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Post by agent0archer on May 3, 2019 0:21:49 GMT -5
The B314 would then temporaly bookmark everything in the summer of 39. That's a great time period. Great to hear from you. It's cool that you fly, I've only ever flown once. An intro flight lesson out of KSMO up the coast and around the LA basin. I have the Pilots 314. which is a great model, but I can never seem to get it to fly, it will be nice to have a different option with a VC.
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Post by Jorge on May 30, 2019 14:22:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the support!
Got some down time and trying to pick up loose ends as much as possible between catching up on things I need to do around the home. I'll post some more shots when I can.
I've also started doing some of the generic airports for the area of Europe as well - mainly Paris, Berlin, and London. They're mostly grass airfields with a default steam effect as a virtual "smoke pot" for wind direction. All buildings for now (except for the Airway House at Croydon that I ported over from FS9) are default library objects that have been used for the scenery. Same thing I did for Midway in the previous shots. Again, I'll post some pics soon.
I'm also debating opening a webpage with a forum for the Platinum Wings project. Still gathering information, but I'll let everyone know what happens with that as well.
Thanks for all the kinds words!
Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by agent0archer on May 30, 2019 18:06:52 GMT -5
So is this for FSX or for FS2004?
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Post by Jorge on Jun 3, 2019 12:57:22 GMT -5
Sorry for the late response.
The "new" work is now for FSX since Goldenwings and CalClassic with Silverwings modifications does more than good justice for those two eras in FS9. I wanted to try and get something for the FSX / P3D crowd along those eras. I have FSX:SE which I got on a Labor Day sale last year, and I've been modifying the thing since day one.
As it stands the panel for the 314 is, as best I can, being coded using FS9 XML "language" instead of the ACES "language" that FSX uses. There are a few gauges that I started in ACES that I'm "retrofitting" back to FS9 standard. The ACES was actually indispensable for me in order to try and get a grasp of the whole xml thing, and now that I can better understand (not fully, however) how things work I'm using the standard FS9 xml on the panel. The hope is that you can use the panel in FS9 as well when I'm done. If so, then someone that knows how to do air files and cfg files better than me can make a good combo with the panel and get the Stone bird up in the air with some nice paints. The main hick-up right now is trying to get the starters and fuel pump switches to work like I want them to. I'm taking a break from that now and working on some generic airports for the era and then I'll go back to the panel.
The plan is - for now - to use the great paints from the Ford Project website for the AI. I'm talking of the Tri-motor, the Vega, the DH-88, the Cub, the Jenny, and the Vimmy. The default FS9 DC-3 as well - even with the mirroring. They are multi-lod already and they seem to work just fine as-is in FSX, but I haven't made any flight plans yet with them. I've changed the flight dynamics somewhat with the Vimmy so that it stands in for a B-6 Keystone bomber. No problems there. I also increased the Jenny power to represent the last version which had a 120hp Hispano engine. That one actually did fairly well as AI at a version of Miller Field in Staten Island. Other than those two I haven't done any AI with the others yet. I'm hoping that since the aircraft "out of the box" seem to work fine in FSX that it wouldn't be an issue for the user to download the paints from the site and install the aircraft into FSX. The paints those gentlemen did are just absolutely wonderful and it would be great if we could ensure their labors endure into the future with the later sims.
There are a few aircraft I'm making paints for based on the blanks that have been provided. One is a Jenny in Polish AF colors (generic) based on the paint that was done by them for the DH-88. Same with the Ford, Vega, and Piper Cub. Another one I did was a black and metal Lufthansa for the Ford based on the Ju-52 paint, but using the black, white, and red tricolor on both sides of the tail. I might just stick with the AI Ju-52 that John made a few years ago since he did make a version for FSX that comes with a Lufthansa paint.
When I get a chance to post some more pics I'll definitely do so.
All the best,
Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by jacklyon on Jun 3, 2019 16:10:13 GMT -5
Hola Jorge Great great work, i can't believe, that i not see this thread before (too much occupied in my projects and my threads ) Cheers!
