How far goes your imagination?

[Olham 164]

It's not that I was fearless about Flak/Archie - I just never fly straight over enemy territory.

In fact, I zigzag every 10 seconds. It helped so far.

Edited March 26, 2011 by Olham

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I also feel rather 'Involved' at times too...the scenario that really get's my panic button pressed, is that awful experience of trying to nurse a crippled aircraft back to earth...when you are too high to survive a crash...and too low to make any adjustments if she decides to spin, or stall....couple that with a Hun trying to finish the job he started...and it adds up to blind panic at times....though, if you do make it down and survive...It's usually a signal (for me at least) to dance a little jig...which, whilst wearing a "f*ck you" baseball Hat..with trackir tongs on it..usually gets a laugh from the wife and kids!!

Edited March 26, 2011 by UK_Widowmaker

[Bullethead 12]

...but #2 is crossing the line. I hate going over there. Partly because I have a minor case of "flak-phobia". Everyone else seems to just ignore it, "Oh it's inaccurate they say". Balls I say, my current pilot has been knocked around by near misses (one of which killed his engine like 2 minutes later), I have lost pilots to archie in the past, have seen wingmen blown to bits by direct hits, and I harbor no illusions

 

Yup, Archie can be a real bother. In 1918, you don't even have to cross the lines, just patrol up and down on your side, and you'll be constantly under fire. The worst case I know of is flying for Jasta 4 right after they get the D.VII. Their airfield is directly ON the front. Shells burst on the runway, gas clouds drift between the hangars, and sometimes an MG rakes the field from a nearby bit of high ground. The flak at least has the decency to wait until at least 1 member of your flight leaves the ground before opening up, but you'll be under its fire nonstop from before you clear the trees until you end the sortie. But then again, for Jasta 4, every sortie, regardless of the type of mission, is effectively a scramble so the flak is usually the LEAST of your worries. I get so I hardly notice it there .

 

In less extreme situations, however, flak does add to my dread because it's the only thing going on prior ot combat and I can't make it stop. So there's nothing to do but worry about it. And this is especially true if you're playing observer so you can't even zig-zag.

 

You can, however, make yourself harder to hit. The easiest way to do this is to avoid flak-infested areas. I have no problem turning on TAC and setting it to ground targets. These appear in a scattering of dense red clumps, and most of the targets in those clumps are flak guns. So on deep penetration missions, I just weave my way along between the clumps on TAC. I figure in real life, pilots would mark the local hot spots on their maps and do the same thing, and if I live long enough there, I get so I can recognize the danger spots from the air and no longer need TAC.

 

There are, of course, 2 places where this avoidance tactic doesn't work: at the lines and at your distant target. At the lines, whether you're crossing them or patrolling along them, you have to zig-zag as Olham says. I've had great success with this and can't remember losing anybody to flak at the lines if I was zig-zagging. But at the target, you usually can't zig-zag if you're bombing, and to be realistic you shouldn't if your observing. If you're fighting there, then of course you're maneuvering. Anyway, where I lose people to flak is at the target.

 

I've done several DFW bomber careers where flak at the target has taken a deadly toll. For some reason, it doesn't seem to lead the flight enough so if you're leading, you're usually OK. You take a few nicks and dings, but your wingmen suck it up. It's always a sickening feeling to see one of your long-time buddies take a fatal hit and slowly roll over and dive away trailing flames, or flutter down slowly with a broken wing. I'd rather they were obliterated by a direct hit.

 

I also feel rather 'Involved' at times too...the scenario that really get's my panic button pressed, is that awful experience of trying to nurse a crippled aircraft back to earth...when you are too high to survive a crash...and too low to make any adjustments if she decides to spin, or stall....couple that with a Hun trying to finish the job he started...and it adds up to blind panic at times....though, if you do make it down and survive...It's usually a signal (for me at least) to dance a little jig...which, whilst wearing a "f*ck you" baseball Hat..with trackir tongs on it..usually gets a laugh from the wife and kids!!

 

Oh yeah, on such occasions I kiss the dirt shown on my monitor, even if it's behind the lines

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

I am also a very emotionally invested flyer in OFF, and I can really relate to many of the comments made here by you fine Gents. While I have several pilots in the shed at any given time, I am only "connected" to one of them. The rest are for testing patches, or checking paint layouts, or getting in some QC practice. But that one campaign flyer I have at any given time is a virtual self that I become far too attached to. One more thing for me that gets added to the mix are a few RL flying experiences that frightened me to the point of being "sans excrement", and that feeling comes back quite vividly when things get hairy in the virtual OFF skies. And as BH and others have mentioned here and in other threads, I am good for about one mission a day, afterwhich I am emotionally, (and even somewhat physically), spent.

