RIBob

I understand your reluctance to post final views, lest they be stolen; Completely understand that. But what I see, with ALL respect, is buildings "floating" above their natural terrain. In short. the depictions (with caveats noted above) don't look natural The buildings look OK, but their connection to the underlying terrain isn't natural-looking, at least in what has so far been provided. Speaking as your longstanding friend and supporter. I eagerly await the final version. RIBob

Mods, please re-post to appropriate forum.; probably a dupe. I just today got Track IR (latest (2019) iteration) working in conjunction with FE 2. An amazing, and immersive difference! I have tried this TIR device/program with other flight sims, and at this point, it works well with FE 2 and EAWPRO. The trick is to install the program, get it running, and then shut down. After re-start, go back to TIR main folder, and look for mouse emulator application. Make a shortcut to this application to a convenient place. After that, start TIR, center your headview, diminish TIR screen, and them click on mouse emulator program shortcut. Then start the game. An incredible difference! Cannot overstate the necessity to use the feature in order for it to become second-nature. Haviing just begun to do so, I'll NEVER go back to the very limited hat switch. YMMV. Disclaimer: No personal financial interest in mfr/vendor.

Interesting, and valuable. For what sim(s) are these recommendations pertinent? What were the original values for these settings? Are the settings discrete, or variable? If so, within what limits? Does a change in these settings pertain to all aircraft within the particular game? Is this advice pertinent to SF2? FE2?

I am a newbie to TrackIR, so am just beginning to experiment. I also understand that there are very worthwhile competitors, most having a lower price. So far, the "mouse emulator" works well with FE 2. I don't normally favor any mapping of view buttons, as I find, so far, that "finding the cockpit" after looking away from it, is a more natural thing for me, and more realistic as well. YMMV. I certainly admit I have much to learn, but the addition of Track IR has made a wonderful addition to my situational awareness. Previously, I had to struggle to shoot down 3 or 4 enemy aircraft in the instant action (or whatever it is called) portion of the game, and it is FAR easier to do that with TrackIR than without. I admit I don't have a lot of flight time on FE 2, maybe 10 hours or so, but at even most difficult internal game settings, the AI is not terribly intelligent, even on highest settings. Perhaps there are Mods that will enhance such things. I will look into it. At this point, I'm trying to get TrackIR integrated with "Crimson Skies" with no luck so far. Yes, I understand that it is a semi-arcade game, but once set at "High" difficulty, it is not bad at all, and worth a second look. There are NoCD versions of the game available on the web. I suggest looking for "widescreen crimson skies", which is patched-up, and includes a "csfix" module that allows it to be played on Win 10. YMMV, but it is a fun game, and a worthwhile diversion from more "serious" stuff. Again, YMMV. If your Gfx card/computer allows such, enable the "Shadows" feature within the in-game graphics choices. Doing so, for me, enhanced the visuals to a remarkable degree--actually transformed the visuals. Disclaimer: no financial interest in the product/vendor, or anything else.

Thanks for the info; I'll try TrackIR w/o mouse emulation and see how it goes. Do you have pertinent links to such info which might assist me? A newbie here to Track IR, and so asking for all possible help. Which DOF is not "built-in"? Having 5 out of 6 seems odd. Any way to overcome the missing DOF? Thanks in advance! RIBob

