OK. Thinking of Taking the Mod Plunge. Recommendations?

[Treetop64]

So here's the thing. Been sitting on the fence about this for years.

I'm not generally against modding. There are outstanding mods of professional quality for other games. For example, I never run Silent Hunter IV without the Real Fleet Boat and Run Silent, Run Deep mods. Dangerous Waters would have long since been deleted and collecting dust if it weren't for the LWAMI realism mods. The Power & Glory mod for GTR2 is a product of consistent and extremely high quality. However, I've long resisted installing mods for IL-2. Why? There are many reasons for that but here are just a few:

> IL-2 is a game that still(!) enjoys robust official support and gets new and improved content with each update. The vanilla version of 1946 is already full and rich out of the box, and it gets richer when infused with v4.11.1. Yet more goodness is inbound in the form of v4.12. IL-2 left unmodded is still a very good piece of kit any way you look at it.

> The particularly fractured nature of modding within the IL-2 community turns me off from using the mods, frankly. Usually you witness modding unite as well as expand a community, especially for games that no longer enjoy official support. Not here. The community has certainly expanded but the unity that used to make this community stand out has dissolved. Now you have different "camps" that seldom communicate with each other, except here in the yellow room on occasion.

> Many of us have read countless discussions over the years on how such-and-such aircraft flies and one's opinion on how it should fly, regardless of the abilities (or lack thereof) of the person flying the aircraft. The last thing I want to install is someone's idea of how their favorite aircraft should fly.

> One of the things that I truly appreciate about the entire IL-2 series is it's smoothness of performance, and near-total reliability. It's nice to be able to open an application and use it until your head falls on the keyboard from exhaustion, and not ever have to worry for a second about issues of instability. I can count on one hand how many times IL-2 has crashed since I first got version 1 back in 2003, and most of those times it was caused by something else on the computer, not IL-2 itself. Visiting the various mod site forums gave me the impression that I would spend more time tweaking than flying if I installed any of their work. Or suffer huge hits in performance because someone doesn't know how to make something suitably efficient while still having the same desired effect, or adds a ton of needless fluff - which leads me to a final point...

> More doesn't necessarily mean better. Just because one pack boasts more stuff than the other doesn't mean it's any better. I value quality over quantity. I'd rather possess two or three nice things than twenty or thirty mediocre ones. I live by this mantra.

The concerns stated above are the main reasons why I haven't committed to any mods. I've tried a few and seen others but mostly came away unimpressed, seeing that it changed something but didn't necessarily improve what it changed, and it's not worth the trouble. That was a while ago however, and I've noticed an appreciable leap in quality in some mods lately. I still prefer an ala-carte approach to installing individual mods. I'd like to steer clear of the large mega-mods as I'm afraid it's going to introduce a lot of stuff I either won't notice, or don't want or need.

Having said all of that, what mods would moddites recommend to someone like me, now exclusively an offliner? Which individual mods do you think are the absolute, gold medal, "can't live without" essentials to enhancing the IL-2 experience? If someone shoved a barrel of a .38 in your ear and forced you to pick a mega-mod, which one would you pick, and why?

Thanks for reading! :)

[fruitbat]

HSFX 6.

Its imo by far the best option.

1) its 4.11 based.

2) nothing else is, and to make custom installs and making sure everything is compatible is a pita sometimes.

I highly doubt you'll be disappointed with HSFX 6 from reading your posts over the years, (it also has 2 ways of using it, without expert mode enabled, all stock stuff is stock regarding fm/dm).

EDIT Pm sent.

[Bearcat]

What he said...

[GF_Mastiff]

yea treetop you will enjoy it.

[Asheshouse]

HSFX6 is currently the way to go, cause its the only mod pack which can be installed on v4.11

Best way is to copy your existing installation into a new folder and rename it IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 - HSFX6 (or something like that)

If your OS is Win7 do not nave the installation in the Program Files folder.

Install the HSFX6 files over the new copy of the installation.

Follow the instructions with the pack.

[CWMV]

Yes but if as you said you don't want to use the large packs then 4.10.1 with SAS modact is the way to go.
Installing mods one at a time let's you learn the process better then just extracting a modpack and then enabling via jsgme.
It's howany of us got started using mods. I didn't want anything that effected the FM's but I did want effects and sounds and maps. Modact let me do that.
Then I realised that most of the stock fm's were questionable, and then I started getting into the good stuff.

