PMC Tactical forums

The ITO database is getting further updates for RV. One area that will be addressed are the F-4 Phantom variants. FF4 went thru a really nice upgrade of the FF3.1 Phantom with new models and skins. Unfortunately, ITO wasn't able to take advantage of that upgrade. Instead, I am going forward with updating the Phantoms with Thoarek's model in its various modded variants (thanks to CCC). The current project is as follows:

Completed:
F-4B - 5 skins done
F-4C - 2 skins done
F-4DSK - 2 skins done
F-4E - 2 skins done
F-4ESK - 3 skins done done
F-4E IAF-73 - 5 skins done
F-4E IAF-82 - 4 skins done
F-4E ICE - 1 skin done (by Star)
F-4E Egypt - 1 skin done
F-4F N81 Scheme 3 skins done
F-4F N72 Scheme 2 skins done (using CT2436)
F-4J - 3 skins done
F-4N - 2 skins done
F-4S - 3 skins done
F-4K (FGR-1 - Royal Navy) - 3 skins done
F-4M (FGR-2 RAF Pre 1979) 3 skins done
F-4M (FGR-2 RAF Post 1979 3 skins done
Wing Tanks and Centerline Tanks - 7 skins done

In Progress:
F-4EJ - 2 skins (8th Hikotai Grey Type 2, 501st Hikotai JASDF version of SE Scheme 2)

Planned but not for ITO Conversion database:
F-4F N90 Scheme 2 skins planned (using CT2167)
F-4E Turkish Air Force (5 skins planned for East Mediterranean Theater)
RF-4C - skins planned for Luftwaffe, TuAF, IAF, USAF, USN and ROK
F-4G - need new chin radome - 1 skin planned
RF-4C - new nose by Deathdealer, needs grafting, 1 skin planned


I will be posting pics at FF Beta Forum and here to show progress.

F-4E Egyptian Air Force


F-4D Republic of South Korea


F-4C USAF Vietnam (can anyone guess who flew this plane?)


F-4C USAF Vietnam (can anyone guess who flew this plane?)


F-4E USAF Vietnam "Betty Lou"


F-4E USAF Vietnam "Okie"

Wow! good job Ranger882
BB

Yes, good work, but what about a new 3D cockpit? The Agean guys work on this, or not?

regarding phantom serials here's a reference.

http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/

Believe it or not I have a 3d pit I have worked on a little bit. Actually, Sundevil sent me his WIP and I have done a little preliminary work. However I had to put it away to complete ITO for Cobra. I haven't gotten back to it. The LOD model is 95% and I need to link everything up and run some tests. I plan to complete the RV conversion of ITO first - then at a later date complete the new 3d pit and the integrate it.

Also, forgot to answer about Greek teamwork on a pit - - that is a totally separate effort which I am unsure of the status, also that pit will be a total modernized version - much more appropriate for Falcon code and for the F-4E Israeli Phantoms - but I have a more retro version in mind - take us back to the late 60's and early 70's.

Those are sure "purdy" F-4's in those pictures above! Excellent work!

A screenshot from the cockpit?

Sorry, don't have any thing right now . . . look for something after ITO is released in RV.

Right now all you will see is Aeyes' standard F-4 cockpit in 2d and the F-16 in 3d. I intend to add some new 2d and 3d parents as place holders for the Phantom project. The idea being someday in the future an upgrade to Aeyes' 2d pit and the 3d pit will become available - - still just pie in the sky right now.

VF111 Tail shot


VF111 Mig Killer


VF111 Vietnam


VF84 Vietnam 1967


VF84 Vietnam 1964


VF84 Post Vietnam


VF41 Vietnam


VF41 Topside

nice.

it seems belly aim7 are all loaded properly. the inner slots for aim9 are somwhat behind those on outer slots?

you want me to move them a little bit? Shouldn't they be even with each other?

In looking at another screenshot - I noticed, hehe maybe everything is OKAY afterall - - I loaded two different length missiles . . . will upload underside screenshop of same sequence . . .

Underside view


Nose gear door details

Is there the possibility a gunpod to be loaded???

Well, I don't recall now if anyone has made a gun pod - most models I have seen have the gun located with the a/c, not separate as a weapon per-se. I am not sure if there is code to support a linkage between a hardpoint weapon and the joystick button to fire a cannon. Anyone else know about this?

It would be very enough to make a model and skin it that looks like a gun pod - but getting it to work may be more difficult.

I left of trying to add weathering - - if anyone has a desire to do that let me know and I will post up the PSD's for these at OpenSkins . . . now that I have the PSD's worked up, making more skins for any of the versions should be a whole lot less time consuming . . . and of course anyone is welcome to mod the PSDs for non-commerical purposes.

i see, the slot locations are ok.

gunpods, yes there are some gunpod lods.. i remembered in FF3 or RV F-4M got suu23 pod.. act as a rocket pod.

great let me look around and see how it is done - do you recall if it could be slaved to the HUD or was it a rather rough fire thing - - I've not used weaopns like that so I really don't know.

it works as rocket pod - use rocket aiming reticle, rough aiming.

OMG! These models sure rocks.
Noob question:
are these still in LOD format? Or already can be implemented into RV?
Coz I think these models simply kick ass and can make an official add-on for RV.... or even OF as well.

Wonder work Anthony!

That's amazing work Tony ! ! !

VF-114 Aardvarks


VF-96 Fighting Falcons



VF-31 Fight 31st "Felix"

The Phantom models are all still in LOD format - - but won't be for much longer.

Folks may also note the autoshading for all models has been fixed thanks to the advice from CCC (of course).

