stingray77

Right - what you did wrong initially was deleting the contents from the mod-folder created by the game. That one is needed. The XP is "just" applied over what's already in there, overwriting some of that data... (Just to be sure - if I were you, I would go though it once again: delete the mod folder, run the game once and apply the XP...) Good you've been able to sort that out. Btw: yes, TK updates all of his exe's to the latest patch. Nice, hm?

Well, that's always hard to troubleshoot - you know. If the carriers are there on the stock game and you applied the XP all according to the book (install notes), they definitely should be there as well... They are with me and seemingly everybody else, except for you... So, where to start? One thing that COULD be of help, would be posting your SavedGames/ThirdWire/SF2V-properties - say: how many folders, files and overall size - and to compare that with somebody else, who did not apply ANY OTHER mods. (Unfortunately I did, so I cannot be of more help there, sorry.) At least that would give you a hint, if your mod-folder is missing something..... My GUESS would be either something missing on the XP (remember: it's four parts) or incorrect application.....

Nothing... But you sure put all the "To_Mod-folder"-stuff into your drive (not C:/!) under saved games, right?

As the carriers are part of the basic game already, your initial SF2/V-install seems to be faulty. You can (should) try de- and reinstalling the game freshly.

WOULD they talk their language over the radio anyhow? I think our German fighter pilots do all their comm in English... And I guess that's pretty much common procedure in air traffic.

Too bad - that looks COOL!!!

Great! Thanks for your input...

Hi - it's me again....... Just a question: do you also experience those "strange"/misplaced shadows like I do? See screenies (the boxes and triangles in the river)... I have them for quite some time now, but they did never bother me too much since I was having other issues... So it's just a QUESTION.

Sorry, for bothering you so long with this! Eric, you were right with your very first answer: yesterday I put my NVIDIA drivers to the lates level (I missed an update before), and everything seems to be fine again now..... At least F-8C and D models (incl. _66's) checked out fine for several squadrons (incl. VF111, 211, VFMA 235)......

Forget about checking - it's solved.......

Fine, you eventually got it worked out.... Just be aware that the latest version of the (absolutely awesome!!!) XP is v2.1 - and you might/will need the July Update of it just as well... When at it, you could do me a favor and check, how your F-8s (except the late '69-models) do show up - do you find the same "oddity" I encounter and have asked about here? Thanks for reporting back... Oliver

Just in case sb. else runs into some similar prob or wants to re-check: I just tried all F-8 versions (on which only this seems to occur) - the F-8H 69 and J 69 check out allright. All others seem to have that decal-issue. And it seems as if a second smaller decal appears on the fin, too (or makes it turn blue if too many decals to handle)..... And it seems to be the decal of the leader, irrespective what squadron:

Yeah, fully understand, Eric... (But: what a pity!) Thanks anyhow - for the outstanding XP and all your patient support. Oliver

Eric, yes - renaming the decals.ini (into DECALSold in my Vista case - I don't know if I can also change the .INI-endings...) seems to do the trick. But I feel, I'm losing some of the XP's details. Do I? (Well, what exactly AM I doing by this renaming???) As said: all that's on a clean new re-install with a virgin application of the XP v2.1 and the July update to it... But thanks in any case... Will keep on "checking". Oliver

Hum, not really the answer I was hoping for.... But anyhow I wondered, where there THAT change might have come from... So I'll try out reverting to stock decals and/or going through the whole install once again. But HOW could such a thing come from a viedo-card settings??? Btw. I'm running GeForce 8600 GSon latest drivers (257.21). Thanks for answering so fast again.

#4 here's the same aircraft (same flight just panned around the plane) starboard side - again that "double decal".... #5 same aircraft, new mission, new set of double decals..... and #6 Death Angels-example... Hope you can help. Thanks!

#2 - fin okay, but double decals - where does that red "flash" in the AK come from? #3 - port side of fin is okay...

Eric, I just applied the July Update to a fresh new SF2V-(standalone)-install with the XP Gold v2.1 - and encountered some problem. As you can see from the attached screenies, either I didn't get the F-8's tail fin displayed at all (blue except for the tail number and the rudder) or with double decals on it (small plus large and some of them inverted)... I experienced that on the VF-111-Sundowners aircraft and VMF-235-Death Angels (same without those double decals here, but correctly displayed tail "from time to time" or "after some mission-time"). To me it very much looks like that "too-many-decals-on-tail-fin-problem". I checked the most on the VF-111, a little less on the VMF-235 and just once on the VMF-333, which showed no such problems then..... As it was applied to an "oob" fresh download and all according to the books (all /To Mods plus the Dec 2009-files of the Gold March applied, then /All Patch levels plus the Dec 2009-files from the July-update applied over that) I don't see that much room for mistakes maken.... Can you lead me to sth. else to check, or do you have some ready solution, maybe? (I also saw some persisting prob with ground objects' shadows, but I still need to get screenies of those..... And this thing with the fin is far more unnerving.) Your help is very much appreciated (again). Thanks Oliver Here the first screenie, showing the blue fin:

