VonS

Greetings gents' and fellow flyers, I also have no objections to my modded FM files for Geezer's Martinsyde being used in WOFF should Buddy1998 be interested in using the alternate/hard FM mods - I also have no objections to any of my other FM mods being used in WOFF - providing that the plane modders for those types have given their approval that the planes be used in WOFF. I recommend that Buddy1998 contact Laton, TexMurphy, etc., directly, since many of those modders don't seem to have logged on here for years. Further to this entertaining topic, I should caution Buddy1998 that my FM mods may likely not behave the same way in the WOFF environment as they do in FE2 - so good luck re-tweaking those since I won't be doing any FM mods for WOFF, nor do I know how to implement FM mods in WOFF...as far as I know, it's much more difficult to apply FM tweaks in WOFF (I'll leave that to the OBD guys who develop WOFF). For example, some types in WOFF require more rudder input than types in FE2 - other types require less rudder input, having more sensitive rudders than in FE2. Also keep in mind that aileron sensitivity varies across several types when the FE2/WOFF universes are compared. Another thing to keep in mind is the different stall speeds (on average about 20kph higher in WOFF across several types, but this may also be the result of other factors). Top speeds are similar when compared to my modded FMs for FE2 and are historical. Also simulated in WOFF is vertical wind (turbulence or vertical wind as imitating turbulence), while FE2 does horizontal wind adequately (still working on how to implement vertical wind in FE2). As well, engines cut out for several types when in negative Gs (in WOFF, as reminiscent of RB3D) - this I'm still analyzing for FE2 since it is currently not modelled in FE2. All of these things affect how the FM behaves in both sims. It's probably a good idea to contact Ojcar and Peter01 too, since several of my FM mods are further tweaks to Ojcar/Peter01 FMs - others are direct mods of older Laton/TexMurphy FMs, plus one or two mods of Bortdafarm FMs. Happy flying, Von S

Hi Mike, The only things I can think of that might be of help to toggle are the following two settings in the options.ini file: UseAdvancedShaders= ForceDX9= As per VonOben, the best settings for these vary by operating system...hope it helps. Happy flying, Von S

June 16, 2017 Update: A few new planes added (200HP Alb. D.Va, Spandau-armed Fokk. E.II, Etrich Taube, early Morane Parasol types), also MaxG limits for lift surfaces, and damage rating and structural factor tweaks implemented across the rest of the data inis. Further FM updates to the Farman and Anatra types, and Halb. D.V, are included. As well added are modifications to wind speeds, for greater realism, and changes to wind speed sounds and speeds in the aircraft object ini file, for greater immersion and spotting of differences between indicated airspeed and speed relative to ground. New wind/stall sounds are included, also new sounds for the 100 and 200HP (auv) Mercedes engines. Please consult the included "Read Me" file for more thorough info. and installation instructions. Happy flying!, Von S

Edit to my post above: the static observers/riflemen have been installed into the early Farman and Fokker two-seater types...haven't experimented with installing the animated observer from the Taube, but I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. Happy flying, Von S

They sure can, and already done for the ver. 8.9 FM update...will upload the pack within the next day or two. Happy flying, Von S

Hello friend, The following settings under the Options.ini file, in the user folder for FE2, give me excellent frame rates with no stutter. Also good is to tone down the graphics settings in the game menu to "medium." My suggestions are of course for FE2, which uses two processor cores. FE1/FEgold are not multi-core, so my advice may not be as effective there, although it doesn't hurt to tinker with the settings. At any rate, FE2 has always had better frame rates than FE1/gold even without tinkering: http://combatace.com/topic/16272-ini-tweaks-and-changes/?p=732698 Happy flying, Von S

Hello FE2 Flyers, If you'd like your rifle-armed observer a bit more aggressive or double-jointed in Stephen's beautiful Taube, try the following code for the [Gunner] entry of the data ini, under // Crew: GunRange=300 PitchModelNodeName=Body PitchAngleRate=35 MaxPitch=50 MinPitch=-20 DefaultPitchAngle=25 YawLimited=TRUE YawModelNodeName=Body YawAngleRate=35 MaxYaw=220 MinYaw=70 DefaultYawAngle=90 His feet rarely poke out of the fuselage this way, while attacks on the Taube will lead to more frequent responses by the observer. Happy flying, Von S