[Bearcat]

Not for nothing and no disrespect towards the above poster or SAS ... but stick with HSFX. If for no other reason than it is compatible with 4.11.1 and from my understanding will always be compatible with the stock version. It is also designed with online competition in mind.. From where I sit HSFX is the best chance there is to bring some kind of uniformity to this whole thing and a true best of both worlds scenario. UP, DBW & SAS as good as they may very well be as products.. (I always thought that graphics wise UP had the better product.. I don't know why bit it just seems to pop to me.. not that HSFX does not look very good as well.. ) the fact that they are not compatible with the stock sim makes a huge difference to me because TD+HSFX=One very large relatively unified block of material for the sim that s always going to be pretty much current with official versions.

That to me is more important than having each little mod that want or 79 variants of one plane..

[CWMV]

Well he is an exclusivly off line player, his words not mine.
Your preference for HSFX is based on a critera that he doesn't need.
If the OP must have 4.11 then he does have the option of HSFX or customised modact install. SAS has a set of beta buttons and modact working well, and it seems that the majority of the more "important" mods work well in it.

The funny part is that the mod community is already pretty well.unified and working together. SAS and UP are now two sides of the same thing, UP for online and DBW for offline. And now Beowulf has freemodding going full steam ahead working in cooperation with both SAS and UP.

And then theres HSFX over there by its lonsome self.

Bearcat, respectfully I think you may be misleading him with one part of your statement in that you talk of HSFX compatibility with the stock game. I'm not sure what you mean. One could easily take that as meaning HSFX is compatible playing with people who are running the stock game online. Not quite sure if that's true. Otherwise it is exactly the same as any other modpack, it alters the game for a specific goal: DBW for offline, UP for dogfight, and hsfx for coop.

[Bearcat]

Nope that's not what I meant by compatibility .. point taken.. and I think that he knows that .. stock is stock.. but you have a good point.. To clarify, when I say compatibility I mean that it works on top of the now most current version of the sim.. correct me if I am wrong but doesn't UP currently only work with 4.10.1? I read where there were issues trying to get it to work right with 4.11.. some mods worked and others did not.. ? HSFX is not all by it's lonesome.. For me.. the fact that it works with the stock sim .. is important .. As I said not to take anything away from SAS, UP or DBW or B Dub.. who is a longtime time friend of mine and actually opened up the door for me as far as skinning goes by taking the time to explain it to me on Vent one night.. but I think staying connected with the stock sim is important.. and I also think that HSFX is just as good in DFs as UP or the SAS MA..

[ACE-OF-ACES]

Bearcat, respectfully I think you may be misleading him with one part of your statement in that you talk of HSFX compatibility with the stock game. I'm not sure what you mean. One could easily take that as meaning HSFX is compatible playing with people who are running the stock game online. Not quite sure if that's true.
Oh it is true!

Any stock 411.1 server can be joined with the HSFX 6.0 mod enabled..

The only time you can NOT join a stock 411.1 game is when you have the EXPERT mode also enabled, and/or if the server enables the crt=2.

That is the neat thing about HSFX sticking close to the official TD/1C updates

Where as UP decided to go their own way making their own version of the game..

A true fork in the road..

That is to say with each official TD/1C update UP gets further and further away from the stock version of the game..

So it is inaccurate to say that HSFX is over there by its lonesome self..

Because HSFX is on the same side of the fence as the official TD/1C version of the game..

Which IMHO is good company! S!

[CWMV]

"This message is hidden because ACE-OF-ACES is on your ignore list. "
I think if more people used this function these boards would be far more civil!

I see what you mean Bearcat. Yes you are correct that HSFX is the only one currently designed for 4.11 (except Modact custom installs).

The only issue with UP in 4.11 is that it flat out isn't designed for it. I couldn't believe it when I saw people asking why it wouldn't work right in 4.11! (Jeeze guys, RTFM!!!).

There are actually a good bit of mods that work with 4.11 despite being made for 4.10.1 and even 4.09 and earlier. As long as they don't modify classfiles they seem to work well. But using a mod built on the classfiles from earlier games in 4.11 is just asking for trouble.

