17 replies to this topic

[neilcoal]

i think i'm not the only one asking for (at least some of) these:



1. land war (someone, please!)

someone very smart should figure out
how the old change-plane utility works,
and make a change-vehicle utility,
thus allowing us to change supply vehicles with tanks and such
(supply vehicles are apparently present in campaign,
at least the manual states so,
i haven't actually seen any, besides ships)

on frontline airbases (although EFAs rather rare there),
how cool would be to take off through incoming shells
from an enemy tank formation...




2. hardware graphics:

everybody's effort has been towards
somehow running the DOS 3dfx version
(which requires hardware 3dfx, hence the troubles);
some day someone smart would instead make a rendition wrapper
(the rendition wrapper uses software/drivers
to communicate with the videocard)
and so we all would be able to see hardware graphics

or:
some smart people made some ddraw utilities
with advanced features,
in an effort to make some old games look as if accelerated;
mostly, the efforts went towards the 'wing commander' series,
but perhaps time's not far away when a general ddraw utility would appear,
therefore allowing us to play
'super ef2000' in ddraw with bilinear filtering,
antialiasing and other graphical improvements
(for the moment, for DOS games check the DOSbox scalers: 2xsai etc.)

at the minimum,
someone should integrate the custom 3dfx emulation for DOSbox
into VDMsound, which runs much faster than DOSbox

update:
well, i managed to recover a 3dfxv2 card
and for the fiorst time tried the graphics plus version,
and i have to say i'm rather (actually, VERY) disappointed;
perhaps for having had so high expectations,
for such a long time...

on the other hand 'f16 fighting falcon' (if16) looks gorgeous in 3dfx
(an entirely new game)
you'd forget to push the buttons, and just fly along...




3. tactics:

one thing i'd like to see in ef2000 & TAW:
not only more efficient escort & SEAD,
but also tactics, like for example in SEAD:
one plane popping up & ahead to atract SAM/AAA fire,
and the other one a bit behind, ready to engage activated sites



4. no taxi:

anyone know how to make multiplayer sessions to start on runway,
instead of having to taxi?
(like the additional config setting in TAW patch)




5. ALARM target allocation:

having trouble deploying those anti-SAM missiles in indirect mode;
although the manual states you should launch ALARMs
in indirect mode 10-15 miles before target area,
my missiles always run for the same target
(although target areas in strike missions seem saturated with AAA & SAMs),
while i remember that in DOS version they went in stratosphere,
shook some alien hands,
glide under chute a bit to negotiate target allocation in a friendly manner,
and then rocket-ignite & separate for different targets down below,
with me applauding from a safe distance
and trying (in vane) to convince my wingman
to do the same with his mirrored ALARMs
(for when a hack to fix that, btw?)




6. S225 trouble:

it never peforms as the manual states:
"keep lock for single target until missile is mid-way there
  and the diamond won't flash anymore"
well, the diamond never flashes,
therefore i use S225 as the a 'fire and forget',
but not many of them reach their targets,
although even my wingman uses it like AMRAAM
(launches all his 4 S225 at a time;
by the way, how does he do this salvo launch?
we can only do this in TAW)




7. missing flak:
if i remember correctly,
the DOS version featured flak in target areas
(much like 'jetfighter 3'),
but there's no flak in 'super ef2000'




9.7 v2.04 patch:

  why won't it work for DOS v2.0 version, is it integrated?
  (works only with v1.0,
  and only as long as you haven't started a camapign)




8. versions:

  we all seem to consider that 'super ef2000' is exactly
  like the win95 version from v2.0;
  well, it's apparently so,
  but nevertheless there are some (technical) differences:

super ef2000:  DID.DAT size: 47.6 MB; total installation size: 63.3 MB

v2.0 win95 version: DID.DAT size: 38.6 MB; total installation size: 49.8 MB

an abandonware TACTOM EF2000-SE (special edition): DID.DAT size: 43.8 MB
(this one's a very strange version, never heard of it;
TACTCOM only applies to initial DOS version,
as win95 versions integrate TACTCOM - no separate TACTCOM for them)

graphics plus: the entire game's about 40 MB




9. different .DAT

  while browsing my old games,
  i found an interesting version of ef2000;
  i don't remember from where i have it:
  a DOS version, even worse - it's in german;
  i played it a bit in DOSbox to check it out
  and can confirm that seems to be the initial DOS version
  (no TACTCOm or any other stuff);
  however, features 2 VERY interesting files
   - EF_HD_1.DAT - size about about 55 MB
      (while DID.DAT only 49 MB)
   - EF2000_1.DAT (about 6 MB in size)

i tried using "INSTHD.EXE" instead of 'INSTALL.EXE"
but would still install "DID.DAT" instead of "EF_HD_1.DAT";
also tried re-naming "EF_HD_1.DAT" to "DID.DAT"
(and "DID.DAT" to something different)
to fool the installer,
but would still install a regular-sized DID.DAT
(how, beats me, as i told you i renamed DID.DAT)

i concluded that the installer's smarter than me,
and left it alone,
but still... what's with that file ?

could HD stand for hi-def ??

or maybe it's the file used when playing with a VR headset
(which the initial DOS version of ef2000 supported)

i selected VR set at config,
but again the game considered itself smarter than me
and with dismissive superiority informed me
that there's no VR set connected to port 1
(i didn't try all ports, as i don't have a VR headset)


cheers

[Wombat1940]

neilcoal, on 12 August 2011 - 06:46 AM, said:

i think i'm not the only one asking for (at least some of) these:

......

cheers

I think most of us have settled for TAW2.0. Not that EF2000 was not loved by us all here at the forum; its just that when EF2000 became ADF and then TAW and now TAW2.0 (with all its extra bells and whistles) EF2000 became a happy memory.

