A major update to the ETO Expansion has been released - ETO 1.2
The ETO expansion is a major freeware update of Microsoft's CFS3 and encompasses in one install many great new features and the best of the freeware community add-ons.
Further than that it also creates five different eras in which to fly, from the Spanish Civil War through the Battle of France and Battle of Britain to D-Day the Battle of the Bulge and on into 1945.
There are over 150 flyable aircraft representing the main and a few of the lesser-known models from the five eras. The list includes types that are not available in any other combat simulator and have been made by some of the best modellers in the community. Flight models are from the respected Av-History team. The aircraft come with a multitude of authentic new weapons and effects and include such goodies as aerial mines and flares.
The scenery has had a complete overhaul with new ground textures and trees which has totally transformed its look and has received many favourable comments.
The UK has been populated with nearly 350 British and American air-force bases, many are authentic reproductions of their real counterparts whilst the others are based on generic patterns. None retain any of the original stock components. Many also change and grow as the war progresses, from grass strips in 1940 to large 3-runway layouts with lines of bombers, troop transports and gliders in 1944. It constitutes what may be the most comprehensive representation of wartime UK airfields in any flight sim to date. Continental airfields have also been re-modelled with future updates planned to bring them to the same standard as the UK ones.
An enormous amount of work has been put into ground objects with over 300various vehicles, artillery pieces, trains and infantry. You will you find yourself flying over columns of marching troops with horse drawn vehicles or with large tank battles being played out beneath you. A number of the tanks and armoured cars are driveable enabling the player to take part in the ground as well as the air war.
The expansion includes all new ship models including carriers, merchantmen and landing craft.
One of the biggest advances has been in the inclusion of new weather and effects. Clouds and weather change as you fly across the cfs3 world. Take off in clear skies and fly a mission in worsening weather to find your home base shrouded in cloud on your return.
New explosion effects, towering smoke, fireballs, flak, tracer, water splashes signal flares make for great immersion in whatever mission you set out on.
Smoke generators obscure ground targets, ships can be identified with coloured flares and smoke markers.
Two campaigns are included for the 'Phoney war' and the `Attack in the West' along with a number of historical missions such as `Operation Dragoon' the allied invasion of southern France on August 15th 1944.
Rather than being presented as a finished item, the CFS3 ETO Expansion has been designed to provide a `sand-box' for users to re-create their favourite moments in WW2 aviation history. To this end the mission builder has been included in the release allowing users to create their own missions and campaigns with the vast amount of new features available to them.
In summary, the ETO Expansion like the Mediterranean Air War, Korean Skies and PTO Solomons installs already available take the basic flight CFS3 sim and transform it totally into an excellent and enjoyable product equal to and in many areas far superior than other WW2 combat flight simulators available today.
A patch is also available which enables owners of Firepower to install the FP heavy bombers into their ETO install and includes many new skins.
The 1.0 install, 1.2 patch and Firepower Heavy bomber conversion can be found here...
http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?autocom=downloads&showcat=10
http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?autocom=downloads&showcat=10
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