Poooooor Pfalzer's

[zoomzoom 2]

Geeeeesh. Thought I'd start a campaign in a squad that was still using the pretty little Pfalz DIII at the end of 1917...start of 1918. Lets just say....it IS a challenge. Perhaps the little bird was good against the Pups and previous Nieuports, but by this stage in the war, it can't well handle the new Camels and SE5's. In fact, they are down-right impossible unless you outnumber them. Time for some new tactics till we get Albitri and Fokkers! To quote Monty Python...."Run Awaaaaaaaay!" Maybe some others here have similar anecdotes. Gives you sympathy for the guys who had no choice in thier AC at that point. If they lived long enough to get a better plane and a bit more experience they may have had a chance.

 

As an aside....what the heck is with the Bristols!?, those things are nasty enough in thier agility, but the rear gunners have to be some super accurate circus performers and trick shooters to do what I've seen them do in the last two missions I met them. An Example, we meet a squad of Bristols and attack, in the melee we are constantly trying to stay clear of the tail gunner, so I dive away at an angle underneath the enemy machines. Ok...so this Bristol chappie zooms down after me, I see it and that he's almost above me so I dive away again at an angle and with great speed, also a pretty fair distance away....I'm thinkin, ok, at this range and angle, even a fighter whos on my six trying to sight me in is gonna have trouble getting a shot...so I'm good. But no!! This Bristol does a barrel roll upside down, and as I speed like a maniac at an opposite direction far beneath him, his rear gunner, while hanging upside down and backwards, pours a stream of constant lead right into the engine and center of the plane. C'mon!! Are they trainin uber Annie Oakley tail gunners that can pull this shot off!...and without a single miss. Perhaps some tweaking of the Bristol tail gunners may be in order. Anyone else have any similar experiences? (disclaimer:this last comment is intended for potential improvement of the game, and in no way represents any dissatisfaction on the part of the poster...who is thoroughly satisfied with the product, and plays it too much now as it is. Ask his wife) :yes:

ZZ.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

looks like a Fish...Moves like a Fish.... Steers like a cow!!!

 

It's a flying Death Sentence against Camel's!

[Siggi 10]

Geeeeesh. Thought I'd start a campaign in a squad that was still using the pretty little Pfalz DIII at the end of 1917...start of 1918. Lets just say....it IS a challenge. Perhaps the little bird was good against the Pups and previous Nieuports, but by this stage in the war, it can't well handle the new Camels and SE5's. In fact, they are down-right impossible unless you outnumber them. Time for some new tactics till we get Albitri and Fokkers! To quote Monty Python...."Run Awaaaaaaaay!" Maybe some others here have similar anecdotes. Gives you sympathy for the guys who had no choice in thier AC at that point. If they lived long enough to get a better plane and a bit more experience they may have had a chance.

 

As an aside....what the heck is with the Bristols!?, those things are nasty enough in thier agility, but the rear gunners have to be some super accurate circus performers and trick shooters to do what I've seen them do in the last two missions I met them. An Example, we meet a squad of Bristols and attack, in the melee we are constantly trying to stay clear of the tail gunner, so I dive away at an angle underneath the enemy machines. Ok...so this Bristol chappie zooms down after me, I see it and that he's almost above me so I dive away again at an angle and with great speed, also a pretty fair distance away....I'm thinkin, ok, at this range and angle, even a fighter whos on my six trying to sight me in is gonna have trouble getting a shot...so I'm good. But no!! This Bristol does a barrel roll upside down, and as I speed like a maniac at an opposite direction far beneath him, his rear gunner, while hanging upside down and backwards, pours a stream of constant lead right into the engine and center of the plane. C'mon!! Are they trainin uber Annie Oakley tail gunners that can pull this shot off!...and without a single miss. Perhaps some tweaking of the Bristol tail gunners may be in order. Anyone else have any similar experiences? (disclaimer:this last comment is intended for potential improvement of the game, and in no way represents any dissatisfaction on the part of the poster...who is thoroughly satisfied with the product, and plays it too much now as it is. Ask his wife) :yes:

ZZ.

 

Do you have gunners on "Hard" in Workshop? That'll make them more realistic.

[zoomzoom 2]

Do you have gunners on "Hard" in Workshop? That'll make them more realistic.

 

 

I'll check Siggi, thanks.....ummm, where do I look for that in Workshops?....what general area I mean? upper lower/left right? I've never messed with that particular tick box. Or is this the "rear gun" tick box?

 

ZZ.

 

So are you saying they should be on Hard to be realistic? If so they currently should be set to superhuman.

Edited April 2, 2009 by zoomzoom

[Olham 164]

Zoomzoom, I feel with you.

I had nothing but trouble, setting everything up new again, after messing with my graphic card.

Now, that everything worked again, I thought I'd start a new Campaign with a superb war plane-

the Fokker Dr. 1.

