Phantom bullets

[piersyf]

Hi all. Just so you know, really new at this so if I'm asking a stupid question, sorry, but it has me stumped.

Recently got a 3rd party a/c (Boulton Paul Defiant), set it up and ran it. For a while it worked fine (was actually great, the configuration seems to take advantage of certain aspects of CFS2's ai and I found it very easy to confuse fighters. Anyway, the bullets have stopped working and I don't know why.

Yes, the bullets. When I pull the trigger, the guns fire, muzzles flash, tracer reaches out to touch someone, but passes clean through the target (frustrating being able to formate in an enemy bomber's blind spot and empty 2400 rds of .303 into it to no effect).

I have flown the aircraft inverted and fired at the ground and the water (guns fire obliquely up at 30 degrees). The bullets strike the ground and water with normal visual effect.

I have flown other aircraft just with .303 armament (spitfire Mk2, hurricane Mk1) against same target and had no problems. Bits fly off nicely.

I have checked and meddled with the DP file to no effect.

I have re-installed the aircraft twice with no difference.

If the thing had 'failed' from the start I might not be so befuddled, but it worked a treat for a while then stopped.

Any ideas where to look or what might be causing this? It seems to be isolated to this particular aircraft.

Thanks

P

[H]

Not sure I've an answer, as long as the dp wasn't messed with prior to the problem (part of the dp also determines the damage effect) and I've been working only with CFS1. I don't have the string memorized well enough, except that you'll find the damage numbers by the asterisk. The actual gun units which follow must correlate to the gunstation entries.
I can't seem to open the CFS2 link but here's the CFS1 tutorial (that actually goes with a dp edit program) http://www.simviation.com/cfsdpedit.htm . Not sure this helps but someone else around here should be able to.

[piersyf]

Thanks for the reply, but I'm pretty sure it isn't the DP. I did alter the damage numbers to see if it made a difference, but it didn't. I also re-installed the whole aircraft file but it made no difference.
The thing I that gets me is that the bullets pass "through" the target. There are no strikes on any aircraft for the Defiant's guns. The bullets strike the ground, or the water, and leave appropriate marks. They don't 'see' the damage boxes of aircraft.
Is all very wierd. Although the aircraft is freeware, has anyone heard of a 'trial limiter' being installed in an a/c file?

P

[H]

Sorry I wasn't of help and I forgot to check an actual CFS2 file (I do have the CD but I'd have to re-install it).

Although the aircraft is freeware, has anyone heard of a 'trial limiter' being installed in an a/c file?

It wouldn't make any sense to do so unless there was some link included for an add-on or a registration (which I wouldn't consider fair for "freeware" although it's done).

Nevertheless...

The thing I that gets me is that the bullets pass "through" the target. There are no strikes on any aircraft... The bullets strike the ground, or the water, and leave appropriate marks.

Amazing -- never realized anything so advanced existed back then. Even beats the modern stealth planes. Now, if you can just apply this in reality you won't even be concerned about a simulation.(You've just got see some humor in things while they're frustrating the crap out you)

[Bombardier101]

Please give me the adress of the plane you were trying to shoot down. I've found you have to do a remake of the DP. I had that issue before.

[piersyf]

Thanks, but not the target plane's fault. Have been able to shoot down the target successfully with other aircraft. Have tried the defiant's guns against several other targets and all refuse to be hit.
The initial target was a He111 from a 'bulk pack' of aircraft for the Battle of Britain (mostly reworks CFS1 a/c I think). Since then I have tried against Me109's, Folgore's, stukas and the like but no hits register and bullets pass through them (but only from the defiant. All other a/c work fine).

P

[Hagar]

Can you post a link to the page this aircraft is posted on so someone can check it out.

I have flown the aircraft inverted and fired at the ground and the water (guns fire obliquely up at 30 degrees). The bullets strike the ground and water with normal visual effect.

If the guns are angled upwards how do you aim them? Maybe you're simply not hitting the target.

[piersyf]

The link to the site is www.pavaservices.com/cfs The model is a beta test model in the final stages of development, and the history given shows no indication of this problem. There is no mention of a 'trial period'.

As to aiming; the angle is such that the bullet stream will pass through an area dead centre above line of sight (pilot) and just below the top of screen at a distance of 250m or so. While the guns were working I could take out individual engines on the He111.

I had been dogfighting Me109's with some success when this happened and I did think at first I was getting lazy with the aiming. I switched back to the big slow He111 which I knew I could take down with ease, and made the discovery.

P

[Hagar]

Forget the trial period. I know of no way to make a DP file stop working after a period of time. The only possible way to do this would be if you modifed it in some way or changed the CFS2 Realism settings.

[Bombardier101]

I don't arguments, but I fly an He219, fired at a VB Lancaster but I didn't hit it when I was sure I was on target. Then I remade the DP and I shoot down the Lanc. I had fired at a ground target with the He219 and hit it. The designer of the He219 also made note of the VB Lancaster's possibly bad DP too. No phantom bullets, just a phantom target!

Just so you know, really new at this so if I'm asking a stupid question, sorry, but it has me stumped.

BTW this is not a stupid question and is perfectly rational. You are asking about a fault in something in a CFS2 plane and that's perfectly fine to ask about. People have had the problem before, so you got lucky!

[piersyf]

Thanks for the ongoing info. OK, assuming it is the DP (and some 3rd party aircraft I have downloaded have had issues on my system, including the He219, but I've been able to get them flying by editing the air file or the DP), why wouldn't re-installing the original files have restored the workings? The plane worked fine initially, then stopped working, so something in the files changed a week or so after it was installed. By deleting the original install and reinstalling the files from the original zip file shouldn't that have restored everything to the original working condition?
When I did try tinkering with the DP I deleted the CDP to make sure the game ran from the DP file (and auto-generated a new CDP) but it made no difference.

P

[Bombardier101]

No, I don't mean putting a fresh copy of the DP from the zip file, I mean wiping the crash/hit boxes in the DP and making them again. Mind you it took a while

[Hagar]

The plane worked fine initially, then stopped working, so something in the files changed a week or so after it was installed. By deleting the original install and reinstalling the files from the original zip file shouldn't that have restored everything to the original working condition?

Exactly. This leads me to believe that you changed something yourself. Most likely the DP files of the Defiant or aircraft you're using as targets.

some 3rd party aircraft I have downloaded have had issues on my system, including the He219, but I've been able to get them flying by editing the air file or the DP

Which aircraft are these & what issues? I don't know why editing the DP would fix this sort of problem. Maybe you didn't edit the DP files correctly.

[piersyf]

Exactly. This leads me to believe that you changed something yourself. Most likely the DP files of the Defiant or aircraft you're using as targets.

Which aircraft are these & what issues? I don't know why editing the DP would fix this sort of problem. Maybe you didn't edit the DP files correctly.

No, the plane stopped working before I started tinkering. Like I said in the original post, the plane worked fine initially so I had no reason to tinker. I didn't touch the DP of the target aircraft either, never have.
The DP mods have usually been about fixing weapons; getting them to show up, getting them to release etc. Considering the problem I have with the Defiant is weapons related I thought it a reasonable place to start.
The Hs129 was an airfile mod (I think) because it would start with 0 fuel regardless of settings. Now it has fuel so I can get it off the ground.

As to the damage boxes, really in uncharted territory there. Have a tute for it, haven't looked yet. Still, might be worth a look.

P

[Bombardier101]

Hagar, I do not know why you need to make the boxes again but it worked.