CFS2 How can we enhance it?

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odin_br

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CFS2 How can we enhance it?

Hi folks!!
I´m back!!
I´m studing Assembly language to modify apps like cfs2. Its possible by reverse engineering. But only professionals programers can do this.
To correct the main issues that we know very well: AI level bombing, fixed gunners on bomber, no AI landing at carries, etc, WE NEED TO PAY A PROFESSIONAL ASM DEVELOPER.

Lets to join forces ($) to modify CFS2 as we want!!!

My Sugestion:
1-) Elect a guy to manage the project and investment (like Jad).
2-) Contact a Chineses, Indians, or a professional team in USA with professionals ASM programers to study the viability of the project. If YES, we resquest schedule for each programer/team. The best proposal, we start the pay the costs.

Or, if anyone had a best ideia, let us to know. (Like pay for each modification/correction)

By myself:
I am willing to pay for good changes in CFS2.

What do you think of the idea??

Best regards form Brazil!
Odin_br
 
Boa vinda de volta ao Outhouse!

Odin,

Great idea, but it might be a bridge too far. I don't think that MS would give up its copyright on CFS 2.

It would be nice if MS would enhance CFS 2 to 21st century standard, but I guess there isn't enough money in it for them to be interested. Still, we've come a long way in the almost 10 years since CFS 2 was released in November of 2000.
 
From the cheap seats.....

Sounds like a good idea IF this does not violate Microsoft's / UBISOFT's copyright on CFS2.

This type of "reverse engineering" would greatly aid myself & the Vietnam team as we have run up against many roadblocks while developing it due to the basic physical limitations allowed in CFS2.

However we have come up with some "incredible solutions" to "impossible problems" but there are still a few nagging things we have not been able to circumvent ... yet.



Legal question:
If I understand correctly, you are talking about the "Holy Grail of CFS2" - cracking the code. Many have tried and no one (that we know of) has succeeded. However if this is accomplished, I would expect the copyright owner most likely would not be pleased and therefore legal consequences could be brought against you.


Ethical questions:
By paying for this research; does this not entitle everyone who has discovered some of these "secrets" in the past to be paid?

This is a freeware forum on a freeware site ... your offer sounds somewhat like you are advertising a service and looking for customers.


My personal thoughts:

Pay for it? .... I don't know about that.

CFS2 is pretty much a freeware hobby for the vast majority of enthusiasts.
I personally don't like the idea of "hiring an outside contractor" to do this work. There are darned few of us that have much (if any) formal computer training .... but we learn from modifying CFS2 and from the assistance of other members who have more knowledge and/or experience.

I was once asked what I like best about CFS2; flying the missions or hacking the program? .... honestly for me it's a 50/50 split ... as I expect it is also for many others judging by the nature of the threads posted in this forum.



OK, so you asked for some feedback and now you've got mine.

I mean no disrespect to you or your associates Sir; I wish you all the Best of Luck in your proposed endeavor.

- Dirtman

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I kinda' like the way the sim has evolved. The work that has been done on it is amazing. I do not believe that anyone can improve on it any better than the guys who work at it now. If anyone deserved to be paid for all their hard work, it would be them. I am sure that they will continue to improve our sim. That's just my thought.:ernae:
 
My 2 cents is this: Copyright expirations: Created 1/1/1978 or after - When work is fixed in tangible medium of expression - notice is irrelevant - copyright protecion lasts for the life of author and 70 years based on the the longest living author if jointly created or if work of corporate authorship, works for hire, or anonymous and pseudonymous works, the shorter of 95 years from publication, or 120 years from creation.

So, M$ would have to agree to sell or release as obsolete the copyright to the code. I suspect that the code is at least paritally M$ base code for Windows, all versions, and therefore, M$ is not going to be willing to sell or release it within our lifetimes, even if they are no longer making money nor have any potential for making money off of it.

M$ tried to improve on CFS2 and we got CFS3, which those on this side of the forum do not enjoy flying. Perhaps a more productive activity would be to have a letter writing campaign to Microsoft asking them to keep the visual basics of CFS2 with more modern graphics, sound and performance enhancements. If we flood them from all over the world, perhaps they will listen.

(Down off my soapbox).
 
Dirtman said what my response to your ideas are. I also think with the shape the economy is right now may not be the best time for such a endeavor. The 2010 bandwidth drive should give you a indication what soh members will and not support dollars wise.
 
I have found out how to get the AI to land and takeoff in the same direction, it is a simple fix in the airbase data file.I have posted the fix in the past but there was no interest so I stoped.The big problem we have is in the mission builder which will not allow us to controll the AI below a certain alt or speed.There is a fix for this up to a point. It would work for AI aircraft taking off and landing on a carrier better than form a land base.I got the idea from plastic models that sit on a clear stand and the fact we have flying ships and boats in CFS2.If we can have flying ships why can`t we have AI aircraft that are ships.Fellows do you see where I am going here?We also have the TL_Crew which are aircraft but the mdl looks like deck crewman on a carrier and I think they can be used as deck crew on a moving carrier but I haven`t tried that yet.Anyway they go in the aircraft folder.We even have a few AI aircraft that are used as vehicles and move along the ground but no one has tried to turn an AI aircraft into a ship.The reason I haven`t done it is because I don`t know how to do objects.If I did we would have them on a carrier someplace in CFS2.Another thing I have just found out about CFS2 is as far as trees go for forest in CFS2 if you buid objects using a 256x256 bitmap and make them a light color it will help keep your fram rates way up.I found such a tree and have been able to use well over 1500 trees and still keep my frame rates up on an 8yr old pc running win98se.If some one could build a palm tree that is a lime green color with a large canopy and thick brush or grass at the bottom I would be glad to test to see how it does.
 
Hey Bob, I wonder how that would work with carriers rolling, pitching, and yawing... Maybe as long as they were in sync with each other... Filling the empty carrier decks are right at the top of my wish list.
 
Ghostrider, you would have to take out the ships dynamics or at least the one you are using and make sure that they didn`t turn durring carrier ops which is no problem.
 
I for one would be happy if somebody could recode the tracers to be the "flying golf balls" described in all the contemporary literature...
 
More detais

Hi Folks

Let me explain:
1-) I love this sim. In my opinion, the best combat flight sim

2-) I´m not a professional developer. But many issues on cfs2 are true bugs located at modules folder and ai_playr.dll. The CFS2.exe is the only interface of sim. The heart of sim are dlls on MODULES folder.

3-) I suggested to correct the problems by improving the code. There was no thought that could be violating copyright. But when we add aircraft or scenarios, what are we doing? MDL and BGL are codes in ASM! We're adding code to the program, and it is normal... FSUIPC.dll it is a 3rd part code for FS/CFS and its not a MS product. Tailgunner for CFS1, same.

4-) I'm not suggesting to break any code and make it public or make money with it. Instead, I am willing to pay to enhance it.

5-) Analyzing files ai_playr.dll and multiplayer.dll is possible:

A-) handle gunners on autopilot (ADDING CODE).
B-) AI bomber throw all the bombs (BUG)
C-) Ships and vehicles may open fire against each other (removing code)
I tried to do this(1 year of trys and erros), but I failed because I haven´t the necessary knowledge.

6-) Sorry if I offended anyone. Please forgive me if I seemed a hacker or pirate wanting to play. It was not my intention.

7-) Dirtman, I´m not looking for customers... Please...

:cool: If I find something new, I will release here, for free.

Best regards,
Odin_br

 
I along with others would like to see thies problems corrected.I for one would like for the admin to allow us to use SOH to discuse correct and upload the corrections to CFS2 or atleast look into or allowing us to figure out away to do so without having problems with the creatores of this sim.I understand there conserns and will abide by any decession they make.
 
Bob and Odin,

We always encourage free thought and ideas in the fora.

If a project becomes important enough, we assign a private forum for participating members of the project only. This has been done several times for CFS 2 and other sims. The PHP2 project was one of these as well as the FS 9 A-26 Invader project.

We have a CFS 2 Overhaul private forum already, but it's been quiet of late. Many dead ends, burn out and real life have slowed it down the last year. Most of the threads have been lost for some reason or another over the last year.
 
My thoughts are going to be cheered by some, booed by others, I think for what my opinion counts that you all would prefer I be honest than tell a lie.

First, I don't buy anything off the shelf that's made in Red China. Until they pull the chain in and take a switch to their puppy, North Korea, and have a representative form of government, I'm going to have as little to do with them as possible. The Red Chinese is the world's largest supplier of bootleg(stolen) commodities and pornography. If I buy something used that is from Red China there's nothing I can do, they already got their money. Same with India. 49 out of 50 service calls I have to make is answered by someone 15000 miles away in Bimbam or Whang Whim or whatever they have renamed their cities because they want to throw of the last "chains of British Imperialism." They need to learn to speak English, or I'm going to stop doing business with their companies they represent. If I have any money to contribute it will not go to India or Red China for anything. I think there are programmers who are members of this site who are just as talented as any to revise CFS2.

M$ is gonna release CFS2 as Abandonware? Well, let's see. I'm not flying M$ CFS2, I'm flying M$'s combination of Chuck Yeager's Air Combat and Lucas Art's Secret Weapons Of The Luftwaffe. M$, like Steven King, has never come up with an original idea since Jobs and Gates fell out. "Windows" in any form is nothing more than IBM's OS2. Gates stole Scansdisk from Peter Norton, they stole the code for M$ Office from a small Canadian computer company.Would Micro$oft "sell" the rights to CFS2? Sure, for 5 or 10 million bucks. Let's see, 300 people support this site at 10 grand a year, that's a little over 30 bucks apiece, let's split the difference: 7.5 million Obamadollars divided by 300 is 4 million apiece using Pelosi math.

Soon as my wife recovers and soon as my financial situation improves, I'll be glad to kick in for site support. I have over 10 grand worth of planes, scenery, textures, etc. from this site alone so it's not a problem when I can afford it.

CFS2 is the cat's meow for combat flight sims, I have a passion for air combat goes way beyond a computer sim, but M$ is not going to release it. That's the fact of the matter. What will keep the sim alive is the work of the programmers in coming out with new planes, missions, sceneries, etc. There's nothing I';d like better than to see CFS2 as public domain, not with M$. Sorry. It'll never happen.

What I think is needed for CFS2's continuing health is more tutorials on textures, plane building,and other aspects of making things. We need a centralized repository for everything out there for CFS2. I needed a Ju-87 -A, Japlance put me onto the location for one, there's two websites on this planet that has that plane. What if Akemi-san's site goes down? Where do we go for an Irving nightfighter? There is too much scattered around and more centralization needed. This sim can go for decades. How many people are still playing DOOM?

I got FS98 yesterday for 2 bucks. I don;tknow what I'm gonna do with it, but I got if I ever take an interest. FS9, FSX, FS2000, FS2002, FS2004, I have the least interest in. For a dollar a disk, I'll certainly buy them. My interest is combat flight sim. I don't have time to get into CFS3. There's too much for CFS2.

In 1996 a man who later left Micro$oft told Gates that Netscape was making everyone want to abandone BBS's and get on the Internet, he needed to give IE away. Gates said he'd be damned if he gave anything away, he was not a Communist. I think a software product that is no longer supported by the maker should by law then be put into public domain.

That's my two yen.

Bonesimoto
 
Bones,

I tend to agree with you on the Chinese things. I buy anything but Chinese whenever I have a choice, even if more expensive.

I am interested in what Odin_br said about the dll files.
At this point in time, I wish I had the necessary training to look into dlls.
 
OPEN AIR COMBAT: Any Takers?

Devildog73 said:
Bones,

I tend to agree with you on the Chinese things. I buy anything but Chinese whenever I have a choice, even if more expensive.

I am interested in what Odin_br said about the dll files.
At this point in time, I wish I had the necessary training to look into dlls.
Click to expand...

Odin could possibly have started something that could branch off into a whole new world for combat flight simming. Many M$ Office users are aware of OPEN OFFICE, a free and compatible with M$ OFFICE office suite. Could a group of sim programmers join together and make OPEN AIR COMBAT, which uses CFS2 planes and sceneries and all? DD, my friend, I spoke of this before: I went to a website with 100 planes for CFS1, 300 for CFS3, and 1500 for CFS2. Now you tell me, where is the interest?

I'm with you, there is much in CFS2 I wish I could do,my first thing is studying Cody's books on missions.

I think it's time we quit coddling the Third World and let them find their own markets. One thing I will buy without hesitation is A Red Chinese AK, Makharov pistol, Tokerev, or the like.

Bones
 
Tonybones

Please keep your Political veiws out of the forum.I've seen them destroy Flightsim forums before.Some of the old timers here know what I'm talking about.


Talon
 
Talon said:
Tonybones

Please keep your Political veiws out of the forum.I've seen them destroy Flightsim forums before.Some of the old timers here know what I'm talking about.


Talon
Click to expand...

Talon, that's true, I am aware of what happened with 9/11 over on Netwings. I'm sure my comments were inflammatory but the fact is I said them because I am sure most the forum agrees with them. In pirate days when the hemp rope holding the cannon in place on the deck of a warship loosened or broke, you had what was called a "loose cannon" it could shoot anywhere, which is what I am afraid I am. My comments were not "political" but economic. I'm tired of having no choice except between second class junk and third class junk. If there are any Red Chinese or North Koreans registered with this forum that were offended, they are free to contact me off-forum and we'll discuss it.

Tony
 
tonybones2112 said:
Talon, that's true, I am aware of what happened with 9/11 over on Netwings. I'm sure my comments were inflammatory but the fact is I said them because I am sure most the forum agrees with them. In pirate days when the hemp rope holding the cannon in place on the deck of a warship loosened or broke, you had what was called a "loose cannon" it could shoot anywhere, which is what I am afraid I am. My comments were not "political" but economic. I'm tired of having no choice except between second class junk and third class junk. If there are any Red Chinese or North Koreans registered with this forum that were offended, they are free to contact me off-forum and we'll discuss it.

Tony
Click to expand...

This is still not the place to discuss it even if others agree with you.We've lost members here also because it and some were very valued members.


Talon
 
Friends, remember, this is just a flight-sim ! It's for fun and nothing real !
Like others said, tinkering with the game is as much fun as flying a mission, and look what progress we all made over the last years, who can say what we will discover in a few months, days, hours? Let it be this way !
 
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