Newly Updated in this 2023 release:
DGVoodoo DirectX Wrapper updated to v2.81 supporting DirectX 12 (latest version at time of release).
DGVoodoo Pre-configuration updated to fix corrupted fonts in-game.
ReShade Update to v5.8 (latest version at time of release).
Fixed incorrect file name that prevented Force Feedback from working for Joysticks that support it.
Fixed incorrect file locations that prevented Museum Movies from working.
This package was built and tested on Windows 10 & 11 22H2 and Steam Deck OS 3.4.6
This package also includes an option for installing on Steam Decks!
Latest Revisions: Revision D corrects some installer issues for the Windows install option.
The game by itself is limited to a resolution of 1280x1024. However hacking the ww2.ini to 1600x1200 and then using dgVoodoo 2 wrapper at a 4x Resolution Modifier applied that renders the game at a resolution that actually exceeds 4K (6400x4800!) that is then scaled back down to to your monitors resolution with the proper 4:3 aspect ratio preserved. dgVoodoo 2 also adds DX12 support. It also enables the use of ReShade to enhance the game visuals even further with modern shading effects Debanding, HDR and FXAA. As a long time player of the game, I had acquired most if not all other major mods created by the Jane's WWII Fighters community fan sites over the years. I even purchased the Community Add-On CD back in the day. Sadly, these community sites no longer exist. The mod creators deserve much credit for their work! Also featured in the video is a launcher I built that is styled after the original game launcher but with more options and features added. It also has and included Mod Manager (by Jonesoft). I've also installed it on my Steam Deck, so I guess you can get it to run on Linux too using Wine or Proton Tricks!
STEAM DECK USERS:
In Desktop Mode, download the zip file to your Steam Deck.
After extracting all of the setup files from the zip, add WW2F_Setup.exe to Steam as a Non-Steam game.
In Steam properties of the shortcut under COMPATIBILITY, select: Proton Experimental
Now start the installer via the Steam Shortcut and install. It can be installed to the internal SSD or to an SD Card.
After the installing, go back into the properties of the Steam Shortcut to change the Target, click Browse.
Now browse to *YOUR INSTALL LOCATION*/WWII Fighters 2020/ folder and select the WW2FLauncher.exe file.
Leave the Compatibility set to Proton Experimental.
To Enable DGVOODOO Support, add the following line to the LAUNCH OPTIONS in the Steam Shortcut: (case sensitive)
WINEDLLOVERRIDES="DDraw=n,b" %command%
To fix Museum Movies (Insert CD2 Error) on a STEAM DECK: (requires ProtonTricks from the Discovery Store)
After completing the steps above, while in Desktop Mode, open ProtonTricks.
In ProtonTricks, select the Prefix for your WWII Fighters install.
Now choose "Select the default wineprefix"
Select "Run winecfg" and once it's open, go to the Drives tab .
Select Z drive (or add a new drive) and set the path to *YOUR INSTALL LOCATION*/WWII Fighters 2020/WW2 Fighters
This will be the same location where the ww2f.exe file can be found.
RANDOM EXAMPLE if installed to an SD Card:
/run/mmcblk0p1/Games/WWII Fighters 2020/WW2 Fighters
Now click "Show Advanced" and change the "Type" to "CD-ROM"
Click "Apply" and then "OK" to close Wine Configuration.
You can close Protontricks and enjoy a working Museum on your Steam Deck!
EXTRA BOUNUS FOR STEAM DECK USERS:
If you name your Steam Deck Shortcut EXACTLY to:
Jane's WWII Fighters
You can download my Jane's WWII Fighters Steam Controller Settings under Community Layouts!
It'll help you get up and flying fast!
Good Hunting Pilot!
Nice, nice, niiiice !
THANK YOU!!!
Many thanks for such "oldie, but goldie" !
A game that dates from the time when the quality was not only for the graphic aspect.
EAW (European Air War) or SWOTL (Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, made by LucasArts!) would still be references today, if we were content to refresh them.
What can we say about graphically stunning simulators that quickly sunk into oblivion, because their playability, or their possibilities, tended towards zero ?
Cheers.
To begin with, WOW, what a brilliant release, full marks, really well done. I have just installed this on windows 11 and it works brilliantly.
