VonS

Hello, Generally speaking, WoFF engine management is much simpler than what is available in RoF. In terms of older WoFF versions, I think that OBD Software only ever sells the current/latest version of WoFF - recommended, however, is to contact them directly regarding availability of older patches, if interested in those. Cheers,

Hello, Glad you found the info. interesting. For even more context, I recommend the following three posts that are found on p.1 of the "New in FE2" thread: Engine Management Across Some Flight Sims (see bottom half of that particular post) Thoughts on Rudder Effectiveness in FE2 and RoF Spin Recovery Techniques in FE2 In terms of WoFF FMs, mostly solid since about the WoFF UE (Ultimate Ed.) era circa 2016/17, and user-accessible since at least then via xfm files. In stock form, the WoFF FMs are spin-averse. Currently working on a spin-friendly upgrade for myself, with a few representative vids available on FE2 on a Mac (look for "FrankenWoFF" videos while there). Other thoughts relevant to WoFF -- from what I have been able to observe, turbulence is more subtle now (frequent micro-bursts) since about the base BH&H2 era (circa 2021 or so); previously, up to the PE add-on period (Platinum Ed.), circa 2019, turbulence would occur in broader and more noticeable waves, more obviously changing in frequency per season (one of the reasons I stuck with an older exe for WoFF, etc.). I no longer provide my FM packs for WoFF publicly, however, since my WoFF install is too hybridized and doesn't function as a baseline test-bed anymore. For more info. on the WoFF state of things, regarding FM tweaks -- I recommend checking over the following post on the SimHQ threads (that entire thread is on the SPAD 7 in WoFF, by the way, and is worth a look). Good flying to you,

@Leondus, It's possible that you have the first generation of First Eagles (or First Eagles Gold) -- therefore no presence of the First Eagles 2 folder in your username/Saved Games/ThirdWire directory. Cheers,

As far as I know that's the only official place/store where FE2 can still be bought - price has remained the same there for many years already, by the way. Good thing is that it is a "one hit" purchase, and all the mods are of course free. Good flying to you,

Yes, by "better FM" I am referring to a more thorough and authentic representation, within the sim environment, of historical flight characteristics per early aircraft type, such as for WWI. While generally it's the case that the RoF/FC flight models are highly praised, I find turbulence effects over-done in that franchise (speaking from experience with RoF). Also strange to me are some of the spin recovery techniques required in RoF (perhaps also in FC; don't care to own FC so can't comment on it). And last, recommended is, for those interested in studying RoF/FC flight behavior - to check over the difficulties in properly landing/flaring the Nieuport 17, and to some extent the Fokk. Dr.I. Most troublesome is the Nieup. 17 that usually requires a slight incline (on a field) to be plopped down while still in control of the aircraft. I think it was AnKor, of DX8-to-DX9 conversion fame for the WoFF series, who remarked on one of the now abandoned and dismantled RoF forums (the initial one that was taken down sometime around 2023) -- that aileron and rudder control may be "subtly" linked in RoF. This would account for some of the landing oddities as seen with the RoF Nieup. 17 -- a situation which doesn't allow for full cross-control to avoid wing tip damage or spin-outs upon landing. If I had to guess based on sim flight feeling, I'd say there's approximately a 10 to 20% "Ercoupe Lite"* rudder/aileron coupling present in RoF -- subtle enough not to be spotted by the novice flier but still present. At any rate, First Eagles 2 is free of such things and provides the full FM spectrum of historical possibilities, and also allows for more (semi)-conventional spin recovery. The feeling of flight (to me) is most organic in FE2 -- on par with a properly-tuned YASim** FDM in FlightGear. Recommended is to check over some of the FE2 and FG (FlightGear) vids on FE2 on a Mac for visual demonstration of high-fidelity sim flight behavior. See also the RoF vs. FE2 video over here. NOTES: * The Ercoupe series of aircraft of the circa 1940s had rudder-aileron control fully coupled via the control/steering stick (no rudder bar was present). Rudder pedals and/or bars began to be installed as an option by the 1950s and particularly by the 1960s/70s, for those who were interested in getting rid of the rudder-aileron coupling. ** YASim is a flight model solver based mostly on aircraft geometry and shape. FE2 uses extensive data ini (initialization) tables that allow for thorough tweaking of several hundreds of lines of code. Both work realistically when properly tuned. RoF/FC doesn't allow for user tweaking of flight model parameters, etc. Cheers to you,

