VonS

Have been tweaking a few more YASim flight models recently , as well as re-painting skins, etc., for some Lester-Boffo models for FlightGear that I was not aware of until a couple of weeks ago. Specifically, I discovered an obscure Nieuport 10 at this link, as well as the Avro 504D over here. I also took the opportunity to re-visit some previous tweaks that I had done last year of Lester's Morane-Saulnier N, Albatros D.I, as well as Eastbourne Monoplane and Avro (Roe) IV Triplane. (The Eastbourne and IV Triplane are available, by the way, via the standalone addons link that is provided near the top of my previous post on the MiG-21bis; links to the Alb. D.I and Morane Bullet are located under this post.) Because the Lester-Boffo models are released under various non-GPL licences, I am providing only the tweaked FM files, for those interested - under the relevant mods download folder(s) that is linked to under the "about me" tab of my main profile page on CombatAce. Once you log into the mods folder, cycle to "05_FlightGearMods_VonS/FMtweaksUpdatesVarious" to find the relevant FM package. Among other things, the Avro 504D has been upgraded to the 504K variant with a 110 HP LeRhone rotary. Other changes include more precise attention to the "phantom shape" of the FM contours, comparing the YASim file in Blender ver. 2.79b alongside the 3-D model, per aircraft type (see representative pic below of the Nieup. 10 3-D model and resulting tweaks to the FM file; FM tweaks are visible in green). The general rule of thumb (and there may be several ) to YASim fine-tuning/tweaking is that FM contours/shapes (what I call the aircraft's "phantom shape") - and to paraphrase Patrick Wilson (of RB3D and PWCG for RoF/FC fame) - should not be obviously wrong in relation to the 3-D model itself. Having said that, there are two schools of thought that I have experimented with when tweaking various YASim files for myself that I think work well - (a) the 90+% accuracy rule between the FM and 3-D shape; and (b) the 70+% accuracy rule between the FM and 3-D shape (the latter more typical of my FM tweaks for various aircraft in Emmanual Baranger's FG Hangar). For the most part, perfectly acceptable FM results may be had by sticking with the 70+% accuracy rule - i.e., as long as the general shape of the aircraft is followed in the FM shape, the FM, at the end of the day, will be affected mostly by the parameters tweaked (e.g., drag values, min/max movement of control surfaces, twist values, camber, incidence, and whatnot). Whether or not one includes a sweep value, for example, for a wing that has no sweep - but in order to improve the FM - should not be of major concern if following the 70+% accuracy rule, and, really, in most cases such tweaks do their job acceptably. In those rare cases where you might choose to follow the 90+% accuracy rule, take your time in particular to juggle between sweep and taper values - to get wing shapes and elevator shapes, and rudder shapes, mostly correct. Also very important is careful manipulation of x, y, and z coordinates in such instances. As well be prepared to factor in, particularly for pre-WWI and WWI-era aircraft, the usually small rudder and/or elevator surfaces. Often, "effectiveness" values, if present for rudder and/or elevator, will have to be increased from previous (generic) numbers by a value of 0.2 to 0.3, or so - in order to compensate for the now more precise attention to shape, and area, of rudder, elevator, etc. A similar approach may be necessary for ailerons too - but is usually compensated adequately through manipulation of "lift" value alone, in such cases. While I am not convinced that the 90+% accuracy rule should be followed always when tweaking YASim models (i.e., to match extremely closely between the FM's phantom shape and the 3-D model's shape) - I am pleased by the results of the tweaks to the various Lester-Boffo models that I've selected for my FG "hangar." In most other cases, equally effective FM tweaks can be generated if the 70+% accuracy rule is followed, wherein there is a general approximation or semblance between the shape/area of the FM and actual shape of the aircraft modeled. I find both approaches convenient enough in the world of FlightGear, and certainly easier to follow than the non-visual approach to number crunching for FM tweaks that is typical of what I had to do for my extensive "FM & Realism Package for FE2," or even in the various xfm files for the WoFF series, several years ago. I might write up a softcover, 30 to 40 page print pamphlet regarding such endeavors, and perhaps to include tips for quick and practical flight model tweaking across the various sims I've dabbled in - and will maybe place it on Amazon sometime in the future (will see how things unfold with that idea; currently busy with other book projects). For brief suggestions regarding YASim FM tweaks in FlightGear, recommended are the following posts: (a) aoa, lift, drag, and other values; (b) cruise speed, approach speed, etc.; (c) twist values. See further below for some more pics from FlightGear ver. 2020.3.19, with FM tests of Lester-Boffo's Nieup. 10, Avro 504K, and Roe IV Tripe (stock FG scenery in the pics below, by the way; didn't turn on photo-realistic scenery for the flight tests). Cheers all,

