This another of my long-term fiddling adventures with the KBT F/A-18E and F models, aka the Super Hornet or the Rhino.
This is going to be more than one post, in fact I'm not finished yet. BUT, the KBT Super Hornet definitely needed some love and some polish.
The basic package is very good but there also many small issues that somehow slipped past the QC inspectors.
FDE fixes were already available, but if you want to see what kind of trouble I'm finding and fixing, just go to the [smoke] section of the aircraft.cfg file.
The smoke fx that are used don't exist. I mean it, open your Effects folder and try to find "fx_smoke_eng_fa18". Trust me, you didn't install it. Its no where to be found.
Speaking of effects, its also time to update things like the burner flames and engine glow. This is where you want to also have the Virtavia JAS39 Gripen installed in your sim.
The Super Bug's engine outlets are about the same size of the Gripen's single outlet plus the Gripen's burner flame doesn't look like it belongs to an SR-71. This is a quick and easy fix, just replace the burner effects with the Gripen's effects. I'll go into this in more detail in a later post.
I've already covered fine tuning the [contact points] section but I'll cover that again in this thread.
Its also time to ARM your Rhino. This is where the Virtavia F-22 Raptor returns to donate some parts. I'll show you how to add a cannon in the nose or, better yet some free fall bombs.
BTW, just to finish the pre-amble on this thread, as many of you in North America know, the Mid West got clobbered by nasty weather last week.
I was doing my pedestrian gig and walking back home with some groceries when I did an impressive face plant on a concrete street.
No major damage but I managed to skin both knees, wallop an elbow, and strain some muscles.
So, if I tend to wander in this thread- give me a break. I've got a head full of aspirin to deal with.
Anyway, let's start on Project Rhino with something that sounds complicated but really isn't.
Most of the Navy and Pilot folks call the F/A-18E and F "Rhino" and not "Super Hornet".
So, let's create a VPC mod file for the aircraft model so we can do something like this:
[General]
atc_type=Boeing
//atc_model=F18
atc_model=RHINO
editable=1
performance=Length: 47 ft 7.75 in\nWing span: 32 ft 10 in\nMTOW w\/external tanks: 30,000 lb\nPower: 1 x 23,810 lb P&W F-100-PW-100\n
The intent is to check in with ATC saying, "Center, Fast Eagle five is type Boeing Rhino".
Is it accurate? Probably not unless you're talking to a carrier. Is it neat? I'll let you be the judge.
So, as it turns out, wrenching on VPC Mod files isn't that tough.
All you need to do is right-click on the file and MAKE SURE you use the "Open With" and "NOTEPAD" option. You also need to have EditVoicepack installed for later.
If you have any of MAIW's scenery and AI installed, you already have a bunch of VPC Mod files to play with. Look thru your collection long enough and you may find "RHINO.vpcmod".
There are two problems if you have it: first, its a Callsign. Second, their version winds up sounding like "RhEE Anno".
Luckily, the VRS Super Hornet also includes a "Rhino" call sign that sounds a LOT better even thou they don't use it.
So, anyway, copy ANY .vpcmod you may have out to your desktop.
Rename your .vpcmod file as "RHINO.vpcmod" then open it with NOTEPAD.
Delete ALL of the text then replace it with what is printed below (everything between the "========" lines):
Then SAVE using Notepad and then add your new "RHINO" model file to your voice file in FS using Editvoicepack.
Note, you SHOULD get in the habit of using Editvoicepack's BACKUP option every now and then.
I learned to use it the hard way many years ago.
BTW, if you have heard the glitchy version of "Rhino" in your sim as a call sign (I think its from some MAIW scenery), you can change the
This still isn't complete, yet. I'm playing around with some FX triggers for the [lights] section that I'll post once I get them dialed-in. For now, you can modify your aircraft.cfg file with the stuff I've posted below (make sure you have the Virtavia JAS39 Gripon/Griffin installed in Fs9).