For those interested, and as relevant to the comment quoted, now's a good time to re-link to my (vintage) post for "DiD Rules" flying*, in single rolling missions, in FE2 -- in some ways, it gives historical results that are as close to, if not better (with an eerie randomness to boot), than the many variables of the living world campaign engine that the WoFF series offers. DiD Style Single Missions for FE2 https://combatace.com/forums/topic/92423-did-style-single-missions-for-fe2/ * NOTE: see also the after-flight reports there if you enjoy hardcore immersion. (The DiD rules work best with single missions but they might be adaptable to full campaigning too; personally I prefer the full-on historical randomness of the single mission generator - no telling what aircraft, if any, you might run into, etc.) Good flying to you with a self-imposed & historically authentic rule-set in FE2,

Some good info. in this thread - I especially like the tip about the ExternalClipDistMin tweak in the cockpit.ini files - an obscurity dating back to that old Mue post. Haven't had any need for that tweak but a nice one to remember. In terms of ammo. level reduction -- that's certainly one way of introducing historical flying -- the other way is to reduce the max no. of pilots and/or aircraft in the MissionControl ini file (works wonders for early war scenarios; see my "FE2 FM & Realism Pack" for all relevant files, of course). And yes, properly tweaked - FE2 keeps renewing its lease on life - I'd say it has more long-term value, all things considered, than the other WWI flight sim offerings that are out there (with all due respect to the hard work put into those other sims too). There's something fundamentally modular, transportable, hardware-friendly, and unbreakable about FE2 - characteristics that all come together and give it its special charm. For clips of extensively modded FE2, feel free to have a gander at FE2 on a Mac. Clip below of the unexciting but functional B.E.12 doing a recon. run in the middle eastern theatre. Many thanks to all FE2 modders -- to quote the Young Mr. Grace from Are You Being Served? -- "you've all done very well." Cheers all & good flying,

@OP, a good catch and definitely a better solution than relying on the stock MachLimitDry values of ~ 0.85 to 0.95 (that are a wee bit on the low side). Do keep in mind, however, that setting Dry and Wet to the same value (haven't tested this but perhaps worth some tests) - might result in a situation where jets will then super-cruise or over-accelerate in dry power without ever needing afterburner. For what it's worth, my (little) FM Consolidated Pack for SF2, specifically the flogger tweaks contained therein, err on the conservative side of setting MachLimitDry to between ~ 1.05 and 1.15. This allows the engine to keep producing core thrust through transonic regimes and in dives, but still forces the player and AI to plug in afterburner in order to push past Mach 1.1 or so in level flight. Cheers all & good (jet-age) FM tweaking to you,

Ah yes, the B.E.2a - I remember re-skinning/toning that old A-Team model for myself several years ago, and also popping in Stephen's cockpit from his B.E.2c, as well as Stephen's rifle-armed observer - and one of the excellent Geezer pilots -- for better immersion. A couple of representative pics below, cross-linked from p.28 of the now ancient FE2 "New Aircraft" thread - and even further below, an "in-action" video with a Fokker E.I attacking the B.E.2a (Mesopotamian front). Modified skin and overhauled FDM available, as per standard procedure, in my large, consolidated FM & Realism Package for FE2 (Ver. 11.5). Cheers all,

