Spitfire Mks.VII and VIII are out!

[Capt. Winters]

They're up


Once admins approve you'll find them in British aircraft addon section.

CFS3 Spitfire MkVIII and MkVII aircraft Set. (2 downloads in total - Generic to all installs and Aircraft)

MkVII-HF pressurised high altitude fighter (extended wingtips)

MkVIII-F
MkVIII-HF un-presurised high altitude fighter (extended wingtips)
MkVIII-LF low altitude fighter (clipped wingtips)

This pack contains 22 aircraft which are broken into 3 groups

1. ETO - 7 aircraft (1 x MkVIII RAF, 6 x MkVII-HF RAF.
2. MTO - 5 aircraft - 1 x MkVIII USAAF, 1 x MkVIII-HF RAF, 3 x MVIII-LF RAF & USAAF.
3. PTO - 10 aircraft - 3 x MkVIII RAF, 7 x MkVIII RAAF.

The individual aircraft names start with SJE_ (ETO) SJM_ (MAW) and SJP_ (PTO) just to help identify which theatre of operations they belong too.

************************************************** ************************************************** *********************************

The following people are responsible for the package:

External fs9 model original by Paul Rebuffat then converted and upgraded by Stephen (Sdsbolt) Seybolt.

cfs3 vc by Pat Didier then upgraded by Clive (Pat Pattle) Moorely then converted to later marks by Stephen (Sdsbolt) Seybolt.

All Textures by John (Bravo/4) Whelan.

Mos File by Daniel (Gecko) Holtz. (includes new oil stains)

XDP compilation, historical content, plane set construction by Rob (Capt. Winters) Stevenson.

Flight Model By Daniel (Gecko) Holtz. Based off AvH Spitfire MkIXc-61 FM2.85.09 with extensive tweaking for each new model.

Effects (weapons, and damage) by Daniel (Gecko) Holtz. This set has blood splatter and bullet holes for virtual cockpit views and introduces progressive oil leaks over the windscreen and fuselage as damage increases.

Weapons and pylons by AvHistory, Stephen (Sdsbolt) Seybolt, Rob (Capt. Winters) Stevenson, Daniel (Gecko) Holtz, with new textures by John (Bravo/4) Whelan.
new weapons include 45 Gallon torpedo drop tank, standalone AvH slipper tanks with new textures. revised sounds for 200m Hispano MkII and .303 mg's for standalone weapons for spitfire 8 model set.

New Engine sounds by Daniel (Gecko) Holtz. (Gary Jones did the original Merlin sound package which was then built-on and CFS3-ified). This set introduces various sounds for compressors and super charges as well as low rpm rough running sounds.

Guy "fox" Greenburg made the dr_ prefixed effect textures. (Most will have these already from MAW and ETO and RS etc but they have been included for completeness.)

Optional Shaders for Ankors scenery work by Daniel (Gecko) Holtz. These files will be uploaded as a seperate download.

Testing: Grizzly50, Brav0/4, Geko, Capt. Winters, Sdsbolt.

Freeware items not to be loaded onto any web site without the written permission of Steve Seybolt.



Next Cab off the rank.

[Pat Pattle]

Woohoo, new Spitfires! Can't wait to get home and try them all, I'm sure they'll be worth the wait.

Well done to all of you splendid chaps!

[sixstrings5859]

Just downloaded these wonderful Spits. A complex install compared to other aircraft for CFS3 but it must be, with a the new features, they will be worth it i know for sure. Best Regards , Scott

[htpcorsica]

Just downloaded and installed it works a real treat. Very well thought out instructions etc easy for me to install. Very nice well made beautifully authentic and accurate models with superb high detail paint job. Realy nice.
Thanks to all those who have done all the hard work you have made CFS3 so much better now! All i need to do now is fix my win 10 install from crashing at the end of a mission any clues?

[gecko]

One part of the FM work I did was to set up the engine so that it behaves like a real engine all through its operating range and can be operated using the original pilots notes. You will get the same readings on your gauges, etc. This also means that the engine can overheat, especially on the ground or if you're flying slow. Keep your taxi time to a minimum and watch your coolant temperature, or your engine will lose power or seize completely!

The sounds will also tell you more about how your engine is doing. If you throttle back fully in flight the oncoming wind will start to drive the prop and engine, and you will hear the resultant backfiring - be nice to your engine and don't do that. This means that even on your landing approach you will have to keep a little throttle in until right before touchdown, just like real Spitfire pilots do. At touchdown with the throttle at idle you will get that satisfying little crackle from the engine, which is usually audible in videos of real Spitfires landing. You can also overspeed your propeller and engine if you slam the throttle or prop controls forward too hard and your prop will let you know with a harsh sounding buzz as the tips break the sound barrier.

Spinning propellers actually generate quite a bit of the noise of an airplane in flight, so if your engine quits but the prop is still spinning at full speed, it will still be pretty noisy until the prop winds down.

One last thing, in your realism settings, make sure auto mixture is turned OFF. If it isn't the two speed supercharger will not work correctly. These aircraft have auto mixture modeled into them anyways, so if you aren't used to dealing with mixture, it still won't affect you.

[ndicki]

Brilliant news!

A huge thank you to all those who have put these together. It's been well worth waiting for!

[phrog_phixer]

Nothing less than AWESOME! Thanks!

[Frosty]

I am afraid this is all very bad news!

These new Spits raise the bar so high for the rest of us, we can never hope to achieve this level. Wonderful, really wonderful work y' all!!
Many thanks, they were well waiting for - and I haven't even tried all of 'em...

[MajorMagee]

*** Please make a copy of your originals before you make any changes ***

If you miss seeing the specular effects from AnKor's shaders with these models, the fix is relatively straight forward.