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Post by Jorge on Aug 2, 2020 11:17:31 GMT -5
Not to drag up an old thread or toot my own horn, but there have been several things in life that have happened that mean I can probably get back into the Platinum Wings project. It will now be for FS9 alone, so the B314 stuff is on hold indefinately. In my absence, there have been updates to Mike Stone's airplane which I'm going to test out. If good, then I'll just refer people to that one instead. The plan for the "conversion" to Platnum Wings is simple: 1. Move all the airport, navigation, and related files out of the respective scenery folders over to a backup folder. DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING! - AB*.bgl (Airport Backgrounds) - AP*.bgl (Airport AFCADs) - AT*.bgl (Navigational information such as routes, segments, airspace, and national boundaries) - FL*.bgl (Airport Flattens) - NV*.bgl (All the Navaids to include fixes, VOR's, NDB's, etc, that are used in conjunction with the AT files for navigation) - OB*.bgl (Airport Objects to include buildings, windsocks, etc.) 2. Install the "to be made" navigational bgl files as add-on scenery. One will place a fake set of Navaids in Antarctica in order to satisfy the sim requirement of all type of known navigational aids (much like the "fake" traffic file needed for CC traffic). 3. Install any add-on airports you want in the sim as add-on scenery since they are the only ones that you will have available since all the airports will be removed when the bgl's are moved out of the scenery folders. This should work and I'll test this when I get the chance. If anyone wants to test this out for themselves (minus the installation of the Navaids replacement files since I haven't made it yet), please feel free to do so. If you leave only ONE of the NV*.bgl files along in an area you don't plan on visiting, it should satisfy the navaid requirement until I can get the file made. Likewise, if you have the SDK I can post the xml here and you can compile the test bgl yourselves. Just let me know. Caution: I believe the OB*.bgl files are only the airport ones since I read somewhere that these were the files that had these items. The files with the city names are the landmarks and objects you will find in the respective cities. I don't know if the city name bgl files have lat/lon info included, or if they are placed by the OB*.bgl files. The city name bgl files may only be libraries, but they may also have lat/long info as well. I'm not sure. I never had the chance to check that. I have a feeling that the OB files are only placement files for airports, but we'll see when I have the chance to check. Golden Wings 3 Mod: Removing ONLY the NV*.bgl and AT*.bgl files with Golden Wings 3, the result should be a world devoid of navigational aids other than the ones you are willing to add yourself. Since I don't have a GW3 install, I haven't checked. For example, if you add the RR4 package after placing the NV and AT files in your backup folder, you will end up with Navaids in the United States, Hawaii, Canada, and the other places where there are RR stations as part of the package. Otherwise, you're stuck using the map, the GPS, or any of the various gauges (Sextant, for example) that are available for navigation since there won't be any other Navaids in the sim. This would be a nice option that increases the realism of how things may have been back then before the adding of many stations, but it also means that you're fairly bare in Europe as well. No timeframe on things with this since the whole idea of Platinum Wings is to create a world based on Silver Wings and not Golden Wings. Those were basically just texture and landclass files, which is basically what I was looking for in order to have the "retro" look in the sim. The only major thing I would have to look at would be the changing of the autogen textures for the buildings. This would involve making the buildings look more "old" as far as architectural style. The homes would be the same without any issues. I hope everyone has been doing well during these trying times and I'm hoping to get some updates for you all as soon as I can, but no promises! Jorge, Miami, FL
PS: Tom, I'm guessing this would be better in the Vintage Flying forum? If so, please send it over that way. Thanks!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 15:09:54 GMT -5
In some cases deleting OB*.bgl files will afffect landclass objects too. That happens f.i. with OB9AFRI0.BGL in AFRI foider. While deleting this file the pyramides near Cairo arenĀ“t shown anymore. On the other hand deleting EURW1.BGL in EURW folder will just remove airport buildings and remain landclass objects. So its quite difficult to know what should be done or not.
Bernard
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Post by Jorge on Aug 4, 2020 14:55:38 GMT -5
Bernard,
Thanks for checking that. I was wondering about that since common sense would say that anything that is an "object" would be placed with the OB*.bgl files, but there are instances in the SDK that state you cannot place objects that are landmarks (I believe that's what you mean by landclass) since they have lat/lon information in the .bgl file itself. Since those are in the city specific bgl files, I wasn't sure if they were compiled with lat/lon as part of the library model (i.e. coded in the xml for the model as it was made into a library).