But at 7.000 it behaved just strange; stalled so easy, that I found it hard to get behind the S.E.5as.

But I got to grips with it after short time, and plastered one (marked with a white capital "B" - any-

one knows, who they were?) twice.

But what happened next? Two from flight one jumped on the descending plane and shot it to pieces.

Before I could reach any other target: the same. They just ate them!

After some miles, we met more from this Squadron. This time, whilst trying to catch up from stalling,

I got shot up by at least two of them!

I was short before tearing down a wall or kick my rig out the window!

Think, I'll go and do some jogging now.

[Siggi 10]

I'll check Siggi, thanks.....ummm, where do I look for that in Workshops?....what general area I mean? upper lower/left right? I've never messed with that particular tick box. Or is this the "rear gun" tick box?

 

ZZ.

 

So are you saying they should be on Hard to be realistic? If so they currently should be set to superhuman.

 

It's the "rear gun" setting I believe. Setting it to "hard" makes it hard for you, as a rear-gunner, to hit your target. It also makes it so for the AI.

[shredward 12]

You will have to resort to what the real Pfalz pilots did. Can't remember who it was off the top of my head, I think it was Stark, counselled his pilots to only engage under certain conditions. What it boiled down to was, come in from on high, shoot, and keep on going. Stick around to fight, you're dead.

Cheers,

shredward

[zoomzoom 2]

Thanks Sig, I'll try it. Shred...that sounds like what my new tactic will be for the Pfalz. I have a turn-fake maneuver that in a pinch will shake somebody off my tail, but for the main strategic overview of this AC in this period, your rule of thumb seems to be most accurate. And Yes Olham, I too almost had some OFF inspired holes in my walls! Your advice is good.....jog it off!! Come back smarter. Hey if it wasn't challenging it wouldn't be fun.

 

ZZ.

[themightysrc 5]

Hi zoomzoom,

 

I share your pain. I've started a German scout pilot in Feb/March 1918, and my missions thus far - allegedly strikes on British airfields - have consisted of flying out with my illustrious comrades, running into Camels, and then, er, running for my life. The damn Pfalz does one thing very well: it can dive away from trouble at speeds the Camel can't hope to match. As a dogfighter, it is more or less a deathtrap.

 

Oh well, I suspect that Kurt will be seeing a constant throughput of new pilots in his Jasta until such times as he's downed himself.

 

OT (but not really), does anyone else miss the ground bail out that RB3D used to offer to the cowardly (ie, me)? When faced with an unenviable, near suicidal mission, I used to brace myself in the cockpit, hit the button 3 times and then listen to the feeble "aaaiiiiieeeehhhhhh!!!!" as my overcoated aviator launched himself into space - only to hit the deck about 7 foot below. Saved my eggs and bacon many a time, and was much easier than sitting around with my underpants on my head and a pencil up each nostril muttering "wibble" to the doctor.

[zoomzoom 2]

Hi zoomzoom,

 

I share your pain. I've started a German scout pilot in Feb/March 1918, and my missions thus far - allegedly strikes on British airfields - have consisted of flying out with my illustrious comrades, running into Camels, and then, er, running for my life. The damn Pfalz does one thing very well: it can dive away from trouble at speeds the Camel can't hope to match. As a dogfighter, it is more or less a deathtrap.

 

Oh well, I suspect that Kurt will be seeing a constant throughput of new pilots in his Jasta until such times as he's downed himself.

 

OT (but not really), does anyone else miss the ground bail out that RB3D used to offer to the cowardly (ie, me)? When faced with an unenviable, near suicidal mission, I used to brace myself in the cockpit, hit the button 3 times and then listen to the feeble "aaaiiiiieeeehhhhhh!!!!" as my overcoated aviator launched himself into space - only to hit the deck about 7 foot below. Saved my eggs and bacon many a time, and was much easier than sitting around with my underpants on my head and a pencil up each nostril muttering "wibble" to the doctor.

 

It's interesting you mention being able to dive away from Camels with the Pfalz. I have not seen this to be the case, as I have tried three times to do this, (diving from a fight at the same altitude as the camel I was turning with) and the Flaming camel kept pace with me every time, even closed with me in the dive! ....and riddled me all the way down! Am I missing something? Perhaps you may dive through them from a higher altitude,with already built up inertia?...but I have yet to be able to escape them in this fashion from a level fight. This is unlike flying the Spad of course which will leavebehind anything when you put that nose down and firewall the throttle.

 

ZZ.

[Hasse Wind 46]

And I thought I was the only who uses the Pfalz in 1918!

 

There's one thing the plane is very good at: diving. My tactics have been very careful and my pilot is still alive after several missions, he even has a couple of kills waiting for confirmation. I NEVER enter into any kind of turning contest with nimble Entente fighters when flying the Pfalz. I once tried to catch a Camel and it almost caused the death of Leutnant Bergmann, my pilot. Pfalz won't lose its wings in dive like the Albatros too easily does. Use that to your advantage, and when you don't have the advantage, resist the temptation and don't fight, fly back home and live to fight another day for the Kaiser! (And hope you'll get the D.VII ASAP...)

