Houston ... This Apollo 13 ... YOU have a problem
Oh CRAP !!!
While constructing the new VN country.cfg I found a HUGE error: The poo-poo has hit the fan!
Please excuse my original oversight ... been out of CFS2 for several years ... I should have caught this right away ... as it seems I may be one of the few who understands this ... allow me to explain:
When built; CFS2 designated "Allies" (friend) and "Axis" (enemy) in a very specific way:
In the country.cfg:
"Allies" are designated using odd numbers 1=Britain, 3=USA
"Axis" are designated using even numbers 2=Germany, 4=Japan
There is a important reason for this: so don't screw around with it!
In the OBJECTS_DP folder, you'll see the .dp's (damage profiles) for original CFS2 weapons, vehicles & structures etc. they usually (but not always) have an "allegiance=" under the sub-heading of [MISC_DATA] to denote which "friend or enemy" group they belong to.
This way, if you fly as Britain or USA (odd) then objects for Germany or Japan (even) show up as enemies & vise-versa.
So what's my point here you ask? Tell me something new Durt?
Looking at the VN country.cfg, it has USAF=1 (correct) US Navy=2 (wrong) North Vietnam=3 (wrong)
This configuration will not allow the proper function of original CFS2 objects in Vietnam including tanks, truck & toilets!
The explanation below concerns ONLY the ORIGINAL CFS2 object .dp's located in the OBJECTS_DP folder.
If using ANY original CFS2 (Ger., Bri., US, Jpn.) AAA or gun etc. in a VN mission; they will fire at the wrong targets because the "allegiance" numbering system is screwed up.
This will cause ANY original CFS2 weapon designated "allegiance=2 or 4" (German or Japanese) to fire upon a USAF a/c or object (allegiance=1) this is correct.
BUT for the US Navy (allegiance=2) this will cause ANY original CFS2 weapon designated "allegiance=1 or 3" (Britain or USA) to now fire upon it. (wrong)
The problem is US Navy (allegiance=2) is now an "Axis" and the original CFS2 allegiance=2 or 4 (German & Japanese) object weapons now see it as a friend.
Similarly North Vietnam (allegiance=3) is now a friend of the weapons designated "allegiance=1" so Original Brit. or AMER. object weapons will not fire upon it because it's NOT seen as an enemy. (wrong)
This will NOT affect air to air combat; but will affect AAA & surface targets, including the way they are displayed & designated (red/green) in the target radar screen.
There are 4 ways to fix this but none are easy, quick or fun.
1) Edit the country.cfg to
USAF allegiance=1
NVA allegiance=2
Navy allegiance=3
Best fix BUT - this will require revisions on EVERY mission & campaign.cmg. YIKES!!!!
2) Edit the "allegiance=" on every affected original CFS2 .dp in the OBJECTS_DP folder (aprx. 330 files) to reflect the changes to the new 'allegiance=" numbering system.
This is 2nd best fix - but probably the best choice... Oh Dear Gawd !!!!
3) Do not use ANY original CFS2 ground guns, AAA & objects in Vietnam. Edit the description.dat plus remove all the orig. CFS2 corresponding object pictures in the INFO folder.
or
4) Edit ONLY the original object .dp's that could be useful in Vietnam. Remove the rest, edit the description.dat plus remove the no longer used pictures in the INFO folder.
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During the beta testing of Vietnam-4-CFS2_v1.5 in 2008, I discovered (to my horror) the "allegiance=" mistake and in v2.0 reverted back to the original even/odd Allies/Axis numbering system; so all original CFS2 objects could be used in missions. It solved more problems than I can currently remember.
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I know that the original "Rolling Thunder" USAF campaign (Alessandro Cimenti 2002) had the same country.cfg setup.
Sorry guys - reality can suck sometimes.
I also told you's in the beginning that I was very detail conscious ..... so don't shoot the messenger ... I'm just doin' my job!!!
I don't care if the Boss catches me ... I'm gonna have a several beers right now...