The Balkans Project finally released! [Archive]

Rami

November 9th, 2015, 06:38

Good morning,

After working with a couple of SOH members to correct the problems with the auto-installers, which I will upload this evening, I need to keep a promise to Captain Winters. I am putting together an auto-installer for the Balkans which will cover the following campaign packages...

The Hellas campaign
The Dodecanese campaigns
Operation Marita
Royal Air Force Vs Luftwaffe
RAF Vs Regia Aeronautica
Defense of Crete (RAF)

...as well as finishing a couple of others which will be included. When complete, there were be over 200 missions in this package, covering from October of 1940 until late May, 1941. As of right now, I have about 180 missions completed.

I have also made the following cities or towns during the last two weeks or so...

Sofia, Bulgaria
Skopje, Yugoslavia
Lamia, Greece
Valona, Albania (modified for more of a Med look)
Koritza, Albania
Argyrokastron, Albania
Yanina, Greece
Veles, Yugoslavia
Prilep, Yugoslavia
Bitola, Yugoslavia
Domokos, Greece
Argos, Geece

Still to do or to check...Khalkis, Athens, Volos, Canea, Heraklion, Larisa, Plovdiv, Tirana, and Ptolemais.

Rami

November 10th, 2015, 15:24

Hey guys,

I worked on and completed Ptolemais, Tirana, and Larisa today. :very_drunk:

Rami

November 11th, 2015, 04:31

Good morning,

Plovdiv and Volos (revisited) have been completed / updated. :biggrin-new:

msfossey

November 11th, 2015, 08:23

Rami,

Thank you for your all your efforts. Your work is greatly appreicated by all.

msfossey

Rami

December 6th, 2015, 00:13

Good morning,

I wanted to spitball an idea and test the waters on this. So far in the Balkans, I've covered the Germans against the RAF in Greece and Crete, the British against the Germans in Greece and Crete, and the British against the Regia Aeronautica, as well as the efforts of the Germans and the Italians in the Mediterranean attacking shipping and Crete from Rhodes / Scarpanto and Sicily.

Right now I'm working on the Italians against the Greeks and British, without resorting to just flipping around the British missions. I'm attempting to give you a fresh experience. In that process, I began to think about the merits of doing a Greek campaign against the Italians and Germans, but quickly ran into two problems when chatting with RobH.

1) No Greek nationality. (So, where would these go?)
2) No Greek UIRES screens.

Oddly, we have the aircraft for it, and I'd use British AA guns to make things simple. I WOULD flip around the appropriate missions for the Greek campaign to save time, with the added benefit being that given that I built the missions, I know which ones would be the most exciting from a Greek perspective.

Then, the last bit is the FAA effort. In the last few weeks I covered the Formidable's raid on Scarpanto, and the attack on her by Stukas as she raced back toward Alexandria.

Any thoughts on this, fellas?

skylane

December 6th, 2015, 01:33

Hello Rami!

I like the idea of a Greek and an Italian Balkans campaign! In fact, I was considering to do them, but life was again too busy this year to do much with CFS2. That´s also the reason for my long absence from this forum.

About the Greek campaign: Why not just use the British nationality and UIRES Screens? Not perfect, I know, but since the British came to help the Greeks soon after the conflict began, it should be ok.

Rami

December 6th, 2015, 01:43

Skylane,

I've done precisely what you suggested for the Italian campaign, when your opponents are the Greeks. (I'm just about to get to the British intervention) I'm using the British nationality and manually editing the flight names.

Right now I am using Greek cities, I thought about changing it to mythological figures / creatures for fun.

(I.e. Apollo, Zeus, Achilles, etc.)

I just didn't know if that was the most equitable solution. One possibility I thought of was to use the Polish nationality, since that one in the Mediterranean is essentially vacant.

Skylane - You will be happy to know I am going "all in" with this...I've done a lot of GSL scenery for the Balkans on this, and the package will be an auto-installer. You can look forward to...

Billshte, Valona, Tirana, Koritza, Argyrokastron, Plovdiv, Sofia, Canea, Souda Bay, Heraklion, Retimo, Argos, Corfu, Domokos, Lamia, Larissa, Patras, Ptolemais, Salmais,Thessaloniki, Volos, Yanina, Bitola, Prilep, Skopje, Athens, and Veles.

skylane

December 7th, 2015, 11:13

That sounds great, Rami, I'm looking forward to it!

Also, your GSL sceneries are always a great enhancement for the sim!

Are you using the book about the Balkan air war by Christopher Shores for information about the missions?

Rami

December 7th, 2015, 11:30

Are you using the book about the Balkan air war by Christopher Shores for information about the missions?