Interesting thread development gents'. To save weight and improve rate of fire - perhaps the two biggest problems for a Da Vinci Flyer - I went down a bit of a rabbit-hole and dropped a question to Gemini/Google AI on the topic (June 25, 2026) --- see below for question and response. Good Renaissance-era flying to you, --- Topic: Hurdy-Gurdy Stiletto Organ Gun VonS question: Providing that you are aware of the Renaissance volley or "organ" gun - would it be possible to devise a hand-cranked hurdy-gurdy as a kind of spring (loaded) weapon that shoots out slim, Renaissance-era daggers/stilettos? Gemini response: Yes, it is conceptually possible to design a weaponized hurdy-gurdy that operates like a spring-loaded Renaissance volley gun (organ gun or ribauldequin). By replacing the traditional musical components with a rotating barrel or magazine and using the hand-crank to compress heavy-duty springs, you can create a mechanical weapon that fires stilettos in rapid succession. The Mechanical Blueprint: To turn an 11th-century stringed instrument into a Renaissance weapon, the musical architecture must be repurposed for mechanical ballistics. The Hand-Crank (The Power Source): Instead of turning a rosined wheel to vibrate strings, the crank turns a central camshaft. This cam sequentially draws back heavy, individual leaf or coil springs for each firing chamber. The Wheel (The Camshaft & Cylinder): The large wheel is replaced by a rotating cylinder—similar to a multi-barrel volley gun. As the cylinder rotates, it aligns each dagger chamber with the firing line. The Keybox (The Firing Mechanism): On a standard hurdy-gurdy, keys press tangents against strings to change notes. In this weaponized version, the "keys" act as individual triggers or sears. Pressing a key releases a compressed spring, launching the stiletto from that specific slot. The Ammo Magazine (The Renaissance Stilettos): Stilettos are uniquely suited for this design. Their slender, needle-like, triangular blades fit perfectly into narrow, barrel-like slots where a traditional instrument's strings would run. Engineering Challenges & Realities: While visually spectacular for fantasy or steampunk settings, a real-world build faces severe physics constraints. Spring Fatigue vs. Human Strength: To throw a heavy steel dagger with lethal force, the springs must be incredibly stiff. A human hand-cranking a small handle would lack the mechanical advantage to compress multiple heavy springs quickly without a massive, slow-moving gear reduction system. Aerodynamics: Stilettos are designed for thrusting in close combat, not throwing. Without flight fletching (like an arrow) or spin-stabilization (like a rifle bullet), a launched stiletto would tumble in the air, ruining its accuracy and impact force. The Weight Distribution: Organ guns were notoriously heavy and required wheeled carriages. Shifting that firepower into a handheld, torso-braced instrument would make it incredibly front-heavy and exhausting to aim. Historical Inspiration: If you are writing a story or designing a game weapon, you can anchor this concept in real Renaissance engineering. Leonardo da Vinci’s Designs: Da Vinci famously drew multi-barreled 33-barrel organ guns and rapid-fire crossbow mechanisms that relied on heavy gears and cranks. Spring-Driven Automata: The Renaissance saw a massive boom in complex clockwork and spring-driven novelties. Scaling this technology up to weapon deployment fits the exact spirit of 16th-century experimental engineering. ---

Nice to see the Da Vinci Flyer again, Stephen. I have your variant installed with the simpler tail - video link included below. Cheers all,

Aye, Geezer's windshield crack on the Halb. D.V was inspired by a real WWI photo with a similarly, purposefully cracked windshield (unfortunately I am unable to track that image down now - it may be somewhere, buried deep, in the long-running "new aircraft" thread that Geezer was prolific in). The theory was that the crack was made on purpose to facilitate aiming, owing to the discoloration and frosting of the celluloid screen. Good times reading those posts and other arcana. Cheers all, --- Higher up and most participatorily I view through celluloid windshield a deadly dogfight while far below in studio Chaplin as Champion is via same medium projected too. ---

Pre-Buchón Era Spanish Bf 109 H-0 Before and After a Surveillance Mission, Circa 1950* * Originally posted under the SF2 screenies thread on SimHQ in April 2019.

Ki-43-I ("Army Zero" First Variant) Going Down Somewhere in the China Theater, Circa 1941* * Originally posted under the SF2 screenies thread on SimHQ in April 2019.

@OP, I would consider properly modded mini-WW2 theaters in SF2 to be superior in FM and AI fidelity to the old CFS3. I never really warmed up to IL2-BoX (although I did try the BoM package when it was on sale), and I'm irritated by the horrible/limited padlock view in IL2-1946 so I avoid that one as best I can (also troublesome is that the AI in '46 uses its own special, super FM parameters). That leaves me with nicely modded mini-WW2 arenas in SF2 as a first choice for realism, as well as with the decent (but requiring tweaking) WoTR (Wings Over the Reich) by OBD Software - as a second choice. To build effective WW2 arenas in SF2, prepare to devote time to ini file tinkering, downloading of appropriate WW2-era weapons packages, as well as WW2-era terrains (in particular I would recommend some of the North Africa and China/Formosa maps). It also doesn't hurt to have a gander at my little, consolidated FM realism package for SF2 (that focuses on late 1930s/early WW2/early Cold War propeller aircraft). Didn't bother tweaking anything for mid and late WW2 because I spend most of my time in WW1, in FE2. Lima33 mentioned several years ago under the ThirdWire thread on SimHQ (under the screenshots thread there) that SF2 could have become the "holy grail" of WW2 sims had enough focus (and interest) on modding that period been invested into SF2. Cheers and good tinkering to you,

