This is NOT an official
patch release from Microprose/Hasbro. Do not contact Hasbro
Interactive for Technical Support if you are experiencing problems
with this patch.
DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING THAT COULD GO
WRONG WITH YOUR COMPUTER DUE TO ACTIONS TAKEN BASED ON THIS
DOCUMENT OR THIS SOFTWARE. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Please read all of this document.
Installation:
1. Install a FRESH copy of Falcon 4.0 on your computer (if you
want to keep your existing installation see the notes below
on how to switch between the two installations)
2. Install the official 1.08us patch
3. Run the 1.0799 patch installer
4. Edit the Falcon4.cfg file
5. Replace any sounds, cockpit, and your log book
6. Get ready to lauuuuuuwwwwwwwwwnnnch!
Note: You can easily switch between multiple Falcon 4.0 installations
on your computer if you do the following:
l Run the program regedit.exe
l Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MicroProse\ subkey
and click on "Falcon"
l From the "Registry" menu select "Export Registry File ...",
choose any filename and save it into your falcon directory
l Copy the entire falcon directory
l Using a text editor change all references to the installation
directory in the .reg file to the installation directory
l Repeat the above step for each installation you wish to maintain
l To switch between installations double-click the corresponding reg file
What's New:
Bugfixes:
l Screenshots were saved upside down in 32 Bit Mode
l Dynamic cockpit loading problem with certain cockpits (A10)
l UI font problems
l Corrupted fonts in GUI
l Sticky GUI behavior on many cards-still some issues. GUI will
totally be redone in 1.09 so work on fixing this was minimal.
l Runway lights (at night) were broken (point list was treated
as single point under certain circumstances so this might fix
other rendering glitches as well)
l Broken Padlock SA Bar gauges
l Cockpit surface misalignment with certain driver revisions
and/or FSAA enabled
l Missing waypoints in kneeboard map
l Kneeboard map induced left-down 2D cockpit crash
l "Vector to divert field" now working properly
l IR signature (shape) adjusted
l IR signature dependent on engine power. Works in multiplay.
It takes time to cool the engine (not instantaneous with throttle
movement)
l Fuel flow corrupt for other then F-16's.
l AI aircraft now unload when they need to roll very fast. This
fixed the F4's "flying straight" bug.
l AIM 9 CAGE/UNCAGE working correct
l Designate in STT enters SAM
l DIGIradars no longer enters coast when gimbaling
l Check RWR
l AI reactions to threats (missiles/spikes etc). They beam,
crank, pump depending on the tactical situation (spiked or supporting
a semi-active missile)
l AI intercepts
l Make NWS manual select optional
l Radar gimbals for F-16 out of whack, I kept a lock on a bogey
at my 8
l AI Defensive flare interval too high.
l Enemy AI are not aggressive enough. ( BFM< jinking etc is
ok though )
l AI is firing without permission
l Repair times
l UI button click callbacks were called twice (mousedown and
mouseup) cbuttons.cpp
l When attacking an objective such as an airbase with cluster
bombs the bombs are given a burst height of zero, which means
they don't cause any proximity damage. If an aircraft is sitting
on a taxiway, the taxiway is the primary feature and gets the
primary damage. Since the aircraft isn't getting the primary
damage and the proximity damaging ability of a cluster bomb
is zero, the aircraft remains untouched.
l If you are below min altitude for a cluster bomb to burst
it will still visually explode with a very large explosion but
it will hardly have any proximity damage.
l Yellow DED letters
l SAMs located on top of features can not fire their missiles
l AWACS would always respond with merged plot when the player
requests the vector to the nearest tanker in bullseye coordinates
l Various fault displays now work correctly.
l MFD minor changes, range labels now aligned with buttons,
some occasional green blobs removed.
l If there are unassigned pilots on a flight and the flight
is already in the air, player can't start without running the
clock (108i2_CheckFly)
l Air refueling should be possible now in Campaign (108i2_Tanker)
l 3 Digits are displayed for the heading when in SS_OFF mode
l Missile override bug fixed (bombs could be selected in missile
override)
New features:
l Most all of Sylvain's i2.exe fixes have been incorporated
into this exe. See below.
