F/A-18 C/D aircraft mod and textures (FSX/P3D)

[hd764jvgd843]

Update 1.7

Changelog:
- Canopy glass transparency adjusted (NH version)
- BA colors adjusted (sorry for having screwing that up, got new monitors until I realized how bad it was before)
- Specular maps: reflective & non reflective for different textures
- Bump maps modified / added were missing
- AOA limiters added (preventing backflips during tight turns at slow speeds at high AOAs), better overall compliance with NATOPS
- G limiters slightly adjusted, in order to prevent breaking g limits due to reduced yoke input
- Wing sweep reverted back to 20 deg, due to lowered LEFs at high AOAs - sweep at quater chord is more realistic at subsonic flight (better pitch authority) - sweep at leading edge mainly relevant for supersonic flight performance (deflection 'due to mach' parameters)
- Elevator effectiveness function adjusted, easier to pull high AOAs at slow speeds up to the limits
- Empty weight balance slightly adjusted, giving better pitch authority during flights with low fuel state
- Sideslip due to bank angle adjusted / slightly reduced, resulting in an overall more controlled flight behaviour
- Weight of gun (without feeding system) added to station_load including weight of ammo
- Narrowed shockcone lower and upper thresholds closer around mach barrier

Have fun!

Peter

[hd764jvgd843]

Update 1.7.2

Changelog:
- In my effort to battle backflips it seems that I have misread/misunderstood NATOPS (11.1.3), because I somehow assumed they were talking about AOA 'limiters' when in fact they are talking about 'limits' not 'limiters'. So, as I understand it now, you should not break these boundaries (due to overstress, leaving stable flight envelope, etc.) buy you can if you want/need to. This update will fix it.

Peter

P.S. At least I have had some fun messing with the coding.  

[xmozartx]

@hd764jvgd843
this is awesome,
but can you please not use Zippy for a D/L agent. it wants to give spam along with your D/L. maybe use Google as your D/L'er

[hd764jvgd843]

Thanks xmozartx,

glad to hear you like it.

Concerning the DLs I am sorry, but I have not found any better agent that lets you pin files without a dedicated account and unlimited bandwidth. To be safe, I rechecked the links with a naked IE (without AV, but with an adblocker) - worst case scenario - and it did not give my any spam whatsoever, just the files. Just for the kick of it, I verified MD5 hashes too and nothing was changed/injected. So, you should be safe.

In case you are worried about spam, use an adblocker, the 'big G' and the 'small f' should be a no go without saying. Having worked several years in the IT security industry, I tend to have a somewhat strong opinion upon certain privacy and security issues.

Peter

[xmozartx]

this is what im getting. see attached pic
if you have a Gmail acct. use google drive for your d/l and make it public

[xmozartx]

i had asked this question on another post here but it does not seem to get a reply. i am getting these black bands on the DDI's. see attached pic

[hd764jvgd843]

this is what im getting. see attached pic
if you have a Gmail acct. use google drive for your d/l and make it public

xmozartx, I am sorry but I do not have an account with the big G, for the above mentioned reasons. The screenshot you posted shows that this specific ad is triggered as an extension to your chrome browser. So, try using a different browser (i.e. Firefox) for downloading, this might help. Consider using an ad blocker, too.

Peter

[hd764jvgd843]

i had asked this question on another post here but it does not seem to get a reply. i am getting these black bands on the DDI's. see attached pic

The background of my DDIs is completely black, see the screenshot. Have you installed any specific addons that might interfere? Are you using FSX, which edition, addons, etc?

I have had a similar problem a few years back of alternating graphical glitches while flying in FSX, it looked like a faulty graphics driver and it almost drove me mad, until I did a complete reinstall step-by-step and checked each time after I installed an addon, airplane, etc. Finally I found the bug, which was caused by a faulty texture addon installation process, that did not even showed an error. If nothing else helps you might have to consider a step-by-step reinstallation. If you have more than one HDD and enough space, I suggest making a backup copy each time of the fsx folder, before you install something new, so you can revert back to the last known good condition in case anything is messed up during the installation of an addon. This might take some time but it can help you finding the issue.

Peter

[PhantomTweak]

Pardon the asking of yet another "stupid question", but I was wondering something. Every time there is a new version on page one here, I always delete the old version I have installed, and install your new one. LOVE the way they fly, I really do, and the paints are awesome. Now to my question: I have a few HUD add-ons for FA-18's. Do I need to install any of them into the FSXBA or NH models I keep getting in this thread? There is "NEW_Realistic_HUD_for_the_FSX_Hornet.zip", and "3FA18HUD.zip". I am just wondering is I need to add either of them into the ones I DL and install? I know you all have made an incredible plane and FDE's, including the cockpit and it's sytems, BUT: Is there any need to install an add-on HUD to your amazing work? Is there a "better" HUD made by someone and available for DL? I have NO problem with yours, believe me, I just want the best possible experience, after all.
Thanks for any answer that you may provide!
Pat☺

[Azframer]

Not a stupid question to me, I quit downloading and making any changes now the come so fast now it seems. I gave up on all now.


