New Discovery! - Page 2
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 26 to 42 of 42

Thread: New Discovery!

  1. #26
    Clive,

    Yes, I was quite shocked when I found the AI in CFS3.exe.

    Actually, I found them completely by chance. I copied over the WOFF CFS3.exe to my test install and it proved my theory about the AI.

    I don't think there's any copyright issues here, but I'll ask one of my computer science friends about copyright in this case.

    I'll be doing some more testing over the coming days and weeks, just to confirm.

    We may very well have unlocked the secret to making CFS3 what it should have been.

    I do know, however, we'll need to work to fully decipher the .dll's to fully understand what they're for.

    I've done a little bit, but I'm pretty pressed for time right now and I've not had much of a chance to really work on any of this.

    Thanks,

    Chris
    :tgun2: :tgun2: M3 fAiL 3nglush thats umpossible!

  2. #27
    Redding Army Airfield Allen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    O85 Benton Field Airport
    Age
    36
    Posts
    5,444
    Quote Originally Posted by Frosty View Post
    cable_force_adjust
    tail_hook_position
    tail_hook_length
    wing_folding_system_type
    The above are from CFS2 and go into the aircraft.cfg Note that in CFS2 wing_fold_system_type is used. Looks like CFS3 added "ing". Below is the full set of keys related to them.

    [TailHook]
    tailhook_length=4 ;(feet)
    tailhook_position = -23.6, 0.0, -1.0 ;(feet) longitudinal, lateral, vertical positions from datum
    cable_force_adjust = 1.0

    [folding_wings]
    wing_fold_system_type = 0 ;0=None (CFS2 key name)
    wing_folding_system_type = 0 ;0=None (CFS3 key name)
    fold_rates = 0.12,0.11 ;Percent per second

    The defalt CFS2 ingame keyboard commands are Shift+W for wing fold and Shift+H for the tail hook. I'm butting them be In the CFS2.cfg the Keyboard keys are listed in [KEYBOARD_MAIN]. If CFS3 has a [KEYBOARD_MAIN] you may be able to add them to the list.

    [KEYBOARD_MAIN]
    TOGGLE_WING_FOLD=87,9
    TOGGLE_TAIL_HOOK_HANDLE=72,9

    In CFS2 any aircraft can be give folding wings and tail hook even if the model dosen't have them as all you need to do is add the [folding_wings] and/or [TailHook] sections. When the wings are folder you can taxi around but can't take off no mater how fast you get going so you may be able to test if the folding wings work in CFS3 with any aircraft you have.

    Testing the taill hook my not be possable as you need to know if CFS3 still has the carrier logic. For the hook you need the [LANDING AIDS] and cable.#. Even if the carrier logic dosen't work maybe the tail hook could be working as an animation.

    If you need a model that uses folding wings and tail hook I have a gMax F4UA Corsair I rebuilt for CFS2. You should be able to convert it to CFS3 for testing purposes.
    "Let Being Helpful Be More Important Than Being Right!" Some SOH Founder.

  3. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Allen View Post
    ... Note that in CFS2 wing_fold_system_type is used. Looks like CFS3 added "ing". ...
    No, that's my bad: it is without the 'ing'. I checked again and the .exe says "wing_fold_system_type".
    There's also "fold_rates" and "folding_wings" to be found near that string.

    The commands for tailhook toggle and wing fold toggle are already in CFS3. They are mentioned in the SDK (separated in l_wingfold and R_wingfold in the SDK but as a single command in the commands list) but I can't remember if the animations really work. It would be worth investigating how carriers are coded in CFS2 and FS2004 and see if we can learn anything from that. If I am not mistaken, 'hard' or 'full-decked' carriers are still a problem in CFS3. The workaround, though clever, was always a big immersion killer for me.

    ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian

  4. #29

    "Hacking" and using hidden features

    There's no issues with using hidden, undocumented features in CFS3: the same has been done in FSX for years. If you want to recode the sim .exe or .dll files, that's against the end user license agreement. I believe OFF and now WOFF has been built around new .dll and other files and they use the original CFS3 files only to start the sim. These rate as add-ons, not modified versions of CFS, which the Lawyers cannot prevent.

    Recoding the originals is what I mean by "hacking" them. The word carries many connotations, including the one the Press use.

    http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/H/hacker.html
    Last edited by hairyspin; September 22nd, 2016 at 01:41.
    Tom
    __________________________________________________ ___________________________________________
    Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7



  5. #30
    SOH-CM-2024 Pat Pattle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newton Abbot, Devon. Dear old Blighty
    Age
    60
    Posts
    2,904
    Blog Entries
    1
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_OFF Caption="Fuel Selector Off" Type="engine"/>
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_ALL Caption="Fuel Selector All" Type="engine"/>
    <ENGINE_AUTO_SHUTDOWN Caption="Engine Auto Shutdown" Type="engine"/>
    Yep, nice one, they work!

