Official Fulqrum Publishing forum - CoD disappointing in skinning matters!

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- - CoD disappointing in skinning matters! (http://forum.fulqrumpublishing.com/showthread.php?t=19438)

Skinning has added lots to the old IL2 franchise, allowing historical missions to be flown using schemes relevant to the theatre in question.

Personally I think it will be a great shame and possibly a mistake that there will very little scope for custom skins as the only add to the game.

I have concerns over the default weathering program (I will hold judgement until I have the game) but combat aircraft are not clean and shiney, they are dirty and sooty.

Having several default schemes may suit, but even the 'standard' Scheme A&B had differances, be it roundels, panel refits, altered camo etc and it would be nice to have that option available, having clean and dirty sections, replaced rivets etc.

Just my humble two peneth worth

Hi Chris.. how you doing?
Yes, it will be a great shame if we have lost the ability to use custom skins... that ability really helped to extend the believability of a squadron identity online for us in EAF 19, using many of your skins for example.. Get in touch mate, need to catch up, I'm out of the country quite alot these days with work commitments etc, haven't chatted in ages..

Will do Dave, will be on Skype some time tomorrow evening (between 7-8:30ish)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheruskerarmin (Post 239675)

THX for your replies.

Is there anyone amongst you who made skins for Il-2?

I and many others spent a lot of time making high quality skins for the IL-2 community. Fitting historical based campaigns with historical based skins of course is of interest for the single player only. There are many single players only i guess.
Behind all this work there's a lot of research work i think only those involved can imagine really. This is even fun for the bunch of mission builders and skinners, we enjoy the sim in this way too.
Creating each screw, each shadow and line all by ourselves was a real challenge - and looked far better than the most ugly default skins that
came with the game once.
The reason skins were more ugly when zooming in is the resolution of just 1024 x 1024 in the old sim. You couldn't get some details displaying well,
mapping with stretching and warping on some 3D models did their
cause too. This isn't a mistake of the skinner.

I think you all will see the ingame coded skin layers will again not look as well as high quality ones made by skinners. The game generated rivet/panel lines will i. e. always display on top of the skin file, you can't get i. e. selfmade paint chipping or weathering (i. e. exhaust smoke) on top of these then.
This reduces the possibilities of a realistic look.
Of course there are some mapping problems when making lines and rivets by yourself, these were
occuring in the old sim too. There are of course limits in anyway, not in skinning matters alone.

I'm not critizing the fact there is a game generated lines and rivets layer, but
i'm critizing it cannot be turned off optionally (thx major setback!). Why is this nonsense?
Why does it need ignorant or arrogant smelling replies?
They made it with the weathering layers too, can't be a big problem.

The fact it is wellknown for months now to be this way doesn't hinder me
to talk about it, and i can assure you there are many others who dislike this
too. The true reason behind this is to avoid or complicate modding - this is what i think.
I'm a non-modder and i'm quite sure it is just a matter of time when there are mods for CoD too.
The fixed rivets/panel lines will not prevent that.

Ok. I apologise for my earlier post. I've used many great skins made for il-2. In fact it was one of the joys of the game to be able to collect and choose between such a great collection of skins created by the community.

I had no idea of potential problems with the new system.

Having said that, I can still see the logic of having panel lines and rivets nailed down as part of the stucture of the aircraft. I really hope that with time and more familiarity with the new system you guys can create something really great for CoD too.

Respect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kendo65 (Post 240133)

Having said that, I can still see the logic of having panel lines and rivets nailed down as part of the stucture of the aircraft.

What is this "logic" you talk of? Ahh just googled it:

"The study of the principles of reasoning, especially of the structure of propositions as distinguished from their content and of method and validity in deductive reasoning."

Bahh, it has no place on this forum! Leave your "logic" at the door please.

:rolleyes:

Can someone explan the problem here to me?

You have a Mk1 Spitfire, you can paint it anyway you see fit.

Is this about people wanting to change the body work?

The only real arrogance here cheruskerarmin is yours.

This is a simulator not WOP and you are more than welcome to paint up your 109 in any way that you see fit.

But it's still a 109 and once you start deciding the real panels and rivets should be repositioned your way and not historically then it becomes NOT a 109 and I could care less how good you think you are at it, it still won't be any more a 109 once you're through.

Meanwhile, we would have to put up with every Windows Paint hack out there like some gay disco.

How on earth can it not possibly be enough that you can paint it any way you wish just as if you were actually in a Duxford hangar in 1940 with free reign and millions of colours? You just don't get to redesign the plane with odd-shaped panels and odd sized rivets.

And I'm the arrogant one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CharveL (Post 240268)

This is the most ridiculous fanboi post yet.

Lets reflect back a few years shall we? The former state of aircraft release skins of many planes by Maddox and 1C was WRONG! The adjustments of skins and the true historical corrections made by the people in this community have perpetuated IL2 for many years. Skinning, Modding and non official patches have kept alive what we so cherish. The ignorance of some of the posts here is amazing to say the least.Sure you can pull the so called "Gay Disco" paint scheme card from your hat and walk away like you said something intelligent or even relevant to this conversation... but its not. Along with the few kid/amateur paint schemes out there ,there are 100's of historical recreations and corrections done for free by history lovers and IL2 enthusiats.

All Armin is trying to say here is that the system that 1C and Maddox has introduced , has taken away from the owners and enthusiast of IL2 the ablility to expand upon it. Just as we have so done for many years in the past. One of the reasons IL2 is still alive and 1C has made money on it still to this day is because of US!!! The Skinners and Modders. I will say with profound respect to the people who have given back to this community by developing FREE add on and upgrades to us for our enjoyment.... Thank You. You leg humpers thats have posted here probably have never given one thing back. As most of you who have bashed this thread,I have never seen your names anywhere for contributing to our community. And it shows by your posts and lack of respect to those who have kept this Sim moving forward years after its release.

I'm not a professional skin maker - but have made a few mostly using other people templates for squadron events and I've made a few modification to existing ones (Chuck Yeager Mustang for example).

I think this feature is great !
It would have saved me hours looking skins templates that match the quality needed. It It means I could have focused on the paint scheme and colors and not worrying about ruining the rivets, for amateur skinners with less skills and in much less time this is great.

Yes, mistakes in rivet placing will not be correctable using skins - but again they will not be in such abundant - and yes - that is exactly what i'm aiming to the fifths rivet on the left engine...and not the misplace one.

@cheruskerarmin - I agree that it would be a cool feature to have, but i fear that in the current priorities of things it will be kinda low...

Quote:

Originally Posted by HEERDT (Post 240377)

I'd say that "historically correct skinning" kept the game alive is an extreme exaggeration. That is a inflated sense of self talking right there. I don't give a XXXX if the skin is 100% correct to some specific squad. I fly full ******* switch and don't give two shits if the panels lines are slightly wrong, or the cammo is off. You are too full of yourself. The reasoning behind not having panel lines customizable is simple: a) too many skinners didn't pay any attention to panel lines, b) the in game panel lines match up with the collapsible panels of the game. If you re-panel them then you end up with unrealistic damage that falls between your so-called historically accurate panels and the panels the devs used.

Edit: Apologies if this post offends, but I've grown really sick of the arguments regarding skinning. From what I can tell most players (even full switch) don't really worry that much about the historical accuracy of exact panel lines and paint schemes. In the end I think what 1C Maddox went with (providing accurate damage of panels) out weighs the desire of a few for 100% historical accuracy. I respect the quality skinners of this community, but rivets and panel lines do not a quality skin make.