ericw43 2 Posted March 22, 2012 I did not expect the cd of OFF: BH&H to arrive so quckly. I beleive I ordered it less than five days ago! I already have MS combat flight sim 3 installed and downloaded the superpatch and the minipatch. I am very excited to finally have the opportunity to play this simulation and I am sure will enjoy it immensly . Unfortunately, I have to go to work tomorrow ha! Have fun, Eric Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Polovski 460 Posted March 22, 2012 Great Eric hope you get time to enjoy later tomorrow :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ericw43 2 Posted March 22, 2012 Thank you sir. The night is still young. I will download the hat in the ring expansion eventually and will purchase OFF2. I appreciate the time and commitment you have given to the development of this product and hope you continue to make more! We need more guys like you Eric Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UK_Widowmaker 571 Posted March 22, 2012 Welcome to the Fray Eric!.... watch your six! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted March 22, 2012 . You are in for a treat Eric. A wonderful, exciting, scary, white-knuckle treat. Oh, and new lads buy the drinks! Cheers, soon-to-be OFF flyer! Lou . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted March 22, 2012 So you are at the same mess table with us from now on, Eric - welcome again! If you were not yet added to the OFF Forum Pilots Maps, please send me a PM with your town and country, and I'll add you there. Good luck with your installs - I envy you a bit for the feeling of the first time experience. Oh, and I'll have a virtual Warsteiner, please. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carrick58 23 Posted March 22, 2012 Welcome to the Meat Grinder Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Von Paulus 8 Posted March 22, 2012 Welcome! An old brandy, for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ericw43 2 Posted March 22, 2012 Thank you everyone. My reputation must proceed me, everyone is talking about drinks:) Excellent, I like it. I did have a moment of trouble. The first time I went into a mission, I received a message that said basically...wrong disc installed. This was my fault because I was unaware that the MS Combat Flight Simulator 3 Disc needed to be in the cd drive. Dummy I am sometimes! Actually....too often as I get older. Once I overcame this, the program started and I was in an Eindecker/EIII. First, I was shocked at how great this program looks. I use to play another WWI flight sim that I recently stopped playing. After reading many comments from users of both sims, I was under the impression that OFF was not even close in graphic quality as the other sim. I still do believe the other sim has an edge in graphic but there are some areas where I believe it does not. OFF is a fantastic looking game! I am able to play it with all settings on 5 with no frame rate issues. I also felt like I was flying in the air and that there was a war going on beneath me on the ground. I also note that A.I. wingmen appear to be much more superior or rather smarter:) They follow objective flight paths and don't go on a 40 km chase after an RE8 behind enemy lines which then leads you with not enough fuel for the ride home! Brilliant. During my first mission I observed the fighting between A.I. opponents. I've always found the planes in the other sim to appear to be a bit too fast. Everything seems speeded up to me in that game. These planes in OFF look more to me like real WWI planes in the flight model. This is all just my opinion. I am not a pilot nor have I have flown in a WWI era plane. So, I have nothing to base this on other than what my grandfather told me when I was younger, books and very rare video footage. My grandfather was an infantryman/machine gunner in the trenches and was a participant in the Meuse-Argonne.We lost him in 1991 but he was able to watch me play "Wings" on the Amiga and....."Red Baron" from Dynamix. He loved this stuff and technology. He would sit and watch me play and make comments about his memories and experiences. Due to failing health, my parents insisted he move into our home. Mom and dad would get extrmely angry at he and I because we would be awake at 4am playing games. My mother would often shout out "Would you two be quiet and turn that damn plane down." HA! He would look at me and say "I don't understand how your father and mother are married; your mother is such a pain in the ass, an old man like me cant have any fun."I am sure the ales, scotch and bourbon attributed to our noise. It got even worse when my dad would join us. It is going to take me many days to learn key commands. I see the file to print out on the OFF homepage. I'll do my best to map commonly used commands to my joystick. I am suing a Thrustmaster 1600m. I can use the stick but it does feel a bit "stiff". Perhaps I should consider something from CH Products? I may also look into purchasing rudder pedals. I do have TrackIR 5 up and running. I'm in no hurry. This is a great hobby for me because I enjoy history. So everyday I learn something new and take my time. Take care and have fun, Eric Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaptSopwith 26 Posted March 22, 2012 Welcome to the boards Eric! It's always good to have another OFF'er among us. And thank you for sharing the story about your grandfather. Mine also got me interested in aviation, although he served in the Second World War. He built model planes for me to play with as a kid so I grew up with a Spitfire or an Me109 in my hands. Then I discovered WWI aviation, quite by accident, by picking up a demo of Wings of Glory in a copy of PC Gamer Magazine. From there it was Red Baron II and then OFF and then... well, you get the picture. I had a friend of mine come over a few weeks back and I showed him my collection of WWI sims - including that other sim you mention - and while he was impressed with both, he couldn't help but comment on the level of "immersion" that OFF brings to the table. You really feel as if you are flying in a living world rather than a preserved museum piece. Keep an eye out in your travels - you'll frequently find yourself flying over marching troop formations, truck convoys, encampments, and over active battlefields. Just wait until you fly your first sorties over Verdun or the Somme during 1916 - you'll see massive artillery bombardments - the kind that you'll hear for miles before you actually see them (just as they did in the real war). This sim will really make you feel like you are participating in something bigger - and a hell of a lot more dangerous! So welcome - we all eagerly await your first combat reports. Keep an eye out at all times up there - I recently started flying with a TrackIR system and no visual aids and I had a perfectly good DH2 shot out from under me only a few miles from base because I failed to spot the lone Albatros who dived out of the sun and blew me right out of the sky. Good luck and happy flying! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted March 22, 2012 My grandfather was an infantryman/machine gunner in the trenches and was a participant in the Meuse-Argonne. We lost him in 1991 but he was able to watch me play "Wings" on the Amiga and....."Red Baron" from Dynamix. He loved this stuff and technology. He would sit and watch me play and make comments about his memories and experiences. Wow, I really envy you a bit for that experience - flying a WW1 sim while sharing drinks with a real WW1 veteran, who sat next to you and commented. I guess there are not many, who had this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted March 22, 2012 . Outstanding, Eric! Wonderful story about your grandfather too, thanks for sharing. You mentioned rudder pedals and I cannot recommend them too highly for this sim. The WWI kites require far more rudder to get the most out of them and it is very awkward, if not impossible , to get the kind of control you need in all three axes with a twist stick. I thought there wouldn't be much difference as I had flown without peddals for far too long. Once I finally got them I was shocked at the difference it made and was kicking myself for not making the investment years earlier. Enjoy the virtual OFF skies Sir, (though it sounds as if you already are). . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiloh 12 Posted March 22, 2012 Good for you Eric! Almost 1 year ago to the day I installed this wonderful sim and have never regretted it. It was my first flight sim and although I've ordered some other ones, they sit dormant on my machine and probably will for a long time. That is a great experience with your grandfather and I'm sure you will always treasure those memories. This is a great community so stay plugged in and you'll be up and flying like a pro in no time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ericw43 2 Posted March 23, 2012 You guys are really nice and I appreciate it. It looks like I will be purchasing a set of rudders in the very near future. I know CH products and Saitek make pedals that have recieved overall good reviews. I have found a company in Germany that makes rudders but they are a bit pricey. http://www.dhs-electronic.de/index2.php?id=100&lng=en Do any of you have any experience with this companies products? And if so, are these devices overpriced as opposed to something from Saitek or CH products? I am open to suggestions. One other quick question. This Thrustmaster 1600 m stick. It just feels stiff to me and the X and Y axis movement doesn't feel smooth. I know it uses HEART/ HALL effect technology which means the potentiometers do not wear down with time but is there an alternative that you reccomend? I just find this stick to be not as responsive as I wish. Yes, my grandfather.....cool guy. He was born in 1882 in New York City (110th st and Amsterdam Ave). He went into service during the Philippine Inserruction in 1901 at the age of 19. We still have a ceremonial cane that was awarded to him by a Datu (chieftain) for saving the life of his son, a prince. I still have his war diaries at the house and they are barely legible from this time period and from WW1. He had a great life and lived to the age of 108! I was talking to my mother this evening about him. At the time he was living with us in Philadelphia. I remember that it was raining and cool in the month of April. The roof of our home needed reapairs and he decided to climb up on the roof and work on it! My mom and dad both were working and I was going to school at University of Pennsylvania. I arrived home from school around 3pm and saw him in the rain and cool/damp air on the roof. When he saw me he said "hey eric, your dad needs to get me some shingles and nails and I can fix this s**t with no problem." Then he said "are you busy?" I told him no I have nothing to do so he came down from the roof and we went inside the house. We talked about school and he made me a sandwich:) Then he wanted to watch me play Red Baron and drink a beer with him. That night he was sitting with me and said "I feel tired and cold". That was the last time I spoke to him. The next day I got home from school and my mother said that he was in the hospital with pneumonia. The next day we lost him. According to doctors he contacted pneumonia and malaria sat in. While he was in the Philippines he was struck with malaria and doctors have told us that it can re-occur in individuals later in life. My mom saw him the day he left us and he said to her "how is eric doing with school?" and "tell him I will be home soon and to keep doing well with school." Sorry for digressing but it's great that a simple game (which is awesome by the way!) makes me appreciate and remember. I wish you all well and thank you. Keep in touch and thank you! Eric Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Von Paulus 8 Posted March 23, 2012 One other quick question. This Thrustmaster 1600 m stick. It just feels stiff to me and the X and Y axis movement doesn't feel smooth. I know it uses HEART/ HALL effect technology which means the potentiometers do not wear down with time but is there an alternative that you reccomend? I just find this stick to be not as responsive as I wish. Funny, I have one of those Thrustmasters, and never felt that with OFF or even with the others simulators. But this ends up being subjective. Thanks for sharing with us your memories with your grandpa. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herr Prop-Wasche 7 Posted March 23, 2012 Welcome, Eric, to this great sim and community. If you are "into" WW1 aviation--and it doesn't look like there can be any doubt about that based upon your relationship with your grand-dad--you will find a very warm home here. Your grandfather sounds like he was quite a character, and quite fun to be around. What a source of information. You should get up into that attic and make a go at reading his diaries and letters. I'm sure you will find some fascinating and even surprising stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Polovski 460 Posted March 23, 2012 Yes I have one of the SIMPED rudder pedals and they are superb, last for years. Also Gunter I have dealt with is a gentleman and gives you superb support. Well worth supporting him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjw 48 Posted March 23, 2012 Hello Eric; I just finished reading all the posts in this Topic and very much appreciated you sharing your experiences with your grand father. Very few veterans like to talk about their experiences in the wars and to have a relative willing to talk with you about it is very special. You are a very lucky man to have had your grand father share his experiences with you. I also welcome you to the Forum. There is little I can say that has not already been conveyed to you in these posts. I will say that I agree with the recommendation that when time permits you make an attempt to read your grand fathers diaries as I think you will find them very inciteful. All the best and enjoy the sim because there is in my opinion no better one out there for all it offers. Robert Wiggins Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shredward 12 Posted March 24, 2012 And this is the sort of thread that makes it all worthwhile for us. Cheers, shredward Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