Wolfgang,

It is my bible. For Marita and the RAF, I went almost page by page, using the most juicy bits. I am doing the same for the Italians and Greeks.

skylane

December 7th, 2015, 11:45

I also have this, and several other of his books, the two about the Malta campaign among them.

Unfortunately I always get CTDs from the Malta scenery, so I had to scrap my idea about campaigns there...

UncleTgt

December 7th, 2015, 11:49

Skylane,

Perhaps try Rami's recent autoinstall of Malta Spitfire etc., maybe you will find it fixes the scenery issues for you?

skylane

December 7th, 2015, 12:17

Well, I could give it a try. I wasn't around here for some time and obviously missed a few things, so I'll take a look at this.
Thanks for the reminder!

Rami

January 14th, 2016, 14:29

Good evening,

Just wanted to pass along that I now have two hundred and eight missions (all campaigns combined) for the upcoming Balkan release thus far. This includes twenty-three of the thirty Italian missions for an entirely new campaign. After this, that will leave the Greeks (also from scratch) and the F.A.A. end of things.

The toughest part was figuring out a slightly different twist for each of the seven times you have to defend Valona from British raiders. You can only do so many different scenarios...

No Dice

January 14th, 2016, 15:38

Rami,

You work way to hard...But your work is much appreciated by all of us.

Try and stay warm, I see on the news it is about be be bad up there.

Dave

Rami

January 15th, 2016, 11:25

No Dice,

I actually enjoy it...work is something you do because you have to, a hobby is something you do because you want to. :biggrin-new:

Rami

January 19th, 2016, 09:30

Good afternoon,

As of this morning, twenty-seven of the thirty Italian missions are completed. :very_drunk:

Rami

January 20th, 2016, 06:51

Good morning,

I added two more GSL cities and towns to the list for the Balkans campaign...Krioneri, Albania and Elbasan, Albania. These were finished this morning while I stayed home sick with a bad cold.

I am about to start work on Durazzo, but that will definitely be more problematic because of the land class and coastline issues.

Rami

January 25th, 2016, 15:58

Good evening,

I just finished the Italian campaign today, completed another mission to add to one of the other campaigns, and am about to start on the Greek campaign. About 98% of the GSL work is completed, I just have to re-do Athens before I release the entire package, as well as the final mission work.

Durazzo was also completed.

miamieagle

January 26th, 2016, 10:54

Thank you!:applause::applause:

Rami

January 29th, 2016, 05:19

Good morning,

As I close in on my target for the Balkans release, I could use some help with regard to aircraft performance and behavior. I am having AI behavior issues with the following bombers...

Blenheim Mk4-1
Cant Z Alcione

...the issue is that before and after release, these aircraft have a tendency to meander and crash into one another, not being able to hold formation.

The other problem is with aircraft performance. The Gloster Gladiator has woeful performance above 3,000 meters, and cannot hold altitude above 15,000ft. Engine performance is abysmal, but I've looked at the airfile and am not sure where to fix the problems.

Any suggestions?

skylane

January 29th, 2016, 06:24

Rami,

I had the same trouble with the Blenheim in my missions. What I did about it, I just made a copy of the whole aircraft folder, renamed it to something like Blenheim 4 AI, and used the airfile from the stock Betty in that one.

Not elegant at all, I know, but it flies straight and maintains formation. And I figured that in an AI bomber, accurate performance is not so important, as you just want it to fly along the plotted route at the assigned speed and drop ist bombs at some waypoint.

This could also work for the Z-1007, but you could try the airfile from the other Z-1007 that is available first.

Rami

January 29th, 2016, 06:32

Skylane,

I was thinking about asking Peperez or Captain Kurt to help.

The B24 Guy

January 29th, 2016, 06:40

Hi Rami,

A few quick things you can try.

In the cfg. file try changing the flight tuning section.

You can increase the elevator_effectiveness,aileron_effectiveness, and rudder_effectiveness.

You can reduce the pitch_stability,roll_stability, and yaw_stability.

These types of changes will make the AC more nimble.

Regards,

B24Guy

AER_DaddyO

January 29th, 2016, 11:01

Rami,

Fiddled with the Malta Gladiator a bit, as I'm used to messing with biplanes, fixed props, and such. Did a reconfigure on the engine and prop. That model is beautiful and really well done. Managed to get it up to ceiling with a clean loadout, I think. Not sure how the AI will react to it, though: most of my CFS2 setup is WWI so I don't have a mission to test it with. If interested, PM me with your email addy and I'll send you the redo airfile
set that I came up with.

Regards, AER_DaddyO

"Don't just stand there.. get one up!"

UncleTgt

January 31st, 2016, 05:12

Good morning Andrew,

There's lot's awry with the Gladiator II airfile. Try the one attached to this post. It's built on the one from your BoF install.