Nice to see a lively FE2 thread for a change - reminds me of the golden age of Geezer's aircraft factory and pleasant ini file tinkerings. @Spear_Head, excellent catch with the Kondor E 3; a quick glance verifies it as the aircraft that the MS.230 substitutes for, in the film. Although I doubt that those present on the movie set were too concerned with what the MS. was substituting for exactly. Interesting that a Kondor D.I/II was experimented with as well in 1918 (more info. about the biplane Condor variant over here). Cheers all.

@OP, also see this post that I am cross-linking here, regarding custom dx9 DLLs and FE2, to improve frame-rates. Good flying (and tweaking) to you,

Will comment in point form vis-à-vis the supplied questions and concerns - and hello to you too legendary terrain builder of the FE universe. Original qsts.: "[...] Visual immersion is very important to me — I struggle a bit going back to the older FE-era models and visuals. What I’m really looking for is: jump into a mission, read the objective, get into the cockpit, enjoy the atmosphere and visuals, and have fun — even if my average life expectancy is measured in minutes, as I’m a rather poor (virtual) pilot. With that in mind, I’m currently torn between WOFF: BH&H and IL-2: Flying Circus. From a budget perspective, I’ll most likely stay with the basic versions of either option. A few questions for those with experience: How good is the offline experience in IL-2? I understand separate campaigns are available — but how enjoyable and seamless is the overall experience? How demanding is WOFF performance-wise? I’d prefer to avoid slideshow performance or micro-stutters. AI flying sophistication is honestly not my highest priority — I’m usually the weakest pilot in the sky anyway. How is ground activity represented in both titles? Which one better captures that authentic “flying over the trenches in WW1” atmosphere? [...]" My thoughts: - for mostly modern visual immersion, choose either RoF modded or the FC series - to jump into a cockpit quickly and go at it, I'd wager that RoF and/or FC are more geared towards that than the WoFF series (the WoFF series has a quick dogfight option, but WoFF centers around and excels at full-blown campaigning instead) - in terms of the offline FC experience, can't speak for FC (since I was never interested in it), but the offline experience in RoF (with mods installed) is satisfactory/passable/good enough if you want fairly modern visual immersion - the WoFF series is demanding of hardware, particularly CPUs (limited to single-core processing); depending on your hardware, WoFF requires a decent amount of time devoted to settings toggling, to dial in a decent and fairly smooth frame-rate (keep in mind that WoFF may require medium visual quality settings to run smoothly; while max visual settings are desirable, double-check your hardware specs) - if AI flying sophistication is not your priority*, but instead modern or semi-modern visual immersion and with less demand on your hardware, the RoF/FC world is the slightly more logical (easier) choice I'd say - the WoFF series is a bit better on atmosphere in terms of flying over trenches, random ground activity, etc., in my opinion, when compared to RoF and FC - I am tempted to comment on FM and AI fidelity (i.e., the real worthy successor of FE Gold is FE2 fully-modded), with (I think) better FMs than RoF/FC, and AI of similar quality to the WoFF world; as I often like to mention, the FE world excels at "rolling single missions" (an interesting middle ground that is not really to be found in the other sims) - having said that, if you prefer something with more modern visuals but that is not taxing on hardware, the most logical choice is RoF modded and/or FC; WoFF would be a lateral move in that context, and perhaps a slightly downward move (since it is more demanding of hardware than FE/FEgold/FE2) - for fully-modded FE2 "at work," see representative clips on my FE2 on a Mac channel Cheers to you & good luck with your flight sim choices. * NOTE: have responded to your thoughts in the context in which they were presented; if you become interested in AI flying sophistication, I would then recommend, instead of RoF (or especially instead of FC) the base BH&H2 version of WoFF - it's a handsomely spent dollar and will give you the same AI quality of the later DLC packs - in case you don't care to extend your wallet to the DLC packs. --- As you look for new flight sims, Further away from the FE world, And its quaint vintage hangar, a tinkerer's dream, Do keep in mind that visual immersion is not always as it seems, For what may be a fine explosion or high fidelity wings a' flutter, It all turns quickly into an FPS drop, a CTD, and oftentimes - a hardware stutter.

