Chuffy's Flying Circus

Let's just see how it's received in its current form (i.e. latest patch).

My money is on a nana forum bun fight....

Here you go....

http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_6.html



Badger

Tally Ho Gents

Well the lastest patch has been released and the Hot Fix that followed it, and the effect on the whol has been good.  The Dev's have been trying to fix some fundamental flaws in the build including how the full screen mode works.  This dictates how memory is used in Windows apparently. 

Well, it's there, but have noticed that some aspects of the in-game rendering is a bit unstable.  Flying close to the water, I was actualy underneath some grass for a second at one point and the mirror in the Hurri did appear and disappear at one point too.  I have to say that this journey of issues and fixes seems very similar to the pre Forgotten Battles version of IL-2.....

The stability of the rendering could have had something to do with the load I was putting on the CoD engine itself.  Palmtree would love this one; The Quick Mission selection released with the last patch means that you can select many more AC, so wanting to depict a true BoB raid I set up 106 AC (any more and they collied) over the Channel map and then jumped in my Spit IIa to toil with the Boche!!  There was only minitmal stuttering, which I was impressed with especailly when considering that there were plenty of airfield objects on the large map too. 

What is still an annoying IL-2 feature is that the certain levels of AI still know when you're about to line up on them!!!! 

I'll try some other tests this evening.

Badger Out

Tally Ho!

I appreciate that any CoD usage is a way off, but I thought it worth just giving an overview of the new FMB features.  Whilst they are exciting on one hand, building a mission and all the required furniture (I'll explain) could take an age and be quite obstructive.  Hey - let's use some bullet points!

Features
• The general Map, objects, movement and frontline concepts are the same.
• All 'objects' ar grouped by type and country (hooray)!
• Interestingly object are not self contained in all aspects e.g. if you want a search light to work you have to put a generator near it. The same goes for radar.
• It's possible to add abjects to objects e.g. place AAA on trains, or ships.
• Ojects do not work on their own, they need an AI profile attributed to them
• Different hardware can be configured to be towed behind the trucks
• Exiting object are much more complicated e.g. airfileds, where it is possible to place AC is exact start locations for a mission.

Thoughts.
• The overall concept is still Work In Progress but the underlying scripting code is there and ready to be built on.  The FMB interface has to catch up to be of any use.
• Whilst the potential mission building scale is vast, it'll also take an age to build up ones furniture and customised library.  I'm sure that the ability to swap and import/export peices will be there.
• Bolting AI profiles to moving objects will be interesting.  I've not looked much into this but will in a while.

More to come and it's very early days.  There's a link to the 1C forum thread below.

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=22740


Pootles

Badger

Chaps

Photos just in from 'Tiffy Baxter' the BBC's new photo correspondent.  How he got the snaps I'll never know, but he apparently had a fair amount of wind-burn from hanging on the outside of his Tigermoth. 

The date is the 27th July 1940 and the villainous hun is on his way to give poor old Manston a bit of a pasting!!  Fiends!!! 


http://www.flickr.com/photos/16535986@N06/sets/72157626691459150/show/

More days of tyranny are ahead of us I fear.....  :-\

Tally Ho!

Badger

Tally Ho Gents

I've started work on a Channel training map, the focal airbase of which will be away from the Manston hub of activity will probably be Tangmere.  The idea is that the original version of the map may be used as a template for others with the airfield furniture (AAA, parked AC, barrage balloons etc.) being retained for other mission builds.  If I can find someone who has already done this I'll cut and shut it into something which can be used, after all plagiarism is the best form of original work.  Also hoping to include some semi-submerged ground crew (see latest screen shots in related thread!  )

I appreciate that CfC CoD use is low at the mo, but it'll be handy to have some material there if and when it does increase.

Toodle-oo

Badger

Chaps

Well we're coming up to nearly a month now and the practive is paying off.  It's been quick a shock from the way I played IL2, but I can now take off, toil with the evil Hun and land alive and without blowing up the engine. 

