Modifying the 3D Gauges

[stickman]

With BoBII v2.10

Before v2.10, the 3D Gauges could not be calibrated by public users. Only the textures could be changed by anyone.
The cockpit gauges have never been changed much since initial Wings of Victory release. Many broken since old BoB1 days.
The pointer/indicator movements upon the gauges were secretly hard coded. Untouchable by us mere mortals.

Scott lent us one of his busy coders, named Eric, to help us BoBII folk out, to try and fix the broken gauges.
Eric made a new code that fixed some of the old problems, and that enables casual users to manipulate gauge movements.
Bless both their hearts!

Currently, only Blue Six and I have been fiddling with this new ability. So, instructions and notes, are few.
Here is what I have:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nyo4mzmnzzd

This should have been included in the BoBII Docs folder for v2.10, but I have been neglecting my duties lately,
and never insisted that it should be done so.

INSTALLATION:
I extract the download above into my Battle of Britain II/Docs folder.
They will not affect the simulation game play in anyway. They are only tool use Instructions.
There is no Tool program that is used, and all Gauge Calibrations are done by editing the existing .ACM Notepad files in the models folder.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It could be said that any BoBII Gauge Calibrator should have the
Mathematical Mind & Artistic Ability of Leonardo da Vinci,
and it shall certainly help, but not totally necessary, with help from others.

Whilst repairing the Spitfire and Hurricane Fuel Gauges, it took
Ken (This switch, this fuel cock works wrong, Eric.) (Jeff, your given values for a Hurri Reserve tank may be correct for full capacity, but consider "USABLE" fuel)
Eric (OK, I fixed the switch and cock, and made the Hurri gauge read two tanks, selected by the proper switch)
Jeff (Sweet! I'll paint a new dual scale gauge face that might be readable to the user. Calibrate the pointer movement to each tank.)
(Ken, gauge face graduations may not be absolutely true as in 1940, but we'll have a properly working, and calibrated true.. Hurricane fuel gauge)

It very much helps if you have a decent Paint Program. Like Photo Shop, Paint Shop Pro, or GIMP(which is free).
I still use Paint Shop Pro 7, which 7 years old.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, I shall mention some of the draw backs and deficient aspects.
Starting with "The Few" pointer textures which are shared with many gauges.

[Bucic]

Thank you, Stickman!
I doubt I will look into it anytime soon but out of curiosity - which gauges are not calibrated yet?

[stickman]

Bucic,

which gauges are not calibrated yet?

The better question is.. Which gauges have Ken and I confirmed to be truly calibrated?

1. Spitfire fuel gauge
2. Hurricane fuel gauge
3. ME109E fuel gauge (stickman's version, not v2.10 stock)
4. Ju87B fuel gauge (stickman's version, not v2.10 stock)
5. ME110C fuel gauge (stickman's version, not v2.10 stock)

6. All broken compasses have been fixed, with the exception that the RAF "bowl" compasses (the ones buried under the panel by the stick)
have not been looked at yet.
I have my versions calibrated better than v2.10 stock. I will not tolerate my compass to be a degree off!

Other than those above... I have not yet put my Certified Calibration sticker of approval,
upon any other gauges.

------------

You will notice that many gauges look in game as not appearing as perfectly round.
Even the ones that are directly in front of you!
I found it necessary to squeeze some gauge textures (the width) in order to make them appear goodly round in game,
and to make the pointer read true to the graduations.

In some cases (the ME110 and Stuka fuel gauges) I had to cheat the REAL gauge faces to read total fuel, instead of different tank fuel
because the game does not allow us LW guys to have switches to select different fuel tanks.
So... I compromised and painted a truly calibrated, but unorthodox, gauge face from what the gauge face "really" looked like, summer of 1940, July, or was it September?

I love that word.. UNORTHODOX "breaking away from convention or tradition"
Live my life with that word.
As well as COMPROMISE, "a settlement of differences, in which each side makes concessions"
which I like not.. but without it my life would be violent and short!

[P/O Percy Prune]

Yeah - another good word is 'subvert'.

P.