Fortiesboy

Thanks for pointing this out Winston. No - it shouldn't be there - surplus to requirements you might say. It is being removed

I have uploaded Fortiesboys 1.2 DM, for you to download and hopefully enjoy. As requested, it now includes DM for ALL the planes of OFF- In 1.1, the pre 1916 planes stayed with the Hardcore DM. Same install procedure as 1.1 After install, don't forget to delete the .bdp files. My step by step guide, with 1.1 install instructions, refers to XP only. Apparently, to search for particular files in folders is done differently in Vista than in XP. If you have any difficulty with Vista, shout on the forum - no doubt someone will explain. cheers FB

Hopefully soon available. As requested, it now includes DM for ALL the planes of OFF- In 1.1, the pre 1916 planes stayed with the Hardcore DM. Same install procedure as 1.1. See instructions there. cheers FB

Yes- I second the above . And I too look forward to the new patch. cheers

File Name: Fortiesboys DM 1.1.rar File Submitter: Fortiesboy File Submitted: 21 Jul 2009 File Updated: 22 Jul 2009 File Category: Aircraft Models " Fortiesboy's DM for OFF. This second version of my DM, ( 1.1) is restricted to those planes which, ( roughly), came into the War in 1917 and 1918. The following planes of OFF have not been modified with my DM. Bristol Scout: DFW-CV: DH2: DH2-m16: Fokker Elll : Nieuport Nll and Nieuport N16: Roland Cll. Therefore when my DM mod is installed, the above planes will retain the DM of the previous DM which you had in your OFF installation. This may have been the Dev's Hardcore DM ( on which my DM is based ), or Prop Wasches Intermediate DM. ( Or even, the Devs Normal DM.) I have tested by loading the Devs Hardcore DM, from my DM installation. (Their installation does not require a new bdp file ). When I flew the sim, in QC, I clearly had the Hardcore DM in use. So that was OK, so far. Then I installed my DM, using the installation method as described below. Then when I flew, I clearly had my Damage Modelling. All seems OK, so, they are apparently easily interchangeable. I have also flown my DM in a campaign flight or two, and all seems OK. For Multiplay, see later. Installation of Fortiesboy DM.1.1 There are now two parts to the installation procedure. First, my zip file needs to be installed. Then, there are some bdp files within the OFF installation which need to be deleted. Don't worry, this is a simple procedure, but necessary . It is explained further below as to why that is so. I will give a step by step guide as to how to do this, just a bit further on. OK- Starting with the Fortiesboy DM1.1 zip file, extract to your OFF root directory, ( usually OBDSoftware)\CFSWWl OverFlandersField\ aircraft . EDIT- There has been a query - to make clear. extract is to the aircraft folder in CFSWWl Over Flanders Field. (Some installs have the path as Program Files\Microsoft Games\CFSWWl OverFlanders Field. Whichever yours is, the extract is to the aircraft folder . (If anyone wants a step by step guide in how to extract the zip files into OFF, please PM me and I will send it to you.) Now to delete the .bdp files. This is how; (To those that know, please forgive me telling you how to suck eggs. But there are many who will find this guide helpful.) 1. Double click "my Computer" icon 2. Now double click "Local Disk(C:) 3. Double click the "OBDSoftware" yellow folder 4. Double click the CFSWWl Over Flanders Field folder 5. On the top line there is a folder named "aircraft". RIGHT click this folder and a list appears 6. Third down on the list is "search". Click on "search". A window appears named Search results. 7. On the left column is a place to put the cursor called "All or part of the file name". Put the cursor in there and type ".bdp" - without the quotes.Note the dot in front of the b. 8. Click on search just a little further down, and the large white space on the right will fill with text. 9. On the top menu, click on Edit and then click on Select All. The left column of the text will highlight in blue. 10. Now press the delete button on your keyboard. 11 A question comes up asking if you are certain if you want to send these 391 items to the recycle bin. 12. Answer "Yes" 13.You will briefly see files being deleted. After a few moments, move your mouse and then the text disappears from the white space. 14. That's it. Procedure complete. Close the windows . When you fly you should now be using my DM in OFF, except in the planes listed above. I remind you- they will be using the DMs of the previous one you had installed. You ought to be able to go back to Prop-Wasches DM by doing the same install technique You can then swap back and forth between our versions by doing as above. Legal stuff- Do this at your own risk- and thanks and acknowledgement to the Devs team for their permission. Technical explanation of why there is this two part procedure.( For those interested) Within each aircraft folder there is a file called an xdp file. The values written into this file are what determine the frequency and visible levels of damage.Our DMs change these values. However, we have found that those new values of the amended xdp files are not implemented by the sim unless another file within the aircraft folder is changed. This is called a bdp file, and this needs to be deleted. When OFF is started up again, those bdp files are automatically re-created. As I say, if the original DM bdp files had been left in the folder, then the new xdp values wouldn't have activated, and you would likely still be flying the original DM. It has been found that because this instruction to delete the bdp files was not given with our previous DM downloads, you may not have actually seen the changes when you swapped from PW's DM to mine , and vice versa. Or when changing from the Devs Hardcore DM to my DM. Now you will.-lol! MULTiPLAY- We are not regular multiplayers, so there are no guarantees whether our DMs will work online, but we think they will IF EACH PLAYER has the same xdp and bdp files. The best way to achieve this is for each player to start with the Devs Hardcore DM installation. Then install my DM 1.1 and then delete bdp files as above. You should then have compatible files and I can't think why it won't work. Prop-Wasche's DM, being an Intermediate DM, alters more values than my DM, but we think it should work also, if all players are using it. FB Click here to download this file

