Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate This Thread
Hop To
#4625481 - 04/26/23 02:25 AM Back to the front!  
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 266
Madmatt Offline
Member
Madmatt  Offline
Member

Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 266
Florence, Indiana
Hey everyone! After a very extended period of rest and recoupment I am getting back into the skies. Now with BH&H2 freshly installed. Looks very nice. Since the last time I did any flying a lot has changed in my "real" life. Moved, changed jobs about half a dozen times, bought a farm (for rea!) and now working happily 100% of the time remotely (hence being able to own a farm). I also massively updated my gaming rig although my 7700K CPU is probably in dire need of an upgrade since it's holding back my 3080 at times.

So, now that I am back, what did I miss? The new recon mission stuff looks pretty good, but I was and will always be a fighter jock at heart.

Looks like some of the same old guys from the glory days are still posting vids and threads. Nice to see them all still going at it. Very interested in the teased update that Pol mentioned a few months back. I heard that a new theater was out of the question, so are we thinking it's just going to be some new planes or something even juicier?

Anywho, I went ahead and download all the Jerbear skin packs, curious if there are any other most have mods floating around I need to check out.

Really looking forward to getting back into WOFF.

Take care all!

Madmatt

Last edited by Madmatt; 04/26/23 02:31 AM.

I used to make computer games for a living so you didn't have to!

My Rig:
CPU: i7 7700K o/c to 5Ghz
GPU: EVGA FTW3 RTX 3080
RAM: 32GB G.SKILL RGB DDR4 (3600MHz)
OS: Win10 x64
Storage: 2 x Samsung 960 Pro M.2 1TB SSD's, Samsung 870 QVO 2TB SATA SSD, 1 WD Passport 2TB USB HDD
Display: ASUS 34" PG348Q, ASUS 27" VG278HE
Thrustmaster A-10 Warthog HOTAS, MFG Crossfire Rudder Pedals, CH Pro Throttle
TrackIR, Oculus Quest 2
#4625570 - 04/27/23 12:08 PM Re: Back to the front! [Re: Madmatt]  
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,522
jerbear Offline
Member
jerbear  Offline
Member

Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,522


Welcome back to the meat grinder M. Matt.

We;ve not met and I don't know how long you've been gone. I think I started about five years ago or so.

The missions are a little different since BHHII and the Devs have made the two-seater pilots more aggressive, maybe a little too much so. The fighters are a little more likely to want to fight rather than fly on when they see you too.

Most of the Mods have been updated for BHHII and I know a lot has been done on the cloud Mods.

I think the only new aircraft for some time has been the Fokker DVI but they're working on at least one new one.

That's all the news that is news that I can think of right now.



ANYBODY ELSE?

jerbear

#4625588 - 04/27/23 03:44 PM Re: Back to the front! [Re: Madmatt]  
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 266
Madmatt Offline
Member
Madmatt  Offline
Member

Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 266
Florence, Indiana
Thanks jerbear!

I have been perusing the various mod sites and threads and having a look at what's out there. Seems a lot of the old mods have either been updated or still work with BH&H2. Sometimes it's a bit hard to tell if an old mod has already been incorporated into the game or not already so I have been comparing files to see, but it's nice to be getting back into the swing of things.

As to how long I was away, i thinks its been just shy of 7 years based on my posting history although i was still lurking about now and then to see what was changed. I got pretty heavy into VR sims there for a while and that pulled me away from WOFF for a time.

You mentioned a lot of work having been done on the cloud mods. Looking at the game default files it appears that the cloud textures are all now 1024x1024 which is the same size as most of the ones in the mods. Are the mods now used mostly just for a variety or is there a performance impact to be had still with the modded ones?


I used to make computer games for a living so you didn't have to!

My Rig:
CPU: i7 7700K o/c to 5Ghz
GPU: EVGA FTW3 RTX 3080
RAM: 32GB G.SKILL RGB DDR4 (3600MHz)
OS: Win10 x64
Storage: 2 x Samsung 960 Pro M.2 1TB SSD's, Samsung 870 QVO 2TB SATA SSD, 1 WD Passport 2TB USB HDD
Display: ASUS 34" PG348Q, ASUS 27" VG278HE
Thrustmaster A-10 Warthog HOTAS, MFG Crossfire Rudder Pedals, CH Pro Throttle
TrackIR, Oculus Quest 2
#4625607 - 04/27/23 05:40 PM Re: Back to the front! [Re: Madmatt]  
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 936
VonS Offline
WWI Flight Sims on a Mac
VonS  Offline
WWI Flight Sims on a Mac
Member

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 936
@OP, welcome (back) to WoFF and happy flying. We've probably never met virtually because I introduced myself to the WoFF series fairly late, in the spring of 2017 (during the WoFF UE era).