[redfalcon]

I'm not sure about that Wombat, i still fly it, like everyday!, well excluding hangover days...there's something i really like about that sim, with headphones plugged in sound effects are still cool, and when your on a long range bombing mission and you've got radar off to avoid detection and your flying low and you get the "Hostiles heading for strike group" from AWACS, you know you've been rumbled the adrenaline kicks in, wingman wants to engage closing threat, i say no stay focused on the mission, IP!, we run in and pound the target, hostile are much closer now and wingman wants to engage, with the mission goal complete i say "yes", its time to kick MIG ass and then limp home on a wing and pray........SuperEF2000 i salute you  

[mikew]

Totally agree.

One day, we will get around to working on EF2000....

[redfalcon]

EF2000 reborn......rebuilt......enhanced!, this is a dream that could be reality, how amazing that would be!, i pray to the god of sims.....please make it happen oh mighty one.

[redfalcon]

Check this guy out, he knows how to fly!

[DrJ]

Is this a software version or 3DFX version?

[mikew]

That's SuperEF2000, which isn't 3dfx.

[The Dude]

Dayum! That video brought back some great memories!

First off, great flying by Szift. Loved his SA! The way he used his MFDs and various external views was brilliant. Speaking of his external views, he rarely seemed to use them to get the advantage on his prey, more just to watch their destruction

And how about those two (or was it three?) touch-and-go landings to rearm? Awesome! (yeah, not realistic, but cool nonetheless).

Loved the sound track, too. EF2K had that great soundtrack which, as I recall, always got me "in the zone". Truly, that music would put me into a hypnotic "uber" state of focus . Too bad the WWII air combat sims don't have anything like that (although, I'd prefer techno over endless clips of big band music, thank you very much). And, not sure if the music changes intelligently when you achieve victory, but the end music---after he splashed his, what? 14th bogey---was just brilliant. All the game needed after that was a ground crew giving him high-fives.

Stellar stuff. Just sorry I didn't comment on it when it was originally posted over a year ago

[mikew]

Here's a more laid back video from the same guy. Some great camera work.


That video was filmed on location around Oslo's Gardemoen airbase.

...and to show that EF2000 is not totally negelected, here's a couple of screenshots of the same airbase taken at 2560x1600. The first is using Krycztij's TFXplorer viewer which uses the EF2000 data but renders it using his own engine in DX9.


and the second is taken in-game with a modified DosBox, where the commands that are destined for the 3dfx card are intercepted and renderered using OpenGL. As far as I can see, the biggest difference between the SuperEF2000 and 3dfx version is the smoother terrain rendering.

[The Dude]

Nice follow-up video.

Is it just me, or does it look like Szift is using only his keyboard for aileron inputs? Judging by the choppy, big steps in his roll inputs (rather than smooth, continuous transitions) it almost looks like it. His pitch inputs look smooth and continuous, so I don't think it's a function of the recording quality.

I remember the day when Geg, one of VMF-124's best pilots, told me he only used his keyboard to fly. Being one of our top Aces in the squadron, that revelation was an eye-opener for all us HOTAS users. But he was only 17 or 18 years old at the time, so we chalked it up to the advantages of youth. Had he ever obtained a high-end HOTAS rig, we'd have all been easy meat for him in a head-to-head dogfight!

[Wombat1940]

The Dude, on 30 December 2012 - 10:32 AM, said:

Nice follow-up video.

Is it just me, or does it look like Szift is using only his keyboard for aileron inputs? Judging by the choppy, big steps in his roll inputs (rather than smooth, continuous transitions) it almost looks like it. His pitch inputs look smooth and continuous, so I don't think it's a function of the recording quality.

Could it be a step function modeled to a HAT button on a HOTAS?

Just for interest, would TrackIR work with SEF2000?

[Home Fries]

Wombat1940, on 31 December 2012 - 06:37 AM, said:

Just for interest, would TrackIR work with SEF2000?

I don't see it happening.  The only way the TIR hack worked with TAW is that it hex edited the code intended for an older VR headgear and pointed it to the TrackIR instead.  Without EF2k supporting this (or even some kind of mouse-panning) it will take more than a few hex edits to work.

[mikew]

Well, it's possible. EF2000 (at least the DOS version) was designed to work with the VFX1 headset. The SDK for this is still available, so it should be possible to emulate using TrackIR with a modified DosBox.

[Home Fries]

I stand corrected!

[Wombat1940]

mikew, on 31 December 2012 - 07:27 PM, said:

Well, it's possible. EF2000 (at least the DOS version) was designed to work with the VFX1 headset. The SDK for this is still available, so it should be possible to emulate using TrackIR with a modified DosBox.

Amazing ..... such an old sim ........ I loved it  ........ still do ........ might check to see if it will install on Win8 ......

[Home Fries]

Just tried the 3DFX version with the latest SVN Daum DOSBox (12/10/12).  There's still some sound lag when transitioning between zoomed MFD views, but the lag while on the zoomed MFDs appears to be gone.  It's certainly more playable, and mikew, this might be a version to branch with your custom resolution EXEs.

[mikew]

I've just tried that as well....and it does seem less choppy than earlier.