Projected knowledge base:

Ahhh, the things we learn the hard way. I've had Spitfire_MkIXc_BS273 installed in ETO since late 2017, and had flow it in game a number of times. I recently turned off unlimited ammo, and suddenly the game crashed whenever I tried to fly this aircraft. It took a bit of trial and error to track the problem down to the change in ammo allowances, and not one of the more common reasons for an aircraft to not start in game.

This high altitude aircraft has had the 0.303 guns "removed" by adding gunstation entries in the xdp file like:
<GunStation UpLimit="0" DownLimit="0" LeftLimit="0" RightLimit="0" RateLimit="0" SystemID="right_guns" Tracer="40" Trainable="0" Trigger="0" Type="no_gun" Name="outer right Guns" ConvergeDistance="250" Pitch=".1489" MaxAmmo="0"/>

Simply removing these entries didn't resolve the issue, so I followed it along to the next level with Type="no_gun".

The no_gun.xdp looked proper enough, but I noticed that there were no weapon associated with it. DefaultWeapon=""

I changed it to DefaultWeapon="SJ_null_round" and, viola, it worked again.

SJ_null_round is:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<UnitData>
<General Allegience="" LongName="" ShortName="" ModelName="" BlastDamageScale="1.0" ImpactDamageScale="1.0" FireDamageScale="1.0" Priority="0" Type="weapon" EnteredService="01/01/1944" BlastDamageMod="0" ImpactDamageMod="0" FireDamageMod="0" AllowSpawn="n" Category="weapon" Country="germany" Mass="0.00"/>
<Description String="13 x 64B x 34.6 g"/>
<Weapon WeaponType="bullet" ImpactDice="0" ImpactDieSize="0" ImpactOffset="0" BlastDice="0" BlastDieSize="0" BlastOffset="0" FireDice="0" FireDieSize="0" FireOffset="0" ExplodeEffect="xxx" GroundEffect="xxx" AirEffect="xxx" WaterEffect="xxx" TracerEffect="xxx"/>
<Loadouts/>
<GunStations/>
<DamageBoxes/>
<Systems/>
</UnitData>


The moral of the story is;
If unlimited weapons is switched on then none of this matters.
If it is switched off, then CFS3 is going to very picky indeed about the referenced file requirements!
 
Quote:

Windows 7 Install Fix

Windows 7 install fix

WINDOW 7 INSTALL​
NOTE
Modifying the CFS3.exe comes curtsey of Deadmeat1971. Original instructions can be found here
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...ead.php?t=9007
Blacksheep-ghost03 and I have Win7 working in both on and off line sessions but have had to use different means to do so.
These instructions assume that your game is installed on a C:\ partition
Main game folder is located at c:\Programfiles\Microsoftgames\Combat Flight Simulator 3
STEP ONE:
Install CFS3. Choose complete install option. Look for and uncheck the option to place short cut on desktop. Follow the instructions to complete the game install. Once done DO NOT choose run game now. Close all windows and go to desktop. If you have a short cut to CFS3.exe on your desktop delete it. Now browse to your main game folder. Right mouse click on the CFS3.exe and select COPY. Go to desktop and select PASTE. The CFS3.exe should now be on your desk top. Right mouse click on it and select rename. Change the name to CFS3win7. Right mouse click on the CFS3win7.exe and select CUT, browse to your main game folder and select paste. In the main game folder you should now have two .exe icons. The original one and the new CFS3win7 one. Right mouse click on the CFS3win7.exe and go to properties. Select Compatibility. Put a check mark in the “run this program in compatibility mode for” and then select Window XP SP3 in the drop down box.NOTE: This is the only choice that will work. SP2 will not. In privilege level at the bottom select “run this program as administrator” Click apply. Click OK. Now right mouse click on the CFS3win7.exe icon and select Send to and Desktop(created shortcut). Close all windows. You should have an icon on the desktop that is named CFS3win7. Go to properties on this and double check that Windows XP SP3 and administrator settings are selected in compatibility. If they aren’t select them and click OK. Run the game for the first time. If it’s OK then apply the CFS3 patches. Test in multiplayer if required
NOTE
This method worked on my system but not on Blacksheep-ghost03. For his system he applied step 2 which involves applying the same settings but to the original CFS3.exe
Step two
If you have installed the game as above and created the new icon and it doesn’t work or won’t fly in multiplayer, delete the CFS3win7 icon from your desktop. Browse to your main game folder and delete the CFS3win7.exe. You should now have only the original CFS3 .exe in the game folder and no icons on your desktop. Right mouse click on the CFS3.exe and follow the same steps as above for compatibility and privilege level. Once done create a shortcut for the CFS3.exe on your desktop. Check that the compatibility and privilege settings are correct. Run the game. If it works apply the CFS3 patches. Test in multiplayer if required.
WINDOWS 7 64 BIT
NOTE
I have Windows 7 64 bit installed. It would not run multi player regardless of the steps performed above and would crash to desktop. Event viewer described an MFC70.DLL error. I browsed and found an old Microsoft article that referred to the same type of issue I was having.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555608
I followed the recommended fix. Go to main game folder and delete the OLEACC.DLL file. After doing this my game runs fine and I can host and join multiplayer games.
Hope this works for you too.
Special thanks to Deadmeat1971 and Blacksheep-ghost03 for their contributions
END QUOTE

