Southside Bucky

Hi guys. There's a couple of relevant ongoing discussions over at the Aerodrome forum which you may find interesting. The first is about engine torque/precession, The second relates to the performance of the Fokker E.III. http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30898 http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30776 Regards. Bucky.

WHASSUP!

VC view = Virtual cockpit view...Centre section's totally missing when I look behind. Nothing wrong with the outside view though. Re: Aileron sensitivity. Yeah, more responsive...The way I interpret the reports that I've read, I would take to mean that the plane wasn't at all stable...The slightest movement of the ailerons would bring an instant response. Kinda 'twitchy' if you will. Yeah, I do tend to forget about the delicate balance between the AI and player FM...All you can aim for is a decent compromise I suppose, and as you've said already, once you get close, it's gotta be very tempting to leave well enough alone. You must have the patience of Job! Looking forward to testing version 2. Bucky.

OK...Sorry for the confusion. 1V1 against E.III using your FM. Definitely feels lighter, so that's good. Found it quite easy to get on his tail after a little while so maybe the turning circle is now a tad uber? I do mean just a tiny bit! Considering the DH2's large rudder size, A little more response from it might be more authentic I think. Overall, just a little too easy to fly. Maybe make the ailerons just a little more sensitive? Definitely getting there though Peter. I'd be interested in what the other guys think? Oh, and somehow, in the VC view, I've lost the complete centre section of the top wing...including the auxilary fuel tank. Great for getting a proper rear view though! Hope this helps. Bucky.

Aladar's. The one it came with when first released. I'm thinking that it has to be the benchmark by which any of yours have to be compared. Regards. Bucky.

Hi Peter. Just a quick disclaimer: I'm not going to be able to contribute much in technical terms...When people start talking about pitch angles, roll rates and such, my eyes glaze over. I'm more of a history kinda guy, so I always go look for original pilot views and official reports on how a particular crate actually handled in flight/combat. As you requested, I set up a quick 1 V 1 mission, DH2 Vs Fokker E.III (Laton's), using the DH2's original FM, on Hard settings. The E.III literally flew rings around me! Hard turning or weaving in the DH2 only delays the inevitable. After three attempts I think I can safely say the DH2 is the inferior A/C at the moment. In terms of challenge and AI aggressiveness though, the E.III is a fantastic adversary, so don't change anything with that! Then I reversed roles and flew the E.III. The DH2 AI seemed to fly it better than I could, putting up a half decent fight, but eventually (two minutes or so) I managed to get behind him. again I tested this scenario three times...Same result each time. A couple of observations: I don't wanna complicate things but it's occured to me that the original DH2 FM would be quite close to how I imagine the FE2b should handle...It feels heavy and slow to turn, so maybe you could use it as a sort of template for the FEE? The Fokker E.III: Although it feels right and flies well, I did notice that the rudder response is a bit weak. I'd imagine that in real life any A/C with only a rudder and no fin such as the Eindekker had would be very responsive in this respect...Quite twitchy in fact...Just an observation? Like I said the E.III does fly really well as an AI opponent...A real challenge. So to sum up, I think you can disregard my earlier view on the DH2's original FM being quite close...After reading up on it a bit more, I now think it should feel lighter, more nimble, quite a bit quicker in the turn, yet still quite slow (90MPH at 5000ft). What I said about it being tricky still stands though...I think, with it's four quite large ailerons, it was sensitive to the slightest touch, and would've needed the pilots full attention. I'm not expecting you to replicate all of these aspects of course...Just letting you know a few of it's characteristics from what I've read. Bet you're sorry you asked eh? Bucky.

Yo Nicholas...Thanks for that! Tried 60, still too slow. Ended up at 90...Seems good to me. Lowered the fire range too, 2000 is way too high. After a bit of experimenting: 500, 700, then 900, It seemed about right at 1000. Nice one mate! Hi Peter. Regarding the DH2. IMO the original FM is pretty good and only needs a little tweaking. The one thing that definitely does need improving is its turning speed. At the moment, I think it's being out turned by all the Eindekker's which isn't correct considering they're all "wing warpers". The engine torque would've made a right turn faster than one to the left though. Also, not sure if you can incorporate spins, but the DH2 was quite tricky to fly, being prone to (a recoverable) spin if the pilot wasn't careful. Cheers. Bucky.

