[REL] Rockets mod

Hello,

My computer is broken since Saturday, I'm posting from the computer of one of my friends. Hopefully, I always make regular saves on an external storage. To save time, I have published (on the first post of this thread) a part of the readme, with some data missing (but completed on my PC), but some other data are not definitive (###).

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...30#post1043230

Originally Posted by AOTD_MadMax

...
New Units :
...
2.) Planes

A.) USA
...
- Douglass F6 Hellcat !

I don't have SH4, so could you check ?

[propbeanie]

I've got 'em both, and I'll look for you, but I've played the game off and on over the years, and I'm working on the "Ultimate" edition now, and I do not recall ever encountering it... besides the fact that the Hellcat is a Grumman aircraft... my suspicion is that he was using the "USFighter" as the Hellcat, but I don't know for certain.

[gap]

Originally Posted by Kendras

My computer is broken since Saturday...

Too much modding, you pushed that poor machine to its limit

I am sorry for that, but it is good to hear that you had backed up your working files already

Originally Posted by Kendras

I don't have SH4, so could you check ?

Good find. I should have FoTRS somewhere on one of my old hard drives. I will check it later. If its copy of the F6F is a good one (considered the advances of 3D GFX of the last years) we will ask for permission to use it, otherwise I will see if we can import the model from pack3D

[propbeanie]

Whatever happened to the one in RSRDC phase I??

I'm still looking for my v1.3 Fall of the Rising Sun, which is backed-up ~somewhere~ on this computer... but I do remember looking for the Hellcat in there before... I'm too old though to remember what I found...


... and looking through the v1.3 FotRS, I do not see a "Hellcat", neither Douglass nor Grumman...

[gap]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

I've got 'em both, and I'll look for you, but I've played the game off and on over the years, and I'm working on the "Ultimate" edition now, and I do not recall ever encountering it... besides the fact that the Hellcat is a Grumman aircraft... my suspicion is that he was using the "USFighter" as the Hellcat, but I don't know for certain.

Originally Posted by propbeanie

Whatever happened to the one in RSRDC phase I??

I'm still looking for my v1.3 Fall of the Rising Sun, which is backed-up ~somewhere~ on this computer... but I do remember looking for the Hellcat in there before... I'm too old though to remember what I found...


... and looking through the v1.3 FotRS, I do not see a "Hellcat", neither Douglass nor Grumman...

Confirmed.

I had a look into FoTRS 1.4's Names.cfg, and apparently it uses the Wildcat model that Kendras was working on when he asked for help on the buggy hard edges issue, as an Hellcat (I also opened the plane is S3D to make sure that it was the same model):

[Air]
FSAR196=Arado Ar-196 Aufklärer
FSF1M=F1M Pete-Bordflugzeug
LBSH6K=H6K-Flugboot
DBD3A1=D3A1 Val-Sturzkampfbomber
A6M2Zero=Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero
B5N2Kate=B5N2 Kate
USDiveBomber=Douglass SBD-3 Dauntless
KyushuQ1W1=Kyushu Q1W1
G4MBetty=G4M Betty
G4MBettyTorp=G4M Torpedobomber
H8K=H8K
USFighter=Brewster F2A Buffalo
USTorpedoBomber=Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
USHeavyBomber=Avro Lancaster Bomber
LBSUSSearchPlane=Avro Lancaster  
FBP38=P 38 Jagdbomber
SSunderland=Patrouillenflugzeug Sunderland
FBBeaufighter=Jagdbomber Beaufighter
TBSSwordfish=Torpedoflugzeug Swordfish
LBSPBY5A=Catalina PBY5A
LBSPBY5=Catalina PBY5
FBWildcat=Hellcat
A6M5=Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero 
ASW_B6N2=B6N2 Tenzan
ASW_H8K2=H8K2 Wabo
ASW_H6K4=H6K4 Wabo
LBB17Fortress=B17 Flying Fortress
LBB24Liberator=B24 Liberator
FBMosquitoTsetse=De Havilland Mosquito Tsetse
FBHurricaneMk1=Hurricane MK1
FBKi44=Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki
FBCorsair=Vought F4U-4 Corsair
FBKi84=Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate
TBAvenger=TBF Avenger Torpedobomber
FW190a5=****e Wulf FW 190A5
JunkersJu52=Junkers Ju 52
FBP51Mustang=Northamerican P-51 Mustang
FBP35=Republic P-35
ADB_D4Y3=D4Y3 Suisei Sturzkampfbomber
FBP47=Republic P-47 D Thunderbolt
FBMesserschmittBF109=Messerschmitt BF109
FBKi61=Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien

The FoTRS 1.5 update doesn't change this situation

Thank you for the investigation, mates !

How is it with the Wildcat's model and textures ?

[gap]

Originally Posted by Kendras

How is it with the Wildcat's model and textures ?

I had put this project on stand-by, but I am resuming it while I wait for more feed-back on the reefs for your lighthouse mod

So, I will work on this mod today to release a first version, without Gap's work (new rockets and bombs models, new Wildcat model, perhaps new Hellcat model too). I want to finish this.