Recommended is also to post here under the official RoF forums -- your question might get addressed more quickly that way. As far as I know, the eastern front was never fully implemented in any version of the PWCG - thus the peculiarities, of aircraft sometimes spawning inside of tents, on storage boxes, etc. The problem may be less noticeable on the eastern front in the beta ver. 3.x.x of the PWCG than in ver. 16.x.x -- but 3.x.x has its own problems, since it was more so optimized for the modern IL2 series. RoF, even with the venerable ver. 16.x.x of the PWCG, excels best at western front action (and squadron options). For good eastern front variety, as well as a middle eastern front and other exotic destinations - permit me to recommend First Eagles 2 (modded fully, it's the most expansive, theater-wise, of the WWI sims that are available). Cheers,

@warrior, files hosted on CombatAce require a subscription fee to download, as of Dec. 27, 2024 (see this post for more info.). For my various mods for the WoFF series, etc., see the info. under the "about me" tab of my main CombatAce profile. Good flying to you,

For FE2, I would definitely recommend gTerl's excellent, various Italian map terrains (as indicated above). Also very good are Stary's enhancements to stock western front terrains in FE2 (the latter were done for FE/FEgold, but work just as well in FE2). Regarding plane mods, I suggest looking at Stephen1918's hangar - superb and rare WWI aircraft may be found there, such as the Siemens-Schuckert D.I, etc. For flight model/damage model tweaks and enhancements, as well as for flight models to several beta aircraft done by Geezer years ago and never fully completed, recommended is to check the "about me" tab under my main CombatAce profile for more info. and/or mod information. FE2, properly modded, has some of the best flight models in any WWI flight sim (including when compared with Rise of Flight). Good flying to you,

Hello @Becker, BuckeyeBob's historical weather mods, as well as his cloud mods, are not compatible with the OTT expansion. As per Winding Man, the weather system has been changed/redone entirely in OTT. BB's weather/cloud mods continue of course to function well in pre-OTT versions of the WoFF series. In terms of the other mods, I'm sure the other modders will pitch in with helpful info. (technically, JJJ's mods were never updated for OTT, so definitely be careful if loading those in OTT, etc.). Cheers to you,