I just posted/asked this at TW forums - but as the problem might be related to my Expansion Pack-mods, I'm asking same here: ...I still don't have cockpit lights at night - BUT as it has been reported that that should be fixed with the June patch, maybe the culprit lies in my modded data!? (Until now I only have the hint to set adv.shaders from 1 back to 0 in the options.ini - but that will rid me of the advanced shaders overall. No joy.) - ARE they really fixed (in the unmodded game)? - where might I look for a fix in my modded data? Thanks for a hint on that... Oliver

I only checked that on Phantoms (B and J-models) yesterday evening... But before, I did have no cockpit lights in any other plane either... btw: the detailed mirror views are worth installing the patch alone, in my view. Especially as the cockpit lights were "out" on the Feb 2010 already.....

Eric: I just read about the "ejection seat"-effect here here (CA General Discussion). I am not fully sure, but I thing I have seen those effects in the Expansion Pack already, right? If not, implementing that oneself (by "simply" putting those extra lines into the "Particlesystem.ini" and changing "AircraftFireEffect" accordingly) should not be much of a problem - what do you think?

dapit: take care of following the instructions closely, but once you got everything running, YOU WILL LOVE IT!!! I promise...

Over the weekend I cleared out my SF2V - and updated all to the Expansion Pack Gold v2.1. As I diligently saved BackUps, this is what I wanted to have: two sets of SF2Vs - one on the May2009b-build (with the much missed trees in the XP! ) and another one on the latest (Feb2010) build. Not too hard, only time consuming to re-install both enviroments. Now I do have two desktop-shortcuts, one pointing to the May2009b-base game and one pointing to the Feb2010 (cool!), and two mod-folders: one May2009b with the XP2.1 on "before Dec2009" and another one Feb2010 with the XP2.1 on "after Dec2009". Good so far. When I want to play May2009b now, I firstly need to change my Vista from Aero back to Basis and chose the May-Mod-folder by renaming it from "Strike Fighters (May 2009b)" to "Strike Fighters" only... Same for the Feb-version except for the need to change Vista... As changing the mod-folder is an "extra step" I wonder if I can change where the game (version) looks for its mod-folder - so the May2009b selecting its mod-folder automatically and the Feb2010 doing the same (then I only would need to switch Vista). I already learnt that the (was it the) Options-INI holds an entry that points to a directory where the game looks for its mod folder - but the Options.INI is IN the mod-folder itself. How can that work, then??? So, how/where can I tell the system to look for the "Stike Fighters (May2009b)"-mod folder when starting the May2009build, and to look for the "Strike Fighters (March 2010)" when I choose the Feb2010-install? I am sure you guys know... Thanks a lot again. PS: seeing the trees back in May2009b makes one miss them only the more in the Feb2010...

The Expansion Pack for SF2V has a fully operational F-104C...

Dave, first: thanks for your help. Then - before going through the (rather tideous/time consuming) process of re-creating and -patching the game again, I wonder what difference that new installation makes in comparison to my original May2009b-install (except for having that one run in the past already)? The data should be identical, right? So renaming the install-folder and the .exe (as ezlead advised) should be the same as your approach!? That's what I already tried with that weird SF2(NO V)-main-screen, I have no clue where that one might have come from. Now, in a PM ezlead proposed another variant (which I still need to translate from his - I guess XP - to my German(!) Vista-lingo - I can find all his hints here in the office on my XP-machine, but at home I am starting the game by desktop-shortcut from the .exe - so no "Start"). If I understand him correctly, the common starting point is having two differently patched versions of SF2V in the /program files/ThirdWire/. From there: Go to Start/Settings/TaskBar and StartMenu Go to Start Menu-customize. Go to Add. Browse to Prog Files/ThirdWire/Strike Fighters 2X. Click on Strike Fighters 2X folder to get in it. Scroll down to Renamed .exe file(it will have green icon by it) Highlight it and then click OK. It will come up with address(highlighted in a box) Click on next. It will bring up Start Menu. Scroll down to ThirdWire/Strike Fighters2 Vietnam and click it. It will come up with name of new game(should be Strike Fighters2 Vietnam 2009) Click on Finish. Now go to Start Menu ThirdWire Strike Fighters2 Vietnam And run the new game. IT should put new mod folder up in Docs. That's something I will try to reproduce in my Vista over the weekend (hope I can find the time). Had I foreseen how much effort is going into this (including binding YOUR time as well!) I would have lived with the "renaming"-soultion (it's just a couple clicks more effort) and not even asked... I thought that might be a no-brainer......... Thanks for all your help!