[-)-MAILMAN-]

1: Why was it necessary to change the exterior art in the standard mod game? Why was this not made a stand alone mod or part of the EXPERT MODE instead of game wide?

Necessary?

Well no mod is necessary, all mods are options

That the makers typically feel are better than what was provided with the stock game

The end goal being a better looking, feeling, and more accurate flight sim

The HSFX group also picks which mods to make part of the SFS file format for quicker load times and which to make optional mods via JSGME, making the 3D art an JSGME option just seemed like more trouble that it was worth especially in light of the far superior 3D art done by Cat of 242nd sqd

Granted though the old adage of you cant please all the people all the time still applies, but for the most part most like the new 3D art

2: Is this patch/update that your mention apply only to the Expert MODE or is it going to be forced upon us as part of the HSFX History Mod?

Forced?

No

As noted the EXPERT MODE is a JSGME option

I read the Expert MODE explanation when I first installed HSFX 5 so I know what it does, but you know the best part of the EXPERT MODE is that it is OPTIONAL. You can choose to use it or not use it. Unlike the HSFX History Mod (with its unwanted changes and some of its mistakes) the EXPERT MODE is not required to play a modified game.

Mistakes?

Interesting.. care to give an example? Or is it safe to assume that you definition of mistake means they did something that does not agree with your personal preferences

Again, you cant please all the people all the time

But based on what I have been reading most like the changes

Start by checking the cockpit of the Corsairs for yourself. The manifold air pressure gage got changed in HSFX 5. It is supposed to read up to 75 not 50. It appears that someone took the manifold air pressure gage of the wildcat and put it into the corsair cockpit with this latest HSFX release. As a matter of fact you cannot read above 48" of manifold pressure regardless of altitude, throttle setting or supercharger setting.

Check all of the stock game releases and check all of the mod version release including the unified installers and previous HSFX releases and UP and see the change of the MAP gage of the Corsair. The only players liking this change on the Corsair would be the Zeke or Oscar pilot because of reduced performance envelope of the Corsairs.

Mirrors got removed off of the P-40C and Tomahawk IIb with the release of HSFX 4. No explanation why just gone when someone changed the cockpit textures.

F4F-3 now has a MkVIII gun site because of NonWonder dog's USAAF/USN gun sight mod included in HSFX. The F4F-3 never had this gun sight. Heck the F4F-4 didn't get the MkVIII until just before Midway and it was initially installed aboard ship not on the production line. When questioned about the accuracy of his/her gun sight reticle size for the Mk VIII the author of this mod stated he gives zero credence to the pilot's quotes who actually described how they used the sights since he is assuming these quotes were made 50 or 60 years after the fact. He fails to realize many of these "quotes" were used for training newer pilots and were put in manuals created by the 8th AF and the V Fighter Command during and at the end of WWII. The author also made the statement that he/she never read a reference where the diameter of the gun sight reticle was used for range, he has read only that the radius of the reticle was used. So according to the author when the pilots state that the wing span of a zero covered 40 mils at 1000 ft or 50 mils at 900 they must not remember correctly how to use the device that made them aces with the MkVIII. I guess he never looked at the 1943 USAAF Gunnery Manual that specifically states that radius was used to calculate speed (based on knowledge of performance of the target plane) and lead angle, but diameter was used to calculate when the target was "in range". With the stock Mk VIII gun sights the zero wing tips touch the 50 mil ring at 274 meter / 300 yards / 900feet. The modded gun sights make it closer to 200 yards when the wing tips span 50 mils with the MkVIII. The standard convergence for the .50 cal wing guns was 900-1000 feet which is where the guns were bore sighted, this is where the target was considered to be in range and that is what was taught. This is not to say that individual units and individual pilots did not adopt different settings. So there is no doubt that the mod author made USN/USAAF sights that are look great, but i would rather have the ugly stock and more accurate Mk VIII sight on a server with icons turned off. Oh and you can't see the 100 Mil ring without narrowing the FOV by toggling the gun sight mode (losing 6DOF) or moving your face up against your monitor when using trackir.

Good enough examples? You know the saying about when you assume.

Now for my opinion: I think less is more. Have a History mod for the SEOW type players with all its embedded mods like we currently have in the Generic Mod Enabler. Additionally why not place a basic mod in the Generic Mod Enabler as well as each individual mod (as stand alone) that was embedded into the history mod so that the rest of us who do not join SEOW type servers can pick and choose which mods we want enabled. With the current configuration of HSFX 5, all mods are not optional as you state because you have to enable the HSFX History Mod.