peter01

Thought I'd start a new thread so this doesn't get lost. I won't be uploading anymore FMs to the forum, it is starting to get confusing with so many FM Updates! I'll combine everything and upload to the Download section for one download. It is taking some time, so maybe another week or so. The download will be for FE1 and FE2. The difference between the two is really the Game Files. There are quite a few changes between what I have uploaded here so far in the forum and in the final download, so recommend you download and reinstall when available. Some changes: The game files (weapondata and gundata files) for FE2 are newer and improved. Will include the extra FMs I haven't yet released, that I mentioned in the FM Progress thread (Fokker E1, Pfalz E1, Pfalz E3, Fokker D2, Fokker D3, Fokker D3L (with ailerons), Borts Albatros D1 & D2, Halberstadt D3, Albatros D3s, Pfalz D3s, F2Bs, Hanriot). More specifically there is also two Pfalzes one with 160 HP engine, the other with a 180 HP engine. Two F2Bs, one with Lewis on wing, one without. There are changes to FMs - fixes like elevators to HP400 and Pup, and tweaks to the FMs eg, Spads 13s, Strutter, Morane L, Morane N's, Se5a. Also Snipe FM changed considerable, more gritty and far better performance, and comes with a new cockpit - the Camels. Not a great fit, this one is hard to do. If you don't like it, change in snipe.ini from: //CockpitDataFile=Snipe_cockpit.ini CockpitDataFile=SnipeNew_cockpit.ini to ... CockpitDataFile=Snipe_cockpit.ini Quite a few AI changes - the Fokker E3s (for Bucky), Walfisch, Hannovers, Spad7s and a few more I can't remember. I've tweaked the FMs and loadouts for all the combo-loadout planes quite a bit, including placement of Lewis on wings. The Camel placements are far better now, and the FMs for the Lewis version and the F2 version are somewhat different, more based on my Camel 130hp FM (the previous ones were not). Also the only Camel 110hp Lewis is a dual Lewis - there was no single Lewis version. So in short: it will be ready soon, and you should download and reinstall the FMs and game files. This will be the last update by me for FE1. Edit: Ahh, couple more newer ones I forgot to mention. The Fe2d, N27 RFC (with single Lewis), Albatros D3 Oef, Hansa Brandenburg DI and Phonix D1. The last two have improved capability, they were a bit too hard before, and the Phonix is the slightly better performer with the larger and improved rudder.

Don, Now that you have the terrain stuff going, my advice is to copy everything else folder by folder from your FE1 install over to your FE2 mods directory so that your game works exactly like it did with FE1 - Campaigns, Controls, Objects, Flight etc etc, with a couple of exceptions or extra stuff. Be careful with your Effects Folder - some mods relate to terrains/skies and may not work well with Jan's terrain (true in either FE1 or FE2). If everything works fine in FE1, then just copy everything in the Effects folder over. After moving folders across, delete your entire Weapons Folder. Install my FE2 game files (in download section), overwriting your gundata files and installing a new Weapons Folder. Create a Pilots Folder in your Objects Folder. Move your pilot bmps, ini and/or lods from your current FE1 Aircraft Folder to this folder. The above should be very quick after the terrain installation (the trickiest bit), and once you do that, FE2 should be working fine. Next is the more time consuming and fiddily stuff - and the more skins you have the more work, but it can be done slowly over time. Create a Decals Folder. You will need this for decals to work properly. One example: fly the F2b say with 11sqn skin. You will notice decals don't show up. Create a directory in the Decals folder called F2B, move your 11sqn skin folder here, then delete everything in that folder except the "decals.ini" and the D Folder. Fly again to see if okay. This needs to be done for all skins, and quite a few planes. Read this from Laton to fix not seeing props, windshields, parts of planes or gunners that show up as WHITE. http://forum.combatace.com/topic/53119-fe2-converting-my-models/ It is some work, especially the decals but worth it IMO.

Ok, thanks, sorted out. As FE2 worked, and it was almost an exact copy of my FE1, I looked at the differences and found stuff in my Effects Folder from either the widesky and/or IL2 type clouds mods. They don't work with Jan's terrain - for me at least. So if you are experiencing crashes in FE1 or FE2, and have these mods installed too, try without if you have Jan's terrain installed.

