Setup for competent CFS2 experience

[nearmiss]

A friend was asking about CFS2. He picked one up for practically nothing at a Salvation Army, but hasne't installed it.

He is currently into the IL2 1946 using MODS and expressed interest in the CFS2.

HE had been to SOH, and was taken aback by all the addons available. I answered his questions as well as I could, and since I've always done the IL2 as well my thoughts on issues with each is probably pretty good.

Not that I have solutions for the issues for both, as an expert by any means.

Answering his questions was simple enough, but I realized even with years of CFS2 I really didn't have what I consider a good handle on where to start and what to apply.
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Basically, he wanted to know what it would take to put up a decent CFS2 that was a competent as possible as an air combat flight simulator. He mentioned equal to other air combat flight sims.

Going back through my years with CFS2 and the number of addons and such. Whew! I thought I'd just send hime back to SOH and let him do his own investigations.

I mentioned a few things:

The AI is not really up to par with either BOB II WOV, or IL2 1946. Sometimes a little too starwars, and the AI didn't always do what you were expecting (screwy stuff). Sometimes they won't take off without crashing, etc.

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IMO, the CFS2 has the best mission builder and if he took his time to learn how to use it, and make posting on SOH over a short time he could put together a pretty good CFS2 install that he would enjoy.

The mission builder has always been the draw for me to CFS2. I've always hated reading and downloading all the stuff, and nonsense that doesn't make that much difference.

Then it came to mind that someone by now may have created a document or article that explains in detail how to prepare the CFS2 for a good solid air combat experience without all the issues associated with starting from scratch.

Not thinking aabout shopping list of a multitude of mod links, but:

• A carefully compiled list of necessary addons that make the CFS2 a front runner CFS.
• Fixes and tweaks that need to be applied for getting the most out of the AI.

Maps, terrain and mesh can be addressed after a competent build is made.

Therefore, I suggested to leave off everything that was eye and ear candy until a competent install was completed.

The non-flyable aircraft should basically be left alone, but I did suggest using the Wells flight model fixes for the default aircraft. This would be a good start.

My thoughts are that he should only worry about better aircraft for those aircraft he intends to fly as a player, and in friendly flights. I suggested he leave the enemy aircraft alone to start and after he is more familiar with the CFS2 he should apply some of the AI only aircraft.

FPS friendly AI aircraft don't make that much difference any more to me. Everyone has such super computers today, FPS is rarely an issue, especially with 10+ year old flight sims like CFS2.

He mentioned sound improvements, and I suggested there were alot of sound files available. However, unless he was going to fly an aircraft as a player it wouldn't make much difference about the sounds for AI aircraft.

Anyway, if you have suggestions or ideas maybe yoiu could share them.

 

[Shadow Wolf 07]

Since you mentioned Mission Builder:

Downloading and printing off Cody Coyote's most recnet version of his Mission Builder Tutorial is a good start for a new guy.

 

[nearmiss]

Since you mentioned Mission Builder:

Downloading and printing off Cody Coyote's most recnet version of his Mission Builder Tutorial is a good start for a new guy.

Yes, good idea. I did mention the help files within the mission builder.

Where do you get the most recent version. I have the mission and campaign tool on a DVD, but it appears to be the same version listed in the addons section.

Maybe, I've missed something.

 

[Tango_Romeo]

Duh?

For years I have been watching people who just got a copy of CFS2, begin their experience by trying to make major additions to the stock program....without ever having flown this quite nice sim in stock form.

That just blows my mind, as they are missing a great opportunity to fly the US and Japanese sides of dynamic campaigns which have several alternate outcomes/paths. On top of all that, a survey we took shows that less than half of the CFS2 fans, including the old hands and experts, have ever flown the stock campaigns.:isadizzy:

It is now a well-known fact that at least half of us have the attention span of a 4-year-old and are possibly ADD positive.

Do your friend a favor and tell him to fly the stock campaigns first before trying addons that he probably has no idea how to install at this stage anyway.

 

[nearmiss]

For years I have been watching people who just got a copy of CFS2, begin their experience by trying to make major additions to the stock program....without ever having flown this quite nice sim in stock form.

That just blows my mind, as they are missing a great opportunity to fly the US and Japanese sides of dynamic campaigns which have several alternate outcomes/paths. On top of all that, a survey we took shows that less than half of the CFS2 fans, including the old hands and experts, have ever flown the stock campaigns.:isadizzy:

It is now a well-known fact that at least half of us have the attention span of a 4-year-old and are possibly ADD positive.

Do your friend a favor and tell him to fly the stock campaigns first before trying addons that he probably has no idea how to install at this stage anyway.

I did all the stock campaigns to start, then the Aviar campaign as I recall. That was way back when...

It was great fun loading up the CFS2, loading the mission builder and seeing all those options to re-create some of the amazing stories I'd read in my history of WW2 studies.

I became disillusioned by all the STUFF that was available, yet things that were so important for play were ignored. This was before we could do anywhere near what we can do with the CFS2 now.

Yet, for any new user I really wouldn't pump them up to go after the "WHOLE HOG". I really would suggest a core group of things I recall and some recommended options from other old-timers to my friends.

I have 3 or more dvds full of CFS2 downloaded files going back as far as 1998 as I recall. That is a pile of stuff, and I've always gravitated back to installations that include basic things, with tweaks and fixes to make the CFS2 work well.

I really have to say this--- The CFS2 needs quite abit of tweaking and fixes to really get the sim working well. There are things that needed a patch so bad from MSFT that were never fixed. So, I think there are AI tweaks, the Val fix, and some other issues that need work before you can really say the sim is competent.

The Wells Sullivan files for all the default aircraft was one huge fix that I've always applied to start. It fixes a bunch of stuff right off. We don't need to worry so much about FPS problems anymore with all the dual and quad processors, 2 to 4 gig ram, and awesome video cards.

Now we just need enough of the right stuff to make this dog hunt!

Not too much stuff, just the right stuff... we can apply the eye and ear candy later.

Thanks for your response

 

[erufle]

I agree with Tango. Its nuts to start out by making mods to cfs2. Its just too easy to screw everything up and then leave it behind with the impression it was crap. Most of us, even the least experienced, knew how cool the cfs2 default campaign was before we ever even tried adding on new planes.

The original campaigns should work faultless. Take it slow from there.

 

[dhasdell]

I agree with the above, but one addon which I wouldn't be without is the Just Flight/Flight One "Pearl Harbor". Only one new a/c, but it's great (P-40), but brilliant PH scenery, including the major ships just where they were on Dec 7, and missions with skies full of attackers and flak.

 

[DeathFromAbove]

Also agree about the stock campaign, you have to know what the standard is before trying to surpass it.

 

[Shadow Wolf 07]

Yes, good idea. I did mention the help files within the mission builder.

Where do you get the most recent version. I have the mission and campaign tool on a DVD, but it appears to be the same version listed in the addons section.

Maybe, I've missed something.

It should be here at the Outhouse if the archives are rebuilt. Cody had 2 versions... Version 1 is about 6-7 years old and version 2 (the good one) is only about a year - a year and a half old. I downoaded version 2, took it to Kinkos and printed and bound it - it makes a nice read on plane flights and at the beach

Found it at: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/index.php?lloc=downloads&loc=downloads&page=info&FileID=10144

...and yes, the stock campaign is a must for a novice along with the training missions to practice carrier landing.