Proper release of the littlebirds

[Chronicles 0]

I used unpbo and looked into the config.cpp file of the bas_lbs146.pbo (there is no config.cpp file in bas_lbs.pbo) , it said

requiredVersion = 1.46;

So, normally it is ok , the problem is certainly somewhere else

[Eviscerator 0]

its not that, its because its using the new feature of the dynamic classes, so instead of being under west>air its under west>bas helos(or something like that), but this was only implemented in 1.85, so every version under that doesnt see them

[netops2001 0]

is it possible to work around this by editing the missin file??

[Eviscerator 0]

er, not the mission file, it needs the pbo's to be edited, which im sure stt will do, but he lives in australia so its only 9am, im sure he will be online soon

[r71 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Personally I think that Drakkhen's MH-6J is a little better then the Ballistics version <span id='postcolor'>  

I like the sound on his better also. I think they made the other versions move like that because of all the ammo and guns on it.(alot more weight) Also, I think they had to make the inside like that so it would light up at night? If they could get it to look like Drakken's inside to light up and look the same it would kick a$$. They also seemed to give the front end a egg shape     I look at the two next to each to see why it looked that way. It seems that they made the frame around the glass to thick in one part. The real little bird front looks a bit more round like Drakken's. --> look here <-- I think where the lower frame meets up with upper part is what gives it that look.(if the lower part would meet up even with the upper part, I think that would fix it)

Anyways...... they did one heck of a job on these.  gj guys!  

[SelectThis 0]

Problem with 1.46 version found.

Sorry about this all you 1.46 users. the problem with the 1.46 pbos has been found. Basically the pbo compiler I used to make the final pbo's is not compatiable with 1.46

I used stuffpbo for testing which worked fine, but when I packed the finals I used makepbo to make the pbo's smaller. It seems files made with makepbo do not work with 1.46 (probably public knowledge already... I should really get out more).

The shortterm fix (until we upload the corrected files) is as follows:

Use pbodecrypter 1.5 to decompile the bas_lbs, bas_lbs146, bas_soar and bas_soar146 files.

Then use stuffpbo or pbotool to repack the folders into the same named pbos. Place these pbos into the ofp addon folder. The units should now appear in mission editor.

SelectThis

[Tigershark 0]

Miles Teg..thansk for the comments.

We will be looking at the engine sounds and the Dashboard.

As for handling....other than the mass of the aircraft...I dont really see how Drakkhens could handle that much differently..unless his is a lighter mass value than ours.

[contraz0rz 0]

I love these so much!

[Tex -USMC- 0]

Good job BAS, y'all have turned out a first class product here. I have one minor gripe though. It seems like the Littlebird is extremely bumpy while in flight- not like normal bumps and jolts that you would expect, more like if a helicopter could be a crackhead lol. Seriously though, the shaking kind of kills the fun, so if you could fix that, you would have the quintessential perfect addon

[Tigershark 0]

Not sure if we can address that....but I've noted it down Tex.

[Goeth 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (R71 @ Oct. 30 2002,01:43)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Personally I think that Drakkhen's MH-6J is a little better then the Ballistics version <span id='postcolor'>  

I like the sound on his better also.<span id='postcolor'>

I don´t share that opinion, i think this littlebird has very nice sound. Also it flies like a dream and looks better than the Drakkhen's. Only bad thing i can say about this is a little weak minigun sound but that´s not really a problem. Excellent work.

[-CCCP-Stalker 0]

In your test mission AI just can't handle Littlebirds OK. They are shaking like hell (on aproach to Modrava escpecially). And please fix the mission. It can't be comleted. When you call for CSAR UH60 will arrive, you will load your troops and then UH will just fly to the nearest mountain and stop.

[miles teg 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (NavyEEL @ Oct. 29 2002,22:14)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">... are you kidding me? they handle like a dream!! best addon i've ever seen for flashpoint..... ive been waiting over six months for the RIGHT little birds to be released, and these are definitely them.  keep up the excellent work guys!!!    

oops almost forgot, i LOVE how all of the instruments are WORKING! the altitude, airspeed, artificial horizon, and rate of climb are all so cool and accurate!<span id='postcolor'>

Have you tried out Drakkhen's MH-6J? It came out just like a few days ago (maybe last week). If you have can you honestly say that the Ballistics Little Birds handle better???