Tried playing a couple of addon campaigns in FE1, first time for a couple of months, and get crashes immediately in loading screen on first mission. Tried a stock campaign, and it crashes after exiting first mission. Anyone else having problems? The same campaigns work fine in FE2 so far.

Good point, but this way seems like a "true" loadout method - like bombs, le prieurs. Availability is defined in the weapondata file, so shouldn't be a problem. But can't be sure until I try it in a campaign, which I haven't.

Well spotted quack. It does make a difference on the planes ability to climb after takeoff.

Hi Don, thanks, but looks ok. One set (two files) are GUNDATA files, the other lot are WEAPONDATA files. You need both sets in the directories they have been placed.

Ahh, TK made changes in FE2, loadout guns hardly jammed. But they jam in FE1. So this is to fix loadout gun jams in FE1. Unfortunately, loadouts on planes were completely unplayable for me in FE1. Not in FE2 however, so I developed them and tested them there. As it turns out, with the new way I'm doing loadouts, they work fine in FE1. I'm sorry now I didn't investigate this some time ago, cos' it is fun. The way it now works with this in FE1 is no jams, no reloads for guns added ONLY as loadouts - others are same as normal. But you have enough ammo in guns not to need reloads. I *think* the previous methods (I think two different ways) allowed reloads but had jams that couldn't be unjammed - but I'm not sure, could never play it. Example: N17bis has two guns, but the Vickers is NOT done as a loadout/gunpod (it comes with the model), and one Lewis added using the loadout/gunpod method. Vickers can jam, can be unjammed. The Lewis will not jam, cannot be reloaded. Included new FMs for HP400 and Tripe Twin - let me know what you think quack. ***************************************************************************************************** Update to Gundata files, Weapondata files so that Lewis/Vickers when added using the Loadout method guns don't jam, plus Tripe Twin Gun and HP400. To use the Tripe twin: Make a copy of your Triplane folder & rename ----> TriplaneTwin. No 10c 11 March FM Game File Fix.zip

Not unlucky. Tried FE1, and yes they jam. Not very much at all in FE2. TK made some changes.

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=10458

Hmmm. This stuff is certainly a little new, at least for me. But my last lot (not these on this thread) use a different loadout method, and I fly those quite a bit - all last night. Gun jams were very very rare. It could well be that the last method results in less jams, not sure. AND I'm flying FE2. If you do fly them let me know, I can fix it by specifying new guns in the weaponsdata & gundata files that are the same but won't jam. Had considered doing it, but guns just didn't jam much at all for me, and gun jams that couldn't be unjammed twice or three times in 3 hours of dogfighting sort of added to the realism to me.

Many sound files work well - I have problems with some for engines, so don't install any engine mods, but highly recommend installing Buckys gun and wind sound mods. Yes, that tool, look at the OBJECTs .cat (there is more than one), extract the files you want, and these ones wil be extracted to your OBJECTS directory. In this case with cockpit.inis move the extracted files to the specific plane directories. You don't repack or recompile the .cat, it should stay the same. Extracted files if placed in the correct directory override anything in the .cat. That is the beauty of Thirdwires system - if you don't like the change to a file you have modded, delete it, and the game reverts back to what is in the .cat.

I've redone the AI as well as the FM for Borts planes that I'm doing Bandy. Re "Albatri flying around with sheared off prop, just little stubs left" haven't seen this, is it common for you? But in any case can't (or maybe more accurately, won't) be doing anything about the damage modelling on these planes. I'll revisit the HP400 FM quack, despite some reservations. These big ones are difficult to do, loads of issues different to other FMs, it'll be the last one I look at, but can't promise I can fix it. EDIT: Bucky, I was just thinking about "one of the Albatri flying around with sheared off prop" again. You mean once the engine is damaged I expect, as you wouldn't be able to see the props otherwise? If that is the case, the problem is really with TKs implementation of the AI flying around without a working engine as we discussed in another thread, and and again if that is the case, well wether they have a damaged prop as well a damaged engine and are still flyng, it seems neither here nor there. But maybe I'm not clear about what the problem exactly is?