Is there an over-riding reason to use SF 1 as a point of departure, as opposed to SF 2? I understand there are considerable differences between the two versions of SF, and that the same difference pertains to First Eagles 1 and 2, the WW I flight sim. It being a fact that "TK", a designer of EAW, also played a major part in the designing of FE1 and SF1, perhaps explains the compatibility of the games, at least to some extent. The number of recent submissions for both SF1 and FE 1 has declined over time, with most modding work being done with the very different "2" versions of both games. In that instance, the number of submissions for both "2" versions of the game has been considerable, and is ongoing. It is worth mentioning that some FE1/SF1 mods may work in FE2/SF2, but the converse is seldom possible. It is likely that the mods for FE1/SF1 when installed into the "2" versions of the game will require some tweaking, but perhaps not. Perhaps the Mods which work with little or no issues are relatively simple ones. It is presumed that FE1/SF1 version of the game is much more like EAW than is the second "2" versions, and that is why you chose the "1" version with which to experiment. That is understandable. That said, is EAW inherently incompatible with the "2" versions of FE2/SF2? If so, then that explains your choice. If not, then may I suggest considering the "2" versions of FE/SF games as a better departure point? FWIW, I consider both FE 2 (Modded), and SF 2 (modded) as exemplary flight sims. The Modder community has gone a long way in modifying, and improving both sims to a remarkable degree, despite the somewhat outdated graphics. Even though less than (modern) top-tier, the graphics on both "2" versions of the games can be much improved with a modern computer and Gfx card, allowing both games to run at "full-option", as pertains to graphics. I have run some rather old games at "full option" settings on my new "Gaming computer" and the ability to run the graphics wide-open, with nothing downgraded, makes a surprising difference in many games. Depends on the game, of course, and perhaps some mods as well. Surprisingly, the semi-arcade game "Crimson Skies" seems to have benefited the most from having all Gfx options run at full capability. Admittedly, this was subsequent to applying the "Widescreen" patch/mod, which added the essential "csfix" patch (runs game on newer OpSys),and the "Widescreen" patch, which allows running at native monitor resolution. It is now a "NoCD" game, a distinct side benefit. Almost "Night vs. Day" difference in the graphics. It is also worth mentioning that the FE2/SF2 games are TrackIR-friendly, as is EAW, with some minor tweaks. I have not yet tried the latest version of V1.60 with TrackIR, but other versions of the game required only simple set-up of the TrackIR program itself, and inversion of the mouse "Y" axis within the game graphics preferences. I fully expect V1.60 to be TIR-friendly as well. Will report back on this. MarkEAW has recorded the major contributions of SkyHigh, and my minor contributions on this topic on his Help Site. So, with apologies for rambling a bit, and perhaps some ignorance, submitted for discussion.

Call me stupid--and some have done so-- but what I want is a simple-to-run V1.29 that does not require a lot of skull-sweat to install and run. IOW, a version of 1.29 that is as simple to run as the original game, with no fussing around. To my thinking, anything else is a step-away from the original game, and that's not what I am asking-for. I certainly appreciate the optional choices, but what I'm asking for is the most-advanced version of the original game, with no great differences from the original choices/options menu. In short, running the most advanced version of the original game just like the original game was run. Sorry If I sound demanding, or like a jackass. Don't mean to do so. Probably my fault for not describing my requirements better, and possibly my fault for not fully understanding what has been offered.

May I interject with some possibly uninformed and ignorant comments? Nothing new, lol. I recently got Microsoft "Crimson Skies" to run on my win 10 "gaming computer". This computer is not cutting edge, but not far from it. After installing "CS", patching it, and installing some Mods, I found I was finally able to activate some features in the game graphics selections, namely "Shadows". Had never been able to do so before. This simple feature. once activated transformed the graphics in some scenarios. Absolutely stunning was the difference. Previously, all the gfx choices were maxxed-out; at least those that the game allowed. Some were downgraded by the game, and resisted any attempt on my part to select them--"Shadows" being a case in point. In lesser computers, the game disallowed some gfx options. What is possible for a different game bears little direct application to EAW. Apples and oranges. I get that. I also get that EAW has come inherent gfx challenges. That said, the addition of the ostensibly simple gfx addition of "Shadows" feature to "Crimson Skies" was a HUGE boost to the visual depiction of the game. Not possible, even with the fairly ancient Crimson Skies game without a fairly good computer set-up. The point here is that modern computers, perforce running modern Operating Systems and modern GFX cards can wring much more out of older games, such as EAW, than one might suspect. Some obscure gfx features, once activated, and in conjunction with all of the gfx features being able to be turned-up to max can help to give the EAW game (and other games) some additional life. The desire to keep EAW viable and compatible on older computers is understandable, and laudable. However, the future is with more powerful computers and modern graphics cards. Past a certain point, older computers become quite expensive to keep running. BTDT. FWIW, I spent some money and time upgrading my Win 7 Pro computer today; namely cloning and installing a 2 Tb SSD. I'll keep the older comp for a while, but I know it will only be for a while. The future is elsewhere. Newer, more capable, computers can possibly allow unexpected advantages compared to older computers, as depicted above. There is a synergy available in being able to activate/max-out various gfx features. Now, I understand game playability as opposed to gfx features. I prefer playability, if forced to make a choice. With a modern computer, one is not forced to make such a choice; one can have both. Submitted for discussion.

I will offer unskilled help. No telling what's in old files. As you mention, lots of stuff forgotten, but valuable nevertheless. I think it very important to "attribute" such contributions to the original contributor when possible, and if such is not known, state so, and ask for informed info as to original contributor ; such revised info to be posted as such becomes available/confirmed. They deserve credit for their contributions, and I'm sure all here would agree that they should get it.

