Nominations of Mods for stock issue

[stickman]

I've been collecting some good Modifications that other guys have made, that I think should be stock issue for v2.13.
Anyone can nominate what they think should be stock issue, too.
I'm looking for votes here, yes or no. The BDG is currently very small, so I am looking for a bigger pool of voters.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edited 2 June, 2015. I will keep a vote tally here:

1. Boreas Canopy Glass
Yes: 6
No: 0

2. Hazzie-Boreas Spitfire Cockpit
Yes: 4
No: 0

3. HAZZIE AC DAMAGE
Yes: 2
No: 2

4. HAZZIE AC Fire
Yes: 3
No: 1

5. scoobared Debris
Yes: 3
No: 0

6. Boreas Gunsights 1
Yes: 0

7. Boreas Gunsights Bolder
Yes: 1

8. Soupdragons Radio sounds > link here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/sf7h4 ... _sounds.7z
Yes: 3
No: 0

9. HAZZIE para sounds
Yes: 1
No:

10. Boreas Aircraft Sounds
Yes: 1
No: 0

11. Boreas Terrain
Yes: 4
No: 0

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'll start by nominating some of my must have Mods.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

1. Boreas Canopy Glass

HAZZIE first made a Canopy Glass mod.
- Green armored front glass window in front.
- A blue tint to all the other canopies.
Boreas made another version with not such a dark green armored glass, and less wathering on all other canopy glass.
I like a fairly clear glass to see through, so at the BDG I nominated the Boreas version as a must have Mod.
The BDG (all 3 of us present) voted it in for v2.13 stock issue. Two votes yes and one abstention.
Other votes, here are welcome, but is very good, and i'll be surprised if I see any no votes.

It can be had here:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/2fd9k ... _Glass.zip

Update! Boreas made a color correction to the Spitfire and Hurricane armoured windscreen:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/ce131 ... t_hurr.zip

Install with JSGME JoneSoft Generic Mo0d Enabler.
Or open the main folder, see the sub-set folders as to where the files go, and install manually.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2. HAZZIE-Boreas Spitfire Cockpit modifications.

HAZZIE and Boreas made good changes to the Spitfire cockpit.
There are a couple different versions floating around here. I have a combination that I like.

This was made before v2.12, and I proprosed that we us is it, but the BDG man (no longer with us) that decided, soley on his opinion,
what would be accepted, tossed it away for v2.12.
I think I know why he tossed it. The stainless steel and copper tubes were not painted green. OK. They probably were painted green.
However he tossed out a lot of other good and righteous changes out too.
I like this work, and don't care about painted tubes much. I rather like the bare tubes. I use this well made Mod.

Here are pics of the Spitfire cockpit using the modified files that I would like to see as stock issue:

HAZZIE changed the spare gunsight lamps and throttle handle and many other other things, including the tubes, as I recall.
Boreas changed the toggle switches, some other things, and toned down some of HAZZIE's love of heavy "weathering / use" scratches.
Hey, I think that many of these aircraft were new, too.
I forget what all exacrly these guys did here, but it all was done well.
The tubes probably should be green, but I'm not going to do it any time soon.

Looking forward. This includes the glowing gunsight reflection that Boreas made. With a bright yellow color that I like.
Note. I am using my radium painted gauges Mod here, and this is not about the gauges, but other cockpit stuff.


Forward down.


Starboard.


Port.


It can be had here. HB-Spitfire-Cockpits.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/if9n8 ... ockpit.zip

Install with JSGME JoneSoft Generic Mo0d Enabler.
Or open the main folder, see the sub-set folder COCKPM16 as to where the files go, and install manually into COCKPM16.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[attilla]

I vote yes on both options.
We still lack an Merlin engine exaust smoke smell mod

[Boreas]

I would probably want to make a few small changes now if I had a close look but I think it would have made more sense if I'd made the Hurricane armoured glass the same as for the Spitfire, so will post a revision for consideration.

[redband_151]

Those have my vote as small as it is. What about Soupdragons radio mods?

[Boreas]

I actually revised the armoured glass slightly for both the spitfire and the hurricane. Hopefully they look better but maybe not.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/ce131 ... t_hurr.zip

[stickman]

attila, and redband_151,

Your votes are duly tallied. Thank you.

redband_151,

What about Soupdragons radio mods?

Sadly, I have lost those old radio mods.

Boreas,

I actually revised the armoured glass slightly for both the spitfire and the hurricane. Hopefully they look better but maybe not.

Downloaded. I shall review tonight.
Just looking at the textures, I see that you used a very dark green color of RGB 41, 93, 66 as a base for both,
and both of the masks are masking most of it out to be gentle enough for me to see thru?
I do suspect that both armored windscreens, for the Spitfire and the Hurricane, were made of the same specified thickness,
so they should both look the same?

What was the specified thickness to stop a 7.92 millimeter bullet? 3.5 inches?

[stickman]

I will nominate two more textures here.
Both are made by HAZZIE. (HAZZIE, don't say I always favor your brother Boreas over you. You are the Pioneer!)

1. DAMAGE texture.

This is the bullet holes and bullet damage that appears when your aircraft gets shot.
The current one is from old Rowan days. Not too bad, but could be better.
I fiddled with this file a long time ago, and was not much satisfied with my efforts to make it better.
HAZZIE made one that I think is an improvement over the old original.

Here is the masked comparison of the two. HAZZIE's on the right.



Using the old texture, I get shot up by a hero.
This looks OK. I am used to it.

