So here it goes. Sort of a blog by me flying and modding AF.

Ofc it isn't the first time, flew the heck out of it (along with many others) from 2005~08 and modded the hell outta it as well. For me (and many others), 'twas the initiation into the Falcon world. After that came multiplayer, Open falcon, joining a hardcore virtual squadron and BMS, etc, etc...

Picture of flight mates "posing" for pics. Date: 2007...



But it all started in 2005, me just a sophomore in college, and the school BBS had a thread "How is Falcon Allied Force?" and it got me started. I soon ditched crappy Lomac, and the bit boring ww2 kites ala IL2... The path of Falcon is a narrow one, upgrading computer every 4 years is somewhat the basic requirement to stay current. And ofc the sim gear, a Saitek EVO, a TrackIR, X52, X52pro, cougar. Now the cougar pots are on their way out so what's next...

Most challenging thing at the time was multiplayer and my apartments. Fresh outta college I moved in with a classmate. The initial net setup was a shared router between 2 rooms on a low 1Mbps connection. Ofc that wouldn't do e.g. what happens when I'm flying and he's downloading. Also nobody knows the router username/password, or the PPPoE one so I couldn't configure it. What followed was a lot of hassles, one of them doing a hack on the router to get the stored user/pswd out. It was finally resolved when I could setup a separate connection from the ISP so 2 connections in the house. A year later I was moving out and had to hunt for apartments. Falcon multiplayer requires port forwarding, and only one ISP provides that. The hard part is most landlords don't know what ISP are available to their houses, and the crappy ISP service doesn't indicate that either. So it's mostly down to luck and lots of leg work. Being tight on cash and never rented before makes it worse.

Basically.. lots of hardship but, mostly happiness in the years of flying this sim. Still remember clearly the first campaign, not surprisingly was a stall as I'd bombed out all the bridges. But what a ride it was! The last flight was bombing some infantry all the way in China in a F-15E on campaign day 30, because everything else the north had was destroyed.

How does one define Falcon? As a kid I sometimes dreamed of flying sims while falling asleep (geek? nerd?) and there was this huge war going on and I'm just a pilot in the midst of it. That's my definition of it, and simply imagined flight sims are just like that. 'twas before I'd ever played any sims, rather, any computer games, or ever stayed in front of a computer for longer than 5 minutes. It is only later that I learn the concept of a dynamic campaign and how rare it is. And so after Falcon, anything else that doesn't have a DC just seemed lacking. One without a DC that I'd put up there is Jane's F18, but even in JF18 there are continuity between campaign missions.

So why back to AF, why not BMS that everybody loves? Well for me AF is the ultimate dynamic campaign engine. The user interface is a dream, the AI is challenging, the campaigns are immersive, the database is awesome, the gameplay is smooth, and it's rock stable. I've done BMS to death after years of flying it. When I'm in my 20s, the concept of pretending to be a fighter pilot is extremely attractive. Used to wanna be an aviation engineer, which didn't come true, so flying BMS was somewhat chasing a lost dream. I'm now a lot older, and have come to the realization that I'm not a fighter pilot, or in the aviation industry, and pretending to be one is no longer fun. When I'm "simming", I'm just a computer gamer, sitting in my chair, staring into a screen and having some fun. And AF is more fun. I'm still running BMS and do some shooting from time to time, but main time is planned for an AF campaign. Plus.. the modding tools, F4Browse, LodEditor, notepad++, Excel, a hex editor, photoshop, and the sorts!...
(Some stuff will come from the community Falcon versions but stay on me own HDD only, not mediafire! Unless ofc with permission. ...Tis just me writing a blog.)

