jimgad 0 Posted July 20, 2009 Just blown away. Early days, and I know I'll have issues....but..... I've carried an interest in WW1 aviation since childhood. My "claim to fame" at school was naming the top 5 aces of each combatant country, complete with victory tally. (Never got many dates with that skill...but you go with what you have...;) As i got older, I started to appreciate the possibilities of computers and waited for the WW1 flying sim to allow my imagination to take flight. I recall an old Spectrum game......very basic..... followed by a Cinemaware product that was heavy on atmosphere, and infuriating in it's arcade section where progress depended on shooting trenches. BUT...the way the music evoked and the "journal" added to the immersion, still stays with me. On to Red Baron....and I always assumed that to be the best I'd manage. Until now...... OFF BH&H arrived this morning......I spent a time upgrading the comp with the new card I bought for the occasion...along with the memory sticks. Struggled into the install......begrudgingly walked the dog...and finally....30 minutes ago, found myself sat at the controls of an EIII....staggered into the air, and simply waltzed along enjoying the countryside, the blip of the motor, and the odd testing of gun. Before skimming the tents at the airfield and landing, grazing the tip of the wing as I did. Thank you....the whole team. Everyone who worked on this. It'll get harder....of course...and that will be part of the excitement....but this is simply a thanks to all who've finally allowed a man with a limited budget to evoke a sense of a time he has daydreamed of...and could never experience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rickitycrate 10 Posted July 20, 2009 Greetings jimgad. You have arrived at that destination that you could barely imagine, the OFF world. You will experience and pursue the dreams you dared to dream these many years. Enjoy, best wishes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hobbes69 0 Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) Hiya, nice post. I find myself in a similar situation. I have been interested in WW1 flying since the 1980's. I used to spend hours and hours playing TSR's Dawn Patrol. Then got busy with life after school and college. The advent of pc's games came about, and then RB3 for me. Since then, I haven't really played many decent WW1 flying sims, kind of been a glut of them. I have ordered OFF and am excitedly waiting for it in the post! Edited July 20, 2009 by hobbes69 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimgad 0 Posted July 20, 2009 Hiya, nice post.I find myself in a similar situation. I have been interested in WW1 flying since the 1980's. I used to spend hours and hours playing TSR's Dawn Patrol. Then got busy with life after school and college. The advent of pc's games came about, and then RB3 for me. Since then, I haven't really played many decent WW1 flying sims, kind of been a glut of them. I have ordered OFF and am excitedly waiting for it in the post! Trust me....you won't be disappointed! Once I'm a little more au fait with the controls, it's going to HAVE to be multiplayer! (and divorce could threaten at that rate! ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Polovski 460 Posted July 20, 2009 Welcome jimgad - glad you found OFF and now you have a world to discover in the air over WW1. Enjoyed the comments thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonyo - legion 2 Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) Welcome Jimgad, Its nice to have you joining us, being an avid flight sim fan which started with my first computer - a commodore 64, then Amiga 500/1000 then a 486 dx25 pc complete with a hard drive of 100 Mb ( classed as a file server in those long lost days !!!) I remember with a warm fondness the Red baron / red baron 3d / Wings & dawn patrol classics. To be able to jump into the cockpit of such a range of flying machines that are available with OFF BHAH is a joy second to none, & with all the patches & support that you get with Winder, Polovski, Ovs & all the gang i can honestly say that theres not another flight sim that comes anywhere the quality of this one. The mainstream software companies could learn a thing or two from these guys!! Welcome to the gang - Clear skies & happy landings. TonyO. Edited July 20, 2009 by Tonyo - legion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vasco 3 Posted July 20, 2009 jimgad, Glad to hear you're interested in OFF Multiplayer Just jump onto Team Speak (The server address is 217.155.102.217:8767 (note colon befor 8767), Logon name is whatever you chose, Password is camel) and we'll get you set up for multiplayer. You can get up to speed on what we get up to over in the multiplayer forum. Regards, Vasco Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duce Lewis 3 Posted July 20, 2009 Welcome to OFF Jimgad Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted July 20, 2009 Welcome, Jimgad - nice, and true words you wrote! And as you are an OFF Pilot now, please PM me your hometown and country/state, so that I can fit you into the "OFF Pilots Planet" map. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Macklroy 2 Posted July 20, 2009 Welcome jimgad. As with most of the OFF pilots here, I'm sure a good portion of your summer will be spent inside! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canvas Wings 1 Posted July 20, 2009 Welcome to the ARAF, jimgad. That's the Alternate Reality Air Force. Many of us here share a similar story, back that far or further (though I was an Avalon Hill "Richthofen's War" fanatic instead of Dawn Patrol) And while RB3D was great in it's time, OFF has final reached the immersion level I always hoped for; I'm sure there's more to come in the sims of the future, but this one is the first to finally live up the level of realism I hoped for all those years. Enjoy CW Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimgad 0 Posted July 20, 2009 Sheesh....I give thanks to the creators, and discover in the space of a few hours that I've joined a community! Just gets better and better..... ;) I'll certainly check in on the multi player team speak channel Vasco...... and my hometown Olham is London, UK. And to everyone else...thanks for making me welcome....it's much appreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TSmoke 2 Posted July 21, 2009 Hmmm hope you have an understanding wifey LOL because this sim is going to cut into her "quality" time hehehe. I'm lucky mine is working overnights, so I can play without her harping every five minutes. Have fun because this sim is absolutely fabulous!!! My favorite brit comedy show as well LOL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Check Six 2 Posted July 21, 2009 Jimgad, I'm sure you're blown away by OFF. Prepare to be gobsmacked. Save up your Pounds Sterling, and get yourself a TrackIR5. If you haven't heard or seen of it, look up YouTube, type in TrackIR, watch some of the clips there, and be amazed! This will put you in the pilot's seat LITERALLY! Well worth every penny. Welcome to OFF. Enjoy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broadside uda Barn 0 Posted July 21, 2009 Jimgad, cant add much to all that's been said, except what has not been said: Watch out for Archie! Vary your speed and altitude, and enjoy the flight! BuB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandbagger 1 Posted July 21, 2009 Jimgad,cant add much to all that's been said, except what has not been said: Watch out for Archie! Vary your speed and altitude, and enjoy the flight! BuB Welcome JimGad - I live in Lincolnshire but was born and raised in Carshalton, South London. I'm sure you'll get hooked very quickly into BhaH and all it has offer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaptSopwith 26 Posted July 21, 2009 Welcome aboard Jimgad. Just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed your post. I have to say, with all of the gaming I've ever done (everything from the Atari 2600 to Call of Duty 4 on my Xbox 360 to Doom and Red Baron 3D on my first PC) nothing is as satisfying as flying in OFF. It is simply remarkable. Best $50 I ever spent! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broadside uda Barn 0 Posted July 21, 2009 Many of us here share a similar story, back that far or further (though I was an Avalon Hill "Richthofen's War" fanatic instead of Dawn Patrol) Same here. Played MANY hours of Richtofen's War. That was an amazing game really, as it outlined the planes and their strengths/weaknesses so well. I wish I still had the book as a references for the planes I'm flying now~! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Check Six 2 Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) Same here. Played MANY hours of Richtofen's War. That was an amazing game really, as it outlined the planes and their strengths/weaknesses so well. I wish I still had the book as a references for the planes I'm flying now~! Bub, Have you been reading Pips' "Flying the old planes" threads? theyre pretty good at describing how the planes fly. If you're looking for the strengths and weaknesses...try "Homeboy's OFF Planes Page" http://snomhf.exofire.net/OFFaircraft.html A work in progress at the moment, but it will eventually list the strengths and weaknesses of the aircraft as they are modelled in OFF (whether or not that is exactly as they flew), with the intention of users being able to