To everyone who downloaded the DM and went to delete the bdp files as per my guide- I apologize if you are a Vista user because i have just tried to delete the files in a friend's Vista computer, as per my guide and, of course, I find that things are different in Vista!! IMHO, MS has "improved things worse" . in their later O.S. - I'm an XP man myself. I hope that you've been able to find the bdp files in the aircraft folder and delete them OK, but if not, then please see Prop Wasches latest download in which I understand he has made a bdp zapper file. Apparently, put that in your install according to his instructions and run it, and it will delete the bdp files for you.

OK - As per PM, you've persuaded me , but give me a few days-lol

Since realizing that Widowmaker was dogfighting by starting off on the runway, I have tried the same and I now realize what he means.- (This is in QC) As I complete the takeoff, I look at the DR1 AI ( and it does the same with the DVll, also ) in the external view, and ,even though he hasn't yet got to the airfield, he is doing his acrobat maneuvres- i.e a half loop and a half roll - ( Was this known s an Immelmann?) for some unknown reason. Anyway, of course, a human pilot wouldn't do that. Mind you , if you continued your flight, you will see that the DR1 will eventually settle and try to find you. This happens OK when you don't try to find him. If you seek him straightaway then you can usually catch him still doing his "dance" and thus shoot him down. But, if there are more than one, then by the time you have sorted the first, the others are pretty well on your case ( If ACE settings ) I don't know if this has been much different in previous patches. I haven't played this scenario much. I usually start my dogfights in the air around 10000 ft - Perhaps it is because the AI finds itself near to the ground that it dances in what I call the Nieuport fashion. That's the plane which used to really play silly buggers like this near the ground. IMHO though, it's no big deal- just set several AI planes against you and you'll be busy enough!

Hello all My latest DM file for download for OFF is available for download from the downloads section of CombatACE. The install instructions are at the download site. Like the first version, this one is based on the Hardcore DM as issued by the Devs. There is comment in the install instructions as to its suitability for Multiplay. Also, it appears to work fine in campaign. It is worth a try if you are a little bit curious, because if it isn't to your liking it is easy to revert to your preferred DM. I hope you enjoy it. Any questions please feel free to PM me. cheers FB

Answered with pleasure! cheers FB

Sorry to hear of the troubles Simon, but since reading this I have done some testing. And I found a very amusing and interesting way of "testing" the AI planes. First - I think on my install the DR1 AI is good. So i think your experience must be associated with your recent re install and hence the settings which you have or haven't made? I ran my QC flight against one DR1 . I was at 10000ft, ACE AI. ( flak stuff on lowest settings,) and enemy situation normal. i.e he normally comes at you from the front.- I fly my QC by selecting CFS3 QC in workshops, rather than the ordinary QC. This gives me the ability to change the weather -( I like it sunny-lol ) and the location etc Try something like that setup and then when you are flying, TRY THIS. Bring up the TAC , go to aircraft and padlock the enemy AI - In this case the single DR1 you have chosen. Having padlocked him, unpadlock him with the padlock toggle button ( it's on my joystick) and close down the TAC. Now, using F4, scroll through the views of your aircraft, mostly external, until you find yourself looking at the external view of the DR1. This view of the DR1 is available because you had earlier padlocked it. If you had not, then using F4 would have just cycled views of your own plane. With this external view of the DR1, you will notice that your plane is in the background but always in the centre of the screen. Now, flying your plane still, ( This is amusing trying to stay level so far away from it-lol ), you can see exactly how the DR1 is behaving in relation to your plane. I find that he maneuvres around so that he eventually lines up to you to get a shot etc. To give this a fair test, you should just fly level and pretty steady at first and not jink around too much. If he makes a fair effort to get to you , then you can test it further in a real contest. Simon - You should be able to see if he is behaving like this, or whether he does his own thing, as you describe. What Rookie setting does, or Veteran, I haven't yet tried. As for random, I don't use that, so it could be a very long patch of Rookies you have met Simon, to give rise to your post-lol But I think the answer is in your re- install settings. cheers FB

Oliham I want to thank you for this great idea and for taking care of it. What a wonderful way to bring more "Esprit de corps" to this already great forum Thank you

I've been off line for a day or so - I'd just like to second this and say Thank you, too.

