OFF the Meat Grinder

[deadangle 0]

Well the more I fly the more I die, but still I try. The front late 1917 & 1918 is just plain murderous. I like a challenge my first goal is to get a pilot to 10 hours without dying. I shall take turns flying for the Brits, French and Germans. I find it darn dangerous no matter what time period you choose to fly. This is no complaint usually most Sims are not this difficult and then again their AI is nowhere near as good as in OFF my compliments to OBD and all others responsible for this excellent Sim.

[Rickitycrate 10]

Welcome Deadangle, I'm glad to hear you are having such a hard time staying alive. I'm sure it makes a few of us oldtimers feel good as dieing is commonplace. The replay value of this sim is super high and the challenge it presents will keep me flying it for years. Please see the OFF Pilots of the World sticky and consider giving Olham your hometown and Nationality. It's in the name of fun and it's interesting to know where our brother pilots are located. Best wishes for you in your OFFing. Let the drinking begin, oh yeah, you're buying

Edited September 14, 2009 by Rickitycrate

[Duce Lewis 3]

Good to hear you're having fun deadangle

Yep, OFF is certainly a challenge

But if it wasn't, it'd get boring & that just doesn't happen

 

Welcome aboard,

[Check Six 2]

Well the more I fly the more I die, but still I try. The front late 1917 & 1918 is just plain murderous. I like a challenge my first goal is to get a pilot to 10 hours without dying. I shall take turns flying for the Brits, French and Germans. I find it darn dangerous no matter what time period you choose to fly. This is no complaint usually most Sims are not this difficult and then again their AI is nowhere near as good as in OFF my compliments to OBD and all others responsible for this excellent Sim.

 

deadangle,

 

It's great that you like a challenge, because OFF WILL challenge you severely. But please be mindful that there are degrees of the challenge. Even with the settings at the easiest possible (easy flight model, no wind effects, no g effects, easy damage model, inaccurate enemy guns, rookie AI for the enemy, "pilot never dies" settings) this is not a breeze to fly.

 

So I think the best thing to do is to set the sim at medium to high settings for you (as you said you like a challenge) and when you feel like you've at least MET the challenge (you probably won't master it), then you can "up the ante" and gradually remove the "cheats" until you're flying full DiD (Dead is Dead) standard at 130% to 140%. Staying alive there is pretty difficult (though you can enlist in early 1915 and not encounter enemy for many missions - allowing you to get more experienced with your chosen aircraft).

 

I am very pleased that although you're finding it very difficult (if not impossible) to remain alive for more than a few hours, you're sticking it out. You have the "pluck" even though you've "got the wind up". Outstanding effort. Keep it up. We need pilots like you.

[Ras 0]

I know what you mean Deadangle. I must have 150 hours in OFF and I can't last more than a couple of missions with full realism. I've read about tactics and have a fair amount of experience in combat flight sims...which I almost think has been a detriment. So I fly with realism at -30% and had reached 15 hours with 11 kills when I finally "met my maker" and had to start over for the 73rd time.. I wouldn't doubt that I have had that many pilots already.

[Olham 164]

Capt. T. 'Bones' Grinder:

Welcome at the front, Deadangle

You may understand, that we don't roll out red carpets here for newcomers.

We won't even make friends with you, and we only remember your name for the

duty board, and the case you fly with one of us.

All that behaviour may change, in the unlikely case that you survive longer than 17 hours.

You can write a letter home for the worst case - we'll send it there then.

Dismissed!

 

Hauptmann Wolf Hackepeter:

willkommen an der Front!

Vee can use ewry new man - if only to attract zee enemy pilotz, so vee can sneak up on zem.

Ant try not too shoot more roundz zan zee enemy putz in your craft, Leutnant. Standink against

no less zan 5 Nations, vee are a bit short off supply here. Got a bit pale now - vell, go too ze

mess ant get yourself a good Mass of beer - vee are not short of zatt.

Wegtreten!

 

Capitaine Filet Haché: Bonjour, et velcome a votre chance de mourir un mort héroique!

 

Olham: Hm, well, ah - the others have said it all, I think. So, welcome here, Deadangles!

And give me your hometown and country please, for the OFF Pilots Map.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Olham

[Bullethead 12]

Welcome aboard, Deadangle. New guy buys the drinks! .

 

Yes indeed, late 1917-1918 is the most dangerous time period to fly in, and it's off the charts if you fly in areas of active ground offensives. There are huge numbers of very good planes, massive furballs, and intense flak. You're constantly in danger and almost constantly in combat. It's truly epic, but extremely grim .

 

Mid-1917 is a bit less intense. There are fewer planes in the air so fights are smaller and fairly widely separated. They're still quite deadly, but you don't have the feeling that you're just cannonfodder like you do later. It's the last of the "knights of the air" thing. Go out, have a stiff fight, then enjoy the scenery on the way home and have a jolly evening in the mess.

 

Before then, action is harder to come by and the real challenge is keeping your underpowered, unstable crate in the air while trying to do combat moves.

[SortofRed 0]

I too have died quite a bit in this sim but because of its incredible realism factor (as far as I know that is!) do not get too bothered by it. However I would like to offer the developers 1 suggestion:

 

I would like to have a feature that would enable me to enlist a new active pilot in the SAME squadron to take affect at THE TIME that my previous active pilot died but without having to go through the variety of screens that I currently have to to do so. Maybe something like a shortcut that appear with the only 2 choices that come up when I do die which is "Main Menu" and "Review Mission". Just a thought.

[Bullethead 12]

I would like to have a feature that would enable me to enlist a new active pilot in the SAME squadron to take affect at THE TIME that my previous active pilot died but without having to go through the variety of screens that I currently have to to do so. Maybe something like a shortcut that appear with the only 2 choices that come up when I do die which is "Main Menu" and "Review Mission". Just a thought.

 

Just edit the dead pilot's files.

Edited September 16, 2009 by Bullethead