View File First Eagles 2 FM & Realism Package - Consolidated Hello fellow fliers, Please find included in the download package my streamlined/consolidated FM/AI upgrade(s) for First Eagles 2, by ThirdWire. Suggested is to drill through the relevant folders and sub-folders, to find all relevant files. Take note that, wherever possible, the folder installation hierarchy and logic of the "user mod" folder for First Eagles 2 has been preserved, to facilitate easier installation of all included files. Also strongly recommended is to look at older, more extensive Read Me files included in the folder titled "Older_READ_ME_Files," should you have any questions regarding FM details and/or the installation process. Included for your convenience are Geezer's excellent, beta-stage aircraft (circa 2019) that were never officially released, and for which I had tweaked the FMs several years ago. FMs for said aircraft and all corresponding files are found in the relevant folders. All included aircraft 3D models/objects and related assets, in the supplied beta aircraft folder(s), are copyright Geezer. Many thanks to him for the excellent work, as well as to other 3D modellers who have worked over the years on FE2, such as Laton, TexMurphy, Vernon Bowden, Stephen1918, and others. Cheers all & happy flying in FE2, Von S. DISCLAIMER & LEGAL INFO.: Von S tweaks for FE2 and SF2 are released under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0* "Creative Commons" Licence that is similar to the general CombatAce "Freeware" terms of agreement. * The CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence allows other modders and users to share and distribute my FE2/SF2 mods in their original state freely and non-commercially, as long as original credit is given and as long as no further modifications are done to said mods. Modifications to my FE2/SF2 mods may of course be used personally, but not distributed publicly. Furthermore, Von S takes no responsibility for ideological injuries or historical fixations that may result from flying heavily tweaked flight/damage models for any of the flight simulators specified above or from attempts to enjoy real flying without aid or instruction from a qualified flight instructor. To see any included, tweaked flight models in action, and as following the "VonS FDM Philosophy," recommended is to have a gander at FE2 on a Mac. Submitter VonS Submitted 04/24/2026 Category Flight Models  

View File Strike Fighters 2 FM & Realism Package - Consolidated Hello fellow fliers, Please find included in the download package my streamlined/consolidated FM upgrade(s) for Strike Fighters 2, by ThirdWire. Suggested is to drill through the relevant folders and sub-folders, to find all relevant files. Upgrade packs focus on the late 1930s and early World War Two period, as well as on several Cold War prop aircraft and a series of MiG-23 (Flogger) tweaks. Take note that, wherever possible, the folder installation hierarchy and logic of the "user mod" folder for Strike Fighters 2 has been preserved, to facilitate easier installation of all included files. Also strongly recommended is to look at older, more extensive Read Me files included in the folder titled "Older_READ_ME_Files," should you have any questions regarding FM details and/or the installation process. Many thanks to all 3D modellers who have worked over the years in SF2. Cheers all & happy flying in SF2, Von S. DISCLAIMER & LEGAL INFO.: Von S tweaks for FE2 and SF2 are released under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0* "Creative Commons" Licence that is similar to the general CombatAce "Freeware" terms of agreement. * The CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence allows other modders and users to share and distribute my FE2/SF2 mods in their original state freely and non-commercially, as long as original credit is given and as long as no further modifications are done to said mods. Modifications to my FE2/SF2 mods may of course be used personally, but not distributed publicly. Furthermore, Von S takes no responsibility for ideological injuries or historical fixations that may result from flying heavily tweaked flight/damage models for any of the flight simulators specified above or from attempts to enjoy real flying without aid or instruction from a qualified flight instructor. To see any included, tweaked flight models in action, and as following the "VonS FDM Philosophy," recommended is to have a gander at FE2 on a Mac. Submitter VonS Submitted 04/24/2026 Category Other  

@OP, also suggested is to check over the following (vintage) post, regarding the generic dx9 DLLs available via the ENB website -- those help improve ave. FPS in FE (specifically in FE2), and may be a good alternative to dgVoodoo. Many thanks to gTerl for the original suggestion circa 2018. Currently I have no pics to post as a complement to the excellent Fokk. E.V illustrated above, so I'll merely link to a relevant clip from FE2 on a Mac (some early Benz Alb. D.I action; see below). Cheers & good flying to you,