Interesting topic. I was astonished that I "took" to Assembler programming so many years ago, after struggling with other languages that were supposedly "easier'. It has been decades since I did anything but learn Assembler in school, but I distinctly recall that most students were overwhelmed by the complexities/opportunities offered by Assembler language. I found it exhilarating, but others found it daunting. OTOH, some of these same students outperformed me in the "easier" languages. I reckon that my class was almost all pretty smart people; The preference for/against Assembler was personal/self-imposed, and not purely intellectual. NOT to be construed as an offer for advice on Assembler language! Like I said, it's been decades.

Like most, I reckon, I prefer a wider angle of view, which, as you note, is something different from a simply enlarged, mistakenly-termed "widescreen" view. If I interpret your comments correctly, then the largest 4:3 window that fits within one's monitor is probably the upper limit, in view of not encountering 'stretching" of the essential gunsight. The reduction in apparent font size of the "essential info" displayed on lower corner of screen, as screen resolution is greatly increased is problematic, as is the degradation of the instruments on the dashboard. There are times when accurate, easily readable info is quite essential. I understand the font size can be altered, but I'm too stupid to do that, lol. As you have noted elsewhere, this issue, or related issues, is an inherent problem with EAW, and not easily remedied without skills that have not been forthcoming, sad to say. There are some flight sims that are so written/constructed that "widescreen" mods/patches can be applied to the original game (if it lacked such originally) with no apparent drawbacks, and to considerable overall advantage. That EAW lacks this feature has to be taken into account as a negative feature, but ought to be evaluated in conjunction with the numerous positive features EAW offers.

This article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_resolutions gives some info about resolution, and more importantly, aspect ratios. EAW seems particularly fond of a 4:3 aspect ratio, if I'm not mistaken. Probably an artifact of its' origins on CRT monitors way back when. Obviously, many users, while maintaining older computers on which to run EAW, will likely buy new monitors to better view many things. Maybe even try to run EAW on Win 10 or some other OpSys with a newer computer. Now, this might sound stupid, but let's say a user has a new monitor, say 1920x1080. Not cutting edge at all, and semi-obsolescent. 1920x1080 is not 4:3 ratio (but close), and so somewhat unfriendly to EAW. Assume the GFX card and CPU will adequately support such a resolution. Now, What to do? From your comments, I'm guessing that the user should edit the screen resolution in the Config.Ini of the EAW game to maintain the largest possible 4:3 aspect ratio within their monitor screen. Is this correct, assuming no other issues? IIRC, I tinkered within the D3W wrapper program to maximize the screen size/resolution of v1.28e EAW on my 1920x1080 monitor, and saw no visible "ovaling" of gunsights or any other objectionable effects. Both height and width could be independently manipulated within the wrapper program. Perhaps any distortion present was so slight that I took no notice, not specifically looking for such. RIBob

Success! Both V1.2 and EAWPRO both work properly now. Now to re-create both versions using a V1.2 No CD/No movies basis. I wouldn't mind retaining the music, as it gives some "flavor". Does such a V1.2 NO CD/NO Movies exist, and, if so, how is it labeled, and where can it be found? Needless to say, my problems so far were caused by NOT following the explicit instructions given on your Help site; IOW, having the game folder reside on C drive, and them having shortcut on desktop.

Both game and shortcut are on desktop, and the problem still exists. maybe I should put game at root of C, and create shortcut on desktop.. May

Hmmmmmmm. I'll try the shortcut, and report back tomorrow. Thanks.

Well, I spoke too soon. Looks like every version I've tried to create winds up with a big 'ol cursor arrow as soon as the game starts. Doesn't appear till the flying starts, then it is there, immovable. I doubt it's the games themselves, must be something about my computer. Any ideas?