>Hey!? Is my green sea dark enough?<



Using HAZZIE's texture, the hero shoots me many more times. I collect some more bullet holes before I go down.
I like this new look OK, too. Maybe a bit too much white?



xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2. fire_additive texture.

This texture shows what an aircraft on fire looks like.

The old one was not bad at a low resolution of 128x128.
HAZZIE made a larger texture at a resolution of 256x256 and painted a much more detailed paint.
This texture, like HAZZIE himself is, I think, has a lot more "character" than the rather Plain Jane vanilla version.
I have been using it for months now.

Here is the comparison of the two. HAZZIE's is on the right.



Yesterday I was baby sitting my 3 year old daughter, who was sitting on my lap, while I was taking some comparison screenshots for this.
The hero shot me then again and flamed me. Using HAZZIE's DAMAGE and fire_additive textures.
"Is that fire?" she asked.
"Yeah, babe. That is fire!" I answered.



So.. HAZZIE, you already have one vote for Yes from little Olivia for the fire_additive.

I went back and forth between the old and the new, and noticed that HAZZIE's texture suffers with a bad "white washout" effect when viewing the fire balls against the horizon.



The old one did much less so.



Knowing that the old texture that Scott's man made, had a Mask Channel, although all white, and HAZZIE did not make a Mask Channel for his texture,
I thought that there must be a reason why it should have a Mask Channel. Maybe because of this "white washout" effect when viewing the fire balls against the horizon?
So I took HAZZIE's paint job, and used the Mask Channel that Scott used.

I get less of the washout effect now. This is what I will now be using.



-----------------------------

These files can be had here:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/m6sdt ... d_FIRE.zip

Plus some colored aircraft bullet hits that live in the TextureMap folder, made by HAZZIE.
There are 3 of these aircraft bullet hits, all of which used to be all white. Same-same.
HAZZIE made one of the three as orange, and another of the three as green.
Now we got white, green, and orange bullet hits. (no.. not the colors of the many many South Africa flags)
This adds a spicy flavorable "character" to the game, which HAZZIE is famous for cooking up.

Installation:
Use JSGME to install them.
Or do it manually. They are all in the folders where they live in game.

[redband_151]

I still have Soupdragons files I just need a recommended file hosting site. Not sure Im a fand of the damage texture, but then maybe I have to give it a try first.

[stickman]

redband_151,

Most of us are using MediaFire as a free hosting site for files. Allows very big uploads and I have never had a problem with it.
One of us uses Dropbox. I have Dropbox, but never used it for file hosting yet.

Not sure I am fond of the damage texture

I am also not sure if HAZZIE's texture is better than the old one, which is OK.
HAZZIE"S make is structurally more refined, if maybe too white looking, and that is why I nominated it.

BTW, my nomination is a vote.
If you think the old is better, then please vote so.

In the case of a tied vote, on any nominations, then we will be conservative and not change.

------------

If you put soupdragon's Radio Mod here, then that will a nomination for stock issue, and 1 vote from you.
Many guys, including me, like this Mod, and are always asking what happened to it? I will vote Yes for it.

If you do not think it should be stock issue, but wish to share them, then post them on the Subscriber Modifications topic:
http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... 10&t=12021

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BTW, welcome back. You are one of the original BoB old timers from 15 years ago.

Aloha!

[hellcat44]

A yes on HAZE's damage texture and fire additive.
I'd like to nominate scoobared's debris mod as it is, in my humble opinion, the most realistic currently available.
http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... 1&start=15

[hellcat44]

couple of scoobared debris screenies from the convoy campaign

a piece relatively close


many chunks from a distance

[stickman]

hellcat,

A yes on HAZE's damage texture and fire additive.

Duly counted. Thanks.

I'd like to nominate scoobared's debris mod as it is, in my humble opinion, the most realistic currently available.

Oh! Yeah! I forgot about this. Yes, certainly better than current debris.
I vote Yes on this one, too.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am now keeping a vote tally on the post here.

[stickman]

Nothing is much important in an air combat flight simulator then the gun sight.
Plus, it is in your face most of the time.

Boreas made two versions, both brilliant and outshine the old stock ones above and beyond. No puns intended.

I started a discussion about them here, and the two Mods can be downloaded there:
http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... 10&t=44396

His first modification was Boreas Gunsights 1.
This one has a bright yellow reflection as if you turned up the lamp brightness to give a bright yellow.

His second modification was Boreas Gunsights Bolder.
This one has a more orange reflection as if you turned down the lamp brightness to give a darker orange color.
It also has a bit more light diffusion on the glass around the reflection.

One of these two mods are definitely going to replace the old stock issue.
There will be no No votes to keep the old stock. We need to replace them with one of these two much better makes.
As I am nominating them both, I will not count my vote. I leave that decision up to ya'all.
Personally I like a bright yellow over the darker orange. If the orange bolder version wins, I will modify it to be more yellow, and offer it as the Bold Yellow Gun Sight mod.

[redband_151]

After trying some of the other mods I have to say;
yes on the canopy
no to the damage textures. I like the bullet holes but the heavy damage just doesnt look right to me. Sorry.
Fire yes.

Couldnt find the debris and not sure which gunsights, so I'll pass on the vote for these.

Here's the link to Soupdragons Radio Sounds

http://www.mediafire.com/download/sf7h4 ... _sounds.7z

[Cherkassov54]

My votes would be 1) Yes 2)Yes 3) No 4) No 5)Yes 6) No 7) Yes

S!