Should be easy enough to retrofit this if you wish gents. The relevant entries under [Gunner] in your data inis to tweak are: PitchAngleRate MaxPitch MinPitch DefaultPitchAngle YawAngleRate MaxYaw MinYaw DefaultYawAngle For the rifle-armed observers that I'm fitting onto some of the early types (for a ver. 8.9 FM update), I've found that it's good enough simply to tweak the max and min pitch values, for realistic clearance for shots (to account for top wings, limitations of observer movement, etc.). Also, don't forget to set your GunnerAimOffset value under the [AIData] section either to 0.07 or 0.08, as per this thread/post: http://combatace.com/topic/90596-gunneraimoffset-ai-parameter/?p=732495 Haven't bothered with testing the new offset values for the rifle-armed observers since they seem too accurate as is, often holing your fuel tank if you come up very close behind , but the new offsets should help with machine-gun armed observer accuracy. Happy flying, Von S

Thank you for this lovely early war bird Stephen - I feel like a kid in a toy store, great stuff! Happy flying, Von S

Hello FE2 Flyers, This may be buried deep somewhere in the posts on the CombatAce forums, but I stumbled on these very good settings for the options.ini file in your user folder for FE2 and thought I'd include it here under the stickies for ini tweaks (this works wonders on lower-end and integrated graphics cards...gave me an extra 20fps at least, let alone with the other, earlier recommendations for lower-end cards, to run all settings at no higher than medium from within the in-game menu). Under the GraphicsOptions section of your options.ini file, make sure that the following few settings are set as follows: AntiAliasing=2 (yes this is the best setting, avoid 0, while 4 and 8 are okay for high-end cards) UseAdvancedShaders=1 (set this to 1 to enable it, it is good for low-end and high-end cards...adds about 10fps) ForceDX9=FALSE (don't set this to true, I tested and noticed a fps drop of about 10 frames, sometimes more, when it's enabled, better to leave this at false and let DX10 do its wonders) ForceVSyncOff=TRUE (setting this from false to true added another 10fps approximately to my FE2 install, with no screen tearing showing up, which is very good) Happy flying, Von S

Hi Mike, Glad to hear that the analysis of the offset numbers has helped you out with the AI settings. Yes, I'm also getting good evasive action from the AI using the 0.08 value, and some great deflection shots that, while not always deadly, do chew up a piece of my elevator or rudder if I'm not careful in dogfights. I think your analysis of the numbers is correct - there was something strange with the large figures for the offsets that I noticed in some of the data inis, with assumed target speeds in excess of an SR-71 as you put it. The correct range for offset values from what I could study is between 0.01 and 0.1. Anything outside those numbers will lead to unhistorical results in FE2. Happy flying, Von S

Many thanks for this modification of the Anatra D Stephen - it will make an excellent addition to my eastern front folder. Great to see mods and additions still coming out for FE2, well done! Happy flying, Von S

Hello fellow FE2 flyers, Further testing of the GunnerAimOffset parameter in the general aircraft ai ini file has led me to the following conclusion: The default value of 0.05 is half-way between lowest accuracy for aim offset, and highest accuracy in offset. While there are other factors at work, testing in one-on-one dogfights between a Fokk. E.IIa and Nieu. 16 Vickers for example has given me the following impressions: With values of 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, etc., for aim offset, the AI has trouble hitting me with deflection or side shots when it is further than about 200-300 meters away. The default value of 0.05 gives mixed results. Values of about 0.07, 0.08, also 0.09, give much better hit rate for the AI in side/deflection shots that happen when they are more than about 300 meters away. A value of 0.1 should, theoretically, give the most accurate deflection shots but I'm getting better results in the 0.07-0.09 range. Will therefore leave my offset value at 0.08 in the general aircraft ai ini file. I did tests at values of 0.005, 0.001 too, and found that deflection shots were about as inaccurate at further distances as a value of 0.01 would give. Tests at high numbers, of about 2.000, 5.000, also 10.000, were no more accurate than at a value of 0.1 - and usually worse than the "golden" range of 0.07 to 0.09. So, we have: 0.01 - lowest accuracy when offsetting for deflection/side shots 0.05 - default value, gives varied results 0.07-0.09 - best accuracy when offsetting for deflection (especially at 300+ meters distances) 0.1 - theoretical max. for best accuracy but gives flaky results Happy flying, Von S