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Re this fix above for CFS3 with Win7 OS. (http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/40606-Projected-knowledge-base/page2 post #30)

Before changing the cfs3.exe to win7cfs3.exe; or win10cfs3.exe, or anything else, this will cause problems with some of Gecko's new work such as the Spitfire Mk. II Package ( and the Fw190A?), which will only work with the name cfs3,exe. See Thread http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/117274-UPLOADED-Spitfire-Mk-II-Package/page4 #84.
 
Placing altitude in gsl from known co-ordinates

Placing altitude in gsl from known co-ordinates

I added a lot of facilities to a global layer file which involved putting in co-ordinates and then their altitude. Lucking my Comp Sc. son helped me with some programs.

1. I went to the mission builder and put all the facilities I wanted for the gsl into a mission. My son then gave me a little app to put those mission.xml co-ordinates into the gsl csv file. I have given that in a ziip file below. you put in your own xml file instead of my example here. Ask if an issue
XMLToGlobalLayerConverter.zip

2. Of course one can also put in the co-ordinates from Google Earth or similar.

3. NOTE CFS3 gsl uses '*' instead of the '°' sign, so before using the altitude app I replaced all the '*'s with '°', and then changed them back at the end. Don't forget!

4. This is how to do the altitudes as from an email from my son.

QUOTE:
This program looks up altitudes for given lat/lon coordinates from a global layer csv file.



(edit: this one is preferred to the link below)
 GlobalLayerAltitudeLookup.zip


There are a number of errors in the global layer csv you sent me:

- data where the columns are misaligned with the column headers (lines 95-240)
- improperly formatted lat/long (line 1351 where the lon is "W2ø34'5745824" (missing a decimal in the seconds portion of the string)
- existing altitude data appears to be off for a number of coordinates so I would recommend overwriting the existing data with the queried data (there's a checkbox in the program for that)

- a few others



There's a little error checking going on in the program to at least identify the problem and give the "Name" of the facility that is improperly formatted. Nothing will output until the input is correctly formatted/parsed.


The original program I wrote was from 2012 and used Google Map's data. Unfortunately they charge for that now so I found a new site (https://www.jawg.io/) that seems to work pretty well and is free for the first 10k (I think) queries. Queries are chunked into 500 altitudes/query, so a file with ~5300 coordinates will take 11 queries, and the quota resets every month. Altitudes are reported in meters, and altitudes for coordinates that line up with open water are reported as 0m.



END QUOTE:
​
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hold on using the above app! Seems the data source we were using has worse resolution the more altitudes you query per request. So don't use the one above. We are now testing a new app with only 5 requests per batch. As I have a request of over 2K it does take time, and I have to now check how accurate that is.

EDIT: This one is quite a bit more accurate and may suffice.:wiggle:


View attachment GlobalLayerAltitudeLookup.zip
 
Last edited:
One of the new features added to the December 2019 version of AnKor's Shades is the ability to run in Windows Mode without adding it to the command line when starting the game. The entry in d3d8.ini is WindowedMode=1.