[propbeanie]

I'm still voting in the affirmative for a "real" Hellcat model... just so we can borrow it for FotRSU in SH4...

No answer from Gap for one week. I can think about only 4 explanations :

- he wants to have holidays
- he is sick
- he lost interest into modding
- he is preparing me a big surprise !

OK, I think the mod is ready. But before releasing it, I would require some beta-testers to find out bugs or other problems (graphics, sound, problem to understand the readme, etc.).

Please send me a PM if you are interested !

Small update here : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...03&postcount=8

So, I think I will delete those random appearance dates to have a reliable load of bombs/rockets.

Only the basic load will have appearance dates, in order to have automatic appearing rockets on some airplanes (for example the Avenger). This is good news in a way, because it means that the Avengers you will encounter during your career won't always carry rockets under their wings at the end of the war ! I was hesitating between rockets as basic load, or as special load (in this case, some special script would have been necessary in Campaign_SCR/RND.mis files to have airplanes loaded with rockets). Now, I'm not anymore !

But I will also add rockets as special loadout, to be sure that when writting a mission, you will have the rockets in-game if you want to have them ! You just have to take into account that rockets were not available at the beginning of the war. The historical entry dates will be specified in the Readme file.

Best !

[gap]

Originally Posted by Kendras

No answer from Gap for one week. I can think about only 4 explanations :

- he wants to have holidays

Sorry Kendras. I had family problems actually (all is fine now). My bad for not answering your calls before, but in the meanwhile I kept an eye on the forum and during the sparse free time I made some progress with our projects and and expanded them a bit (see below)

Originally Posted by Kendras

- he is sick

Not at all

Originally Posted by Kendras

- he lost interest into modding

Never!

Originally Posted by Kendras

- he is preparing me a big surprise !

More or less...

Originally Posted by Kendras

So, I will work on this mod today to release a first version, without Gap's work (new rockets and bombs models, new Wildcat model, perhaps new Hellcat model too)

Summing up: I have created some new USN/USMC paint schemes for the upcoming new model of the Wildcat. The one portrayed below is the so called "Atlantic Scheme II" (there was a three-colour "Atlantic Scheme I" too, but it was rarely used):



I got bored with my paint job eventually, and in preparation of the upcoming British paint schemes, I started looking for information on the usage of the Wilcat (or Martlet, as the British called it) by the FAA.

Found a website with summary information on the main FAA Squadrons with aircraft flown and carriers that they were assigned to month by month.
This data, crossed with detailed service histories of Commonwealth's carriers, available on naval-history.net, is more than it would be needed to simulate realistic WWII carrier movements with their aircraft equipment changing over the conflict duration. Naval-history in particular is a goldmine of precious information. Its service history section is so complete, that even number or aircraft embarked, daily sorties, bomb loadouts, aircraft lost in action, etc. are recorded for each carrier, often with side notes on the usage and effectiveness of aircraft and various ordnance types at different stages of the war.

While digging the web for historical information, I found that the early carrier-borne dive bomber used by the FAA, the Blackburn Skua, is absent for game. I looked the web for a free 3D model of it, but I couldn't find any, and I decided to model it myself. It is still too early for a preview of it, but I can say is coming along nicely, the main problem being the lack of good pictures and drawings of it. I realized that World of Warplanes has a decent model of it though, so I had to play the game shortly untill I was given the aircraft, for me to look around it more closely in the hangar

While looking again the web for information on the bombs most commonly carried by the Skua, I found unclassified US information on US, British, French and Italian WWII airborne ordnance, including bombs and depth charges (not rockets and air torpedoes unfortunately). Detailed drawings and information on sizes, type and weight of explosive charges, detonations mechanisms, etc. are provided
SH games are pretty basic when it comes to air bombs they represent, and information on them is pretty sparse on the web, so I was so happy when I found those documents that I had to start modelling some British ordnance. For a start, I focused on the various marks of the AS series (anti-submarine) 100, 250, 500 and 600-lb British bombs. Have you ever heard about them before? It is surprising how few information on them is available on the web, though they were widely used by the British during both World Wars. For what I learned, they were a compromise between an HE bomb and a depth charge. They could explode immediately on contact (with target's plate or with the water surface), after a delay variable from 0.5 to 2 seconds or, when fitted with an hydrostatic pistol, at a fixed depth of 5.5, 7, or 9.1 m depending on bomb's weight. Apparently, early marks of the 100-lb bomb were totally inneffective against the reinforced hull of WWII submarines, but later marks, especially of the 250, 500 and 600 lb bombs, were quite an effective deterrant against surfaced U-boats. As an example, here is my rendition of the AS 100 lb Mk IV bomb in post-42 dark bronze green color (until late '42, the standard colour for British HE bombs was buff yellow):



What do you think? If you are interested into having those bombs, I can send them your way as I finish modelling them

Originally Posted by propbeanie

I'm still voting in the affirmative for a "real" Hellcat model... just so we can borrow it for FotRSU in SH4...

Hellcat's model from pack-3d is on my HD and definitely adding it to the game is in my to-do list