The twin gun Tripe. Haven't had as much fun with FE since early 2007!

True, WK. But the gunpods don't seem to jam too much. If they do, that can be fixed anyway. The way I'm now doing them, there isn't even a reload for the Lewis - though they come with several hundred rounds. Just feel waaay waaay better this way, that is the main thing, and you can easily do some complex loadouts too, so you don't need a whole lot of different planes. You can't do this with the other methods. In the pics below, this is the same plane which defaults to a Vickers but has different loadouts. Note the different Lewis, the lower sitting one is my balloon busting ammo Lewis. It also comes with Le Prieurs with the Vickers, but you could add those to any gun loadout combo as well.

Good stuff Bucky. Might do this for my game, but I'll keep the gun, thanks . Just one thing, my latest FM already has DragArea=0.30. For that FM you need to increase by the 0.33 you have to slow it down, ie, [LeftMainGear] DragArea=0.63 [RightMainGear] DragArea=0.63

Tried a few of the cockpit alternatives floating around for the Nieuport 17 and 23 Lewis (without Vickers), but .... So I use the N11 cockpit with this change: //Position=0.0,-0.893,0.395 Position=0.0,-0.843,0.305 If anyone has a better one let me know, but I quite like this ....

Ok, an update to the previous Lewis Loadout pack I provided. You will definitely like this lot! There is a quite a bit different to the previous one I uploaded. It replaces it in effect. And some extra stuff. Different: Using a different way of doing loadouts. It is easier (muzzle flashes, catridges, less work) and placement of guns has been redone and is far better too, but the Camels are the same - can't do too much about them. And just superior for two reasons. Firstly the FMs feel far better, very significantly if you have a FFB stick. This is the major advantage. Secondly it allows you do a number of loadout combinations without problems - see N11 and N16s. A lot more could be done too. Extras: N11(Late) and N16(Late)s FMs. Loadout Combinations: The N11 and N16 have different loadout combinations. Example - the Nieuport16LateL defaults to a Lewis wing gun (as per stock), but you can add a Vickers, or a Vickers with Balloon busting ammo (and plane busting too!). All works well. The Nieuport11Late is the same. The Nieuport16LateV has a Vickers as default, and you can add a Lewis Balloon Gun or fly just with the Balloon Gun. All have LePrieurs as an option if you are not using the balloon busting ammo option too. *********************************************************************************************************************** New FMs and game files for FE1. The FMs are for the Hard Flight Model. **** This will not work for FE2. **** **** YOU MUST INSTALL THE WEAPONS FOLDER and GUNDATA FILES - these are new files. **** FMs === A total of 11 FMs. For the Nieuport 11 (one, extra Late version), Nieuport 16 (two, extra different Late versions), Nieuport 17s (two, Lewis and Bis versions), Nieuport 23s (two, Lewis and Bis versions), Camels (three, Lewis, Dual Lewis, F2 versions), Spad 7 with Lewis. No 10b 9 March FE1 GUNPODS Game Files and FMs.zip Changes/Additions: ================= - Had to rename the Camels, as the text was too long to tell which Camel you were selecting (BTW, TK has extended the string in FE2). So originally the Camels were "Sopwith F.1 Camel (130)" etc and are now "Camel 130Hp" etc. - Updated Gundata files, and in the Weapons folder various Weaponsdata files and things. The Gundata, Weaponsdata files are pretty much the same as the "FE Nov 2008 Game Files" component within the "UPDATED FE Plane FMs for Nov 2008 Patch" I provided many months ago and makes changes to the specifications of the extra Lewis mounts so they work properly. - A little bit of headshake added via the AIRCRAFTOBJECT.ini. The FMs (TKs or mine) are much better with this. Used values that TK uses in his other games but not in FE, an oversight IMO. INSTALLATION ============ 1) I recommend you backup your folder before installing. 2) If you have done this installing one of my downloads previously, you only need to create the Nieuport 11 and 16s Folders. Go to your "Aircraft" folder in your installation and copy plane folders as follows EXACTLY: Make a FOUR copies of your Nieuport17 folder & rename to ----> Nieuport17B, Nieuport17L, Nieuport23B, Nieuport23L. (L for one Lewis instead of a Vickers, B for Bis with a Vickers and a Lewis. Naturally if you don't want all just create the ones you do want). Make a copy of your SPAD7_180 folder & rename ----> SPAD7_180_Lewis Make a THREE copies of your CamelF1_110 folder & rename ---> CamelF1_110L, CamelF1_110D, CamelF2_150 (Notice "F2" here, and doesn't matter that you copy the 110hp folder over, and L for one Lewis instead of a Vickers,D for Dual Lewis instead of Vickers, and F2 has one Lewis and one Vickers). Make a copy of your Nieuport11 folder & rename ----> Nieuport11Late. Make TWO copies of your Nieuport16 Folder & rename ----> Nieuport16LateL and Nieuport16LateV. 3) Place all the files from this download into the corresponding folders of your First Eagles directory installation. You can just drop them all into the main directory of your FE install, and click OKAY top overwrite. Acknowledgements ================ Tailspin and Christian for much of the Nieuport/Camel Le Prieurs placements, Christian for the extra guns on the Nieuport 17s and 23s. Whiteknight for the Spad 13 extra Lewis. P10ppy for the original modelling and configuration for the Le Prieurs and the 37 mm Gun, and much else. Most importantly to the A-team for their work on loadouts, which makes all this possible. ***********************************************************************************************************************

