question on runways

[piersyf]

Hi guys. I downloaded a campaign called Kondor which has a bunch of missions for the Fw200. Most of these start at Bordeaux Merignac, and the requisite runway data and scenery was provided. Unfortunately, it doesn't match! The actual scenery is in a slightly different location to the airfield.dat info, but worse, the scenery has the runway crossing a river, which makes takeoff in a Condor even harder (and very damp). In fact I can only get to about 40kts before I hit water.
I know I can delete the scenery and alter the mission files to change the takeoff point and heading and insert a new runway from infrastructure, but I'd have to do that for every mission. Is there a way to move the scenery? Or to group the infrastructure so I can copy and paste it to new missions (I think I may have answered myself... can you copy and past this stuff in the mission files? Can you group this stuff into a 'formation'?)
If not, I'd also like to know how to change the orientation of a runway if I put one in. I know I've read something on this a while back, but can't find it.
I've attached a screen shot from mission builder to show how the mission looks as shipped.

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

cheers

Piers

P

[Mushroom_Farmer]

I no longer have CFS2 loaded and haven't played it in a while. I seem to remember in CFS 1 the runway coordinates could be changed somehow. (In the scenery file?) I know I ran into this problem before in custom missions. The mission file may need to be changed also.
Or maybe the runway could be changed to a bridge. j/k

[Cody_Coyote]

You can move the infrastructure objects shown on your screen shot as a group by drawing a box around them (hold down the shift key and drag the cursor from one corner to an opposite corner).

[jimski]

Cody,

I just tried the mkafd2 program. I have it making files but I can't install the new field as scenery. There must be more to it than just getting the files. I have a folder in scenedb set up for the new airfield and put the mkafd2 output files there. And I put an entry into the airbase.dat file. MB now puts an X on my MB map and allows me to take off there but there is no runway there.

I guess my question is exactly what sort of files are required in the scenerydb folder to get the program to install the runway as new scenery?

Actually just realizing I can get a new takeoff point with the .dat file was a revelation. It was fairly easy to install MB infrastructure around the parked airplane to get the airfield in the desired location.

Jimski

[Cody_Coyote]

jimski - Make sure with MkAFD that you create both an AFD.BGL file and a runway BGL file.

[piersyf]

Thanks again for the help guys! I ran into the same problem as Jimski. Haven't tried using a CFS1 runway yet, but after reading your reply decided to have a look at FSSC. It is easy to use, and clearly much more successful!

I will say that the auto installation of the file isn't exactly intuitive... it was only that I'd been futzing around with the files earlier that I knew where to send them... straight to the runways folder in the scenerydb.

Now I think I need to play with the colour of the grass  

Cheers

Piers

[Hagar]

Thanks again for the help guys! I ran into the same problem as Jimski. Haven't tried using a CFS1 runway yet, but after reading your reply decided to have a look at FSSC. It is easy to use, and clearly much more successful!

I will say that the auto installation of the file isn't exactly intuitive... it was only that I'd been futzing around with the files earlier that I knew where to send them... straight to the runways folder in the scenerydb.

:-/ I always install new scenery to the CFS2\Addon folder. Then activate it via the Scenery LIbrary. Check out my CFS2 Scenery Clinic

Once a folder is activated you can add or remove BGL files as you wish.

[piersyf]

Thanks Hagar, I'd forgotten all about the addon folder. They're all still empty in my various installs of the game. It would help me keep a track of what I'm sticking into the game...

Piers

[jimski]

No luck here yet. Downloaded the fssc program but I am still another program short of running it.

With mkaf2 I don't see exactly what I am supposed to get out of it and where things are supposed to go. I have a folder ready for the airfield with scenery and texture sub folders. In the airfield mode mkafd2 has buttons for a sca output and blg output. Why two? When I ask for blg it gives me an sca file. When I convert the sca file to blg using scasm.exe in dos I now have a blg file. That goes into the scenery file of the airfield file, yes? Same question with the runway file. But where does that go? What I am looking for are the blg files, yes? The sca files are a go between to the final blg files?

Also I get no "file list" and I see all the stock scenery folders have that. Where do I get that?

I did notice that MB will accept runway csf2 runways but if I run those missions in the main program I am told that scenery doesn't exist. But the old cfs runways will work fine and seem to be everybit as good. I could make it all work if I could find flat terrain.

Jimski

[Hagar]

No luck here yet. Downloaded the fssc program but I am still another program short of running it.

Not quite sure what you mean by that Jimski. FSSC is a complete scenery design program.

