After many many struggles, I give you the first high resolution instrument gauge WITH a working needle in the world of European Air War:



Amazing what cocktails at 2 in the morning can do for you.

Another top man!

Well done. It is great not to have to stuff about with PCX files

Is that little horizontal dial in the bottom left-hand corner where you rest your cocktail glass? Great work.

Lol, only on Sundays! It was another type of compass called the P10 Gyro compass. Every aircraft had several kinds of compasses, with different functions. The one you mention had a dial around the outside to correct for magnetic north and was much more accurate than then one in the panel.

This is excellent. Let's face it, for years we've concentrated on hi-res models of the EXTERIOR of the planes while sitting in the same old lo-res cockpits. Some guys worked on hi-res wingviews but that was abuot it.

A few things for conversation:

1 - Do you think it's worth adding the top of the cowl area right in front of the wind screen? If you watch YouTube vids of WWII aircraft usually you can see some of it.

2 - I'm pretty sure Ralf had a project going to add bullet holes and oil splatter action codes to the exec. The original PAW had shattered gauges and cockpit glass so it's not out of the question. The old LucasArts SWOTL had oil spatters that slowly covered the windscreen and flames coming out of the cowling, first a little bit that grew until the cockpit exploded. Good stuff all the way back in the early '90's.

3 - Once I finish the Eastern Front aircraft inventory I'm all caught up on personal projects so I'd be happy to jump on this. You'd have to tutor me in the art of gauge making but I'm a pretty quick study. If you'd rather go it alone, that's fine too.

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Finally, those are nice dials! Thanks for your hard 'buzzing' work CJ!

Thanks for the compliments, guys, it's a ways off before we can release anything but I started working on this in 2007! I would get frustrated and put it away for awhile, and come back to it. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in something you can't see that what you need is right in front of you. We have had the nice gauges since I started working on this, but all the needles were bunched up on only a few gauges. The problem was figuring out how to make the game see that. Mr. Jelly was kind enough to point to an unsigned byte, that was literally where i was always starting from. I turned it into a Long word of 4 bytes, now I'm off and running! Thanks Tony!!

By the way, ALL the gauges you see are handmade in Photoshop by me. I've tried using pictures of real gauges, but they are never at quite the right angle, and the glass reflects, etc. I've tried taking them from other games, too, but your perspective on them in a screen shot makes them oval, so when you use them you have to distort them and soon you are giving up clarity. I have been making gauges, all from studying photos of real gauges, and I have quite a few, I can do any German or British cockpit, most of any Russian, a lot of Japanese, and I have a handful of American. I have blanks available for those that want to try their hand, but Photoshop is definitely needed for my techniques. But the gauges I do have can easily be inserted by anyone that's done a skin. I have written several tutorials back in the day, including an illustrated one in these pages (recently had to remove the pictures from the online storage, but still have them!) and I would be glad to help anyone learn!

So, for Ray's questions:

1. There was an argument a long time ago about adding this feature. A couple of things I recall are that the extreme angle can cause rendering issues; to be sure, the panels were visible at times, that's why they were commonly painted with anti-glare paint; during most of a flight, the seat was likely set down a bit so the pilot had more headroom, to be raised as the pilot approached combat (I think Ralf was looking for a way to integrate this). If you were going to add it, I would suggest trying the P.3dz first, all that's on it is the prop, and it's already hard coded in the right spot.

2. All the bullet holes are available in the Cockpit Editor download as separate sprites. They were originally used with the 2D cockpits, which were static, and could easily be layered on the screen. There is code that was not implemented to add it to 3d cockpits, but no one has been able to make it work including the original coders of the game. I think some progress was made on the oil, I recall doing some test, but I think that all left with Wudy.

3. ABSOLUTELY! PLEASE !! More than happy to show you the ropes!!

Cheers mates,

CJ

:thumbsup

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Jack,

I'm hesitant to add the cowl elements to the Y.3dz ( not the P.3dz) because:

1 - I'd have to run the new model through the dreaded R/S calculator, always to be avoided unless there's no other option. :-) I'd rather add a few piggyback elements to the existing cockpit halves, V.3dz and W.3dz.

