How do I replace standard skins?

[JtD]

Without infinite fiddling to each and every mission assigning individual custom skins - what do I have to edit so that standard skins are less glossy?

Would custom skins for enemy aircraft be even possible say in the standard campaign missions?

 

I've been told that custom skins would be the solution, I didn't think it was possible. It would improve BoS by 0.25 on my /10 scale if I could get rid of that gloss for good.

[Finkeren]

Short answer: You don't.

 

It'll take a slight editing of the alpha channel. Very easy to do, but since the standard skins are coded directly into the game, they cannoth easily be replaced.

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

Unfortunately there's no way to change default ingame skins at all (bump maps used to be modificable but that has been sorted out over time).

 

Reflection maps for other (ai) aircrafts should be less of an issue because the game engine only renders reflection textures at ~ < 200m. If you fly in widespread formation other skins always look matt deoending on your zoom level.

[JtD]

I cannot replace the alpha channel of the standard skins by legal means?

 

So, the "solution" to the gloss issue is to manually assign skins to each and every aircraft in each and every mission I play? Can't be. Can it?

 

Edit: Recording tracks for video playback - can I change skins in there? Is the format editable in that regard?

Edited February 5, 2016 by JtD

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

There's no legal issue with it. You can extract and modify standard skins perfectly fine, however there's no way to implement them into the game afterwards as the client only reads the files within the conpressed gtp files.

[JtD]

Well, that then would be the part where it gets illegal, I suppose.

 

Getting back to the edit of my previous post, lets assume that I'm satisfied with choosing a skin for my aircraft for the mission I fly and I stay away from other aircraft as much as possible.

 

But the mission was great and I want to make a video of the mission. There I want to use historical skins instead of glossy ones. Does it work to edit the track files so that the aircraft in the track have different skins from the ones they had during the mission?

[Finkeren]

To be perfectly fair, it makes sense not to allow players to edit their versions of the standard skins. This would be a potential exploit, where a player could for example go in and alter all skins of Soviet aircraft to be super-shiny and colored brightly red and all Axis aircraft likewise bright blue, which would give that player a big advantage in spotting and identifying aircraft in MP.

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

Does it work to edit the track files so that the aircraft in the track have different skins from the ones they had during the mission?

Replay files really is not my area of expertise but I assume it does not work that way.

[216th_Peterla]

To be perfectly fair, it makes sense not to allow players to edit their versions of the standard skins. This would be a potential exploit, where a player could for example go in and alter all skins of Soviet aircraft to be super-shiny and colored brightly red and all Axis aircraft likewise bright blue, which would give that player a big advantage in spotting and identifying aircraft in MP.

True.

[Jupp]

~S~ Everyone,

 

The timing, and subject matters, of these two posts, may not be related, but then again, maybe they are...

 

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/20909-10034-skin-was-modified-and-can-not-be-loaded-current-game/?p=330223

 

Specifically :

 

 

In an unrelated matter, (cough cough), I have a decent little real estate property coming onto the market soon...

 

 

 

Keep it Level,

 

!S -Jupp-

Edited February 5, 2016 by Jupp

[unreasonable]

Well, that then would be the part where it gets illegal, I suppose.

 

Getting back to the edit of my previous post, lets assume that I'm satisfied with choosing a skin for my aircraft for the mission I fly and I stay away from other aircraft as much as possible.

 

But the mission was great and I want to make a video of the mission. There I want to use historical skins instead of glossy ones. Does it work to edit the track files so that the aircraft in the track have different skins from the ones they had during the mission?

 

Editing only allows you to look at what happened through different camera views and resave the track with the new views. (Or you can use different camera views during the normal track playback and record using FRAPS or similar).

 

You cannot change skins - or anything else - that happened in the record: only your POV.

[JtD]

I was getting my hopes up because there is a mission file in the track record data. Never tried to fiddle with it, but I hoped someone else might have found a way.
 

Plane
{
Name = "Plane";
Index = 2;
LinkTrId = 3;
XPos = 40000.000;
YPos = 200.000;
ZPos = 200.000;
XOri = 0.10;
YOri = 90.00;
ZOri = 12.47;
Script = "LuaScripts\WorldObjects\Planes\yak1s69.txt";
Model = "graphics\planes\yak1s69\yak1s69.mgm";
Country = 101;
Desc = "";
Skin = "";
AILevel = 0;
CoopStart = 0;
NumberInFormation = 0;
Vulnerable = 1;
Engageable = 1;
LimitAmmo = 1;
StartInAir = 0;
Callsign = 0;
Callnum = 0;
Time = 60;
DamageReport = 50;
DamageThreshold = 1;
PayloadId = 0;
WMMask = 1;
AiRTBDecision = 0;
DeleteAfterDeath = 1;
Fuel = 1;
}

Edited February 5, 2016 by JtD

[Finkeren]

It could well look like, this might work JtD. Might I suggest you make a short track in a free flight with just one plane using a custom skin, and see if something appears under "skin" in the track file? That way you should be able to see, the format the skin file shows up in, if it shows up at all.

[PatrickAWlson]

I use the skin parameter in PWCG.  I have not tested it much so I am not 100% sure, but I think that it works with limitations.  If you don't have the skin unlocked you will not see it on your plane.  I think it works fine with custom skins in SP.  Not at all sure about MP.

[HippyDruid]

~S~ Everyone,

 

The timing, and subject matters, of these two posts, may not be related, but then again, maybe they are...

 

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/20909-10034-skin-was-modified-and-can-not-be-loaded-current-game/?p=330223

 

Keep it Level,

 

!S -Jupp-

 

Interestingly, I have been thinking about this too. But how can they be related?

It's probably best not to speculate and instead, wait and see what solution the devs come up with.

[Sokol1]

I was getting my hopes up because there is a mission file in the track record data. Never tried to fiddle with it, but I hoped someone else might have found a way.

 

If you open the mission file stored with the track (BTW - a easy exploit in "online wars") in ME, the field Skin only show the <default> option - in my test the plane use this.

 

If you use "force brute" and edit the mission file with Notepad++ adding a skin for the plane, e.g.

Skin = "pe2s87\pe2s87_skin_10_x.dds"; 

the track load but don't change the skin, probable because is used the .msnbin and not the .mission file in track replay...

Edited February 6, 2016 by Sokol1

[JtD]

Thanks for checking it out and letting us know.

[Feathered_IV]

During Rise of Flight's development, the dev team were very good about adding replacement work by skilled users.  If a talented skinner were to adjust the gloss levels on the existing skins and present them to the devs, say one aircraft type at a time.  There is a good chance they may add them to the game.

[LukeFF]

During Rise of Flight's development, the dev team were very good about adding replacement work by skilled users.  If a talented skinner were to adjust the gloss levels on the existing skins and present them to the devs, say one aircraft type at a time.  There is a good chance they may add them to the game.

 

The thing is, it is not incorrect to show the German skins with the level of gloss they currently have. In fact, one of the things the Germans were known to do was to add a layer of floor wax to the wings. That would certainly leave a shine on the plane's surface.

[Feathered_IV]

I know what you mean.  I've seen a fair few images over the years where the aircraft have quite a shiny finish.  The winter ones we have in game are quite unusual however in as much as the temporary water-based white distempers have an extraordinary level of shine, when by all accounts these were a very flat matt finish.  If nothing else I'd very much like to see those changed.

[JtD]

The thing is, it is not incorrect to show the German skins with the level of gloss they currently have.

It is incorrect to show the German skins with the level of gloss they currently have. If you look at pictures from back then, it's obvious. There are very few where you can make out reflections on the wing (let alone the fuselage) at all, and even the best waxed ones don't have the gloss that we have in game.

[unreasonable]

It is incorrect to show the German skins with the level of gloss they currently have. If you look at pictures from back then, it's obvious. There are very few where you can make out reflections on the wing (let alone the fuselage) at all, and even the best waxed ones don't have the gloss that we have in game.

 

I am inclined to agree. Someone earlier said that this was something to do with the difference between a metal and a wooden surface.    In my experience, once a surface of any kind has a layer of paint on it, it is the characteristics of the paint, not that of the underlying surface, that determine the glossiness of the paint surface. Anyway in my kitchen I have glossy wood surfaces and matte aluminium too.......

[Finkeren]

Many people don't realize, that the duralumin surfaces of an aircraft aren't necesarilly shiny, unless they are deliberately polished. Painted surfaces on the other hand can be quite glossy even with matt paint.

 

This is a photo I took last summer at Roskilde Airshow. Notice how the reflections on the painted Spit look almost exactly like what we have in game, contrasted with the bare-metal P-51 behind it:

 

 

As for wood and metal surfaces looking different in terms of reflections: That is not as much a consequence of the material itself as it is the different paints and laquers used. You can't use the same paint on delta wood as you use on duralumin which again isn't compatible with fabric covering. Especially on Soviet aircraft there could be very notable differences in colour and gloss of the different paints, often being visible even on poor quality grainy B/W photos.

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

While I agree the appearance of "gloss" on aircrafts in BoS is a little too much at certain angles, especially considering the heavy weathering / paint chipping on the ingame skins that would come with worn out paint.

 

Unfortunately it's very difficult to replicate a real wartime look. Airshow warbirds are polished to maximise performence and look, museum pieces are often resprayed and look factory fresh. The closest I can relate to in terms of military paint is a Do-27 with original Bundeswehr paint scheme and markings stationed at my local airfield.

 

By fiddeling around I've found that a 30% grey tone for the alpha quite accurately replicates the look of it's paint as far as my memory allows me to. Still it's obviously not as beat up and weahered as many WW2 birds with extensive use were. so I usually tone it down a little more with certain weathering layers ect.

[JtD]

For all air forces there's good documentation on the paints used, and on the surface finish done. Now while it might be hard to get a look at an aircraft that looks exactly like it did back in the days, be it in a museum or at an air show, these sources still give a very good idea on the looks. Some of these sources have already been evaluated by other folks, so good secondary sources are available, too.

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

Sure, although as war progressed paints and mixtures changed. Aircrafts flying with mixed pain (as Finkeren said) was not uncommon for soviet and even later german aircraft. Same counts for field improvisations like chalk and acrylic winter camouflage paints ect.

 

The thing is you can't really approach it purely scientificly. For one because it's still art and tied to human creativity and second because of the limits of the game engine itself. The reflection shader in BoS is arguably not quite capeable to model realistic looking reflections under all circumstances (polished bare metal for example is not replicable in the current game).

 

Not saying it's fine the way it is, just that there's more to it than simply looking up documents.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Stab/JG26_5tuka

[Avyx]

I know, old thread, but just wanted to ask if it's still not possible to replace the default skin ( permanently ) with a custom one

Thank you