New Gotha bombers series thread

[Ravenna]

Hi Aleatorylamp,

To show up in the sim we need a DP file for the bomb itself. As well as the aircraft having a DP, each object placeable in the sim has its own DP. Hope I haven't muddied the waters here. Its the name of the object DP which goes in the aircraft DP. I'll send you my DP for the Gotha IV to show you where it is included below the hardpoint entries. Very much looking forward to seeing your bombs in CFS2.
Cheers,
Ravenna

 

[Ravenna]

.......Following on from the last post, this website has a very methodical approach to understanding and working with ordnance in the aircraft DP file: http://www.cfgse.calebflerk.com/DP_Ordnance.htm

 

[No Dice]

These may help for DP files:


DP Edit by WW Cline is a must have for anyone interested in damage profiles
and those mysterious Microsoft codes. ****

Damage Files by microsoft, create and edit damage profiles the correct way ***

Dped Blue Print style Dp Editor for CFS1 and CFS2 by Yusaku Homma ****

http://thefreeflightsite.com/Utilities2.htm

 

[aleatorylamp]

Hello Ravenna, hello NoDice,

Looking into the files of John Fortin´s WW1 Bomb set, I saw it was quite different from CFS1 - but not to worry!
As soon as I have CFS2 I´ll investigate - it certainly looks intriguing.

I´ll check out the other links as well.

I am familiar with the blueprint-style Dped by Yusaku Homma is CFS only, so the CFS2 version should be quite understandable.

What is more of a mystery is why the present Gotha .mdl files aren´t accepted by TEX512.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

.mdl files not being accepted by TEX512

Hello Ravenna, hello Folks,
I´ve been a bit "silent" on the thread recently, as there is really nothing else I can do
before having a CFS2 installation, but I was just thinking about the present Gotha .mdl
files being rejected by TEX512.

I wonder if anyone knows if the files require some kind of prior treatment?

Perhaps, if I were to run the .mdl files through SCASM and recompile, they would be accepted.
If so, I could post some SCASMed files here for you to check out meanwhile.

UPDATE:
I´ve just tried running the two models throught SCASM.
The G.II is no problem, but the G.IV seems to have some kind of un-identified problem,
because SCASM rejects it. I´ll have to re-work it and see if I can make SCASM accept it.
Then, if you could do something meanwhile, perhaps you could check if the most recently
sent Gotha G.II .mdl file is accepted by TEX512, or not.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

Hello again,
The origin of the SCASM compilation failure was a space in the name of the Gotha GIV.mdl file, which
should be GothaGIV.Mdl for SCASM to accept it, the same way as it accepted the GothaGII.mdl file.

Perhaps you would like to try out if TEX512 will accept the new model files now that they have been
run through SCASM.

I have left in texture and .air files for file-naming purposes.

Will they work with TEX512? ...suspense and drum roll....
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[Ravenna]

Aleatorylamp,
Interesting idea. When UncleTgt renamed and resized the Gotha BMPs they turned up in the sim. When I followed the same procedure for your recent model I got an untextured Gotha. Real life demands (read wife) mean that it would be judicious to try out your new model sometime this weekend. BTW, I hope my new skin fits your new model!

 

[aleatorylamp]

Hello Ravenna,
Thanks for your comments!

As regards the new skin fitting the new model, there will probably be a couple of issues, and you
would do well in expecting that it will not all automatically fit.

On both Gothas, there were untextured bits and pieces on the tail (fin and tailplane), as well as on
the front fuselage, so I´m afraid that most probably the numbering of some of the textures has changed,
because one extra texture has been added, for the tailplane.

The manner in which AF99 decides what number to assign to the textures can radically change, and does not
obey any logic other than maybe the order of appearance in the internal building-list, which is not the last texture
to be installed getting the next free number in the 0-15 sequence, or rather, the .0af to .eaf sequence.

Then too, the texture mapping (spread) has changed for some textures like the fin/rudder and the rear fuselage top.

Anyway, the most important thing at the moment is to see if the .mdl files can be accepted by TEX512.
If not, we may be landed with the limitation of only being able to use the old 256x256x256 .Xaf texture style, which could
perhaps be of debatable use. Should that be the unfortunate case, perhaps the solution would then be to try and work
on the old models only.

There is a way of changing the colour of the untextured surfaces, by identifying the parts in the SCASM text and changing
the colour code. Anyway, we´ll deal with that if it comes to the crunch, which I hope won´t happen.

I hope we get lucky!
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

Preliminary results with TEX512.

Hello Folks, hello Ravenna,
Happily, I finally managed to get TEX512 from Flightsim.com.
I got in with a different browser, because after a hard-disk re-formatting of my WinXP system last week,
Google Chrome installed its newest WinXP-obnoxious version which hardly works and I threw out.

So, I tried out TEX512:
For the time being, I wanted to see, step-by-step, what it did with the Gotha.G.IV as a CFS1 aircraft.
The tests I did were for model files with and without SCASM processing.
Step 1: TEX512 re-converted the .mdl file quite happily to make it look for .bmp textures, so obviously at first the model showed up textureless.
Step 2: Re-naming the 256-colour Bitmap files I had included as visual reference, with the correct naming style worked fine!
Everything showed up correctly, and I then removed those bitmaps into a separate folder.
Step 3: Re-naming the .xaf texture files with the correct bitmap-naming style, also worked perfectly, and everything displayed correctly.

So TEX512 seems to be doing its job. With these motivating preliminary results, I will now install FS2002 again (until I have CFS2), and see what happens there, the objective being to test the differently sized CFS2 texture bitmaps.

Incidentally, I discovered an animation-glitch on my recently-sent G.IV model files, which I put right. The new model file is attached herewith.
Update:
I´ve just found yet another glitch, this time in the animated propeller circle, so here is
the newly corrected file - yet again... so sorry, I do apologize.
And: A new glitch has appeared during the the G.IV model re-work, that I have just noticed:
The lower-wing aileron cut-out has now become faulty, and is being filled in with a triangle across the "L" opening.
This will require a little work on the wing-panels.

Never a dull moment...
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

Lower aileron gap bleed-fix

Hello folks,
Here´s the G.IV model file again, with corrected lower ailerons (the cut-out wing-gap no longer fills with a triangular bleed).
This substitutes the deleted one in the previous post.

This specific .mdl file hasn´t been run through TEX512 yet, but if done, it will work OK:
In FS2002, the 256x256x256 correspondingly renamed bitmap textures also show up correctly.
What I haven´t done yet is try and use CFS2-type textues.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

Hello Folks,
Things are slowly progressing, and glitches are being ironed out.

So far, the Gotha G.II and G.IV models have been run throught TEX512, and have had
their .Xaf textures renamed as required by TEX512, even though for the moment they
are only 256x256x256 ones.

I´ve made sure that the models display correctly in FS2002, as can be seen on the enclosed
screenshots ( ...at Chicago Meigs ...!!?). Note that FS2002 can´t use hardware accelleration
on my set-up.

I also found a further glitch on the G.IV to correct! This time on the rudder - Aircraft Animator
often forgets animations, and then I forget to check them all... Sorry about these lapses.

The silly thing is, that the way the textures are required to be renamed, with the Gotha models,
they end up with the same names, which can be confusing. The best thing to do for the next
WIP post, is to re-run AF99, instructing it to rename textures so that they are different.

Cheers for now,
Aleatorylamp

 

[Ravenna]

Aleatorylamp,
Thanks for thse textures. Will try them in CFS2 and see what I get. By the way, what font is used for the serials?
Cheers,
Ravenna

 

[aleatorylamp]

Hello Ravenna,
I´m afraid I drew in the fonts by hand, looking at pictures of the Gothas.

Apart from the different colour schemes and markings the models have, at this stage, it will be
interesting to see if the superior CFS2-type texture format can now be applied to the new models
sent, to substitute the simpler 256x256x256 bitmap textures on them at the moment.

If it all goes as expected, or hoped, the next thing I´ll do is make AF99 change the texture names,
so that after TEX512 processing, G.II and G.IV textures don´t end up named identically! I only realized
this after I´d processed both models and saw what had happened.

Good luck with the testing!
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

Hello Ravena,
Thanks for your feedback by e-mail confirming that
a) the new TEX512-processed models display correctly in CFS2,
b) that the Bomb .bgl´s I sent don´t work in the sim, crashing it, and
c) that the old Dp files work with the new models, so for now, the old
bombs can be used, until I find a way of making some that work.

At the moment, after improving a few minor issues, I´ve just textured the
G.II´s exhausts, with the last texture that was free there, and I´m trying get
the same done for the G.IV, which is full-up on textures at present. We´ll see...

Another thing that crossed my mind, is a bomb-aimer´s panel, for the Goerz
bomb sight: Maybe a bitmap with twin lobes and a scale to be used in
downwards-looking map-view mode.

There is no hurry for this, as other things need straightening out first, but
offhand, I would imagine scales for 110 and 130 kph, (68 and 80 mph) at 3000
and 3500 metres (9800 and 11500 ft), but I haven´t done any research on the
characteristics of a typical Gotha G.IV bomb run, so I´m not sure.

Anyway, we´ll see!
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

Gotha G.IV and G.II coming along

Hello folks,
With Ravenna busily doing the DP and testing how the models show up under hardware accelleration in CFS2, modifications have progressed considerably.
Given the darker shading textures have in CFS2, wings had to be re-structured completely to avoid the strange shading effects in the wing components.
Then, because of the G.IV´s firing tunnel, there was a serious parts-count limitation, as parts-count for single parts as opposed to structure and component contained parts was considerably higher than that of the G.II.
For the G.IV, wing sections had to be added using SCASM, as the complete model wouldn´t compile in AF99.

The aircraft.cfg was also written in CFS2 style, and there are still some contact point issues, but it seems to work. The .air file also had to be adjusted, as planes imported from CFS1, even containing CFS engine and peopeller parameters, seem to develop about twice the performance than they should have.
Additionally, the Gotha G.IV´s Mercedes D.IVa high-compression engines have a totally different performance curve than normal engines.

These cannot be given full throttle at Sea Level, and are limited to about 225 instead of 267 Hp there, and as altitude is gained, throttle can be pushed forward until at the rated altitude of 4265 ft (1300 metres), the full 267 Hp are unleashed.

The gates that limited throttle lever travel were removed by the commander at certain altitudes, and but in the .air file it is done automatically with convenient "sculpting" of the Torque graph and Propeller Graph tables.

This art was discovered by Ivan of the CFS1 SOH forum, and I have been able to adapt the G.IV .air file parameters for CFS2 accordingly. It has also worked very well for the CFS2 Zeppelin Staaken RVI, both for the Mercedes engines as for the Maybach MbIVa engines, which incidentally are rated with 245 Hp at 2500 metres (8022 ft) - so although they have less power at low altitude, theitr ceiling is 2000 ft higher.

Anyway, while the Gothas are being finished with small details here and there, here are a couple of screenshots.
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

The English "Grossflugzeug" Big Planes.

Hello Folks,
We will also be getting CFS2 versions with hollowed-out cockpits and gunnerwells, of the Blackburn Kangaroo R.T.1 Torpedo bomber, and the two DeHavilland DH10 Amiens tactical bombers - i.e. DH10 (Mark III) and DH10A (MarkIIIA), the latter having its engines directly mounted on the wing to reduce parasitic drag. There were 32 units, I believe, built by Mann, Egerton and Co. ov Coventry, I think it was.

Ravenna has already done the DP for the Kangaroo, which can be loaded with a torpedo, or two MKVI aerial depth charges, or one 500 lb bomb. I´m still getting headaches with contact points though, because unless loaded automatically on CFS2 startup, the airceaft is half underground, jumps up and commits suicide! I´m figuring out the height parameter ibelow the contact points in the .air file.

The two DeHavilland Amiens bombers are in progress too, and have the windows in the nose - which I only discovered were there a week ago! Terrible... Anyway, they display well, and now I´m fighting with the lazy mechanics because the engines take ages to start up, and they are always drunk.

So here are some screenshots of the three English "Grossflugzeuge", some eye-candy to enjoy while the planes are being completed!
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[Ravenna]

Down here in sunny Melbourne, so the DPs for the Amiens will have to wait for me to take the road trip home (1000+ Kms). Looking good Stephan!

 

[aleatorylamp]

Hello Ravenna,
Thanks, glad you like the looks. I´ve just substituted the DH10A
screenshot because it had the green livery of the DH10, it should
be in brown - at least on the model.

Talking about colours. The Kangaroo model has some grey-blue pixels
on the light grey reflective metallic textures. I think my Photo-retouching
program confuses bright white, and puts in some crazy grey-blue in those
pixels when copying from another bitmap onto the default AF99 pallete,
so I must correct that.

Anyway, enjoy the sun, have a good time, and don´t hurry home!
Here it´s getting colder and colder, mostly because of the humidity.
It´s much better in the holidaymaker´s areas in the south, though,
as it´s drier.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

Upcoming Upload, updated model: Gotha G.IV Grossflugzeug

Hello Folks,

As mentioned in prior posts, the updated model of the Gotha G.IV is ready now.
Although I haven´t seen the exciting new textures, Ravenna has been very busy working on
a new livery, as well as some new Dp files for different types of bombloads.

Additionally, kdriver has been busy flight-testing the model.
The upload will expectedly take place in a couple of days.

Here are some screenshots.
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp

 

[aleatorylamp]

Next upload on the list: Gotha G.II

Hello all!
The updated Gotha G.II model is now also ready, and Ravenna has also been working on the new Dp files.
I´m not sure if my new beige textures with the brown nose will be the ones that will go on the
soon-to-be-uploaded model, but meanwhile for eye-candy, here are a few screenshots.
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp