What's your first WOFF campaign(s) going to be?

[DukeIronHand 8]

I am always fascinated with who and when people like to start campaigns with. Odd quirk on my part I suppose.

 

I usually end up with multiple pilots in all my favorite aircraft but, dating back to RB3D, my very first campIgns have always been one in Jasta 11 and another in 60 Squadron both starting in March 1917.

 

What are your plans on DVD arrival? Or for you lucky souls who already have it what are you flying?

[Shiloh 12]

Nice topic Duke. My preferred craft are the SE5a, D.VII, Brisfit and the Dr.1 and I usually start a campaign in late 1917 to early 1918 as I like the action of the late war. I usually end up with about 5 or so active pilots as I like to fly over different terrain/different craft up and down the front. I typically like an average to elite unit as well as I want to fly with pilots who can hold their own in a good scrap although in my early campaigns in WOFF, I've let the squadron be chosen for me.

[Javito1986 14]

I let myself get assigned to a squadron after training. Have currently done 10 combat missions with RFC-73 in April 1918, an elite rated Sopwith Camel squadron. It's been fun, but the sector I'm in is seeing the full force of the Spring Offensive, so things are excruciatingly dangerous and casualties have been high. I fear I won't live to see May.

[Hauksbee 103]

Still getting all the equipment together, (2nd computer, [WOFF only], large screen TV/monitor, new rudder pedals, etc.). Now waiting for new video card. All should be in order in a few more days. Then...I will embark on my first campaign with a Rolland C.II squadron.

[+elephant 36]

I want to fly my favorite Albatros D.V and summer 1917 is the right time.

Actually, I have started several Careers ( Jasta 16b, Jasta 32b, Jasta 6) but WOFF 's proven damn hard to master!

(It's not only the deadly AI, you have to count the random mechanical failures as well)

I keep getting killed-captured after a few days in service...

Edited December 22, 2013 by elephant

[JimAttrill 24]

I am going to start at the beginning with a Be2c and see how long I last .... 

 

Question:  In WOFF I can switch from the pilot to the gunners view but can't figure out how to aim the gun itself.  Nothing seems to work.  I have TrackIR if that makes any difference.  So I am not flying a campaign until I can figure out how to shoot

[Olham 164]

After some first problems with the "hardware outside the computer" (me),

I have now enlisted for a two "campaign-attempt pilots", with Jasta 32b and with Jasta 15.

The first is for training WOFF under lighter (non-Flanders) conditions; the second, cause

I wanted to fly an Albatros D.III in summer seventeen.

 

From what I read they may not last long.

I will only start a REALLY serious campaign, when I believe I can fly my WOFF birds well.

Then I will firstly go through training and a two-seater part, before I try to transfer.

 

For Jim: If you select "Workshops" > "Remap keys" > "Combat commands", you see the buttons/keys for "gunner seat".

I guess the gunner position may not work with TrackIR (not sure though).

You should switch through all the views (F1 - F4), to see when you can use the gun and aim (using the mouse, I guess).

 

Edited December 22, 2013 by Olham

[Creaghorn 10]

I am going to start at the beginning with a Be2c and see how long I last .... 

 

Question:  In WOFF I can switch from the pilot to the gunners view but can't figure out how to aim the gun itself.  Nothing seems to work.  I have TrackIR if that makes any difference.  So I am not flying a campaign until I can figure out how to shoot

 

You jump into the Gunnerseat and watch around with TrackIr and use your joystick for aiming. No mouse or stuff like that.

[Shiloh 12]

Try the F9 key if nothing else works Jim.

[DukeIronHand 8]

Yes, for me 1917 kind of has all the drama. First part the Germans are mostly dominant, with the RFC given it their all. Middle part of 1917 the Allies numbers and new a/c make the field more equal and finally in the last part of the year, for the aforementioned reason the RFC has the upper hand.

 

Several rather dramatic ground offensives and items in the political arena.

 

Jasta 11 (the unit of MvR) I have read so much about the Jasta feels quite homey in addition to all the historical figures in it. The same for 60 Squadron...much history and home to many up and coming aces.

 

Finally I have always liked the Alb DIII and Neiuport 17.

 

Yep...1917 has it all for me though I will certainly give a FE 2 career a try in late 1916. Gotta have a 56 Squadron,Sopwith Camel, and BrF2B career in the summer of 1917 also. And finally a Sopwith Triplane in spring 1917.

 

Hmmm...sounds like I had better live for another 100 years!

Forgive my grammar. Posting from my new "smart" phone...

[DukeIronHand 8]

Oops... Forgot my American career in April 1918.

Sorry Lt. Rickenbacker!

[von Baur 54]

Although I successfully downloaded WOFF to an external HD at work last week and will be doing the same with the skin pack monday or tuesday it will be a couple of weeks until I crank it up. First I have to replace the PSU in my flying computer. It's already here but so is my son, home on Christmas leave from Texas until January 3rd. And while I may take some time when he's out visiting with friends to tinker with things I expect to have more important things (**he did not just say that**...****oh yes, he did****) to do with my time for the next couple of weeks, up to and including just sitting and watching him play GTA and Battlefield 4.

 

When I do get started I will do as I have always done with OFF. To goof around I might pick any random time/nationality/squadron that suits me at the moment. But the first pilot I intend to see through to the end of the war will be German and will start at the earliest possible date to fly the Eine. Given the addition of "pilot training" I may or may not indulge in that to heighten the immersion.

 

I've not yet had to consider the second. 

[Javito1986 14]

Very understandable, wishing you a great holiday season Von Bauer. WOFF will be waiting!

[JimAttrill 24]

I have tried again with the Be2c gunner and found my joystick works fine in the vertical plane.  When fully 'up' it seems to move horizontally (sometimes) but very slowly, not good enough to aim at anything.  I think I will try an FE and see what the front gunner can do ....

 

I'll try Olhams suggestion and see what happens.  For some masochistic reason I want to fly as a gunner for a change

 

I've figured it out....  To swing the gun left and right you don't use the rudder but the aeileron control.  The rudder control (twist stick) does nothing at all!

 

Now I want to complete at least one mission without crashing - and there's no opposition at this beginner level in 1915.  I wonder if I carry on as a gunner whether my pilot will manage to land the thing? 

Edited December 23, 2013 by JimAttrill

[JimAttrill 24]

Well, there I was landing at Abeele (at least I think it was) and then I ran into a fence that some barsteward had put in the middle of the runway!  9 days in hospital but still alive. 

[CaptSopwith 26]

I'm still praying for a gaming computer this Christmas... in the meantime, my first campaigns will be lived vicariously through my friends here at the boards!   I will definitely be picking up WOFF after the new year (read: when the next loan check arrives for school... call it a morale booster ) and whether it will run on my rig or not, I want to show my support for the team.

 

Cheers!

[Tonyo - legion 2]

I've started mine in the usual way from the start of the airwar flying a be2 with the gunner standing up in front of me, have flown 2 recon missions stalled & crashed in the first & survived the 2nd one by the skin of my teeth!!

 

I have 3 days off from work over new years so i will be putting in a lot more flying time     

 

 

I was very lucky to be upgrade my processor, motherboard & ram just before christmas im now running a quad core i7 with 8gb of corsair vengeance ram, still have to get a graphics card thats a bit faster though!!

Edited December 30, 2013 by Tonyo - legion

[DukeIronHand 8]

I am always, personally of course, surprised at the popularity of the Be 2 / Fokker campaigns. Seems to be what everyone is doing.

 

OBD is listening as that is the topic of their first add-on pack.

 

I am a Fee man myself for "early war" (1916) stuff.

For the Quirk boys your ship is arriving!

[Buddy1998 2]

I like the early war period, but the number of missions for two seaters are still very limited in WOFF - just one recon and one artiller spotting mission type. With a bit of fiddling around I found that my 1915 missions from OFF can be adapted for WOFF: here is the WOFF version for British Recon/Art.Obs. missions in 1915 (includes Artillery Spotting, Long Reconnaissance, Registering Corps Artillery, Tactical Reconnaissance, Bombing, Photo Reconnaissance, Contact Patrols and Spy Drop). To use: copy the existing WOFF BritainBomberMissionTypes1915.txt (in OBDSoftware-WOFF-OBDWW1 Over Flanders Fields-campaigns-CampaignData) and keep safely as a backup, then copy this BritainBomberMissionTypes1915.txt into the CampaignData folder to replace the one that you have just copied and placed in a safe place. Save. Then start up WOFF. No need to start a new pilot career. If you have problems, or don't like it, just copy the original file back.

 

Bletchley

 

This is way too cool. I like the authenticity of the mission briefing and it really brings this sim back in time with your breifings.

