An Apology from me to all of you.

[Pawgy 0]

An Apology from Pawgy

 

To those of you who took the time to reply to my first questions about OFF, I would like to sincerely apologize for some brash comments and unfair criticism made by me.

 

I was just in to big of a hurry and unwilling to take the neccessary time to learn the basics of the very good ww1 flight sim.

 

After I calmed down and took Woodin's and uncleal's comments to heart I realized i did not give OFF a fair shot.

 

So I stopped my for sale thread and reinstalled the next day. I am really glad I did.

 

I re-read my #9 post on my,,, http://combatace.com/topic/62540-new-install-some-advice-please/page__p__474460__hl__pawgy__fromsearch__1#entry474460 ,,, thread and see that I really made some rather stupid comments..

 

Since my reinstall I have been doing a great deal of reading on this forum, at the developers web site and at SimHQ.

 

uncleal's T & C have been very valuable and Woodin has helped at SimHQ.

 

I have only flown QC ,dogfight and turkey shoot with any success. With the variety of Settings for the AI and easy piloting ,even an older fellow like me can have some great fun. It just took a little time to get everything going.

 

I still spin and stall if i do not pay attention bur for the most part I can have some good (easy ) dogfights.

 

I have tried a variety of graphic settings but still get a few stutters. Nothing drastic.

 

I have purchased and installed the HitR and the HitR update. OFF seems to run about the same as befor the updates. but now i have some more very nice planes and a session based AI skill adjuster in the workshop.

 

A campaign is in the future.

 

thanks for reading this and i hope i will be welcomed back here at the CombartAce OFF forum.

 

Regards

Pawgy .

[Olham 164]

Of course we will have you back! It is always hard for me to ask for pardon, when I did something wrong,

and I guess, it is for everyone. You have made this step, and that's a good sign of character.

 

We all here knew anyway, that OFF is great. But now you will surely find out yourself more and more.

The learning takes a long time, until you will feel less cramped; until you gain a more relaxed overview.

So take your time for that learning. It will pay.

 

I think we shall forgive you - what do you guys say?... What? Not all at once... aahhh - yes, they are right:

you will have to buy the drinks this evening! Alright? Well then - I will have a virtual Warsteiner Pilsener!

 

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Well, I wasn't personally slighted by any of this, but I'll have a pinta' red ale and a bag of salt and vinegar crisps thank you very much Pawgy.

 

 

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[Wodin 0]

No problem Pawgy...I was alittle upset as it felt that I had made you spend your hard earned money on something you really didn't enjoy...even though I honestly thought you would...

 

All I can say is if your enjoying the dogfights in QC you should really enjoy the campaign...some years are easier than others as are some planes...don't expect to keep a pilto alive long...took me a very long time to hit the 17 hr mark...sometimes my pilots only last 5 minutes...I also will stall\spin at times but getting out of them is alot easier than roF...also planes don't stall or spin as much as RoF...fly the camel on OFF then try it on RoF!

 

Anyway your welcome back by me and I'm very happy your getting to grips with it...after awhile you will want to slowly up the difficulty and get rid of some aids I bet...thats what I did and I'm flying at a setting I'd never have considered at one time....

[CaptSopwith 18]

Well, I certainly wasn't slighted in the least either, Pawgy - of course, I wasn't around for the first post! I'm glad you're getting the feel for OFF - it does take some getting used to. So let me add my welcome to you. To try and help, I searched through my posts for something I wrote a while back that seems to describe OFF - and what makes it what it is - pretty well. I've added here in case you'd like to read it.

 

During the 15-20 minute breaks I've taken in the last few days while working, I've been playing a lot of Call of Duty 4 on my PC. I've played all of the COD games and I'll likely wind up with Black Ops for Christmas - as I asked for it a few months back (I should have asked for TrackIR lol). And I've noticed a perceptible difference in how I feel after playing a CoD game versus flying a mission in OFF. Now, take the following with a grain of salt - your mileage may vary - these are just my own odd opinions.