Personally I had lost my initial desire to stay connected with the stock sim. The attitude of some TD members and these very forums regarding the mods that have in fact kept this sim as popular and up to date as it is was revolting. That has since mellowed quite a bit, probably helps that Oleg has left the building.
additionally the fact that TD has made some really needed additions lately like AI and 6dof (which were already present in mods) has warmed me to them and I look forward to seeing my favored modpacks updated to the new version-but its no deal breaker for me.

I know you didn't mean to take anything away from the other packs, HSFX is your current fav as DBW is mine, and this advocacy on our parts reflects our game play styles.
For the record though, since the removal of coop support from UP I think HSFX probably has it beat there and I'm sure does airquake servers just as well, but for offline there is no beating DBW or modact. Just the fact that I can install and run flawlessly any campaign ever made for IL2 for the last 10 years makes it so.

You know OP, this really is a bad spot to ask about such things.
Why not go to the 242sqn website (home of HSFX as far as I know), SAS1946 or UltraPack and look at what each has to offer?
Beta 4.11 buttons and modact:
http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,21351.0.html
SAS New members question section:
http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/board,204.0.html


But Im tellin you, for offline you cant beat DBW or Modact!
:cool:

[fruitbat]

But Im tellin you, for offline you cant beat DBW or Modact!
:cool:

Disagree for one reason, but its a big one, and thats the 4.11 AI.

If your only playing offline, then playing without the 4.11 AI is crazy to me.

If/when DBW is 4.11 based, then i'd agree, for an offliner.

[CWMV]

I'll give you that, even the mod AI leaves something to be desired.
But if I went to 4.11 with HSFX I'd be limiting myself in content. Some of the best campaings were made for older game versions, which I can run in dbw. And let's not forget DCG. Although the generator may be compatible with 4.11, I'm not sure if the missions would be with the change in content.
So if its a choice between AI and a huge variety of missions and campaings ill go with the latter.

[Bearcat]

I see what you mean Bearcat. Yes you are correct that HSFX is the only one currently designed for 4.11 (except Modact custom installs).

The only issue with UP in 4.11 is that it flat out isn't designed for it. I couldn't believe it when I saw people asking why it wouldn't work right in 4.11! (Jeeze guys, RTFM!!!).

There are actually a good bit of mods that work with 4.11 despite being made for 4.10.1 and even 4.09 and earlier. As long as they don't modify classfiles they seem to work well. But using a mod built on the classfiles from earlier games in 4.11 is just asking for trouble.

Personally I had lost my initial desire to stay connected with the stock sim. The attitude of some TD members and these very forums regarding the mods that have in fact kept this sim as popular and up to date as it is was revolting. That has since mellowed quite a bit, probably helps that Oleg has left the building.
additionally the fact that TD has made some really needed additions lately like AI and 6dof (which were already present in mods) has warmed me to them and I look forward to seeing my favored modpacks updated to the new version-but its no deal breaker for me.

I know you didn't mean to take anything away from the other packs, HSFX is your current fav as DBW is mine, and this advocacy on our parts reflects our game play styles.
For the record though, since the removal of coop support from UP I think HSFX probably has it beat there and I'm sure does airquake servers just as well, but for offline there is no beating DBW or modact. Just the fact that I can install and run flawlessly any campaign ever made for IL2 for the last 10 years makes it so.

You know OP, this really is a bad spot to ask about such things.
Why not go to the 242sqn website (home of HSFX as far as I know), SAS1946 or UltraPack and look at what each has to offer?
Beta 4.11 buttons and modact:
http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,21351.0.html
SAS New members question section:
http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/board,204.0.html


But Im tellin you, for offline you cant beat DBW or Modact!
:cool:

To me those are important things.. and frankly I like the way 6DoF is implemented in the stock sim better than any mod version I used.. The new AI is great.. the enhanced QMB is also a thing of beauty to me.. As I said.. for me compatibility with the stock sim will always be a key.. and after what AoA said even more so!!

