thats why I wrote "3D objects [that] are not that much extruded", e.g. screws, nuts, bolts, grooves, ...

58 minutes ago, yakarov79 said:

You can create an illusion of 3d objects on flat texture using a bump map. But it is still an illusion. No texture with a bump map will give you the effect of 3d mesh. Flat mesh with extra hyper texture will still be flat mesh. No matter what.

Actually the whole rendering of a 3D scene onto a (2D) monitor is an illusion.
If the 3D objects are not that much extruded it shouldn't make a big difference if the surface normals (for lighting computation) come from a normal map or from a detailed mesh.

On 17.4.2020 at 1:48 PM, CJLivesey said:

Hi, Sorry for digging up an old topic. Can anyone tell me whether any of the aircraft "systemtypes" highlighted were implemented in game?

If so, does anyone have  any examples how they are specified within the data.ini - i.e do they need parameters similar to "FuelTankID=1"
or "MaxFuelAmount=775" as would be given for a fuel tank.

The ones from this list above are:

PNEUMATIC_SYSTEM

HYDRAULIC_SYSTEM

ELECTRICAL_SYSTEM

FUEL_SYSTEM

COOLING_SYSTEM

OIL_SYSTEM

 

Unfortunately I can't seem to get to the thirdwire forum linked which might have explained it.

 

Many thanks!

Thirdwire forum threads with post form TK were thankfully archived by the combatace user Do335. You can find the TW forum archive here: https://combatace.com/forums/topic/92272-third-wire-forums-no-longer-linked-on-website/?do=findComment&comment=745634

Regarding the question, if that aircraft systems are implemented, TK posted on 10 Dec 2009 the following:
Well, I think the answer is No, please check the stock plane's data to see whats implemented.
TK

Maybe some of those systems were implemented after 2009. I don't know.

17 hours ago, Gepard said:

When i wrote the book i asked the Museum at Cottbus airport (Flugplatzmuseum Cockpit) whether they would allow me to make a walkaround photoshoot of their Mi-24D. They agreed and opend all doors and hatches and cockpits of the Mi-24, especially for me. So i could climb into the cockpits for pilot and gunner.

Yes, I can recommend the Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus (Sorry, it seems the webpage is in german only). Very nice and friendly people there. I too had the chance to sit in the cockpit of this very Mi-24D. If interested, I can post some cockpit photos.

21 hours ago, Gunrunner said:

I mean, we're 15 years in, and we still don't have a wiki to document the folder and file structure, what each and every file and folder are, what they do, what each line in each file does...

Yes, a wiki would be a good idea. I know there is a lot of information in this forum and especially the Knowledge Base sub forum. But searching for specifics can sometimes be tedious. A wiki with more structured / linked / updated information would be an improvement. But I have no experience how much effort it is to setup a wiki. And I wonder how many modders are still around and willing to actually contribute to the wiki?