Bort numbers No Longer Needed

For those of us doing aircraft textures, and have a virtual squadron, you can paint all 3 numbers on the jet without the ME interferring. Just go into the Description.lua and set the last 4 to empty (as shown below). I'm probably not the first to find this, but it definitely will make my life easier!

    {"A-10_Number", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Noze_F", 0 ,"empty",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Noze_T", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Wheel", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};

Change to:

    {"A-10_Number", 0 ,"empty",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Noze_F", 0 ,"empty",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Noze_T", 0 ,"empty",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Wheel", 0 ,"empty",true};

For those of us doing aircraft textures, and have a virtual squadron, you can paint all 3 numbers on the jet without the ME interferring. Just go into the Description.lua and set the last 4 to empty (as shown below). I'm probably not the first to find this, but it definitely will make my life easier!

 

    {"A-10_Number", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Noze_F", 0 ,"empty",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Noze_T", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Wheel", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};

Change to:

    {"A-10_Number", 0 ,"empty",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Noze_F", 0 ,"empty",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Noze_T", 0 ,"empty",true};
   {"A-10_Number_Wheel", 0 ,"empty",true};

True but then you have a lot more textures you have to upload for each pilot. For example we currently have 50+ A-10 pilots in the 1st so if we did it this way (which we started out doing) you've got the textures that you don't need to individualize but 3 for each pilot (so 150 textures in our case).

Now...if we could update the lau file with what we wanted the tail numbers to be that would make it easy :D

That would make it much easier, and I see your point. I was doing a standard number as the first, then the bort numbers in the ME after. The way I mentioned above would work for anyone painting their own to have the 3 digits on their jet automatically.

That would make it much easier, and I see your point. I was doing a standard number as the first, then the bort numbers in the ME after. The way I mentioned above would work for anyone painting their own to have the 3 digits on their jet automatically.

Yeah, we started initially with each pilot getting a custom tail number but we only put it on the nose and left the tails blank (number wise) bit it just didn't look good. now we have two skin version (clean and dirty) the Clean has 2XX and the dirty is 1XX.

For example we currently have 50+ A-10 pilots in the 1st (...)

:shocking:

:shocking:

Only about 15 to 20 are active though...

We had a bunch of pilots, but they all left to start a new squadron... so right now we have about 7 full time pilots. It'll make it easy to do the numbers for them, and since I have the .psd file with layers, it'll be easy to just change the info.

(side note for all who read this, the psd file with layers that I have is the main file, and any layers I've since added. This is not a repaint file from ED... although I would love to have one!)

We had a bunch of pilots, but they all left to start a new squadron... so right now we have about 7 full time pilots. It'll make it easy to do the numbers for them, and since I have the .psd file with layers, it'll be easy to just change the info.

 

(side note for all who read this, the psd file with layers that I have is the main file, and any layers I've since added. This is not a repaint file from ED... although I would love to have one!)

Did you download the texture files ED provided?

Ha, no, I didn't even know there was one! And here I thought I was putting a disclaimer on my post so nobody begged to wonder how I got the texture files before them...

I'll just go hide in my painting corner now...

At least now I should be able to finish my skull scheme for the 76th. If you want in on it Paulrkiii, let me know and I'll send it to you when I'm done.

Ha, no, I didn't even know there was one! And here I thought I was putting a disclaimer on my post so nobody begged to wonder how I got the texture files before them...

 

I'll just go hide in my painting corner now...

 

At least now I should be able to finish my skull scheme for the 76th. If you want in on it Paulrkiii, let me know and I'll send it to you when I'm done.

That would be great...I've tried doing some type of nose art like that and it's a little above my current skill level....

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I landed here via Google. After reading this thread, I started to get a better picture for what was happening with the Dynamic Numbering for Aircraft. I figured that posting here would be better than starting a new thread, as this is the ONLY thread that came up in my results( for this particular issue ); if this is wrong, please forgive me.

I found that if you create a DDS file 1024px W X 128px H, in the color you want the Numbers to be, then name it as you wish and save it to the repaint folder with the other texture files, you can then add this into the Description entry of the Liveries file.

Original Description lines:

{"A-10_Number", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};
{"A-10_Number_Noze_F", 0 ,"empty",true};
{"A-10_Number_Noze_T", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};
{"A-10_Number_Wheel", 0 ,"TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black",true};

Please note that I am working on this paint scheme( 170th Carbon Fiber ), and was trying to work this out. I will upload the file to the "User Files" when the paint is complete.