    I also tried the cowl flaps, there's references to multiple engines which would be good, alas that one doesn't seem to work, but I'll try again with it.

    Also noticed a line in there 'carrier_based', intriguing but it may be more standard FS stuff.
    CFS3 Battle of Britain Website: https://cfs3bob.wixsite.com/cfs3-bob
    CFS3 ACC Member & ETO Expansion Group

  6. #31
    Hi Clive,

    I think the carrier stuff may be ported over from CFS2, just never fully implemented.

    I'll be looking more at the .exe file today and I'll see what I can find out.

    Right now, I think the best place to start would be to compare the CFS2 exe file to CFS3's.

    That would be my best guess with carriers. AI wise, it's in there, but it's a matter of finding it.

    WOFF rewrote the main game .dll's and part of CFS3.exe.

    That's how I confirmed the AI was in CFS3.exe

    I'll do a little looking today. I've got the day off so, I'll see what I can do.

    Gecko,

    I sent you a PM about some of the things I managed to track down.

    Thanks all,

    Chris
    :tgun2: :tgun2: M3 fAiL 3nglush thats umpossible!

  7. #32
    Redding Army Airfield Allen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    O85 Benton Field Airport
    Age
    36
    Posts
    5,444
    Quote Originally Posted by Frosty View Post
    No, that's my bad: it is without the 'ing'. I checked again and the .exe says "wing_fold_system_type".
    There's also "fold_rates" and "folding_wings" to be found near that string.

    The commands for tailhook toggle and wing fold toggle are already in CFS3. They are mentioned in the SDK (separated in l_wingfold and R_wingfold in the SDK but as a single command in the commands list) but I can't remember if the animations really work. It would be worth investigating how carriers are coded in CFS2 and FS2004 and see if we can learn anything from that. If I am not mistaken, 'hard' or 'full-decked' carriers are still a problem in CFS3. The workaround, though clever, was always a big immersion killer for me.
    So it looks like all of the needed aircraft.cfg keys are in CFS3. L_wingfold and R_wingfold are the names you give parts in gMax so CFS2 knows to move the parts when you fold the wings. tailhook is the name you gibe the tail hook in gMax so CFS2 knows to move the part when you drop or retract the hook. The *_wingfold and tailhook are user animated in gMax.

    As for the carriers. CFS2 has a ship folder and it is set up a lot like aircraft. Each ship has model, panel, sound and texture folder. Ships have a ship.cfg. The ship.cfg has the code for the "harden"/landable decks and cables for the tailhook to snag. I'll attach the stock CFS2 Enterprise.

    Attachment 43236

    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Pattle View Post
    Yep, nice one, they work!

    I also tried the cowl flaps, there's references to multiple engines which would be good, alas that one doesn't seem to work, but I'll try again with it.

    Also noticed a line in there 'carrier_based', intriguing but it may be more standard FS stuff.

    carrier_based is also in CFS2/one of it components and is listed with the [MISC_DATA] keys but seem to have no effect. So are some keys that I know where used for CFS3 so this may work in CFS3.
    "Let Being Helpful Be More Important Than Being Right!" Some SOH Founder.

  8. #33
    re-member,remem-ma-member popsaka's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    downtown L.A.,Ca., usa,'ey?
    Age
    74
    Posts
    1,345
    Its a shame none of the original authors ever came forward to enlighten us as to what was planned but not implemented and what was done haffassedly ...
    Well, I can dream, can't I?

  9. #34
    I have made a list of all key events (kEvent_) that I found in the cfs3.exe:

    Key Commands.txt

    I might have overlooked one or two and maybe have made a few typos on the way but perhaps this makes it easier to experiment a little and see what effect they have in CFS3. The commands are ordered as I encountered them in the hexeditor and I have worked my way through them from the bottom up (don't ask me why - I just did ). There seem to be some duplicates, some interesting ones and some obvious ones. Anyway, feel free to report the results...

    My first impression is that the commands fully written in capitals are similar to the ones in civvie sims and the ones with only the first letters of words in capitals are more CFS3 related: eg. kEvent_KNEEBOARD (FS series) vs. kEvent_ShowKneeboard (CFS3) - they are both listed.

    Q: Wasn't CFS3 developed alongside FS2004? I believe it was said that the whole sim structure was completely changed from CFS2 to CFS3 and that it was more akin to one of the civvie sims. If so, wouldn't it be more logical to study those instead of CFS2?

    ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian

  10. #35
    SOH-CM-2024 Pat Pattle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newton Abbot, Devon. Dear old Blighty
    Age
    60
    Posts
    2,904
    Blog Entries
    1
    Nice work Joost, that looks very useful! There's a couple in there that warrant further investigation. Yes I think that cfs3 is more akin to fs9 and fsx than cfs2, why-o-why M$ didn't just make an improved cfs2 is beyond me. All it needed was better scenery and gunner positions! Maybe it was a marketing thing, the fs and cfs series would have been to much alike.
    CFS3 Battle of Britain Website: https://cfs3bob.wixsite.com/cfs3-bob
    CFS3 ACC Member & ETO Expansion Group

  11. #36
    Kurier auf Stube...pauke! NachtPiloten's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Leland, North Carolina, USA
    Age
    66
    Posts
    1,997

    Just a question - did you find

    Any sections speaking to the damage systems?

  12. #37
    I did find something about it, IIRC, but nothing new. I'd really like to have some more damagable systems, or have more than one of some things -like coolant and oil reservoirs.

  13. #38
    SOH-CM-2023 mongoose's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Navigator, where are we?
    Age
    79
    Posts
    3,536
    Also any idea about extending the TAC range??

    Cato said "Carthaginem esse delendam"
    I say "Carthago iam diu deleta,sed enim Bellum Alium adhuc aedificandum est"

  14. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by NachtPiloten View Post
    Any sections speaking to the damage systems?
    Not sure what these do, but they are in there:

    kEvent_TOGGLE_ENGINE4_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_ENGINE3_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_ENGINE2_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_ENGINE1_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_RIGHT_BRAKE_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_LEFT_BRAKE_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_TOTAL_BRAKE_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_HYDRAULIC_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_STATIC_PORT_BLOCKAGE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_PITOT_BLOCKAGE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_ELECTRICAL_FAILURE
    kEvent_TOGGLE_VACUUM_FAILURE

    The only thing I can think of right now when trying to simulate damage to oil and cooling systems etc. is a more elaborate damagebox system. But this requires access to the gmax source files.
    I did not come across a key that extends the range of the TAC, other than the ones that we have now. It's probably in another section and has nothing to do with key events.

    ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian

  15. #40
    cool can you fix that one axis bomber from crashing when firing torpedos? Any lines for that in there?

    ETO? How do I install it? Download Links? HERE Horizontal lines at menu after installing ETO? - FIX - choose a wingman, plane, then try quick mission.I found this config setup ArgonV posted at simhq, works good HERE Graphics card updates change your game settings? With error? Ankor's Shader fixes it HERE Nvidia HERE

  16. #41
    re-member,remem-ma-member popsaka's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    downtown L.A.,Ca., usa,'ey?
    Age
    74
    Posts
    1,345

    Icon28 ...and then everything went black.

    I think I've experienced hydraulic failure many times ...like you take a few strikes and suddenly the controls have become stiff(?)...

  17. #42
    Fellas,

    I have experimented a little by adding the following key events to the events.xml in the root folder and adding some assignments in-game.

    <FUEL_SELECTOR_SET Caption="Fuel selector (set)" Type="engine"/>
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_CENTER Caption="Fuel Selector center" Type="engine"/>
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_RIGHT_AUX Caption="Fuel Selector Right Aux" Type="engine"/>
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_LEFT_AUX Caption="Fuel Selector Left Aux" Type="engine"/>
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_RIGHT Caption="Fuel Selector Right" Type="engine"/>
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_LEFT Caption="Fuel Selector Left" Type="engine"/>
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_ALL Caption="Fuel Selector All" Type="engine"/>
    <FUEL_SELECTOR_OFF Caption="Fuel Selector Off" Type="engine"/>

    What I have learned is the following:

    - So far, you cannot add your own categories. That is why I have filed these commands under "engine". However, you can re-assign existing commands by changing the ' Type="XXXX" ' to one of the existing categories. I now have my flaps -commands under the "surface" instead of the "general" category.
    - Most Fuel Selector commands seem to work. But alas, I saw no animation (I tried adding a simple selector model, named and animated according to the SDK, to one of my models). However, strange things happened when I added a drop tank to the aircraft of choice in the UI:
    Without droptank, all commands worked, except the _SET, _CENTER and both _AUX commands.
    With droptank, the _CENTER command worked but all others did not - until I dropped the droptank. This leads me to believe that the droptank is coupled to the _CENTER command. The other commands that refer to an onboard fuel tank might be influenced by the settings in the aircraft.cfg. I have not yet experimented with an aircraft that has auxiliary tanks defined in the .cfg to see if these tanks are also accessible.
    Last edited by Frosty; October 11th, 2016 at 14:35.

    ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian

Members who have read this thread: 1

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •