RIBob

EXEPRO installed on a GTG version of V1.28E. Was scrupulous in following directions on EAW Help Site. Same identical game works OK with d3d windower, so I assume I configured the game incorrectly. Game disk inserted. Menu screens load, I can click through all of them, but game crashes to desktop once any type of mission is selected. There are also some "breakthrough" of underlying screen when viewing menus. Oddly, I cannot use in-game selector function to assign snapviews to top hat: I reckon I'll have to do that in the game's ini file. Any ideas?

Unless my HS French is totally wrong, his text above "copier dans UAW150V4" means "Copy into UAW150V4". Not being in direct communications with Mr Jelly, may I ask you to obtain the correct version of the game from him, and post a link on your help site? I'm assuming "UAW" is a typo, and he intended to type "EAW". Given his work load, I'm not sure you need to bother Mr Jelly with the details of why you need the download.

That is extremely helpful! I have been installing Mods onto the SF 2 platform, and the similarities are readily apparent. I should rise from the level of idiot to relatively accomplished Mod-installer fairly quickly now that I begin to understand the construction of the sim. Many thanks! As far as installing Mods to FE2, I am concentrating on those that add aircraft, terrains/campaigns, and such essential content. Not terribly interested in menu screens or skins. As such, I am focusing on mods specifically labeled for FE2, and ignoring those mods intended for FE1. I understand that many of the latter might work, but I don't have the time required to install "possibles". Naturally, this is not a slight on the FE1 Mods, or Modders. I will install a fair amount of stuff, testing along the way before I install your very extensive package of FM/campaign Mods, as per your recommendation. Thanks for all your help!

Got it! I have a "Stripped" version of EAW, as per instructions on Mark's site, a V1.0, V1.1, V1.2, V1.28E (yes, I'm sure of that), and of course EAWPRO and V1.60. All up and running; some on DXWnd wrapper; V1.1 on the RegEdit program also from Mark's thread. I have NGlide installed, so I reckon most programs are using that as well. I'm testing the V1.1 using the RegEdit program, and will have some results to report in another thread specifically devoted to the RegEdit program.

I generally make comments when I believe I have possibly pertinent information to add. whether or not it is actually useable is up to others who are more familiar with how such info is integrated into their creation. The above comments were posted for your information, and if not entirely useful, that's fine. No harm; no foul.

.303 Tracer and ball bullet info. 30-'06 Tracer and ball bullet info

Can't speak much as to smoke tracers, but I've found some range info on .50 cal tracers on this site: .50 Cal Info Apparently, the trace range of .50 cal pure tracer rds was: 1,969 Yds/ 5907 Ft/1,800M Muzzle velocity of std M2 bullet @ 78 ft from muzzle was 2,810 fps (856 mps), and this initial velocity declined fairly quickly. So the duration of the visible trace was approximately 2.1 seconds. I will dig around for info on .30-'06 and .303 ctgs.

ooes such a list exist? I mean by "Essential" that such mods greatly enhance the game, and are widely acknowledged to be well-done. I am, as a newcomer to FE 2, interested in adding aircraft, terrains. weather, and other effects, and also campaigns. I understand that it is recommended to do the simpler mods first, and the more complex ones last. Does such a list exist? Can anyone provide a link to same? THX in advance.

Thanks, Von S! The reputation of your Mods (and yourself) has preceded you response here.

Might be...…. Says to copy into a v1.5 version of EAW. That's a version I skipped. So far I have V.1, V1.1, V1.2, V1.28e, and latest V1.60 EAWPRO, of course. Is the exact version of EAW V1.5 specified by Lauvo above available on your Help site, and clearly identified?

Peut etre une description d'installle plus specifique? Merci beaucoup. In case High-school French is inadequate, please provide more details for installation. Again, thanks!