use this guide to work out how best to down a particular opponent with a particular aircraft, or how to escape from a particular aircraft. For instance...how fast can my aircraft climb? Will it outclimb the Fokker D.VII on my tail? Can I escape by turning tightly? If I get into a fight with a Albatross D.III, how best can I escape in my XXXX aircraft? Sounds just like what you're looking for. Speed at altitude tables, Climb rates, dive rates, turn rates etc. Not historical data removed from "Jane's book of WW1 fighters", but actually flying OFF aircraft with a stopwatch and instruments on screen. DAMN! You do good work Mark. Kudos to you Homeboy. Edited July 21, 2009 by Check Six Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creaghorn 10 Posted July 21, 2009 i think the virtual careers were quite similar with lot of people here. that's really amazing. begun with wings on amiga, wich was amazing in that time in all aspects, but mostly because of the diary and the plot what happened in this squadron during the war. colonel charles farrah, when he shouted at you when you blew a mission and all the stuff. :threaten: that was one of the best schools about aviation history, packed into a story like someone is really there and experiencing it in realtime. i wish i could find somewhere in the web only the diary. i would love to read it again. :cray: . then of course red baron. really a milestone. where aces could even challenge you to a one on one dogfight if you are getting better. then rb3d. i played it for years with all it's bugs, before i realizied about 4 years ago that there are major patches for it. only because i was boring i typed red baron 3d into google and saw all those amazing skins and groundtiles. i could not believe it was the same game. i liked WFP and hell's angels superpatch the most and the manager of rb3d is still unreached to ths day. as a matter of fact OvS was the first person i have ever contacted to ask how this patch works, just because there was his private emailadress somewhere small on hells angels site. i didn't even know that there is/was a large community and SWISSA. i was really a big greenhorn with onlinestuff at that time. as i think to remember he was inbound in OFF, but still very helpful and showed it to me step by step, probably suprised why somebody was writing direct emails instead of going to the forum. but he said: "i made it, i have to support it." now with BHAH it's for me the end of the road, and i'm not planning to change it for any other ww1 sim in the world. only sim which could take me away is BHAH's even more beautiful sister, who will appear at some time in the future... :nyam: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Von Paulus 8 Posted July 21, 2009 I'm not waiting since 1983, but since Wings in Amiga 500 I don't play any kind of WWI sim. I bought the "Flying Corps" but I almost didn't touched at the time. To be honest I'm not really so much interested in flght sims as I'm with the historic period in question. I'm a WWI buff. Anyway last week, I saw an annoucement of Rise of Flight. That was too much for me. I was urged to buy it. But beetween the time of ordering and receiving I went into WW1 sim forums and saw some mention to a sim called OFF as having a better campaign mode than ROF. That was too much for me. I just picked my Credit Card and here I'm after ordering it today. I just don't know what to do now. How I come to this mess? I mean how I will arrange time to play both ROF and OFF3 (ah! and ARMA II)? My job, my family, Aaarrrrgggghhhhhh! I'm open to suggestions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted July 21, 2009 You will definitely desert your family a little, once OFF campaign hooked you, and you have got good enough to survive more than three sorties. I have several games here - but I only play OFF. No time for anything else, would all be distraction from becoming a better fighter pilot. The best to do while waiting is to spend some good time with your family - you won't see them much once you got "Over Flanders Fields". Please give me your hometown and country/state, and I'll put you into the OFF Pilots Planet maps (if you don't mind). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Von Paulus 8 Posted July 21, 2009 The best to do while waiting is to spend some good time with your family - you won't see them muchonce you got "Over Flanders Fields". It is a wise suggestion. I haven´t tell them yet. But they are already suspicious. They saw me digging up my old Microsoft Sidewinder Pro. Please give me your hometown and country/state, and I'll put you into the OFF Pilots Planet maps(if you don't mind). I'm from Lisboa, Portugal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