Happy 4th of July fellow Americans - lest we forget who does the dirty work to support our ground troops

VMFA-321 Hell's Angels


VMFA-531 - Grey Ghosts

It is with considerable sadness I discovered that Gen Robin Olds recently passed away. He, along with a few others was one of the heros I grew up reading about as I dreamed of being a fighter pilot some day. Below is another shot of SCAT XXVII - a tribute to a true Air Force Legend.

Your six is clear General . . .

I will guess what you are pointing to is the left stabilator with the inboard section bare metal. Perhaps you are thinking the camouflage is incomplete - but for all Phantoms I am aware of the inner section of the stabilator (upper and lower surfaces) was left unpainted. Look a little closer at all the other pics in the Phantom project - they are the same because it is intentional.

Since Falcon (Cobra) doesn't have a special way to handle metallic finishes for reflection (whereas I think RV does) you have to create a look using various shades of gray and other colors to trick the eye into thinking you see bare metal. Sometimes my efforts are more convincing than other times. There are some dynamic lighting effects in Cobra but you have to have the right point of view with respect to the sun position in the sky and the aircraft.

To answer your question: "What is this?"; however, it is the area of the tail that the exhaust used to scorch or burn away the paint, so they usually left that area bare.

Ranger, that is totally awesome work. Any plans to fix the F4 flight model (full a2a loadout and wing tanks and can barely fly at angels 25 at the moment)?

Hum -- I did update the model but I didn't touch the performance curves - what you are telling me indicates possibly that the curves need to be moved to more closely approximate the loads carried?

I need to fire up FM Doghouse and take a quick look - that also reminds me I forget to send CCC a copy of it. Once I finish the skin work I will add FM for the Phantom . . I wasn't aware of a problem but I haven't been fighting with the Phantom much. Thanks for the heads up.

What you mean by FM Doghouse?

program to look at performance curves - -provides a nice graphic output which you can compare to other flight models --

Haven't tried to modify performance curves - - this is probably where a lot of research needs to be done on aircraft and the data is rather difficult to obtain. As Topolo explained to me the performance info isn't exactly something you make a quick Google check on. . . also, getting the performance into Falcon standard may be more problematic...

When someone reports that an aircraft has too little or too much performance then FM Doghouse is useful to prehaps figure out what is not right for a given flight model and its associated aircraft.

Awesome Stuff Ranger!

Youve done very well with the bare metal sections on the F-4 especially... In answerto 'who's jet is this', its (now Retired General) Robin Olds (is it Robin or Robert or something like that) jet isnt it?

@Zaggy - thanks - - and yes you are correct about Robin Olds. But what about the other Phantom? One clue - the driver and his WSO were both aces in Vietnam.

Another brick in wall - - F-4S

VF-161 "Chargers"





VF-302 "Stallions"




VMFA-312 "Checkerboards"

Phabulous Phantoms!!!

British Phantoms (F-4K and F-4M) are next - may be used in Falklands if that ever materializes or a Euro Theater.

- ex I had to postpone the British Phantoms due to a minor model issue which CCC has fixed (thanks again). In mean time I already moved on to the German F-4F skins. But, British Phantoms will definitely be next.

Ranger, are you talking about Showtime 100? The jet flown (into the sea) by Driscoll and Cunningham? They were sitting on a score of two, shot down 3 in one mission (inlcuding the alledged 13 kill NV Ace Col Tomb) that ended up with them banging up the bosses jet and having to punch out once they went feet wet...

IIRC the first two kills were in Showtime 112 i think...

And if you want more dirt, Duke Cunningham, after being one of the most decorated 'war heros' of vietnam, went on to become a congressman, who later did 8 years for embezelling a few mil of public funds or something! Nice one Duke!

Well, you did name the Navy aces - -but actually I was referring to the USAF aces - there is an F-4C skin that I posted with Robin Old's - - I deliberately hid the port side of both aircraft since that might give away too much.

I wouldn't give "Duck" (not a misspelling) Cunningham the right time of day - he is an embarrassment to any officer of the line. I respect what he accomplished as pilot but not the man. The skin is a tribute only to Driscoll and Cunniham's accomplishment.

5 skins done - will post game pics soon. JG-71, 72, 73, 74 are covered in Normal72 and Normal81 schemes. Normal90 was opted out - maybe later

Ran into some snags on trying to get tanks matched up with skins ... The current hardpoints setup isn't fully developed in the area of F-4 Phantom - so I need to reorganize the hardpoints data a bit for the F-4's in order to have the proper tanks and skins showing up...

Has anyone tried to use more than one texture set for weapons? Sure would be nice if:

1. different skin sets could also relate to different skin sets for wing tanks
2. left and right tanks instead of one tank for both sides

will need to do a little experimenting . . .

The Phantom tanks are sorted out now - due to CT limitations it wont be possible to match up all the skin sets for every possible Phantom skin with their appropriate tanks. Perhaps at some point more CTs can be added to resolve this problem. Wing tanks in ITO are divided up like this:

F-4J - for the F4's using the US Navy 1960's and 1970's grey/white scheme
F-4 SEA - for the F4's using the Vietnam Southeast Asia scheme
F-4 Hill - for the F4's using Hill2 scheme
F-4VIS - for the F4S and other low visibilty schemes
F-4W - for the Luftwaffe
F-4K - for the FGR-1 Royal Navy
F-4M - for the FGR-2 Royal Air Force

By splitting these out like this, most of the major paint schemes are adequately covered.

Also, the Vehicle records for the F4's were all redone in order to separate out all the hardpoints and make them unique for each variant of the F-4. This way hardpoints can be tailored a bit better for each type and tanks no longer should need to be shared between variants.

Watch for in-game shots of the two new skin types for the F-4F Luftwaffe. I hope folks like them.