Hi Peter. Been trying out the Fee FM...Over and above what Tailspin has correctly pointed out regarding the rudder, overall it's not bad. Just to confirm what you've already stated, it does need to feel heavier and less responsive. The stability is good though. Again, Tailspin's right about the gunner's firing distance, but he (the gunner) also needs to aim and fire a bit faster too...Is this possible? Thanks for your kind words about the A/C dates and availability list, but it wasn't me. I would of course be happy to help with any questions you (or anyone else) might have though...Quite a few of the add on planes are remiss in this respect. Funny you should mention a Zeppelin mission, I tried creating one soon after the Warneford, Morane L skin was released, but the Zep FM put paid to that. Hope this helps, I'll try out the DH2 later tonight. Regards. Bucky.

Hi guys. Here's the early war scenario I promised Mountain Man a while ago. You'll be flying P10ppy's brilliant Morane "Bullet" against Laton's Lovely Fokker E.III, so quality is assured! The 'Read Me' will explain all the details. As usual, I'd love to hear your comments, good, bad or indifferent. Get it here: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...p;showfile=4772 All the best. Bucky.

Excellent shots Laton, particularly "Good Guys" and "Darn". I'm definitely gonna have to use your new E.I for an upcoming mission sometime! glad you enjoyed it. Bucky.

Count me in Peter...Your work improves the game no end! Regards. Bucky.

Sent ya PM P10ppy!