You can see the dynamic number bleed through the "painted on" number:

Updated Lines for color change( NOTE: "170th_TactNumbers-USAF-Blue" is what I called my file, call yours whatever you like ):

{"A-10_Number", 0 ,"170th_TactNumbers-USAF-Blue",true};
{"A-10_Number_Noze_F", 0 ,"170th_TactNumbers-USAF-Blue",true};
{"A-10_Number_Noze_T", 0 ,"170th_TactNumbers-USAF-Blue",true};
{"A-10_Number_Wheel", 0 ,"empty",true};

Again, you can see the number bleed through, but this time it is the same color as the Paint scheme:

Now if I just remove the last 2 digits from the paint, I can use the ME to number the aircraft:

As an added element of "proof", you can see that the nose changed, but under the front of the canopy I have not painted the first digit in:

Hope this helps! ;-)

=170= Sven2157

Thank you, Sven. I'm glad you dug this up. I'm currently working on reskinning some planes and at the moment I'm simply looking for information on what the various numbers mean in the first place (as in, what does "MD" mean on a real A-10's tail [i'm guessing Maryland but that doesn't always seem to mesh with various units] and what would "AF", "78", and "754" mean on a real A-10)?

That would be my first question. What are individual plane identifiers (I'm guessing the larger number), what are squadron identifiers, etc?

Then I may have more questions once I get into actually implementing my skin in game.

Thanks, and great work by the way. That's a nice looking plane.

Thank you, Sven. I'm glad you dug this up. I'm currently working on reskinning some planes and at the moment I'm simply looking for information on what the various numbers mean in the first place (as in, what does "MD" mean on a real A-10's tail [i'm guessing Maryland but that doesn't always seem to mesh with various units] and what would "AF", "78", and "754" mean on a real A-10)?

The tail code MD signifies that the jet belongs to the 175th Fighter Wing operating from, you guessed it, Warfield ANGB, Middle River, Maryland. "AF" identifies it as an Air Force bird, and the serial number 78-0754 tell us that the airframe was assembled in 1978, with sequential number 0754.

I was kinda hoping for a resource similar to F-16.net, but I haven't been able to find one for the A-10 yet. It's a cool thing tracing a particular Viper all the way back through every squadron she ever served in.

EDIT: Here you go, more information.

Thanks, NoCarrier. That is very helpful and the system is actually much more intuitive than I originally thought.

Now I just need a list of the two digit Alpha codes for each of the units operating the A-10.

I've seen some lists of A-10's but they look inconclusive. For instance, here is one I found for FY-'77 http://warthogaircraftdatabase.blogspot.com/2009/04/fy-1977-aircraft.html

Maybe that could lead us elsewhere but it's still not as nice of a list. Thanks again!

Thanks, NoCarrier. That is very helpful and the system is actually much more intuitive than I originally thought.

No problem at all.

If you ever hear a crew chief complaining about having to work on a "balls one shitbox" (i.e., "001"), you now know what he's talking about!

Now I just need a list of the two digit Alpha codes for each of the units operating the A-10.

Well, since the USAF is always having one reorganization after another, you're probably best off checking out Wikipedia, which is reasonably current as far as I know. Just click on one of the Wings and look up the tail code in the upper right information box.

EDIT: also found on Wikipedia, a link to some USAF publication with a list of tail codes: p. 54.

No problem at all.

 

If you ever hear a crew chief complaining about having to work on a "balls one shitbox" (i.e., "001"), you now know what he's talking about!

 

 

Well, since the USAF is always having one reorganization after another, you're probably best off checking out Wikipedia, which is reasonably current as far as I know. Just click on one of the Wings and look up the tail code in the upper right information box.

Won't be current for long with all the units shutting down...

So I downloaded a really nice layered PSD version of the skin template available from ED but I can't remember where I got it (somewhere in these forums - I'd like to give credit to whoever busted that out into layers because it makes editing skins SO MUCH EASIER). Anyway, that skin lacks the shark mouth. So I downloaded another skin which had the shark mouth (Ga-Bika winter camouflage from the User Files). Since that was a flattened image I just deleted everything but the shark mouth then cleaned it up so it was a very clean layer of the exact same size as all the other layers. I then pasted it into my PSD file as an independent layer.

In theory, it should be positioned correctly. However, in game the shark mouth is pushed back from the nose so that it does not meet in the center. I'm wondering why this happened. I'll post pictures when I can but I'm not at home so I can't at the moment.

In theory, it should be positioned correctly. However, in game the shark mouth is pushed back from the nose so that it does not meet in the center. I'm wondering why this happened. I'll post pictures when I can but I'm not at home so I can't at the moment.

Simple answer. The front of the nose is in a different location that then sides of the nose on the texture file. It's on the same file (the "a" file) but just in a different location. I missed it the first time. Found it last night and fixed.

It still needs a little tweaking but it's getting better.

Sorry for Picking up this Topic after more then 7 years.:music_whistling:

But I was searching for some explanations regarding usage of individual Serial numbers (Decals).

I have noticed, that the 1st part of the tail numbers on stock A-10s is painted on the texture.

The second past Comes from a dds file (TactNumbers-USAF-Light_black)

Is it possible to make the completetailnumber as a seperate dds?

And is there a tutorial. how to place the decals on the Skins?

Kind regards,

Carlo