As for this not being a good place to ask... I disagree with that also.. I think it is just as good as any .. and even more so because it is not directly affiliated with any one mod group to the degree that SAS, UP & Free Modding is.. and again.. don't get me wrong.. I think that all 3 sites have their place.. but that HSFX is the one that sticks closest to what my vision of the modded sim was after I got over the initial WTF moments.. If any of you will recall back in the day I was one of those anti mod guys too because I saw what mods did in other sims.. but once I saw that the sky was not falling and it was going to be ok I became an advocate for the type of modding that HSFX does.. This sim community needs an HSFX .. just lioke it needs a Free Modding world to stretch the boundaries .. and an SAS & UP to fir in between.. that's my take..

[Treetop64]

I downloaded HSFX and tried it out for a few days. Mainly flew just German fighters and Russian attack aircraft so far...

Loved most of the cockpit work, especially those of the German machines, and the FW-190 cockpits in particular. Regarding the latter, I was quite surprised how much of an improvement they were, considering that the default cockpits for the 190s are already very good. Love the new instrumentation on all the aircraft I visited, especially the Revue Thommen clocks in the German fighters! I didn't like the re-textured cockpits for the IL-2 though, as I though they were disappointingly "over-textured", and went overboard on the wear and tear, dirt and grime look, especially on the instrument panel (though again, the instruments themselves look great). Honestly, it didn't look good, and I preferred the default cockpit over this one. The cockpits for the early Yaks and LaGGs were definite improvements, though.

The new MiG-3 visual model and the skins are incredible! Nice to finally see the split ailerons. Would have been nice to see the I-185's cockpit incorporated into the new MiG - with the necessary changes to the cockpit framing - instead of a re-textured, old default cockpit.

The new engine cowlings are great, and an essential "must-have", if you ask me. Especially on the FW-190s. Amazing how such a simple visual change makes such a drastic improvement on the overall appearance of the aircraft. Impressive. The new propeller hubs on the Russian fighters are nice, too, but almost to the point of drawing attention to itself , which is what you don't want. Yak-1 still needs a revised windscreen profile...

The effects are great, and done tastefully, thankfully avoiding the route of going overboard and turning the game into a Michael Bay gaseous explosion fest. Smoke and Flak bursts are rendered at long distances - Nice! Didn't like the Flak burst sounds, though. Often times you hear them and they sound like exploding tool sheds. Should have stuck with default sounds here.

Most of the other sounds are done well, though. Sounds are probably some of the hardest things to get right. Inside and out, the engine sounds for the 109s and 190s are quite well done, especially the low RPM sounds for the 109. They nailed the sounds for the FW-190. Brilliant! It's hard to gauge the sounds for the liquid engined Russian fighters as hardly anyone alive has ever heard an actual, WWII vintage Klimov or Mikulin running in an aircraft, with their respective exhaust systems. They sound convincing enough, though. However, it has to be said that the default sounds for the late model I-16s do a pretty good job of conveying what these little buggers actually sound like. The new mod sounds for them are good, but it's not what they sound like.

All the new and improved auxiliary aounds are a nice touch (canopy ejections, electrically and pneumatically articulated control surfaces and gear, wind buffeting for closed-canopy aircraft, airframe strain during high-G maneuvers 'before' something actually snaps or breaks, etc.)

I generally didn't like the changes to the environment. The new ground textures look good enough, but I do almost all of my flying over Russian steppes, and it was nowhere near as cultivated as the new textures make them appear, so I chose default. Frankly, I hated the work done to the clouds. I know that the default clouds aren't the greatest, but now we have default cumulus mixed with gigantic cotton balls pretending to be cumulonimbus, with their bottoms touching the ground. The default cirrus clouds shouldn't have been touched - they were already good. Instead, we now have cirrus clouds so densely rendered that the resultant repeating tile effect in the sky reminds me of a tiled ceiling more than anything else! "Clouds=0" brings the cumulus back to old-school values, but the tiled ceiling effect from the cirrus is still there...

The incorporation of 'Theater of War' objects to the ground objects roster was a nice touch, especially for the AFVs. Would like to see more of the "Summer Grey" scheme used on German AFV's, though, as well as the inclusion of the PzIII-F with the 37mm gun.

I was really impressed by 'some' of the maps, chiefly, Murmansk, the big version of the Channel map (what's the point of having a 1/3 scale map anyway...?), the Phillipines, Burma, and Borneo (wow!).

There's a ton more I could go over but this post would be far longer than it already is.

