Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
Home auf Deutsch en français en español

Mods and add-ons for GUNSHIP!

Here you will find add-on components that can greatly enhance your GUNSHIP! experience.

Important:

1. Before using Gunship mods, enhancements and add-ons, you must have a basic understanding of how to find, copy, and delete files on your PC. This applies to any sim enhancement.


2. These are all developed by fans, who have reverse-engineered the workings of Gunship in their own time without any manufacturer support or documentation. Bugs will sometimes appear, (and we welcome those reports), but every effort has been made to prevent any serious problems. None of these files effect your computers operating system in any way. They only relate to the cosmetic aspects of Gunship. "Undo" procedures are included.

 

Graphic mods

Editing Tools

Sound mods Controller profiles
Desert Terrain Set
New ver.12/6/2001
WinXP/Win2K users:
See note
Guntool Mission editor CP/G voice upgrade Logitec Wingman
Force 3D
Heloswapper
New ver.4.5
WinXP/Win2K users:
See note
Gunship Original
Terrain tile set

New 10/25/2001
Stereo rotor sounds Saitek Cyborg for CP/G control
Terrain Enhancement pack #1 Terrain Height Editor
New 10/25/2001
Thrustmaster HOTAS
New 02/21/2001
Terrain Enhancement pack #2
New "Loading" screen backgrounds

If you come up with more, or have ideas for new ones, contact me at gshelipad@lycos.com

Site policy on mods and add-ons: All mod programs and add-ons posted here are the exclusive property of their authors, (where known), and should only be posted elsewhere with their permission. Modifications or enhancements of another author's work should explicitly acknowledge the original author.

 

 

 

 

GRAPHICS ENHANCEMENTS

Top

Gunship Desert Terrain Set
with New Map

version1.0

by fng2k

12/6/2001

 

(click below to view screencaps)

DesertSet1.jpg (15520 bytes)  GSdesert3.jpg (10447 bytes)

 

click below to download (2.6 MB)

GSDesert1_0.exe

(mirror site):
GSDesert1_0.exe

 

 

Gunship Desert Terrain Set ver 1.0 Readme

Contents:
Overview
About Upland
Installation notes
Credits

 

Overview

This will install the Gunship Desert Terrain Pack version 1.0. Shortcuts to run this program, and to uninstall it, will be added to your desktop and program menu.

When you click on the shortcut, a batch file will run, offering you the choice of using this desert terrain set or the original terrain. NOTE: If you select the desert terrain, it will be applied to ALL world maps and missions until you run the batch file to return to the original terrain. All your original and custom missions should function properly in the desert terrain setting.

Terrain sets are not transferred to other players by the host during multiplay, so to fly MP desert missions, ALL players must have this terrain set installed and must manually select it prior to launching a MP flight.

 

About Upland

This will also install a new World map named Upland. This is based on the original Gunship Ukraine map, but with slightly rougher terrain well suited for desert operations. Several Upland missions are also included. The mission "Upland-Cave Dwellers" is set among very mountainous terrain.

The Upland map can be used with any terrain set, including the original northern European terrain, and the upcoming autumn, winter and semi-arid sets.

A slightly modified version of gunship.exe is also included, named gunship_upland.exe . This will be installed in Microprose\Gunship\ directory, next to the original file Running this file will allow you to view and build battles on the new Upland map, which it will use instead of the Ukraine map. Any Ukraine missions will still function normally, however the Ukraine map will not be available in the battle builder while you are using gunship_upland.exe . NOTE: This is a based on the PATCHED US version of gunship.exe, so you must have installed the patch with its two .ini files for gunship_Upland.exe to work properly. Users of the European version of Gunship should be able to use this alternate executable also, although it has not been tested.

As an added bonus ;) a desert camo AH-1W Cobra is also included, and can be flown in the Cave Dwellers mission by using the Gunship HeloSwapper utility, available at https://www.angelfire.com/games3/fng2k/ .

This was a quick and dirty repainting job, and you are encouraged to visit my site for more info on how to do your own.

