sinbad

I was not satisfied with the early edition. These are somewhat better. There is still more to do tho -

Thanks Quack74 - I was striving for that "look and feel". I'll tune it up and post soon. Like the Gotha pit, it is not intended to be authentic - still derived from the faithful DVII cockpit. Stay tuned.

More from the cockpit of the Giant -

I have FE2 running on XP Pro SP3. One big diff is significantly faster load time for just about everything. Graphics now include bump mapping, FM are better and cleaner to mod. There is more . . . Well, I think it's worth the cost, and I am pretty much giving up on the earlier editions.

This looks like a workable alternative to the mission control approach. Either way involves reloading a file and with the Jones Soft Generic Mod Enabler it is pretty easy to do. I'm not sure, but I think there may be a difference in the way would be interceptors are treated though. If the mission control approach also apples to the interceptor (i.e. if the intercepting aircraft start at 3000 meters) the method you describe would be more realistic. Time to climb was a real problem for the defenders, given the usually late notice of impending attacks. Later in the war when the observer and reporting system got better this diminished somewhat.

Is there a guideline for setting LOD distances for models? I know there is a minimum object distance beyond which a model cannot be seen at all. I am asking about setting LOD 1 , LOD 2, LOD3. Presumably FX on FR and visible detail operate, but - Some models operate with only one LOD set at max visible distance (or beyond). Other models operate with five LODs and others with three. I can get the model to run just by tinkering with the settings, but it would be nice to know what I am doing and why.

BTW- Yes, there is a non-flyable strutter in FE2. It is an excellent model, on a par with all of the TW models, and it has bump mapping. But, because it was not designed to be flyable, the cockpit textures are not as refined as the rest of the model. If you attempt to add a cockpit to make it flyable, this is the forward view- The second picture is the latest forward cockpit view of the model Dagaith and I previously posted. IMHO there is no good workaround and no reason to fuss with one. I could (and in tests, did) put the panel in the TW plane but the view would still be limited and not satisfactory to me. Consequently, and with all due respect to TK and his team, I am proceeding with the work on the 1A2 and other versions of the add on Strutter model. There are limitations, and I am aware that the French aircraft had slightly different windscreens than the English, but for now I'm working with what we have.

There already is a fix for the glass. It was done in August of 2008 in the Gotha4-R2c.LOD. I thought it was also part of the new R2d.LOD. I don't have it on my models with that LOD. As for the gunnners, Capun would have to do the gunner mod. They are part of the 3dMax file. Meanwhile I have reworked the gunner skins a bit. I think that is OK to post here. The bmp doesn't look good, but IMHO it is better when loaded on the model. There already is a fix for the glass. It was done in August of 2008 in the Gotha4-R2c.LOD. I thought it wad part of the new R2d.LOD. I don't have it on my models with that LOD. As for the gunnners, Capun would have to do the gunner mod. Meanwhile I have reworked the gunner skins a bit. I think that is OK to post here. The bmp doesn't look good, but it is better when loaded on the model. WW1BmrGunner.rar

The French 1A2 Strutters are coming along nicely. Here is Esc 13 in camo. There will be a 1B2 (internal bomb racks) as well as Belgians, and a revised 9400 RFC/RNAS, (with loadouts) so the pipeline is rather deep. Adding rudder pedals to the cockpit is not now on the list of things to do. There are still Staakens out there somewhere. Thanks to Gustav, my feeble French is probably close to OK.