 

First, both are immensely fun - no doubt. But a game of CoD (which on the PC features up to 50 people all blasting away on a single map) is a frantic, run and shoot affair. There are always targets in front of you. You sit, clicking away on your mouse, sending rounds downrange while taking fire from all directions. Push too far up the map and your opponents start spawning behind you (we call it a spawn flip). Take cover for too long and you're labeled a "camper" (can you imagine what they'd think of Trench Warfare!? ). Do too well and you must be hacking. Etc. I end a game of CoD feeling hopped up - like a junkie getting a fix, wanting another kill, but never feeling really satisfied.

 

Fire up a mission in OFF, on the other hand, and it's a completely different experience. By COD comparisons its a much slower game. You fly, you look around, you wait. On any given mission you might have one or two dogfights - but usually you'll see dots in the distance and never encounter much trouble (at least when you fly in 1915 as I am). And I feel so much better after a mission in OFF. Is it tense and exciting? Absolutely! But it is so much enjoyable than a quick, manic game of shooting up in CoD. I feel satisfied with the time (and I'm very aware of my time these days lol) I invested in my choice of game. OFF feels great to play, immensely satisfying to fly, and after I'm finished, I feel refreshed and inspired to get back to work.

 

I played one more game of CoD today - and wound up being banned from a server. Why? Because I took cover for too long and hopped to get out of a window. Silly me! It was at that moment when I came to my senses, thought "What the hell am I doing here?" and went back to my OFF career. I flew another Fokker EIII mission, saw no trouble over the lines, and landed safely without ever firing a shot. And I felt great!

 

I guess my rambling point is this. While the gaming community at large seems to view us as a group of fringe oddballs who worry about details that your average CoD player could care less about - I'd much rather be a "fringe oddball" of a "niche" community, than continuing to battle among the masses who think war games should be fought by running into the streets, shooting as many people as they can before they are mowed down, and then repeating. While CoD had its hooks in me for the last three years - I just don't get it anymore. It reeks of the mindless lather, rinse, repeat gaming that seems to be flooding the market these days.

 

It's time to suit up again - put back on the goggles, dust off my old pilots and give OFF the attention it deserves. Thank God my old Sidewinder 2 joystick (which I've had since 2000) still works!

 

Cheers!

OFF is a different kettle of fish - but if you put the time into it, it will reward you like no other "game" out there - and that's because, as Olham will quickly add to my post, OFF isn't a game at all! You've also lucked out - you've stumbled upon one of the best bunch of guys to mingle on a board. Sure we all have our odd personalities, myself included, but you'll rarely find a more helpful and enthusiastic group. Keep asking questions, post your results as you fly and we'll be glad to give the advice where we can.

I'll take a pint of Guinness myself. Hey, Olham - what is this Warsteiner Pilsener you keep talking about? Perhaps I should try one someday.

Edited February 22, 2011 by _CaptSopwith

[Burning Beard 14]

This game takes a little getting used to. I have flown it since early-on phase one and think I even wrote the first "field user" review of Phase 3. I remember that that first flight in phase three roundly kicked my butt. Even now if I get 10 or 15 kills before I take a dirt nap I think I'm lucky. You will have many hours of fun and frustration, but the support on this sim is the best you can find. I would be hard pressed to tell you when to start a campaign for the best success, I have flown them from Bristol Scouts on and just when you think you are getting good,.....well.....

 

Welcome back Pawgy,

 

Beard

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Hi Pawgy,

 

Any man with the Balls to apologise is always welcome!....Like Lou..I didn't read the Comments of which you mention...But, I bet worse things have been said!

 

Pull up a Chair..crack open a Beer...we're all Friends here!!

[Rickitycrate 10]

Pawgy, I'm glad you are back to OFF world. Enjoy yourself and the OFF forums.

 

Jim

[cptroyce 0]

Pawgy -

Wasn't aware of your original post..however, I'm with Widowmaker, anyone with the character to post that apology, belongs with the OFF forum group..IMHO

 

 

Royce

[Hellshade 110]

Everyone says unfair things out of frustration once in awhile. Rare is the person who publicly apologizes. Consider it water under the bridge sir and don't give it a second thought. Very glad to have you here.

 

Hellshade

[carrick58 23]

Welcome Pawgy

[Olham 164]

CaptSopwith, Warsteiner Pilsener was one of my favourite German beers, before I stopped drinking any.

It is neither hoppy bitter nor malty sweetish - a very good Pilsener.

But with beer, it's like with music: even your best friends may like one, which you wouldn't like at all.

 

 

[Pawgy 0]

Here's a Virtule Warsteiner Pilsener and a virtule pinta' red ale and a bag of salt and vinegar crisps for all your Kind and generous replys. I will try not to bother you too much in the future but will still have many questions. Although i do a lot of searching before asking.

 

Part of the enjoyment of a new sim it the interaction with fellow flyers on the main web site and also a wealth of information.. I see the names of all the OFF mainstays listed above. thanks for your replys.

 

In looking back at some of the earlier replies I can only disagree with one . The poster said this sim like any of the very good ones is probably a young mans game. With the variety of settings avilable in oFF and once you get to know them and how to find and activate them it becomes an excellent game, even for an old (76) man like me.

 

Being a sentimental old Guy ,your responses brought a tear to my Eye. Thanks again. Now, down to the bussiness of flying.

 

Regards

Pawgy

Edited February 22, 2011 by Pawgy

[Olham 164]

Being a sentimental old Guy ,your responses brought a tear to my Eye.

Being the cheeky & manipulative combat pilots we are, that was exactly what we had intended.

(You gotta learn such tricks, when you want to get the CO's motorbike and his OK for a trip to town!)

 

Thanks again. Now, down to the bussiness of flying.

 

Blue skies - and stay aloft! (No parachutes!)

[Parky 8]

Welcome back, Pawgy.

 

We're extremely pleased to hear you took the time to give OFF another look. I do know one thing for sure.....you won't regret it.

 

This is by far, the best forum I've ever had the privilege of being associated with.

 

Congratulations on having just found yourself a second home, complete with an extended family.

 

I'm not hard to please at all.....whatever is on tap will do just fine

 

Cheers,

 

Parky

Edited February 22, 2011 by Parky

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Glad you have come back to OFF, Pawgy! No hard feelings from anyone on the forum, I'm sure.

 

I don't know if it will make you feel better, but there have been several people whose initial experiences with OFF were not satisfactory. A few even left in a huff. But almost all of them eventually came back! The CFS3 engine that OFF is built upon can be a finicky beast and can be difficult to get set up initially. But the reward for persistence is immense. You have just begun to scratch the surface!

 

Try not to get too discouraged about the learning curve involved in flying these virtual planes. As you have found, OFF is highly customizable for different skill levels. I myself will never be a very good pilot or fighter because of a genetic condition which makes me a little shaky and occasionally spastic in my hands. However, with time and certain adjustments, I have become reasonably adept to the point where I can survive for as long as several months at the front--as long as I don't run into too many aces--I still have a very hard time outflying them, which is as it should be!

 

If you have questions, ask away! You have already met Uncleal, our resident crumudgean, and survived, so it should all be downhill from here.

 

See you in the virtual officer's club!

Edited February 22, 2011 by Herr Prop-Wasche

[tranquillo 10]

Welcome and well done for persevering with OFF. You won't regret it. Mine's a pint of Spitfire .

[Dej 17]

Pawgy,

 

I too never saw your original post, but apologies of any kind on any forum I've frequented are rare enough for me to doff my hat to you, sir.

 

'Tis good you've given OFF a second chance... you'll probably feel you're giving it a third, fourth and fifth as Campaign Mode chews through your virtual selves. And that is the beauty of OFF, as CaptSopwith alludes. I've never, ever, played a sim where I can feel so relieved and satisfied at having done nothing at all... simply surviving at full realism is a strange sort of reward, but in OFF it works.

 

Don't ever be reticent in asking questions or for help, no one here has any personal axe to grind nor wants to lord it over the newbie. Uncleal is wiser han he'll admit, with a wealth of experience in all incarnations of OFF. He just hides his light under a bolshi.