Bluey was right when he said in a previous post that the complexity of the FM could mean that people will specialise in one or tow AC.  I've only looked at the Hurricane and Spit on full switch up till now and to be honest I think it's going to have to stay that way for a while.

I've found the Spitfire harder to keep cool and flying well than the Hurri, but I've still loads to learn.  I've had quite a few books out reading up about the cooling of the early Merlins and the trick appears to be not to overheat them in the first place! 

I've posted more pics on another thread and will look to get some server maps created for some adhoc practicing.

Badger

Tally Ho Gents!

If you've been perusing the 1C lounge you will see that another Beta patch is due to be released today to address the FPS multi-threading issues (quad core processors).  Don't worry if you are like me and can't be bothered chasing the updates, as it's expected to be an automatic steam update on Monday.

I'll post the 1C link later.

Onwards and upwards!

Badger

Tally Ho!

I'm CoDing at the moment with full engine management and heating etc.  I've managed to get the Rotol Hurricane under control, keep the T's & P's under control and keep everything to a pleasant level, but Mr Spitfire is not being so agreeable!

I'm setting the prop-pitch as per, the mixture full rich, I'm not over heating but the RPM is all over the place and I'm wibbling over the sky.  Any ideas?  Is it something to do with prop speed management?  I know I should field the 1C forums, but I'm hoping to save some time.

Thanks and Toodles

Badger

Tally Ho Gents - Badger reporting from the Walton-on-the-Naze OTU!

I’ve been a-dabbling over the weekend namely around the ammunition configuration and complex engine management and can report that on the former it doesn’t work.

The idea is that Wilkin’s armourers can mix up the .303’s with ball, tracer, armoured piercing, and incendiaries all of many different types, which can be assigned to each and every gun.  It’s an excellent idea, but there’s a bug in there which doesn’t allow the user to pick the load out in the AC menu.

The engine management is much more complicated than in IL2:1946.  It’s no longer just about keeping the mixture leaned, the engine cool and prop pitch on auto if you want, If you are going full switch on CoD then prepare yourself for a very hands on affair!  I’m not the best virtual pilot (and I certainly wasn’t the best RL pilot), but I’ve managed to cook the Hurricane’s engine on the 6 training flights I rostered myself on yesterday.  Rather than being annoying, it was intriguing!!!  More practice for certain! I honestly think that I’m going to have to put myself on a proper training course before I’ll be able to survive in combat, let alone shoot anything down.

I haven’t given a review of the combat play yet, but I am finding the experience more rewarding that the previous sims.  I thought that this was because of the use of small calibre guns and enemy AC with little armour plate, but the whole flying experience feels different.  I think the previously mentioned performance issues need rectifying before more people can appreciate it, but I’ll be interested in knowing what anyone else thinks thus far.

I’ve a Manston scramble movie to post, but it’s half a gig.  More screen shots to follow too.  Just got to load them up.

Toodles

Badger

Despite my rig spec, the sim isn't using SLI and bearing in mind the performance issues I've taken some shots and put them on Flickr.  I've not used this service before, so let me know if you can't see them.

There is light at the end of the tunnel!! 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61307227@N04/with/5582004034/

Badger

This one's for Bluey. 

Details of her secret love nest in Putney to follow....

Chaps, I don't want to repeate everything from the 1C site verbatim, but the below is useful gen.  I'll provide links where relevant.

1. Q: I have low FPS.

Answer:
A. Please consider disabling the anti-epilepsy filter (Options – Video – Anti-Epilepsy Filter). WARNING: disabling this filter may induce previously undetected epileptic symptoms even in persons who have no history of prior seizures or epilepsy. Please read the complete warning on the game’s splash screen.
Disabling the filter will add up to 10 FPS to your game, depending on your hardware configuration.

B. If your machine does not exceed the recommended system requirements, consider turning down some graphic settings. The two options that cause the most performance gain are Forest and Building Amount (Options – Video – Show Advanced). You should not need to turn down other settings if your computer meets the recommended requirements.

C. If your computer is well below the recommended system requirements, please also consider turning down Land Detail and Land Shading, and turning off Grass.