For the Mk 8 LF and Mk 8 F Hex Edit Line 9D8, and for all Mk 7 types or Mk 8 HF change line 990 to look like:

FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF 00 FF FF FF FF 00 00 00 FF 33 33 33 FF 00 00 7E 43 01 00 FF FF 02 00 FF FF

Then you may want to adjust the brightness of spitfire_mk87_xxx_s.dds in the SJ_spits_shared folder to suit your taste for what looks realistic. Brighter will be glossier, darker will be flatter.

For me I darkened everything by using the PhotoShop levels command and shifting the mid level point from 1.0 to 0.66. This proportionally compresses all of the shades toward black by a third, and leaves the paint with some reflective highlights, but generally looking like unpolished paint.

This has the added benefit that if you happen to use the Num 0 toggle to turn off AnKor's Shaders in game the aircraft will still look normal (but without any self-shadowing), versus turning washed out white.

*** Please make a copy of your originals before you make any changes ***

[gecko]

Alternatively, I will be releasing an Ankor compatible package with some tuning of specular levels and a few other new features sometime next week.

[HouseHobbit]

Thanks to all or tthis wonderful work..

[htpcorsica]

Which files do I hex edit? sorry i'm not sure I have looked at lots but I can't find that line 9D8 in any of them. thanks

[MajorMagee]

The files are the main M3D file for each individual aircraft.

I set my hex editor to display the data in rows that are 36 pairs wide. This makes seeing the section where the specular and texture information is located much easier. The line number I listed is the index for the first pair of the 36 pair string that needs to be changed.

[gosd]

Having a small problem with the MAW version; when fiering the gun flash and tracers do not show even afther adding to the effetsXML.txt
I think this as to do with the originalXML file.

[grizzly50]

Having a small problem with the MAW version; when fiering the gun flash and tracers do not show even afther adding to the effetsXML.txt
I think this as to do with the originalXML file.

Did you delete the *.bdp files?

[gosd]

Thanks grizz.

[greycap.raf]

Anybody else having gauges with odd readings? My Mk VIIs have tachometers that read around 2500 rpm at full throttle with the propeller at maximum revs, oddly enough the mouse hovering text shows the correct 3000 rpm, and the Mk VIIIs have vertical speed indicators that read around -1200 feet per minute on the runway and the error remains in all situations, like the needle was misaligned.

[sdsbolt]

Anybody else having gauges with odd readings? My Mk VIIs have tachometers that read around 2500 rpm at full throttle with the propeller at maximum revs, oddly enough the mouse hovering text shows the correct 3000 rpm, and the Mk VIIIs have vertical speed indicators that read around -1200 feet per minute on the runway and the error remains in all situations, like the needle was misaligned.

you are correct I see a problem in the gmax models. I am sure we will put together an update soon. Thank you.

ps. never ever hit the re-scale time button in gmax

[greycap.raf]

Found another one, this time in the new gun sounds. When editing the existing sounds.xml according to the instructions a new gun sound section "csj303_browning" is created. However, no sound is heard because the SJ_gb_gun_303cal_gun_trigger.xdp calls for "csj303" that doesn't exist. Nothing that a simple edit can't fix but for the less tech savvy it can be a tough one to do.

A quick look at the supplied sounds.xml reveals the same thing so I assume that it's the gun xdp that has an error in it as the sound files match.

EDIT - and one more about the gauges. Both variants have 146 gallons (mouse hover figure) when fully fueled but the Mk VII fuel gauge is showing full tanks, the Mk VIII isn't.

[MajorMagee]

Thanks for pointing out the fix for the gun xpd file.

[sdsbolt]

EDIT - and one more about the gauges. Both variants have 146 gallons (mouse hover figure) when fully fueled but the Mk VII fuel gauge is showing full tanks, the Mk VIII isn't

got it. another scaling issue

[MajorMagee]

Correction for the ones that start on line 990 the texture references are offset by one. Use this pattern instead.

FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 FF 00 FF FF FF FF 00 00 00 FF 33 33 33 FF 00 00 7E 43 00 00 FF FF 01 00 FF FF

[greycap.raf]

got it. another scaling issue

Found another one for you, the Mk VIII airspeed indicator. Reading 170 mph at 200 mph, 210 mph at 250 mph, 250 at 300 - I'd guess scaling again.

The rest of the instruments are OK, I checked them all so they can all be fixed at once. But what's the "nose up / nose down" thing on the lower left? I have no idea what it should do but noticable is that it doesn't do the same thing in Mk VII and Mk VIII.

[Frosty]

... But what's the "nose up / nose down" thing on the lower left? I have no idea what it should do but noticable is that it doesn't do the same thing in Mk VII and Mk VIII.

Some sort of variometer / climb/descent gauge? It does say 'nose up' in the one of the new Spits I just parked at ALG A-2 (SJE_spitfire_m7_HF_PB_44), which seems correct for a taildragger .
But while we 're on this subject, the texture left of/behind the throttle quadrant (the cockpit wall) seems mirrored by the looks of the warning placards etc.

And I got a question too: I parked the Spit with a coolant temperature of 120°C after taxiing, switched everything off but still the coolant temperature slowly rose until the max. Also, the oil temperature remained steady at 17°. This last thing I can imagine to be the outside/normal temperature (didn't know CFS3 modelled that, but okay - it seems more logical than the 0°C most aircraft start with). But I definitely expected the coolant temp. to drop after a while with a dead engine. Isn't it supposed to do that? Otherwise it becomes pretty darn difficult to take off again (I tried to start an overheated engine the flight before and it wouldn't do a thing).


But what a job, guys!! My new favourite mount to chase Huns around with!

[hairyspin]

...what's the "nose up / nose down" thing on the lower left?

Elevator trim gauge.