The first thing to deal with is the Flight Dynamics. There's an excellent update out there and I can't remember who posted it. Just look for the one that mentions in the README file about "eventually getting to the Mach upper limit". Again, its a been a long time since I installed this Mod and I "think" its only a new .air file.
The pilot's Eye Point in the VC view just didn't look right to me. I adjusted it by aligning the pilot's eyes with the head rest while making the forward view more usable. This is quick and dirty, just find the [Views] section and replace it with:
[Views]
eyepoint=14.50, 0, 2.619
See? It wasn't that tough and this is the best I can make it.
Moving on, let's tackle the Contact Points. The model has some nice, animated parts for the landing gear so this was a little tricky.
Just find the contact points section in the aircraft.cfg file, highlight and delete it then replace it the following and save:
[contact_points]
//0 Class <0=none, 1=wheel, 2=scrape, 3=float>
//1 Longitudinal Position (feet)
//2 Lateral Position (feet)
//3 Vertical Position (feet)
//4 Impact Damage Threshold (Feet Per Minute)
//5 Brake Map (0=None, 1=Left, 2=Right)
//6 Wheel Radius (feet)
//7 Steer Angle (degrees)
//8 Static Compression (feet) (0 if rigid)
//9 Max/Static Compression Ratio
//10 Damping Ratio (0=Undamped, 1=Critically Damped)
//11 Extension Time (seconds)
//12 Retraction Time (seconds)
//13 Sound Type
//14 Airspeed limit for retraction (KIAS)
//15 Airspeed that gear gets damage at (KIAS)
I added the second nose wheel so it shouldn't be too tipsy when you taxi (although you can still roll the plane on its side if you get too aggressive).
ENGINE SMOKE is in the eyes of the beholder , but at least we can turn it back on:
If you can't see the smoke, just hit the "/" key for now. We'll deal with the panel.cfg edits later in this thread. While this smoke is, IMO, a little on the heavy side- at least I know it works. You could also use the lighter smoke FX from the Iris fighters. Its your sim and its your call.
Another easy fix is the wheel brakes, they felt way too heavy to me, especially on land. Just make the following change:
Well, I was hoping to post some edits to the [LIGHTS] section with some small panel.cfg edits.
Then I remembered why the effects are so tough to edit. I'll try to come up with something later that, hopefully, doesn't involve hex editing the MDL file.
I've been flying this beast quite a bit lately, and those great [CONTACT POINTS] I posted above were still acting squirrely so I took another pass at fixing them.
I'm pretty sure this is the best I can make them. The Super Hornet IS a beast on the ground and I wanted to keep the feel of driving a semi truck when you taxi.
This last edit makes the gear better, but don't get the idea you can drive it around like a sports car. Keep your taxi speed under 30 KTS and try not to flip it.
Anyway, here's the latest (last?) [CONTACT POINTS] edit:
[contact_points]
//0 Class <0=none, 1=wheel, 2=scrape, 3=float>
//1 Longitudinal Position (feet)
//2 Lateral Position (feet)
//3 Vertical Position (feet)
//4 Impact Damage Threshold (Feet Per Minute)
//5 Brake Map (0=None, 1=Left, 2=Right)
//6 Wheel Radius (feet)
//7 Steer Angle (degrees)
//8 Static Compression (feet) (0 if rigid)
//9 Max/Static Compression Ratio
//10 Damping Ratio (0=Undamped, 1=Critically Damped)
//11 Extension Time (seconds)
//12 Retraction Time (seconds)
//13 Sound Type
//14 Airspeed limit for retraction (KIAS)
//15 Airspeed that gear gets damage at (KIAS)
FS 2004
Revisiting the Rhino AGAIN (chapt 27)
I mean it, open your Effects folder and try to find "fx_smoke_eng_fa18". Trust me, you didn't install it. Its no where to be found.
This is where the Virtavia F-22 Raptor returns to donate some parts. I'll show you how to add a cannon in the nose or, better yet some free fall bombs.
, but at least we can turn it back on:
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