Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[SAS~Storebror]

Yep it's odd.
That crippled swastika in BoS isn't a dedicated texture itself, due to the way BoS deals with skins it's part of the default plane skins shipped with the game.
While we're basically allowed to use custom skins in BoS, unfortunately you cannot do so on most online servers and you need to create that custom skin first.
At least it's easy to get hands on the default skins and it's even easily possible to generate them in the internal game's skin file format.
This for instance is a default 190 skin from BoS:


You'd need to edit it, save it as a custom skin and use it where the usage is permitted.
Would be better of course to be able to use the files as default skins after re-editing the swastika into them and after converting them back to the game's skin file format, but at the moment this is out of reach.
A mod activator like for IL-2 would for sure be possible, but it's would break the T&Cs of BoS and at the moment I don't thing it'd be clever to release something of that sorts at the SAS

Best regards - Mike

[Dakpilot]

As I understand it the only online servers that enforce default game skins are the two Euro expert and normal and the two US expert and normal the vast majority of popular servers allow custom skins, and with the Dserver release this will only increase.
There is a mod activator built into  RoF of sorts with Mods on mode, the most recent roadmap of features was , Skin viewer, Mods on, Dserver, ME...and bug fixes/optimisation, this I am sure was a generalised statement and subject to change as with everything but we now have the skin viewer, which works pretty well so lets see how the other features come.

In Mods on mode I am sure a different default skin set up will be possible, and could even be the norm in historical servers, I think 90% of offline people in RoF use the mods on mode in conjunction with "RoF refined" mod pack, which includes AI changes, weapon/rate of fire changes, gunner changes, graphics, textures, terrain, AAA script changes, objects and much more, along with individual mods

And yes historically incorrect, politically correct skins forced upon us by government  bureaucrats  is an insult to all sensible minded people

Cheers Dakpilot

[SAS~Storebror]

Thanks for the update regarding custom skins on servers. I must admit I haven't flown BoS online yet.
Concerning the "MODS_ON" mode of RoF, yes I know about that and with mods enabled, you can basically change everything that's either 3D/texture related or scripted/plain text content.
What's missing for the full show like IL-2 1946 would be some kind of SDK with hooks for functions and procedures inside the game's code, but I guess that's far far away if at all it will come (for RoF this was discussed several times but the SDK is yet to come).

Best regards - Mike

[SAS~Storebror]

I think I found the culprit concerning Campaign Stats.
Looks like after I completed the campaign, the campaign stats page reflects the player level progress only.
All my flight hours, kills, sorties, completed missions etc. aren't counted anymore.

Funny.

Best regards - Mike

[SAS~Storebror]

*update*
Correcting my self... a bit...
Actually after I finished the campaign on red side, only red sorties aren't counted on my stats page anymore.
Luftwaffe missions are counted as normal, even though the whole campaign has already been finished (for red).
That's somewhat strange.
I mean I didn't unlock all features of red planes yet.
Only the Lagg-3 is fully unlocked, the Yak-1 is missing a paintscheme as is the Pe-2, the IL-2 is missing one option and a couple of paintschemes, and most of all, I haven't flown the La-5 yet.
This means I still have to do a whole lot of sorties with ruskie planes in this campaign, but none of them counts anymore? Hah? WTF?

Best regards - Mike

[SAS~GJE52]

I have looked at the 109 skin as shown above and note that the way it has been UVW mapped is not helpful for skinners ...

1. certain parts like the ailerons and horizontal stabilizers have a very odd "displaced and reversed" mapping arrangement

2. the fuselage is needlessly reverse mapped, with the section aft of the cockpit displaced

3. the nose is mapped in a different manner (box mapping) that does not allow for easy matching with the fuselage (left/right mapping)

This is a perfect example of how not to unwrap a model - it almost looks as if the guys who created these aircraft have never done it before ....  which is odd given the game's pedigree. 

G;

[LuseKofte]

Another worth mentioning is the odd thing about the behavior of this game.
It brings both good and bad thing. Try to fly a plane that should be heavy (not the HE 111 it did have a helluva lift) many call this the kite effect. When you drop the bombs it bounce to ultralight weight. Good thing is the signiffigane feel of physics and realistic feel of sudden loss of weight, negative side they are just too sensitive to wind and lift

[Ghost129er]

This is a perfect example of how not to unwrap a model - it almost looks as if the guys who created these aircraft have never done it before ....  which is odd given the game's pedigree. 