In summary, if I could only install parts of the mod that I like, and leave out parts that I don't like or want, I would be a happy camper indeed. But with HSFX 6.0 I have to take almost all the bad with the good, and honestly I rather not deal with that. It does offer some flexibility as far as choosing which mods you want and don't want, but even after exercising that, there was still a lot of stuff I noticed that I'd rather not have in the game. I'd rather pick and choose specific mods to use, instead than making wholesale changes with a mod-pack.

[Bearcat]

If that's the case then the SAS Mod Act is for you..

[Treetop64]

If that's the case then the SAS Mod Act is for you..

Then I have to revert back to an older version of the game to use the mod activator. This goes back to the point you were making about compatibility with v4.11.1. If I had to use a mod then, for now at least, it would be HSFX v6.0. Otherwise it would be 1946 v4.11.1 unmodded. I'm not reverting back to an older version of the game just to use some mods, v4.11.1 is too good for that.

I'm likely just going to stick with game unmodded for now, until more flexible mod options are available. Moreover, when v4.12 comes out it will render all current mods redundant anyway. Most will want to use the new version of the game than stick with mods on an older version.

I just wish DT would do something about the old, "been there since v1.10" cockpits, and add the Philippine and Borneo maps. I can live with everything else! :grin:

[CWMV]

But wait, no you don't!

The link I posted above is to a post by Anto detailing the SAS beta 4.11 buttons (IE FM files for the aircraft in game). In this post he links the the 4.11 modact posted over at freemodding.

There are lots of guys playing with 4.11 modact installs, poke around SAS and you'll see.

"Most will want to use the new version of the game than stick with mods on an older version."
Man, wait till you see some of the 4.09 holdouts! Really the farther you get into mods the less relevant the new releases become.

[ACE-OF-ACES]

I'm likely just going to stick with game unmodded for now, until more flexible mod options are available.
HSFX is flexible..

Allow me.. A little background aka history

In the begging there were mods..

Where you could pick and choose the individual mods you wanted to use..

Problem was there were alot of conflicts between mods whith resulted in all sorts of problems..

Which got even messier when you tried to play online with others.. In such cases you typically had to ensure that everyone was using the same mods.. If not only to be fair, but in some case for it to flat out work (ie allow you to join)!

A real pain in the A!

From that pain the idea of a 'mod pack' arose..

Where 'a group' decided which mods to include in the mod pack..

And made sure there were no conflicts between the mods.. If there were they fixed the conflicts.. And even went as far as to add other features (their own mods) to the mod pack..

This mod pack approached opened up the 'mod world' to those who were not savvy enough to figure out how to fix the conflicts on their own..

You know the types, those who are not even sure where to install the mod because they are not even sure where the game is installed on their hard drive (read alot if not most users).

The down side to mod packs is some of that flexibility you had with individual mods was lost.. But the up side far outweighs that IMHO

That and you can still install individual mods into mod packs..

For example, HSFX comes with such a mod, where after you enable the HSFX mod, you can enable the STOCK sounds mods, that in essance replaces the HSFX sound mods with the orginal STOCK sounds, should you not like the HSFX mod sounds..

As time goes by, alot of those 4.09 and 4.10 specific mods that don't work with 4.11.1 will be ported over..

At which point you will be able to 'taylor' HSFX 6.0 to your liking by including the individual specific mods.. Even if they replace a simiular mod that 'the group' put into the baseline of HSFX 6.0. Just like the sound mod example listed above.. Just like you could in the old days before mod packs.. Granted with some limits.

So in summary

We lost a little flexibility but we gained a much larger base of players by having a unified mod pack base

That and with HSFX 6.0 ability to join STOCK 4.11.1 game servers.. Where you can be using mods and be playing right along side those people in the server who are not using mods..

It is really the best of both worlds and the only way to go IMHO because you can stay current with the official 1C/TD updates and patches while enjoying advantage that mods provide.

[Bearcat]

.. and might I add that those advantages are not "cheats" .. Like AoA said if a server doesnot want mods then they have options to prevent them from being used.. If you join a stock 4.11 server.. and the mission builder used all stock planes.. then you can't use a mod plane.. because the mod planes have different designations from the stock planes..

[Bearcat]

Oh it is true!

Any stock 411.1 server can be joined with the HSFX 6.0 mod enabled..