The major issue seems to be records 511 & 512. These prop tables just don't look right, so I pinched the fixed prop tables from the Glad Mk1 & adjusted from there.

Section 1101 is the key for tweaking, but only after you have an aircraft you can fly on autopilot.

The key parameter for affecting maximum altitude is Record 505 "Boost Gain". Forget any published data you might discover for this, just take the plane for flight & see where she stalls out. Pro rata the figure in this record until you get the performance you need in the sim. I also cleared out a lot from the aircraft.cfg, just in case it was affecting the AI.

This gladiator will reach 31-33000ft before stalling out, & max level speed at 14500ft is 223kts TRUE AIR SPEED. She feels a bit lively to me, but it's a start.

Similarly try the Blenheim IV-1 airfile attached. This is built on the modified airfiles I did for the BoF install. I made a quick level bombing mission & watched a Veteran, High Aggression formation of 8 (box). I noted that, as you stated, after bomb drop & during any significant turns, the formation wallows from side to side, with aircraft struggling to regain position. I lost 2 a/c from the 8 due to collisions, after 2 turns close to each other.
All I did with these was compare Section 1101 with the G4M2 Betty. The Blenheim has much lower MOI, so I doubled the Roll MOI. I re-ran the mission, & got the whole formation home safe. They still wallow, but regain composure more quickly. As a side note, I noticed that small altitude changes at waypoints seem to help the formation regain composure - maybe that helps too. Perhaps x 2 Roll MOI isn't quite enough, but it seems to be the key variable.

Rami

January 31st, 2016, 05:48

John,

I will test this, but AER_DaddyO sent me a wonderful set of air and .cfg for the Malta Sea Gladiator that really do a great job, and offered to work on the whole set.

I will look at the Blenheim airfile set, but you should also know I recruited Peprez as well to help with the Blenheim and Cant Z Alcione.

Thank you!

Rami

January 31st, 2016, 09:22

John / others,

Here are his notes...

Changes to Airfile - 2016 revision:

Sections Revised-

330 - Changed from 1 {Fixed} to 2 [auto adjust] helps AI

404 - Revised slighty to help bring nose up

430 - Total revision

433 - Total revision

473 - Revised slighty to bring nose up

505 - Changed MP 50 to 30 / revised boost for CA @ 14,500

506 - Tweeked for lower Idle RPM [ie lower approach speeds]

508 - Total Revision for new MP at 30

509 - Total Revision for new MP at 30

510 - Revised MOI and tweeks for speeds

511 - replaced [from old Ju87-R revision I made]

512 - " " " "

524 - From 1 to 4 [flaps now work with engine off]

Aircraft.cfg

Reversed Prop direction ie torque/pfactor
[AI don't seem to like it at -1 on single engine]

[Propeller]
rotation=1 [was at -1]

Generally cleaned out the fs9 specific stuff not used by CFS2

DITCHABLE:

as per above, plus the following

Airfile

1004 - Made gear retractable [for ditching at sea]

Aicraft.cfg

Added "ditch" contact points; revised for gear retraction

Note: once gear is retracted, it will NOT relower for 150 minutes!

Rami

February 1st, 2016, 09:24

Good afternoon,

I have hit a wall with the Greek campaign I am building, and need the help of a Greek native. The issue that I am having is that a lot of the towns and villages I am searching for have names that seem to translate differently depending on whether the name is Greek-based, Albanian-based, Anglicized, or Romanized. http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/images/smilies/banghead.gif

The locations in Greece/Albania I am looking for are...Cajazza, Suka, and Ostravo. I have scoured every internet search engine and used Google Earth extensively to try and find these, but to no avail.

The only one I may have a lead on is Suhë, which (if my guess is right) is what is named "Suka" in my text, and is located in the Gjirokastër (Argyrokastron) region.

Any help would be appreciated, this has been really frustrating for me!

Rami

February 1st, 2016, 09:24

UncleTgt

February 1st, 2016, 13:20

Andrew,

I found an Ostrvo Island? http://www.greece.com/photos/destinations/Macedonia/Thassos/Settlement/Loutra/Ostrvo/5870983

Any use?:running:

UncleTgt

February 1st, 2016, 13:37

Suka Albania

http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-168134&fid=293&c=albania

Rami

February 1st, 2016, 13:42

John,

It's theoretically possible, but unlikely. The active frontline in January of 1941 during the Greco-Albanian war extended roughly from just north of Corfu and Argyrokastron northeast (in a roughly convex shape) toward Koritza, which was now inside Greek territory, before heading east along the southern border of Bulgaria.

