SimWorksStudios Phantom + Midway

[delta_lima]

Hello,

Just a quick note to Alex and the SWS team to say a huge thanks. I’ve had recurring issues getting these packages to work correctly in FSX - but in P3Dv4, they’re absolutely superb. The only issue I’m having so far is the bridles don’t show up on the F-4, or on any addon plane that had them modelled eg: RAZBAM T-2, etc). No biggie, I can live with it.

Also, apart from the repaint pack that was available-are there any paints for either Coral Sea or Midway embarked squadrons during the later years, as in the early 1980s? Apart from the VF-154 paint (which has strange mismatching between wing colour and fuselage)? Or at least a tweak of that paint to correct the colour from the sandy tan hue to the more correct grey - as in here:

http://nambp.org/wp-content/gallery/f-4n-phantom/cv431983VF-154F-4Nlv.jpg

The IRST seeker was left unpainted too, where as they normally were painted in real life, certainly on Navy models. On the SWS 154 paint, it’s untextured, which is a shame because it’s a nice scheme otherwise.

Or one you had mentioned in the past:

https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a...ack-squadron-531-vmfa-531-f-4n-phantom-5b03e6

Very happy with this package. Just wondering if there’s any other later period paints for it.

Cheers!

DL

 

[DaveWG]

Hmm, I'm still having issues, even with the latest versions.
Uninstalled for now.

 

[delta_lima]

Hmm, I'm still having issues, even with the latest versions.
Uninstalled for now.

What version of P3Dv4? What version of SWS Phantom? Did you get V1.5? 1.45 was a disaster in FSX for me. But 1.5 on P3D4.5 runs super stable and smooth - except for the absence of the bridles.

 

[DaveWG]

P3dv4.5 with hotfix. The Phantom / Midway are the latest version available, filenames end in 20190614.
I'm still getting the same issues I had with the earlier versions, the installer doesn't add the entries to the add-ons.cfg correctly if it already contains an entry, so they don't load (can fix that with manual editing), and 3 pop-up error boxes on P3d exit.
Can't be bothered with it, life's too short.

 

[delta_lima]

P3dv4.5 with hotfix. The Phantom / Midway are the latest version available, filenames end in 20190614.
I'm still getting the same issues I had with the earlier versions, the installer doesn't add the entries to the add-ons.cfg correctly if it already contains an entry, so they don't load (can fix that with manual editing), and 3 pop-up error boxes on P3d exit.
Can't be bothered with it, life's too short.

I get it Dave.

Part of the reason for the P3D move was to spend more time on high value time enjoying the flying and or building versus chasing errors. I’m bummed for you regarding this addon- but understand. Incidentally, out of the blue late yesterday I got those same 3 boxes. On two consecutive shut downs but on none since. I wasn’t sure what addon they correlated to.

Having just read the Milviz thread it looks like that Phantom is another train wreck for v4.5 of P3D. Really bummed about that having thrown money into both the E model for a naval external model and then more recently in the full blown J/S. Sounds like even if I was imprudent enough to spring for the ADV, there’d be no guarantee. Annoying.

Anyway - this one is working well enough for now. Will wait and see.

DL

 

[expat]

3 pop-up error boxes on P3d exit.

Same here - very irritating - after Just Flight emailed me about the latest version being available. Also getting "multiple objects with the same name" - something to do with the pushtug model that's housed in ground vehicles. It has cfg. entries for the Coral Sea and Midway - I don' have the latter and have been fiddling with the entries to get rid of the error messages on launch. Or just get rid of it.

The other unsatisfactory thing about the SWS phantom is that I have never been able to get the radar to light up and can't find a manual on their web site to explain this better. Shame they gave up their forum as other users often most efficiently can resolve these kinds of things.

 

[expat]

OK, I knew something was weird when the F-4 appears in the P3D UI but there was no aircraft folder in my "airplanes" folder.

What it was is that the installer installed it in my users/my name/documents/P3D4 add ons folder for some reason. I have never used or had the patience to add P3D addons this way or here. I do it the old (FSX) fashioned was of just pasting the folders - airplanes, addon scenery - in the normal places.

Have solved it by uninstalling the whole shabang!

 

[dhazelgrove]

The other unsatisfactory thing about the SWS phantom is that I have never been able to get the radar to light up and can't find a manual on their web site to explain this better. Shame they gave up their forum as other users often most efficiently can resolve these kinds of things.

Right, get yourself into the back seat by hitting the "A" key repeatedly.
Look down until you see the radar scope.
To the left of the scope is the radar control box.
The bottom-left rotary control is labelled 'power'. Three right clicks until it is pointing at "oper".
The bottom-right rotary control now. Two right clicks to "radar". It'll come up with a fast, narrow sweep.
The control immediately above will change to 'wide sweep'.
The top right control is for the radar range.

That's it.

