Ver. 6.5 Addon FM Pack

Been busy with more tweaks lately - ver. 6.0, a special ed. of the FM pack (The Parasol Package), should be ready for download in a day or two once approved at CombatAce, at the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/WOFFfms

Also, here is an alternate link/post to the FM update pack that allows for downloading without having to register an account at CombatAce:

https://combatace.com/forums/topic/92320-fm-tweaks-for-woffuepe/?tab=comments#comment-768452

The Parasol Package includes an early and late Morane Parasol Type L, also modifications to the Pfalz A.I and the E.III. Changes to wing warping response, ceilings, engines, climb rates, also top speeds, stability, etc.. More info. included with the "Read Me" in the package.

As well, here is the link to the updated approx. service dates list for these additional types:

https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads....s-for-tweaked-types-in-von-s#Post4493999

A final, ver. 7.0 of these FM packs will follow sometime in the fall - will comb over the Fokk. D.II and D.III, as well as the Halby, and will think about incorporating the previous FM tweaks for the French Nieups. into the xfm files for the RFC/RAF Lewis-armed Nieups., although I may leave this last possibility alone since there are now nice, subtle differences between the Vickers and Lewis (stock FM) Nieups.

Happy flying,
Von S

P.S. Thank you Albert Tross from the screenies thread for your info. regarding aircraft gloss/shine nos. that you use - have now changed my terrain and aircraft skin glossiness nos. from 5 to 6 in both WOFF and WOTR - and there is no impact on FPS, but much more shine, as seen on the Pfalz below.

You're very welcome Von S

Thanks to you and all the other Mod makers for taking the time to make an already superb sim even better

Von S

Been away from WOFF for a bit, until recently. Does the Parasol package et al., come included in WOFF UE..don't think I have seen them yet; although I typically fly early Alsace most often.

@cptroyce,

Always a pleasure to see a classic FM guru from the RB3D days dropping by.

Only the stock FMs come included with WOFF UE and PE - there are of course Parasol aircraft (Morane and Pfalz) included in WOFF.

My FM package for WOFFue/pe on the other hand is a separate download, JSGME friendly, and hosted on CombatAce at the link available in the first post - still pending approval over there - hopefully it will be out in a couple of days.

Includes FM tweaks of 45 aircraft types as of ver. 6.0.

I'll have to start up an Alsace campaign one of these days, either in 1915 or 1916 - always wanted to fly over that terrain.

Happy flying,
Von S

Von S

Thanks for the kind words..didn't think anyone was still flying that remembers the "old RB FM modding days. There was no "code book" at all for what each line item meant. Trial and error to the Nth degree. Like wandering in a forest blind folded LOL.

I have all your FM package versions downloaded in WOFF as they come out!
Was just wondering about the Parasols model in sim. Guess I just never had occasion to fly them.


Looking forward to V 6.0! and V 7.0 when that's ready in Fall.

Royce,
We're still doin it !
Cheers,
shredward

Thanks Von S!!

@rtoolooze, you are most welcome.

Thought I'd reply here under the relevant thread to a question posted on the public Facebook page for WOFF recently (I don't have a Facebook account so it's simpler to respond here).

The question being: "VonS FM question for those who use it:
Does it actually change flight characteristics? Looks like the bulk of it is variant motors...do these show up in the campaign or is that beyond the scope of the mod?"

Response: The FM tweaks include, among other things, changes to

rate of climb
top speed at (and ave. times to) various alts. and SL
max. ceiling
min/max movement of control surfaces
effectiveness of control surfaces
engine hp
max prop. rpms
fuel consumption rate
diameter of prop.
angle of prop. blade
drag values
max g values
overspeed values
yaw values
weathervane values
torque values
prop. p-value/precession values

(have not touched the "ground scrape"/wheel rumble values, those are left at default)

Also, another point to keep in mind, whether or not you are using the FM tweaks for WOFF, is that some of the "feel" of flight can be set via the WOFFkeys file - depending on values set for your control/joy stick.