l In-Game JetNet Multiplayer server browser
l The program stores the phonebook in the file "phonebk.da2"
to avoid conflicts with previous versions
l Gouraud shading, transparency, haze and filtering is now turned
off in recon view for software devices (Voodoo 1 and Voodoo
2 in GUI mode)
l New anti stutter option g_bCheckBltStatusBeforeFlip added
to falcon4.cfg (refer to the updated config file further information)
l Terrain texture loading has been further accelerated
l New config option g_bForceSoftwareGUI forces the Falcon User
Interface to be rendered without hardware acceleration. Cures
UI stickiness on certain hardware (always turned on for 3DFX
hardware)
l AI Planes will now inform the rest of the flight when turning
ECM on and off
l -pf 100 command line switch is now hard-coded into the exe.
Take it out of your shortcut.
l Near Label limit. Configured using the "set g_nNearLabelLimit
X" option in the Falcon4.cfg file where X is the distance in
NM. The color of the label also gets brighter as the object
gets closer to the view.
l GLoc now functions like Sylvain's 1.1 i2 patch. May need some
adjustment but its close.
l When damaged there is a 25% chance of experiencing control
bias (aircraft will not fly straight)
l When damaged there is a 13% chance of the engine shutting
off and an engine restart being needed.
l g_bDisableFunkyChicken remove the jitteriness of damaged aircraft.
If this is turned on, control biases will always come into effect
if damage occurs.
l Removed wind weather extensions.
l EPU (Emergency Power Unit) burning and use
l Engine startup/shutdown (see engine-notes.txt for details)
l JFS Accumulator now modeled. (see engine-notes.txt for details)
l Hydraulic failure means no stick inputs at all. Time to eject.
l Damage to hydraulics may affect A or B or both systems
l Color MFD - as detailed in the Mid-Life update (MLU) the F-16
(most blocks) will get color MFD to help distinguish detail.
l Document: Callback list document (internal document of callbacks
and switches - Button switches lights.xls)
l 3-axis trim implemented
l Trim reset switch
l Alternate gear extension switch - enables you to extend (only)
the gear when Hydr-B is dead.
l New key bindings (see new-keystrokes.key) Alt-i IdleDetent,
Alt-e Epu switch, JfsStarter shift-j, Alt-Arrows/Shift Arrows
3-axis Trim, Ctrl-Alt-R reset trim to neutral, Alt-G alternate
Gear
l Be aware you now need to cancel override to depart the override
modes and select for instance nav or A/G (this is as in the
real jet) ("c" cancels the override)
Sylvain's fixes:
l Tracer Accuracy
l Bug fix in ground evasion where zpos was tested against +10000
instead of -10000
l Ground attack patch where the IPCheck routine was rewritten
so 'Weapon free' will work plus the LGB accuracy against vehicle
l Visual sensor routine was modified so airplane leaving dust/water
trail are easier to pick up visually. Fly low but not TOO low
:-)
l The engine temperature patch was finally fixed and behave
like it should. Temperature doesn't decay/increase as fast as
the rpm and the afterburner increases engine heat signature
by 50%. Multiplay is working.
l Wingman might not be able to warn you of incoming missile
if he's defensive (unless he's an ace) or further than 6NM of
the LAUNCH.
l AI might not see an uncage IR missile launch. The probability
of a chance depends where the missile comes from (airframe can
block the launch as well) and if he's fixated on a target himself.
If he's not defensive, there's a 150-270 degree cone where he
will see the launch. If he's targeting someone, that range goes
to 50 to 100 degrees cone (both are skill dependent).
l Normally, F4 will select the flight an AI will fight and only
that flight will be visible to the AI. A flight 3 NM miles further
will be ignored, unless the flights are within 5 NM. I increased
that range to 20 NM. That way, if a 4 ship is attacking a two
ship and fire at it, the other element MIGHT engage another
flight near by
l Launch warning for ARH has been removed
l 2D patch has been 'castrated' to simply prevent flight to
attack dead flights. This patch used to include code fixe for
missile precision (which was reduced by a factor of 6 to figure
out a bug in the data but was left there)
l Added the padlock fixes. You can now break the padlock by
simply moving the arrow again and if there is nothing to padlock,
the view stay put. Attack padlock object has been added as well.
l Drift C/O switch code has been added as well
l The ability to use the keyboard to increment/decrement the
aux comm panel.