Hi Mike, It's possible that that value means "offset for moving target" - my guess anyway but now that you mention it, the value does require testing. The value of 0.0050 that you've given is the defaul value under the aidata section of data inis for many of the add-on planes for FE/FE2. Most of the stock data inis lack the gunneraimoffset value, which is then determined by the game itself. I "think" that FE2's default value for this is 0.050. I'm getting some good (but rare) deflection shots from the AI using my tweaked general aircraftaidata file that carries the offset value of 0.080 and the following cannon fire angles per dogfight skill level: novice CannonFireAngle=10 green CannonFireAngle=12 regular CannonFireAngle=16 veteran CannonFireAngle=20 ace CannonFireAngle=24 The offset value of 12 that you've also included is probably too high - something in the range of 0.0050 to 1.000 should be where most experiments take place. I will test with offsets of 1.0, 0.5, 0.05, and 0.005 to see if there are any major differences - will comment after testing. Happy flying, Von S

Hello fellow FE/FE2 flyers, More experiments with cloud types, subtler wind speeds, and flare effects, among other things...also FM tweaks for several new models...have kept me busy. Will roll all of this eventually into a ver. 8.9 FM update pack, but thought I'd post a few pics of work in progress. The WOFF-style clouds are a 1MB compressed version of an obscure (4MB) Stary cloud that he did a while back for SF or SF2 (good for high fps); the sun and flare effects are also from one of his transitional environment patches for SF/SF2...but they give a nice effect in FE2. The atmosphere is particularly good with two new wind and stall sounds (from the public domain) that I'll include with the ver. 8.9 update - they are an improvement from the default wind/stall sounds. Also more tweaks of realistic cloud heights and sun size in the environsys ini file have improved things I think (for low-end cards). And yes, that's the late model (rare) D.Va in the bottom two pics that I've decided to include, powered by the Mercedes 200hp (auv) engine (not the 180hp au that was typical by the summer of '18). With a top speed close to 200 kph - it's an entertaining addition for the Western theater from about Sept. of '18. Happy flying, Von S

Hi Mike, That is strange indeed. Have now retested with various types, also the early Alb. D.II and the D.I, and I can definitely crash into friendlies. Pic below. Von S P.S. PM me if you would like me to send my aircraft object ini file to you - perhaps that is where the problem is.

Hi Mike, I've had friendly/friendly collisions on a few occasions - and friendly/enemy head on collisions a few times - but it seems to be greatly reduced using the general aircraft ai data ini tweaks that I've been trying out over the last several months (particularly the Nov. and Dec. 2016 versions of those tweaks). Happy flying, Von S

Hi Mike, Yes, your MaxG values look realistic - have now looked into my latest update for the Albatri (ver. 8.7). I have values, for example, for the Alb D.5 (160HP version) - the most "fragile" supposedly of the v-strutter Albs. - ranging from MaxG 4.4 for the top left and right wing to MaxG 4.0 for the bottom left and right wing, including MaxG 3.9 for bottom left and right wing tips. For the slightly more robust Alb. varieties (D.3, 5a), my values range from about 4.0 to 4.6, etc. - and slightly above 5.0 for the D.I and II types. I also see that the structural factor value for the top left and right wing is 1.2, while there are no structural factors implemented for lower wing panels (meaning that they default to 1.0) - this is for the Alb D.5 (I have reduced structural factor numbers only on a few of the types, where I noticed that they were too high in the 4-6 range). Ideally, structural factor numbers for the WWI types should not exceed about 3.5 or 4 - otherwise it's excessive. I look forward to more of these experiments. Will also try out the lower PilotGLimits you've included - they look much more realistic. Happy flying, Von S

Stimulating technical questions gents', with real implications in FE/FE2. In my revised FMs, I've gone for a spectrum of possibilities, ranging from about MaxG 2.5 for the very early types, to about 5.5 or 5.8 MaxG on the late-war types like the Viper Se5a, the Phonix, etc. I've also noticed that planes where MaxG values exceed about 4.3 to 4.5 tend to be very acrobatic in flight - the AI of course doesn't "black out" in such maneuvers. Mike's suggestion of a limit of about 3.5 MaxG seems about right to avoid the AI engaging in excessive maneuvers - this of course will require that the human-flown types are also handled more gently - especially if you include MaxG values for all lift surfaces of no higher than about 3.5. Lowering the MaxG values across the types will also result in more structural failure even for the AI-flown types, post-damage. I will leave my specturm of MaxG possibilities in place as I go forward with the FM updates, but this is an area worth experimenting with. Another possibility is to lower Structural Factor numbers across lift surfaces - this may also tame the AI flight behavior on some types, and will also increase the risk of structural failure, even without tweaking MaxG values. Happy flying, Von S