 

Installation:

NOTE: If you have HeloSwapper ver 4.5 or earlier installed, follow these steps BEFORE installing this Desert Terrain set:

-Start HeloSwapper

-When it prompts: "Reset all aircraft, flight models and terrain to normal?", answer "yes".

-Close HeloSwapper

-Install the Desert Terrain Set

During the install, the installer may warn that the destination directory already exists. This is harmless, and you should click "OK".

Please send comments or bug reports to:

fng2k

Remember that desert combat is much more difficult, because there are fewer places to hide. So pack a water bottle, and prepare for a very different Gunship experience...

Have fun!

fng2k

12/2/2001

 

Thanks to:

James Trapp for good ideas and several tile object layouts,

Chance (Kobra_1BHS) for testing and suggestions,

Larry Hookins for his great M1 Tank Platoon2 Terrain Editor,

And the participants in the www.SimHQ.com Combat Helo Forum for great Gunship discussions.

Special Thanks to the European Air Wars enthusiasts. Their clever efforts formed the foundation for Gunship mods.

And extra special thanks to the clever kids at MicroProse/Hasbro, who worked so hard to make this great sim.

The installer used for this package is the shareware version of SEAU, available from http://www.gammadyne.com/

 

 

 

Top

These next two items were originally made for use with the the earlier MicroProse tank sim, M1 Tank Platoon 2. While not all of the features are usable with Gunship, the terrain height editor works beautifully. This is how mountains are made.

They originally appeared on John Sponaur's  "The Unofficial M1TP2 Edits and Missions Site". That site is temporarily unavailable, so these items appear here with the generous permission of their author and former host.


(228k)
M1 Tank Platoon 2/Gunship
Map Editor

by Larry Hookins

12/20/98

 

(click below to view screencaps)

trntest1_small.jpg (1304 bytes)  GSdesert4.jpg (14032 bytes)

M1Edit2c.zip

223KB

M1 Tank Platoon 2
Map design

by Larry Hookins

09/21/98

A detailed description of how M1TP2 builds its maps. Gunship maps are very similar. Anyone working on terrain editing will find this very helpful.  

M1Maps.txt
Map Edit Version 2c:
-----------

1) Enhanced height editing. You may now optionally change the heights for the entire map. You may perform averaging functions on selected terrain or the entire map. Averaging a part of the map will smooth it out. This effect can be quite dramatic. See under Map Editing Features below for details.

2) When editing height, if you add a space after the height specification for an area, that amount will not be cleared and will still be in effect for the next height edit. For example, if you want to raise an area, entering "+10,1 ", including the space at the end, will allow you to click twice on an area to add approximately 10 feet to the area each time. Right click to cancel an operation, or backspace over the old specification to clear it.

3) Press the F key to "flood fill" a portion of the map with water. All terrain adjacent to the selected square that is the same height will be filled with water. This allows quick editing of lake areas.

4) Press the D key to remove all the water areas from the map.   The water and shorelines don't match very well in the Egypt and Lybia1 and 2 terrains. Open one of these terrain areas in the map editor, select an area on the overview map to go to the main screen, preferably one that's bordered by ocean. In the main map, press the D key (answer Y to the question about removing all the water), then press the F key and click on a square that was previously ocean. The water will now match the shoreline.

5) A bug was fixed that would cause the program to crash if the user selected an area on the overview map that was on the right side or bottom of the map.

 

 

 

 

Top

HeloSwapper

version 4.5
by
fng2k

with thanks to Pretzel, Bryon the pilot, Venom Viper and the fearless test pilots of 1BHS

If you already have an earlier version of HeloSwapper installed, version 4.5 will detect it, and automatically upgrade it.

During the HeloSwapper installation, it will create backups of your GUNSHIP 3D objects and Flight Model parameters, as well as re-named copies of numerous files. All this will use about 10MB of hard drive space.