2 - Each aircraft would need a custom interior prop. I don't think you've had time to look into what I've done with the interior and exterior spinning props in my aircraft inventory. Basically, I used Col. Gibbon's model ( 'cuz it's the one I prefer) to standardized how they look. Prior to this each model designer had a different idea about what they should look like. Now, at least in my inventory, about 95% of the props look the same giving a nice sense of continuity across the package.

Another very important feature of 1.6 is the new naming convention. Since all the plane parts have the same name within their individual folder, I can use the same interior prop model for a bunch of different planes. Less so for the exterior models, especially the inline engine planes, because I have to fit the nose cone of the prop to the front of the fuselage. but still a big help in time reduction.

I've got about 2 months of work to get the Russian plane set ready for release but then I can join you in this worthwhile effort.

Ray,

I only suggest whatever image the prop is on because it's largely blank other than the prop itself. We used to hand write the mods to the rendering sequence using converter18a.exe and a lot of paper and a tree like structure, lol those were NOT the days, so I feel your pain on that issue. It could also be added to the two cockpit sides easily enough, wouldn't need to be large, then just stretch out the wireframe to what's needed. For what it's worth, when I fly Cessnas I can't see a single inch of the cowl, but I'm only 5'6".

I took a look at a 109e I had grabbed at random, and it already had a cowl attached to the cockpit sides. It would be a simple matter to raise it to be seen, but it could be done another way. All cockpits have panels at the front representing the framework of the cockpit including the panel itself. It might be possible to add a "forced perspective" to the top of such an area.

Further food for thought: I took a quick tour through the UAW160Nov2020\Aircraft_Inventory folder, and out of 105 folders, only 12 had bmp images, and of these, only the "U" bmp was represented for cockpit views. That's ok, though, because any new p-51 cockpit for instance, could be added to ALL p-51 folders. Any wing views would be left to the author of the skin.

However, the V,W,X,Y and Z skins are all available, in 512x512 bmp, for making cockpits with a HIGH degree of detail. They are greatly underutilized.....AND because any cockpit 3dz is ONLY seen from one point and IT rotates around the viewpoint, rather than the viewpoint rotating around IT, the rendering sequence becomes very simple indeed, should you need to make one. The U and Y 3dz files are far under utilized as far as space goes, and I know you like your conformity, but it would be a shame to leave that space unused - perhaps your "generic" prop file would be a place to start, should the need arise?

But that's putting the cart before the horse. Even updating the X files ( I love that, working on the X files....) for the default cockpit types, and their currently associated files, will be a monumental task, best we get one working in full capacity before we run on to other tpcs and 3dzs. Then we can see if utilizing that extra space is worth it, or even needed.

Cheers,

CJ

Yes indeed, we're probably talking about a year's worth of work. Of course, we can have interim releases as we finish some of the cockpits.

To clears something up, those BMP's you are seeing in the inventory are of two distinct categories.

The first are all Iron Mike's work converted by me to function in 1.6. You can tell because they entail entire sections of the aircraft such as the wingview U.3dz.

My contribution to the effort was to modify how we use the BMP's, In my version all you see are flat panels with the add-on hard codes such as (D)30,(I)31,(J)32,(K)33,(O)34 and (Q)35. They are either squadron designations or nose art.

His are works of art dedicated to one particular model of one particular plane. Mine are more utilitarian in that I can easily use the same set up on different planes with very little modification.

Wow this is very cool! Nice work. I better start drinking cocktails till early in the morning. I wonder if the Missus will mind?

cass, thanks ! I am recovering from shoulder surgery, and the other night was the first cocktails in a couple months. Modding EAW will make the time steal away!

I saw Mike's stuff great all around!! Not sure I saw your flat panels, Ray. I just did a quick jog through the files with a graphics program that just showed thumbnails for the bmp files, and I only did one folder. Just a quick peek to see if anyone had really gone to town on using the bmp system. Could you elaborate on your comment about the hard coding Ray?

In regard to releasing cockpits, the bmp files could go out, but at this point I'm unsure if the exe will need to be updated as well. I am currently chopping the heck out of the vcg file, and the cpt file associated with it may come into play as well. Jel is giving me some different ideas to investigate that may keep backward compatibility, but jury is still out.

Take a look at the B-26 in the ETO sub-folder and the A-20 in the SPAW sub-folder.