I'll look into finding more on this since I have my hands on a bgl to xml decompiler now that seems better than the older one I used to have. If it's possible to decompile the city libraries, then I could come up with a "vintage" library that would only include older objects and not newer ones (removing the Sear's Tower in Chicago, for instance). That's if there are lat/lon to begin with. If not, then I would have to find what specific OB*.bgl files have the landmarks and just extract them to xml, then recompile with the SDK to a separate bgl file as "Vintage_Landmarks" or something.
Thanks again for checking. Are there any other things you were able to find?
Jorge Miami, FL
PS: I assume when you say "delete" you actually mean "remove," correct? I hope nobody has deleted anything.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2020 9:40:19 GMT -5
PS: I assume when you say "delete" you actually mean "remove," correct? I hope nobody has deleted anything. They have been remove by deleting. You certainly once heard about doing backups Bernard
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Post by Jorge on Aug 5, 2020 10:35:31 GMT -5
Bernard,
No worries! It's just semantics. Think of it as "tyre" and "tire" or "theater" and "theatre" - same thing, just different way of expressing it.
I try not to use the word "delete" since I ran into an issue a while back in the "real" world with someone that didn't back anything up prior to hitting the DEL key at work, that's all. Ever since then I try to use words that are similar, but not "written" on the keyboard. Then again, that kid wasn't the brightest of our replacements over in the Sandbox. I ended up doing a "carpet dance" with the First Sergeant over that one. Like they say: Live and Learn! :-)
No offense, buddy, as long as you still have them!
Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by Jorge on Aug 27, 2022 14:58:43 GMT -5
All,
Before I post anything, just please be advised I didn't post the previous post. Not sure why it says I did.
Anyway, I've come up with a very "beta" instruction manual of sorts to get FS9 to look "vintage" or "Platinum Wings" using a video that was referenced on another site as a base.
I've uploaded a PDF file to the other site for review and comments, and would like to see if anyone here was interested in providing some feedback as well. It's only 9 pages long and if you have an account at SOH then you can go to the forum there and download it for review.
If you don't have an account there and would like me to send you a copy of the PDF, please let me know on here and I'll send you one. Just advise for me to check my messages so I know where to send it, that's all.
Thanks for the interest in this era and thanks to Tom for letting us post here!
Regards,
Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Aug 27, 2022 16:04:46 GMT -5
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Post by Jorge on Aug 27, 2022 20:25:54 GMT -5
All, I updated the photo album again. Here's the link: Platinum Wings Latest AlbumAnd here are a few shots. Bear in mind they are already annotated for those that go straight to the album. I'm just expanding on the annotations here. la-guardia_01 by Jorge Rechani, on Flickr Adaptation of 1959 La Guardia. Will NOT be released unless I get the okay from the original folks, but thought I'd share the image. It's two different AFCAD's here: one for the land airport and the other for the water airport. The regular one is KLGA while the water airport is XLGA (if I remember correctly). Both are set up for AI, though the AFCAD for the land airport is not the original. It's one I came up with using John's 1939 map which I then added the objects to. Same with the Marine Air Terminal. Lots of generic objects in use for the rest of the buildings. Still WIP. croydon_02 by Jorge Rechani, on Flickr This is the undeniable "grandfather" of commercial airports: Croydon. A more "apt" version of the one I'd made earlier, this one has custom ground poly textures for the ground markings. It also has the circle and the smoke pot. The pot is an effect placed in the scenery, while the circle is part of the larger 1024x1024 texture I originally used as a background map. All I did was trace the markings in white and made the texture for the groundpoly which was made in ADE. The texture just uses an alpha channel to mask out everything other than the markings. The terminal is the only custom object, though the airport hotel next door is made from a generic building using xml and a lot of trial and error. darrells_is_01 by Jorge Rechani, on Flickr Darrell's Island in Bermuda. It's an SBuilder9 project for the island and the rest is ADE. There was some post-processing done with AFCAD to get the zero-width runway for the seaplane AI to properly function. Main thing I have to check is the size of many seaplanes. The spots are only 20m for now, which means I'll have to make them bigger for airplanes that may not be small enough to fit those dimensions. Tower is from the HFDF scenery that was to accompany the radio that never went out. I'm thinking of releasing all that "as-is" after adjusting the towers