While visually pleasing, I'm not at all sure that tracers actually changed hue during flight, except perhaps during the last few seconds of their burning. In my personal experience, they burn with a single, constant hue and intensity until burn-out. There are some other aspects of tracers to perhaps consider. For example, this vid shows what appear to be "Smoke tracers", as well as the later, more conventional to us moderns, "Visible tracers". Note the "corkscrewing" of the bullets clearly visible in some of the smoke emitted. This is a commonplace occurrence with most bullets, and the "corkscrewing" is referred-to as the point in time before the bullet "goes to sleep", and assumes a linear path, subject to the laws of ballistics. The smoke effect would be relatively easy to reproduce compared to the diminishing-at-distance "corkscrew" effect. Note also that with no information as to gun camera lens focal length, no reliable information can be drawn from the images as to distance between aircraft. I believe the "Smoke-Tracer" bullets were used in early war until replaced by what we call conventional, visible tracers. With that said, perhaps "Smoke Tracers" would be more historically correct for some aircraft during the early part of the war, with diminishing use after a certain point, that being when the improved visible tracers became available. While certainly appreciating the expertise devoted to creating this effect, I remain quite unsure of the historical accuracy of the "changing-hue" effect. OTOH, if most people like it, then who am I to argue? Allow me to assure all, that as resident newbie and rivet-counter, I do not insist on historical accuracy; I simply point out things as they happen to differ from historical accuracy. I mean no ill-intent toward VBH or anyone else, certainly.

So, I need only manually de-construct" the version of EAW on my disk, as per Mark's Help site and then add-on EAWPRO? I need not install V1.2 Patch myself as the EAWPRO add-on contains that patch?

I have a very recently downloaded, and installed, overlay of EAWPRO on top of V1.28E, which runs on D3D wrapper. My original comments were directed towards the identical arrangement being somehow incompatible with DXWnd wrapper program. Perhaps such is due to my mis-installing the wrapper program. I've had comments that only V1.2 of EAW is playable with DXWnd wrapper. I've yet to try that exact configuration, so stand by for results. Some here (perhaps on other sites) have said that the overlay of EAWPRO on top of V1.28E is not possible. Apparently it is, using D3D windower program. I think Glide program also intrudes. Certainly no genius here, but it works.

OK, I'll start over. thanks for the help!

May I suggest 3 EAW Forums? One for proponents of V1.6 et al, one for proponents of EXEPRO, and the third where both can argue amongst each other. These first two will be for strictly technical discussions of the particular versions of the game. Any variance from a strictly technical discussion of that particular version of the game will be edited, or locked, with possible consequences for posters repeatedly making untoward posts. The third forum will be the dumping-ground and relieves the pressure on the other two strictly-moderated forums from undue interference. The ability to ban certain members from one or another of the sim-specific forums would be a useful tool for the Mod(s). I know that on "my" Site, I can ban a specific member from posting in any number of sub-forums, while they are still able to post in the rest of the Site. In practice this works out well in many instances, allowing some posters to remain as members, while not fully banned. Such forum bans are subject to periodic review, and possible reversal. For a few, very problematic posters, a "Forum ban" is simply the first step to a Site ban. Some people don't take the hint. Having said this, this site may not be configured to allow such, and so it puts more burden on the Mods, sad to say. IMHO, the sooner the Mod 'catches" a problem, the easier it is to solve. Either by editing offending comments, or by locking a thread and warning offenders. This requires very active participation in the Forum(s) displaying problems. No Site/forum wants to lose Members, and some Members contribute to the Site, while some Members don't. The latter can be banned for good cause with scant consequences, while the former require somewhat gentler handling. Even so, there is a limit to this, most often induced by Mod fatigue. Submitted for consideration, and NOT as criticism of the Mod(s) here.

While some people maintain elderly computers in order to run older games, it is nevertheless a fact that old machines wear out, and require increasing levels of maintenance in order to continue to function. At some point, most users will decide that the cost/effort of maintaining an old machine, not to mention an Operating that is no longer supported by the Mfr is not worth the effort, and so will decide to upgrade to a newer computer, and a newer operating system. It's a fact of life. The point, as I see it, is to have any given version of the game fully functional on modern machines with modern operating systems. Any newcomer to the game will probably not have a legacy machine lying around, with an OS convenient for a particular game. It is true that modern, Win 10 machines can be configured as Virtual Machines, with any number of older operating systems available. All it takes is setting it up, selecting the desired OS, and then running it as though the selected OS was the native OS. This is a bit complex for some people, and it definitely requires a Win10 OS as a basis, access to clean copies of the desired legacy OSs, and a sizeable hard drive that will contain the legacy OSs, as well as everything else. I understand that some folks have a vested interest in one version of the game over another. That's fine, but I don't think it entitles them to attack other people who offer a different version of the game.