OK, just found the "Stripped" version of EAW in my files. Unzipped V1.2 patch into it, and then unzipped latest iteration of EAWPRO into that. Everything seems to be working fine. Tried some of the NOCD/no music/no movies files on your site, but for some reason there was a very large cursor (pointer) right near dead center of the screen. At any rate, all seems to be well. Many thanks. e

Anything that adds to the realism of the Sim is always worthwhile. Congrats, VB! Now, a mechanical oil pressure gauge will have a pipeline/tube connected to its' gauge, running from engine, through the firewall, into the cockpit dashboard. This oil pipeline will contain oil under pressure supplied from the engine. If ruptured, it will spew oil, under considerable pressure, as long as the supply of oil lasts. An electrical oil pressure gauge will have an electrical sensor mounted on the engine, which will transmit its' findings to the electrical gauge on the cockpit dashboard. Same thing goes for other sensors, such as water/coolant or even vacuum. In the case of electrical gauges, if the wire from sender to gauge is cut, only the signal is lost, and there is no leakage due to such. There are mechanical ways to configure such gauges (more reliable/simpler), and electrical (more accurate/less chance of cockpit intrusion of unwanted fluids/ less impact due to leakage caused by damage). It is my understanding that most aircraft mfrs gradually made the transition from mechanical gauges to electrical gauges. When this transition occurred, and in what exact aircraft, remains a subject of research as to particular aircraft/time of transition. I suspect that the increasing reliability of aircraft electrical systems played a part, particularly in combat aircraft, where damage could be a frequent occurrence. As one who once had a mechanical oil pressure gauge fail within the cockpit of my car, I can say the oil sprayed out over my legs, and did not spew from the gauge. Of course, this incident was the result of a oil tube failure, and not because the gauge was struck by a bullet. thank heaven. That said, and presuming state-of-the-art military aircraft mfrs had foresworn mechanical gauges at some ill-defined point, then the leakage of fluids, both coolant and oil, onto the windscreen were possible, depending on the exact damage to the engine. IOW, One, or Both might occur, depending on the type of engine (air-cooled vs. water-cooled), or circumstances. Likely that a engine-damaged aircraft will be subsequently struck with more bullets, and additional engine damage resulting, thus resulting in possible leakage of other vital fluids. Certainly, oil AND coolant leakage from the engine, striking the front windscreen would create quite a mess, the two fluids being Immiscibale (not being able to be mixed), and creating a complete visual mess. Of course, given such catastrophic damage to one's engine--BOTH Coolant AND OIL loss, the pilot might be reasonably thinking about bailing out, at least in a single-engine aircraft. I know for certain that the Brits, say from the advent of the Jean Paul Defiant aircraft, used Glycol as an engine anti-freeze. There are written songs about it losing its coolant. German A/C not so much knowledge. Possibly, instead of glycol, simple alcohol. Germans had lots of brewing/alcohol capacity. So, good for you, VB, in creating fluids impacting the front air screen, which is all that is really necessary. Engine coolant (as appropriate to the aircraft) would probably be less visually detrimental than engine oil loss,, but either one would be a signal to the pilot of a single-engine aircraft that they would bailing-out pretty soon. In fact, some sort of time-limit might be added to visual signs of coolant/oil leaks and subsequent engine failure. Such is certain to happen once such vital fluids have begun to leak. Submitted with all due respect, and for consideration..

Thanks for very prompt reply, Mark! I'll be looking into all this tomorrow PM, but great to have some prior info. For the moment, I am assuming that I can recover a playable version of 1.2 from my files. If not, then strip the CD, as per your instructions, and patch the remainder to v 1.2. That's where the confusion about the two files you mentioned comes in. I never needed them before, and I wonder why I need them now. Of course, I was using Win 7x64 Pro, then, and this install will be on win 10x64 PRO, if that makes a difference. I'll restrain myself from tinkering with Track IR at the moment, and focus on EAW. I believe it was member "SkyHigh" on the other Site who had some comments about Track IR there. I have an IM directed to him about the subject, and we will see what happens. Thanks for your Help, and will report back late tomorrow.

I'm almost positive I have a "stripped" version of EAW; one I made from the directions on your help site. If not, I can re-create it easily enough. By Stripped, I mean using your instructions to remove a number of files found on the original CD, which I also have. Let's assume I have the stripped version, for now. What are these things you mention: "You'll want the 1.2 NoCD EXE and the empty 1kb MOVIES.CDF file off of my file archives. (If you need help finding them, PM me). " ? I don't recall using them before. If I need then, please give me "idiot-proof" instructions on where to find them, and how to identify them once there. Once I have both files, what do I do with them? Simply unzip into stripped EAW folder, or what? For now, I think it best to use a V1.2 version of EAW I.E., official patches only. Where are GTG V1.1, and V1.2 patches to be found, in case I haven't stored them? From there, it s getting the game installed, set-up, and running OK. Copy it, and then install EAWPRO. As an aside, I have on the way a Track IR gizmo, and a set of Saitek foot pedals. I'll tinker with that stuff after the install of EAWPRO. Maybe both will work with EAW; I believe "Sky" somethingorother has made some comments vis-à-vis Track IR on SHQ. I'll bug him about that. Yes, I HAVE spent some $$ lately, but retirement is coming, so buy now while I still have a reasonable income, I figure. Probably working on the "project" Sat afternoon. Thanks again, Mark.

