got my copy from ebay today. I followed all the help found in the forums and everything seems to be working using the glide wrapper.

I have one minor issue. The cockpit view is broken into segments and I see lines between them. Its not bad, but still distracting. Has anyone encountered this before and found a solution? The cockpit view also shows flickering at mission start. This goes away as soon as I hit ESC or F1 or change views.

Also worth asking, I did not need cd2 during the install. Is it needed for install or is it just used to load missions during gameplay?

Congratulations!
Which glide wrapper are you using and what video card do you have?

You will need to swap CD's when the map changes as I recall.

Decca

I'm using the dgVoodoo 1.4 wrapper set up exactly as shown on http://www.speichts.com/games/lb2/index.html plus the glide settings as found in an older thread in this forum.

I have a PCI-E GeForce 7600 GT w/ 256mb.

Any help would be appreciated to get this looking as good as I can. I'm excited about playing but still a bit worried I'll be bored w/ the graphics (These newer games have spoiled me).

lol ... could the one you bought be the one I just sold ?

.

Nope, I was lucky enough to find it listed in my home town. I was actually able to pick it up in person from the guy selling it.
I beat moonieme on the bid too.

Now, please someone help me get the graphics tweaked so I can start playing!

Yes! Yes! You beat moonieme!

I LOVE LB 2... but sadly... its graphics are aging I really wish they'd release the source code - or figure out how to mod the game as its flight model is still unequalled in many ways (though when I flew it recently it felt slightly scripted).

Moonieme sucks btw

If graphics are bothering you - I hate to say it - but give EECH a try (not trying to steal LB 2 players either) - they've (the community) done incredible things with the game - and its flight model is getting better and better with each new update.

LB 2 does the apache well - if not the best though still. Maybe we'll get a Longbow 3 some day?

Maybe it's because of the quality of the gameplay, the fidelity of the weapons systems, and the rotorhead FM that still captivates me after all these years, but the graphics don't distract me. Moreover, in comparison with some of the highly touted sims of recent years (i.e., the IL-2 series), the topographical modeling, particularly in Azerbaijan, is vastly superior IMHO. Considering it was supposed to be the basis for the ill-fated Janes A-10 sim, it's a shame that program never reached fruition. Sure, texture overlays could be improved, but I don't the ones in-game think they look that bad, especially at night with PNVS at 30 feet altitude going 100 kts.

Mr_Blastman, I may try EECH one of these days, but right now the goal is to set up a game that I can play with a friend as pilot/copilot (not just pilot/tailgunner, although a helo pilot/turret gunner might be cool). As far as I know, this is the most recent game to achieve this. If EECH supported such network play with two in one aircraft, I'd be all over it.

Now, I'm probably getting anoying, but I still need help getting my cockpit graphics sorted out. The cockpit view is sectioned and I can see lines. However, this is only in the scripted views. I suppose I will be playing primarily in the helmet views. BTW, can you set mouse or joystick control for head movement?

The lines in the cockpit can not be avoided - they are a common problem with running the game using a glide wrapper.

As to the using joystick/mouse to control head movement - you certainly can!

It all depends on what controllers you have. I have a modded HOTAS Cougar + modded CH Pro pedals (the full deal) and I have my POV functions set up as follows:

In 2d cockpit - Hat 1 controls views left right etc.

In the 3d cockpit, my microstick controls the panning - like a mouse would do (since it is emulating a mouse in the 3d view). I find this very effective

As for what profile I'm using in my Cougar? I downloaded one from cougar.frugalsworld.com and loaded it right in with only a couple of modifications - one of which fixes the cannon trigger bug. Let us know what you're using.

Gotta say - I have and fly both LB2 and EECH. And I try and stay current on the EECH excellent upgrades including flow of new .exes. I still come back far more often to LB2, while not knocking EECH at all. LBs graphics using higher resolutions (I run LB2 at 1600) with a glide wrapper look very good to me, especially considering its age. The dawn and sunset sky colors are beautiful; the appearance of night missions with NV goggles is excellent. The graphics are not really a (negative)distraction for me.

What I do appreciate very much in addition to excellent dynamic campaign, superb helo modeling/sim aspects, is the MP component. LB2's dynamic campaign online is hard to beat. EECH has its share of MP issues, despite its new engine and tech. And I admit that LB2 sometimes just refuses to provide connectivity - but for the most part, it's solid online and a blast. And that is understated praise!

Regarding the cockpit lines, on both my nVidia and ATI systems, the lines are incredibly fine and just not obtrusive enough to notice after getting going in the mission.