Here, for example, you have the entries that I use under WOFFkeys (also WOTRkeys in WOTR):

WOFF

<Axis ID="X" Action="Set_Bank" Scale="24" Nullzone="10" FriendlyDesc="Bank Control (Ailerons)" Category="AircraftControl" P4Use="y"/>
<Axis ID="Y" Action="Set_Pitch" Scale="24" Nullzone="10" FriendlyDesc="Pitch Control (Elevator)" Category="AirCraftControl" P4Use="y"/>
<Axis ID="Throttle" Action="AXIS_THROTTLE_SET" Scale="127" Nullzone="1" FriendlyDesc="Throttle" Category="AircraftControl" P4Use="y"/>
<Axis ID="Rudder" Action="" Scale="64" Nullzone="36" FriendlyDesc="" Category="AircraftControl" P4Use="y"/>

WOTR

<Axis ID="X" Action="Set_Bank" Scale="32" Nullzone="18" FriendlyDesc="Bank Control (Ailerons)" Category="AircraftControl" P4Use="y"/>
<Axis ID="Y" Action="Set_Pitch" Scale="32" Nullzone="18" FriendlyDesc="Pitch Control (Elevator)" Category="AirCraftControl" P4Use="y"/>
<Axis ID="Throttle" Action="AXIS_THROTTLE_SET" Scale="127" Nullzone="1" FriendlyDesc="Throttle" Category="AircraftControl" P4Use="y"/>
<Axis ID="Rudder" Action="Set_Yaw" Scale="50" Nullzone="24" FriendlyDesc="Yaw Control (Rudder)" Category="AircraftControl" P4Use="y"/>

Tweaking scale and nullzone values from default settings of 64/36 can make a world of difference in terms of how the joystick "connects" with what's happening in the sim. Smaller scale values, for example, for ailerons and elevator in my WOFFkeys, gives more of a sense of weightiness/sluggishness to these control surfaces - offset of course by changes to the FMs in the relevent .xfm files. For WOTR, I've increased the scale slightly for ailerons and elevator, to attempt mimicking the "improvement" that hydraulic control (instead of cables/wires) brings in, offsetting with slightly more nullzone to mimic added heaviness of hydraulic setups and metal panels. A similar approach has been applied to WOTR rudder, with more instantaneous hydraulic input (smaller nullzone than for WOFF rudder), but a smaller value for the rudder scale, to mimic the added overall weight of WW2 'crates as they are being tossed from one to the other direction. I've left the WOFF rudder at default settings since that is the primary directional control, for the most part, on WW1 types (although there are of course exceptions, such as the largely ineffectual rudder on the early Pfalz D.III that I've tried to include in the relevant FM tweaks).

Happy flying all,
Von S

Alternate "open" link now included in the first post of this thread, to the FM update pack (which doesn't require registration of an account to download the package, but is still hosted at CombatAce).

Von S

Managed to squeeze in two additional FM tweaks - a small ver. 6.5 addon - for an early Dr.1 and the standard, "gaskammer" variant used in early 1918. More info. and package available at the following link (no need to register at CombatAce):

https://combatace.com/forums/topic/92320-fm-tweaks-for-woffuepe/?tab=comments#comment-775483

Von S

NOTE: If the DiD Campaign deities choose to include the early Dr.1 on the "official DiD FM list" (located in the relevant post under the "casual campaigns" thread) - I recommend testing/evaluation of the "gaskammer" variant too since use of that one after the early Dr.1 provides a more natural upgrade than switching back to the stock FM of the gaskammer Dr.1 variant (stock FM, very generally speaking, is somewhere between the early Dr.1 and post-Nov. 1917 batch, performance-wise - and for simplicity's sake may be used to cover all of the bases in the DiD Campaigns for the Dreidecker jockey - for those who like to keep their FM lists simple).

NOTE 2: two to three percent right rudder recommended on the tweaked Dr.1 variants to fly straight, otherwise they tend towards the left, to fly in an "x" pattern - also depends on the weather and other variables. Flat turns work acceptably to the right on the early Dr.1 and "gaskammer" - more difficult to maintain on the 150 hp mount available in the ver. 6.0 FM package. Flat turns to the left are not very good on any of the variants, will fall into a spin eventually.

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Gotta love that gyroscopic precession. Thanks as always VonS for your time and talent on these custom FMs, much appreciated!

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