l GLoc was changed to reflect RP4 value
l Padlocking options can be set with the falcon4.cfg file.
l Padlocking distance uses the with g_nNearLabelLimit value
and the color intensity changes just like the 2D label.
l Other things as well-read the RP4 manual and for more information
on the above
AI:
l All missiles are restricted by dlz of course
l Radar missiles are also restricted by a weapon management
factor meaning if the hostile is head on and they have 6 or
more A/A missiles left (radar and ir included), they shoot at
max range (max dlz)
l If the number of missiles decrease they divide the max dlz
by the number of A/A missiles / 6
l For instance: 2 achers and 2 adders give them 4 A/A--that
is 4/6 of max dlz--This only applies to radar missiles
l Also as the target moves to beam aspect, the management factor
is decreased so it hits zero at tail aspect (since tail aspect
shots at max range actually are high pk shots)
l AI don't shoot at targets dying or if they have a missile
in the air already
l They prefer radar missiles outside 3nm and IR inside
l If they have more than one missile of the same type (radar
or IR) but different missiles (aa9/aa12) then they pick the
one with longest range--This applies to IR missles as well
l Regarding seperation: some jets refuse to fight superior jets
l For instance: a MiG-19 vs an F-16. They don't even try to
engage in a turning fight and they should not. They just press
on and try to separate. They should fire a missile however if
they have the chance.
l Missile evasion stuff fixed for semi-active missiles (AI didn't
notice them before)
l Weapon management has changed-it's not as simple anymore.
It's both skill and aspect dependent.
Soon:
l Adjusted departure modeling. It now takes loadout into consideration
when determining when to stall. Also looks at asymmetric stores.
The cat III limiter now actually limits the AoA, etc so the
departure limit is not exceeded. Be advised that heavy wind
loads and especially asymmetric stores will have high min airspeeds
(ranging from 60 up to 180 kias). AoA limits will be easily
exceeded if the loadout is cat III but the switch is cat I.
Look out for attacking two limiters right now however :).
Instructions:
Engine Startup/Shutdown Procedures:
To shut down the engine:
1) Throttle to idle,
2) Press the idle detent switch (Alt-I). Engine will now spool
down to off position - 0 rpm on the ground, about somewhere
around 5%-10% in the air, depending on speed. In the air, the
EPU (Emergency Power Unit) will now switch on as the rpm drops
below 80%. You have about 10 minutes of EPU fuel to power the
systems, then total failure.
To start up:
1) Throttle to idle,
2) Press the JFS (Shift-J)
3) Engine should spool up to about a maximum of 25% rpm
4) Once above 20% advance the throttle,
5) And press the idle detent switch (Alt-I). Engine should now
light and spool up to 70+%.
EPU can be switched on and off manually (Alt-E), but you're
basically dead if you're in the air and the EPU dies. Switching
on, and engine above 80% has no effect, starts to burn EPU fuel
below 80% though. Normal position is Auto - to run automatically.
Off means not to run it except when no generator present. On
means run it anyway.
Keyboard additions for the above commands - the following should
already be in your keystrokes.key which is in your ..Falcon4\config
directory.
The EPU runs automatically when you're in the air, and the main
generator (AKA engine in this case) shuts down. You have 10
minutes of EPU fuel total. It does not regenerate! When the
engine is offline, the HydrA system fails. The HydrB system
fails when the EPU shuts down. With both systems down - you
have no control of the aircraft whatsoever.
Restarting uses the JFS. The JFS accumulators use pressure to
start the engine. About 1 minutes worth of engine running at
12% rpm or better is enough to charge the accumulators. You
start off fully charged.
The JFS will crank the engine up to a max of 25% where you can
then light it.
The JFS will fail to start with increasing probability if you
are higher than 20,000ft or moving at greater than 400 knots.
The accumulators will still discharge though - so be careful!
Once used up, they can't be used again without recharging. If
you have enough altitude, you can try diving the aircraft to
get 12% or better rpm to recharge the accumulators - it needs
about 1 minute of this.