[Olham 164]

My advice is, to use the German planes in an order of descending quality.

You start with pilots in the D VII or D VII F (best overall fighter), then change to the Fokker Dr.1 (best tight turner),

after that you do the Albvatros D II or III - as early as possible!

Then I'd pick the D V, D Va or D Va 200; then the Pfalz D III, the Halberstadt, and last the Eindecker.

 

I'm working on a time scheme for the German planes, that will show the earliest availability for each plane,

and the Jasta, were to find it.

Edited April 3, 2009 by Olham

[themightysrc 5]

zoomzoom,

 

No really, the Pfalz is a great plane to run away in - just remember to dive vertically and keep jinking. If the AI's up to scratch there's no reason why a Camel would try to follow you. It works for me, but perhaps that's because I perform the most violent dives possible when trying to run away.

 

The only way I'd bother attacking Camels would be if I outnumber them and have a height advantage. Even then, I'd be looking nervously over my shoulder unless at least one or more of the buggers had been nailed.

 

Moral of all this: get a desk job until Fokker DVIIs turn up.

[Hasse Wind 46]

My advice is, to use the German planes in an order of descending quality.

You start with pilots in the D VII or D VII F (best overall fighter), then change to the Fokker Dr.1 (best tight turner),

after that you do the Albvatros D II or III - as early as possible!

Then I'd pick the D V, D Va or D Va 200; then the Pfalz D III, and last the Eindecker.

 

I'm working on a time scheme for the German planes, that will show the earliest availability for each plane,

and the Jasta, were to find it.

 

Don't forget the Halberstadt D. series, the pride of the German aircraft industry...

[Jammer28 0]

My advice is, to use the German planes in an order of descending quality.

You start with pilots in the D VII or D VII F (best overall fighter), then change to the Fokker Dr.1 (best tight turner),

after that you do the Albvatros D II or III - as early as possible!

Then I'd pick the D V, D Va or D Va 200; then the Pfalz D III, and last the Eindecker.

 

I'm working on a time scheme for the German planes, that will show the earliest availability for each plane,

and the Jasta, were to find it.

Hi Olham,

What’s your reasoning for doing this? Just curious. A while back I started a campaign flying the Eindecker, got into a dogfight, banked left and promptly fell into the ground. I had read about how the Eindecker would “slip” when turning but was still surprised when it happened to me. I gave up and moved on to the Albatros. 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Jammer

[Wels 2]

Hello,

 

i feel with you all, the Pfalz is one pretty plane, and a good and stable one, for civilian purposes lol. But it is not even especially faster in spite of its aerodynamic design.

When i am over enemy territory (a shame that OFF demands it from me, because only german reconnaissance planes and the low-flying "Schlacht-Staffeln" made it into enemy territory, apart from lone wolfers who mostly did not suvive the war) i usually turn my nose in direction of the fatherland before i attack - and only from above ! Then i go down, gathering speed, and even more speed, for one strafe, and then dive on over the lines. As pilot Klien from Jasta 5 said "Now run you pilots vigorous and brave" lol.

 

Greetings,

Catfish

Edited April 3, 2009 by Wels

[Olham 164]

Yes, forgot the Halby - thanks, Hassewind - corrected!

 

What do you mean, Jammer? My advice?

It's just an idea for newcomers, to pick planes first, that are easier to fly and can be more successful in combat.

 

Hi, Catfish

When I get missions deep into enemy terrain, I often choose "Alternate flight", to get one, were I remain near

the frontline at least. That's no cheating, cause, as you said: fighters didn't go into the enemy terrain.

It's one thing you can do for survival, as you're mostly getting jumped on, outnumbered, from high above.

[Jammer28 0]

What do you mean, Jammer? My advice?

It's just an idea for newcomers, to pick planes first, that are easier to fly and can be more successful in combat.

 

Ok, I gotcha now. Thought maybe you had a special reason for it but I was looking too deep into it. I would have started with the older planes first then worked my way up just to be historically linear. When you suggested going backwards it threw me but looking at it your way makes perfect sense. 

 

 

Jammer

[Hasse Wind 46]

When i am over enemy territory (a shame that OFF demands it from me, because only german reconnaissance planes and the low-flying "Schlacht-Staffeln" made it into enemy territory, apart from lone wolfers who mostly did not suvive the war)

 

Nice to see someone else is bothered by this! I wonder if it would be possible to somehow mod OFF so that the Jagdstaffeln would only get missions they used to fly historically. Fortunately there is the option to select an alternate target, which I always do when I'm asked to fly long distances behind enemy lines, but even that doesn't always help.

 

OFF would be even more historically accurate if this modification were made to it. A great game made even better...