crazy_dave: So the help files for Red Baron Reload don't seem to be working and I had some questions about it. Does anyone know where I can get the help files in txt or pdf format?
Anyhoo, if not here are my questions:
1) No
Landing FM - does this turn off the autopilot for landing? Why is the L underlined? Doesn't L point to landmark?
2) Engine Type - again since the help files are all gone I don't know what the different settings mean for game play. Damage chances - is that the engine will take 5% damage for every hour in game time, or 5% chance of engine failure for every hour? Or is it not related to engine failure at all? is the engine failure for damage received from bullets or can the engine just quit?
3) Mouse View?
4) What are good (i.e. historical) settings for the Wind speed and direction (I assume east which would be 90 degrees)? or for the temp/pressure? - how do the latter affect gameplay?
Also under full information (alt-f) I didn't understand some of the terms: "i.adj:", "1. diff:", and "w:" - I think the last one is wind, but I'm not sure about the other two.
If there are help files which I just couldn't find that answer all of my question you can just point me to those rather than feeling obligated to answer all my questions. Of course if there aren't help files anymore, answers would be appreciated. :) Thanks!
Readme I have for 1.63 Reload follows in the next reply
For #1, RB3D changes the flight model for when the planes are landing, the problem is, if you flight is returning to land and you are still in combat, your FM will also change for your flight is landing. I have had it where I get the you are clear to land message in a middle of a battle and the plane suddenly became sluggish. not fun.
#2 for Engine settings, Bletchy created a chart to use for which engine types for which planes, best to ask for that info at the forums SWWISA
http://www.swwisa.net/ Engine damage is a chance per hour. When you notice the oil pressure dropping message, you need to land before your engine catches fire. The biggest problem is the AI will fly merrily along until their planes burst into flames, so I keep mine at 1%, else I lose to many squad members.
#3 Mouse view allows you to pan the camera around with the mouse (same as when you press return and move the JS while doing so), basically the poor man's Track IR. To enable/disable Track IR or mouse view in game you need to press the Insert key.
#4 w is has to do with wind. the number before the slash is the speed in knots, the number after the slash is the direction 0=North, 90=East, 180=South, and 270=West.. I believe Bletchy also put a paper together for historical weatgher settings, ask at SWWISA
I have no idea about adj or diff, sorry.
[i]For RB3D Single Player (or patched RBII), English version.
v1.163 - added 'maximum power'
Pressing 'Ctrl-0' (control-zero) will move air throttle to the '11'th position for all engine types except 0 (default, non-modified RB type).
If engine damage is enabled, damage chances rise drastically.
Changing throttle in any way will disable max power.
When max power is on, it is displayed on the info bar.
v1.162 - Bletchley's edition :)
-> New Engine Types document with 5 engine types (Thank you Bletchley!)
-> Recomputed power reduction as function of altitude, for rotaries and stationary engines
-> Modified type 1 (On/Off) Engine, so that altitude affects fuel mixture, which affects power
-> Added type 5 engine: stationary, linked air/fuel with respect to altitude, but no fuel adjustment control
-> In any auto pilot mode, types 1 and 5 are still limited by altitude and lack of fuel adjustment control
-> Sea Level Temperature and Pressure Inputs added; they will affect only fuel mixture, game internals will use same air density formula as before (i.e. not affected).
16 August 2007
(v1.15)----------------------------------------
'Engine Damage' option is back. Enables random engine failure, depending on per-hour-damage chances set by user
(1 is best - 100 is worst), throttle value and correctness of fuel mixture.
'Front Guns': - Enables front guns for all planes (not only fighters) in the game. Rear gunner stil works :D.
Of course you need to activate them from acspecs.dat, ideally also draw them etc.
'Engine types' functionality is slightly changed:
- the decrease in RPM when air-fuel mix goes wrong is now symmetrical (as seen in a drawing from Greybeard, thank you!) - type 4 engines (with linked air-fuel controls) are less sensitive to altitude changes; to quote Bletchley:
"It looks as if most of the aircraft included in the Western Front Patch had
this Zenith-type carburetor (if they had stationary water cooled engines) -
only the rotary engines and some early war in-line engines had the earlier
simple type carburetors, so you could leave 'Type 4' as the main type by
simply adjusting the fuel mixture adjustment steps for this from approx.