I don't see logistically how attacking that far east would have any real gain for the Italians. Events in the Dodecanese focused on Crete and shipping, not in extreme Eastern Macedonia.

Given the location of Suhë, (Suka, I think) and the fact that the two (Cajazza-Suka) are linked with a hyphen in the primary source, I'm inclined to believe that the town or city is some sort of Greek / Roman / Italian / Anglicized version of a town or village somewhere in the valleys of the Pindus Mountains within the Epirus region, either in Greece or Albania.

Ostravo still befuddles me, but I can be fairly certain that the town or city named at that time wasn't there.

Thanks though!

UncleTgt

February 1st, 2016, 13:45

Same source has Caizza, Albania?

http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-153027&fid=291&c=albania

UncleTgt

February 1st, 2016, 13:47

Couple of Albanian Islands called:

Ostrvo Svernec
http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-168251&fid=293&c=albania

Ostrvo Saseno
http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-166123&fid=296&c=albania

Rami

February 1st, 2016, 13:49

John,

Logistically that fits exactly in the frontline, along with Suhë. The latter is located about seven or eight kilometers due east of Argyrokastron. (Gjirokaster)

Thanks! http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/images/smilies/very_drunk.png

UncleTgt

February 1st, 2016, 13:53

and 3 different Macedonian Islands (all in the same general location)

Ostrvo Velika Petra
http://geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-145740&fid=3879&c=macedonia
Ostrvo Sveti Petar
http://geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-143158&fid=3882&c=macedonia
Ostrovo Golem Grad
http://geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-118525&fid=3880&c=macedonia

Rami

February 1st, 2016, 13:57

John,

The latter island is logistically possible, given the fact that it is an island that had military value and was built up by the Italians prior to WWII. But that immediately brings to mind two questions or thoughts...(post #6)

1) The source by Christopher Shores, et al lists Ostravo as being in Greece.

2) Given the fact that Sazan island was held by the Italians as territory won in World War I, I don't think Mussolini would be crazy enough to order the bombing of his own territory.

UncleTgt

February 2nd, 2016, 00:02

Morning Andrew,

Using the search facility on the same site, I changed the country to Greece & found several Ostrovos
Ostrovo
http://geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-1214237&fid=2190&c=greece
Ostrovon
http://geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-1214238&fid=2201&c=greece
Ostrovos
http://geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-1214240&fid=2202&c=greece
Ostrovou lake
http://geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-1214241&fid=2170&c=greece

All seem to be in the same general area.

Rami

February 2nd, 2016, 00:48

John,

Thanks. I'm going to go with the top one of those three...it's the closest to the front and in an area where there was occasional combat. I appreciate the help!

UncleTgt

February 2nd, 2016, 01:50

Andrew,

Bookmark the site, it's a really useful tool.:engel016:

Rami

February 2nd, 2016, 02:13

John,

I already did. :encouragement:

kdriver

February 2nd, 2016, 02:54

John's first, second and fourth links are actually referring to the one place which is indeed the likely culprit - Lake Vegoritida is and has been commonly called Lake Ostrovo.

Rami

February 3rd, 2016, 00:57

Good morning,

Kevin - Thanks, I will go on that premise. :encouragement:

Rami

February 13th, 2016, 05:04

Good morning,

I wanted to pass along another update...fifteen of the eighteen Greek missions in this new campaign have been completed, I only have three left to do before I begin the final piece, the Fleet Air Arm side.

Additional GSL scenery was created for these campaigns, including a new airfield by achim27619 at Amphiklia.

Rami

February 13th, 2016, 06:58

Good morning,

Barring any unforeseen need, I have compiled the list of GSL scenery to be included in this campaign for you to enjoy.

Albania - Argyrokastron, Bilishte, Cajazza, Durazzo, Elbasan, Kelcyre, Koritza, Krioneri, Kucova oil field, Moschopoles, Permet, Suka, Tepelene, Tirana, and Valona.

Bulgaria - Plovdiv, Sofia.

Crete - Canea, Heraklion, Retimo, Souda Bay.

Greece - Amfikleia, Argos, Athens, Chalcis, Corfu, Domokos, Florina, Kozani, Lamia, Larissa, Patras, Ptolemais, Salmais, Thessaloniki, Volos, and Yanina.

Yugoslavia - Bitola, Prilep, Skopje, Strumica, and Veles.

Kdriver and achim27619 have also been instrumental in creating new airfields at Kozani, Corfu, and Amphiklia. :very_drunk:

Rami

February 19th, 2016, 01:57

Good morning,

It is my pleasure to announce I finished the Greek campaign this morning...eighteen missions of pure hell. :very_drunk:

Now I have to sort through my FAA / Lustre Force notes and figure out what missions to do for the FAA campaign aside from the four I already have.