File Name: Five Fokker's! March 2nd, 1916. File Submitter: Southside Bucky File Submitted: 28 May 2007 File Category: Missions/Campaigns A mission for First Eagles. Bucky's Quick Mission No.6: Five Fokker's! March 2nd, 1916. ============================================================ Introduction: This mission is a re-enactment of an actual aerial combat that took place in the early morning of Tuesday, March 2nd, 1916. On this day, Sgt T.P.H. Bayetto (That's him in the Morane's 'Loadout' screen photo), flying a Morane Type N "Bullet" of No.3 Squadron RFC, was escorting a Morane BB two-seater on a long reconnaissance mission over Vallenciennes, a few miles SW of Mons, when they were attacked by five Fokker Eindekker's. This is how the action was described in the 'Royal Flying Corps Communiques', a weekly written report of significant actions, produced for the RFC's internal consumption throughout the war: "Sgt Bayetto (Morane Scout, 3 Sqn) on escort duty to the Vellenciennes reconnaissance, reports having been attacked by 5 Fokker's in the neighbourhood of Vallenciennes. The reconnaissance machine dived to get clear, but was closely followed by the hostile machines. Sgt Bayetto opened fire on the nearest hostile machine and drove it down, apparently into the woods near Vallenciennes. After this engagement he saw no more signs of the reconnaissance machine and returned over Lille where he was again attacked by 3 Fokker's. These he eventually evaded and after circling round Lille for 15 minutes, returned to his landing ground." In actual fact, Bayetto couldn't find his comrades because they had just become the ninth victims of the infamous German fighter ace, Max Immelmann... The Morane BB's pilot Lt C.W. Palmer, managed to get the stricken plane down safely despite being shot in the foot. The observer, Lt H.F. Birdwood was killed. Palmer was hospitalised but died of septicaemia on March 29th after having his foot amputated. T.P.H. Bayetto was killed in an air crash in England in July 1918. Immelmann fell to his death in controversial circumstances on June 18th, 1916. ============================================================ To set the scene: From the time of its introduction in mid 1915, the Fokker Eindekker had only been encountered in small numbers. Initially, it was distributed in one's and two's to the two-seater Feldfleiger Abteilung units as an escort machine. Even so, in spite of the relatively few Eindekker's available (only about 55 by October 1915), its impact was considerable, inflicting heavy casualties on the RFC's slow and poorly armed aircraft. By early 1916, the Germans had realised that the Eindekker would be more effective if used in greater numbers and within dedicated fighter formations which they called Kampfeinsitzer Kommando units (KeK's). This mission depicts the day when the RFC encountered one such unit: KeK Douai, consisting of five Fokker E.III's...The largest number seen together up until that time...From early March onward, the Fokker's hunted in packs! However, once the RFC started to receive the Airco DH2 and Nieuport 11 in significant numbers in the spring of 1916, it spelled the end of the period that came to be known as "The Fokker Scourge". ============================================================ Mission guidelines: Flying as Bayetto in a Morane Bullet, the mission begins at approximately 6700 feet. You're already deep inside enemy territory. Keep close to the reconnaissance machine you're escorting, and follow him to the target. Remember; to replicate Bayetto's actions you'll have to take out at least one Eindekker (FYI: Max Immelmann will be in the E.III that attacks first...A chance to alter history?), then fly over Lille on your way home...Assuming you're lucky enough to even begin the homeward journey! Just a few words of warning: Archie is liable to be quite active, so you might want to jink about a bit. More importantly...BEWARE THE HUN IN THE SUN! ============================================================ Mission requirements: To fly this mission as intended, you'll need: Flanders Terrain. By Edward. To be found in the Combat Ace, Downloads, 'Maps/Terrains, section. Morane N "Bullet". By P10ppy. To be found in the Combat Ace, Downloads, 'Add On Aircraft', 'WW1', section. BE2c. By Capun and his team at Skunkworks To be found at the Skunkworks site. (Registration required.) Fokker E.III. By Laton. Skins by V.Deutschmark. FM by Peter01. To be found in the Combat Ace, Downloads, 'Add On Aircraft', 'WW1', section. Fokker E.III, Buhme skin. By V.Deutschmark. To be found in the Combat Ace, Downloads, 'WW1 Skins', Section PLEASE NOTE: The BE2c has a tendency to fly at low throttle, which makes the propeller rotate too slowly. This also makes it very hard to keep the Morane from overtaking it all the time. Therefore, I changed the following parameters in the BE2c Data.INI file. You may want to do the same? I think the AI flies it much better with these settings: [Engine] SlowPropRPM=1200 FastPropRPM=1550 MaxPropRPM=1800 IdlePropRPM=950 For maximum realism, the mission should be played with all gameplay settings set to 'Hard'. Many thanks to all the above artists for their most excellent contributions to this great game. ============================================================ Compromises and game limitations: The No.3 Squadron reconnaissance machine in use that day was a Morane BB, a sort of two seat biplane version of the "Bullet". This plane is not available for FE at this time, so I've had to use the equally slow and vulnerable BE2c... C'est la vie! Lesser annoyances are: Vallenciennes doesn't exist on the FE map, but the action does take place over the same general area, so no big deal. Hardly worth mentioning but Bayetto's Morane would not have been painted red at this time. The order to paint the noses of all Type N's was given in mid July, during the battle of the Somme, to minimise the possibility of the Morane being mistaken for the Fokker Eindekker. I've had to use V. Deutschmark's Buhme skin to depict Immelmann's E.III. Immelmann did fly an Eindekker with a very similar paint job though. ============================================================ Installation instructions: Install the mission by unzipping the downloaded file to the following path: C:/Program Files/Thirdwire/WW1/Missions Alternatively, you can drag and drop the unzipped MSN file directly into your 'Missions' folder. ============================================================ I hope you enjoy flying this mission and find it both challenging and enjoyable enough to play it more than once...I've tried to make it as historically accurate and authentic as the game will allow. Feel free to change any of the parameters as you wish. I would welcome any suggestions or general feedback, good, bad or indifferent, via any one of the FE forums. Best of British! Bucky. 28/5/07 ============================================================ References used in creating this mission: 'Royal Flying Corps Communiques 1915-1916'... Edited by C. Cole. 'British Fighter Units Western Front 1914-16'... A. Revell. 'Early German Aces of World War 1'... G. Van Wyngarden. 'The Jasta War Chronology'... N. Franks. F. Bailey & R. Duiven. 'Under The Guns of the German Aces'. N. Franks & H. Giblin. 'Sharks Among Minnows'... N. Franks. 'Above The Lines'... N. Franks. F.W. Bailey & R. Guest. 'Above The Trenches'... C. Shores. N. Franks & R. Guest. 'Morane-Saulnier Types N,I,V'... Windsock Datafile No.58. J.M. Bruce. 'Fokker E.III'. Windsock Datafile No.15... P.M. Grosz. 'Fokker E.I-II'. Windsock Datafile No.91... P.M. Grosz. ============================================================ ============================================================ Click here to download this file

