What are the best mods for best graphic display. It's flat and boring now and I'd like to have super decent graphics. I got the Win 7.
Any direction would be appreciated..

~S~

Well, a Glide wrapper as mentioned in the other post.

For terrain, Promised Land 2 is real good. There is also promise Land 1 that has it's own qualities that makes it better then PL2, but has a bug with most 64 bit systems that causes the game to crash upon ending a mission. Not a super big problem in multi-player, but big, serious problem for a single player campaign as you are unable to save your progress.

There is also the OTE terrain (Over the Edge) which is definitely better then the stock terrain.

For plane models and graphics, without major modification to the game otherwise (modded plane skins and models, but not new planes) would be Hells Angels.

For mods that change or give more planes there is Western Front and Revenge of the Jastas.

I have Revenge of the Jastas uploaded here:
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e196374a237958b4&sa=30411298#cid=E196374A237958B4&id=E196374A237958B4!391

I also have PL2 that can be found here:
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e196374a237958b4&sa=30411298#cid=E196374A237958B4&id=E196374A237958B4!120

Look for PL2PLv1.zip

None are comprehensive that I know of, ie, one has to get each piece individually. The mods are more into game play - most seem to use RotJ or HASP SP3. I'm assuming you have a glide wrapper (required for decent graphics due to game design). I use PL2 but, really, while a lot better then vanilla, not so good. There are skins available for planes (try the SWWISA site), barns, trees, balloons, and various buildings. There are some for sky color; river color, etc. Most can be found either at or linking from the above mentioned site. Wailwulf (sp?) I believe is working on a graphics mod. He'll likely give his much better answer here in short time.

EDIT: or maybe while I'm typing :)

Okay many thanks gents. Wailwuf has answered many many question for me.
I did downlod a couple of Gliders from his site for just in case.

Thanks pilots. :)

~S~
I apologize to Lordhoff for seeming to blow them off, but your suggestions are noted here on my pad as well. Thanks to you also.

I was working on a terrain graphics for the Redux project, but since then, we have found a new avenue which should allow us to move the RB3D game into a new graphics engine. But that is completely beyond my technical expertise.

If that happens, the terrain graphics will be completely revamped. Right now, RB3D terrain is basically a grid of images, and each grid square needs to have everything put on it, forest, rivers, fields, and so on. With a new graphics engine, that may not be the case anymore. But if it basically stays the same, we may at least break free from the 8-bit/256 color bmps and and use greater then 256x256 pixel images for a better quality look.

Oh one more question, can I just download these ROtJ files in order into the RB3D folder?
And then I should be good? I know, read the READ ME...

~S~

The files go into the Simpatch folder (RedBaron3D>Data>Simpatch)

However file 12 requires you to run a program first to scrub out some files to get rid of the bugs, so read the ReadMe :)

I really need to put this all together to simplify the process.

So I just right click on each file but #12 and send it to my game folder, or the specific folder you mentioned here?
I can do these things in IL-2 but RB3D mystifies me....
If I was a person who only knew how to turn on a pc and get to the game, well how would you proceed?

I've been trying to get RB3D going since back when Jasta 5 (?) had it on their website with the superpatch and all. I think it was jasta 5....

Note: There isn't a folder called simpatch folder nor the one in your parentheses. The userdata folder is empty. I tried to inclue a screeenshot of contents, but to large.

(Exalt......Smite)

Here is an image of the folder directory for Red Baron 3d from Sierra:
[IMG]http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l515/Wailwulf/RandomPicsStuff/RB3DFolderDirectory-Stock.jpg[/IMG]

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l515/Wailwulf/RandomPicsStuff/RB3DFolderDirectory-Stock.jpg

As you can see, the Simpatch folder is in the Data folder which is in the Red Baron 3d folder.

What i did to install the mod was I created a folder on the Desktop where I copied all of the files into. You do need to do this in numerical order, so start with disk 01.

Now, depending on what you use to open zip files may decide how you have to do this. For me, my zip files when unzipped automatically go into a folder named exactly the same as the zip file itself. However, on my laptop, this doesn't happen. (Go figure)

So, create a new folder on your desktop.

Take zip file 01 and unzip it into that folder. Now, if you just see files, (bitmaps, texts, DML's, DTS's, and so on) go to zip file 02. If however you see a folder within the folder you created, go into that folder, select all the files in that folder, cut, go back to the folder you created and past. Then delete the folder. Then goto zip file 02.

Keep repeating the process until the first 11 zip files are done. If you are asked to overwrite a file, allow it. Just make sure you start with zip file 01 and continue in numerical order.

Now, select all of the files in the folder and cut and then paste them into the Simpatch folder in the Red Baron 3d game you are modding.

Now for Zip file 12, un zip it into the folder. Take the Object.bat file, place it in the simpatch folder and double click on it and allow it to run. What the Object.bat file does is delete a number of files so they won't cause conflicts in the game (which was causing game crashes.). Now, in the folder on you desktop is a zip file called Object.zip. Un zip it into the folder (or another folder). Then follow the process for zip files 13 to 15, putting all their files with those of zip file 12. Then move all those files to the Simpatch folder. If asked to allow over-writing, allow it.

