Pilot in a plane
CFS2 uses two different types to show the Pilots puppet.
The first pilot in the game you will see, sits in a plane.
Just like the Corsair pilot at right.
This pilot`s 3D model is part of the plane, the planes 3D model gets his textures from the CFS2-ROOT/TEXTURE -folder
- ja_pilot_1.bmp
- ja_pilot_2.bmp
- us_pilot_1.bmp
- us_pilot_2.bmp
See the example pics below :
Stock Corsair Pilot
ja_pilot_1.bmp
ja_pilot_2.bmp
us_pilot_1.bmp
us_pilot_2.bmp
ejected Pilot : "Jumper"
When ejecting (two times the O-Key: O O ),
CFS2 tells the model not to show this part anymore.
Just like it does, when parts of the plane break apart.
Now comes the tricky part:
Immediately after the plane-pilot is hidden,
the animated "Jumper-Pilot" comes into action.
Another Stroke of the "O"-Key and his parachute opens and the
mission ends.
BTW:
The chance of a chute-failure seems to depend on altitude,
speed etc. (you probably wondered about that before)
The animated "Jumper"-pilot model(s) can be found in
CFS2-ROOT/MODELS.
They do use just copies of the same textures mentioned above - in their own TEXTURE-folders.
Additionaly, they both use us_pilot_3.bmp for texturing the parachute - but each model has its own files.
About the jumper
There are some things to say about the Jumper(s).
You have probably wondered why there is always the Japanese
one to see?
Obviously the intention was to show an own pilot for each country.
Seems they ran into trouble doing this and decided to give up.
I found out, that it is unimportant how many you have installed and how
they are named. CFS2 uses always the first in the list
(Alphabetical order)
I tried the following things:
- Started in freeflight with Japanese and US Planes and jumped.
- Did the same in missions.
- Renamed the Prefixes to JAP and USA
(like the shortnames of the country.cfg)
The only thing to get the US one to work is to rname the Japanese one to
XJA_Pilot, so CFS2 finds th US one first.
Obviously the layout is a bit different.
But don`t care about it !
Both Jumpers are basically Japanese ones, the US-model just uses
other texture names.
That is why the gloves of the US-one look silly on the pic above.
Repainted textures
It is also
possible to remove the texture from the jumpers.
In this case they will all use the textures in the ROOT/TEXTURE-folder.
Make sure, to copy an us_pilot_3.bmp there, so the jumper will get
his parachute.
Jumper
Like I said, you can define yourself new jumper pilots.
Just make a copy ofthe the Japanese or US folder in ROOT/MODELS and rename
it.
Change the textures in there.
Make sure, the ex-jap one uses Jap. texture names, same for US.
To use this jumper in the game, spend him a name, so he
appears before the stock ones:
for example:
GE_Pilot (It is the folder name, that is important.)
Pilot
Same for the pilot, if you place a copy of a touched texture in the
plane`s TEXTURE folder, only this will use it.
Placing the texture in the main TEXTURE folder, will affect all
planes without own pilot textures.
- click images to download files -
Just painted a bit on the head-texture to
spend it the Kamikaze "bandana" (Don`t know the real name).
The texture is only painted for the front, because the heads of the plane
pilot-models is textured weird.
Can also be used for the jumper.
(A jumped Kamikaze ???)
.jpg)
Essentially, they're good luck charms and/or statements of dedication to some cause.
While white bands with the red "rising sun" on them are common and traditional, hachimaki can come in any color and a variety of styles. Do a Google search on the term and you'll see for yourself.
Here are a bunch of modern "rising sun" versions with various slogans:
http://www.jbox.com/SEARCH/hachima
Here is a WW2-era one (although they use the incorrect term to describe it - Hakama are the baggy trousers worn by kendo fighters).
http://www.antiqueswords.com/bq973.htm
(Thanks to Thomas Barnes for this explanation !)
"The Mae West Life Preserver was a
staple with airmen from the days of World War II to the years following
the Korean War. The life preserver earned its distinctive name by,
soldiers claimed, making the wearer of the inflated vest look much like
the buxom burlesque star Mae West."
Information about the Life-Vest
I also tinkered the bitmap to include the japanese texture layout, so
this one is especially for the Jumper, see correct textured straps.
Should also fit the ones in the planes, though.
There is also a green interpretation for ETO or KOREA installs.
For Korea, the head received a helmet style repaint.
The Zips come with white parachute V2
For the body, I do have an early and a later vest variant.
Note the signal ammo in the boot`s shaft, lol.
The Zips come with yellow parachute V2
This is a complete GE_Pilot to place inside CFS2-ROOT/MODELS
Seems I have overpainted the earlier version by accident.
At the moment only the later version
(right)
is available.
I opened the little hole on top before, but on all WW2 photos I have seen, this was not the case. So I closed that area again.
The US used white
ones at the beginning and even on D-Day, because they could not find the
time to colour them.
At "Market Garden", most of the Chutes were Olive Drab (OD), only supply
parachutes were white.
This was used later on, too with different colours for different supplies.
For the rescue parachutes, it seems they were all white, but I may be
wrong here.
The yellow one is painted after descriptions from an American waistgunner,
who said "..the sky was covered with yellow German and White American
Parachutes.." after a mission.
Probably this is intended to be a signal color for a possibly hurt pilot in
danger who could get fast help after landing
(What makes sense for Channel flights and late war "Reichsverteidigung-duties").
This Zip comes with all three parachutes, including the OD one.