Changes in version 4.5:

-New background graphics for the Arming and Loading screens, showing the currently selected aircraft.
-New Flight Models, thanks to the advice generously provided by a former combat helo pilot named Bryon.
-Detects your current ReverseCollective setting, and uses it for the new aircraft's Flight Models.
-several minor bug fixes

Changes in version 4.2:

-A no-CD setup option is available.
-The program tests to make sure it is in the right place before creating folders. (Thx VV)
-Menu Option 2 lets you easily install new versions of HeloSwapper without manually deleting old files
-Fixed "invisible tree line" bug
-An additional aircraft, sort of...

New version 9/21/2001

(click to view screencaps)

View HeloSwapper menu

hsarmscr.jpg (40538 bytes)

click below to download

HELOINST45.EXE (55kb)

This is a self-extracting,
self-installing zip file.
(the install path is US default, but is user definable)

(mirror site):
Heloinst45.exe

AH1WFLY1.jpg (62254 bytes)

HINDFLY1.jpg (78534 bytes) MEHOS_4.jpg (102496 bytes) UH60PNMA.jpg (100616 bytes) AIRCAV1.jpg (118740 bytes)
PALM_2_small.jpg (1312 bytes) CH53BASE.jpg (98222 bytes) HIPEUR.jpg (85940 bytes) AH66NIT2.jpg (69818 bytes) HOKMCUBA.jpg (103478 bytes)
This batch file lets you choose to fly some of the other helicopters in GUNSHIP! which are normally not flyable. This works by calling one of the four original helos, and then using "skin-swapping" to change the displayed object to a different helo. The normal PLATOON: codes for either the Russian Havoc or the German Tiger MUST be used in the battle.txt file

This version includes customizable Flight Models for each helo. It also includes 2 scenery enhancements:

Europe Plus replaces the individual deciduous trees with conifers.

Tropics replaces the individual deciduous trees with palm trees, and replaces houses, barns and outbuildings with mud-brick buildings.

All of these mods are selectable, and you can return to the original settings at any time.

THAT'S ALL VERY NICE, BUT HOW DO I ACTUALLY USE IT?

Skin swapping means that we take a helicopter that you can fly, and dress it up as one that you normally cannot. But we must still instruct Gunship to include the flyable helo we are re-dressing in the mission we want.

For the Red helos, this is easy because Gunship only shipped with one flyable Red helicopter. Therefore any mission that you would normally fly as a Red pilot in the Havoc, you can now fly a Hind, Hokum or Hip instead.

For the Blue helos, it's a little more complicated. There are three flyable Blue helos: The US Apache, the UK Apache, and the EuroCopter Tiger. The two Apache's share a Flight Model, but the Tiger has it's own. I needed to pick one Blue helo to use as host and because the Tiger had it's own FM, it seemed like the best compromise. This way Apaches and Sea Stallions could fly together and still perform appropriately.

So in order to fly any of the Blue helos, you must include Tigers in the mission programming. Many of the original missions included with GUNSHIP will allow you to fly any of these aircraft without editing the mission files. They are listed below.

You can also edit any other mission in the Battle Builder (or manually by opening a mission in a text editor like Notepad), and then changing at least 1 Blue helo unit to Tigers (127 or 112). Make backup copies first if you're unfamiliar with mission editing.

Here are the aircraft "PLATOON:" codes:

Blue aircraft

Original missions where you can use mods:

Fly-Now Missions:
Tiger Guns

Single Battles:
Ride of the Valkyries
Streets of Fire (Multiplayer)
Into the Valley (Multiplayer)
Gotterdammerung
The Sound of the Guns
Frogger
Adlertag

Campaign:
5th Panzer Division
Platoon Code Original aircraft Use HeloSwapper to fly these aircraft
PLATOON: 112 Eurocopter Tiger

2 aircraft

RAH-66 Comanche

AH-1W Cobra

UH-60 Blackhawk

CH-53 Sea Stallion

OH-58 Kiowa*

V-22 Osprey*

PLATOON: 127 Eurocopter Tiger

3 aircraft

Red aircraft

Original Missions where you can use mods:

Fly-Now Missions:
Havoc Guns
Havoc Guns II

Single Battles:
A Good Hammer
Cry Havoc

Campaign:
20th Guards Army
Platoon Code Original aircraft Use HeloSwapper to fly these aircraft
PLATOON: 62 Mi-28 Havoc(2) Mi-24 Hind

Ka-50 Hokum

Mi-8 Hip

PLATOON: 128 Mi-28 Havoc(3)

*The OH-58 Kiowa and V-22 Osprey were included, but not activated when Gunship was released.