One more post for this thread that might be interesting for casual jet-jockey FlightGear fliers - I recently discovered that there is an old (maybe abandoned) MiG-21bis model available in the official FG_Addon hangar for the flight sim (Addon models may be downloaded standalone at this link, by the way). While there are newer forks of that abandoned aircraft, such as the fully-JSBSim model available here, and an avionics-upgraded YASim model featured here - I was more interested in converting the abandoned model in the official Addon hangar into a "stripped war surplus" and/or "privately owned" variant. Also, the other models appear to feature a combination of GPL and non-GPL files and sub-models so I wasn't interested in tinkering with those. The obsolete model that I have revamped, from the official FG_Addon hangar, is fully GPL compliant. On that note, several changes were implemented, some of which include: - removal of the JSBSim flight model that remained incomplete and of JSBSim code interspersed throughout several files (strangely the model featured two flight models, one JSBSim and the other YASim) - light recoloring of some textures, such as afterburner, cockpit, pilot, etc. - removal of the gunsight and radar entirely from the aircraft - removal of all weapons - removal of wing pylons for a cleaner look - enabling of animation of wheels while rotating - enabling of fully functioning air brake (previously only the front, not the rear, air brakes would deploy in my install for example) - removal of the brake "chute" entirely - removal of the external fuel tank - removal of the strange ejection feature that would keep the ejected pilot hovering about 30 meters above the aircraft, etc. - extensive re-tweaking of the YASim flight model to increase drag and stall values, to decrease empty weight and lift values, to increase top speed, to de-sensitize control surface movement, also re-working of landing gear values, etc. - modification/transplantation of several sounds (I found that the stock sounds were not very representative of an early, fast jet aircraft) Main controls are now: -----> ctrl + b (to deploy/retract air brakes) -----> shift + q (to cut fuel flow to the engine) -----> to turn off lights, press the forward slash (" / ") on your keyboard to access the property window/browser in FG, and then scroll to "controls/lighting" General performance stats. are now: - stall speed with gears extended and full flaps, about 160 kts - stall speed with gears retracted and no flaps, about 190 kts - take note that stalls sometimes occur as high as 250 kts or so, depending on turn tightness, angle of attack, etc. - land at about 200 kts - takeoffs are good at around 250 kts - top speed with full afterburner tested at around 25,000 to 30,000 feet alt., attaining 1330 kts (2460 kph or so); the MiG-21 historically can attain similar top speeds at alt. of 2300-2400 kph, but be prepared for a short flight (fuel runs out in less than 5 mins. that way I think) - glides well enough if speed above 300 kts or so; watch for pancaking drops if below 250 kts approximately (may not be aware of the dangerous transition if not paying attention to climb rate/descent, etc.) ----- The modified (YASim) MiG-21bis ("stripped/civilian variant") is available via the link included below the pic that follows (click on the pic to access a test flight/demonstration video, if interested). See my main profile, under the "about me" tab, for relevant download links. Good flying to you in early, noisy, high-powered jets,

Brief update to this thread -- an Enhancement Package (with minor shader tweaking, improved FPS, etc.) has been released recently for the "Unfriendly Skies" upgrade to WoTR BoF. Recommended is to check over this lengthier post for more info., and to follow the links contained therein to download the relevant package. Cheers & good WoTRing to you (in unfriendly skies),

Hello Tonci, excellent catch there with those strange .mos files -- perhaps that will be the ticket for using newer versions of the AMD DLLs with the WoFF series. Here's hoping that it all pans out well. In terms of .mos files themselves, I haven't researched how the WoFF (CFS3) engine actually uses them, but .mos usually refers to "Leaf camera raw file" (i.e., raw camera binary format developed by Leaf Imaging). To convert .mos files to other image formats, check over the program called Filestar* (the free version seems capable enough --- see this link). NOTE: see Pol's response below mine -- the .mos files used in the WoFF series are not raw image files, but instead data files that control texture overlays and other related details. (Thanks Pol for the clarification.) Cheers,

Glad that it solves the problem with the PWCG. Unfortunately I can't help with stock career oddities in RoF -- my various mods were only tested in quick combat mode in RoF, as well as using ver. 16.x.x of the PWCG. It's possible that incompatibilities emerge between my AI mod(s) and the stock career options in RoF, as well as with the newer/beta ver. 3.x.x of the PWCG. If flying using the stock career options, recommended is to avoid using the AI mod(s), but the DM mod should be fine to use. Cheers,

Hello Rwmierzwa, look for the entries called "MaxTurbulence" and "MaxWind" in the "RofCampaignSpecific" files provided in either of my RoF-mods packages that are available under the first post of this thread. Those values can also be changed from within the settings panel of the PWCG for RoF - but recommended, especially if running my "Version 3" modulations files - is to change the numbers for any entries manually (from within the "RofCampaignSpecific" files themselves). Cheers,