Great stuff fella's! I like the E.Ia in particular, what with the head rest, Parabellum 'n all. Can't wait to see the E.II & E.IV, to complete the set! Another fantastic contribution, well done! Regards. Bucky.

Just thought it might be useful to relate the following passage from the Morane Windsock Datafile (No.58) page 11. It's another testament to how difficult the Morane N was to fly. written in 1973 by Frank T Courtney, who was a sergeant pilot with No.3 Squadron in 1915/16: "Two or three weeks before I was shot down by Immelman's Fokker (21st October 1915) a Morane 'monocoque' (Model N) came to No.3 Squadron flown by G.L.P. Henderson. If it had been an effective fighter it would have been the sensation that the Fokker was, and it would have been a continuous subject of squadron talk. As it was, Henderson (always one of Britain's best pilots) had found it so tricky to handle, especially at altitudes, that he rarely took it out and couldn't do much with it when he did". Apparently, the later 'I' and 'V' versions were downright dangerous! regards. Bucky.

Hi again P10ppy. Yeah, TK's team are excellent, no argument there, but correct me if I'm wrong...This is your first attempt at A/C modelling, yeah? So, what would you be capable of if you were given a few pointers in the right direction? If nothing else, they should get you to do some cockpits, IMHO. Re: Your works in progress. A Voisin...Most excellent! Apart from the Morane I and V, maybe the BB wouldn't be too much hassle as well? Off the top of my head, suggestions for other early war planes would be: Bristol Scout. Vickers F.B.5 'Gun bus'. F.E.8. Caudron G.3. (French and RFC) As for AI 'targets', how about: AGO C.I, (The weird twin boomer...Surprisingly common in late '15 & early '16) LVG C.II (Almost indistinguishable from the B.II. So, two planes in one!) Albatros C.I AEG G.IV All in your own time of course! Re: The unrecoverable spins: For those that don't know. Pressing the 'A' (Auto Pilot) key will work if you 'aint too close to the ground. Re: The Morane's FM: In the excellent reference book; 'The Aeroplanes Of The RFC', by Jack Bruce, he describes its performance thus: "The type never became popular, however, for it combined the heavy lateral response of warping wings with the the disproportionately sensitive control provided by its 'all flying' elevators, and was considered to be difficult to fly". Whatever, I can't stop flying it at the moment! Regards. Bucky. PS. Almost forgot...I didn't particularly like the engine sound either BBRFC, so I made a copy of the RotaryEngine.wav, and renamed it Lerhone.wav. Better balance IMO!

Hi P10ppy. Considering the meticulous attention to detail and overall fantastic quality of your modelling, you've produced this work of art in next to no time at all...It's absolutely brilliant mate... You're in a class of your own! If you ask me, TK (or any other flight sim creator, come to that.) should snap you up as their main modeller. It really is that good! You asked for opinions on the FM? Well, it is a tad easy...The Morane N was quite difficult to fly, and not very well liked by those who flew it, according to the accounts that I've read. I think it may be a little too fast, and a tad too manoeuvrable as it is, but hey, you can't be expected to get every aspect perfect all by yourself eh? Regarding adjusting the pilot position, which is a bit too low. Open the planes DATA.INI file, scroll down to 'CREW', [Pilot], and 'Position'. The number at the end of that line reads; 62...I changed mine to 77, and it now looks about right to me. One slight problem I'm having, is the flight leader streamers are not showing...Anyone else come across this? I'd be grateful for any help. One last question P10ppy...Are you gonna do any more? :yes: Thanks, and again, very well done! Bucky.