Can't do much about Instant Action unless you mod some files, but it will still be pretty much the same over and over again. Stick to "Create Missions" - heaps of variety there, and select "Near Target" in "Gameplay" options if you want instant action. FE2? It is better even on WinXP-DX9, but it requires some knowledge of modding to use third party addons like planes and FMs (not terrains however, which which make a big difference). So to a certain extent it depends if you understand how FE works, familiar with where things go etc, or willing to learn .... unless you just play the stock game with enhanced terrains, and then I'd recommend FE2. Are you using addon gun sounds? Sounds are quite tricky to do well/properly for FE. Haven't heard of the problem your having before myself so can't really help. You need to mod the cockpit.ini files to pan more. They have things like: MaxYaw=148 MinYaw=-148 MaxPitch=90 MinPitchFront=-70 MinPitchRear=-60 So to pan to the rear ... MaxYaw=180 MinYaw=-180 ... to pan 180 degrees rearwards, or more or less to suit yourself. You need to modify the file for each plane, each cockpit is defined for the one plane. Someone was asking recently about why you would want to extract files - this is one of the reasons.

Neat! Thanks for that WK, hadn't seen it before. And thanks again to the A-team, they have done so much stuff for TK's games.

Strange, but I believe you. The other thing you could do keeping the pilot in the nose section is set the damage rating in the nose section to destroyed. DamageRating=DISABLED (or whatever it is) to .... DamageRating=DESTROYED If that doesn't do it, nothing will. Edit: The best way to test is to load a mission ... you can easily change the player plane in game, edit the file to change the AI plane . Camel vs AlbD5 (1v1).zip

BTW, I will be making similar changes in the final version to the N17L and N23L so they can carry Le Prieurs in addition to the Lewis. And to the CamelF1_110L, CamelF1_110D and CamelF2_150 so they can carry bombs as well at least.

One more upload here to Forum, maybe in a week. Then putting it all together to place in the download section, maybe another week. The final version will have some fixes & improvements to FMs and improvements to AI. I'll list out what has changed so if you have d/l'd here you can just install what has changed. The next one here is quite big, about 16 newer/improved FMs, mainly german planes: Fokker E1, Pfalz E1, Pfalz E3, Fokker D2, Fokker D3, Fokker D3L (with ailerons), Borts Albatros D1 & D2, Halberstadt D3, Albatros D3s, Pfalz D3s, F2Bs, Hanriot. And that is it, until the next version by TK. Heh, at the moment I have 117 plane folders in my install!

Well, okay, a bit of an odd bunch. Continuing with my Lewis loadout streak. But, but .... I like to fly bombers, but it is a bit boring for me if you can't strafe, so added Lewis guns to the Farman and BE.2D. You can't dogfight - they are pretty well useless for that. The Morane L 2-seater with overhead Lewis is as realistic as the one with the Lewis on the nose. And looks better . It is a fighter, more or less. The Nieuport 16's? Well shoot me, but I like them. It is a pity there is not a Vickers model we can use like the Lewis - I think most in reality had a synchronised Vickers. And so maybe the Nieuport 16 with the synchronised Lewis isn't far off? Pics below .... *********************************************************************** 5 FMs for the Be2DL, Farman MF11cL, MSTypeLOL, Nieuport16D, Nieuport16S. - Loadout files are included. The "L" is for extra Lewis, the "D" is for Dual Lewis, the "S" for synchronised single Lewis. The Be2D, Farman, Morane L 2-seater can carry bombs with the Lewis gun. The Nieuport 16S can also carry Le prieurs with the additional gun. The Nieuport 16D has no loadout. No10a 2010 FMs - The Odd Bunch.zip IMPORTANT ========= These are for FE1 and FE2. For FE1 you must have installed "FE Nov 2008 Game Files" component within the "UPDATED FE Plane FMs for Nov 2008 Patch" for everything such as guns, loadouts and pilot models to work properly. It is available here at CombatAce: First Eagles by Thirdwire> First Eagles Add-On Aircraft> Flight Models. BUT it will be better if you install ALL the game files (weapondata, gundata, aircraftobject etc I uploaded in this update for the Lewis guns "Updated FMs No10 - Camels Dr1 Spads Nie17-23s" here if you have not already done so http://forum.combatace.com/topic/53736-updated-fms-no10-camels-dr1-spads-nie17-23s/ For FE2 you must download my FE2 game files for things to work - weapons, gundata, etc - if you have not already done so. It is available here at CombatAce: First Eagles by Thirdwire> First Eagles Add-On Aircraft> Flight Models. INSTALLATION ============ 1) I recommend you backup the folders of the above aircraft before installing. 2) To use these, copy your following current folders in the Objects/Aircraft folder of your main First Eagles directory and rename the copies as follows: Copy of your BE-2D -> "BE-2DL" Copy of your MSTypeLO -> "MSTypeLOL" Copy of your Nieuport16 -> "Nieuport16D" Copy of your Nieuport16 -> "Nieuport16S" Copy of your Farman MF11c -> "Farman MF11cL" 3) Place all the files from this download into the corresponding plane folders in the /Objects/Aircraft of your First Eagles installation. ***********************************************************************

I found most of it quite easy, quick and painless, surprisingly so, but then I am used to modding FE. The file structure is the same. Except the terrain folder is called terrains instead of terrain, and of course you have a seperate mod directory. I moved everything from my FE1 installation straight over - Effects, Terrain, Flight, Sounds, Missions. And everything in the Objects folder. It was a bit of a risk, but if it didn't work, I would have just deleted it all and started again step by step. But everything works. I also transferred the campaigns, but haven't tried them yet. There is a new Extract utility, and new Weapon and Gundata editors. They do work differently. After getting the hang of them, I extracted everything for future use, and redid the gun/weapons stuff to be the same as in FE1 just by copying all the old stuff from FE1 into the ini files and saving with editors. As always. All fine so far. The annoying stuff is some plane models and decals. Laton posted a very useful guide for fixing the models (not all, maybe a dozen or so that I have I identified), where you have to move things like prop, gunner, glass bmp and or tga files etc from the main plane directory to each skin folder. Unfortunately! Otherwise no prop, no windshield. You also need to create a "Pilots" folder in the Objects directory - nicey expalined by Laton, he even provided the directory with the files. Just add others that you use. Laton's post is here http://forum.combatace.com/topic/53119-fe2-converting-my-models/ Actually that post, and some others need to be made stickies I think. With decal problems, some you can fix by moving the stuff in the decal folder to the main directory, others do not. I tried changing the pathname in the decals.ini but that didn't help. How many planes? Not sure, not the majority by any stretch, so far for me the PfalzD3, F2b, HalbD3 (it could be many of the A-teams though). But it is early days! And my guess is that some decals will not work anymore, things like numbers etc although insignia can be fixed one way or another. It a nutshell, thats been my experience. A bit of work, but not overwhelming, yet still some niggly things to do.