Alphasim F-4 in FSX?

[expat]

I have just got FSX Gold and moved to the "dark side." Initial impressions have exceeded almost all expectations. Should have bought it sooner!

So much work to do though. I know many people experiment with porting over FS9 models with very mixed results.

One of my most used and favorite birds is the the AS F-4B/J Navy jet. Externally, it looks amazing in FSX. It also seems to fly stable/normally.
I have seen others comment that they have ported it over to FSX with few or no problems. However, I also am aware that:

- this a/c was never designed for use in FSX;
- AS no longer sells or supports the F-4 (it may appear elsewhere for FSX but who knows)
- many more problems arise with FS9 port overs using SP2/Acceleration, which I am using.

I have resolved some of the issues e.g. half/stretched screen (changed X and Y dimensions at bottom of panel cfg. did the trick) but two issues remain:

1) there is a "hole" in the VC i.e. you can see through some of the panel bitmap. Same to a lesser degree with the AS Crusader in FSX/SP2. I am not sure this is fixable - it's part of the model - but am not too bothered if it can't be fixed. Question: isn't there a fix or file someone made that blocks/bi-passes the VC? I like VC's but with this bird would be happy to have it in FSX even with just a 2D panel.

2) this is more a newbie-general question - the dozen or more warning messages and boxes you have to click each time you load a FS9 plane - what pain in the a---. I have swapped out as many gauges as I can find for native FSX ones (eg I have the AS Skyray for FSX) but each time I load the plane I get a bunch of warnings for gauges I'll be damned if I can find them in the panel.cfg.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

expat

[captdoug]

I have just got FSX Gold and moved to the "dark side." Initial impressions have exceeded almost all expectations. Should have bought it sooner!

So much work to do though. I know many people experiment with porting over FS9 models with very mixed results.

One of my most used and favorite birds is the the AS F-4B/J Navy jet. Externally, it looks amazing in FSX. It also seems to fly stable/normally.
I have seen others comment that they have ported it over to FSX with few or no problems. However, I also am aware that:

- this a/c was never designed for use in FSX;
- AS no longer sells or supports the F-4 (it may appear elsewhere for FSX but who knows)
- many more problems arise with FS9 port overs using SP2/Acceleration, which I am using.

I have resolved some of the issues e.g. half/stretched screen (changed X and Y dimensions at bottom of panel cfg. did the trick) but two issues remain:

1) there is a "hole" in the VC i.e. you can see through some of the panel bitmap. Same to a lesser degree with the AS Crusader in FSX/SP2. I am not sure this is fixable - it's part of the model - but am not too bothered if it can't be fixed. Question: isn't there a fix or file someone made that blocks/bi-passes the VC? I like VC's but with this bird would be happy to have it in FSX even with just a 2D panel.

2) this is more a newbie-general question - the dozen or more warning messages and boxes you have to click each time you load a FS9 plane - what pain in the a---. I have swapped out as many gauges as I can find for native FSX ones (eg I have the AS Skyray for FSX) but each time I load the plane I get a bunch of warnings for gauges I'll be damned if I can find them in the panel.cfg.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

expat

To make them go away, when you load the plane next time anwser yes and ok to each message. Just keep sying yes and ok I forget which order. but what you are doing is "trusting" or approving the new guages etc.

Do this repeatedly until the messages stop. There may several sets in a row.

This will create a change in the main FSX.cfg text that now lets the sim know it can use the new guages or function.

Just don't ignor them, they will come back each time you load the plane.

They are not changed in the aircraft.cfg so you don't need to look there.

If I'm unclear I appologise and will try to explain better, unless someone else weighs in here who can explain it in more detail.

Thanks,

Captdoug

[Daube]

Expat, for the transparent parts I'm afraid there's not much to do.
I mean, sometimes it is just the transparency of the texture that needs to be edited with DXTBMP (doing exactely the contrary than what is needed for making a canopy transparent), but sometimes this is not sufficient, there's something with the materials or I don't know...

When it comes to the warning messages loading gauges:

- the name of the gauge that you see in the popup is the "internal" name. Most gauges I've seen are in fact "copies" (modified or not) from existing gauges, with different filenames. Sometimes you can guess the filename from the name of the gauge...