 

Would it be too much to ask to do this the way you did for OFF (active sectors/non active sectors, dates 1915 to 1918)? I know it took you a while to get it all done, but man, this would be awsome in WOFF

[Bletchley 8]

Glad you like it Buddy

 

I can't work out how to create lone-wolf type missions (i.e. ordinary mission types, but with no other flight members), as I think "Lone Wolf" missions are now called up by some other bit of code in WOFF (as Transfer and Scramble missions are). I haven't looked in detail at the mission files for 1916-1918, and I am a bit wary about changing these at the moment as the way in which the mission types function has been changed in WOFF - each squadron has a 'primary role' now that interacts with the mission folder, so that a primary role of Reconnaissance (the predominant one for two seaters in 1915) will now only select those missions coded 'Reccy' in the mission files. I have added back Art.Obs. missions to this type, as in 1915 that level of differentiation wasn't there yet (might even add back the combat air patrol  and balloon attack types, that you currently only get if you select 'Fighter' as your pilot type) although you will find these are rare - mostly tactical and long reconnaissance, with a few of the other types to add spice. Use of W/T and Camera equipment was in its infancy in 1915, and the BE2 in use was mainly the earlier type with the 90 or 100 hp Renault or RAF1A engine rather than the RAF4 engine, and the Parasol was similarly limited in HP, so carrying extra weight (bombs, camera, wireless set) meant that the Observer had to be left behind - so you get the instructions to ditch ammo. You can, if you want, give bombs, camera or W/T to another flight member and make then ditch the ammo, and so become part of their escort if you want to play it this way

 

I will do a German version for 1915, and probably a French one as well, and maybe bundle them with the OFF Weather mod (more detailed Weather for 1915, as the WOFF 1915 weather, although much better than the original OFF version, is still not as good IMO) to make a 1915 Mod, but nothing more at the moment as I want to spend my time playing the sim. at the moment.

 

Here is a version of the 1915 Weather Mod that I have made for WOFF - I have an older system, so it is optimised for someone (i.e. me) struggling with low FPS, another reason that I am sticking to 1915 at the moment. It reduces air activity, making the 'Light' setting in Workshop 'Super Light'. If anybody wants the 1915 Weather Mod with the original air activity settings for WOFF back in I can do this as well.

 

The old AA and MG Rate of Fire mods are unnecessary now: the AA now uses a less lethal shell more suited to WW1 than the 88mm Flak shell used in OFF, and accuracy changes with time; and Rate of Fire (at least for the Vickers) also increases from c. 350 rpm in 1915 to c. 700 rpm in 1918. 

OFFHistoricalWeather1915.txt

Edited December 31, 2013 by Bletchley

[Javito1986 14]

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself being hit by archie and not dying immediately... still rather terrifying, I'm afraid.

[Bletchley 8]

I have deleted my post with the modified missions, as they seem to create problems with WOFF.... will have to do some more testing, sorry

 

B.

[DukeIronHand 8]

Very cool!

Hopefully you can do the mission mods for the latter years similar to what you did for OFF.

 

That being said (as I am still waiting for WOFF- almost two weeks now) will the mission mod you made for OFF work in WOFF?

 

Have the text files for the missions changed?

Edited December 31, 2013 by DukeIronHand

[Bletchley 8]

I have taken out the mission causing the problems (Contact Patrol and Bombing), and tested the rest - all seems OK now, at least flying the BE2.

 

DukeIronHand, no the OFF mission mod will not work in WOFF - but the one below should work. I have had to make changes, as the function of the mission files have changed. Have been able to work out some of those changes (I think!) but still puzzling over others. I don't want to make too many changes until I understand it a little better, as each change might have unintended consequences... so I am sticking to 2-seater missions in 1915, that benefit from a little added variety.

BritainBomberMissionTypes1915.txt

Edited December 31, 2013 by Bletchley

[Tonyo - legion 2]

Bought a GTX 760 graphics card with 2gb Vram -- made a major difference against my old Gt 440 card!!

 

 

Flew and completed my first mission flying the be2 - a recon mission which i actually survived puzzled as to why i had to loiter over the recon area for 30 mins - especially as it was over two enemy aerodromes & they were popping off the archie  like nobody's business!!!

 

fortunately they missed, but one or two did get uncomfortably close. saw a total of 3 enemy aircraft, but they were too far away to identify and fortunately they let us alone. I was so relieved when I taxied over to the hangars & switched off the engine. big smile - first mission under my belt.

 

Back to the mess for tea & medals old boy what?!