The only time you can NOT join a stock 411.1 game is when you have the EXPERT mode also enabled, and/or if the server enables the crt=2.

That is the neat thing about HSFX sticking close to the official TD/1C updates

Where as UP decided to go their own way making their own version of the game..

A true fork in the road..

That is to say with each official TD/1C update UP gets further and further away from the stock version of the game..

So it is inaccurate to say that HSFX is over there by its lonesome self..

Because HSFX is on the same side of the fence as the official TD/1C version of the game..

Which IMHO is good company! S!

I tested this out tonight and it is true. 99th_QBall has a thing we do that is a lot of fun with a full switch DF and he uses stock 4.11.1. He uses the stock plane set and I joined tonight with 6.0 with no problem so I got my tiger sounds, my waving flags, and my no map frame and all the stock goodness. Expert mode? No joy. Tomorrow we will check with CRT 2 just to know. I had a ball ....

[ACE-OF-ACES]

I tested this out tonight and it is true.
Was there ever any doubt? ;)

And know that it is by no accident!

It was by intentional design that the HSFX guys made their mod pack compatible with the current stock version of the game!

Which was no small effort!

It took a lot of work and testing on HFSX's part to do this!

PS As noted in the readme, HSFX's expert mode mod is it's own version of the game, and thus not compatible with the current stock version of the game. That is to say you will only be able to join HSFX 6.0 Expert Mode servers when you enable Expert Mode mod. Which I highly recommend you try sometime! The new HSFX FMs are 2nd to none! They are done by an actual aerospace engineer who is currently working as an aerospace engineer for a large airplane company in Europe.

[fruitbat]

At the moment there is a small bug joining a few maps with HSFX in standard mode and 4.11, of the top of my head, Ardenne, Balaton and Stalingrad.

This has been addressed in the upcoming bugfix patch, and i have checked and it now works fine.

[Bearcat]

Was there ever any doubt? ;)

And know that it is by no accident!

It was by intentional design that the HSFX guys made their mod pack compatible with the current stock version of the game!

Which was no small effort!

It took a lot of work and testing on HFSX's part to do this!

PS As noted in the readme, HSFX's expert mode mod is it's own version of the game, and thus not compatible with the current stock version of the game. That is to say you will only be able to join HSFX 6.0 Expert Mode servers when you enable Expert Mode mod. Which I highly recommend you try sometime! The new HSFX FMs are 2nd to none! They are done by an actual aerospace engineer who is currently working as an aerospace engineer for a large airplane company in Europe.

Yeah I have been using EM since it came out.. It is pretty nice.

[Treetop64]

What exactly is "Expert Mode"? What does it do, and what is expert about it? How does it differ from HSFX standard mode, and from the stock game itself?

Thanks.

[Asheshouse]

Expert Mode - First introduced in HSFX5. This is from the HSFX5 Readme

EXPERT mode


Highly recommended that you try this.

Developed for SEOW but the same changes should be universally applicable.

This Switcher Option activates Aachens FULL FM's. (see full explanation below)

Custom ini's (see below, Ground and Ships) reduce load and we believe, make the ground and naval war more realistic. Tanks, Guns & Infantry perform more efficiently and historically in relation to each other. Outcomes of Naval battles are more as you might expect them to be, naval AAA uses effective rather than maximum ranges.
Ranges are usually less and reload times longer, so you can have more objects in missions or you can turn up the RoF settings.

The blast radius of larger Kilo bombs are equalized out so that IJN and Soviet bombs display similar blast characteristics to LW ordinance. (Not sure why they should have been so radically different, the power is similar, but the blast radius were radically different for the same amount of explosives.

Because this is its own unique net version we were able to enable a few extra opening Canopies for this option as the incompatibility that creates the smoke bug should not arise.

This is NOT compatible online with the Stock Game (you will not be able to join), it effectively turns HSFX into its own Net version. You will not be able to join Stock games with it, and stock games will not be able to join you. Host and Client both have to be running this Option with its own HSFXv5.0 net version to use this compatibly Online.

This Option allows us to explore a lot of new options without compromising the stock game, Oleg's FM's or the online community.

( note : If you drag the buttons or other files from this into your stock game version piecemeal because you like a specific FM etc, you will get a no boot.
This is deliberate. )


Aachens Flight Models



A little Background:-



Aachen is a professional Aircraft design engineer, we were not sure if we wanted to go in this direction at first, but were so impressed by how much closer to what we have read flying some of these aircraft and fighting in them has come, that it was inconceivable to go back.



