CaptSopwith 26 Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) I'm sure this has been done several times, but as Winder, Pol, and the rest of the members of OBD are pulling long hours and working hard on P4, now seemed like an appropriate time to thank them again for all of their work. For me, having known a lot of these guys for years, this is a very personal thank you. The last few days has re-fired my passion for these great sims, and OFF in particular. It has also given me a new appreciation for all of the great sims that have come before. The great thing about a lot of the OBD members is that they were responsible for those moments too. I've always felt somewhat inadequate as a member of the flight sim community. I can set up and run a flight sim, add a new flight model, swap some sound effects out to my liking, and tweak everything from my nvidia card to dgvoodoo to get things to run the way I want them. But I've never been able to make a patch, paint a plane properly, create a new terrain set, or tweak data files to create a more realistic flight model for a Fokker Dr1. The closest I've ever gotten was writing the history of Red Baron 3D's community many years ago - and with the advantage of time, I cringe over the clunkiness of some of those passages. But you, on the other hand, have given me so much. Ever since I stumbled upon the ancient Delphi Flight Sim Forum in 1999, my flight simming has benefited from their handiwork. I've flown over Rabu's terrain, piloted Royce's flight models, expanded RB with Pat Wilson and SWWISA's WFP, watched CdT make new models, and followed every step of Otto's work on Hell's Angels. The list goes on and on... I'm lucky enough to consider many of these guys my friends - or at least they've been stuck with me for so long now they tolerate my posts well. And while I know many of those "old timers" moved onto other things - so many of the core Red Baron modders moved to work on OFF. And nothing has come close to this amazing project called Over Flanders Fields. I remember the messages James sent me to come check out this new project back in, what was it, 2005 or 2006? While my old computer didn't have a hope of running OFF, I kept my eye on it. You were there working on this thing when there was no one else around in the WWI sim genre. Sure, we all got our hopes up over various projects but most of the professional, studio backed efforts fizzled and failed. And as new projects came and went, the OFF team kept working away. P1, P2, and then P3 BHAH and HiTR. The sheer amount of work done on OFF, the intricate attention to detail, the graphical fidelity of the sim, the flight models, the AI, all of it - to turn a mediocre WWII also-ran flight sim into a world class WWI simulator has to be the most remarkable thing I've ever seen from a group of modders scattered across the world. The work is stunning. And sometimes you have to step back and really marvel at it to fully appreciate the mammoth labor of love that we lucky pilots get to save on our hard drives. And the community that has grown around it is equally impressive. I haven't enjoyed posting on the boards this much in years - it feels good to be back and it feels good to make the time to do it again. Flying missions in OFF, posting my adventures, the exploits of my pilots, and immersing myself in the screenshots and stories of my fellow pilots, all scattered across the world too, keeps the excitement for flying going strong. The biggest thing about OFF that keeps all of us rabid addicts coming back for more is this: It feels right. It just does. And feeling is something you have to know in your gut - you can't program it into a data file. You guys absolutely nailed that part. So please, keep up the good work. As I said in another post, you're one of the very few left fighting the good fight. Whatever you charge for P4, I'll pay for it somehow - even on my shoestring budget. This isn't a labor to make money, it's a labor of love, and it shows. I'm sure the "profits" you've made off of the sales of OFF probably just barely cover your server costs - let alone the hours you spend working away on the sim. I'm sure if you calculated the hours I played for whatever it was I spent for P3 and HiTR, you would make fractions of pennies off of me. And for what we've paid, we've gotten more than enough bang for our buck. From the constant updates, to the open door policy to find out from us, those playing OFF "in the wild", what you can do next to make a great sim even better has been worth far more than the asking price. Just know that while there's very little I've done to contribute, I am incredibly grateful. Without OFF and the work of Winder and everyone else involved, my gaming world would be a much poorer place. No matter how long it takes, I'll be here watching for the next round of previews, rooting on the team, and lining up to buy the final product. Something tells me, I won't be alone. In the meantime, if I can ever be of assistance, let me know. Best Wishes for the successful completion of Phase 4. CaptSopwith Edited February 18, 2011 by _CaptSopwith Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted February 18, 2011 It feels right. It just does. And feeling is something you have to know in your gut - you can't program it into a data file. You guys absolutely nailed that part. Absolutely amen and ditto to this post! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted February 18, 2011 . Hear, hear! Well said, Soppy old man! . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DukeIronHand 8 Posted February 18, 2011 Guess I'll throw it a "double-ditto". OFF has certainly given me many hours of enjoyment and fueled my rabid WW1 aerial interests. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Parky 8 Posted February 18, 2011 Captain Sopwith, That is a brilliantly authored and richly deserved display of gratitude if ever I've read one. Well done!! Not sure if it was Widowmaker (or was it some Chap named Winston) who once said something like "Never in the field of WWI Air Combat Simulation development has so much been owed by so many, to so few. Whoever it was, also expressed the heartfelt sentiments of most of us I'm sure... It's never a poor idea to let those who toil on our behalf so doggedly, know just how much we appreciate their efforts. Cheers, Parky Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hasse Wind 46 Posted February 18, 2011 I agree. OFF is incredibly immersive and I've spent an unbelievable amount of time flying my career pilots. I don't think I'll get bored with P3 anytime soon, and then there's P4 coming one day. So keep up the good work! And now get back to developing P4. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Polovski 460 Posted February 18, 2011 Thanks for the boost guys we appreciate it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UK_Widowmaker 571 Posted February 18, 2011 Nicely put Capt!...and echoed by all who love this sim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Von Paulus 8 Posted February 18, 2011 Well said CaptS. We all know that P4 will be great because we have full confidence in OBD's excellence. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carrick58 23 Posted February 19, 2011 Here Here, I agree. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rickitycrate 10 Posted February 19, 2011 The gratitude goes for me as well. So as not be too corny I'll just say again "thank you" from my heart. And nice OP CaptS.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandbagger 1 Posted February 19, 2011 Thanks for the boost guys we appreciate it. As Pol said, thanks for the support. It makes the long hours worth it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herr Prop-Wasche 7 Posted February 19, 2011 Well said, CaptSopwith! I couldn't add a thing to your post, except to say that I have also enjoyed the WWI flying community since the late 90's and the Delphi forum--such a long time ago, it seems. I raise my glass to all of the contributers, posters, followers, and even lurkers of all things WWI related--but especially to OFF and the developers at OBD software. Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonL 0 Posted February 20, 2011 I would also like to add my thanks and appreciation to this list. I have spent untold enjoyable hours (just ask my wife) out on patrol or joy riding around the French countryside. You guys have created a wonderful flight sim. Thanks again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cptroyce 0 Posted February 20, 2011 Couldn't be more perfectly stated, Capt Sop!... The virtual WW1 aviation world that the OFF/OBD team has created, is something to marvel at; and it's apparently going to get even better!! Royce Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wodin 0 Posted February 20, 2011 Another here who heartly agrees to every sentence... Well done OBD...keep up the superb work and may P4 make you rich!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wayfarer 5 Posted February 20, 2011 It feels right. It just does. . CaptSopwith I realise I just said that myself in another thread. Thanks to everyone involved in the development of OFF. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaptSopwith 26 Posted February 20, 2011 Many thanks guys... I'm glad my words were appreciated. I'm sure seeing this many replies, however, is really boosting the guys over at OBD! And that makes writing the original post worth it. Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr_Dirt 1 Posted February 21, 2011 OBD the finest group of developers out there! They go above and beyond to help us enjoy our passion. Well said Cap. Sopwith thank you for your post. And thanks to the Dev at OBD! John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
77Scout 3 Posted February 21, 2011 The work the OBD guys do always boggles my mind, both in quantity and quality ... especially considering they do all this in their spare time. It would be impossible for us to say thank-you too many times. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