Rami

February 21st, 2016, 13:00

Hey chaps,

I need to put your knowledge and skills to the task here. I am working on the last set of missions for the Balkans package and would like to try and make the missions as authentic as possible. I already have about eight done.

What I need is some help sorting through the tangled web of records to find out what resources the Royal Navy had in the Eastern Mediterranean from September of 1940 until late April, when the Germans began to pressure Crete. I have pieced together much of it beyond that point, because the sources I have are very detailed. This includes the Stuka attack on the Formidable, and the Formidable's attack on Midi Bay as an example.

Things I'm looking for, as an example, are the types and names of the ships that were with the Illustrious and Eagle when they made their attacks on Rhodes during September of 1940. Information on HMS Eagle's raid is very confusing, with some sources claiming it happened the night of 3/4 September and others stating 9 September.

Other items that would be of help are what other ships were in the Mediterranean besides Force H (which primarily operated in the western / central Med) as well as those involved in "Operation Hats" and other things during that time.

Once the Germans were attacking Crete, the information I have is actually very solid, so from the end of April through the end of the campaign I have pretty much set.

Any resources or info you can pass along to me would be greatly appreciated. I have attached what I have so far...

Rami

February 21st, 2016, 14:24

Good evening,

I have this for the time of the Cretan attacks, (as well as a few others I found that were in the central and eastern Med) so I can use this as a backup in case I can't find info on ships available before then...

British Cruisers

HMAS Perth
HMS Ajax
HMS Dido
HMS Fiji
HMS York
HMS Naiad
HMS Orion
HMS Phoebe
HMS Glasgow
HMS Calcutta
HMS Coventry
HMS Gloucester
HMS Bonaventure

British Aircraft Carriers

HMS Formidable (Five Albacores, four Swordfish, thirteen Fulmars)
HMS Illustrious
HMS Eagle

British Battleships

HMS Valiant
HMS Warspite
HMS Barham
HMS Queen Elizabeth
HMS Ramillies
HMS Malaya

British destroyers

HMAS Napier
HMAS Nizam
HMAS Voyager
HMAS Stuart
HMAS Vampire
HMAS Vendetta
HMAS Waterhen
HMS Wryneck
HMS Greyhound
HMS Hyperion
HMS Griffin
HMS Havock
HMS Hero
HMS Jaguar
HMS Decoy
HMS Hereward
HMS Hotspur
HMS Imperial
HMS Jackal
HMS Kimberly
HMS Kandahar
HMS Nubian
HMS Kingston
HMS Juno
HMS Janus
HMS Hasty
HMS Ilex
HMS Jervis
HMS Kelly
HMS Kashmir
HMS Kelvin
HMS Kipling

Infantry landing ship

HMS Glengyle

Devildog73

February 21st, 2016, 16:13

Rami,
Try this: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=DK8kW8CLQ8QC&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en_US&pg=GBS.PT55

And this: http://www.naval-history.net/index.htm (http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-04CV-Eagle.htm)

The Naval History Net is one of the sources I use in BPF information.
You can look up day-by-day information during a ships service.

DD73

stuart277

February 21st, 2016, 21:26

Hi Rami

I have pretty well finished updating the RN Battleships, with new DP's, reduced poly counts.

I have also just about done the E and F class destroyers with new Hulls, DP's, reduced poly counts.

I will upload shortly.

Cheers,

Stuart

stuart277

February 21st, 2016, 21:30

Hi Rami,

I do not think there is a HMS York available.

I can whip one up within the week if you need it.

Its near sister, Exeter is available.

Cheers,

Stuart

Rami

February 22nd, 2016, 01:25

Stuart,

We can make do with ship types. I just want to have the names correct for authenticity, and use correct or close-to-correct types if possible. That's important to me. :wiggle:

Devildog73

February 22nd, 2016, 03:00

Stuart,

We can make do with ship types. I just want to have the names correct for authenticity, and use correct or close-to-correct types if possible. That's important to me. :wiggle:

That Naval-History dot Net site will have all of the classes and types of those ships for you.
It is truly an excellent site for this kind of thing.

Rami

March 10th, 2016, 05:50

Good morning,

I just wanted to pass along an update to this effort. I ended up having to make two more GSL harbors on Leros and Stampalia in the Dodecanese for Swordfish raids, and I am working on the nineteenth FAA mission at the moment. Beyond this, there are only a handful of missions left, and most of those I already have blueprints for. I am on-track to finish this before 6 April, and at the rate this is going, I might be finished even before that!

