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Gun Dispersion.

4. BOBII Gun Dispersion feature. I added the skill level for our Bomber gunners and the rear gunners on the 110, JU87, and the RAF Defiant (higher skills shoot more accurately). I also reduced the accuracy of the Bomber gunners and the rear gunners on the 110, JU87, and the RAF Defiant. I implemented the change so that I can “tune” the rear gunner’s accuracy in the 110, Defiant, and JU87 as well as the Bomber gunners accuracy (both player and AI). Thanks to Alex for pointing this one out to me.

Here is some information I used for the design and implementation of the Dispersion code so you can review the text and get an idea what we are trying to accomplish. .

SIMHQ data - Dispersion. A target shooter will fire his rifle a number of times to establish a ‘group.’ The smaller the group, the more accurate the shooter is.

A modern aircraft gun has a similar characteristic. Technicians will fire the gun at a target and then count the projectile impacts and measure their pattern from the center aim point. Typically, this calculation will be expressed as a percentage of rounds fired within a certain area, usually a circle with the aim point at its center, and is called the gun dispersion.

A typical modern gun dispersion results in about 80% of the rounds being grouped in a five foot (1.52 meter) diameter circle at a range of 1000 feet (304 meters).

Osram data - Bullet dispersion is 1 meter per 100 meter travel in both RL (back then) and BoBII.

I am using Osram’s data for the BOBII implementation as it is not for only modern guns. The dispersion for a BOBII gun was a circle at 300 meters with a radius of 1.5 meters (150 cm).

I also added the following 11 Bdg.txt Dispersion parameters. The Dispersion was the “core” of these changes (except for the skill levels) and it was completely re-code with bugs fixed. The old Dispersion was done a very inexperienced coder named Buddye back in 2003 for BOBI. BobII had totally outgrown that approach and implementation. The following Bdg.txt parameters were added so that customer can change the bullet dispersion to his personal taste. I do recommend you carefully try/use the defaults as 100’s of hours of test and analysis time was required for the determination of the defaults by the BDG. As always, my thanks to Bader for his leadership, testing and support.

Dispersion_Bomber_Gunner_Player = 450
Dispersion_Bommer_Gunner_AI = 200
Dispersion_Flyable_Planes_Player = 100
Dispersion_Front_Cannons_AI = 100
Dispersion_Def_JU87_Front_Guns_AI = 100
Dispersion_Heavy_Fighters_Front_Guns_AI = 100
Dispersion_Def_Rear_Gunner_AI = 150
Dispersion_JU87_Rear_Gunner_AI = 200
Dispersion_ME110_Rear_Gunner_AI = 200
Dispersion_Veteran_Regular_Skill_Increment = 10
Dispersion_Poor_Novice_Skill_Increment = 10

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

Labels

To get Aircraft Names (Labels), you must set in the BOBII GUI in Options->Sim->Game Aircraft Names = ON. You then use the “T” key to toggle labels ON/OFF.

In addition to the GUI setting above, for 2.09, you “must” also select only “one” of the following Labels options in the Bdg.txt as “ON”:

Single_Chararacter_Labels # the default is a single character [w] for wingmen (friendly) and an [e] for enemy (target)
SHORTENED_LABELS # short Label example – ME109
Show_MoveCodes # For testing AI maneuvers

The default for all 3 of the above Bdg.txt parameters is “OFF”. If all are “OFF” then you will get the long label (example – BF109E4).

NOTE: If you select two or more options as “ON” you will not get any labels (even if your GUI setting is ON).

You also have the option of choosing a single character if you are selecting the BDG_Values.Single_Chararacter_Labels = ON by using:

Single_Character_Label_Enemy= # Input a single character of your choice for your label
Single_Character_Label_Friendly= # Input a single character of your choice for your label

So if you are interested in trying the new single character feature, here is what you will need to do:

Find the following Bdg.txt parameters in the file Bdg.txt in the BOBII folder (use the NotePad find to search):

Single_Chararacter_Labels
SHORTENED_LABELS
Show_MoveCodes

Then set the above Bdg.txt parameters like this (only one can be set = ON at a time):

Single_Chararacter_Labels = ON
SHORTENED_LABELS = OFF
MoveCodes = OFF

and then find and set the following two Bdg.txt parameters like this:

Single_Character_Label_Enemy= +
Single_Character_Label_Friendly= *

Except choose your personal single characters

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

Campaign SaveGames problems.