Here is some advice before starting this. Once you have an stock install of Red Baron 3d that works (hopefully with Glide), Make copies of it. While holding the Control button (CTRL), select the Red baron 3d folder with the mouse (left button) drag it to the right and let go The computer will create a folder entitled "Red Baron 3D -Copy" You can rename the copy folder to anything you want, like RotJ, HellsAngels, RB3DBackup, or whatever else you want.

This way, if something messes up in making the modded version, you do not have to reinstall the entire game, just make a new copy. (I have 15 to 20 copies of Red baron 3D on my computer, some for mods, most for testing out ideas, some just waiting to be modded).

Thank you good sir, I did find the Simpatch location with your simple instruction. I have the GoG RB3D and it looks much different from your photo. Data file..all these years.
.
* There is a file in my Simpatch folder called 'cursors.pba'. What to do with this?
And there is an empty file called 'userdata' Can this be used for anything?


When I finish this maybe a question on 'Glides". What they are, what they do, Where do they go, what will they hurt?

And you said cut and paste? Did you mean copy/paste? That I can do. Cut/paste? I dunno.

I did the Ctrl + mouse to make a copy, though it doesn't say copy and I renamed it.

~S~

by the way..where does a 'Glide' go?

I do want to thank you again for your patience with me.

Yeah, copy and paste, my mistake.

I used the Stock version for The one i used for the images was the only completely clean version I had with no modification. All my other installs, from the CD and from GoG have additional folders in them, like Campaign Manager and the French RB3D Campaign Editor

cursor.pba is for the ingame cursor.

Userdata folder is not in the stock game. The ones I have in my GoG copy arte all empty.

The Glide Wrappers are what give you the enhanced graphics on our modern machines since the newer computers are not very compatible with12 year old VooDoo Graphics cards.

The Glide wrappers range from 1 to 3 files, depending on if you can make adjustments to it or not. The OpenGL one I have available uses and ini file to make adjustments where the DGVooDoo wrappers have a program to make adjustments with.

The Glide wrappers go into the main game directory (C Drive>Sierra>RedBaron3d for example)

As to what the Glides hurt, basically your CPU cycles when you have you graphics set for maximum and you suddenly come a against a full squadron of enemy. When your setting are high, a high number of AI planes can cause a bit of lag at times. But that is it. So, no real harm at all.

So let me get this #12 file straight. First I'm unzipping it into a new desktop folder. I'm then taking the 'Object.bat' file and putting it into the Simpatch folder to run it to fix what it fixes.

Then I'm unzipping the 'Object.zip folder into a new folder and adding files 13, 14, and 15 into that folder then copy/paste it into the Simpatch folder.

Good. I'll complete this task and then see what to do next for graphics enrichment.

Then there is the PL2 file I have downloaded.

Thank you good sir.

Ny "it" you mean just the files in the folder, not the folder itself, yes.

Just so you are aware, most mods for games like RotJ were modded for Glide graphics. So there is a chance that the planes will look ugly, wrong or weird if you test the mod in Direct draw or Windowed mode.

Most folk get the graphics set up and working first, then make their copies of the game for putting mods into.

PL2 will not show in direct draw or windowed mode. The game will use the stock terrain instead, so you do need the Glide working to be able to see PL2, or PL1 (which I have said, looks very good but crashes the game on exit for a number of folk on 64 bit systems), or Rabul's OTE (Over The Edge, great summer/Spring terrain, Winter is Okay, but for me Autumn is horrible)

Alright. I'm much further along than I have been since I got this game way back when thanks to you.
I'm making notes on this Glide info and Pl2 info. To me it's weird that a "Glide Wrapper" has such influence on the RB3D game display but I'm going with what i've learned here the last couple of days.

If I find myself in a jam I hope to be able to call on your expertise again.

Again thank you good sir.

~S~

The Glide Wrapper is used in place of having an otherwise obsolete graphics card. The graphic card company, 3DFX made a line of graphic cards in the late 90's, ealry 00's. The cards were known as Voodoo. They used what was called Glide Graphics. Besides RB3D using Glide for it's graphics, Blizzard's Diablo II also used Glide for it's enhanced graphics.

However, this was not enough to keep 3DFX afloat as it made a few bad bussiness decsions and went bankrupt. Nvidia bought them up, but never continued with the Glide Graphics.

So, in order to get enhanced graphics from those games that used Glide for such, either you get (or put together) an old computer fitted with a VooDoo card (I have a Win 98SE with a Voodoo 3), or you use a Glide Wrapper on a modern computer.

So the wrapper is just a way of letting a modern computer in a sense create a virtual Voodoo graphics card so it can display the graphics. though a good, modern graphics card does help with this process.

If I am able, you can call on me, no problem. Glad to be of service.