Rami

March 16th, 2016, 01:18

Good morning,

Starting the last mission now! :greenbounce:

Rami

March 17th, 2016, 07:01

Good morning,

Now that the missions are finished, I am going through the usual process of testing...this includes....

Checking the panel.cfg of each aircraft to look for needed gauges and make corrections. (Done)

Checking the .dp files of each aircraft to look for weapons. (Done)

Checking each mission for errors. (Done)

Uploading any new aircraft.

Checking for required objects, including all the GSL work. (Done)

Writing the campaign files. (Done)

Writing the scenery.cfg file. (Done)

Making screenshots for the readme. (Done)

Writing the readme, including all the credits.

Packaging for release.

Rami

March 17th, 2016, 08:01

Good afternoon,

Sorry to bug you guys, but I'm in the process of finding and packaging everything I need for the Balkans project, and I can't seem to locate the following items...

wep_fr_50kg_bomb

ammo.gau
RAF_Amps.gau

Is there any chance you can help and attach or link what you find?

Thanks in advance,

UncleTgt

March 17th, 2016, 08:13

Andrew,

French weps? http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?action=jump&catid=151&id=6411

Rami

March 17th, 2016, 08:19

John,

That's what I thought too, but it's not in there.

Boatz

March 17th, 2016, 12:31

This French weapon can be found in bismarck13's (William Dickens) Po633lb.zip file.

Rami

March 17th, 2016, 14:52

Boatz,

Thank you very much!

Captain Kurt

March 17th, 2016, 15:03

Is it possible that the ammo.gau is just the JWB.gun_ammo.gau renamed?

skylane

March 18th, 2016, 10:29

Great news, I´m really looking forward to this one!

Rami

March 26th, 2016, 16:53

Good evening,

On Tuesday, following receipt of the Dornier prop textures and alternate .dp file, I expect to be able to upload and release the following campaign packages, configured for full auto-install...

The Balkans Project
Beaus in the Sand

I hope that Skylane enjoys The Balkans Project, because he stated at one point he was going to do the Italian and/or Greek sides to the Balkans, but I beat him to it. :bump:

I will also be providing updates for...

Malta Spitfire
Western Desert, 1942

The latter have been updated to include the new Macchi Mc-200 replacement for the DAF model, and the Dornier Do24 replacement by Shessi for the Groundcrew model.

Both the Malta Spitfire and Western Desert, 1942 updates are at the request of Highpockets.

Beaus in the Sand is kind of a thank you to RobH, and one I hope Captain Kurt will like, because it is a single-aircraft type campaign. (Beaufighters, Beaufighters, and more Beaufighters) This should allow for the "immersion" factor. I also took the opportunity to expand it from nineteen up to twenty-two missions for this release.

skylane

March 27th, 2016, 01:58

I definitely look forward to the Balkans campaigns, and also the Beaufighters!
Although first I´ll have to finish defending the Reich with JG11!

Rami

March 29th, 2016, 01:35

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/soh_ftp/uploads/imageuploads/827814592441491008.jpg
A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category CFS 2 Campaigns Add-Ons

Description: This package replaces the following CFS2 campaign packages: Hellas, Operation Marita, RAF Vs Luftwaffe, Defense of Crete, Dodecanese campaigns, and RAF Vs Regia Aeronautica.

Welcome to The Balkans Project campaigns package! This is package contains twelve campaigns and a total of some two hundred and fifty missions which center around the experiences of the Italians, Greeks, Germans, and the British (both the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force) during the period of conflict in the Balkan Theatre. The period of conflict ranges primarily from 28 October, 1940 up until 30 May, 1941. However, the campaign involving the Fleet Air Arm begins in early September, 1940.

This campaign is a conglomeration of several campaign packages I have released covering various areas of the Balkan conflict, combined with about sixty-five missions (approximately one quarter of the included missions) that are brand-new. The original inspiration for this package came from three sources: The “Hellas” campaign, originally at Simviation, several of the original missions from the Groundcrew “Swordfish” campaign, and the Gladiator campaign by Don Pyers. Beyond that, all of the other German, Italian, Greek, and a good portion of the British missions were created by me, along with most of the GSL scenery; the airfields excluded, of course.

These missions, for the most part (excluding the semi-fictional “Hellas” campaign, and certain missions in the Fleet Air Arm campaign) are historical or historically-based, with certain liberties being taken to combine raids for the sake of brevity. The three primary sources for this effort are “Going Solo,” by Roald Dahl, “Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete, 1940-41” by Christopher Shores, Brian Cull, and Nicola Malizia, and “Courage Alone, The Italian Air Force 1940-1943” by Chris Dunning.

This is the readme and installation guide for Part II of the Balkans Project campaigns package. In this package, you'll find the GSL scenery objects, anti-aircraft guns, voice packs, nationality screens, buildings, and scenery packages, as well as nearly all of the other equipment required, together with the campaign and mission files themselves.