This is a perfect example of how to unwrap a model in such a way that it becomes a P.I.T.A. to even attempt to skin and makes you want to give up; just kinda like what Ubisoft did with the Blazing Angels Skins... >> AND USED IL-2 PILOT SKINS IN THEIR GAME. 
#justsaying

[SAS~Storebror]

Yesterday's official developer announcement:

Hi Everybody,

February 2nd, 1943 is when the Battle of Stalingrad was over after the surrounded 6th Army capitulated. In the memory of that date we want to share with you at least a part of the plans that our team is currently working at.
Let’s start with what is already complete. On Monday, February 9th we’re going to deploy a small update to the official website. As a result, a new item will appear in the premium account profiles - “Activate modifications” button.



Owners of Premium accounts will be able activate all modifications without unlocking them in Campaign mode. You have a Premium account if you bought Premium edition, or Standard edition plus both additional planes: La-5 and Fw 190 A-3. Activating modifications cannot be reverted so you must make a considerate and thoughtful decision before you click the button. Note that this button doesn’t activate unlockable plane skins which remain obtainable through the Campaign.
 
What else is coming to BOS this spring? Of course, I’m talking about full mission editor and dedicated server software which will become available to every player. We’ve overcome some temporary difficulties, and now we’re working actively on the user version of FME. It should be ready this spring, in April or May 2015. And as the development goes, Loft and I will be sharing the most interesting details about it with you.



And now a few words about what is coming to BOS within the next few months. Keep in mind, that I’m about to tell just a part of current plan that the team is working at right now. I’m keeping some good news for the next announcement.
 
We are going to add 2 new versions of the Stalingrad map - summer and autumn maps, and also new campaign chapters telling the history of earlier phases of the Battle in the 3rd quarter of 2015. The maps will be available to all current and future owners of the game in all possible modes. The level design team now includes the author of the Velikie Luki community project map Zeus--. In less than 18 months after he launched the ROF mission editor for the first time, in August 2013, Zeus- with the help of a small team of enthusiasts managed to professionally recreate a huge location without any specific support from us. Well, the new maps are definitely in good hands now with this guy on board.
 
The progress in making those maps with definitely be shown in the future blog updates. And the nearest ones are going to be devoted to sharing the further IL2BOS plans with you. So, keep in touch.
 
You can discuss the news in this thread

I'm not happy with this and I will tell you why:
After having completed the offline campaign, I figured that offline the game is more or less "over", nothing new to come.
Even during the campaign all missions were repetitive to some extend, but now it's really "game over" offline.

So I had to try online gameplay and... it sucks.
109 for the world, hail messerschmitt, period.
As a dedicated bomber pilot and occasional ground pounder, i'm dead meat from first second. You attract fighter jockeys like shit does flees and since there's no mission objective in place online, there's nothing to keep the fighter kids from running for the easy kill.
If in contrast you fly as a fighter pilot, you either do it the same way like all do on the online servers, or you are an observer.
The fights go on in "gangbang" style, everyone jumps everyone. I yet have to see any other player than me returning to base. Players are only out for the quick kill, the own life counts nothing. Hell they even bail out when they're winchester instead of rtb.
Not my kind of gameplay, not my cup of tea.
Goodbye BOS for me until something really changes.

Oh and beware... when you start as a new player online and think you could establish your skills on a "fresh meat" server: That's where the old farts hang out and run for the fresh meat, this is what the name comes from.
Better join the "expert" servers where with a little luck you might stay uncaught for a minute or two (read: when no one is prowling your spawn point. read²: never happens).

Now 777 studios adds another level of inequality to it:
Pay to win!
If you want to have equal power online, you either have to play the game for 100 hours offline first, or you have to pay to be on the same level like others.
Just for the record: I am a premium owner. But I'm not of the "haha, you suckers, now I'm over you" kind of player. Screw those.

It's disgusting.
I'm about to ask my dealer for a refund.

Best regards - Mike

[CWMV]

It seems to me that this is how the unlocks should have been implimented from the get go. Pay for the big package for everything, or the little package and grind it out. Ultimately it's alla available to everyone.

But alas there is no single player content. Makes it kinda useless to me. I'm very happy to see the change in stance regarding unlocks, but Im not going to fly on an air quake server.

[SAS~Storebror]

Pay for the big package for everything, or the little package and grind it out.

That's exactly the definition of "pay to win".
I'm not going to condone that. "To those who like". Not me.

Imagine TD would release patch 4.13 in two versions, including cross-compatibility online:
Free for all, standard FMs as we know them.
Pay 20 bucks and you get twice the gunpower plus 10% better turn time, climb rate and power for all planes.

Best regards - Mike

[Mick]

... it is not, repeat, not, a money problem for me, but I am glad I didn't invest a single cent in BoS, not to say a word about the time wasted to "unlock" ...

What a shame ... such a promising sim/game and now this ...!