This cockpit is derived from a mod by Ravenclaw_007 10 May 2008 and from the FokkerDVII Cockpit by Third Wire. This mod is NOT intended to depict an authentic GIV cockpit, but to improve functionality (primarily adding back the compass) and the appearance. The bombsight is derived from one originally developed by Dfang in 2008 for the Staaken. The Gotha bomb sight in this mod mimics a Goerz “telescope type” sight, one of several sights used by the Gothas. There are no records I can find which depict the actual sight picture, so the cross hairs and reference marks are speculative. We do know the real sight was illuminated for night use; the mod attempts to depict that function. None of the sights used by the Gothas were especially effective (one was actually called a "non-precision" sight). Sights were only one reason bombing was less than accurate. The Gotha approach altitudes in England were usually at or above 3000 meters to avoid defending aircraft, balloon cables, and AAA. The real Gotha bombardier was the aircraft commander, operating in the forward observer station. The Beta testers and I all used variations of the June 2009 FM by Peter01, who did some of the original FM work on this project back in 2008. The calibration of the sight relies on it, so it is strongly suggested. There are two versions of the sight. One has a open cross hair and the other has a full cross hair. The default altitude for missions is set at 3000 meters, or approximately 10,000 feet, the most common approach altitude for attacks on London and the coastal areas. The sight is calibrated to operate at 110 kph for 3000 - 4000 meters, and 90 kph at 1000 meters. The calibration speeds are very important to accuracy. Targets should be attacked with a "stick" of several bombs some toggled a bit ahead, and some a bit behind the apparent aim point. Known issues- the Gothas carried a very diverse load of stores. In configurations with heavy bombs loaded under the nose, the bomb sight may be temporarily blocked by the bomb on the forward port side. One way to deal with this is to manually toggle only that bomb at initial approach; another is to select a loadout that does not place a bomb in the forward port rack. The typical load for the attacks on England was 6 50kg bombs, So it is relatively easy to set up and authentic loadout which avoids the "bomb block" bug. Thanks to Southside Bucky and OlPaint01 for exhaustive Beta testing. This was a challenging mod to develop and the comments and advice they provided was extremely helpful. Thanks also to the original developers whose work is incorporated here -- Dfang, Ravenclaw_007, Peter01 , and of course Capun and the team at the Skunk Works for the Gotha. sinbad

File Name: Gotha G.IV Cockpit and Bombsight File Submitter: sinbad File Submitted: 20 Apr 2010 File Updated: 21 Apr 2010 File Category: First Eagles Add On Cockpits Gotha Revised Cockpit and Bomb sight This cockpit is derived from a mod by Ravenclaw_007 10 May 2008 and from the FokkerDVII Cockpit by Third Wire. This mod is NOT intended to depict an authentic GIV cockpit, but to improve functionality (primarily adding back the compass) and the appearance. The bombsight is derived from one originally developed by Dfang in 2008 for the Staaken. The Gotha bomb sight in this mod mimics a Goerz “telescope type” sight, one of several sights used by the Gothas. There are no records I can find which depict the actual sight picture, so the cross hairs and reference marks are speculative. We do know the real sight was illuminated for night use; the mod attempts to depict that function. None of the sights used by the Gothas were especially effective (one was actually called a "non-precision" sight). Sights were only one reason bombing was less than accurate. The Gotha approach altitudes in England were usually at or above 3000 meters to avoid defending aircraft, balloon cables, and AAA. The real Gotha bombardier was the aircraft commander, operating in the forward observer station. Installation- First back up everything. Then to install for and FE1 and FE2: In The Objects/Aircraft/GothaGIV folder GothaGIV_Cockpit.INI GOTHA_sight.tga GOTHA V24 HiRes_gunsight Full center 5 nums.tga GOTHA V24 HiRes_gunsight Open center 5 nums.tga DVII_DASH_AMMO.bmp D_VII_FLOOR_FRONT_BACK_WALL.bmp D_VII_LABLES.tga In the FE or FE2/FLIGHT folder VIEWLIST.INI MISSIONCONTROL.INI The Beta testers and I all used variations of the June 2009 FM by Peter01, who did some of the original FM work on this project back in 2008. The calibration of the sight relies on it, so it is strongly suggested. There are two versions of the sight. One has a open cross hair and the other has a full cross hair. The default (with the open cross hair) will install unless you substitute the other. To install the alternate, save GOTHA_sight.tga as GOTHA_sightBAK.tag, then copy the GOTHA V24 HiRes_gunsight Full center 5 nums.tga, and rename that copy GOTHA_sight.tga. That way you’ll still have a full set of the sights if you want to reverse the process. Keep all versions in the Objects/Aircraft/GothaGIV folder. Operation- When the aircraft loads, the sight will appear at eye level. Hit the \ key [immediately below the BACKSPACE KEY] twice. The sight will drop to the floor. When approaching the target, engage the wing leveler or autopilot and hit the .DEL key, to go to invisible cockpit. Use the mouse and the NUM PAD + key to position the sight. In FE1, you can then use the \ key to select the bombs from the various choices in the loadout, if you have selected multiple weps in the load out screen. In FE2 the game will not display these choices, but the ordinance will be selected. Drop the weps in the usual manner with the ENTER key. The default altitude for missions is set at 3000 meters, or approximately 10,000 feet, the most common approach altitude for attacks on London and the coastal areas. The sight is calibrated to operate at 110 kph for 3000 - 4000 meters, and 90 kph at 1000 meters. The calibration speeds are very important to accuracy. Targets should be attacked with a "stick" of several bombs some toggled a bit ahead, and some a bit behind the apparent aim point. If you prefer a different approach altitude, you will find alternatives in the folder. Simply copy the one you want, delete the old file and then save the copy as missioncontrol.ini. Do not simply delete the MISSIONCONTROL.INI without using one of the enclosed files as other operational settings are also adjusted for the Gotha GIV in that file. Known issues- the Gothas carried a very diverse load of stores. In configurations with heavy bombs loaded under the nose, the bomb sight may be temporarily blocked by the bomb on the forward port side. One way to deal with this is to manually toggle only that bomb at initial approach; another is to select a loadout that does not place a bomb in the forward port rack. The typical load for the attacks on England was 6 50kg bombs, so it is relatively easy to set up an authentic loadout which avoids the "bomb block" bug. Thanks to Southside Bucky and OlPaint01 for exhaustive Beta testing. This was a challenging mod to develop and the comments and advice they provided was extremely helpful. Thanks also to the original developers whose work is incorporated here -- Dfang, Ravenclaw_007, Peter01 , and of course Capun and the team at the Skunk Works for the Gotha. sinbad 20 April 2010 Click here to download this file