- the mecanism asking for confirmation of the execution of a gauge is stupid and useless, I agree with you, but at least the "confirmation" is aked only once.

- the warning popup for incompatible gauges cannot be avoided unless you remove the gauge from the panel.cfg.

- this warning popup is trully the worst thing in FSX. I have complained several times about it, prior to the release of SP1, and then prior to the release of SP2, asking such a simple thing as "if it doesn't work, just don't show and shut up", but unfortunately ACES never cared about that. :banghead:

[MudMarine]

Don't waste your time with port overs! They're not worth the fustration and high frame rates.

[expat]

Thanks for the help guys.


- the warning popup for incompatible gauges cannot be avoided unless you remove the gauge from the panel.cfg.


I would comment them out/replace them but it is hard to tell e.g. one is "F-15 airspeed" and another "Tornado AOA" or something like that. But there is nothing in the panel.cfg refering to either. The panel uses cab files but that should not matter as the entry in the cfg should call for the same named gauge in the cab file. :isadizzy:

Will try to play with the texture transparency. Have used dxtbmp to make/change alpha reflections, but have not tried to alter transparencies, e.g. the way many do with prop textures, but will give it a go. Is 100% dark = 100% transparent, or vice versa?


Don't waste your time with port overs! They're not worth the fustration and high frame rates.

I'm almost there Mud, I'm almost there . . :d

[Daube]

Black = transparent for FSX SP2 :)
And white = opaque of course.

You might already know it, but some texture do not have any alpha Channel ! If you modify the alpha channel of such a texture, and try to save, in fact it WILL NOT save the Alpha. Next time you will open the texture in DXTBMP, you'll notice the Alpha went back to plain white. You just have to force the creation of the alpha Channel, by choosing in the menu "create Alpha (black)", and make sure you select at least DXT3 format in the save menu.


I'm almost there Mud, I'm almost there . . :d<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
There are too much excellent FS9 freeware planes that have no FSX equivalent yet, and have no FPS impact on recent CPUs ;)

[wilycoyote4]

expat

In an attempt to be positive about the F-4 I write the following, although I am aware others know more and better than I, and my words are certainly not the final opinion.

In my opinion, I use the AS F-4 set one in FSX SP2 Accel. It was less useful in SP1 so SP2 helped very greatly. Some portovers do have poor fps but AS a/c seem to do well compared to others. On gauges, do not install them unless they are xml. In almost all cases I install gauges into the panel folder of the a/c so I know where they are quickly if I have guage warnings. Some gauges get warnings but are ok. Earlier gauges of FS98 technology won't work.

There is a panel mod somewhere for the F-4 that works pretty good. I'll see where I got it. Others may post a better solution.

The paints are plentiful and excellent. They display well in FS9 but in FSX SP2 Accel DX9 they impress me very much more so.

For the Accel carriers you need to have this in the a/c cfg of set one F-4 ----

[launch_assistance]
launch_bar_pivot=0.90, 0.00, -0.09
launch_bar_lug=21.694, 0.000, -7.000

[TailHook]
tailhook_length = 4
tailhook_position = -20, 0, -2.2
cable_force_adjust = 1

Hoping this helps to give some positive assistance. Learning Accel carriers is not simple but with some help you should find a new flight world on the seas.

:ernae:

BTW, the default Accel F/A-18 Hornet does need some changes which are easy to make. This a/c is excellent, IMHO. It has a learning curve.
http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/board,4.0.html

[expat]

Daube and Wilycoyote,

Thanks - this is both encouraging and very helpful. Will keep on working.

I have the F-4 pack one and could not agree more how SP2 shows it off - and some other AS birds, e.g. the Crusader better than it ever did in FS9 - and possibly with even better fps than FS9! Will have to post some screenies once I get things in FSX more settled. There is so much to do at once, mesh, AI, afcads, utilities, add-ons ga-zillions of tweaks. Kind of like moving house.

Tried my first moving carrier mission last night + had a bit of a "hard landing" ("Panther" eligible with smoke and fire) - LSO was none too pleased :d. Appreciate the carrier related air.cfg. entries plus the tip that this is a different experience but can also see how rewarding carrier ops will be in FSX. Also was pleasantly surprised at how nicely done the Accel Hornet is + will need to do some re-training.

Thanks very much again,

expat