I made a simple transparent (not textured) element and named it PLANED.3dz. I then mapped the element to some historically correct nose art I D/L'd from the internet.

Next I added a hardpoint to the side of the nose of the main model and assigned it the correct hard code using 3dz Studio, in this case, 30.

I then used the multi-skin option to make 15 more nose art elements, each with the name PLANE01D.3dz, PLANE02D.3dz, up to PLANE15D.3dz so that each plane in the squadron had individual nose art. In addition, you need the corresponding TPC AND BMP files using the same naming convention.

I also used the same method to add individual serial numbers to the tail section. In that case, since there wasn't a need for extreme detail I didn't use BMP's, just one PCX/TPC file with 16 different serial numbers.

Next I made another simple, one transparent element .3dz, named it PLANEO.3dz and mapped it to the first number on the PCX/TPC.

Then I added a hardcode to the tail, assigned it as 34, for the O.3dz, and observed it in the game. With a bit of trial and error I was able to place the serial number and size it properly.

Once satisfied, I copied the new O.3dz 15 times and changed the mapping of each one to a different one of the 16 serial numbers on the TPC/PCX.

The next step was to repeat the whole process on the other side of the tail using a different hard code number and the corresponding element but using the same TPC/PCX file.

One of the other benefits to using these small add-on 3dz's rather than entire sections of the plane is the reduced size of the files set for each plane

Same for using TPC files rather than BMP files. I only use the BMP files for nose art since it needs more definition than the TPC file can provide.

You wouldn't notice the difference with one plane in a set having all BMP files but if the set includes 1/2 of more with BMP files there is a noticeable slow down in load times when you start the game.

In addition, the HD space for BMP's is significantly larger than for TPC files.

Lastly, with the new naming convention in 1.6 I can use the same set of files on multiple planes with just a bit of adjustment for size and then changing the one PCX file by editing the numbers on that file.

Brilliant really.

No question, lifting cocktail glasses can be hard on the shoulder!

Interesting concepts Ray. You say load times are longer with a lot of bmps, does it affect game play? Any noticeable stuttering?

Skyhigh, if your glass is a proper size, it can eventually become an issue, but my son has rigged a pully system for me, LOL!

Jack, I don't spend much time in the game these days so I can't say for sure if the BMP's affect frame rates but it wouldn't take much effort to put together a planeset with all the slots using mulit-skins and then have some people test it to see the results.

Hi guys,

My skins were made for EAW 1.28 and .29. The ones in 1.6 have been edited from original form removing texture panels and stuff like revolving prop hubs. Some folks didn't like the rotation rates in the games. I like them turning showing off the spirals and other patterns some of them carry. Also, in the original each skin set had unique wings with different wear, scuffs, oil leaks and gun smoke patterns. The ones with identical wings are some of the P-51D units, I didn't always give them the full Monty. Same can be said for the .tex panels with the props and prop hubs. Where there is variation but they were eliminated too. The reason I was given was to reduce the file sizes. I still prefer the original form but am glad they are being used.

Ralf worked hard to make the flight models as good as they are, I did the same for my unit sets.Back in the day Franzee monitored my work with the Luftwaffe and gave me corrections. He insured they were accurate complete with werk number and squadron codes. I also had help from Peter Booth on RAF codes, serial numbers and paint schemes. Finally, there is a large choice of squadrons. They may not have "round wheels" but, they are historically accurate. And I corrected almost all of the element alignment errors that are still being passed on unless you start with one of my skins and its' model and go from there.
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All in all, I like looking at my six and seeing my wing man's plane and the other members of the squadron and note the different markings on my opponents.

https://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2902446/supermike-was-with-me#Post2902446

Now I will back off and go back to lurking...

Thanks for the info, Mike. Scrolling through the images associated with your work is pretty awesome, a LOT of work into that, and thank you. I have some of your stuff set up in my 1.28e game, it's pretty cool to see your mates with different markings, especially when snapping a screenie. My work is focusing at the moment in the 1.28 environment because it's easy to throw files around for testing. If you fancy doing some painting, I'd like to convert the default V and W 3dz files to bmp quality. If you are interested, drop me a pm.

Cheers mate,

CJ

Easier in 1.6.

How so? Can I still just put stuff in the root folder and hit the exe?