I use a custom icc profile to calibrate my monitor, and recently noticed that it was not working when CFS3 was running in Fullscreen.

It does revert back to being on as soon as I exited the game to the Desktop, so I don't have that problem. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforc...x-for-the-games-changing-the-color-profiles-/

However, the calibrated icc profile I have set as my Windows default works perfectly in the Borderless Windows mode, and when CFS3 is set to use my native screen resolution it looks just like Fullscreen.

It also has the advantage of exiting the game instantaneously when you're ready to close it.

AnKor warns that Multisampling AA is not working in WindowedMode yet, but as long as I'm at the native resolution my 4XSGSSAA seems to be working okay with Nvidia Profile Inspector using the compatibility setting for Diablo III.
 
Wingmen don't retract landing gear when flying a Mission

If the aircraft waypoint for takeoff in the mission file is set type="turn", then those aircraft may not retract their undercarriage. The solution is to change the waypoint type to "takeoff". I've found a number of HH's missions that have needed to be edited like that.
 
In case you're having a problem with getting AA to work with AnKor's Shaders there is a fix involving setting Antialiasing Compatibility with Nvidia Profile Inspector.

https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/nvidia-profile-inspector-2-3-0-12.425787/

https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads....r-not-to-use-that-is-the-question#Post4406315

Use NVIDIA Profile Inspector to set Antialiasing compatibility for my 980 GTX and G-Sync monitor.

Ever since the Win 10 Fall Creators Update my optimal AA settings no longer do anything in game (edges are very jagged) if I don't use Inspector to set the extra compatibility bits.

In my case the setting Override Any Application Setting, 4x Multisampling, 4x Sparse Grid Supersampling, and LOD Bias -1.0 that used to work with great results, now only works if I set 0x004412C1 compatibility as well, and that can't be done through the Standard Control Panel.

FXAA, the post process version of AA can still be successfully set in CP without the compatibility bits, but that is not nearly as effective as SGSSAA in reducing texture shimmering, and tends to make things blurry.
Click to expand...

It's probably a function call that was "improved" in the updated WDDM that came out with the Fall Creators Update. When I noticed that AA had stopped working I tried new NVIDIA video drivers, reinstalling DX9c, and a wide range of other control panel settings changes both in the game and in the NVCP all to no effect. What I finally found that actually worked was using NvidiaProfileInspector to set the AA Compatibility bits. In the past this was not needed, and the value could remain at the default 0x00000000. Now it needs one of several that end with 40, 41, or C1.

40
41
240
1040
1241
F0C1
100C1
20041
401241
401840
4412C1

There are subtle effect differences between each one, but generally they fall into the three main groups defined by the last two digits. Right now I've settled on the last one, as it's biased toward darkening the edges its aliasing.
Click to expand...
 
AnKor's Shaders and Reshade:

Download latest version of Reshade https://reshade.me/
Run the installer
Drag CFS3.exe and drop into dialog box. (You have to do this for each separate install)
Ignore the warning (AnKor's Shaders fill the role of the file it wants you to have, and you can't have both at the same time)
Select the D3D9 button
Let it install the Reshade Shader Packages
If you have it already running in another CFS3 install you can copy/paste the Reshade ini file from there to avoid going through the in game set-up of the UI again.

I use the INS key to toggle the Reshade UI on and off when the game is running.
The Reshade UI is not available when you are in the CFS3 UI.
 
Mixed aircraft Player's Flight in a mission

This refers also to post #34 CFS3 Command line parameters and the parameter

"[space]-m[mission_type_folder/your_mission.xml]
Loads the given mission on start-up.
Eg. Typing [space]-mhistorical/falaise.xml loads this particular mission from your CFS3 mission folder."

 1. There is an error and it should be with the "\" in all cases.

[space]-m[mission_type_folder\your_mission.xml]
Loads the given mission on start-up.
Eg. Typing [space]-mhistorical\falaise.xml loads this particular mission from your CFS3 mission folder.