When you step up to a new BOBII Update (like 2.09) or a new BOBII Hot Fix (like Hot Fix #2), the EXE has changed (a code change) and references to the BOBII data in an old savegame (base on the old EXE base code) will have changed.

I "do not" recommend you running an old campaign savegame with a new updated EXE (new code). The new code can be uncompatible with the old savegame.

Running an old savegame with a new update code base is invalid and should not be done. You may/will experience problem (CTD, or other strange and unpredictable as the code trys to execute against an old savegame). You should delete all your savegames ( named .bSL and .bSR, and Auto_Save.BSL and Auto_Save.BSR), and start a new campaign to prevent having CTD and other significant problems..

I would "always" start a new campaign when changing to a new code base and delete all the old savegames...................

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

The User Guide

BOBII is a full function flight Sim with over 200 keys, and 100's of features and options. You will need to read, review and reference the BOBII User Guide (it is the best in the flight sim business with over 400 pages of information).

If you want to learn to set up and control BOBII to its fullest, you will need the User Manual. I recomend you spend some time with it.

The BOBII User Manual for 2.10 (after you download/install) will be located in the BOBII folder in the Docs folder.

Here are some key new items to review:

1. Key Description Document -- Appendix H
2. Single Player Camapign (SPC) -- Chapter 4 Section C
3. BDG.txt -- Appendix A
4. Chapter 6 -- Multi Skin 2.10
5. Chapter 7 -- Multi Player Beta

Here is the 2.10 User Manual (if you are interested in reviewing)

http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/bob ... _final.rar

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

Buddye,

You may wish to change the old campaign deletion to a must instead of a recommendation for the time being.

It is more advisable to delete the old campaign .bsr files, and the autosave.bsr file from the savegame folder, so it doesn't cause any issues with the new version .exe that the customer installs. It will also save folks from going through reinstalling the game which can be time consuming, and frustrating especially if it wasn't, or may not be a necessity.

Some of my other games, like the Starwars games, and other flight sims all usually state in their readme files, that old gamesaves, or campaign saves will be invalid when the game is updated, so it's a pretty common issue with other games too. Even SH4 requires you to be in port and not out on patrol when just adding graphics mods, that don't affect the game's .exe file. I think the readme for the 1.4 update even says that you should finish your campaign(s) before upgrading, as they will be invalid afterwards. So I always finish a campaign before upgrading, or just start a new one and delete the old saves so it doesn't cause any problems.

Just a suggestion is all. It may help the customers save on frustration, and save you a bit of time yourself also.

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Windows Vista™ Home Prem. SP1
nForce 780i mobo
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme CPU QX9650 @ 3.00GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
FSB 1333
8096MB OCZ SLI Ready RAM
DirectX 10
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512 x 2 in SLi
Realtek HD Audio 7.1

The Bdg.txt in BOBII:

It always seemed a shame to me that very few BOBII player ever have/take the time to understand all of BOBII over 200 keys and 100's of options/features in the BOBII GUI and Bg.txt. They just play the game on the "default" setting and never get to enjoy some of the keys, options and features that BOBII offers to its players. Maybe it is all too much for modern players to understand these days.

The BDG.txt is carefully hard coded. It is not design to be flexible, changable, or editable but only to do one specic job which is to permit the user to change a parameter's value. It is coded so that it will always re-generate no matter what the user does to it. The user can only change its values and can not make any other changes (if the user changes anything other than a value it will be discarded when BOBII is started up).

The user can delete the Bdg.txt, change anything (both proper and not proper), and the Bdg.txt will replace itself so BOBII always has the best possible bdg.txt data.

The bdg.txt must also accept all user changes and then remember them each and every time.

We could re-organize the bdg.txt data to make it more "readable" but it is just not worth the manpower. The Bdg.xtx was not intended for user scanning, reviewing, or editing. The User Manual is intended for that purpose and I do recommend you scan the User Manual Appendix A on a regular basis.

You can "find" any Bdg.txt parameter with the Notpad "find" under the windows edit function. When you need to find a specific Bdg.txt parameter I always use the NotePad windows find function.

The Bdg.txt is not for referrence. The User Manual Appendix A is for referrence. The Bdg.txt is not something you need to review on a regular basis. You should review the User Manual Appendix A and try to understand the parameters. If you need to make a or try a specific change then use the Name from the User Manual and then use the NotPad "find" function under windows Edit.

If any player wants to add a comment or change a comment on a Bdg.txt parameter all he has to do is post the changes on the forum and we will consider the change for both the manual and Bdg.txt itself.

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

The BOBII learning curve can be a bit high. Here is the order of learning I recommend but take your time (BOBII is a hobby to many and not just a game):

1. learn to fly well and get around the map
2. learn to control the sim's keys, options, features, and setting (use the users manual)
3. master combat in Instant Action (using skills from #1 and #2 above) and learn the BOBII padlock system
4. master the campaign (the top of the BOBII ladder and the most rewarding, IMHO) Skills learn in #1, #2, and #3 will pay big dividens so you can focus on learning the campaign. Completing a campaign is super and winning a campaign is the best.

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

If you have sound problems after being OK (thanks to Highlander):

I have had this strange sound stop working problem happen occassionally in the past, but it's been sometime since it last happenned. What you can try, is to make a copy of your settings, then go to the savegame folder in the BoBII direstory, and delete the settings.cfg file. Reboot the 'puter, and start BoBII, and re-enter your specific settings.

I can't guarantee that this will work but it has in past for me. Not sure if something in the settings gets corrupted.

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

Here is how to save all your favorate setting just incase you have a problem and need to re-install:

After you get all configured and set up the way you want, backup the following folders/files:

1. KeyBoard folder
2. Savegame folder
3. 2dGauge folder
4. Bdg.txt file

Save them in a folder and label re-install all setting after re-install or problem.

If you have a problem (or you want re-install) again you will have all your good settings saved and you just need to "re-install" the above saved folders/file and you are back as you were and you do not have to re-enter your joystick buttons, menu settings, or Bdg.txt settings (I call this planning ).

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

This "TIP" from Filton Boby who was having a problem selecting manual prop pitch or map keys to joystick buttons.

At long last with the aid of my eldest son I have found a fix for the prop pitch problem. Whatever I did it would not let me select manual prop pitch or map keys on custom. However if I set controls to maximum and then to custom it would allow me to map keys for, and use the prop pitch manually. Please note for future reference should anyone else get the same problem.

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

Joystick Button mapping to keys. Review this thread for how to:

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=13023

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.

My advices for those throwing themselves into the heat of real battles for the first time(s).

1. Automatic pitch control helps you at the beginning. At the point of making yourself good enough to face massive battles the automatic pitch control is your disadvantage. Do whatever you can to get yourself an extra axis to map the pitch/CSU control. If you fly 1A varsions of both Spits and Hurris you don't need an extra axis since you have only max coarse and max fine settings which can be mapped to keys of your choice! I think I can spare you talking about how helpful it is to have rudder pedals instead of twisted joystick grip.

2. Master squadron take offs.

3. Squadron landings - make yourself aware how the AI sqdn members taxi after they land. Do your pancaking and observe. Then you'll know which part of the base is the least crowded.

3a. Master the padlock system. You'll have a lot targets to pick from back and forth. Plus remember the F5 view.

4. Learn how to use autopilot if you're not into 45 minutes flying and 5 minutes of dogfight. I use it like this (if I wan't to get the most of action and the least of cruising):
- take off and join the formation
- Ctrl+A to engage "autopilot"
- M to enter the Map choose
- '1' for accelerate
- '5' for home
- keep your eye on the map. If targets appear near you press '0' to exit acceleration and map soon enough

5. Know your Sqdn callsign (Jaunty, Caleb, ...) and position in the formation (I always fly as Blue2) and listen to what the leader is saying.

