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[Uzin]

Yes that would be correct ,from what I have found anyway
I have yet to have anything extra installed in order to have smooth airfields using Friction values in the load.ini

Isn't it possible that you are using UP where the ZUTI's mod is included implicitly ? This might be the reason. So for peoples not using such a pack it might be necessary to place the stand alone friction mod into their mods folder.

Although,you must still use the "height tool" in Unlocked FMB to level the ground out for an airfield

According to my experience with manual landing both Bf109 and Yaks on twelwe airfields with friction set to 1.9 , it is unnecessary to flatten the airfield area , assuming that the slope of the field does allow to keep the crate still on brakes. So it is possible to land also on beaches sufficiently wide.

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[michel_boonstra1974]

According to my experience with manual landing both Bf109 and Yaks on twelwe airfields with friction set to 1.9 , it is unnecessary to flatten the airfield area , assuming that the slope of the field does allow to keep the crate still on brakes. So it is possible to land also on beaches sufficiently wide.

Depending of the slope angle this is. I needed to flatten some airfield on my Netherlands map (I just did it in map_H) as during the taxiing, even when going really slow, the tail of my plane would suddenly jump in the air like rodeo horse on xtc! The AI don't seem to be affected by this jumping thing, however sometimes the AI are sort of shuddering after having done their full stop on an uneven airfield.
So it seems it might be a good idea to flatten the airfields anyway, preventing this kind of strange behaviour of the planes.

[Uzin]

So it may be concluded: sometimes the airfield must be flattened, sometimes not. 

As it concerns the unenecessary presence of friction mod in mods folder , as you stated, it seems awesome from the point of view of the users, I shall test it with pleasure. It would be interesting to know the author's meaning, too. 

[Avala]

What happens with a map, when the player hasn't installed the friction mod? Can player land on airfield?

I did not test it yet, but I think that without the mod you cannot land safely. But bear in mind that it is sufficient to have mod in yours mods folder only once, and it works for all the maps you have there , which have the section at the end of  load.ini file such as in example which  follows :

[AIRFIELDS]
  Airfield_001 = 7670.24 142854.34 9298.31 141907.3 2.25

Here the coordinate of the left upper corner of the rectangle is in red, that of right lower one in blue and the friction factor in green.
Btw, I am not mods adman   , only seeking the most effective way of populating the map with large number of airfields, not sacrificing its playability too much.

One question more. How to get those coordinates? Is it in unlocked FMB, number at lower left corner? But they are looking like in different format?

[agracier]

One question more. How to get those coordinates? Is it in unlocked FMB, number at lower left corner? But they are looking like in different format?

You have to make the coordinates by running Zuti's Friction Mod Extractor.

It is extremely simple to use. Instructions are included, but here is a condensed version.

Use the map in the normal game version. Open map in FMB as if you were going to make a mission.

Indicate where you wish to place airfields by placing a STATIONARY OBJECT in the upper left-hand corner and lower right hand corner of an imaginary rectangle that you wish to represent as your airfield. Place as many of these pairs as you wish to have airfields. Just be sure that the terrain is or can be flattened enough. And be certain that you use stationary objects as marking points. Any will do, you can even use the same stationary object x number of times. Just be sure to use a stationary object and not an ordinary object.

Then save the 'mission'.

Then import that 'mission' file into the folder with Zuti's Friction Mod extractor. Run the extractor, navigate to the 'mission' file you just placed in the folder, and then have the extractor generate the appropriate coordinates.

Copy/paste the obtained coordinates into your load.ini ...

Simple as can be.

Note, that you will afterwards have to create/copy all the rigmarole connected to airfields - runway points, taxi points etc etc ... But you will not be needing groundplates of any kind, unless you think they look nice ... which they don't in my opinion (except for concrete plates for modern airfields).