I think that even Capt. Moore's Little Birds handle better. But if people don't mind a Little Bird that handles like a Chinook then I guess it doesn't matter and I'll just stick with Drakkhen's MH-6 for now.

Oh...another thing. I don't believe the real life miniguns move at all. From what I've read on the AH-6, the miniguns are fixed position weapons unless they have a new gun mount that allows for this.

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[S_Z 0]

I think you guys did a great job, those little birds looks really good but I have to agree with Miles Teg, the handling is not as good as Drakkhen’s and I also prefer his engine sound (though I don’t know which is the most realistic one).

I have another problem with these little birds that I would like to know if other people have. When I’m pretty close to a chopper and look at it objects behind it like trees and houses sometimes disappears.

I have this problem on some other unofficial addons too but not all, Drakkhen’s little bird works fine for example. Someone on this forum told me to change the graphic settings but it didn’t help. Is this something that everyone has or is it just on my computer?

[SelectThis 0]

handles like a chinook? lol...*coughs*...guess we won't know until a person who has flown a LB stands up and informs us how a real LB handles.

One thing to remember is that helicopters do not turn on a dime when they are moving, they don't have the control surfaces that a fixed wing craft has.

To be honest I havent flown any of the other LB's so I can't comment on how they handle or look, but I don't think this is a contest to see which LB version is better. Some people will prefer different things... the choice, at least, is here

re: miniguns.. I made them aimable with a 7.5 degree arc because the AI is too inefficient with a fixed weapon (ie, they don't shoot much and when they do they can't hit jack)

SelectThis

[Chronicles 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I used stuffpbo for testing which worked fine, but when I packed the finals I used makepbo to make the pbo's smaller. It seems files made with makepbo do not work with 1.46 (probably public knowledge already... I should really get out more).<span id='postcolor'>

I had no idea that makepbo was not compatible with 146 , now i understand why my own sound pack never worked.

Argh i thought it was an error from me and as i never found it i deleted everything with rage and frustration , argh when i thought to all the time spent in searching sounds , converting in wss arghh again

Thanks for this information SelectThis

I followed your instruction for the Littlebirds , it works with compression from StuffPbo after decompression with Pbo decryptor 15

Awesome work , i like the Little Birds a lot , they handle well

And thanks for taking the time in making a 1.46 version

[netops2001 0]

i tried to decompress bas_lbs.pbo with PBO Decryptor v1.5 and got these too errors in the log file

File: m\tjpmikebox.pac Compressed: YES

Extraction result: CHECKSUM Error!

File: m\tjpcntcon.paa Compressed: YES

Extraction result: CHECKSUM Error!

can someone plz help.

[miles teg 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (SelectThis @ Oct. 30 2002,17:12)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">handles like a chinook? lol...*coughs*...guess we won't know until a person who has flown a LB stands up and informs us how a real LB handles.

One thing to remember is that helicopters do not turn on a dime when they are moving, they don't have the control surfaces that a fixed wing craft has.

To be honest I havent flown any of the other LB's so I can't comment on how they handle or look, but I don't think this is a contest to see which LB version is better. Some people will prefer different things... the choice, at least, is here

re: miniguns.. I made them aimable with a 7.5 degree arc because the AI is too inefficient with a fixed weapon (ie, they don't shoot much and when they do they can't hit jack)

SelectThis<span id='postcolor'>

Alright perhaps I did exagerate a bit by comparing it to the Chinook...more like the HIP. My main point is that if you try out Drakken's MH-6 the handling is just so much more responsive and that on the Ballistics Little Birds when I try to turn while moving forward it just seems to be much more difficult then what I'm used to with the other small helicopter addons (official and unofficial) that I've played. Of coarse they don't turn on a dime, but they are supposed to be fairly maneuverable little helicopters. So all I ask is that if you guys have the time, just try to see if you can tinker with the mass to see if you can get the handling to be a little more responsive or at least more or less similar to Drakkhen's.

If not then that's cool. Drakkhen's Little Bird isn't perfect either, but it would be good to try and make yours even better so that it remains the definitive Little Bird addon.

As for the moving machine guns on the AH-6 Little Bird, I'll have to compare the Ballistics AH-6 with Capt. Moore's AH-6.