 

Oh, and mine's a large Cragganmore, os gwelwch yn tha, I'm in the mood for a Speyside.

Edited February 23, 2011 by Dej

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

He just hides his light under a bolshi. AAAAAH HAAA HAAA HAAAAAA!

 

That's a keeper Dej.

 

.

[Olham 164]

Not sure, if Unc hides his light well enough under that "bolshi" - or is there a hole in it?

Could that be the reason for his TrackIR problems? ...

Edited February 23, 2011 by Olham

[themightysrc 5]

I've been away from the OFF fora for a little while - life has intruded in a major way - and didn't see the original thread at the time. Pawgy, I think it takes quite a lot of guts to come back and issue a mea culpa to people, so my opinion of you is already high.

 

Please keep trying with OFF. Inevitably, you'll spend much time comparing it to ROF, which is unsurprising if it's your other WWI flight sim. That's all well and good, but I suspect that you really won't see the very best of OFF until you start a campaign. I've never played a game like this in terms of sheer immersion, and it's all down to that fabulous campaign generator. To be sure it's not perfect - as anyone here will tell you, and we all have suggestions for the next iteration of OFF, however it is the beating, living heart of the game, and once encountered QC or any of the other options available are simply not enough.

 

I sympathise deeply with your problems trying to get the set up correct. It's fraught with difficulties, and it took more a considerable time experimenting and reading up in the FAQs and tips & queries before I could coax the best out of my rig. But good it is when you experience it, even with a lowly rig like mine. Feel free to ask all the questions you want here, and you will find that people - unfailingly - will bend over backwards to help you get the best out of your system.

 

If there's anything you'd like to ask me - ask away. My major tip, once you've sorted out the technical knick-knacks and settings is that you fly the campaigns, having read the excellent primers available elsewhere on this forum.

 

Cheers,

Si

[Pawgy 0]

Here are a few of the Gems I have learned from the OFF forum already. These are the important things I had to Google to get the most out of the great replies.

 

Warsteiner Pilsener an excellent German beer.

 

Cragganmore, Cragganmore is a Scotch whisky distillery situated in the village of Ballindalloch in Banffshire in Scotland.

 

os gwelwch yn tha, If you see it as good/well. If it seems well/good to you. Great saying

 

Speyside Speyside single malts are single malt Scotch whiskies

 

bolshi. I found bolshi ballet but I think this refers to a Russian Hat.

 

Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale

 

crumudgean, somebody who is irritable or stubborn: somebody considered

to be bad-tempered,disagreeable, All in good fun i am sure.

 

a pinta' red ale and a bag of salt and vinegar crisps English beer and potato chips

 

pint of Guinness Guinness beer is an Irish beer that is styled after the alcoholic drink called Porter. The main brewery where this beer is made can be found in Dublin

 

a Beer Just plain old BEER found all over the world.

 

T & C #6 more excelent info.

 

 

I tried my first campaign. Ran into a flight of DFWC5:s i think. Anyway they had rear gunners that chewed me up just like they do in ROF. Much fun though because I managed to HIt a couple befor they downed me.

 

Using unlimited ammo, my hit percentage is around 10% most of the time.

 

I had my wife read all of your posts and she was very impressed with each and every reply. Especially since after 56 years she knows what a hard head I am.

 

Regards

Pawgy

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Very good Pawgy, you only missed one. "Bolshi" or "bolshie" is decidedly British slang for someone who is rebellious or difficult to handle. Also can be a political radical. It is a short form for "Bolshevik".

 

And now you know...the rest of the story.

 

.

[Olham 164]

??? Hiding your light under a Bolshi??? Now I am confused. I had thought it was slang for "bushel".

Pawgy, keep that wife of yours warm - not many women would read any forum about WW1 aviation!

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Olham, I am quite sure our Dej was going for a nicely played turn of a phrase when he noted, "Uncleal is wiser than he'll admit, with a wealth of experience in all incarnations of OFF. He just hides his light under a bolshi." Meaning: His wisdom and experience are masked by his rather difficult facade.

 

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