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Thread: Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

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    ATAG Member ATAG_Flare's Avatar
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    Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

    This is by no means an important game breaking bug. But I would really like to see different squadrons for RAF planes having different fonts for their marking letters. The Luftwaffe fighter staffels already have this implemented, some squadrons have bigger or smaller numbers and some have black outlines around the numbers while some don't for example.

    There was really no standard font used for the letters, and you see historical pictures of rounded letters such as the ones in CloD now as well as more squared off ones like you would see on a US football jersey for example. Sometimes the markings were small (like in CloD now) and sometimes they went the full height of a Hurricane's fuselage.

    Here are some pictures:

    Hurricane with markings similar to what we have in CloD now (242 Canadian squadron)
    hurricane_640.jpg

    Hurricane with larger, thicker, and more squared off letters (501 squadron)
    wwiini-stanley-fenemore-hurricane.jpg

    Spitfire with very large squared off letters (610 squadron)
    rr4_1462335c.jpg

    Another Spitfire with large and squared off letters (19 squadron)
    unnamed.jpg

    I'm sure this doesn't make much of a difference to most MP players but I'm sure SP users who are looking for more immersion and realism would like it, as well as of course movie makers and screenshot takers!

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    ATAG Member ATAG_Flare's Avatar
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    Re: Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

    Bumping this thread. Is there any possibilty of this in the future? It would really add a lot to the visual variety for those who are making historically accurate missions or making movies and don't want to make a ton of custom skins for every single plane.

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    Team Fusion ♣_Spiritus_♣'s Avatar
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    Re: Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

    Would be possible but a lot of work.

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    ATAG Member ATAG_Flare's Avatar
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    Re: Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

    If I gather correctly it would involve first generating the required fonts, and then assigning them to the correct squadrons.

    To make the fonts, only 3 or 4 more would be neccessary, a thick letter font, one with larger letters, one with smaller squared off letters, and the current font. That would still be a major visual improvement. If I knew what format the fonts were stored in, I could potentially even make these fonts myself.

    Then they would have to be assigned to squadrons, which would require looking up a picture of a plane from each squadron and seeing which font is the closest - this should be pretty doable and I could probably make a list categorizing each squadron into one of the fonts in a couple evenings of googling and looking through books. It might be best to just start with the fighter squadrons as they are ths most popular and there are lots of different unit types in CloD now with Tobruk such as Early BoB, Late BoB, Channel, and Desert. But bomber units could be done as well, it's just a matter of time.

    I don't know how open to community sourced development TFS is but I would be happy to assist in this with the research and maybe making a few fonts if the team decide it would be cool to add.

    What I don't know is how easy it would be in the end to implement into the sim - I assume it is doable based on the different colours and fonts for the LW units - but if it is really a hassle I understand if TF has plenty of more important improvement to make into the sim.

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    Re: Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

    I wonder, is it possible to mod the markings files? Or are they locked up behind the SFS files which are not extractable...

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    Re: Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

    You could contact Buzz if you are interested in this. It would require work in our markings editor program.

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    Re: Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

    Quote Originally Posted by ATAG_Flare View Post
    I wonder, is it possible to mod the markings files? Or are they locked up behind the SFS files which are not extractable...
    You can try modifying files in PaintSchemes/Skins/Bf-109E-1/
    I've seen one user (maybe Karaya?) mentioned that it affects the markings.
    It kind of makes things more complicated for us, but gives those who know what they are doing more options.

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    Supporting Member Karaya's Avatar
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    Re: Feature request: squadron dependent fonts for markings, RAF

    Yes, I posted about it on another thread:

    https://theairtacticalassaultgroup.c...l=1#post364281

    Speaking of ingame markings:
    What about the German markings? I've seen that, unlike with the British markings, there are .mrk files deposited directly in the Steam game folder under "paint schemes" which seem to overwrite whatever is inside the .SFS files. This is the case for the older Blitz models of the Bf109E (E-1 to E-4/N) and Bf110C (C-1 to C-4/N). Also the German markings on the Bf109Es and Bf110Cs, are very inhomogenous, differing greatly in size and position from one squadron to another. Is that a "bug or feature"?

    As an experiment of sorts I went ahead and deleted these .mrk files inside the steam paint schemes folder which had the nice effect of providing homogenous markings of comparable size and position for all LW squadrons on the Bf109Es and Bf110Cs. The downside was that the Bf109E-4/N and E-4/N_Late all of a sudden had no markings at all anymore, no matter if they were ticked ingame or not. Seems like there are no marking files for these two Bf109s in the .SFS game files that the game can fall back to. There's no such issue on all other Bf109Es.
    Would be great if this could be sorted by a TFS member. Seems like markings is one of those areas that is still in the same messed up state that the original devs left it in.

    Maybe start by giving the E-4/N and E-4/N Late the same markings as the other Emils inside the SFS files. That way we can remove the .mrk files in the game folder on an individual basis without losing markings on those 2 versions of the Bf109.

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