I just came back to RB after more than a year without looking in on what's been happening in terms of patch development.

It's a bit confusing now which patches are which. The one patch that was supposedly the best awhile back was Full Canvas Jacket, and one needed to buy it. I see now that the Promised Land website movged to fullcanvasjacket.com, but also that the patch itself is not even available now. The link there for "Purchase here" leads to an Ebay search that shows 0 results found.

Also on the Promised Land website is a FCJ2: Over The Western Front. Going by the name, it would seem as if it's a 2.0 of FCJ. CLick on the link and it takes you to a page for WFP2, which as far as I know is a completely different patch. In the details on that SWISSA webpage of what's included, it does mention "Featuring the Promised Lands Full Canvas Jacket 2" though I'm not sure what that means exactly. It features the whole thing? Or just a few parts that PL agreed to release?

Has FCJ merged with WFP? Is the original FCJ now obsolete?

Thanks

Right now there are 3 free "best quality" patches for the western front
VHelton's ROTJ
HASP [hell angles sp]
SWISSA's WFP


WFP is containing: Featuring the Promised Lands Full Canvas Jacket 2 Skins revamped using FCJ and FCJ2 exteriors and interiors

FCJ contains; utilizing the best 3d "wired" plane models from SWWISA

All copied text from FCJ and SWWISA website, So my advice do not spend your $$$ on FCJ but go for WFP2, its all copied from each other!!!!!
Keep in mind that the same is with HASP, some years ago I did a plane check on what is the best looking patch, focusing on German planes and I could identify that some HASP planes were copied from other RB members. Only ROTJ has made his own plane skins.

I have played them all for a short while but WFP2 is my patch, because I like the early period, can go back to aug 1915 and I have a lot of choices in plane models.
If you want to spend $$$ go for OFF3 & RoF or wait for the free CK!!!

Need more info and resources to start go to;
http://www.wingsofhonour.com/index.en.html
http://www.wings-of-valor.net/
http://www.rb3d.net/osl/GumpsBONUS.html
http://vonoben.free.fr/
http://www.flybert.net/rbdevel.htm
http://vonhelton.proboards.com/index.cgi
and read the stickies at the top.

Great reply. Thanks.

I'd seen that FCJ had done really well in some awards or reviews a few years back, so presumed it had made a leap beyond what WFP was doing, but from what you say, that's not the case.

Your cut-to-the-chase of how there's basically 3 top patches now (and how FCJ isn't worth buying) is just what I was hoping to hear. There's just SO much in the way of patches and mods out there now that making heads or tails of it all seems daunting.

This helps a lot. Sounds like WFP2 is the one for me, I'm also a fan of starting early. Morane's and Eindecker's. Try to stay alive in the Morane until the N.11's arrive, and then the tide quickly turns. Having other planes than the Morane available then would also be interesting.

thanks again

OK Now I am oh so confused. The other night I spent hours investigating FCJ for RBII3d and now I find gog has a release out! Whats a RB fan to do!! Does anybody out there really know what the best option is to get RB running on my XP system. It has been sitting on my shelf for years until I realized simmers have been playing it on XP for a while. I would apreciate a good honest response

the GOG release is nothing special other than you get a working Red Baron(1) and it's amazing manual

I had no problem with RB3D in WinXP when merely copied my RedBaron3D Folder over from my Win98SE machine.

You need, minimumly, the XP sound fix program

For Glide emulation, I recommend dgVoodoo 1.50 beta

Once you have Red Baron 3D working with the sound fix and Glide emulation, but otherwise without
UOPs or other mods make a copy or 3 of your RedBaron3d folder

http://flybert.net/howto.html

in one copy, I recommend WFP 2 as the best SinglePlay experience

HASP is very good too. It will only have the stock number of planes, but is entirely custom SWWISA planes and custom paints schemes

Both HASP and WFP2 fix minor bugs in RB3D SP

Make a seperate copy of RB3D for MultiPlay .. get the SWWISA plane set and other alternative plane sets for MP here http://flybert.net/mpaltsets.htm

Thanx for the reply Flybert I was hoping there was something a lot more easier to get up and flying right off. than all the other options available I will definitely try it this weekend Thanx again

Not quite exact.

HASP has one more plane in Zeppelin slot (Dorand AR) and features two ones different from stock (DFV CV and Caudron G4) occupying stock slots. In addition, it does not require any additional tool to work, like CM11 and so and is a "one-click" install. I strongly suggest to add my RNAS6 add-on which, besides adding one more non-stock plane (Nie.17bis), has included other up-to-date stuff for playing like cockpits and more. It only requires Gabi's ReLoad in addition to work correctly.

Regards,
GB