What campaign/missions are you guys flying?

[stoney]

Seems I spend a lot of my sim time these days adding new aircraft and scenery and very little time flying. I just started the 'Defense of Rangoon' by Hiede. With UTs great Burma scenery It's been a lot of fun. Funny, but I like flying the Buffalo.

As a 79 year old veteran and a history mavin I find these campaigns have weight to them. It's more than shoot 'em up, bang-bang to me. These deeds meant something.

So thanks to all who put their time to research and talent to engineer and share their work! I, for one damn well appreciate it.

 

[UncleTgt]

Good question Stoney.

I really do wonder what members are using CFS2 for these days.

New models released get precious little feedback, & scenery work even less so - and even fewer downloads than the new aircraft models. Campaigns & mission packs seem treated similarly, so I struggle to understand what CFS2 is actually being used for these days.

It feels like many users download stuff & just file it "for later". But this goes back to your original point Stoney - what are SOH members doing with CFS2 now?

Maybe flying "older" campaigns/missions? If so, which ones?

Just using Quick Combat? Ever thought about designing some simple QC-style missions instead?

Maybe using Free Flight to "bimble" about - which locations are you visiting? Again, ever thought about some simple missions to fly along with - I always remember flying Maskrider's "Biscuit Bomber" mission from his old Kokoda trail scenery pack (you fly from Port Moresby to Buna).
I thought that it was a really useful introduction to the area, prompting me to find out more...

So, how are we using CFS2 currently?

 

[Browncoat]

Honestly, with the little time that I have for working with CFS2, I have been focusing on building out my separate theater installs for ETO, PTO, MTO, Ost Front, and CBI with scenery and aircraft. With over 20 years of scenery and models it has been a years long project, and one I have been enjoying. It is fun and relaxing to me just to simply boot up CFS2 pick an airfield and go fly what ever I want for a moment. Am I treating CFS2 as a regular old flight sim, sure, but it is easy to run and light on the system resources. X-plane 12 or MSFS are great, but to me, they can't beat CFS2's basic simplicity.

I have been trying to think how to stitch new missions and campaigns in to them, and I don't know where to start, because the aircraft that I have installed in a particular install may not fit the mission or campaign. For example, Defense of Australia. An absolute must play, but I will need to take time to swap out aircraft models, because what I available now, is very different than what the campaign originally came with.

Another thought is to have yet another dedicated install for specific campaigns, but where I am at, this isn't a high priority for me. That is NOT to say that I don't appreciate the work that folks do who craft the missions and campaigns. It is just saying I'm not there right now.

 

[aussie]

Hi Everyone,

Not flying much lately but still tinkering when I get spare time. Have a few things in the workshop. A couple of programs in the works and have made some new effects. The exhaust effect example pictured below shows the effect at various stages of firing. Some gauge backgrounds examples created in Gauge Background creator and finally my DP editor which is 99.99% ready for release.

Cheers
Aussie

 

[stoney]

Thanks for the responses guys, It really is good to hear from others in the CFS2 world. Great stuff indeed Aussie!

 

[Captain Kurt]

Browncoat

You don't really need to physically swap out aircraft models. Get the mk_cfs2_util v,2 tool and you can use whatever planes you have loaded in place of those a campaign may want you to use.

Mk_cfs2_util_v2.zip

Features: 1. This makes it very easy to swap in and out your favourite aircraft/ships in the campaigns/missions. At the same time it gives you a quick overview of unidentified/missing aircraft/ships. Also, check or change allegiance, aircraft...

sim-outhouse.org

Very easy to use and very useful.

As for me, I am spending my time building new aircraft, currently working on my century. It will be my 100th model posted.

 

[stoney]

I am trying to get an ADF working for the CBI theater and not having any luck, would anyone know how to do it?

 

[UncleTgt]

Shadow Wolf uploaded RAF662's ADF utility?

RAF662 ADF.zip

This is a set of utilities that will allow you to put an ADF/NDB gauge on any or all of your aircraft in a given install of CFS2 or CFS1. It is easy to set up and easy to use. I originally downloaded it from the RAF662 website (now defunct) years...

sim-outhouse.org

 

[stoney]

Great! Thanks.

 

[kdriver]

I used to fly lots of missions and campaigns, especially when testing missions for Rami.

In more recent times I've enjoyed being part of the Westfront team, helping out a bit with WW1 aircraft and scenery.