D. The options that cause the least performance gain for the largest decrease in visual quality are Model Detail and Shadows. We only recommend turning these off if your computer is right at the edge of the minimum requirements.

E. NOTE: DirectX 9 offers slower performance and lower graphic fidelity. If your system meets Recommended system requirements, upgrading to a DX10-capable operating system will offer better performance boost in Cliffs of Dover than perhaps any hardware upgrade.

2. Q: I have an above-recommended SLI video card set up and my FPS is very low.
A: At some point in the very hectic pre-release rush, we have broken SLI support and we have not yet been able to discover the reason for it. We are working very hard to re-enable it. In the meantime, disabling SLI will significantly boost your FPS.

3. Q: I see a black screen when launching the game.
A: You are most likely running an Nvidia card with 266.xx drivers. There's a problem with that particular driver version.
It can be resolved by either rolling back to a previous driver version, such as 257.21, or upgrading to the just-released 270.51.
The issue can also be resolved by manually adjusting one of the driver parameters in the registry. This is for more advanced users. Please modify the registry at your own risk.

Start - Run
regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\GraphicsDrivers
Edit - New - DWord
Name = TdrDelay
Value Data = 12

4. Q: I am experiencing periodic FPS hic-ups when flying low over terrain.

A: The issue is apparently caused by our extensive vegetation. We are feverishly working on a solution, which should be available in a matter of days.

5. Q: I am seeing a gray rectangle in the upper left corner of the screen.

A: You have created a new Info window. These highly customizable windows allow you to set up your own user interface in-game. Due to the fact that the game also features clickable cockpits, our solution to having distinct clickable elements that possibly overlay each other is making the cockpit elements selectable with a regular left-click, and the interface overlay windows selectable with an alt-click.
So, simply alt-click the grey rectangle to select it, and then either move it and resize it, right-click to customize it, or right-click to close it.
This can also be done with all standard interface elements, including no-cockpit gauge overlays. Or you can right-click anywhere on your screen and add new Info windows to your interface layout.

6. Q: I have turned down Model Detail and now strange things are sticking through the cockpit of my Hurricane.

A: The external model of the Hurricane wasn’t designed with decreased graphic settings in mind, so lower-detail portions of it began to stick through the cockpit. We are working to have this addressed ASAP – in the meantime please consider turning Model Detail up as it does not offer significant performance gain on anything but the slowest machines.

7. Q: I am running Windows Vista / 7, and my game constantly crashes.

A: You have most likely manually reset your render to use DX9. Cliffs of Dover only supports DX9 on Windows XP. Please use DX10 on DX10-capable operating systems, as switching to DX9 actually reduces performance, in addition to leading to unexpected crashes.

8. Q: I cannot see propellers on any planes!

A: Rotating propellers were causing the game to fail epilepsy tests, and so drastic changes were made to the propellers in addition to the Anti-Epilepsy filter. If we can be perfectly frank, there is a chance that this will never change back.

9. Q: I see two small black vertical lines on my screen.

A: These are cursors in the Info windows (see #5 above). A very annoying, nasty, despicable bug that we've been hunting down for months and those damned cursors are still there. Grrr! They are on our hit list.

10. Q: I can fly through trees without receiving any damage.

A: Since Cliffs of Dover has more shrubbery in it than perhaps any other flight sim developed so far - hundreds of thousands of trees around the player - enabling collision for the trees grinds the game to a complete halt, especially as they need to be tracked around every plane on the map and not just the player's. Making collisions less precise leads to equally poor results, when planes may fly through a tree but crash into seemingly empty space.
We know this is extremely important. The solution is there, but it still eludes us.

11. Q: Your game does not support multi-core processors! How dare you, sir!

A: Cliffs of Dover does support multiple cores. However, additional cores are not used constantly, but in spikes. Expanded multicore support is in the works, but at this time the game taxes the 1st core constantly, while only delegating additional tasks to the other cores when needed.
Depending on your hardware configuration, you can play with manually setting the ProcessAffinityMask parameter of your conf.ini (WARNING: this is an UNSUPPORTED FEATURE for advanced users only). The parameter can be used to manually force all processes to a single core, for example ProcessAffinityMask=3 to have the entire game process on the 3rd core. The actual effect of this setting will vary greatly based on your individual hardware and software configuration.