[Avala]

Thank you very much. But if that is so, I dont need Zuti's mod at all. All coordinates are already in .mis file. I opened it before copying it in Zuti's mod folder and saw this:

[g0100_Way]
  NORMFLY 94058.43 206058.43 500.00 300.00 &0
  NORMFLY 135478.65 155577.53 500.00 300.00 &0
[NStationary]
  0_Static vehicles.stationary.Stationary$Wagon1 1 862.92 356889.89 360.00 0.0
  1_Static vehicles.stationary.Stationary$Wagon1 1 266211.24 3739.33 360.00 0.0
[Buildings]
[Bridge]
[House]

Is that it?

[michel_boonstra1974]

Any user of such a map needs the Friction mod *as well*, otherwise they are still in for a bumpy take off and landing.

[Uzin]

Thanks, UP~Boomer, for the explanation  !
Finally we retarded ones can understand this .   

[Avala]

Just tried it with values extracted directly from .mis file as Boomer said.

Two different maps, SAS activator, Zuti's friction standalone mod, no MDS, no any other similar mod. I tried it on areas that was flattened in map_h, not in unlocked FMB.

I must say that I think that I need Zuti's mod, difference in friction on take offs and landings in areas marked with the values in load.ini file is significant. I must conclude that even the values are in load.ini file they are not working without the Zuti's standalone.

Also I believe that Boomer are also in right and that Zuti's mod is not a must. How?

Simply, my airfields are flattened on map_h, and if I'm remembering correctly Boomer said that he flattened his by hand in unlocked FMB. I think that game can't draw at map_h itself (thats sort of hard coded, so to say), but can remember what areas are flattened with tool in unlocked FMB. So, areas flattened by tool in unlocked FMB game sees as flattened and can apply values of friction in load.ini file. But, areas flattened only on map_h game does not see as flattened, they are not "marked" so to say, and just keeps aplying the default values.

So, as I see it, there are two option, one: flat areas in map_h and use Zuti's mod, or two: flat areas of airfields by a tool in unlocked FMB and there is no need for Zuti's mod.

That how I see it, not that I'm 100% sure of that.

[Uzin]

J I think that game can't draw at map_h itself (thats sort of hard coded, so to say), but can remember what areas are flattened with tool in unlocked FMB. So, areas flattened by tool in unlocked FMB game sees as flattened and can apply values of friction in load.ini file.

By "height tool " in unlocked FMB you directly change also map_h. This way you are making marks in the method described  at

http://ultrapack.tuttovola.org/index.php/topic,1977.0.html

as far as I remember.

[agracier]

If you need to flatten the terrain for an airfield here is an easy method.

In the map-maker, place a texture that has not been used yet on the area for the airfield. This is done with the 'tile' command. I usually use airfield0 which is a slot best reserved for airfield textures anyway.

Save the map in map-maker and then take the resulting map_t.tga and open in a graphics editor of your choice. Place a place-marker square of pixels of the same RGB value as the airfield texture you just placed (this would be RGB 20) in one of the map corners. Then select that pixel with a magic wand tool set at 0 tolerance. Then choose a 'select all similar' command. This will select all pixels with an RGB value of 20.

Copy this selection. Open map_h, and save as a layered psd. Create a new layer and in that new layer import the selection of RGB 20 you just copied. Keep that selection active, but go to the main map_h layer and in the selected area you can now paint it with the proper RGB value so that the terrain will now be properly flat.

This way, the pixels are positioned perfectly and you don't need all that making of holes which are hard to find afterwards anyway ...

You can also grow the selection with 1 or 2 pixels so that when you paint the terrain flat, you have an extra margin of flat terrain.  If you grow a further 2 or 3 pixels, you can then also 'smooth' the adjacent terrain so that it blends in more naturally with the flat airfield terrain.

[Uzin]

+1, agracier.
Just advice  given to me by Mixx : in order to avoid troubles, select the height (RGB value) of the flattened airfield area so that is dividable by 4 without any rest. I proved it , no breaks on airfield runways anymore.