UnknownPilot

I just played with the beta for the first time today (yes, am very late to the party lol). It's awesome! Looks like it's basically complete too, though there is an odd rolling tendency (and the animation on the spoilers is off), but I'm sure you're well past those and then some. I mean no pressure in the least, I'm just excited and interested.... any status updates? (any chance of an updated beta for us 'Cat fanatics?)

Agreed.

Well, damn. :( That's a bummer. In that case, how do the campaigns track the stores available? I know that there is a difficulty setting which controls how much ordnance you have on hand and (I think) the frequency of the resupplies, so it must track it mission to mission somewhere. Any idea how that's done?

You will, don't worry.

:( Some really sick people here. In an attempt to liven things up a bit -

Perhaps.... But the USAF wanted the F-111 to replace the Thud more than the Phantom. And it was the SECDEF that pushed that monetary debacle by trying to force the Navy to use it. I don't see him accepting a swing-wing Phantom as an option, as that still meant different aircraft for the individual forces. And the work done in the vain effort on the F-111 enabled Grumman to pretty much get all the research it needed for the F-14 for free (as much as can be anyway). So development would not have been any cheaper, and it was the swing wing itself that made the maintenance so costly, which was it's death sentence in the end. The only variable left would be manufacturing cost, I don't think it would have made all that much of a difference really. And TCO includes more than maintenance as well, it includes fluids and consumables. If SF2 is any indication (and it may not be, but it's all the info I have to go on), the F-14 can go a lot further on 13,000lbs of fuel than the F-4 can. And with the added range of the Phoenix it doesn't have to. Granted, a swing wing would have helped the F-4 in a knife-fight which could have helped it's combat fuel consumption, but... enough? I dunno. It was a triumph of thrust over aero-dynamics after all. ;) So in the end, I suspect the F-14 would be cheaper to operate than a swing-wing Phantom.

Is it possible to capture this data in a text format? Does the game store it in a file anywhere, even temporarily? Things like weapons fired is mostly what I'm mainly interested in (type and number of missiles and gun rounds of entire flight). But things like drop tanks, damage taken, and fuel used would be icing on the cake.

Father Ted rocks! \m/ Back when I had BBCA I got to see most of the episodes. I wish I had the series on DVD. Good YouTube find. :)

Well, that did it. I did have to rename them, but, I had to keep the original name, despite the folder change. Previously when adapting a skin to another plane version I've had to rename the files and that's where it confused me (as I thought it was related to the directory name). And here too, the VF-84 skin I was using was made for a model called F-4J, not F-4Juk. So, changing them to that is what solved it for me. Thanks. Is there any chance of removing the reflector formation light thingies? As they remained despite the skin I'm guessing it's model based, but wanted to ask just in case. :)

(this is dressed like an F-4J(UK), but was only because I couldn't figure out the skin issue at the time, the loadout and everything else was F-4J under the USN though :) ) Out on a fighter CAP, we were almost out of fuel when I heard a call from Red Crown and went to investigate. Turned out to be a lone MiG-21. My #2 went bingo by this point, so I sent him home. 2 Sparrows went dead on me and I closed to 'winder range, and the second one of those came through for me. Curiously though, the bandit flew off on fire like a human piloted flare or something. This was confirmed by troops on the ground and recon flights in the area : On his way down he looked like he was trying to control it, maybe dive to put the fire out or something, but soon be popped like a firework on the 4th. After that, we headed for home, and despite a potential fuel situation, decided to dive for the hills for a little canyon running at high speed. If they don't revoke my wings it'll be a miracle. I mean, it's just a little harmless fun..... You know, things like cresting a hill upside down at less than 500ft over Mach 1. And then after that I noticed we were down to less than 4000 lbs of fuel, so I stood it on it's tail, shot up to abou 25,000 feet, and headed for home, throttling back to a cruise. Upon arriving at the base, with around 2000 lbs left, I nosed it over, lit the burners, and waved to the tower crew as we shot down the runway at their window level, about 68 feet or so. At the end of the strip, we thought about making a split S almost into a landing, but, once we hit about 17,000, I noticed there was about 60lbs of fuel left (as in, it only showed 6 on the clock) so I cut back to idle, and basically dead-sticked it gently, came to a stop with 20 lbs of fuel left.