Most excellent fella's. You make a great team...Well done! Been waiting on this for the early war mission I promised Mountain Man a few weeks ago... Cheers. Bucky.

Hi guys. Having just recently discovered the brilliant KMD mission builder, I've spent most of Easter creating single missions just like I used to love doing in dear old RB3D. The first one I've uploaded (more to come!) is a 'what if' scenario, but being a bit of a stickler for historical accuracy, I've tried to make it as authentic as the game will allow. The Read Me will explain. Get it here: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...p;showfile=4477 Have fun! Regards. Bucky.

Just reporting back to say that Peter01's FM fix for the DFW C.V works brilliantly as far as I can tell...It stops the looping and stalling once and for all! At the moment it's buried away in this thread, post No.7: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=18965 You're THE MAN Peter! All the best. Bucky.

Hi Haac. Check out the player plane name in the mission file, and make sure it tallies exactly with the aircraft name of both that plane's folder, and its INI file. Just a hunch... Bucky.

Hi fella's. I've been working on this one for a while, but got held up because of the weird AI behaviour of the DFW C.V. Thanks to Peter01 and his modified FM, I've now been able to complete it. Get the FM mod here, post no.7. You'll need it for this mission, but it's a must have anyway. http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=18965 It's another historical scenario that depicts the events of May 9th 1918, when Rene Fonck shot down six German A/C in a single day... I thought it'd be nice to upload it today...The 89th anniversary of this action. I really hope you enjoy it, but please be warned, it's a proper challenge, just as it was for Fonck. I'd love to hear your comments, especially from anyone who manages to at least equal Fonck's feat and survive! Get it here: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...p;showfile=4671 All the best. Bucky.

Hi Tripoli. Here it is: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...p;showfile=4170 Let us know how you get on, yeah? Bucky.