Dave

 

[delta_lima]

OK, I knew something was weird when the F-4 appears in the P3D UI but there was no aircraft folder in my "airplanes" folder.

What it was is that the installer installed it in my users/my name/documents/P3D4 add ons folder for some reason. I have never used or had the patience to add P3D addons this way or here. I do it the old (FSX) fashioned was of just pasting the folders - airplanes, addon scenery - in the normal places.

Have solved it by uninstalling the whole shabang!

I tried to manually add to the core install folders from a temp folder, like I've done since FS2000. It didn't work, because there's a whole host of modules that need to be in the right place, and I'm sure my guess of where I put them was incorrect.

So I deleted all the SWS content, and re-ran installer run into the documents path - and it now runs reasonably fine. I then created copies of all the main core sim folders I could think of (simobjects, effects, gauges, sound, etc.) and now have all my addons there. In fact, the SWS install is it's own set of simobjects, effects, etc within a whole other folder there. The beauty of that is if there's an issue and it melts down, it doesn't affect the rest of the install, and makes troubleshooting a comparative breeze.

I, for one, have become very convinced of the value of leaving the core install as undisturbed as possible. First, because dll/module-heavy products like SWS and others could potentially cause big issues due to a failure, whether their bug, or my mistake. So containing it away from the core install makes buckets of sense, both from a risk mitigation point of view and from an ease of troubleshooting perspective. Second, it will make future upgrades of P3D versions easy - a whole new install doesn't mean rebuilding all the addons. Perhaps a few xml changes, if that, which if one saves them judiciously, is easy.

The days where complex high-quality addons come with only a folder for simobjects and a couple of effects and gauge files are likely over. So I think the choice we have is to embrace that functionality, we accept some different ways of doing things to minimize the hair-pulling.

Back to the topic, my counsel would be to let the installer install to the documents location. Worst case, it won't work and you have an easy contained location of what to delete. Best case, it does work, as in my case. Intermediate case, if you want to try and fix it, those fixes don't impact your core install with what you know does work. There's no downside to doing it the way they suggest.

All that said, the occasional occurence of the 3x error popups and Dave's observation of the non-writes to the addon file (plus the missing bridles) has me thinking that I'll put in a ticket on their site. Yes, it works, but it sounds like there still something small not quite right.

dl

 

[fsafranek]

All very true. Let the installer do its thing. With P3D v5 installing to the Documents location will be the norm and may even be the only location recognized by the sim. SWS is ahead of the game by doing it this way.

The days where complex high-quality addons come with only a folder for simobjects and a couple of effects and gauge files are likely over. So I think the choice we have is to embrace that functionality, we accept some different ways of doing things to minimize the hair-pulling.

Back to the topic, my counsel would be to let the installer install to the documents location. Worst case, it won't work and you have an easy contained location of what to delete. Best case, it does work, as in my case. Intermediate case, if you want to try and fix it, those fixes don't impact your core install with what you know does work. There's no downside to doing it the way they suggest.

 

[Dimus]

You can have your own folder for P3D addons at any location. If you point the SWS installer to that folder (as well as any similar installer) all will be installed correctly.

 

[Navy Chief]

SWS is ahead of the game by doing it this way.

Here, Here!!! Navy Chief

 

[expat]

Right, get yourself into the back seat by hitting the "A" key repeatedly.
Look down until you see the radar scope.
To the left of the scope is the radar control box.
The bottom-left rotary control is labelled 'power'. Three right clicks until it is pointing at "oper".
The bottom-right rotary control now. Two right clicks to "radar". It'll come up with a fast, narrow sweep.
The control immediately above will change to 'wide sweep'.
The top right control is for the radar range.

Well, for the very first time I got the radar sweep to show in both front and rear seats - thanks!

Only problem is that after reloading the aircraft (following a series of consistent fatal traps - 100% pilot error) in the sim it then won't show. Is there a battery switch somewhere in the F4 - I can't seem to locate it.

Also, I followed the consensus here and reinstalled it in the documents folder and its a good working install as far as I can tell - thanks all.

 

[RobM]

I'm still getting those three small error boxes showing up. regardless of where I install the Phantom, including Documents. The error
boxes all appear at the same time, stacked on top of one another, and all say the same thing:

Error
Access to
Is denied!

But these error boxes only occur if I cancel the sim at the Scenario screen (little aircraft spinning around). If I continue on and start the
sim, loading any plane, and then shut the sim down, the error boxes don't appear. This happens only if the SWS Phantom v 20190614 is
installed. If I uninstall this version and run the older version, this doesn't happen.

It's no big deal, the only time I ever cancel the sim at the Scenario screen is if I suddenly realize I've forgotten to turn something on, like
Active Sky or Tacpack. But I just wonder if it's something on my end. I've looked in the Event Viewer, but I can't seem to find anything
consistent. I've made sure I'm running P3Dv4 as Administrator, and I tried making exceptions in my AV for all the Simwork Studios folders
I could find.