Modding plan:
Aircraft bubble distance increase to 40nm (as per Ed_1 suggestion iirc and I think it fits well indeed and, is desperately needed)
Topolo's F-15 FM <- it earns the Eagle the righteous place as air dominance fighter especially jousting with flankers in campaign mode
Add bird slicers to F-16C-50
Swap F-16C-40 to big mouth
Add Janhas Lau-129 launch rails to wingtip underwing and cockpit wings models (yep done that before need to do it again woot..)
De-installing some old mods that installed in my first stint
.. and more to do as I go. Falcon is a vast sim.
Maybe:
Add more chaff/flares to planes with PIDS, BOL and the sorts. It disrupts campaign balance a bit as OPfor planes should get similar upgrades, so will see.



But all the modding will have to wait. First I'll have to convert my cougar setup from BMS4 to AF. The comms switch has no use in AF singleplay so it's on 2D/3D pit view and look closer key, comms switch out is AA weapons toggle. Hey the rest is pretty much the same, simples. I actually have to delete one line from Foxy as it is not needed for AF:

The line locks out the throttle axis movement around the AB detent position so when you go buster, the throttle would not accidentally trip into minimum AB due to spikes, AB detent inaccuracy and the sorts. But in AF there's this:

The blur comes on when the throttle approaches the detent. So if one's on some other throttle without the functionality of the awesome Foxy and worry about tripping to minimum AB, there's no need. The UI is a dream and tis just one to start.


More to follow... (Tomorrow? 3-4 weeks? hey...)

PS something about bubbles.

First manual I read was not the game manual or about some avionics but manual of Realism Patch 5. In it the concept of the Falcon bubble is explained in detail. Every unit in game has a set radius, when the player is outside of this radius, the unit is a 2D entity, and when the player is inside this radius, the unit turns into 3D entity. And so it's as if the Falcon universe is filled with bubbles. (The common concept of a "player bubble" is not correct as the player does not have a bubble, but he goes into the bubbles of every other unit.) It helps the dynamic campaign engine to function smoothly without destroying the frame rates. I think tis a down to earth explanation.

And with the bubble system comes some downsides. Because there's this transition between the 2D and 3D world weird stuff happens at the edge, aka CAT 3 Bombing in RP5 manual but I just call it 2D to 3D fighting. Things like a flight in 3D bombing a ground unit still in 2D, which is quite common, and a 3D flight engaging a 2D enemy flight or vice versa. This is unavoidable really, and an acceptable tradeoff for a DC, but if one increases the bubble distances, 2D to 3D fighting will happen more because the radius is larger and so the player de-aggregates more units into 3D. So simply put to facilitate the strategic aspect of the sim, you generally have to decrease the bubble distances.

However to facilitate the tactical aspect, the ranges need to be increased, understandably that more things in 3D -> more combat happens in 3D and the outcome of combat is more realistic. This is for the player's tactical experience sake at the expense of more 2D to 3D fighting of the AI units. However the setting of FalconAF's (and other falcon versions before it) 30nm aircraft bubble comes to a bottleneck at BVR combat for the player, with the best missiles on both sides ala R-77M and AIM-120C5 the launch ranges are at 20nm+. When both sides are "pumping" to avoid the missiles, slant ranges between flights will increase to 30nm+ and the player missile will sometimes be shooting at an aggregated 2D Mig-29 flight. Well, much as I love the 2D strategical aspect of the sim, one simply can't have that. I think AF has done some optimization in this part because sometimes 3D missiles can actually score hits on 2D flights, but still.. too weird for player missiles. Luckily I'm not exactly an AIM-54 lover so 40nm should suffice!...

Good post(s), and I agree with everything you say about F4AF. Great game, and it was my path to BMS.

Bought F4.0 when it first came out. I was 26 at the time, and not only was I surprised to find I had purchased something beyond a video game, I also found out my crappy computer would not run it for long w/o crashing and it was laced with bugs anyway. For some strange reason, I held on to that disc and stored it away.

Ten years later, I come across F4AF. I found it a ran 100 times better than the previous version, but with a 17 yr. old kid in sports etc. I got disconnected after only learning some BFM and T/O and Landing procedures.

