el cid again -> RE: RHS Thread: Micro Update 7.292 (Acft Eratta, Final Air Art) (8/18/2015 5:23:39 PM)
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Level I Update Link 2.51 https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwg-8ZqLaG9QbsVHAolg This update is slightly different from plan. Mifune has been unable to work, so I have not been able to get his "completely cleaned up" aircraft filmstrips. Notwithstanding that, I was able to clean up a bit byself - fixing one side in particular which somehow got a 'tear' in the image (during the resize process?), and adding a top which I had made but somehow got "lost" in the process of exchanging files back and forth between two people. I went ahead and completed the air art review for both sides so I can turn it over completely: if/when he feels better, we will get even better images than we have now. But that can be a micro-update at any time. I didn't add much. I looked hard at the He-116, and ultimately rejected it - after learning this "airliner" with spectacular range only carried four passengers. It was a mailplane - never mind the intent of the owner of Mansyu to "establish an airline to Europe" - and the planes were also destroyed before the PTO erupted into war. That also caused me to eliminate the MNKKK Long Range Unit from strictly historical scenarios. In honor of his effort (which involved yet another peculiar mailplane - the prototype for the Mitsubishi long range bombers) - and also in honor of serious interest in the FW-200 Condor in Japan - I put it in the Japan Enhanced scenarios with Condors instead. It is only a 3 plane unit and it is tied to its base (although the aircraft can be "impressed" - dumped into pools - by replacement or disbandment). What I did add was the Pe-8 - only to JES scenarios 99 & 105 - the only modern strategic bomber built by the USSR. Not many were built - only one group operated them and two of its 3 squadrons only had it as a secondary type. Worse, it was plagued by failed engines and political demands for more range using them: the most successful version (built in 1943 and 1944) did not use diesels at all had more range than the "long range diesel" versions, and was forced back out of production again by yet another failed attempt to get more range with the same diesels (directed by Stalin, of course). In JES scenarios, the "stronger" Japan causes Uncle Joe to settle for the one practical version, and to divert a small number to the Far East from the end of 1943. This version has the best range, the best load, and a new nose with a 20 mm gun (adding to 20 mm in the turret and tail). But it will only feed one 10 plane squadron - assuming any significant attrition - and needs two and a half months to fill that (at a replacement rate of 4). I separated the GAW (Guinea Airways - that is Aussie) Ju-52 from the Eurasia (Chinese) Ju-52 - in terms of art. They already had their own slots, but now they both have the "right" colors. I added Chinese markings to the Eurasia top - the side already had them. I may have similarly "split" other Allied air art - detail memory is unclear if all of it was last time or this time? My main focus was on new French types, and insuring the air art documentation was perfect - it was not so there is revised air art eratta as well as a couple of new art slot definitions. And I integrated the art fully with air units - even adding the Vichy Air Force for Madagascar (a future requirement that only matters if we get the mini map to work). The original RHS Madagascar mini map, rescaled for AE, is here attached - although apart from making it work in AE it also needs to be converted to the new map systems under development (one board game like, one geo map like). At the end of the day, I have produced the "final" air art for RHS/AE. In particular the filmstrips and aircraft data files, and the associated cross reference documentation describing them, is completed. No software is ever truly final, of course. But I have no plan to add more types, or more art. There is room to do so if needed. But we have gone down to the level of defining aircraft when only tiny numbers are in PTO (if significant in some sense - e.g. the French flying boats in Tahiti, the Portugese float fighters at Macao - this latter only in Full RHS odd numbered scenarios). We will update the filmstrips if Mifune produces cleaner versions, or if anyone anywhere makes 'better' images for anything we use - but that is not a 'change' in the sense we have been producing - which is adding new types. This process did, unexpectedly, lead me to discover an aircraft data problem. It amounts to nearly universal eratta - much of it already corrected here. It appears that there were three different versions of the (WITP era) RHS aircraft durability formula used for various planes: one by Mifune before I began to work on AE at all, one by me (until yesterday), and one by me (since last night) because I learned I had misread the (ancient, worn) notes describing the formula (mistaking a badly written and faded + for a * or multiply symbol). The net effect is that one of the great benefits of the RHS system (which involved about two years of work with forum members to evolve) was partially lost. RHS deliberately redefined durability on a lower scale and also deliberately set out to use a formal, published, defined formula so it would be consistent and not be dependent on "seat of the pants estimates" (which are inconsistent even if done by the same person). A lower durability mitigates a code problem: attrition of all types is too low, but lower durability increases it. Consistent data also helps the (remarkably outstanding) code for air combat to produce better results. The impact of recalculation is to reduce durability - typically by 2 points for small aircraft - but that amounts to 25% in the case of a lightweight Zero, Oscar or Claude. [This applies to lightweights on both sides of course.] The number of points is greater (up to around 33%), but it is less important as any large number tends to insure survival against most attacks. Overall, this data change will hurt the Japanese somewhat more, as they have more smaller planes. But the intent it to use an absolutely consistent, case by case application. That means many thousands of recalculations. [I must look up structure type and empty equipped weight for every type - the number of engines and pilots is already in the database - and recalculate. Then I must enter that data for seven different scenarios - about 1700 types times 7 = 11,900 entries! It expect it to take at least a day or so on top of what I did between 8 pm and 4 am last night! I claim to be an Olympic contender for data entry.] So there will be at least one more aircraft file eratta update - to insure consistency. I already did the important early war Japanese fighters and all the types added lately - for which data was still at hand - especially the French planes, and many of the small biplanes on both sides, and all variations of the Hudson - of which there are many. Fortunately, aircraft data updates into ongoing games. Unfortunately, it does not update into air units until the air units are upgraded: so the effect of this better data will tend to be felt over time in existing games. But I do update air units to include it so new games will always have current data in them for any new game starts. Once this data revision completes - probably the next update in a day or two - we will be at 7.300. I will start Test Ten Charlie. And I will move on to map development. Although the aircraft art revision process took a few weeks instead of a few days, I am very pleased with the result. We have the largest collection of aircraft for AE of any mod, and most of the data has been reviewed for consistency already. The impacts of what I learned have resulted in a better order of battle and a better plane count/production foundation/date of appearance or date of upgrade data set. The air art looks much better than it once did, with virtually no cases remaining where the art is in the 'wrong colors' - never mind is the wrong type of plane entirely. "Nearest art" is only a secondary standard now - almost unused. None of this "completion" and "final" wording implies we won't address any errors reported by anyone. Or that we won't use any art submitted. The rule remains "if it is wrong, we will fix it; if it is better than what we have, we will use it." I spoke to Mifune on this last week: in spite of his often outrageous numbers of hours spend on individual images, he does NOT mind replacing it with something better. He wants a better product - period. So do I. So micro-updates will from time to time revise the art and the data: it just isn't the plan to work on those files per se.
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