European Air War - The Gen

The work I am doing at the moment is designed to bring aircraft and tmods up to the 1.29 standard.

For the moment I am not going to redo the theatre layout, that will be for a phase II of the work, and will finally incorporate all the work Wudy did a few years back (see the posts here) on the Pacific atolls and islands.



The main effort at the moment is

(1) to create a 1.29 set using different plane folders for four periods of the Midway battle:

3rd June (attacks by B17s and PBYs on Japanese fleet),
4th June to 15.00 (the main battle: Jap attacks on Midway, US attacks from Midway and Fleet on Jap carriers),
4th June after 15.00 (US attack on Hiryu, Jap attack on Yorktown),
5th June and 6th June (final US attacks on Jap fleet and Wake).

Between the various plane folders I hope to include all the aircraft involved.

(2) to bring in whatever hi-res planes aircraft there are available, skinned for the appropriate carrier or land air group, Update loadouts and ordnance.

(3) to create 3D carrier models for the US and Japanese fleet, and better 3d models for battleships, cruisers and destroyers using the PAW multipart models.

(4) to redo the historical missions for the new single mission setup so that each aircraft can have a mission sequence.

With the plane folder setup, and the 1,000 tmod slots now available this is now doable.

This by the way, I never knew until now:

"Three U.S. airmen, Ensign Wesley Osmus (pilot, Yorktown), Ensign Frank O'Flaherty (pilot, Enterprise) and Aviation Machinist's Mate B. F. (or B. P.) Bruno Gaido (radioman-gunner of O'Flaherty's SBD) were captured by the Japanese during the battle. Osmus was held on the Arashi, with O'Flaherty and Gaido on the cruiser Nagara (or destroyer Makigumo, sources vary); all three were interrogated, and then killed by being tied to water-filled kerosene cans and thrown overboard to drown. The report filed by Admiral Nagumo tersely states of Ensign Osmus, "He died on 6 June and was buried at sea"; O'Flaherty and Gaido's fates were not mentioned."

So I will dedicate this make over to Osmus, O'Flaherty, and Gaido.

I sent the Devastator, now I'm working on a hi-res Avenger.

Can you post a list of all the aircraft you intend to include?

I am happy to try to make a 140 version in parallel.
It is really a matter of converting the aircraft skins and the flight models, plus making a split weapons/hrdpoint.dat set-up.
For me the advantage is the dedicated torpedo mission, and other features not in the 1.29 version.
The only request would be that skin files are complete, not reliant on files in the 3d.cdf, and no cross referencing other slots in the 3dz headers.


A few weeks ago I was at the Changi Memorial in Singapore. I noticed a dedication to some Avenger crew who were captured on the Palembang raid, and executed by the Japanese instead of being released after the surrender. My brother was most upset by that incident, as he flew on that raid.

http://cmwarstories.blogspot.fr/2007/04 ... -nine.html

Hello Ray,

The complete plane list is looking like this:

USN Fleet: Wildcat F4F-4, Dauntless SBD-3, Devastator TBD. At Midway: PBY5, (and PBY5A if available), Avenger TBF

USMC Midway: Wildcat F4F-3, Dauntless SBD-1, Vindicator SB2U

USAAC Midway: B17E, B26A, B24 (late inthe day missions against Wake)

IJN Main Carrier Fleet and also Zuiho: Zero, Kate, Val

IJN Other Fleet based: Hosho: Jean, Chitose: Rufe, Battleships: Dave, Pete

IJN Land/Atoll based (Wake etc): Betty. Mavis, Emily.

Interesting things to think about:

undercarriage for amphibious PBY,

launching floatplanes from battleships (have an idea how this could be done by using PAW model as a "base" and positioning launching ramp as elevated carrier takeoff point.

Jel wrote:I am happy to try to make a 140 version in parallel.
It is really a matter of converting the aircraft skins and the flight models, plus making a split weapons/hrdpoint.dat set-up.
For me the advantage is the dedicated torpedo mission, and other features not in the 1.29 version.
The only request would be that skin files are complete, not reliant on files in the 3d.cdf, and no cross referencing other slots in the 3dz headers.

Hello Jel,

Happy for you to make a 140 conversion, once I have a package.

I am trying to undo the old bodges as I encounter them so that all planes are autonomous in their own slots.

Jel wrote: A few weeks ago I was at the Changi Memorial in Singapore. I noticed a dedication to some Avenger crew who were captured on the Palembang raid, and executed by the Japanese instead of being released after the surrender. My brother was most upset by that incident, as he flew on that raid.

http://cmwarstories.blogspot.fr/2007/04 ... -nine.html

The Pacific war could be truly awful. Some of the things done beggar belief.

Still unseasonably cold here so the home improvement project is on hold.

I can do a Vindicator after I finish the Avenger.

Thanks.

Any way you might work an undercarriage into the existing PBY model? Would be broadly similar to the Wildcat model I would think except for the nosewheel.

Will sum up what I already have in terms of hires or improved models later.

I'll take a look at the PBY.

The Kates are almost done. I'm waiting for Ray to do the corrected radio antenna then I just have to test them. I've changed the m.3dz in the base skin set because it really is more Stuka than Kate. The replacement is part of the test. I've also started the Brewster by fixing the front by reassigning the B and C.3dzs to bex.pcx and cex.pcx. The rest is rather straight forward.

I'm also looking at the TBF but that one needs a bit of modding so the fuselage codes aren't mirrored.

M

P.S. Jell , an Irish friends father was a POW at Changi. He went into the bag when Singapore fell. His last name was Sparks.

Mike, you can't switch the B and C of the Brewster to BEX and CEX since the canopy is attached and it needs a corresponding transparency file. You'd have to use the textures MEX, PEX, SEX or TEX.

On this model the prop is using the PEX texture, the B and C are pointing to the SEX texture and A is pointing to the TEX texture. That leaves the MEX texture open if you point the M.3dz to another texture file. I'm not sure if that's allowable under the 1.4 naming convention so you should check with Jel.

What's screwing things up is the A.3dz. Normally the tail doesn't have a need for a transparency so it can use the AEX designation but I had to put some of the cockpit glass on there due to the design of the aircraft.

Also, on the TBF you won't be able to make a non-mirrored A.3dz without a total makeover of the texture and a remap. However, the rudder is set up for non-mirrored textures and the F.3dz is set up for non-mirrored textures too.

I'll add the antenna wires to the Kate tomorrow. I'm somewhat traumatized today as it was "tax filing day" here. I was just going to hang myself from a rafter but I see you guys still need me so I'll put it off..................for now.