For an updated mods-compatibility list, for the BH&H2 ed. of WoFF, recommended is to check over Becker's excellent list at the link below:

https://combatace.com/forums/topic/95976-woff-bhh-ii-mods-there-281222/?tab=comments#comment-781242

If you are interested in any of the various GPU Tuners (to improve FPS), also various "enhancement packages," FM mods, etc., you might want to browse my WoFF (and WoTR) mods thread on CombatAce (link below; make sure to scroll above, also below, the specific post I'm linking to, to view all of the relevant posts - since that thread contains several individually posted mods):

https://combatace.com/forums/topic/...ebhah2-wotr/?tab=comments#comment-780879

For BuckeyeBob's comprehensive clouds mod and historical weather mods, see the download links under the following post:

https://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads....-cloud-mod-with-historical-weather-files

(On a related note, regarding your question about cloud sizes and patches, etc. --- there was a visual upgrade to clouds done around patch 1.17 of BH&H2. Therefore, very old cloud mods that predate BuckeyeBob's work should be avoided --- if you really want to use some of the older "4L0M" clouds, for further cloud variety --- recommended is to see the following post under my "casual campaigns" WoFF thread --- you'll see a picture there that indicates 23 (older) cloud types which are still safe to use post-patch 1.17 of BH&H2 --- the link is: https://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads....casual-campaigns-woff-thread#Post4583855)

For other important mods for the WoFF series, best is to see Sandbagger's site (https://thatoneplease.co/WOFF.html) --- among other mods, you will find there JJJ's excellent MultiMod, also his Mission Editor, as well as RJW & Company's wonderful "consolidated custom facilities & airfields" mod.

Most of the mods and links and sub-links listed above should also be available via Becker's mods list (see very first link in this post).

The old "News Mod," also modified "flak mods," by the way -- are not compatible with BH&H2 (the News Mod was integrated into the WoFF series around patch 4.2x something of WoFF UE I think). The "flak mods" only worked properly up to the PE addon for WoFF UE.

For experimental mods, I would recommend checking over XJouve's terrain mesh mod, also his water mod --- links follow below:

terrain mesh mods
https://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4517444/topology-mods

water mods
https://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4519672/water-mods-mod-2-subtheaters-available

for instructions on how to "lighten" one of the water mods specified above, for better FPS -- see the following link under my "casual campaigns" thread
https://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads....casual-campaigns-woff-thread#Post4524783

Cheers,
smile2

Last edited by VonS; 04/27/23 05:52 PM. Reason: Added info.

~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4625687 - 04/28/23 06:47 PM Re: Back to the front! [Re: Madmatt]  
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 266
Madmatt Offline
Member
Madmatt  Offline
Member

Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 266
Florence, Indiana
Thank you so much for the all the links and recommendations VonS. I do remember you from before, but you had just come into the scene as I was weening off from it. My history with OFF goes all the back to before Phase 2 and I even made a few mods back in the days, including one that helped get people online for the unsupported multiplayer missions that used to be possible. I flew with the Doves and Hawks guys for a while and remember fondly some of our MP sessions fighting zeppelins over London skies as searchlight pierced the darkness. By the time UE rolled around I was getting involved with other sims and as I said earlier really got into VR in a big way.

By the way, I just tried out your GPUTuner mod and even though I am running on a 3080, which I didn't think would really benefit much as its already pretty powerful, my FPS tripled on some test scenarios I created to check thing out. In my stock test scenario I was getting 60FPS but with your mod loaded I was over 170! Not bad for a gaming rig that I originally built back in April of 2016, but with a much newer video card now of course.

Well done sir!

I am still picking and choosing the mods I want to run but here is my current setup. I wasn't sure if the No Cloud Popup Mod was still required since your mod changes the same preload file but I dropped it in all the same. Any hint on if its still needed and if so what the load order it should be?


Thanks in advance!






Madmatt

Attached Files WOFF Mod List.jpg
Last edited by Madmatt; 04/28/23 06:49 PM.

I used to make computer games for a living so you didn't have to!

My Rig:
CPU: i7 7700K o/c to 5Ghz
GPU: EVGA FTW3 RTX 3080
RAM: 32GB G.SKILL RGB DDR4 (3600MHz)
OS: Win10 x64
Storage: 2 x Samsung 960 Pro M.2 1TB SSD's, Samsung 870 QVO 2TB SATA SSD, 1 WD Passport 2TB USB HDD
Display: ASUS 34" PG348Q, ASUS 27" VG278HE
Thrustmaster A-10 Warthog HOTAS, MFG Crossfire Rudder Pedals, CH Pro Throttle
TrackIR, Oculus Quest 2
#4625696 - 04/28/23 08:06 PM Re: Back to the front! [Re: Madmatt]  
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 8,138
Polovski Offline
Polovski  Offline

Hotshot

Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 8,138
Hi Madmatt,

Cloud rendering has been improved by Ankor in the recent updates. It is also much more dense cloud and less prone to popping,(also workshop option to tweak). So I'd just try to fly it first without modding - so you know what is possible.
Same with the fps mods, they help fps but also reduce visual quality a lot. So maybe try out stuff and then see what you need.