When I have time there are two current projects - building some more northern Australian airfields and helping Martin Klein with upgrading the CFS2 conversion of Ted Cook's Short Stirling.

I think the lack of feedback is mainly because of the dwindling numbers of CFS2 enthusiasts. Nevertheless, I'm sure those who are left really appreciate the prodigious work done in particular by UncleTgt, Captain Kurt and Andrew Wai.

 

[Hiede]

Campaigns I fly or have flown
Beaufighters over NG
Korean Campaigns by Tango,upgraded by Talon and Airbases by Shadow Wolf
Defense of Australia by Talon,it's from the Australian side expanded to 28 missions

By Captain Kurt
Satan's Kittens
Marine_Fighting_Squadron_VMF-121
The_9th_Fighter_Squadron_49th_Fighter_Group

Shadow Wolf
Desperate Battles

Hiede

 

[Shadow Wolf 07]

Not flying any right now.. All my CFS2 time is devoted to slowly updating my USS Essex CV9 campaign. And of course, keeping track of what's happening here at this website.

 

[stoney]

Say KD, some new scenery in WWI would be MUCH appreciated. I like to fly the Nieuport 28 in Free Flight.

 

[skylane]

Most of my CFS2 time goes into building missions and campaigns. Presently I'm working on a German campaign in the Mediterranean, which is slowly taking shape. In parallel I'm building a CBI install with UncleTgt's great scenery, and I plan to do some mission building there once the Med project is finished.

I also believe that the perceived lack of interest mentioned above is, in part at least, probably due to the dwindling numbers of people still playing this old sim.
I, for one, greatly appreciate all the work done by you folks building scenery, airplanes with repaints, ships, objects and so on. I make an effort to use as much of it as possible in my missions.

For all those people in the background I recommend what UncleTgt has already suggested on post #2 of this thread: Fire up Mission Builder and start with making simple, QC like, missions with your favorite plane. It is easy, and once you get the hang of it you might want to do some research and start building historic missions.
With all the beautiful scenery, airplanes, ships, etc available now, there are endless possibilities!
(BTW, I wish I had more time...)

 

[UncleTgt]

Hmm, seems like this (forum/thread)is becoming a "content creators" echo chamber

Apart from Browncoat (nice synopsis btw) it's just the usual suspects posting...

I mean, if Andrew/Kurt's recent A6M family of models can get circa 80 downloads for each sub-type, just what happened to them all afterwards?!?

I really do suspect most are downloading & filing, or just flying a couple of times, & then searching for something else "new" to try...

 

[stoney]

I genuinely hope that's not the case UT. I mean, even if one just poodles about in free flight, it would mean the aircraft or scenery is being used as was tended by it's creator. As for me, I am currently trying to use ADF to visit all the airfields, so equipped, in the CBI. Really fun flying the C-47 an following the needle and waiting for the expected airfield to show up through the morning gloom.

 

[UncleTgt]

Agreed Stoney.

I think Browncoat in his post above highlighted the usefulness of CFS2 as a lightweight, easy to use Flight Sim, & together with Rhumbas mesh & the various scenery packages it's quite good for just stooging about -

I mentioned Maskriders Kokoda trail mission - no combat, just follow the C-47 from Moresby to Buna. The messaging at the various points of interest along the route were educational, & prompted me to research some more - I often think about redoing it.

There are plenty of similar candidates. I did the goldfield area around Wau, & the possibility exists to recreate many of the "interesting" stories surrounding Guinea Airways operations in this area from the 1930's (oh for a Junkers G-31!)...

Using the Shorts 23 series models, it's possible to fly some of the Imperial Airways/Qantas routes out to Australia...

The point I'm trying to make is that, with a little creative thought, it's possible to use CFS2 to model a lot of the air transport routes from the immediate pre-war period, & not just use it for Combat flying.

 

[Hiede]

Hmm, seems like this (forum/thread)is becoming a "content creators" echo chamber

Apart from Browncoat (nice synopsis btw) it's just the usual suspects posting...

I mean, if Andrew/Kurt's recent A6M family of models can get circa 80 downloads for each sub-type, just what happened to them all afterwards?!?

I really do suspect most are downloading & filing, or just flying a couple of times, & then searching for something else "new" to try...

Totally agree UT.

We try to use as much of anything new as we can in the Campaigns.In the Marianas we are using the new A6M that just came out.

Hiede