File Name: Rene Fonck: 'Ace Of Aces'. Parts 1 & 2 File Submitter: Southside Bucky File Submitted: 9 May 2007 File Updated: 16 Apr 2008 File Category: User Made Missions Updated 18/4/08. Just a quick note to confirm that this mission will work with the expansion pack and April 08 patch, as long as you have ALL required skins, terrain etc installed. A Mission For First Eagles. Bucky's Quick Mission No.5. Rene Fonck: 'Ace Of Aces'. Parts 1 & 2. Released: 09/05/07... The 89th anniversary of the action depicted in this mission. ============================================================ Introduction: Ask any student of the first air war to name their top ten WW1 fighter pilots and all the usual names will crop up, plus maybe, a few lesser knowns. Chances are though, the name Rene Fonck won't be among them... He's been largely forgotten... Even in his own country. A true case of criminal neglect IMHO, because Rene Fonck was probably THE greatest fighter pilot of WW1. The only problem is/was, Fonck knew how good he was and wouldn't let anyone forget it...He was regarded as a boastful, boorish, braggart, and generally not well liked by his comrades. But when you talk the talk, you've got to be able to walk the walk...Fonck could and did! This mission, which comes in two parts, depicts the events of Thursday, May 9th, 1918. This was the date that Sous-Lt Rene Fonck of escadrille SPA103, shot down six German aircraft in a single day...An outstanding feat in itself , but amazingly, he was to repeat it again on September 26th! In fact, he brought down two or more enemy planes in one day, an incredible eighteen times in one year! His marksmanship was of olympic gold medal standard. He usually expended very little ammunition when bringing down enemy aircraft. About nine rounds on average. His official end of war total was 75 confirmed victories, but in his book 'Ace Of Aces', he gave all the dates for a further 52 unconfirmed victories, which would give him an actual score of 127. ============================================================ To set the scene: On May 9th, Fonck didn't even begin flying until 3:45pm because of bad weather, but soon after crossing the allied lines with his two wingmen, he spotted three enemy two-seaters. He shot down all three in a fight that lasted just 45 seconds...They all crashed within 400 metres of each other! After landing to refuel, he took off again at 5:30pm. It was very cloudy and eventually Fonck became separated from his two wingmen. He emerged from a dense cloud and immediately came across another German two-seater and shot that down. Continuing his patrol, he spotted a flight of four Fokker D.VII's, escorted by five Albatros D.V's flying slightly above, and ahead of the D.VII's. Weighing up the odds and feeling brave, Fonck put his SPAD into a dive, positioned himself amongst the nine enemy planes and shot down the rearmost D.VII. Alerted by the machine gun noise, the remaining E/A attempted to turn and bring their guns to bear on Fonck, but this manoeuvre slowed them down, and his momentum allowed him to pass between them. He then shot down the leader of the patrol and bolted for home, with seven enemy planes in hot pursuit! ============================================================ Mission guidelines: As already stated, this mission comes in two parts to more accurately depict the events, weather and timing of Thursday, May 9th, 1918. PART 1. You'll join the action at about 7500 feet, having just crossed the allied lines at 4:15pm. The weather, which has kept you grounded for most of the day has cleared nicely, Although it's still quite cloudy. You're accompanied by your two able wingmen; Lt Fontaine and Cpt Battle. Suddenly, you spot three specks in the distance...Bosche two-seaters!... Manouevre yourself into a favourable position and dive into the fray! Fonck managed to shoot down all three German two-seaters himself...Can you do the same? Having achieved the mission goal, feel free to press 'ALT+N' to fast forward to your aerodrome...You can then land, and wait while your ground crew refuel and re-arm your SPAD...You may want to grab yourself a coffee and a croissant while you wait... PART 2. We join the action at 12,500 feet. It's 6:10pm, and you've been in the air for 40 minutes. It's very cloudy and you've lost your two wingmen, and the light is fading... You emerge from a dense cloud to find a German reconnaisance plane very close by...Once you send him down, prepare yourself to dive into the midst of the Fokker D.VII's and Albatros D.V's! Fonck shot down two Fokker D.VII's before making a break for home, but do feel free to try and better him if you think you can! If you survive, you can navigate your way back to Villers Bretonneaux airfield (or press ALT+N like I always do!) and land to a rapturous reception from your comrades...Just as Fonck did. ============================================================ Compromises and game limitations: 1. During the spring and summer of 1918 the German offensive had pushed the allies back much further than the actual front line depicted in the game. Also, the FE map is very sparsely populated around the Montdidier area where these combats actually took place. This means that I've not been able to place the action as accurately on the map as I would've liked. 2. FE won't allow multiple 'named wingmen' in the players flight. This means the game will recognise only the players plane. consequently, there will be no record of your wingmen's actions in the 'stats' screen at end of mission. It also means you can't issue orders via the 'tab' button. The good news is; this doesn't stop your wingmen from participating in the action, although for this mission you won't want any help anyway! 3. In Fonck's second patrol, about 45 minutes passed between him shooting down the two-seater and the dogfight with the flight of German fighters...Here, I've condensed the action to save you flying around aimlessly for the best part of an hour. 4. Again, in the second patrol, Fonck was able to dive into the German fighter formation undetected before causing havoc...As far as I can tell, the AI in First Eagles is 'all seeing'... This makes it impossible (I think!) to sneak up on 'em! You'll just have to take your chances mixing it with 'em I'm afraid! ============================================================ Mission requirements: To fly this mission as intended, you'll need: Flanders terrain. By Edward. To be found in the Combat Ace, Downloads, 'Maps/Terrains' section. Rene Fonck SPAD XIII skin. By HerGr. To be found in the Combat Ace, Downloads, 'WW1 Aircraft Skins' section Many thanks to all the above artists for their most excellent contributions to this great game. For maximum realism, the mission should be played with all gameplay settings set to 'Hard'. ============================================================ Installation instructions: Install the mission by unzipping the downloaded file to the following path: C:/Program Files/Thirdwire/WW1/Missions Alternatively, you can drag and drop the unzipped MSN file directly into your 'Missions' folder. ============================================================ I hope you enjoy flying this mission and find it both challenging and enjoyable enough to play it more than once...I've tried to make it as historically accurate and authentic as the game will allow. Feel free to change any of the parameters as you wish. I would welcome any suggestions or general feedback, good, bad or indifferent, via any one of the FE forums. Bon chance! Bucky. 9/5/07 Click here to download this file