6. Engaging massive formations:
a) YOUR SIX o'clock is your priority! Chck it often both by using snap views and by zig-zaging
b) don't fly straight or very smooth
c) try to fly in proximity of your squadmates
d) picking your first target - pick it up, get close to him and fire as soon as possible!

- before you pass by enemy formation go 45 deg ascend, flip on your back and pick a target using the best field of vision you can possibly have
- don't turn on them too late or you'll end up chasing a target with higher initial speed
- you choose a target at your buddy's six first!
- then lone targets
- targets already engaged as with the lowest priority
- CHECK YOUR SIX EVEN AFTER THE FIRST TURN INTO BATTLE and keep doing it often

7. Refresh your sqdn position information using radio and F5 view

8. If your out of ammo you don't go home. Help squadmates distracting their targets flying by closely or making fake engagements.

9. Watch for friendly collisions.

10. If your squade mates engage a target in a turn fight it is preferred you choose vertical engagement. Choosing turning fight same as already engaging aircrafts can put you in the same position at the same time as your squadmates meaning ... collision

11. Use help command only if you really need help.

12. When you hear someone begging for help and you are not directly engaged check the call using F5 key.

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ULTIMATE FEATURES SUMUP!

Tutorials http://tinyurl.com/4thtx5c
Installation | User Interface | Starting a dynamic Single Pilot Campaign | Takeoff | Free Flight | Inkscape | more!

How to avoid starboard engine failure in Me110
Proper set-up of dual throttle controller to control both engines with throttle-1 and the pitch of both propellors with throttle-2

Set both the Propellor pitch and Right propellor pitch to throttle-2. Set the Throttle to be controlled by throttle-1 but DO NOT assign the Right throttle to throttle-1 on your controller . The Right throttle must be set to Keyboard otherwise the Boost cut-out for the starboard engine will not be controllable from the keyboard and consequently your starboard engine will exceed maximum rpms, over heat and quit. The 'E' (cycle engines) key will allow you to toggle control of either engine or both to throttle-1 and Boost cut-out for either engine or both to the keyboard. The default is both and frankly I've never found it necessary to contol one engine only. Having to limp back to France low on fuel with only one engine might represent such an occasion.

This controller configuration need not be altered in order to fly the remaining single-engine aircraft in BoB2.

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(2) striped WD 10,000rpm SATA HDD's, Intel QX9650 CPU, EVGA 790i Ultra SLI, Ultra X3 1000 Watt SLI PSU (4x1GB) OCZ 2000MHz SLI DDR3, XP Pro 64, (2) EVGA 512MB 8800 GTS GPU's, Saitek stick and pedals, TrackIR 5, HP w2408h -1920X1200

Moving Squads into Group 13 By Heinkill,

The original campaign game designers chose to limit the ability of the player to move units freely between 13 Group and the other Groups. I believe there was a good historical reason for this, which was that both politically and strategically, Dowding did not have the freedom to gut his 13 Group airfields to support 11 or 12 Group, because his NE flank was exposed to raids from Luftflotte 5 in Norway.

Another reason for this is that in the game mechanics, units moved into 13 Group recover morale more quickly than in the other groups. So if the player was allowed free access to move units en masse to 13 Group they would easily win the RAF campaign - it would effectively be a cheat that would mean all you needed to do to win was to move all possible RAF units to 13 Group. Hardly either realistic, or good gameplay.

You can argue about the way in which they reflected this in the game (they made it possible to move units out of 13 Group, but very hard - though not impossible - to move them back in).

The following is described in the game manual (Chapter 4>RAF Campaign Tutorial>Managing Aircraft and Pilots) but basically to move units INTO 13 Group there can be no more than 2 other units based there. Only when 13 Group has 2 or less units based there, can you move units back into 13 Group, and even then only to a maximum of 3 units.

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Buddye

Intel I7 920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB cache), 6GB DDR3 Triple Channel @1333MHz, 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Sound Card, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit , CH Fighter Stick & Pedals ,TrackIR4 Pro thanks to BobII crew.