Notes:
l Some of the new features are accessible via the new "Advanced"
button at the "Graphics" Tab of the Setup dialog. Others (like
32 Bit rendering) have been directly integrated into the existing
UI.
l If you are using an Nvidia board make sure that you return
the "Texel Alignment" slider back to the default position (center)
if you had it changed to work around problems with the original
Falcon releases.
l The "Fast Air Ground Radar" option is turned off by default
because it works only with the latest cards and the latest drivers.
You should definitely try if it works on your system because
it is up to 4 times faster than the default mode and prevents
major fps drops when the AG radar is activated.
l The "Fast 2D Cockpit" options requires a graphics card with
at least 4 MB Video Ram
l The availability of some options in the new advanced dialog
depends on the currently selected driver
l We DO NOT recommend running the 1.0799 installer and installing
on top of your existing RP4 Falcon 4.0 installation. If you
choose to do so and you get a bunch of file mismatch errors,
you'll have to start over with a fresh install (which is best).
And you might have messed up your existing install as well.
More info on this soon.
l -pf 100 command line switch is now hard-coded into the exe.
Take it out of your shortcut.
Tips:
l During network/multiplayer sessions, for those who keep wondering
why the briefings are not being refreshed or "updated", pay
attention. In order for clients to see updated briefings with
correct loadouts and other mission data follow this quick workaround:
click on another mission in the Frag Order, and then click back
on the mission for which you were originally viewing. Open up
the briefing and you should see an "updated" version.
l JetNet: Setting up a multiplayer game is quite easy now. The
HOST of the game (whether it be TE, campaign, or DF), simply
connects to localhost (i.e., 0.0.0.0 in comms). After that,
go ahead and open up your TE, campaign or dogfight. Now, your
game will be sending a heartbeat to the JetNet Master server
every now and then and your game will be listed. If you don't,
and a client looks for the game on JetNet, it will not appear
if you are simply just in the Lobby. When the CLIENT goes to
connect to a JetNet game, you'll see "JetNet" in the COMMS option.
Select your rate for 33.6 and join. The JetNet server browser
will open up and you can Refresh for games. "Favorites" at this
time is not implemented-you can't add favorites yet. Once you
refresh, and see the name of your buddy's JetNet server, click
Play. It should be pretty self-explanatory. You should now be
in the Lobby of the host after it says "Connection Established."
From here, join the TE, DF, or campaign and happy flying :).
NOTE: If you want your games to be a little more private, use
a password when creating your TE, DF, or campaign. OR, turn
off the uplink in the Falcon4.cfg file-- g_bEnableUplink 1 ß
set this to 0 and connect as you normally do now.
l If you need to accelerate time for a long period of time within
the UI screens during a multiplayer session, make sure that
you give a few minutes for the data to be fully sent to the
clients at the other ends after you stop or continue at 1x.
If you don't give Falcon 4.0 a few minutes, it is possible that
the pilot and mission data might not have fully updated at their
ends, causing a "Mission Canceled" screen for the clients.
l We recommend always connecting at 33.6 no matter what your
connection speed is.
Known Issues:
l Campaign Recon View displayed is color instead black-white
l Due to the missing hardware cursor feature of Voodoo 1 and
Voodoo 2 cards, the GUI is always rendered in software mode
on these cards
l There is still some stickiness with the exit button (isn't
high priority since the UI will be redone) but if this annoys
you, force the UI to use software mode (see the cfg file). You
won't however get hardware accelerated Recon views. The ACMI
player will still be hardware accelerated though.
l While the -noloader option can get you in the cockpit faster,
we recommend not using it.
l One soundcard (so far the Yamaha OPL3-SAx) has been known
to cause Roger Wilco to be choppy ONCE you have joined a game
and are in the UI. Once you are in flight, it's fine. Once you
get BACK to the UI AFTER the flight, it's fine. This may be
a result of DX8 (and perhaps using win2k) since it did not happen
before that.
l Certain mail checking utilities (*cough* OpenChat's mail checker
*end cough*) has been known to cause CTDs (Crash to Desktop).
Others are uncertain. Use caution.
Credits: Programming: eRAZOR, Codec, Pogo Patch Installation
and documentation: JJB, eRAZOR, Mirv, Lawndart Testing: Apollo
11, Lawndart, Loke, Mirv, Paul Stewart, Vexx
Special Thanks:
l Falcon40.com for hosting the JetNet Master Server (visit www.falcon40.com)