Lastly, I want to echo I.B.'s observations about the terrain modeling in the primary campaign. The extreme mountainous geography provides so much drama for nap of the earth ingress and egress. Struggling up the steep mountain sides, and trying to peek over the ridge line into the next valley and not sky up gets my adreniline going, wondering whether a SAM or AAA site will greet me on the other side. Flying low, down a valley floor and coming to an intersecting canyon...turning into the new canyon and coming upon an opfor unit strung out on its way to the front, engaging and defending...working with my wingy. This is one immortal sim!

Well said, Eugene. And, in the end, that is the distinguishing characteristic of truly landmark game..it's all about the game and LB2 stands tall some 9 years later. I managed an email response from TK when I asked if he would answer a simple question or two about LB2, but it was nothing more than "What is the question?" and, alas, I have received no further response. I know it's ancient history and he's moved on to other projects, but I was hoping his insight might spur investigation by third party affecionados regarding aftermarket modifications that might make the game more playable on modern systems without anomolies. Maybe someday.

Spectre,

I would be surprised if TK could do anything
with altering the IP for any patching.

But it was a good shot anyways

cheers

Yep, you never know 'til you ask. His "Third Wire Productions" business has priority over any non-cashflow-generating assistance, I'm sure.

How many of us would be willing to delve into a former employer's passe' effort some 9 years after the fact? Perhaps if it were a simple 10 minute job, but refamiliarizing himself with the ins and outs of LB2 programming would likely require far more time than he's got to give...unless it was purely a labor of love.

Then there's always the issue of copyright, who needs the legal hassle?

Yes, LB2 is great. I bought my copy off of ebay about 2 years ago and have it running on XP with my P4-3.4ghz machine. It runs without a problem. I've just started getting back into it since new flight sims are far and few between. The lines are there in the 2d pit but not in the 3d pit. Never tried online play but would love to link up with you guys sometime.
I recently got the HOTAS cougar and use it with LB2. I don't use the joystick to change views in 3d. I use the track mapper and trackir. With the track mapper you can set up the arrow keys to be automatically pressed when moving your head with the trackir. Combined with the HOTAS Cougar it's a blast.

I noticed Eugene's running at 1600. I have a question, how do you know if Longbow is running at a higher resolution than 640x480? My monitor's max is 1280x1024. I have the glide wrapper set to this resolution for all games. However, when I check the CA.txt file in the longbow directory it shows the following:
[GRAPHICS]
XResVideoMode=640
YResVideoMode=480
GammaCorrection=6
FarClip=7890
MeshDetail=2
TerrainLighting=1
Shadows=1
ObjectDetail=2
DetailedHelicopters=1
ObjectLighting=1
CockpitRotorFx=1
LensFlareFx=1
TextureMap=1
Perspective=1
DrawSky=1
Dither=1
SmokeDensity=2
SmokeEffectFx=2
MaxBitmaps=100
Trees=0
TreeDetail=0
TreeSamples=0

If I adjust the resolution in this text file any higher the game crashes.

I guess I'm fortunate, my 2D cockpit does not have these lines and looks as normal as it did under my old Voodoo display. About the only graphical anomoly I have is that, usually when the game boots to the in-cockpit screen, I get some desktop icons flickering rapidly in and out of view against the 2D cockpit. If I hit F4 to go to the 3D view or select a left or right side 2D, the flickering ceases and I can go back to the forward 2D view without anomoly. I'm running an ATI 9800 Pro AIW under the DGVoodoo 1.40 Plus wrapper with Catalyst 5.8 drivers.

TheSilkMan, others more knowledgeable than I can probably shed more light on the subject, but I'll give it a go as I understand it. LB2 was written for 640x480 (and maybe 800x600, I don't recall for sure) and there's nothing that will change that. However, the DGVoodoo Glide Wrapper steps in and emulates the processing characteristics of the defunct Voodoo cards, but also intercedes to allow a higher resolution than the game provided inherently. The info contained in your CA.txt file lists the game's settings, but the wrapper is spinning its magic outside of the game.

Yup, it will run in 800x600 if you adjust the line:
[GRAPHICS]
XResVideoMode=800
YResVideoMode=600

However, it comes with an analomy. If you hit the esc key the menu screen gets duplicated into 4 quadrants. Everything else looks fine though.

Sounds like your best bet is go for the stability of 640x480 and let DGVoodoo do the rest. Does it look objectionable to you or are you just curious as to what rez you're actually running as opposed to the info in the CA.txt file?