I just wonder if someone has an idea why this is happening. Otherwise, the plane seems to fly and perform very well, regardless of where
it's installed.

-RobM

 

[SiR_RiPPER]

But these error boxes only occur if I cancel the sim at the Scenario screen (little aircraft spinning around). If I continue on and start the
sim, loading any plane, and then shut the sim down, the error boxes don't appear. This happens only if the SWS Phantom v 20190614 is
installed. If I uninstall this version and run the older version, this doesn't happen.

It's no big deal, the only time I ever cancel the sim at the Scenario screen is if I suddenly realize I've forgotten to turn something on, like
Active Sky or Tacpack. But I just wonder if it's something on my end. I've looked in the Event Viewer, but I can't seem to find anything
consistent. I've made sure I'm running P3Dv4 as Administrator, and I tried making exceptions in my AV for all the Simwork Studios folders
I could find.

I just wonder if someone has an idea why this is happening. Otherwise, the plane seems to fly and perform very well, regardless of where
it's installed.

-RobM

Yeah. We thought we got that bug for good, but it seems to persist for some. It is a harmless message, CEX is trying to save some files and can't do it because Windows doesn't allow it to access them.

I will take your pattern to the programmer for comparison with the other reports.

 

[expat]

Yes, I too am still getting those error messages ..

 

[blanston12]

I had purchased the SWS F4B/N+Midway but had not used the midway much, I installed the new update last night and was trying it out with aircraft other than the SWS F4 (FJ F4F, VS Dauntless, Virtavia A4) and I would try to access one control menus to find out how to raise/lower the elevators and P3D would immediately CTD, I assume there is a gauge or something that has to install, is that easy to do.

Second question is with the Sws fleet manager can I manage CV's made by others like CIMOGT or RFN?

 

[SiR_RiPPER]

I had purchased the SWS F4B/N+Midway but had not used the midway much, I installed the new update last night and was trying it out with aircraft other than the SWS F4 (FJ F4F, VS Dauntless, Virtavia A4) and I would try to access one control menus to find out how to raise/lower the elevators and P3D would immediately CTD, I assume there is a gauge or something that has to install, is that easy to do.

Second question is with the Sws fleet manager can I manage CV's made by others like CIMOGT or RFN?

Question 1: To show/hide aircraft & manage animations please refer to the Midway manuals on our page. Deck config is NOT compatible with the Midway carriers and is in the package for future use.

Question 2: You can copy formations to use with Fleet Placer. Please refer to the online manuals for instructions to copy the files in.

 

[delta_lima]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for chiming in on the 3 x errors. I now get them every time I shut down the sim, as opposed to occasionally. Will be good to ensure they're gone in the future, but in the interim, good that you're advising it's not serious.

Any ideas on why I have no bridles on any planes (whether SWS or others) that came so equipped? The bridles do show on other carriers, but not on this recent install.

And lastly, any chance the VF-154 Coral Sea Paint can be fixed? It's a funny tan, whereas the early 1980s TPS was clearly grey. And it was uniform across all surfaces, not tan body and overall grey on the wings, which it is now. As per:

https://www.usscoralsea.net/images/web_cv431983VF-154F-4Nlv.jpg

This is an S from the same year, but from VF-21, the sister squadron on the same 1983 cruise as VF-154. Different national colour and plane numbers aside, it shows the base grey colour well, which I have to believe while on cruise, both squadrons would be drawing from the same paint stocks.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-4N_Phantom_VF-21_in_flight_1983.jpeg

And if as a tiny tweak, you can have the paint texture extend to cover the whole of the AAA-4 IRST. Right now, it leaves a good part of it exposed, and it looks a bit like an F-4E gun muzzle. Some Marine units left them unpainted, but no NAVY units, and certainly not (as the pics above show) the 2 units on the Coral Sea in question. The VF-161 IRST is painted correctly on that texture, by way of guide.

I know I've made a lot of hay about the paint, but that scheme is just so awesome, there's none others available (yet?) showing the final TPS years, and with the Milviz Phantom out of P3DV4, it's my favourite scheme of the bunch on my only working Phantom. If we can tweak those little issues, that would make that paint perfect, and would bring this busted up old soldier much joy.

Thanks for the followup on the issues so far - they're greatly appreciated, (hence my thread) - it's come a long ways, and I think I speak for all posters who want this to work as best as possible, as it represents not only a plane - but a whole naval ecosystem - that a great deal of us are really attached to.

thanks again,

Daniel

 

[gray eagle]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for chiming in on the 3 x errors. I now get them every time I shut down the sim, as opposed to occasionally. Will be good to ensure they're gone in the future, but in the interim, good that you're advising it's not serious.Daniel

+1 - Alex also heard from me. If you take out the carriersplacement.dll from the modules folder, the popups will go away but then you lose the function(s) to control the carrier i.e., turns/corpens/speed etc.