at various locations, to include Darrells Island. tempelhof_02 by Jorge Rechani, on Flickr Berlin in its configuration prior to the massive construction project that started just before the 1936 Olympics and wasn't finished until the eve of war in the summer of 1939. All the buildings are generic library objects. The map I used was one I found online which was from the early 1930's. It was from the Weimar Republic era and was handed out for travel agencies, I believe. Anyway, it had all the area around the airport as well. One of the things I tried to do was add the park which existed just to the north of the terminal area and across the street. All the airfields that have night lighting do so with a library of objects in white, red, amber, and green that are lights I created in AFLT. They are then placed like regular objects and operate like any other light in the sim. They are also tagged with NAV1 frequency 108.1 so you can turn them on in the daytime in case there's inclement weather. Because of this, any airport with a "Lorenz" beam (i.e., just an ILS without the glide-slope) is set at 108.1 as well. Since the range is set at the Lorenz range, there's none I can think of that will interfere or conflict with another airport or runway. Back then there was only one beam per airport, so no need to have a different frequency. Airports with the Lorenz beam also have scenery and markers located where they would be in a Lorenz system: 300m for the inner marker and 3000m for the outer marker. The gauge I made is a simple one based on a picture I saw online for an advertisement in the U.K., of all places. There it was called a "Standard Beam Approach" instead, but the equipment was Lorenz built under license. I'll post a screenshot of that when I can. So far the only airports I can think of that I made the ILS/Lorenz approach for are Berlin, Le Bourget, and Croydon. At Croydon it's lined up on the white "ladder" line and goes from left to right in the screen. In Berlin it's from the top of the screen to the bottom right along the grass runway. Le Bourget's is along one of the lines which you see in the album. al-mahatta_01 by Jorge Rechani, on Flickr You'll need Ian Elliot's Malta scenery active for this particular scenery. This is the Al-Mahatta Fort at Sharjah. It's featured in a short film made in 1936 called, "Air Outpost," which chronicles the arrival and departure of Imperial Airways passengers. The funny thing about the film is that one of the passengers mentions the coronation of King George despite the fact it didn't occur until after the film was made. The landclass was redone to show more of the desert area surrounding the place back then. I have many old maps I've found online. None are Geo-referenced, but the difference is negligible since I'm using them for landclass and not to place things. I think it came out okay. No background here, just the desert floor with a flatten in ADE that goes with the exclude files. There are many, many more shots in the album if you guys want more information. The only airports to be released are those I did myself or those I have permission to include files from. None will be released until I get feedback regarding the PDF file with the instructions on regressing FS2004. Once that's done I can release the base files (SDK if you will, for lack of a better term) that will allow for the creation of generic fields and Navaids by users. After that, I'll release scenery that's already done -- and where I have permission to where applicable -- in several segments. Regards, Jorge Miami, FL
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2022 4:27:52 GMT -5
Hi Jorge,
Many thanks for this very ample and impressive presentation. I'am very grateful to you for taking time and effort to keep vintage flying still interesting and fascinating.
Meanwhile I saved your Platinum Wings instructions uploaded at SOH forum. An extremely well done document! Even if actually it's a very Beta version, as you says. I did a first and fast overlook and will read it again quite more carefully and concentrated in a couple of days.
I particularly noticed your suggestions deleting some OB9xxxxx.bgl files in Scenery folder respectively subfolders. That's what I already did, including the reinstallation of some landmark objects.
Concerning the other files to be deactivated as well, I'm not sure whether in some cases AB9xxxxx.bgl are needed for appropriated use of GW sceneries.
My main problem still is getting GW in a suitable vintage environment and how eleminating or replacing the of big multi-storey buildings in smaller or 'underurbanized' towns, And this worldwide. I already have tried to deleting some agn files in World/texture folder, but there are still too much. If once an acceptable solution could be found, it would be extremely welcome!
Bernard
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Post by Ice on Aug 28, 2022 12:07:53 GMT -5
Okay I did all the steps said in the PDF file. One issue though, the 1939 trafic .txt file is no longer available. So if someone still has a copy please send it to me. thanks
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