Yes, like i've been saying in reference to my DM, try to fly full real against two Ace AI in QC- You will sweat!-lol

Hey Prop Wasche You missed someone out in the "Thank Yous" - You missed out Herr Prop Wasche-lol Thank you very much indeed for making my DM available for others to try. You are a gentleman, Sir. Although this works in Campaign, it is particularly suited to those of us who love QC - the "I've just got 15 minutes here - I can fit in a quick dogfight" guys. Go on, be curious- it's there to try out! cheers

I use the padlock to occasionally look at the enemy plane ( to assess his damage ref my mods ). As I go into a dogfight, I use TAC, select the enemy and padlock him on a button. The i leave padlock, and leave TAC- Now flying on trackir . However, I also have F4 on a button, and with that I can scroll thru the views, and because I had padlocked the enemy, one of the views includes an external of the enemy plane. So when he's going in, i can have a close up view of why! Must be the sadist in me -

Hmm- we could be seeing this QC and campaign thing here, or, to be more specific, Ai versus AI as opposed to player versus AI.. Ovs and myself made posts along these lines. IOW, in dogfights where there is AI versus AI - as in campaign, obviously, - it seems to me that damage effects are more readily seen than when the Player is shooting the AI. So, damage level settings which are about right for you as you shoot your AI enemy, may seem to be too high when you see AI around you being shot down. This may explain the devs initial visible damage levels??---Dunno, just speculating here. Personally, if it has to be one or the other, I'd sooner the AI kill each other spectacularly, if it means my shooting down of the EA is meaningful. IMHO it spoils YOUR dogfight if you put loads of bullets in a plane and he always goes down intact. Being a mainly QC flier, this is what motivated my modding in the first place. cheers FB

I've been testing quite a bit with Prop Wasche's xdps and I haven't seen wings coming off all the time. In fact, they are designed to come off more often in my xdps. ! However, my testing so far has been done only in QC. In that, the wings rarely come off, but what is nice is the wing damage you do see - bits of wood sticking out the ends and flapping linen as it struggles to stay airborne. Get some good shots in close and the whole lot can go up in flames. But nothing should happen EVERY time. It must be the Strong bullets setting, and both PW's and my damage are based on Normal strength. To be fair, that is how it should be judged. If you like Strong strength, then you may have to live with an anolomy or two as described by Winston. There is no danger of any arcadishness (sic?) creeping in if the sim is played at or near "full real"

I keep saying it - 'cos it's true! "What a sim!" Thanks

Test Pilot Your post is the best instructional post I have seen in a long while. Well done!

Essentially, this is it in a nutshell. However, my DM, using the Devs hardcore DM, has been submitted to the Devs in the hope that it will be offered as a download, to install in the same manner as the two "official" ( Normal and Hardcore ) DMs which are already available from the OFF website. To clarify, for DukeIronHand and others- Each aircraft has a file for use in QC and another ( more than one, actually ) for use in Campaign. - So, e. g. if you flew a Camel in QC it would use the QC file,- in campaign it would use another file. In the Normal and Hardcore DMs as issued by the Devs, the damage the plane incurs, and which you see as visible damage, all happen the same whether you are in QC or in Campaign. The same critieria will apply in Prop Wasches intermediate DM and in my DM. AS you know, there is a difference in the Normal and Hardcore DM as issued by the devs. The difference is when the damage occurs- i.e after how many hits you make on the enemy plane. Using "pretend" figures to illustrate, ( simplified ) - If you put 20 bullets into the wing of the Normal DM you will get more damage than if you put 20 bullets into the wing of the hardcore DM. However, in both, sometimes the plane goes down without you "seeing" the damage i.e the wing coming off or smashed etc. In Prop Wasches DM the damage happens with less bullets than hardcore but uses more bullets than Normal. And sometimes you "see" more damage. In my DM the damage happens the same as the Hardcore, but you "see" it manifested much more. How, and when (indeed, whether ) , these further two DMs ( PW's and mine ) becomes available for download, is in the hands of Winder and Pol- two very busy gentlemen. HTH

Well done indeed.!