A note about cockpits:

As of now, we don't have any way to edit or modify any graphic elements such as cockpit design or aircraft paint. These graphics which overlay the 3D wire frame models are called "skins", and are usually in .pcx format.

Microprose used an unknown compression method to store the several hundred graphic files in one single file, probably \data\images1.cat. If you have any information about how we can extract those files, edit them, and re-load them, please contact me and we will arrange for you to join our secret team of researchers who are laboring to crack this puzzle at a small farm outside Spokane, Washington.

Because of this, all the red helos use the Havoc cockpits, and all the Blue helos use the Tiger cockpits. The only cockpit edits I've made are for the Hind gunner. I've removed the windscreen frame as a crude way to emulate the bubble canopy used on that aircraft. There may be a way to emulate the door gunner position on the Blackhawk, too. Stay tuned.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MULTIPLAYERS

When playing Gunship in an on-line multiplayer session, you can change sides to play as Red and use one of the new helos, but only you might see it. Unless you are the host.

What happens when using HeloSwapper mods during multiplayer sessions is complicated and not completely understood yet. Apparently the host of a multiplayer session somehow sends his versions of the 3D object files to all the players in a session. At first glance, that's great, because now all will see Hinds or Blackhawks. However after the mission ends, the other players still have the modified files. Flight Model settings do not appear to be affected.

In short, do NOT host multiplay while using mods on your aircraft unless ALL the other players in the session have also installed HeloSwapper. (When HeloSwapper opens, it offers the option of re-setting all 3D objects to the original configuration.)

The worst that can happen if someone finds themselves always flying a Hind instead of a Havoc after a multiplayer session, is that the player would have to install HeloSwapper, or replace his 3DZ folder with the one from his Gunship CD.

Installation notes:

On some PC's, the installer may not be able to create a shortcut automatically. If a shortcut does not appear on your desktop, right-click on your desktop, select New>Shortcut, and browse to your Gunship folder, (in the US, the shortcut path is usually C:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROPROSE\GUNSHIP!\DATA\HELOSWAP.BAT)

 

A note to Windows 2000 and XP users:

While Gunship itself seems to run well under these newer operating systems, the Heloswapper and Desert Terrain set add-ons rely on DOS batch files to make your selections. Unfortunately, NT, Win2000 and Win XP don't support all DOS commands through DOS 7.0.  Only native, internal DOS commands up to about version 5 will work under these new operating systems. (Why? Ask Bill.)

The problem is that in the DOS batch files which control HeloSwapper and the Desert Terrain selector, I used a DOS command named CHOICE to prompt for user input. It's a very common method in batch files, and works great, except this command is not supported under the newer OS'es for some reason. So at the moment, the current versions of Heloswapper and the Desert Terrain selector won't work under Win2000 or XP.

But.

I think I have a fix. There is a tiny MS file named CHOICE.COM which basically just makes this CHOICE command work. If you put this file in the same directory as any batch file that uses CHOICE commands, it seems to make these batch files work fine under the W2K or XP.

This will be included in future releases of any mods using batch files. For now, you can add this file manually. Just right click on the link below, select "Save As". and save a copy of CHOICE.COM to your Gunship!/Data/ directory for HeloSwapper, and/or the Gunship!/ directory for the Desert terrain set.

CHOICE.COM
(6kb, and no, this isn't a web page domain link...)

Contact me if you have any questions.