From one recent n00b to another, welcome. I would recommend diving straight in. Use the hard FM, but maybe set the HUD display and visual targeting to normal. There is something to be said for easing into things, however, often the baptism of fire is the way to go as well. You can always change things if you don't like it later. But using those settings and a kick ass plane like one of the downloadable F-16s or F-15 or F-14 in single missions will help you get the feel for things (because they generally hold a huge advantage over the AI, so even though you're on the full FM, you're not left floundering). Or if you're into ground pounding, set enemy air defenses to light and get the feel for dropping iron. On that note, look for and download The Bomb Range terrain, it's perfect for plane testing and target practice and also has great help for tips on air to air intercept (complete with training missions and all).

Other than you?

I got it working except for the skins. :( I copied the directory, renamed it F-4J_TMF, then renamed all the ini files inside, edited the F-4J_TMF.ini file to reflect this, and the data ini file for dates, then I swapped the loadout and user list files, and all seems well. In the game it identifies as expected, the loadouts work, and the skin I copied in is selected. But when I launch the mission, it shows up without a skin. Everything else works, including the pit and all it's graphics. But no external skin. I made sure to name each of the .bmp files to match the plane's directory name (F-4J_TMF_1.bmp, etc). That's what I've done for other planes and other skins and they've worked. I'm stumped. I even tried the 2048x2048 skin (after first having no luck with the 1024x1024). Anybody know what I need to do differently?

Sweet! I just got it and tried it. I would never have seen it otherwise (I favor the earlier ones... at least at the moment anyway). Thank you! It is exquisitely done as well. I'm going to work on making a copy that is USN. What are the bumps on the sides of the intakes?

This I like even more. Wish I had a rig powerful enough to handle the extra graphic detail (and of course a full merged install as well).

Hmm... Looking here in the SF2 plane downloads, I'm seeing RAF/RN F-4K/M. Not J. Are they the same just different designations? Or are they different models? C5's site just says RAF F-4J. Or have I missed the file somewhere? (I just looked at all the SF2 pages but it's possible I may have missed it)

I like it! I'd love to see it as a what if plane. I'd rather a Tomcat over a swing-wing Phantom, but ways if improving the Phantom are of definite interest to me, and that would certainly be one way.

Well, it's like the saying goes - if brute force isn't solving your problem, you aren't using enough of it. ;) Aside from that, you are probably right, but the downfall here is the liberals. That is not said to incite anyone. Honestly, even some modern day so-called conservatives are part of the problem as well, but it all stems from the same current liberal agenda/view. The idea that we have to make nice with them, come off as the rescuers and win mind-share through good deeds (or worse, just pull out and leave a vacuum). This should be handled more like Japan. Send in a real hard bastard like MacArthur to write and HAND them their new gov't, no questions asked, this is just how it's gonna be. Then work the back end by helping their industry and as a result of that, the common folk can see some benefit. Meanwhile, the real solution is to get to their kids via their schools. We program our own kids to expect handouts and rely on the gov't for everything these days, so why can't we program theirs to stop buying in to the lies about the west? Iraq and Afghanistan could be made into "pets", oases of calm in the middle of the $hit storm that is the middle east, but it'll never happen because it wouldn't be "politically correct". And by-the-by, the entire islamic world has been at war with the west for over a thousand years. It's NOT going to stop by us trying to "make nice" with them. Right now the current scape goat is the fact that we support and back Israel (as well we SHOULD). No amount of money or infrastructure rebuilding or even ad campaigns over there will make a lick of difference as long as Islam reigns supreme and we continue to support our allies. (it would be helped if we controlled the schools, even if just a bit, something is better than nothing)

Seems you are correct. I'm at work now, so unable to check the actual file itself, but looking at C5's site, it's listed as 3/15/03. However, the N is only 12/3/03, and the S 4/7/04 for the early model (which is the only S I've actually messed with so far).

Indeed! Kick-ass fighter, and like I said, my new favorite (prior it was a tie betwen the stock J and the "Kurnass - TMF"). Starting from that as a basis, does that mean that the RAF J is undermodeled? Or vice versa though? Or.... am I just not understanding something (probable)? Like I said, the RAF J is more sluggish (it seems) than the stock J, and the stock J is right around the N, maybe a bit less. I'm really hoping that the N is the water mark because I love that thing.

Or said another way.....