Hello friend, I doubt that modified data inis are causing the freezes and crashes. It's most likely some other file. I've experienced this on occasion if trying to do a custom load on the plane types, in the FE2 menu, or if modifying the number of planes in my flight - and if I am using a custom missioncontrol.ini file (such as from the excellent medals pack by Capt. Vengeur). Removing the missioncontrol.ini file from my Flight folder allows me to do custom loadouts before a flight begins - although removing it probably ruins the way medals are awarded in the Vengeur pack - so I leave that ini file in place and go with default mission loadouts, depending on mission type. This is in reference to single missions in FE, bottled into WineSkin on a Mac. I am assuming that a newer version of the Wine wrapper fixes this problem, and also allows Campaign mode to work - will test one of these days. Currently I am on WS8Wine1.5.1 (version of the wrapper) - since it gives excellent fps on integrated video cards - about 70 to 90 fps on average, although it goes as high as 150 sometimes. Happy flying, Von S

Hello FE2 flyers, Here are some minor tweaks for pilot seating position in several of the types (under the "Crew" section of the data inis), so that feet don't stick out from the bottom of the fuselage (will roll this into an 8.9 update). For the Nieu. 17, 17bis, 23, and 23bis, use: Position=0.0,-0.70,0.35 For the Nieu. 24bis, use: Position=0.0,-1.0,0.70 (The wwiPilotNew3 is a good one to substitute for the old blocky-head one on the 24bis, for PilotModelName, by the way.) For the Hanriot HD.1, use: Position=0.0,-0.95,0.75 For the Nieu. 27 and 27(FAS), use: Position=0.0,-1.0,0,72 The Nieu. 10, 11, 12, and 16 types, also the Hanriot HD.2 (seaplane), are fine as is. Happy flying, Von S

Hello FE2 flyers, Have modified my N28 data ini file some more (previously updated for the ver. 8.6 FM update pack) - to reflect structural failures sometimes seen historically on the top wing of the type. Lowered the MaxG values a bit for the top wing, and also put in the Ansaldo pilot and changed his seating coordinates - I think he works well in the N28 (don't forget to download the Ansaldo from the downloads section for FE2 if you are missing that pilot in your Pilots folder). Will include these tweaks with a ver. 8.9 update pack - but in the meantime here it is, and some more observations on the N28 (as per my tweaks). 1. use lots of rudder to execute tight turns (relying on ailerons only usually leads to sloppy turns and stalls) - if you are dropping below about 85kph in a turn, drop the nose down and don't touch the ailerons, to get out of an impending stall - best turns use rudder liberally and slight opposite aileron to avoid sloppiness - this will give you nice, tight turns that usually don't drop below about 100 or 90 kph 2. the type takes off best around 100 kph 3. it's climb envelope is fairly good - it seems to want "naturally" to climb around 120 kph (climbing in the 120s or 130s kph will give you its best climb rate of about 3.5 to 4 m/s) - climbing from about 100 to 120 kph is good too, and gives about 3 m/s - the type can be climbed as low as the 60s kph, before stalling, but anything below about 80kph in a climb is useless (giving about 1.5 m/s) 4. the type is tough in a dive to about 280 kph - trying to pull out of dives exceeding about 300 kph is nearly impossible in the type (the elevator becomes unresponsive to input at those speeds...at slow speeds the elevator is very sensitive, as is the rudder)...you will hear some creaking when exiting dives at speeds exceeding about 220 kph, but it's a fairly tough bird 5. the easiest way to take out the type is by getting rid of one of the ailerons (this will cause the AI usually to go into a stall, and crash) 6. the type is also good for ground strafing since the nose can be brought up quickly, at speeds below about 200 kph 7. don't be rough when exiting power dives that exceed about 220-230 kph , since the top wing has now been made slightly more fragile than the bottom one Happy flying, Von S

I vote for choice number 1 . I like the two circles inside the Aldis sight - looks very historical. If this can be done for the stock Aldis sight in FE2 - I see no need to remove the Aldis from the Se5a then. Glowing circles are nice but probably work better for WW2-era stuff and later, with those reflector and gyro gunsights developed in the 30s...then again, for golden age aircraft like Geezer's, glowing circles might work well too - don't know specifically when gunsights on aircraft abandoned WWI technology fully. Happy flying, Von S