With mkaf2 I don't see exactly what I am supposed to get out of it and where things are supposed to go. I have a folder ready for the airfield with scenery and texture sub folders. In the airfield mode mkafd2 has buttons for a sca output and blg output. Why two? When I ask for blg it gives me an sca file. When I convert the sca file to blg using scasm.exe in dos I now have a blg file. That goes into the scenery file of the airfield file, yes? Same question with the runway file. But where does that go? What I am looking for are the blg files, yes? The sca files are a go between to the final blg files?

Also I get no "file list" and I see all the stock scenery folders have that. Where do I get that?

I did notice that MB will accept runway csf2 runways but if I run those missions in the main program I am told that scenery doesn't exist. But the old cfs runways will work fine and seem to be everybit as good. I could make it all work if I could find flat terrain.

Jimski

You seem to be doing this about right. It's been a while since I messed around with scenery but, if I remember correctly, MkAFD will create the AFD menu entries for new runways. Like other scenery design applications that use SCASM it will generate the BGL files with information in the saved SCA file. When the BGL is created pop it into the same Scenery folder as the BGL files for your new project & make sure the project folder is activated from the CFS2 Scenery Library. If you did it right there should be a new entry on the CFS2 Free Flight scenery menu.

FSSC can create AFD BGL files so if you're using that for the runways MkAFD shouldn't be necessary.

PS. For it to show up in the MB you will have to add a new Airbases.dat entry. MkAFD2 will do this for you automatically.

[jimski]

It got it!

My trouble with mkafd2 seems to have been my failure to get the runway bgl into scenedb/runways/scenery. The NDB doesn't work but I can live with that. I used the old FS runways which are fine.

No success gettin fssc loaded and I will revisit the site to see if I am trying to load an update without having the basic program.

Thanks for all the help!

Jimski

[Hagar]

It got it!

My trouble with mkafd2 seems to have been my failure to get the runway bgl into scenedb/runways/scenery. The NDB doesn't work but I can live with that. I used the old FS runways which are fine.

No success gettin fssc loaded and I will revisit the site to see if I am trying to load an update without having the basic program.

Thanks for all the help!

Jimski

That's great.

A couple of points. To create the BGL files simply drag the SCA files onto SCASM.exe. Name them appropriately first.
FSSC should install & run without problems. You might be right about that update.

[piersyf]

Yeah, I downloaded FSSC and an update and the .dll. I had no trouble with that so haven't revisited mkafd2. I am now having a problem with MB... not the airbase.dat stuff though. The new scenery shows up just fine as does the blue runway icon, but when I try to edit the mission to move the a/c and infrastructure it crashes to dektop.
I think Cody mentioned before that I may have had different scenery installed to that of the original campaign designer, and I'd say that's likely as I've been editing just about every mission in the luftwaffe BoB missions (but curiously not the spitfire and hurricane missions), so I guess the european fields are a bit different. Anyway only mention that to say that I have been able to edit those missions successfully, but not this one.
I don't think it's the scenery because it works fine in free flight (or I wouldn't have been able to get the screenshot above  :P), but I have noticed that this particular campaign has an airstart version and a runway version; could they be linked somehow? I can't see it, but I also can't see why it's doing this. Even when I edit the takeoff point manually in notepad it changes back if I open MB.

Gotta say that once you get FSSC started it is quite easy...

Piers

[jimski]

I also found that when I changed the start point in the mission file with notepad that it is reset when MB is used, but it will stay if you fly the mission in the main program. In my case I was trying to simulate the "bomber streams" that the British used at night by taking the trail formation and changing the spacing from about 1/4 mile to several miles. It worked and held as long as I kept it out of MB.

Jimski

[piersyf]

It's a little worse than that. If I open the original mission in MB there's a stack of infrastructure sitting in the river and in the surrounding fields. I have been trying to move and/or delete this infrastructure. I can move it all fine or delete it, but when I hit the 'save' icon to update the file it crashes.

I'll have a bit of a play today and see if I can find out some more.

P

OK, had a bit of a play.
Removing the airstart versions of the mission made no difference (as expected).
Modified another mission the same way (changing infrastructure and moving stuff) and was able to save without crashing, so the MB isn't corrupted.
Went back and tried again with the Condor mission, and again, crash to desktop.
Makes no sense; the scenery shouldn't interfere, the airbase.dat data is showing in MB in the right place, I get no error messages when the mission loads... I can even open and fly the mission if I accept that there's a hangar in the middle of the runway...
One thing I did notice is that if I taxi onto the runway the plane explodes. I may have to alter the 'flattened' area to try to fix that. May be a local ASL variation.

Piers