VBH banned from "the other" Forum? I'll be posting here much more often. That is no slur on the other fine posters on the other site.

Interesting thread, and worth resurrecting. I would be very interested in current opinions, assuming that the newer games have been modified since the previous posts, not to mention some of the older sims. Would former posters like to "revise and extend" their previous comments? One thing I appreciate about any flight sim is the ability to do a quick "instant combat" sort of mission, although being able to choose certain aspects of the mission is of value, IMHO. There are times when a long, detailed set-up is not wanted, so a more-or-less simplified quick combat selection is useful, at least to me. I am gradually coming to the realization that WW I flight sims just might suit me best, so further, informed, responses to this threat are of importance to me.

You are modest, as I have read, from others, that your FM is a particularly valuable contribution to the FE2 sim, and I say this not to slight the other very fine contributions made by others. As some guidance on my desires for the game, I would much rather have fewer aircraft with realistic FMs than more with non-realistic FMs. Can't say I am terribly interested in re-skinning a particular aircraft type with a particular skin, but that might change as my expertise level changes. First things first, I reckon.

Found the User file, and will copy it to enable use of the 4 Theaters mentioned in FM Mod Pack. Are there any "Must-Have" addons/mods that I ought to install before the FM Mod pack? My goal is to augment the game (while retaining/enhancing playability) to include as many updated features as reasonably possible-- or at least the essential ones that have been time-tested, and found of exceptional value.

OK, I'll have a look at FE2 on my computer tomorrow, and try to follow your suggestions. Will advise--and Thanks!

First of all, please allow me to thank you for taking the time to help me. From comments, I believe your creation will be well worth the effort! Let's begin by my describing my set-up, and what has already been done, and omitting unnecessary details for the sake of convenience. I'll gladly supply same if it is necessary. My computer (Win 7 (64), is adequate to run FE 2 (July 2010) with all graphics setting at highest levels, in Instant Combat I might have seen a little bit of stuttering on rare occasions, may be not. I have downloaded, and extracted the "FM Mod Pack", and have it sitting in a folder on Desktop, along with a copy of FE 2. I have read the "ReadMe" incorporated with the FM Mod Pack, and do not fully understand the install process. Theerfore, I made a botch-up of installing the files contained in the "FM Mod Pack". At this point, I reckon it would be best to delete badly-modded version of FE2 on desktop, and substitute a copy of FE 2 game that resides Here: The original, FE 2 game resides on C/ProgramFiles(x86)/Thirdwire/First Eagles 2. Then, following instructions, I can successfully mod the version of FE 2 residing on desktop using the FM Mod Pack. Let's start with a few basic, set-up type questions: 1) when looking at both the FE 2 copy on Desktop, I do not see some folders contained in the 1986 FM Mod Pack. I do see most others. I assumed that if a FM Mod Pack folder was labeled "ForXYZFolder", and no such folder currently exists in FE 2 Game, then such folder should be created by me alongside the folders that do already exist. 2) Sometimes there are sub-folders with the abovementioned folders. What to do with them? 3) Please reiterate the creation, and best location of C drive of the various Theater folders. So far, I believe it is mostly a question of my misunderstanding the folder architecture of the existing FE 2 sim, and exactly how (and where) to install the various folders contained within the FM Mod Pack.

I am just out the door for my 40th HS reunion, or I would ask more questions. I will begin to do so tomorrow, though. Much obliged for the very quick response! It's obvious to me that I gaffed-up the installation of the files, and do not understand where they should go. I've modded some games in the past, but installing these mods is stretching my knowledge envelope. I hope you can be patient with the many forthcoming questions. I am not exactly stupid, but I am certainly ignorant about some things, as can be seen.