Those whose work has been used for this project include: Davmag, Brunosk, Captain Kurt, Kdriver, Pen32Win, Jean Bomber, Ajax, Tobob, Erufle, Collin, Franz Von Baron, Shessi, Wozza, Blackbird686, LouieG, Simonu, Spryb, Steve Seybolt, Psullykeys, Achim27619, Xavierb, Wolfi, Stiz, Canion, The Virtual Navy, Robert John, MaskRider, Gary Burns, Isoliti4gatti, Nanni, Nibbio, Bismarck13, UncleTgt, The Groundcrew Team, Paul Rebuffat, Usio, and the AF Team. Due to this, it is imperative that you gain permission from all parties before uploading this file package to a location other than www.sim-outhouse.com. Please be respectful of the rights of all those whose work is found here.

"Rami"

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit The Balkans Project - Part II.zip (http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?linkid=21106&catid=44)
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

Rami

March 29th, 2016, 01:48

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/soh_ftp/uploads/imageuploads/795614592449182273.jpg
A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category CFS 2 Campaigns Add-Ons

Description: This package replaces the following CFS2 campaign packages: Hellas, Operation Marita, RAF Vs Luftwaffe, Defense of Crete, Dodecanese campaigns, and RAF Vs Regia Aeronautica.

Welcome to The Balkans Project campaigns package! This is package contains twelve campaigns and a total of some two hundred and fifty missions which center around the experiences of the Italians, Greeks, Germans, and the British (both the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force) during the period of conflict in the Balkan Theatre. The period of conflict ranges primarily from 28 October, 1940 up until 30 May, 1941. However, the campaign involving the Fleet Air Arm begins in early September, 1940.

This campaign is a conglomeration of several campaign packages I have released covering various areas of the Balkan conflict, combined with about sixty-five missions (approximately one quarter of the included missions) that are brand-new. The original inspiration for this package came from three sources: The “Hellas” campaign, originally at Simviation, several of the original missions from the Groundcrew “Swordfish” campaign, and the Gladiator campaign by Don Pyers. Beyond that, all of the other German, Italian, Greek, and a good portion of the British missions were created by me, along with most of the GSL scenery; the airfields excluded, of course.

These missions, for the most part (excluding the semi-fictional “Hellas” campaign, and certain missions in the Fleet Air Arm campaign) are historical or historically-based, with certain liberties being taken to combine raids for the sake of brevity. The three primary sources for this effort are “Going Solo,” by Roald Dahl, “Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete, 1940-41” by Christopher Shores, Brian Cull, and Nicola Malizia, and “Courage Alone, The Italian Air Force 1940-1943” by Chris Dunning.

Welcome to the Balkans Project package! In this second aircraft package, you'll find nearly all of the aircraft, gauges, sounds, and weapons required for this campaign. All the required aircraft have been included, as well as any historical repaints that would have been used during or near the time that the Balkans were in conflict during late 1940 & into mid-1941 when the four principal parties (the Italians, Greeks, British, and the German conquest later on) engaged one another in conflict. Those whose work has been included in this second package include: Brunosk, Watchdog22, Gius, mvg3d, Brunosk, the Alphasim freeware team, Bretoal, AER_DaddyO, Peperez, Aeroplane Heaven, Morton, Kelticheart, Bismarck13, the Groundcrew team, Captain Kurt, OBIO, Allen, Martin Wright, DBolt, the Donationware team, Isoliti4gatti, Graham, (VB Planes) Lawdog2360, Krystof Malinowski, Shessi, Moparmike, Paul Rebuffat, RobH, Pcmeneg, Pierino Primavesi, Seagull V, Sandydog, Sopwith Chameleon, Thicko, and Virtual Wings.

All of the aircraft in this package have been modified, when necessary, to include the appropriate repaints, when possible, for the aircraft. I've also included modified .dp files for each aircraft which correct information in the [MISC.DATA] section that I found to be in error. To lessen issues with frame rates with many waves of aircraft in the sky, all exhaust effects have been removed, if they were included in the original models.

Additionally, all weapons required for these aircraft have been included. The only separate aircraft files that will be required is the Messerschmitt Bf-110c "Zerstorer," which I will link you to just below. This should eliminate the need to hunt down many of these hard-to-find weapons that we all, at one time or another, have spent a good deal of time looking for.

"Rami"

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit The Balkans Project - Part Ib.zip (http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?linkid=21107&catid=44)
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

Rami

March 29th, 2016, 01:55

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/soh_ftp/uploads/imageuploads/830414592453568406.jpg
A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category CFS 2 Campaigns Add-Ons

Description: This package replaces the following CFS2 campaign packages: Hellas, Operation Marita, RAF Vs Luftwaffe, Defense of Crete, Dodecanese campaigns, and RAF Vs Regia Aeronautica.