Hello Hiuuz, the AI takeoff problem is largely linked to strong winds and/or turbulence. Might be the case that some of the weather values in my AI mods are making it difficult for the AI-flown aircraft to operate always (and consistently) in very rough weather, especially with the Albatroses for some reason. Recommended is to reduce the turbulence value to 2 or 3, also wind speeds to less than 8 or 9 m/s (such values are close to stock) - in order that the AI always takes off easily. It's unfortunate that the AI is so limited in its takeoff routine by stronger weather values in RoF - also troublesome are AI landing procedures even with stock weather (I don't know if landing routines were ever improved in the FC series since I never bothered with the latter). If I ever decide on tinkering further with an AI mod for RoF - I will see if anything more is possible with the AI behavior. My general observation at this point in time is that nothing further can be done with the AI because the sim is so locked to more extensive (and much needed) modding. Cheers,

While I don't care much for "big iron" aircraft and have always preferred single-engine, piston-powered contraptions in the various flight sims out there (e.g., FE2, the WoFF series, RoF) - I do appreciate the classic Boeing 707 that I have downloaded for FlightGear, as well as the handsome tri-jet that is/was the DC-10. On that note I have downloaded the standalone install for the DC-10, a model created by Ryan Miller several years ago for FG. The model is as well available via the main launcher (in the sim) but I prefer the standalone route that allows me to place aircraft into my "custom aircraft" folder in FG. While the DC-10 is technically in beta stage, with some details missing from the cockpit - the autopilot, flight model, external 3D model, etc., are all complete. The aircraft can be found at this link. Please find included under the representative pic. that follows further below a zipped file that contains an improved sounds folder, as well as a modified FM file for the DC-10. In stock form the aircraft was too twitchy, requiring de-sensitization of several values. It is now more comfortable to fly, with takeoffs and landings being more manageable. The sounds folder has borrowed some sounds from the 707, and mixed them with those of the DC-10 - for a more noticeable rumble, especially when listening externally to the DC-10's engines as they whine and roar. Internal sounds are now also somewhat smoother. The supplied, modified FM is only for the standard DC-10-30 provided by Ryan Miller (no modifications were done for the tanker and cargo variants). If you prefer to fly cargo, it's easy enough to re-name some of the supplied skins so that a cargo skin is visible when flying the modified DC-10-30 FM. Also, because the aircraft was (unfortunately) left in beta stage, there is no in-cockpit way to turn off the engines. Instead, to turn off engines, do as follows: a) press the forward slash (" / ") on your keyboard to access the property window/browser in FG b) scroll to "controls/engines" c) choose "controls/engines/engine" and highlight the option called "cutoff" (change the stock value of "false" to "true," and click "Set") d) repeat the same procedure outlined in step (c) for the other two engines called "engine1" and "engine2" ("engine1" is the middle engine, by the way, underneath the tail section of the DC-10) To turn engines on, choose "auto-start" from the in-sim menu. EDIT: June 21, 2024 - have uploaded a further revised FM file for the DC-10-30 that includes slightly less thrust for the engines, a slightly reduced empty weight, as well as a more historical cruise alt., and less fuel capacity (the second, central aux. fuel tank has been removed that was standard on the DC-10-30ER); the FM file now more accurately represents the non-ER version of the DC-10-30. (Picture displays a slight modification of the 'CP Air' livery for the 'DC-10' in 'FG,' done by Emmanuel Savage; such livery was used in the 1970s and 80s on the now defunct airline.) See my main profile, under the "about me" tab, for relevant download links. Happy flying,