We hope that you share the views of the many 'test-pilots'. You retain a choice still anyhow. Using the full work is strictly optional.



Note:-

In Stock Configuration Oleg's Flyables are all Stock (by Oleg or TD) although all new aircraft * that Aachen has worked on have his FM's also.



In 'Expert Mode' All of the aircraft below use Aachens FM's.

We have altered the Netcode and the encryption for this mode, so that players cannot use the modified ‘Stock’ FM’s on stock servers.



Those that play online require very reasonably that everybody is playing with the same.

Expert mode is to protect this desire.

[zoomar]

I've been modding with the HSFX series as well, and 6.0 works fine for me. I also am primarily an offline player and HFXS seems to work just fine for offline play. No knock on the other modpacks, but HSFX also is a very easy install. I am by no means comfortable messing with the innards of programs and I've heard the others require a little more effort and...courage. Just make sure you make clean backups of your stock 4.11.1 in case something messes up. You can also use the backups to try out the SAS packs and DBW, which I believe are a bit more complete than HSFX. I will probably do that sometime myself.

[MOH_Hirth]

I strong recommend the DBW super-pack, is the biggest, fantastic and complete colection, here the torrent, torrent is the best way to download big files and dont have problems with corrupted files:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/raukorpi/DBW_SuperPack.torrent

is very simple to install: IL-2 1946 4.07 > to latest DBW171

http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,21514.0.html

I am in mod since 2004 and believe me, this is the best mod packs in all times.

[fly_zo]

... learn mod structure , edit via gimp or PShop and you can have game exactly as you like it .

Even with mod packs you can revert "default" mods simply by reverse modding process ( place original "vanilla"/customized files in MODS or #SAS# or UP folder ... respecting game files order)


Get "sfs_extractor_v2.0_beta_11" ... extract all sfs files (found in main vanilla game root folder) anywhere on your hdd ... and you'll have most of the default files editable with respected file structure. Also for tga's - get TGA converter so you can edit them in PS/Gimp.

None of graphic editing is crt2 sensitive ( only hashed files are ...those which look like this 00A5F952A58045D8 )

cheers
Z

[Bearcat]

Hey Zo how"ve you been? Good to see you.

[fly_zo]

Hey Zo how"ve you been? Good to see you.

same all, same all ...

glad to see you're still very much active in IL2 community

cheers
Z

.. to get back on topic ,
just as flying/playing IL2 /AEP/PF/1946 demands constant learning same thing applies to mission building , skinning, modding etc. So having any "locked" mod pack won't cut it cos sooner or later you'll want more customized stuff ( IMHO)

[MOH_Hirth]

Hey Zo how"ve you been? Good to see you.

+1! Very good see you, thank you for all the huge list of great mod works (Cockpits, maps...)

[fly_zo]

+1! Very good see you, thank you for all the huge list of great mod works (Cockpits, maps...)


cheers m8 , you're very welcome :-)

... if i remember it well you have pretty decent list of produced mods too ;-)

Z

[Fenice_1965]

Any stock 411.1 server can be joined with the HSFX 6.0 mod enabled.
At the moment, at least as far as I've experienced, there's no total comaptibility between HSFX 6 and stock servers.
There are still some spawn problems with HSFX in stock servers, with planes spawning on the opposite side and also kickings at airstarts using 4 engines bombers.
Hope that they will address them in the future because compatibility with stock is one of the strongest elements of difference from UP.

[Treetop64]

Hey, Zo! Good to see you again.

I still remember the sensation your sig caused in the Ubizoo when we first saw it there. I wonder how she looks now, though...? Lol.

[fly_zo]

Hey, Zo! Good to see you again.

I still remember the sensation your sig caused in the Ubizoo when we first saw it there. I wonder how she looks now, though...? Lol.


he, he , he ... i bet she could use some modding as well ;-)

cheers m8

Z

[MicroWave]

Hi zo, nice to see you again.

[fly_zo]

Hi zo, nice to see you again.


thanks m8 :-)

and many thanks for all new goods from you and FC ... keep them comming please ...they are greatly appreciated .


Z