Rick

[PhantomTweak]

Oh, not me. I love this bird, and every upgrade just makes it better. I am amazed every time I fly it, and it just get's better and better. The work they've put into this bird staggers me, as does the variety (and quality!) of the liveries.
Heck, they even made up the livery for VMFAT-101, whom I worked for back from '80 to'86! Of course, they were flying F-4's out of Yuma, Az. back then but it's the same paint job and almost the same insignia. They just substituted a Hornet for the Lead-Sled. Kinda nostalgic for me .
And in case you are wondering, no, I wasn't a Nasal Radiator, no offense meant to the Officers out there wearing the Wings of Gold! I was a Sergeant of Marines, working on the Radar systems at I-Level. Component level repair they just don't do any more. Now they let the computer tell them what board, R&R it and throw the old one away, essentially. Wiring problems need a tech rep. Even then, I had to write the Boolean Equation for a problem they had with an F/A-18 when they first transitioned at VMFA-333, whom I spent a year with.  Anyhow, that's where I took my user nae from: The F-4 Phantom, and we were called Tweaks, because that's what we called making alignments. A daily task on the AWG-10A, let me tell you! Hence: PhantomTweak.
Ok, there's my life's story no one asked for...
But that's why I keep getting the updates as they occur. Too good for me to pass up anything!
Pat☺

[hd764jvgd843]

I have a few HUD add-ons for FA-18's. Do I need to install any of them into the FSXBA or NH models I keep getting in this thread? There is "NEW_Realistic_HUD_for_the_FSX_Hornet.zip", and "3FA18HUD.zip"

This mod is based on Jimi's New FSXBA Hornet, and it started as a port of features, including the HUD, for the FSX and CS versions. You do not need to add any additinal HUD add-ons, the ones provided are the latest ones. I have not seen any better/more realistic ones out there, but if you want me to have a look at the above mentioned ones, please post a link where to get them, and I will give it a try - I am always open to suggestions and improvements.

Not a stupid question to me, I quit downloading and making any changes now the come so fast now it seems. I gave up on all now.

This mod is a work in progress, and it will probably never be truely finished - flying like a 'real' Hornet - because the sim has limitations, our time and effort is limited and we learn as we go along, so we have to make compromises in order to achieve something that gets close to the real deal within an overseeable workload. It is a hobby after all, done for recreational purposes, so fun has to come first! This also means, at least in my case, the topic of interest rotates every few weeks, sometimes days, from liveries to flight dynamics, contact points, etc. and back. This might result in frequent updates.
The other reason why I sometimes hammer out many iterations/updates is because I want to share the modifications that I have done, so you can provide feedback more easily concerning certain features that were changed, if you want to.

Best regards, Peter

P.S. Concerning the HUD for the NH version, you might notice, that when you zoom in e.g. for a landing approach, that the quality of the HUD in the VC is somewhat degraded compared to the HUD in the FSX VC. This is a side effect of my effort to adjust the point of view in the cockpit (NH version), I had to adjust the size of the HUD in order to fit it to the HUD glass (shrink and reposition). I did this because I did not like the original VC point of view, because it somewhat felt that my nose would always touch the HUD glass, being much too close. The alternative being porting the FSX VC to the NH version, but that caused other issues, too. So, I finally opted for the adjustment of the original NH VC point of view, resulting in a minor shrinking and repositioning of the HUD. It allows for a more open (broader/widescreen) look around while in flight.

[PhantomTweak]

Thanks for the reply, Peter, I appreciate the info. http://simviation.com/1/download?file=NEW_Realistic_HUD_for_the_FSX_Hornet.zip, Originally posted on this forum by a user named Neutrino back in '10 (so much for "new") in a thread by the same name is one and the other I saw right off the bat was http://simviation.com/1/download?file=3FA18HUD.zip. Both are Simviation, and as I mentioned, the first was published in a thread in this very forum also. Have I tested either one? No, altho I'm now strongly tempted to try out the first one.
HOWever, since they are both for the FSX Acceleration FA-18, I am wondering, given all the updates y'all do all the time, you probably will have already seen them, and improved the HUD into what it is now. I was just being nosey about the HUD, since I fly a lot through it, and I am a panel add-on/modifying junkie
But you are most welcome to check them out and see if they might give you any ideas or a base to start another round of updates
OK, late edit: I just tried the FS version of mod 1.7. The NH works great, no complaint...yet The FS version mod 1.7 references the model.c folder. Unfortunately, there IS no .mdl file in it. There is a Model.cfg, but no *.mdl, like the NH has in all it's model folders. FSX-SE also gives an error message about it, saying "The model cannot be displayed". Am I doing something wrong? Thanks for any answers you may give me
Pat☺

[Orion]

The New Realistic HUD made by J.R. (neutrino) was further developed into the Combat Hornet HUD, which was further developed for the MadCatz Combat Pilot Hornet, which later became the FSX Blue Angels Hornet and has had additional modifications since then.  The current FSX Blue Angels Hornet (as of the time of this post, available here) is the most up to date version and doesn't require additional updates.

[hd764jvgd843]

Thanks for the clarification, Orion.

Since I tend to integrate each new release of FSXBA Hornet into this mod before I make additional modifications, you will always have the latest versions of HUD, gauges, effects, etc. available, based on the current FSXBA release.

Pat: Please, check the readme included for the FS version.
From original FS (meaning, Flight Simulator X) 'FA-18' folder copy/paste from there into the respective folders
- two 'model' files (FA-18_Interior.mdl, FA-18.mdl) from folder 'Model' to folder 'Model.c'.

I abbreviate FSX with FS (Flight Simulator) so it is in line with CS and NH version, sorry for the misunderstanding, I will try to be more specific in the next readme!