You have to learn to work within the individual plane folders rather than the root directory but once you understand the new naming convention you'll find that "throwing things about" is easier and has a number of advantages.

With reference to our earlier conversation about BMP's and how to use them I commented that I made flat paneled, one element transparent 3dz's with squadron designations on them and hard coded those to the main model. When complete there will be a set of 32 3dz's ( 16 planes in the squadron, two to a plane) with letters and or numbers that will display on the models in the game.

Now recall that I'm presently making a dual set of Eastern front planes with both winter and summer skins. Once the add-on 3dz's are done for say, the winter set all I have to do is copy all of them and their textures to the summer set. Since everything is based of the PLANE**.3dz format rather than the old slot specific format, there are no conversions necessary if I want to look at both the winter and summer set at the same time to see if everything lines up properly. All I do is use the PSM program to put the winter skin in one slot and the summer skin in the next slot.

Another good use is if you have multiple skins for the same model and you want to make sure they are all mapped the same, all the moving parts work the same and about a million other little issues that come up when doing multiples of the same model.

For instance, there are about 7-8 different A20 C's in the inventory in various theaters. I wanted to make sure they were standardized in appearance, not the skins of course but the 3dz's.

I used the PSM program to put them in the first 8 slots and then was easily able to check them against one another in the game, no slot conversions necessary.

Same goes for things like props and other add-on bits. It's a lot handier to drop files in folders and just go into the game to see the results than to have to convert those files to different slots before doing so.

Honestly, it's a bit hard to explain in text form just how much easier life is with the new naming convention. Also, take this from a veteran modder, I resisted it at first but it really is a better system and now I'd never go back.

One last thing.

In addition to the new naming convention of the 1.6 line is the fact the add-on 3dz's (D through Q) do not work in the earlier execs. Which means about 700 or so models in the 1.6 Aircraft_inventory folder will not display properly in any other versions.

Yes, we lose backwards compatibility but we gain so much more.

I see what you are saying, Ray, but that type of modding is not what I am doing.

It took me a LONG time to find a mossie in the 160 files, and now I am changing one byte of code in the exe, putting it in the main to test, then change one byte in the vcg file, test, change a byte in the cpt file, test, see if it affects another plane, and so on. I am jumping back and forth between all these files and I do not want to go through switching between all the folders as well. I even have to transfer stuff from one computer to another as the tools I need to deconstruct some stuff won't even run on my newer machine.

For testing purposes of coding there is no easier way than having one folder to deal with. I also don't have 160 source, and the code I am using for 1.28 still has all my research comments in it. The changes I am making can later be added to the 160 series, but it will require a new exe, vcg and cpt file set up.

Even at the moment, I have to create a new CPT file from scratch for the Mosquito because the default plane set had no British 2 engined aircraft. The sprites needed for the British landing gear and the info for some of the British gauges are nique to the British series, and for this I have to actually go back to the 1.2 Cockpit Editor, because too many changes in the code don't allow it to work anymore. Interesting stuff!

I understand your modding is much more concentrated in one particular area than mine is but I think you'll switch eventually.

One of the other things made easier is no more checking which CPT file names to use based on a slot. That one in particular was a PITA since there's no easy clue to which slots each one is assigned to so I kept a reference sheet with me to assign the files correctly.

In 1.6 they're all "Pla_VIEW.cpt", just as all the vgc files are"VCGplane.DAT" and the offsets are all "vc_offset.mpf".

Same thing with the flight files. Each plane can have it's own gun sight sprite with the name "GSIGHT.SPT", each plane has it's own loadout.dat, plane.dat and plne.flt files, there's even a "PLANESOUNDS.MPF" file for individual engine sounds.

All of these are easily switchable to other planes with a simple copy / paste function. This alone has saved me immeasurable amounts of time.

Thanks CJ, there are a lot of units at the FTP that are not at Talley-Ho. If you still have access you should take a look. Also, I have made the 334thFS 4thFG running from the 19423 P47C to the P47D '43-4, then transition to the P51B '44 and finally the P51D '44-45. So, you could fly the complete war using the same squadron. I haven't quite finished the units yet, I need to assemble them then test. They are also in the 1.28-30 format.

Sounds cool, Mike, I'll take a peek.