Bravo! Is it totally crazy to think that this terrain could be used in FE2?? Apart from the fashions of the people and a few other things that could probably be modded, it seems it could work OOTB. The Adriatic and Italy have been totally off the map in FE. sinbad

Beta testing is winding down. We expect be able to release the bombsight and cockpit sometime over the weekend.

Thanks. I'll get back to the Strutters soon. Meanwhile I'm trying to seek out the changes in FE2. Some things that used to be easy are now a mystery.

Here are screenshots of an updated Gotha cockpit and bombsight. It is a reworked version of the DVII cockpit, which is the best now available. The Gotha bombardier was really not the pilot, but rather the forward observer. The bombsight should work at night as well as by day. This cockpit should work with the impressive set of skins by Quack.

Actually we already have a WIP bombsight designed for the Gotha/Staaken. It is part of my backlog. RL has complications which impede the FE work. I'm in process of sorting things out for FE2. Please stand by.

Well it seems there are now TK Strutters in FE2. Types listed in Object Dat3 are 110 and 130 1A2 and 1B2 but BMPS only for the latter two?? The A2 and B2 have loadouts but I do not find cockpits, and I have not yet seen them in the game. Apparently not flyable - yet. Skins are basic. The "French Tan" is just plain wrong - it should be aluminum dope.

Hi Peter01- Got it now. I once was lost but now I see. I was doing everything right EXCEPT hitting return key in the DOS Command screen. As in so many things, now it is obvious, but only because you walked me through my previous confusion. Thanks again. sinbad

I'm having trouble extracting the FE2 file sets. SFP1E does not operate. The original archives are coded for Crypto Shell Extensior.. I've DL the CatPack utility but no joy. Please advise.

No need to fix anything. I have been MIA. Be patient for a few and I'll post some updates with skins.

Try a search for "Peter01" That should bring up all links to his work. It is part of the expansion pack. It is not available for separate DL as far as I know.

I've asked Gepard to send me the new Bob70 file set. When I get it, I'll try to update the work done on the previous version into the new tiles. It is all still early Alpha, but I believe it can be done with a minimum of Excedrin. Stay tuned.

That is on the list, and it may work. I already have a lot on my FE plate. Peter01 did a very creditable job with the Hinchbrooke LTA (a generic based on an RAF airship); he is far better at FMs than I am, and I believe he has the same L-30 alpha files I have. It may be worth a try, but I don't even think I qualify as the Sorcerers Apprentice for LTA FMs. It has always seemed to me that "airships" really do behave more like submarines than aircraft. The basic problem is that the FM in the game was designed for heavier than air machines with much less mass than lighter than air machines. LTA's have many characteristics that do not easily model with the hard coded FM mechanism we have in FE. The L-30 Alpha is a marvelous Alpha, but even if all of the above were resolved, I have not heard from P10ppy for some time. It is still his model. P10ppy does really fine work. I not only want to see the L-30 done, but I also would love to fly the Voisin he was working on. <br style=""> <br style="">