12. Q: I am an old-time fan of the series and I can no longer manually edit my conf.ini.

A: By default, your config is now stored in the steam cloud. This allows you to log into steam on a new machine, and carry over your entire config including keyboard layout etc.
This also means that manual edits to the config files are automatically overwritten by the server when the game is launched.
NOTE: editing conf.ini is an UNSUPPORTED FEATURE for advanced users only. ALWAYS back up last working version of the conf.ini.
To disable cloud config storage, go through these simple steps:
* Right-click the game in the game list in your steam Library.
* Go to the Updates tab of the Properties window.
* Uncheck "Enable steam cloud..."
* Press Close
* You can now manually edit your config file!
NOTE: (once again) some of the settings in the conf.ini are legacy settings left over from when some features were not yet set in stone, so you WILL horribly break the game if you begin to randomly reset random settings to see what they do.

13. Q: I am running Windows XP. All missions stop loading at 95% and never complete.

A: Your memory is too low to fully load landscape with grass. Please go to Options - Video - Show Advanced and uncheck Grass. This will allow the game to fully load.
(automatic fix is on the way)

14. Q: AVG antivirus detects rendobj.dll as virus.

A: You can add the file as an exception.
1) open AVG
2) Click on Tools along the top.
3) Select Advanced Settings
4) Select PUP Exceptions
5) Add rendobj.dll
6) click apply then ok
7) Launch CoD

Info to follow....

Chaps

I appreciate that it'll be a while till CoD is firing on all cylinders of that cheeky Merlin and that the main workhorse of CFC is IL2: 1946 + mods, but I think getting up to speed with the new 'tool du jour' may be a fun side-line!

As with IL2, CoD presents itself as a tweakable offering and it certainly isn't an out of the box offering.  INI tweaking and rig customisation will be employed in getting the most out of the game.

What say ye to kicking off one or more CFC threads (in the Technical Area) as a knowledge base to cut through the posts and chaff of the official forums sites?

A few thoughts/rambles below:

• It appears that from immediate feedback the 32-bit EXE is stable enough, but a 64-bit offering is on the cards.  What this means to mixed rig gameplay I don't know, but I'll keep my ears peeled. (e.g. 64 bit means the utilisation of more memory, thus more action, but what does that mean to 32-bit players on the same map etc,)

• The INI filters etc. are tweakable, but what does that mean?  What's the best combo? What is the rig config impact and what can we learn from each other?

• Having a big one doesn't really matter apparently.  They obviously don't read Cosmo.... the game currently has set boundaries which will become scalable as releases progress.  This interests me, so I'll keep on top of it.

• What of the dedicated server?

Just some background thoughts for now.....

Getting on-line is still challenging for me, but I can read and pick up detail on an adhoc basis which may be useful.

Toodles

Badger

Well, after 5 month's my current company has just upgraded it's web filtering to exclude all game related sites.  This means that the 1C and UBI are now jammed and off the air.

I know this isn't news, but I thought I'd share the despair of being in vitual-war-time with only information on the Insurance industry at my disposal....  The horror!! 

I wish I was retired....   :-\

Pip-pip Chaperoonies

Did either of the new Chaps manage to get on last night.  I hear that someone was having TS issues, but left before anyone surfaced.

Badger

Huzzar for new kit!!!!

So Bounder, how is the new delivery? How's it bedding in?

What made you choose that card?  What are it's strengths?  Are there any special features? 

Badger

Thanks to all for the DF session last night and thanks to Fitz for hosting!

I must admit that I never thought that the Mustang III would ever be my kite of choice, but from what Fitz was saying around the CW Spit, it was the preferrable option.

[Cue Dramatic Music]

"Oooooh how I miss the old FM of the Spit!!  Oooooh the injustice!! Ohhhh...... oooo lunch."

[Music ends with a "Vrrrrrp"]

Here's to 4.101 where everything will be right again.... 

Badger