 

.

[Wayfarer 5]

Well, ironically, I just killed my first pilot after 64 missions, 52.73 hours of flying time, and just over 1 year in real time! So I am feeling a slight but genuine sense of loss right now, and am somewhat annoyed with myself because I should have known better.

I watched a flight of Eindeckers go past us for quite a way. On the last mission, a flight passed very close by us and didn't bother us at all, so I took my eye off this lot and started scanning for my typically errant wingmen. Next thing, I am being shot to ribbons and shortly after my engine packed up completely. I glided towards a nearby airfield, and you can bet I was getting stressful then ... I always knew it would be landings that would get me! Of course, I managed to position myself so I was heading directly for the trees at one end of the airfield, with no engine to throttle up over them and no room left to manoeuvre. At the last, I tried a slight twitch in a forlorn hope of avoiding most of them, and that spun me straight into the ground.

I have been really lucky with the death on dice roll, l and knew the odds had to catch up eventually, so I am less dismayed than I might have been earlier on. One person I can guarantee will be disappointed, however, is my wife (presently at work). She always seemed to have a soft spot for Arthur, especially after seeing his photograph in the pilot dossier!

It is still remarkable to me how just inventing a name for a virtual construct, or even an inanimate object sometimes, can make you regard it in some ways like an actual entity with a personality. I have never gone so far as imagining a background 'life' for Arthur but I realise I could tell you how he spoke ... is that not weird!?

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Such is the effect of OFF on us all

[Olham 164]

Yes, indeed, Widow and Wayfarer.

Quite off-topic, but my Yamaha SRX600 was either "my Lady in Blue", or a "damn old goat!" -

depending on wether she war running fine, or not.

Right now, I have a team of four wingmen with my Jasta 2 pilot, who I all know by name.

And after each sortie, I am very glad, when they all returned well.

[TaillyHo 2]

Well, ironically, I just killed my first pilot after 64 missions, 52.73 hours of flying time, and just over 1 year in real time! So I am feeling a slight but genuine sense of loss right now, and am somewhat annoyed with myself because I should have known better.

I watched a flight of Eindeckers go past us for quite a way. On the last mission, a flight passed very close by us and didn't bother us at all, so I took my eye off this lot and started scanning for my typically errant wingmen. Next thing, I am being shot to ribbons and shortly after my engine packed up completely. I glided towards a nearby airfield, and you can bet I was getting stressful then ... I always knew it would be landings that would get me! Of course, I managed to position myself so I was heading directly for the trees at one end of the airfield, with no engine to throttle up over them and no room left to manoeuvre. At the last, I tried a slight twitch in a forlorn hope of avoiding most of them, and that spun me straight into the ground.

I have been really lucky with the death on dice roll, l and knew the odds had to catch up eventually, so I am less dismayed than I might have been earlier on. One person I can guarantee will be disappointed, however, is my wife (presently at work). She always seemed to have a soft spot for Arthur, especially after seeing his photograph in the pilot dossier!

It is still remarkable to me how just inventing a name for a virtual construct, or even an inanimate object sometimes, can make you regard it in some ways like an actual entity with a personality. I have never gone so far as imagining a background 'life' for Arthur but I realise I could tell you how he spoke ... is that not weird!?

 

Sorry to read of your loss, Wayfarer. Although you haven't written much about your B.E2 pilot, Arthur has been an inspiration (along with Si's Victor Timm) and I have been working on a B.E2 campaign for the last few weeks. Some technical issues (seemingly random end mission crashes within OFF) have frustrated my initial attempts to get a campaign underway at RFC-6, but (touch wood) I now seem to have a more stable career (half a dozen missions with no glitches) at RFC-8 starting 1 June, 1915. With a bit of luck, I will be able to post a 'report from the front' in the coming days.

 

How long did Arthur's 52.73 hours span in the war (in terms of days/months)? I have the impression you started early in 1915 and guess you lasted until September or thereabouts (?). My other query would be, what will you fly now? I think you mentioned a Strutter in one post recently. Do you have a pilot up and running in one already?

[Javito1986 14]

52.73 hours? Wow that is weird. My current pilot, no joke I just checked, has 52.72 hours

 

I'm also interested in knowing how long in-sim that took you? And how often you were flying? Mine has only been 4 months but I've been doing a lot of 2 or 3 mission days.

[Olham 164]

Wow, I didn't mention in my last post: 52,7 hours is a big achievement, Wayfarer!

[Wayfarer 5]

Thanks for your posts. They'll be a consolation to Arthur's family at this sad time!

That amount of flying time was achieved by some extremely circumspect flying! As I have mentioned, I deliberately took the attitude that I thought reconnaissance pilots would have to have had to complete their missions, so following the waypoints, getting back home and protecting my wingmen were my priorities. I always tried to evade enemy machines and never yet attacked anything that wasn't already attacking us. Although I hit several enemy machines I haven't had a single claim (although, in his log, two missions have 'aircraft destroyed' in the details - but I certainly didn't see them).

I also flew 'death on die roll' and seem to have been extraordinarily lucky with it!

I started him in February 1915 and flew for a few missions at 3 missions a day. My intention has always been, however, to fly through the war in the same squadron, creating new pilots from when the last one fell. I soon realised, however, that it would take me longer than the actual war itself in real time! I eventually started flying about a mission a week game time (which roughly matches my real time frequency) to get a feel of how the war progressed and conditions changed. Given that Arthur spent several spells in hospital (I was really lucky with that death on die roll) he actually fell on January 11th 1916, just short of a year in game time. I am aware that was only about 3 to 4 weeks worth at 3 missions a day.

I am still carrying on with 2 RFC, literally from the same day, as planned. I am thinking of downloading Bletchley's 1916 mod. I didn't dare alter anything whilst Arthur was still going in case I deleted him somehow! So I'll be carrying on with BEs until we get a new type delivered. Eventually I would like to do the same thing with a German fighter squadron - we'll probably be up to pP8 by then!

 

Actually, can you just copy the dossier and log files and paste them back in if you ever have to relaoad the game?

 

The skies are definitely getting more unfriendly since Arthur started, so I don't know how many hours the next one will last, however there's a likely looking chap, Harold Rawtenstall, just joined the squadron. From one of the industrial towns up north apparently. A bit technically minded I understand ... oh no, it's that 'name' effect again!

[TaillyHo 2]

So, back onto the horse that threw you, eh. Jolly good show.

Best of British to young Rawtenstall then.

Carry on!

 

 

ps. yes I believe you can 'save' a pilot's file(s) and then re-apply after a re-install or whatever . . . but hopefully somone who's actually done that can confirm for you.

[Lewie 7]

It's probably well into the future of OFF but what I'd imagine would be really fun would be to recreate Arch Whitehouse's 'The Casket Crew' 's last big mission, in an HP O/1500. That story was just riveting.

[Javito1986 14]

So, back onto the horse that threw you, eh. Jolly good show.

Best of British to young Rawtenstall then.

Carry on!

 

 

ps. yes I believe you can 'save' a pilot's file(s) and then re-apply after a re-install or whatever . . . but hopefully somone who's actually done that can confirm for you.

 

 

 

 

 

You can do it fine. Remember, I was having issues with OFF about two weeks ago and had to do a complete reinstall? I was sure to save Joyce's dossier/log/claims file, and then once I got OFF running again it was just a simple copy and paste of those three files into your CampaignData>Pilots folder. I also did the same with the campaign I flew earlier this year, Sean Anders, and I have him in my current OFF Manager. He's quite dead, but it's fun to be able to log into the OFF Manager to see his stats and claims and flight logs.

 

The only issue I haven't resolved is that it didn't seem to accurately save the count of Joyce's sorties, it's off by 10 (according to the actual number of missions listed in the log file). I manually edit the dossier to correct it, but each time I fly a new mission it gets reset. So for example, right now I have 65 missions flown. If I fly my 66th the dossier will reset and it'll show 56 missions, so I'll go in and change it back to 66 (only takes a moment).

 

I'm sure there's a fix, it's just not a big enough deal for me to troubleshoot.

[Wayfarer 5]

Tailly Ho, Javito, thanks. As I might try a few mods now, its good to know you can save these things

Lewie, what was 'The Casket Crew' 's last big mission? my dad had 'The Fledgling' and 'Years of the Sky Kings' by Arch Whitehouse, but would this be a fiction piece - I understand he wrote them as well.

[Dej 17]

...

It's always a sickening feeling to see one of your long-time buddies take a fatal hit and slowly roll over and dive away trailing flames, or flutter down slowly with a broken wing. I'd rather they were obliterated by a direct hit.

...

 

I try to imagine a personality and back story for each of my wingmen, at least and sometimes other squadron pilots if I've seen them do something noteworthy. Thus, the situation above is really gutting and always seems to happen to me when I've been flying with the same chaps for some time. Maybe it's reaction but the deaths on my wingmen seems often also to herald my own... meaning I can be sat on the field with two strangers either side and literally scared to take off.

 

Of course, the latter comes about at the same time if I collide with one of 'em... another 'habit'!

[themightysrc 5]

"i still remember their names and their kill numbers"

 

On the question of names; one of my peeves about OFF are the names of other pilots in the squadron - not the aces, etc: they're spot on. I'm looking at one of my (dead) pilots - Lt. Ted de Baer, 29 RFC, in May 16 and his copilots are Landon Bristow, Roman Clinton and Lenny Ethelstan! Names for copilots in American squadrons are hardly any more believable, and, obviously, I'm not in any position to comment on the French and German names, so perhaps others can comment on those.

 

In terms of the original question, I think that everyone here knows by now that I'm the worst coward in the skies, so I stick to the mission and absolutely avoid trouble. This is imperative when you're a BE2/RE8 pilot. I only ever fight when attacked, preferring absolutely to dodge enemy scouts and Archie. Anyone who does differently wants their bumps felt. As to physical manifestations; it's most massive sighs of relief when I get down to terra firma unscathed (well, alive, at least). i don't get any of the symptoms reported by others, although on the odd occasions I've played MP, that always ratchets up the ante, but mainly because my appalling flying and negligible leadership and navigational skills are laid bare for everyone to see. Thankfully, MPers tend to be very kind and never take the piss, despite having every right to do so.

 

Wayfarer - most sorry to hear about Arthur. He was truly a most singular character, well in the traditions of the RFC. You have my condolences, and your wife has my sympathy for her tragic loss.

 

Cheers,

Si

[Javito1986 14]

Physical manifestations?

 

Yesterday I was in the most horrible damn flak barrage I've ever seen in OFF. I don't know what in the HELL I was flying over but sweet lord. It was right after we attacked a railyard, which actually went swimmingly. The whole place was a burning mess by the time we got done with her and nary a German fighter in sight. Once we set course for home OH MY GOD did they let us have it.

 

This is my 65 mission pilot. 55 hours. I'm very protective. There was a knot in my stomach the entire time and those damn flak bursts were everywhere. Hate them, hate them, hate them. One of my chaps got hit too, shell burst clean through his engine and dropped him for good. I was swerving like a madman and clawing for altitude just to get the hell out of there. Longest trip to Tommyland I've ever flown, thank goodness the GAS was asleep and didn't interfere. I've never been so happy to reach No Man's Land in my life.

 

Once the flak finally stopped i relaxed, and my midsection was sore because I'd been clenching by abdominal area tight for 10 - 15 minutes. Good workout I bet. Anyway, after I landed at the aerodrome I removed my headset, put the joystick down, and immediately went off to find the Missus to spend time with her and relax. Haven't flown another mission yet, I'm still recuperating!

[Lewie 7]

....

Lewie, what was 'The Casket Crew' 's last big mission? my dad had 'The Fledgling' and 'Years of the Sky Kings' by Arch Whitehouse, but would this be a fiction piece - I understand he wrote them as well.

 

Well it's Arch's fictional story of an IAF Handley Page O/400 crew operating in summer of '18. They're mainly tasked with enemy airfield softening up in Northern Flanders, ( they operate out of Cassel.) and there's a raid an a 'hospital' in St Quentin that is housing some imprisoned allied pilots. I thought St Quentin was pretty much retaken by August of '18..

 

The story gets rather cloak and dagger, has a few Green Tabbies skulking about, and it's in their final mission that they're given a first prototype HP O/1500 to do a predawn bombing raid on a hotel/prison in Eastern Belgium, which has them bombing one of the wings of the building, then landing on the rather huge lawn bordering it and rescuing a half dozen allied spies and pilots from an execution squad. Then taking off before the Germans can muster some form of attack. The characters in this story make this one of Arch's better efforts. Yeah, I know, that there's question to whether he actually served in the RFC/RAF during the great war. Even if he didn't, his writing is pretty good and his situations doesn't go too far into the unbelievable.