OK. Thinking of Taking the Mod Plunge. Recommendations?

[Treetop64]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

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!

[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]

Originally Posted by Treetop64

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..