I actually have had very good luck with Moore's AH-6 engaging soldiers on the ground. On one mission I made, one of Capt. Moore's AH-6 Little Birds saved my ass when I got pinned down by two enemy soldiers as I was reloading in the prone position. Just as their bullets were hitting all around me, a AH-6 swooped in and nailed both soldiers with a stream of bullets from its minigun. A fine example of close air-support. But if it miniguns limited movement on the Ballistics AH-6's definitely gives an improvement in performance against troops then that's cool. I can live with the guns moving a little bit. There actually was a similar mount for the old Vietnam era Huey Hogs using the quad M60's. That is why I was wondering if one actually existed for the AH-6 in real life.

Anyways keep up the good work and sorry if I was being hard on you guys. Those are just my opinions. Just look at it this way...if the handling could be improved, just think of it as a way of making the Little Birds more enjoyable to fly... thus a funner addon.

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[Stag 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Miles Teg @ Oct. 29 2002,17:41)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Oh...another thing.   I don't believe the real life miniguns move at all.  From what I've read on the AH-6, the miniguns are fixed position weapons unless they have a new gun mount that allows for this.  <span id='postcolor'>

Actually, at least on the Huey hog mounts, they swing left to right 10 degrees automatically while firing to maximise the area effect. Not sure if the Littlebird uses the same type of mount though; I'd be surprised if it didn't.

BTW; excellent job BAS; personally, I think they are very nimble little machines, but I use a joystick when flying.

Any news on the ETA of the new Blackhawks?

[Eviscerator 0]

im using keyboard and they are great for me...i cant see any difference between them and drakkens, and they are definately more nimble than any bis helo

[miles teg 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Eviscerator @ Oct. 30 2002,23:31)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">im using keyboard and they are great for me...i cant see any difference between them and drakkens, and they are definately more nimble than any bis helo<span id='postcolor'>

Really? I'm using the keyboard and mouse and I notice a world of difference. Either our perceptions are waaaaaaaay different (which happens sometimes) or perhaps for some odd reason my computer handles Drakken's MH-6 much better. But I most definitely notice a gigantic difference in how the two MH-6's handle.

At least one other person thought so also, but hopefully more poeple will try both out and give some feedback as to what they think of the two MH-6's (Ballistic's and Drakkens).

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[Eviscerator 0]

well i just had a quick look through the configs, and theres nothing changing the handling there, the only things i can see that influence it are the speeds and weight, drakkens has a max speed of 305 kph and a weight of 3000, bas is a max speed of 235 and i cant find out the weight of the bas lb's because its binarized, i also just did a quick test (downloaded the latest version of drakkens lb) and i found it much easier to move around in ours, drakkens seemed more sluggish, i could spin the bas helo on the spot (nose facing the ground) from a flying start much easier (used that as a test as it shows how light and powerful the choppers are thus more manouverable) i definately didnt see any improvement over the bas helos from drakkens, although he does have a nice cockpit panel

[Tigershark 0]

Miles Teg..

I also did the same test early on and saw no difference...I will investigate it further though.

Just out of curiousity...what kinda machine specs are you running....I wonder if this has anything to do with it.

Maybe if our chopper has a higher polygon count than Drakkhens (which it does as we modified his base model HEAVILY) your PC struggles a bit more than with Drakkhens and appears to make it "heavier".

Just an idea...but like I said...I'll still look into it further.

[USMC Sniper 0]

I love those Delta units you guys are making.

[miles teg 1]

0--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Tigershark @ Oct. 31 2002,020)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Miles Teg..

I also did the same test early on and saw no difference...I will investigate it further though.

Just out of curiousity...what kinda machine specs are you running....I wonder if this has anything to do with it.

Maybe if our chopper has a higher polygon count than Drakkhens (which it does as we modified his base model HEAVILY) your PC struggles a bit more than with Drakkhens and appears to make it "heavier".

Just an idea...but like I said...I'll still look into it further.<span id='postcolor'>

Mine's got a AMD 1.33ghz Tbird CPU with 256megs or RAM and a 32meg TNT2 video card.  Not too wimpy a computer overall.  I'm better known for making HUGE missions that bog down most PC's also.     But who knows...  the problem could also be due to the fact that I'm pushing the limits of my RAM with the number of addons I'm using.  That could be the reason.  

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>