100rpm every 750m (currently) to 100 rpm for every 1500m. This would mean a
small, but hardly noticeable effect at the 1500m mark, and a greater
noticeable effect at 3000m. Rotary engines (Type 2-3) could remain the same,
stepped at 750m-1000m intervals."[/i]
[i](v1.14)----------------------------------------
Scores for bombing/recon missions are now computed as for attack missions, so they are not necessarily negative :)
As a side effect, even in recon missions you have to hit something to get a positive score (because it's an 'attack' mission).
You can now create bombing/recon/artillery recon 'single missions' and assigning them to the player.
You will need to have the 'All Squadrons' option set, files: 03FF0dFF.bmp, 03FF0eFF.bmp, 03xx4500.PAL + f2-view cockpit files for non-flyable slots to have valid bomber/recon missions. Otherwise, don't set the option or enlist fighter pilots from fighter squadrons.
-----------------------------------------------
Option 'All Squadrons' allows you to enlist pilots in all types of squadrons (e.g. bomber squads).
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Date based patch support:
- first enlistment date moved to 1 august 1915 (except for US pilots); due to available display space (2 pages), the latest date to enlist becomes 1 September 1918
- for l'americains, the earliest date is 1 February 1918; the message that asks you to enlist the American as French due to the too early date was taken out, as sometimes it made the game crash (with the date modification above)
- if you make a directory called 'date' in the main Red Baron directory, and you place here directories called 150101, 171017 etc. (representing the year (2digits), month (2digits) and day (2digits)), each time RedBaron wants to open a file from the Data, Simpatch, 3dpatch, shellpat directories, ReLoad will make it first look in all the date directories (date\xxxxxx) having a date which is earlier than the current game date. The most 'recent' file found is loaded; if not found, the normal file will be taken from the original location. In this way, if i'm not mistaken (meaning - if there are other rules i'm not aware of), one can use date-based patches traditionally used with Campaign Manager without Campaign Manager like this:
- make a separate install/copy of RedBaron
- take your preferred date-based patch (JWP, WFP etc.)
- copy the non-date directories over their corresponding RedBaron directories (simpatch, shellpat etc.)
- copy the 'date' directory in the main Red Baron directory (where the Baron.exe and ReLoad.exe is)
- use ReLoad with the 'Check date dir' option set[/i]
[i]-----------------------------------------
Engine Types: (Check the great Bletchley's engine type<->plane mapping file attached with ReLoad !!!)
Type 0. RB3D default
Type 1. No fine fuel adjustment, no throttle (always on 100%, or off), but has a blip-switch: e.g. Gnome rotary.
Type 2. Fine fuel adjustment, but fixed (air) throttle (always on 100%, or off, engine can be 'leaned' in flight but not throttled back), and has a blip-switch: e.g. Gnome Monosoupape 100 hp rotary.
Type 3. Fine fuel adjustment, and throttle (air) control (but not linked together, so any change in throttle setting also requires a change in mixture setting, and the mixture also needs to be leaned as altitude increases). Engine power range from 50% - 100%, below 50% it will cut out. Has a blip-switch. e.g. Le Rhone, Clerget, Bentley rotary engines.
Type 4. Fine fuel adjustment, and throttle (air) control (but linked together, so that any change in throttle setting automatically changes the mixture setting, so mixture setting requires only to be leaned as altitude increases and NOT as throttle setting changes). Engine power range from 0% to 100%. Does not have (has no need for) a blip-switch. e.g. all non-rotary engines (i.e. stationary) inline and v-type. This is basically the RB3D default, but with a mixture control added.
----------------------------------------------------------------
a. -/+ keys simulate the fine adjustment control (if present) - changes fuel used for mixture, which can be seen on the info bar (Alt-F) if "Detailed Info" option is checked.
b. 'throttle' actually controls the air used for mixture.[/i]