Thanks Mark! I'll try to get to work on the project later today, and thanks for the suggestions.

Hey, Mark, the new Win 10 "Gaming Machine" is finally on-line. Latest (and final, I hope) delay was caused by the installation of a new Monitor, fully compatible with Nvidia 2060 GFX card. I plan to install EAW into the Win 10 comp, copy it, then overlay the latest version of EAWPRO onto the copy. To begin with, I will use a "Stripped" version of EAW, as you reference on your Site. I will run it, and edit the INI thus created to suit my preferences. Once the V1.2 EAW game is running OK, I'll make a copy of that, and then use the copy as a basis for the inclusion of NGlide, and almost certainly set up D3W wrapper program once the game is running ok. Make a copy of that, and overlay latest version of EAWPRO onto that. Discard superfluous stuff. I probably have existing copies of all the required elements on the "Win 7" SSD on the Gaming computer. As an aside, I copied/cloned the entire Win 7 SSD from my Win 7 computer, and installed it onto an aux 2 Tb SSD "Slave Drive" on the Gaming comp. Perhaps, since it also contains the Win 7 OpSys, I seem to be able to play all of the games stored there on my Win 10 computer. Unsure how this is possible, but it seems to be happening, somehow. This last aside, do you think this is a correct plan of operations? Suggestions? Part of the reason for doing this is that a mutual friend is having difficulty getting EAWPRO running on Win 10, and I wanted to go through the Start-to-finish procedure, taking notes step-by-step. Eventually, I want to install most everything now running on Win 7 computer into the new "Gaming computer", but that will take some time and effort. Anyway, Critique of my Win 19 "step-by-step" plan, when you have time, and suggestions, please. Needless to say, this would not be possible without your efforts, and your Help Site. Thanks!

We all know that Aux keypads can help with instant, single key pushes as compared to multiple key pushes. Let's assume that mappable keys are a necessity with any aux keyboard. That said, and given that different games will require a different number of "mapped" keys to an aux keypad, how many "aux" keys are usually necessary? Please list essential aux keys by game, if possible. The number of essential aux keys is , as will be seen. Second Part: The reason why I mention this is that there is a certain keyboard available with 24 programmable, and user-labeled keys available. This particular keyboard is NOT cheap. The USB keyboard is pretty much indestructible, having Cherry mechanical keys, and it is resistant to liquid spills, as well as some other mishaps. It is a full-size, commercial, keyboard, with a USEABLE mouse pad. I have used this exact keyboard, commercially, for a few years, and it has withstood daily commercial use without mishap. It is probably the only POS piece of equipment in my establishment with which there have been no problems. There are various versions of this Mfrs keyboard available, some less expensive than the one herein linked. Note that the various un-assigned keys can be labeled by the user. Linky: https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/417892/CHERRY-LPOS-Large-Point-of-Sale/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-Bing-_-Office_Machines-_-417892&msclkid=c179081b815715df5495550c47d97e02&gclid=CIOg4c_Aj-MCFcOmxQIdLq0PVw&gclsrc=ds By all means, search for best value/best features/best price. Those users of existing keypads this alternative will doubtless find this alternative unattractive. Perhaps users considering buying Aux keypads, this alternative might be interesting. I am reluctant to suggest this device, except that it has survived many years of daily abuse, and has not only mappable keys, but a touchpad that works. No commercial interest. YMMV. Submitted for consideration

Hmmmmm. Are you saying that EAW users cannot use aux keypads, with user-defined keys?

I'm an idiot user, but can plainly see that EAW versions of games are best served by having more than one forum. After all, if the primary depositary goes extinct, where will all the info reside? We have all seen extinct sites, and doing so is a very sad thing because all the work the modders that contributed to such extinct sites was in vain. So, let's not let it happen again. As is said in the armed forces, "Two is one, and one is none". May I ask that EAW users not only post on alternate sites, but copy and paste their comments/posts here? Doing so would support the game overall, not to mention this site. The primary goal is support of the EAW/UAW sim, and NOT any particular Site. FWIW, I have zero connection in regards this site. I humbly ask your consideration for the good of the EAW sim, and all its variants.