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Generating a new Landscap\FarTiles.bin file.

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Before doing this, restart your computer.
After start up, shut down all unneccesary programs running in the back ground of your computer.
The stop_srv batch file that Scott gave us to stop Windows Services will be a good idea to use. It is in the BoBII root folder.
Remove MultiSkin. Do this by restarting the MultiSkin Installer. Select Remove when prompted.
You need as much memory and resources as you have available to do this batch.

1. Right click the BoB exe in the Battle of Britain II root folder, and create a shortcut.
Drag it onto the Desktop.
Rename it as BoB FARTILES.

2. Right click this icon and select Properties.
In the Target window, add -SAVETILES to the end of "C:\Battle of Britain II\BoB.exe" (with a space between):
"C:\Battle of Britain II\BoB.exe" -SAVETILES
Click Apply, then click OK.

3. Double click this desktop BoB FARTILES icon. Choose the default takeoff IA mission. Fly.
The batch process for generating a new landscap\fartiles.bin file will begin. It will stay on Generating Weather for many minutes.
This will take fom 5 to 20 minutes depending on your system. 256 megabytes need to be batched!
The last time I did this with public v2.07 release, it took 6 minutes to batch.
I could hear my hard drive winding down from the WWHHHIRRRrrrr... and then the game started OK.
I saw the "red death" screen as if my kite crashed. Alt-X out of game and Quit.
Check that a new Fartiules.bin file with today's date and time are in the Landscap folder.

4. Install MultiSkin, if so desired. Do this by restarting the MultiSkin Installer. Select Install when prompted.

Tip! in the bdg.txt file, set this switch to ON:
ENGINE_ALWAYS_RUNNING=ON
I advise this because it is a clue as to when the FARTILES are batched and when the game starts.
Sometimes when I did not stop background processes, and remove MultiSkin,
I heard the engine running, then it would Crash To Desktop or the computer would restart!
These things are undesirable!! Though a new FarTiles would be generated, it is suspect in my suspicious mind.

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Aloha!

I have what is probably a real stupid question - but I am a noob afterall - why would I want/need to do this?

Only if you make a set of new terrain textures.
This information is for terrain texture modders. No need to worry about it, otherwise. Normal users do not need to do this.
Terrain texture modders should include their own Fartiles.bin with their work.

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I wish to add here, that Osram coded this batch process.
Before he did so, the Fartiles.bin was slaved to to the original Rowan textures.
Osram "freed up" the Fartiles.bin so that any modified terrain textures will look the same, NEAR and FAR, using his batch process.
Thanks be to Osram! (where is the kowtow icon?)

*> If you load a new set of terrain textures for which a fartiles isn't supplied

*> If you load a new set of textures for which a fartiles download is optional, and you wish to avoid a ~25MB additional download due to bitrate limitations

*> if you load a new terrain (as opposed to textureset) update, and you want to avoid seeing a discontinuity in the terrain at mid-distance before a new fartiles is offered for the particular textureset you are using, or if no one posts a fartiles update for that particular textureset.

*> if you construct your own textureset by mix-n-match from all the textures provided in the many texturesets currently offered (each landscape texture is independent of the others, though the result may look a little inconsistent), so you need a custom fartiles to match your custom textureset.