Welcome to The Balkans Project campaigns package! This is package contains twelve campaigns and a total of some two hundred and fifty missions which center around the experiences of the Italians, Greeks, Germans, and the British (both the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force) during the period of conflict in the Balkan Theatre. The period of conflict ranges primarily from 28 October, 1940 up until 30 May, 1941. However, the campaign involving the Fleet Air Arm begins in early September, 1940.

This campaign is a conglomeration of several campaign packages I have released covering various areas of the Balkan conflict, combined with about sixty-five missions (approximately one quarter of the included missions) that are brand-new. The original inspiration for this package came from three sources: The “Hellas” campaign, originally at Simviation, several of the original missions from the Groundcrew “Swordfish” campaign, and the Gladiator campaign by Don Pyers. Beyond that, all of the other German, Italian, Greek, and a good portion of the British missions were created by me, along with most of the GSL scenery; the airfields excluded, of course.

These missions, for the most part (excluding the semi-fictional “Hellas” campaign, and certain missions in the Fleet Air Arm campaign) are historical or historically-based, with certain liberties being taken to combine raids for the sake of brevity. The three primary sources for this effort are “Going Solo,” by Roald Dahl, “Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete, 1940-41” by Christopher Shores, Brian Cull, and Nicola Malizia, and “Courage Alone, The Italian Air Force 1940-1943” by Chris Dunning.

Welcome to the Balkans Project package! In this first aircraft package, you will find nearly all of the aircraft, gauges, sounds, and weapons required for this campaign. All the required aircraft have been included, as well as any historical repaints that would have been used during or near the time that the Balkans were in conflict during late 1940 & into mid-1941 when the four principal parties (the Italians, Greeks, British, and the German conquest later on) engaged one another in conflict. Those whose work has been included in this first package include Allen, Gius, mvg3d, Brunosk, the Alphasim freeware team, Bretoal, AER_DaddyO, Peperez, Aeroplane Heaven, Morton, Kelticheart, Bismarck13, the Groundcrew team, Captain Kurt, D'Attomo / Quai, DBolt, the Donationware team, Elias, Erafitti, Isoliti4gatti, Graham, (VB Planes) Lawdog2360, Martin Wright, Moparmike, Padbury Aircraft, Paul Rebuffat, RobH, Rockster22, Sandydog, Smashing Time, Sopwith Chameleon, Thicko, Virtual Wings, and Wolfi.

All of the aircraft in this package have been modified, when necessary, to include the appropriate repaints, when possible, for the aircraft. I've also included modified .dp files for each aircraft which correct information in the [MISC.DATA] section that I found to be in error. To lessen issues with frame rates with many waves of aircraft in the sky, all exhaust effects have been removed, if they were included in the original models.

Additionally, all weapons required for the aircraft have been included.

"Rami"

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit The Balkans Project - Part Ia.zip (http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?linkid=21108&catid=44)
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

Rami

March 29th, 2016, 02:03

Good morning,

The Balkans Project was a labor of love for me. I know that Skylane and Captain Winters will enjoy this for sure, I hope others take the opportunity to do so as well. Please have fun, and let me know if there are any major issues. I have kept the installation folders on my desk for a few days, in case anyone spots something, as well as the auto-installers.

Finn

March 29th, 2016, 11:43

What else to be said than WOW! You're really spoiling us (or at least the whole of next weekend) THANK YOU RAMI. Also thank you to all that participated in this great effort.

Finn

Captain Kurt

March 30th, 2016, 09:18

It's been quite the development saga for you Rami. Congratulations! :very_drunk:

Rami

March 30th, 2016, 11:24

Good afternoon,

Highpockets is one half of the "trouble magnets" that have a knack for finding flaws or problems with these releases. (Killer Svend is the other, lol) One of the problems he found was the Sm-84 by Bismarck13 "blew up" when he started the mission, and I noticed that he found the one mission in 250 (no joke!) that seems to be configured incorrectly. It's a torpedo attack mission, but the attack waypoint is set for bombs. I will add just a .zip file to this thread later on today, and include it in the download for future users.

I also need to check the Virtual Navy Freighters, I thought for certain I added dummy.txt or panel.txt / .cfg files to prevent the ClickTeam proggie from deleting the empty folders, but apparently that didn't take. (Grrrrr.....:banghead:)

Could someone please check the Sm-84 to see if the contact points need to be adjusted?

And Highpockkets...I mean this as a compliment, I am glad you said something!