I turned 40 in 2012, and while on a B-day trip to the Caribbean that my wife surprised me with, I came across Dan Hampton's "Viper Pilot" in the airport book store. I bought the book and quickly digested it on the flight. I read it again on the way home. My only son was 21 by now, and out of the house. With my new found free time, I decided to dig out the old Falcon CD's and give them another run for the money.

I played the heck out of F4AF for about 8 months and finished several campaigns and was really getting the hang of it, but still had a lot of unanswered questions. I started doing internet searches and came across SimHQ. I created an account and started browsing the Falcon Forum. Then started asking questions. Pretty soon Ice is telling me I gotta try BMS. Unfotunately my XP computer w/ 1GB of ram won't run it. I get my hands on an upgrade and WOW! Flying the 3D pit is amazing. I love F4AF for what it is, but I am loving this flight model. But alas, the campaign does have some deficiencies compared to F4AF.

That being said, I have found that the campaign has improved in 4.33U1 vs. 4.32. For instance, it is now possible to control the ground troops on your side, and bridges actually have to be in place to cross waterways. So yes, it is now possible to cut off enemy troops by taking out key bridges in enemy territory, just as it is possible to hinder your own troop movement by bombing bridges between your troops, and their objective. I am also seeing more effects on supply (in the UI graphs) from bombing strategic targets, although I am not sure of the effects in the campaign ATM. I am just starting my 4th campaign in 4.33U1, so more testing to do, but I am liking what I see so far. At this time, I'm not hearing much from the dev's about the improvements to the campaign engine, but I know it has changed for the better from my own experience. I am not saying that it is on par w/ F4AF, but it is closer than it has ever been.

None of what I am saying, is said to discourage you from F4AF, but I just thought I'd share some of my experience with the campaign improvements that 4.33U1 has to offer.

I 100% agree that the 40 mi. bubble is much needed, but not there yet in BMS.

Clear skies!

P.S. Was data link implemented in AF? Don't remember.That is all I use the comms switch for (on my Cougar) in BMS single player mode.

Hello schnidrman:

My name is schwalbe and I'm a Falcoholic. Nice to meet you:P To new falconeers I think BMS is the right fit indeed especially with good amount of "me" time to spare. For one it has an active community and you get great help that way. I learnt a lot about the sim/game or, actually software as in for modding during AF modteam and Global falcon dayz. Then I tried multiplayer and it was such a huge blast. Perhaps was just luck but my flight mates were absolutely awesome, and MP taught a lot about how the real jet operates. Seriously you have to try flying online to get what BMS has to offer, provided that you are willing to spend the time ofc.

About IDM: Never mind AF because you have got to try BMS MP to get the full benefit of target assigning to your wingman, it saves lots of comms time and confusion... and stuff like AG markpoint ops and DLing, couple that with the new TGP functions like IR pointer and laser spot tracker.. i reckon there are many fun options.

Slowly modding since only free on the weekends. Attached the LAU129 rails on the block50, 4 part job with LE 1 on the external LOD, 1 on 3d pit wings, 1 on the single AAM rack, and 1 on... 2D pit wings. (thank you always Jan)
On the up side of 2D pit i can see my callsign again. and package flt's callsigns. hey.


You have been missed me friend.




Changed ac flight bubble ranges to 40nm but needs testing. iirc changed them in OF dayz and the F16C52 would ctd when separated too far from wingie. will see..

Great post!

I "missed the boat" on Falcon 4.0. I just finished high school and I remember going past a games store that had a big poster of Falcon 4.0. At the time, I was a college freshman and my interests were elsewhere. My main sim at that time was Nascar; I figured 4 turns, how hard could that be? Fast forward a few years and Allied Force comes out. Life has changed a bit for me and I have a better computer at this point but also studying for a new career and juggling a new family life. My eldest was around 2 years old when AF came 'round, and he enjoyed flying the F-16 on invulnerability mode!

Flying the F-16 with a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick and nothing else, I just managed to finish one campaign and mostly did air-to-ground roles. I think I did 2 or 3 CAP missions at the end of the campaign and that was because there was nothing else to fly. Unfortunately, modding for me consisted of improved cockpit and weapon skins fro JanHas IIRC and due to RL concerns at that time, I didn't really delve much into the sim.

Fast forward another few years and I find myself in the UK with a little bit of free time and some disposable income. I start getting items that would help me with my simming.... a Cougar HOTAS, TrackIR 5, Saitek rudders. I fly a little of AF again before I'm derailed by life's responsibilities and by the time I return, I'm grabbed by DCS A-10C. That lasts me a couple of years but by the time it wore off, BMS has come out and I return to Falcon.

In short, I've not been as in-depth as you guys have been. I only set the PAKs and priorities, then let the ATO do it's thing and I just fly what I want. "Modding" the flight only goes so far as editing the loadout, checking that my flightpath does not wander into something dangerous, then doing the mission. I don't think I've ever really completed a campaign outside of my AF days as most of my BMS flights have been MP flight sessions. So thank you for the insight into your experience of AF and the DC.

Tought that F4AF was unmoddeable, in fact, apart from those 3d improvements is there something more that can be modded?

Ice: thnx for sharing!
Stratos: iirc when initially released that was the impression but later whole theater addons were made like ODSAF and IsraelAF. It's on par with community falcons just some stuff need bit more steps or different tools.








For tonight I converted Topolo's F-15C FM. Nothing like lobbing slammers at Flankers at 42,000 from 30nm!!... But the cockpit needs a bit love. Will probably make some 3d pit wings.

Hi Schwalbe,

very interesting thread about AF!

I never hear about ODSAF and IsraelAF.
are they still available for download?

Still got the ODSAF and can upload it later. I lost IsraelAF..

I also would love to try it. Is there any installer for this or do you have to manually edit some files?

Nice posts guys!
I have never really played Falcon AF too much, but my story is that of a true Falcon fanatic.

I got Falcon 4.0 For Christmas, just when it came out. My grandfather, a former F-84 pilot bought it for me, and my grandma bought the legendary (for me at least) Miscrosoft Sidewinder joystick, which I still have.
My previous "sim" had been Pilot Wings on the Nintendo 64.
I was 11 at the time, and the Falcon 4.0 manual is the first "book" I ever read from cover to cover. Running that sim on my Pentium 166 mHz computer, boy, it struggled even on minimum settings! A couple of years later I upgraded to a much better , 733 mHz PC with a Matrox G400 gfx card.

So many memories... Most teenagers remember "that day at the skate park"... Not that I was a huge geek or anything, but I have fond memories of "That day when 4 Mig-19s ambushed me from behind that hill"... not something I can share very often, LOL!

And then one day, on a 56k connection, I stumbled upon the Realism Patch, and that was it: the end of vanilla Falcon 4.0, and the start of modded releases. RP, Superpack 2, 3, Free Falcon, Open Falcon etc.

BMS is something truly amazing. What an achievement. What a community. We've come such a long way, but all in good spirit, something other game communities can only dream about. I love every version of Falcon, I recently dug back the vanilla 4.0 v 1.07. The one full of bugs apparently.

Falcon 4.0 and my Grandpa have been the two biggest and most incisive contributors to getting my real life pilot's license when I was 16.

ODSAF installer

http://www.mediafire.com/download/2dqy831p818l2k3/ODSAF_MODTEAM_v100.exe

damson: been years since I used it. You might have to add this to your theater.lst.
ODSAF\definitions\Desstorm.tdf

Added proper C40: Big mouth, WAR hud, no bird slicers, no HTS. (CCIP should have HTS but just to keep it simple.)


Also added F-15E FM. Deleted both CAT III limiters on 15C and 15E... the real thing has no FBW anyway. Want my nose pointing alphas.

Is interesting to see whare are you going, will keep an eye here, please keep em coming.