 

 

 

Top

Terrain Enhancement Pack #1

objenh1.EXE

version 1.2

by James Trapp

(33kb w/ zip installer)

terenh1.jpg (26727 bytes)
Before
(click to view)

terenh2.jpg (26990 bytes)
After
(click to view)

This elegantly simple modification makes a very subtle change in how and where Gunship displays houses and outbuildings.  More structures are displayed on certain terrain tiles, both individually and in small village-like clusters. A surprisingly more immersive terrain results.

Installing this mod will overwrite the original Gunship! versions of these three files installed in the Gunship!\Data\Tiles\Data\ folder:

Forest1.txt
Grass1.txt
Grass2.txt

OK, now for the standard warnings ;)

It is possible that on some older machines with slower processors and/or inadequate RAM (a Pentium 166 with 64MB of RAM for example), you may find that missions involving large numbers of units may run slower due to the larger number of buildings on the terrain. Newer machines work fine.

I've never actually seen this problem, but if you do find performance degraded,  just restore the original files by copying the three .txt files listed above from either:
-the backups created during installation, located  in  the directory Gunship!\Data\Tiles\orig,
or
-from the  Data\Tiles\Data\ folder on your Gunship CD

into the ..\\Gunship!\Data\Tiles\Data\ folder on your PC.

GO WILD!

If you would like to experiment with making your own terrain enhancements like this one, check out my laboriously created catalogue of 3D objects used in Gunship.

 

Top

Terrain Enhancement Pack #2

objenh2.EXE

version 1.4

by fng2k

(33kb w/ zip installer)


New! 9/21/2001
airptnew.jpg (19073 bytes)

(click to view)


This modification makes several changes in the layout of the airport used throughout the Gunship worlds. It also add blinking runway lights, an administration building and a small ammo dump.

Installing this mod will overwrite the original Gunship! versions of the airport.txt file installed in the Gunship!\Data\Tiles\Data\ folder:

To uninstall,  just restore the original files by copying the airport .txt files from either:
-the backups created during installation, located  in  the directory Gunship!\Data\Tiles\orig,
or
-from the  Data\Tiles\Data\ folder on your Gunship CD

into the ..\\Gunship!\Data\Tiles\Data\ folder on your PC.

If you would like to experiment with making your own terrain enhancements like this one, check out my laboriously created catalogue of 3D objects used in Gunship.

 

Top

New "Loading" screen backgrounds

version 1.0

by fng2k

NEW! 8/23/2001

loadscrn1.EXE

(405kb w/ zip installer)

This will install three new .pcx picture files which display randomly while a mission is loading. So instead of looking closely at the side of a scratched-up Apache, you can look at these.

Installing these files in Gunship!\Data\Tiles\Data\Images will cause Gunship to display these instead of the original pictures stored in the data\images.cat file To return to the original Gunship! versions of these files, simply delete these 3 from the Gunship!\Data\Tiles\Data\Images directory.

You can make your own, too! Convert any graphic to this format:

640 x 480 256 color PCX

Name the three files "Loading1.pcx", (or Loading2 or Loading3), and just place them into the Gunship!\Data\Tiles\Data\Images directory.

 

 

Top

SOUND

 

 

 

 

Top

Co-Pilot / Gunner Speech pack ver. 2

by James Trapp

New version 12/11/2001

GSCPGspeech.exe

154 kb with self-installer

Gunship! Copilot/Gunner Sound Fix by James Trapp

OVERVIEW

--------

This patch will change the intercom messages heard when playing as the CP/G. It will also sound a "beep" when a weapon is selected, before the intercom message is played that announces what weapon has been selected.

 

DESCRIPTION

-----------

I. CP/G Phrases

This patch will alter what intercom messages are heard while sitting in the CP/G cockpit. Rather than hear the pilot acknowledge commands, you will hear the CP/G issue them. For instance, rather than hearing the PILOT say "Speeding up" after pressing the '0' key, you will hear the GUNNER (you) say "Increase speed."