One problem that I can't resolve, the aircraft pull to the right in flight. It's as if the joystick (I'm using a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog) hasn't been calibrated although windows 11 (joy.cpl) shows that it is fine. Is there an adjustment that I can make within the game itself.
And one last word of thanks. I still have my original copy which I purchased from the Game store. I spent hours trying to get it to work with no success. Thank you so much for all your hard work. Great job.
Ed
hmmm, I haven't had that issue. maybe try recalibrating your stick in the windows game controllers may help? And thanks for the kind words
Hi Hip63, Many thanks for your reply. It's OK now. It turned out that the dual throttle was being picked up as the Aileron axis. When I set the first throttle to 50%, the joystick worked fine. The sim is so much better than I remember it and that's down to your efforts, well done for getting this little gem airworthy again. All the very best, Ed
Hey! Just downloaded on Windows 10, and tried to do a "test flight" on the P-51. It keeps crashing and brining up the launch screen again. Any tips?
So you may need to fiddle with the Advance Graphics Option. In the dgVoodoo panel, look under the DirectX tab and try tweaking it. Also, what's your hardware (cpu/gpu)? I've tested on Nvidia GTX1060 (laptop) & RTX3080ti (desktop) and on my Steam Deck but haven't had that issue
Hello, can someone do an installation tutorial for the game? I seem to be a bit confused as to what I need to do.
For Windows, just download the file (it includes the whole game and all the mods) and extract the files and run the WW2F_Setup.exe file, it installs everything and puts shortcut on the desktop. It installs and runs just like any other software for Windows. That's it, I couldn't make it any easier.
Thank you sir for your hard work. This was the 1st flight sim i got back in the day. It was a great game and i had much fun with it. Kind regards.
How do I access/Change ww2.ini in order increase resolution to 1600x1200, Wimdows 10.
How do I access/change ReShade to update to 5.9.2.
For DGVoodoo DirectX Wrapper, are ther any adjustments in Glide (as well as general and Direct X) taht need to be made?
To upgrade ReShade, simple point the ReShade installer to the WW2 Fighters folder (where ww2f.exe is located). Example Path: C:\Games\WWII Fighters 2023\WW2 Fighters. The ww2.ini file is there too and can open in notepad. FYI, it should already be set to 1600 x1200.
DGVoodoo is already preconfigure to work fine out of the box but can be tweaked if you wish but remember that your actual mileage may vary. I did not included the glide support files so you may wish to update DGVoodoo2 as well if you want glide support. But honestly I found the best results using DirectX which is why I did not include Glide in first place.
Thanks for the info. Trying to reproduce conditions that produced youtube video.
Any advice? Windows 10, Intel i7-4700MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M 3GB, Intel HD Graphics 4600 1GB, 32GB RAM.
Better to use steam deck?
sounds like you're running on a laptop. I too have it running fine a laptop but you may need to go into the Nvidia control panel and make sure the game is running on the Nvidia gpu and not the Intel gpu. (i.e.- the preferred graphics processor setting). Of course, the Steam deck is an option too.
Again thanks for the info. I'll try that. Would running on Steam deck instead make any difference? Would like to reproduce youtube video conditions. Does reshade help? How does that work once installed?
The installer has an option for the Steam Deck and everything should work as is with that option. All the instructions are listed in my first post above. The short version, it installs the same way would install other third party apps on a Steam Deck as shown in dozens of YT videos. I even have a Steam Input controller setup for the Deck. Again, the instructions for all of that are in my first post above.
Hello again. Wasn't able to get good results with directX. However, Glide allowed me to maximize to the fullest and was able to see what a wonderful job you had done. BIG THANKS!!! Perhaps you should include those files?
maybe and glad you got it going. updates might be a while, got a brand new baby boy to tend to. :D
So for a while now, it works mostly well. However, I couldn't get it to work with my Logitech X56 HOTAS as it would instantly cause my plane to roll left and go down into a death spiral. I found that disconnecting my X56 fixed that issue and I was able to "fly" with just the keyboard. Upon testing out the ww2keys.txt file and creating a new profile on the X56's programming tool, I was able to keybind the fire weapons keys to my joystick and that works. My question now is: How do I do the same thing for the X and Y Axis on the ww2keys document? (I would normally also ask how to do the same for the Logitech tool, but I doubt any experts would be answering this) If someone knows how to format axis commands with an example, I would be grateful. If not, I'll manage.