2. If using MIXED AIRCRAFT in a player's flight you must also

"you must delete the Aircraft="your flight aircraft" parameter completely from the heading portion of your mission xml. "

for example

Mission>
<Params Version="3.0" Directive="bomber_intercept" Country="Britain" Aircraft="eto_huri_mk2c" Airbase="tane136" Date="12/6/1941" Time="23:00" Weather="overcast_5000ft.xml" Multiplayer="y" MultiplayerOnly="n"/>

should now be

Mission>
<Params Version="3.0" Directive="bomber_intercept" Country="Britain" Airbase="tane136" Date="12/6/1941" Time="23:00" Weather="overcast_5000ft.xml" Multiplayer="y" MultiplayerOnly="n"/>
 
Co-ordinating Multiple Flights' Arrival at a Waypoint

A great feature of the mission builder is the ease with which you can get a number of flights arriving at a waypoint just when you want them.
In the formation tab, select a waypoint. In the example, waypoint 1 is selected. If you adjust the speed (circled), you will find that the ETA to the waypoint (circled) adjusts itself. Thus you can adjust the speed until you get the desired arrival time at the waypoint.

I've read threads about people fiddling about with speeds by trial and error, but the mission builder makes it simple.
 

Attachments

  • Mission Builder ETA.jpg
    Mission Builder ETA.jpg
    81.5 KB · Views: 126
Absolutely correct but it's still +- 30 seconds as several speeds and or changing the staring wp distance will still give the same time.
 
(Because I constantly keep forgetting it myself):

It is possible to stop the respawning of enemy fighter aircraft in Quick Combat; Go to the Windows "Users/yourname/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/yourCFS3install" -folder and look for the "uisel.xml" file. Change the boolean value of the string below:

<UserSelections>
...
​
<QuickCombat>
​
...
​
<EnemyAircraft>
​
...
​
<Respawn type="bool" val="y"/> to <Respawn type="bool" val="n"/>
​

Now you can do your thing in QC and land afterwards without being troubled by incessantly spawning enemy fighters intent on ruining your perfect approach.
BTW, adding this string to the <EnemyBomber> container with the value set to "y" sadly doesn't seem to do a thing...
 
Good to know Joost. Now maybe you or David know how to stop spawns appearing in a missions even when I have applied a 'no spawns' bat to the install!:banghead:
 
Frosty said:
...
​
<Respawn type="bool" val="y"/> to <Respawn type="bool" val="n"/>
​

Now you can do your thing in QC and land afterwards without being troubled by incessantly spawning enemy fighters intent on ruining your perfect approach..
Click to expand...

Don't forget you can add a QuickCombatFriendlyRadius to your game.xml file, to decrease disturbance even more! As described in this thread. I've settled on a value of 8000 or 10000.
 
New Game.xml Parameters eg. QC FriendlyRadius

Lots to try in the list below, everything from controlling the number of spawning aircraft, to setting spawn retry intervals. Obtained from examining a dump/crash file in the AppData/Local pathway: "cfs3.exe.3752.dmp" and variations thereof.

DefaultGSL
DefaultTheatre
LightVertAngle LightHorizAngle LightAmbient LightColor

ShadowRenderDist

GoalSpawnRetryInterval GoalSpawnInterval SpawnRetryInterval SpawnInterval SpawnPositionRetryCount

RoadSpawnVacantRadius RailSpawnVacantRadius OceanSpawnVacantRadius GroundSpawnVacantRadius

QuickCombatFriendlyRadius GroundGoalSpawnRadius NearFacilityRadius DistantFacilityRadius

MaxSpawnedStatic MaxSpawnedShips MaxSpawnedVehicles MaxSpawnedAircraft MaxBullets

SingleMissionCampaign

CanExpandFacilities

CanSpawnFormations PlayerInAIMode

LightTerrainObjects ShowObjectShadows ShowTerrainShadows ShowStars ShowUIWorld

VolFogTop VolFogBottom VolFogMap fogmap.tga EnvMap CubeEnvMap default_env.tga ShowResLoad

All these parameters can be used in the game.xml file, results not guaranteed! But certainly QuickCombatFriendlyRadius sets a good ring of friendly static objects (ie buildings,facilities) around your QC airbase, but there are no promises for the rest.
 
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