As an added bonus, I inserted one second delays of silence in the voice "script" after the CP/G says "Come down" or "Come up." I did this because, sometimes, I like to hold down the '-' or '=' key for more than a brief moment. I don't, however, like to hear the CP/G continuously repeat the command to a point of insanity.

 

II. Avionic Beeps

When selecting cannon, rockets, or air-to-ground missiles, you will first hear a beep, followed by the usual corresponding intercom announcement.

 

INSTALLATION: Automatic

------------

1.Copies the following included file: select1.wav

To each of the following directories:

Gunship!/Data/Speech
Gunship!/Data/UKSpeech
Gunship!/Data/GSpeech
Gunship!/Data/RSpeech 

2. Copies the following new included file: Phrase.txt

To the following directory on your hard disk: Gunship!/Data/Speech 

UNINSTALLATION

--------------

Simply grab the phrase.txt file from the gunship!/data/speech directory on your Gunship! CD and put it in the gunship!/data/speech directory on your HD.

You may delete the select1.wav files from the speech directories, but it does no harm to leave them there.

  

COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS?

I can be reached at jtrapp8136@aol.com

Enjoy!

 

 

Top

Rotor sound stereo upgrade

by James Trapp

NEW! 8/23/2001

STEREOGS.ZIP

83 kb

Another simple but powerful sound enhancement. By phase-shifting the original rotor sound wave files, JT creates an emulated stereo effect. Readme file included.

Listen to the difference:

AttackRotors - original .wav

AttackRotors - new stereo .wav

Installation
Put the files AttackRotors.wav and HokumRotors.wav in your Gunship!/Data/Sound directory.

Uninstallation
Copy AttackRotors.wav and HokumRotors.wav from your Gunship CD and put them in the Gunship!/Data/Sound directory on your HD.

 

Top

DESIGN AND EDITING TOOLS

 

 

Top

GunTool

By Rudi Klaes

US version  1.3c ( current beta )

This is a terrific GUI toolbox built by Rudi for editing Gunship mission profiles, rosters and briefings.  Now you can edit the original Gunship campaigns, and even insert new missions. And writing briefings has never been easier. It even analyses your mission, and places the correct unit sprites on the mission briefing screen! A must have for serious mission writers. The author welcomes feedback.

GunToolUS1_3c.zip

(zipped 848kb)

GUNTOOL1.gif (6598 bytes) GUNTOOL2.gif (8306 bytes) GUNTOOL3.gif (10393 bytes) GUNTOOL4.gif (10382 bytes)

 

 

 

Top

GUNSHIP! original terrain tile set

Use these as templates
for building your own snow, jungle, or ? terrain

This zip contains the 84 currently known terrain tiles shipped with Gunship. The format is 256 x 256 .pcx . Each tile represents an area approximately 250 meters square.

Note: These are hi-res screencaps, and are in 24bit (16m) color to provide the highest-quality starting point. They must be reduced to 256 colors after you edit them for Gunship to use them.

You don't need these unless you want to create new terrain!

New   10/25/2001

Lake7.gif (33013 bytes)

GSTiles.zip

(5.6MB)

 

 

 

Top

CONTROLLER PROFILES

These profiles have been generously shared by other Gunship pilots.
I have not tested most of them, but try them out.
Logitec Wingman Force 3D

(Mine. Crude but effective...)

GSWingman.wgp
Saitek Cyborg

This was made and contributed by Tim Huntington, and is very cool. It is optimized to let you fly as the Copilot/Gunner. All the commonly used commands to the AI pilot  (go left, come down, etc.), are mapped to joysstick controls. Very slick.

TimsGunship.sai

TimsGunshipReadme.txt

A very clever fellow named Ulf Muckel has begun developing some  sophisticated fuzzy-logic programming for Thrustmaster controllers, and he has made a profile for Gunship. Unfortunately I don't have one, so I can't speak from experience, but these look amazing!
Let me know what you think.
Ulf's Thrustmaster Programming site

 

 

Top

 

 

Email: gshelipad@lycos.com

02/21/02