For those who (like me) have recently discovered the excellent Cessna 170B that is available for FlightGear, you might be interested in downloading the small zipped file that is linked to under the representative pic. below. Files included in the package are organized according to correct folder placement/hierarchy; simply unzip, copy over/replace to your C170B folder, and the modifications are implemented. Modifications are minor. A few values have been tweaked for the JSBSim FM of the 170B (e.g., increasing drag values for extended flaps; reducing lift capability slightly for the elevator, as well as for extended flaps; de-tuning of aileron and rudder movement slightly for less twitchy and sensitive behavior; slightly increasing friction nos. for the wheels to minimize risk of perpetual roll on tarmac with engine idle and/or off; slowing of flap extension speed for more natural/hydraulic behavior; etc.). EDIT: June 21, 2024 - since stumbling onto the excellent 170B project, I have managed to tweak the JSBSim FM further for myself (to desensitize the aircraft a bit more), as well as re-colored the skins, changed the engine sound file, and tweaked the beacon light to fit better the re-colored skins (as well as lowered the pilot seating/view position). The finalized update (located below) also includes four engine variants for the C170B: the standard Continental O-300-A, a Lycoming O-320, the Continental IO-370 upgrade, as well as a Franklin O-350 option. The O-300-A and O-320 engines are now linked to a fixed pitch prop set to 25 degrees. The IO-370 and Franklin O-350 are now linked to a slightly improved prop (compared to the stock version), but with no blade pitch specified. Further tweaked as much as possible has been fuel consumption rate (was too high previously); also included now are realistic (historical) degrees for min/max control movement of rudder, ailerons and elevator; and ram air intake has been enabled on the various engine types provided, to increase top speed by a few knots. The different FM files now operate as a pop-down window when the Cessna 170B is installed into the "custom aircraft" folder of FlightGear, for your convenience (simply choose the engine variant you wish to from within FlightGear, load the aircraft, and go fly). Approximate (revised) performance stats. per engine type at full throttle, as per the Version 6 package that is available below the representative pic.: 124 knots (230 kph) at 1000 feet alt. with O-300-A (145 HP); climb about 750 feet/min at 65 knots speed* 125.7 knots (233 kph) at 1000 feet alt. with O-320 (150 HP); climb about 1000 feet/min at 65 knots speed* 142 knots (263 kph) at 1000 feet alt. with IO-370 (195 HP); climb about 1400 feet/min at 70 knots speed** 145.5 knots (269 kph) at 1000 feet alt. with Franklin_O-350 (220 HP); climb about 1550 feet/min at 70 knots speed** * prop pitch fixed to 25 degrees in the stock prop file ** prop pitch not fixed/specified in the improved prop file My tweaked FM for the C170B/Super 170 uses (very) slightly increased coefficient/friction nos. for the left/right and tail gears; recommended, if taking off from grass, is to lift the tail as soon as possible to build enough speed. The "Version 6" package contains my final set of revisions for the C170B (all revisions are based on the stock C170B FM that was kindly provided for the project by A. Fernández; all revisions also include more realistic basic drag and induced drag values suggested by "Ysop" of the FlightGear forums). To keep track of future FM revisions/additions, please see the official link for the C170B located at the top of this post. The revisions linked to below are attempts to recreate historical/recorded performance brackets by tweaking the stock FM file as best as possible. Thank you to Adrián Fernández for the original model and textures for this fine (retro) aircraft. See my main profile, under the "about me" tab, for relevant download links. Good flying to you,

