Just Wondering If There Will Be Virtual Squadrons

[REDHAWK 0]

I was just wondering if WOV will someday grow like IL2 with different Squadrons being form and have on line Campaions. I would like to see this happen to this Flight Sims. I have been flying on line since 2000 with my first experince in MS CFS and through IL2. I have been in Warbirds 3, Aces High and Fighter Ace 3.5.

I would really like to see WOV take off and grow like these others did. Let me know what ur thoughts are on this subject. I have already started a web site for the Virtual VMF 235 Squadron http://www.geocities.com/VMFA_235

Thanks Redhawk

[+streakeagle 864]

While TK intended SFP1 to be a modern equivalent to Jane's Fighters Anthology, it has never had the multiplayer popularity that FA enjoyed for so long. There are several reasons why this hasn't happened with SFP1/WOV:

 

1. Multiplayer has had major problems from the original Walmart release all the way to the present. Multiplayer did work fairly well after SP1, but there were other problems, such as excessive roll rate sensitivity that necessitated SP2. SP2 had major connectivity problems. SP3 solved the connectivity problems for the most part, but broke co-op missions. Hopefully, the next patch will solve many of the remaining problems with this sim without breaking anything else. It is due out as soon as a version passes beta testing ( t could be a week from now or even a year ;)).

 

2. Even if multiplayer worked 100% of the way TK intended, it doesn't really offer that much in the way of versatility compared to almost every other online flight sim. Even if people like the sim and have none of the other multiplayer problems that have dogged this sim, they get bored flying dogfights and random co-op missions. Several of us online multiplayer fans have asked TK to make some changes to open the door to a much better multiplayer experience. TK responded with a resounding "No". He is happiest making single player games and offers limited multiplayer as a generous bonus.

 

In spite of everything against it, a group of French Check 6 forum members and a handful of American SimHq forum members did our best to get people interested in playing online. Initially, I got a surprisingly good response. But after a few months of flying everyone for themselves dogfight missions, most people get bored. On a good day 6 to 8 people come and fly on my WOV server, which I try to leave up 24 hours a day. But typically, only 2 to 4 people pop in and out of my server each day. When I tried hosting SFP1, numbers were less than 1/4 of the numbers flying WOV, which brings me to the biggest reason why SFP1/WOV has failed to catch on with online community:

 

3. The kind of people who like SFP1/WOV simply don't like playing online and the kind of people who like playing online simply don't like playing SFP1/WOV. Most online players are propheads who much prefer flying IL2/FB/AEP/PF, AH, or WB. Those few that love jets generally want max detail and realism (Falcon 4.0, Jane's FA-18, and LOMAC). SFP1/WOV is somewhere in the middle where most people don't want to be. IMHO, SFP1/WOV is a pretty realistic sim on Hard settings. Since that is what I like, that is how I set up my server. However, hard settings have repelled quite a few people from my server. I would rather play alone than turn my server into a gamey quake arena with HUD boxes, player IDs, and arcade physics, etc.

 

If TK would add just a few more features to multiplayer, it could make a huge difference. Unattended dedicated server software would be nice. User-designed missions (including carrier ops) would be great too, but multiplayer is at the bottom of his to-do list. So, unless TK makes a surprise announcement, I wouldn't expect the online situation to change any time soon if at all.

 

Come fly on my server and you will meet some great pilots.

There was one virtual squadron flying with me (VFA-41). They were very good, but I haven't seen them on for quite some time. The regulars are Eject, Doghouse, Sixgun71, and a mix of a few others. Maybe you can find some people interested in starting a squadron?

 

I haven't been flying very much lately. I have been focused on developing and using a flight model editor/analyzer to produce much more realistic flight models. Once I get that working right, I have a lot of work to do reviewing and revising the flight models of every aircraft I like ;) Of course my focus is going to be the stock aircraft typically flown online: A-4, F-4, F-8, F-104, F-105, MiG-17, MiG-19, and MiG-21. But almost every aircraft ever released could use a little polishing of its flight model.

Edited April 19, 2005 by streakeagle

[McNally 0]

I prefer it with hard, actually. I swing by whenever there's people there.

 

If it's not set to hard, all those kills I make with AIM-7 are less impressive. :p