Gday all

I have searched this thread & other places but I couldn't find a readme for 1.28e listing the new features. Is there one (prior to downloading) ?

Cheers
CV

Hi cv,

no, there isnt a real readme for now. We just miss(ed) the time, but most of the new features for the user are obvious, if you read the related threads and if you look into the EAW config screen.

Greetings

Knegel

Gentlemen!, congratulations to all involved in making this mighty upgrade. I've been away from the forum for a while and have returned to find this momentous release. The game works so simply now, facilitated by the D3D windower which has been a godsend for me at least and game looks wonderful with these new screens. The graphics seem sharper now, and I've only tried a couple of planes yet, but the flight-model seems more demanding-not good news for me, I'm afraid as I'm no ace. Thanks for all your work, you're keeping this game a living classic.

Hi,



If you come straight from EAW 1.2 .. that's quiet normal.
After some flights hours and some joystick sensitivity adjustements you will fill the gap

OFF

Hi all,let me share my short feedback.
Since EAW was one of my favourites in its time, I kept checking the improvements almost every year around the net.
Almost every time I tried to fire it up, it was a failure, mainly because of my system & video card. Time flies.
But.
I downloaded 1.28 and worked like a charm. For the first time. No complex procedures, no 3rd party magical tools, onyl 1.28 and the original game.
I must say, its a miracle what you have done to this game. I love the new flight model (not even remember the old one, and played il2 for years), graphics are amazing.
Te best is, that the game mechanics are still easy to learn, and fits perfectly to my demand.
I have only small issue with the map distorsion, but thats really a small thing.
I tried gameranger, couldn't find anyone, but will keep trying.
So, all in all, a big thanks to everyone involved!

Just a little clarification to the flight+damage model and plane performences in 1.28e.

1. You should program the WEP button. If you start the game, WEP is enabled, the WEP button reduce the max throttle
position to the highest where the engine dont overheat.
The "THROTTLE 100%= " is the WEP button. I have this in my EAW.ini "THROTTLE 100%=Joystick_Btn_9".
By pushing Joystick Button 9 the possibility to use WEP get dissabled, pushing it again, you can use it again.

2. A few engines comes along without WEP, still the overheat behaviour is not absolut the same. Other engines have a real WEP(1-3min short endurace), other engines have a combat power WEP(around 10 minutes) and others WEP is like an water methanol injection(Sondernot for german planes).
The time to overheat is never constand and depends to the plane speed and altitude(above or below rated altitude).

3. Currently we support two superchanger stages, as such two rated altitudes. Some hundret feet above this rated altitudes the engine wont overheat anymore. If you be above the 1st rated alt and the 2nd supercharger get enabled, the engine will start to heat up again.
Superchargers only can support the higest presure up to rated alt, here the presure and as such the tendency to overheat reduce with increasing altitude.

4. The rated altitudes and supercharger switch alt are not constand, instead the RAM air effect can influence them.
There are only a few WWII planes where the RAM air effect dont had a big influence(P38 for example).
The Rated altitude at climb speed and the rated altitude at max speed might differ by up to 5000 feet. Between climb speed and a extreme dive speed(above max speed) the different might be even higher.

So it can help you much to know what is your altitude and what is your supercharger stage, at what altitude have your plane the best power at what speed and the same knowledge about the enemys plane.

A well known example is the relation between SpitIXc Merlin61 and FW190A4. The latter had a way better power up to around 1100m altitude, here is the 1st rated altutude of the BMW801D, up to roundabout 3000m the power decrease, then the 2nd stage start and the power increase a little up to around 6200(the altitudes vary by +/- 300m with plane speed).
The Merlin61 have its 1st rated altitude at around 4200m(1st power peak), now the power smelt down up to around 6000m(power hole), then it increase again up to 8000m(2nd rated alt).
If you compare this values, you will see, that the FW190A have its best relative performence below around 2000m and then at around 6000m, so at around 4200m and above 6500m the Spitfire will have the better relative performence.

5. Damages influence your plane performence!!
If you take impacts and get a damage message, not only the parts, mentioned in the message, got damaged, but also the main Airframe. This will increase the drag and decrease the max lift, so the all over performence of your plane will decrease.
You should keep that in mind, for the case that you play a campaign and want to survive. A former faster or better manouverable plane might get outaccelerated or turned by an slower or less good turning plane.
Also landing and stall/spin recover might work different.
The alerons, rudder and elevator can get damaged, if they are damaged, they lose performence, they also might get hit more than one time, in that case the performence decrease even more. As long as the damages are not realy bad, you should be able to disengage and fly home with this damages.

6. You can adjust the Guns convergence to your preference.
This can be done for all planes at same time in the EAW.ini (Guns Convergence Z=0, Guns Convergence Y=0), or individual for each plane in the vc_offset_**.mpf files with an special tool.
All this values dont have an influence to the multiplayer compatibility!

7. Unlike to EAW1.2, MG´s are not that effective anymore on long distance, while cannons, specialy big cannons,
keep much of their power. Specialy smal MG´s suffer badly and need a real close distance.
But for the damagepower not only the gun, but also the target is important. With EAW1.28e we can create planes without plating and self sealing tanks, here also smal MG´s work way better on longer range. The oposide option are
heavy armored planes, like the B17, IL-2, FW190A8-R8 etc. Here smal MG´s and even heavy MG´s get more in trouble and even 20mm´s lose much of the destructive power. Still, by luck even a single 13mm hit can kill a IL-2 pilot.

8. All planes included in EAW1.28e and the "Planes" folder are adjusted following real test datas, if there wasnt enough datas available, the performence is a result out of the airframe and calculated engine datas. Still there might be errors(dont had the time to test all and everything is so short timespan).

Greetings,

Knegel

When I click on "Pilot Career" or "Game Set-up" on SWOTL it crashes with "Pic Wrong Resolution" error.

I can confirm that the same thing happens with me.

Checking SWOTL- there are some pics and menu files which should not be there.
I'll fix it and make a new download.

Jel

Run this in your EAW 1.28E folder
http://www.users.on.net/pam_biddell/1.28E_Install/DSP/SWOTLPatch.exe A 4.5 meg patch to replace some screens

Also delete any "mnu" files from the "SWOTL/Game" folder

A link to the patch has been added to the addons webpage

I have also updated the SWOTL download file so that thew patch is not needed for people downloading it for the first time

Jel