One more small update for this thread before I retreat temporarily into work mode - as per relevant info. in my previous post, have now done further tests and it is indeed possible to load DDS terrain files directly into FE2 (simplest is to point to relevant DDS files from within the general data ini file that resides in the "Terrains" folder). Having said that, one peculiarity about loading of DDS terrains, instead of BMP ones - is that trees, buildings, other objects, etc., do not show up anymore. Once DDS files are converted to BMP format, on the other hand (as seen in the pics. in my previous post) - trees and buildings once again nicely come through. So, unlike FlightGear that siphons in PNG-to-DDS converted satellite imagery (when its photo-scenery option is set up), FE2/SF2 would require conversion of DDS to BMP files, so as not to smother out the added immersion of objects and trees already present in/on the ThirdWire terrains. Couple of pics. below with DDS ortho/photo-scenery being tested in the Mesopotamian theater in FE2. Graphics look quite good to me but unfortunate is the loss of trees and whatnot - so it's back to conversion to BMP format. Also, as evident in the pics. below, with careful choice of satellite photos the effects are not too jarring between different tiles when all are placed together. Not too bad for initial, manual placement of tiles - but very tricky to place correctly once you get towards rivers, seas/oceans, shorelines, and so on. The job of a terrain modeler is not an easy one - virtual drinks on the house for all terra-formers, also for object-placement ini file crunchers. One thing I particularly like about the satellite photo-scenery options in FlightGear is that, if you like, you can set things up in such a way that the scenery downloading/siphoning mechanism follows your aircraft as you fly, and nicely drops correctly placed terrains below, around, and in front of your flying path. Such a feature requires, once the photo-scenery siphoning system is set up, that you make sure to feed the following command/property to FlightGear itself: --telnet=5000 The photo-siphoning mechanism then connects to local IP no. 127.0.0.1 (i.e., "localhost") on port 5000 and "feeds" satellite imagery to FlightGear as soon as terrain images are downloaded. Such an automatized process makes unnecessary the hassle of manually attempting to place photo-scenery tiles in correct places and positions. (Scenery can also be saved locally, for later offline use - without always having to re-download images.) While there is no multiplayer capability in FE2 - theoretically, if the "telnet=5000" command could somehow be fed to the FE2.exe itself - then a simple re-duplication of one of the more accessible photo-siphoning mechanisms used by FlightGear (e.g., the Julia programming app linked to a photo-scenery Julia add-on) - might work for FE2 too. Will post further thoughts in this thread if I find that there is any way to get the photo-scenery siphoning system to "talk" (establish a telnet connection) with FE2. Otherwise, it will be a very slow process of manually picking through, and choosing, satellite tiles - and that will be called up via the general data ini that's in the terrains folder. Cheers all (& good dreams about auto-loading of satellite imagery in FE2),

Hi All, Have been doing a bit of tinkering lately with my FlightGear install (see this thread for more info.) - and results are pleasing enough in what is a free, open-source flight sim. Managed eventually to get accurate photo-scenery working in FG, which is a noticeable improvement over the stock (dated) scenery that has been available in that sim for years on end (see pic. below for photo-scenery at work in FG, in this case in the Mesopotamian/s. Iraqi area; the Alb. D.I is a re-skin and FM-overhaul of a model done by Lester Boffo). On a hunch, I then converted a bunch of the photo-tiles from FG (stock format is DDS) to BMP format - so that they become visible in the FE2 terrains folder - and it does indeed work - but would require careful, aesthetic choices regarding what tiles to replace in the terrains folder, such as farms, cities, deserts, etc. - for best cohesion and not too many jarring disconnects between tiles. Nice to see that stock trees and buildings are populating over the satellite/ortho-terrains too, in FE2. Photo-scenery is simply an improved "satellite" carpet that covers the stock scenery and terrain framework in FlightGear - and by extension works the same way in the ThirdWire sims but requires manual conversion to BMP format and manual placement in the terrains folder (perhaps the DDS format would work too, but I didn't bother tinkering with the various settings/text files this time around in the terrains folder). The other good thing about FlightGear is that it is fully under the GNU GPL (General Public License; i.e., "copy-left" license) - so there are no copyright problems that I know of if one borrows such ortho-scenery for FE2 too (haven't bothered to test with SF2). And if working on such a terrain swap as a personal project - that is of course even simpler. A few representative pics. below with just a few ortho-scenery tiles placed over Stephen1918's upgrade of the Mesopotamian theater for FE2. Results look pretty good, particularly when flying higher up, and I haven't noticed any FPS drop with the photo-scenery tiles loaded. Some old tiles are still in place in the pics., for comparative purposes. Any empty areas are where I didn't bother to load tiles. Anyway - I hope you find this post interesting - it's perhaps the "cheapest" way of upgrading tiles across the various theaters available for FE2. If I find enough free time I might tinker further with this side-project; will post comments if the results prove particularly successful. Cheers & good flying,