Regards,

Polovski,
OBD Software, developers of immersive flight sims;
Wings Over Flanders Fields and Wings Over The Reich
http://www.overflandersfields.com
http://www.wingsoverthereich.com
#4625697 - 04/28/23 09:20 PM Re: Back to the front! [Re: Madmatt]  
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 936
VonS Offline
WWI Flight Sims on a Mac
VonS  Offline
WWI Flight Sims on a Mac
Member

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 936
@Madmatt, the no cloud popping file is technically not needed. That mod is by HarryH -- I have however incorporated some of HarryH's suggestions for the preload.xml file into my own preload.xml file in the various GPU Tuners. So, in short, loading any of my FPS enhancements will give you many of the benefits of the HarryH no-cloud-pop tweaks anyway. By the way, the "historical victory info" mod that you have loaded, as far as I know, has been incorporated into WoFF sometime between the PE addon and BH&H2 -- so no need to run that mod either.

Pleased to hear that the GPU Tuner is helping -- I see you have the base one installed (1.1.1) - if you want even more FPS, load the 1.2 extension of the GPU Tuner over 1.1.1 -- if you want a good balance of crisper textures and good FPS, load the 1.3 extension over 1.1.1 --- and, if you want even crisper graphics, but with a few FPS shaved off, load the 1.4 extension over 1.1.1 -- extensive details regarding the GPU Tuner mod(s) are located under this post.

Alternatively, if you want a slightly better quality of terrains (overall) than possible with those older GPU Tuner variants, load the "FrankenBHAH Enchancement Package 1.1" instead, and squeeze out a few more FPS by loading the "FrankenMiniTuner 1.2" over the base Enhancement Package. The Enchancement Package/MiniTuner combo. was tweaked specifically with BH&H2 in mind -- the GPU Tuner, on the other hand, was tweaked during the PE addon era (but is also compatible with BH&H2).

Feel free to keep texture/terrain quality at the max. level of 5, or at least at 4, in your BH&H2 in-sim menu, if running any of my GPU Tuners or Enhancement Package -- also take note that the GPU Tuners are not compatible with the Enchancement Package (never load both at the same time).

My GPU Tuners and/or Enchancement Package do, as Pol says, reduce terrain quality somewhat (terrain that is further away, as you look towards the horizon -- but in turn that improves FPS noticeably -- a balancing act of sorts - therefore compare stock BH&H2 with modded BH&H2, before deciding what you prefer -- personally, I prefer slightly better FPS, but others prefer perfect textures even out to the horizon).

Also, with any of the Tuners/Enchancement Package loaded, you will notice that there are no longer any blue triangles or screen tearing that sometimes pops up (rarely) during low-alt flights across terrains -- the trick is achieved by removing/tampering with some of the "ringdim" entries in relevant files in the Tuners/Enhancement Packages. Not to bore you with the details, the triangles problem was resolved yrs. ago with an older mod that AnKor tinkered with (discussed somewhere here in older threads on SimHQ) -- but I, and Panama Red, then did further things with those earlier tips, to squeeze out as much FPS as possible too (PR's no triangle/better FPS mods were tested on nVidia by the way; I tested mine on AMD vid. on the other hand).

Cheers and good FPS to you,
smile2


Last edited by VonS; 04/28/23 09:31 PM. Reason: Edited post.

~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~

Moderated by  Polovski 

Quick Search
Recent Articles
Support SimHQ

If you shop on Amazon use this Amazon link to support SimHQ
.
Social


Recent Topics
Carnival Cruise Ship Fire....... Again
by F4UDash4. 03/26/24 05:58 PM
Baltimore Bridge Collapse
by F4UDash4. 03/26/24 05:51 PM
The Oldest WWII Veterans
by F4UDash4. 03/24/24 09:21 PM
They got fired after this.
by Wigean. 03/20/24 08:19 PM
Grown ups joke time
by NoFlyBoy. 03/18/24 10:34 PM
Anyone Heard from Nimits?
by F4UDash4. 03/18/24 10:01 PM
RIP Gemini/Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford
by semmern. 03/18/24 02:14 PM
10 years after 3/8/2014
by NoFlyBoy. 03/17/24 10:25 AM
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.6.0