BTW, do you have cockpits for other planes?

aah it's easy for me as I like using the F-16 pit as it's after all F-16 avionics. This way I know at least where is what in the pit.
Even in other falcon versions I just all swap them back to the 16 pit:D

Hi Schwalbe,

thanks for the upload

thanks Schwalbe for ODSAF link.
I am going to try it.

also, I find this AF mod by skunkworks:
http://www.moddb.com/downloads/skunkworks-mod

is this a good mod?

tirta:
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3053800/16
it's just up there;)



Korea2005 rolling fire commences. After 4 hours the reds have gained lots of ground south and already taken Mandumi airstrip


While red air sorties is somehow not up to full strength as anything they sent to the FLOT is taken down by slammers and Patriots.
Me in an F-15 trying to 20 mike mike the frog but something else splashed it, likely a slammer.


The ground war is progressing to their favor and blufor battalions are dangerously close to being overrun both on the west and east. I manually pull them back to a southerly location while selecting "handoff to HQ upon destination" so as not to let them be in limbo if I forgot to tend to them - a white box encircles the unit when it is under player control.

while fragging a flight of Mudhens to tame the red tide



Some battered or winchester flights needs to be sent home and it is very easy to do. Simply a right click on the ac icon. Alternately it can be done in the ATO with another simple right click. The dreamy UI!


The awesome power of the B-52. A mech battalion before:

and after being harassed by the bomber flight's cluster bombs

And they still have half the loadout left. But I need to help them by hopping into a nearby F-16 Barcap, as a flight of Fulcrums is bearing down from the northeast...
Btw the 2D mini map is a good indication of "hotspots" i.e. what is happening and where by the flashing dot.

The campaign also seem to have a robust supply system as air lift flights are constantly ongoing all around the north and the large transports are good value opportunity targets. Blufor supply is also very quick, here a situation of squadron stores at campaign start. Some of my "custom" weapons are in zero quantity


but just 4 hours later i'm amazed to find everything is full




Strategical focus:
On'chon airbase has a lasting impression on me because it always houses the DPRK's most advanced ac, in Korea it has the only Mig-29A squad, in 2005 campaigns it is the only one based with R-77 carrying Mig-29SMs. It is time this one gets some priority. When the war began blufor only managed to shut down one airbase, Koksan, due to its central location being far away from the SAM laiden west and east coast, before the overwhelming red tide bearing down south tied up all the available airframes. I'm happy to let AI ATO continue generating BAI/CAS flights to slow down the red advance but gonna have to manually fragging missions to shut down the reds airbases starting with Onchon.
To start it off I'mma send a Sead flight to the area from Seoul's 13FS to see what the SAM threat is like. This campaign is filled with red mobile SAMs and I'm not convinced the fixed SA3s are all that's there defending the area.



More about it later...

Onchon OCA strike

SEAD/Reckon flight revealed.. nothing. The airbase is basically undefended except a towed AAA battalion.

Both HARMs from SEAD lead missed.. it's as if the Low blow just wasn't turned on. I exited and hopped into the wingman seat, 1 HARM to the 3 and shot the other at the airbase radar that reduced it to 80% strength.

OCA strike comes next. By default the strike flight is 4 ship but the squadron only has 2 to spare, so instead of "no aircraft available" it gave me a neat 2 ship. It is enough as long as there's no intercepts. Also at flight generation the ToF is set in 2hours time but I can push it to just in a few minutes by adjusting it in the flight management window. Falcon AF's OCA strike is rather unique that's centered around the BLU-107 durandal or, my old flight mates used to call it carrots, by the way they're planted on to the runway. At mission generation the IP point is aligned to the TGT point by runway orientation - Onchon's runways are 20/02 and so the IP is set at a northeasterly direction.


Past the IP point, wingmen will automatically take their targets or it can be changed via the OCA commands menu. My wingie looks like taking the rwy on the left, so I'm gonna take the right. Ofc tis after an uneventful ingress except me 20mm a landing An-124... if Mr Kim is on that, all the better...


CCIP single drops to destroy each rwy section. And looking back wingie faithfully plants his in pairs down to the other one.



Well... no more worries about Adders. Hey.