CaptSopwith

My thoughts exactly! I'd take you up on the offer too, but alas, I also have 1946... You are a kind soul for offering to give them away for free. Cheers!

It's amazing what a change of inputs can do for you! I've been running my gaming rig on the VGA input that was supplied by the monitor the computer came with. Mind you, the monitor is a 22" high def 1680x1050 screen. Little did I know just how bad the image quality was until I replaced my video card a few weeks back. Suddenly I noticed a constant, rippling flicker through the screen. At first I thought the monitor was giving up the ghost but a friend suggested that my use of the ancient VGA source was the problem. Long story short, I switched out to a DVI setup and wow, the picture quality is so much better. I do have an HDMI port on the monitor, but it's currently doing duty for my XBox 360. Once I get a new TV that can handle the Xbox, however, I'll be upgrading from DVI to HDMI. In the meantime, the picture difference is massive. Even the forums look better! So, if you're still using VGA - and I fear I was probably the only one - upgrade your input and OFF will look even more eye-popping than it already does!

Hey Rich. Make sure you've got Time Advance set to Auto/Manual in the Workshop settings. If you get a mission in the briefing room you don't like - back out, click advance time (should be at the lower right part of your screen) and voila, a new mission will be generated.

And rightly so IMHO. There is no way a squadron of BE2's would scramble against incoming fighters. The pilots would take cover or man the ground guns and try to fend them off that way. Dispatching a squadron of Quirks would only result in the destruction of a squadron of Quirks and the death and dismemberment of their pilots.

Scrambles are real pilot killers! I echo Lewie's thoughts on Red Baron's frequency of Airfield attacks - they were the pilot killer back then! In a way, you got off lucky to have a Quirk pilot only hospitalized and not being put in the dirt for a longterm nap. Even when you are a late-war SE5 jockey, scrambles are no guaranteed thing. Oftentimes my guy winds up getting horribly wounded or killed outright - within meters of his own barracks. Damn unsporting of those Germans, I tell ya! This, a thousand times! Everytime I think the OFF manager has spit out a bit off an oddball, I back out, advance time - pretend my engine couldn't start or my pilot had a sudden onset of upset stomach from the Castor Oil, and try it again. Especially if they are airfield attacks at any time earlier than say late 1917, as they were nearly unheard of. Still, it's nice to even have a dynamic campaign - and I'm sure P4 will be an even better system.

It's ironic that you mention this... I've gotten the flu shot every year for the last 12 years... this was the first year I skipped. Lesson learned.

Did Blackburn make a single good plane? My fiance picked me up a copy of 101 of the world's worst aircraft and Blackburn practically has its own chapter. That... thing, makes the "spinning incinerator" look positively stable! I wouldn't go within ten feet of that thing, let alone get in it.

Ah, thanks Lou. I remember coming across these videos some time back but lost track of them since. This will make for some good watching today.

Hi gents. I just wanted to apologize if any of my posts have made less than perfect sense lately. I've been incredibly sick for the last two weeks and the last several days have been particularly rough. For those who are curious, it all started as a simple sinus infection - something I usually pick up once or twice a year, especially during the winter months. I went to the doctor and was treated - antibiotics and some mucinex to clear out my sinuses. After ten days, not only was I still sniffly, but I also had flu-like symptoms. It turns out I picked up the flu while in the doctor's office waiting to be seen for my sinus infection (We're having a massive outbreak where I live with four different strains, according to the people in the white lab coats). The flu then settled in my chest where it turned into bronchitis / borderline pneumonia. So, long story short... I've spent the last week either in bed or here posting, while coughing up my lungs and blowing through boxes of kleenex. Now, where's nurse Gladys?

Oh man, Olham. You're right. I should stop posting until I'm well enough to be coherent again! I just watched The Blue Max a week ago too... I can't believe I blanked on the part where the gunner tried to return fire on Stachel. I'll be glad when I'm over being sick, this is killing me lol.

Just thought I'd check in. I too installed the service pack and so far, all appears well. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a large piece of wood to knock on!

I too have let a few go in my time. Perhaps I'm not as cold-blooded as I thought. I remember a particular instance with a Hanover CLII in Red Baron 3D. I had chased down several of its comrades and dispatched them. The final Hanover was booking it for the lines, running scared. I lined it up and opened fire, and heard the tell-tale scream of a fatality. It turned out that I hit the gunner, the only way I could tell was the sudden lack of rear-gunner fire. The plane was horribly damaged - billowing black smoke, wings all shot to hell. I could tell that he might make it home if I let him go. I didn't have the heart to blast a defenseless pilot out of the sky (clearly I'm no Bruno Stachel! lol). And so, I let him fade into the horizon. I'd like to think he made it home...

Ahh, forgive me, I didn't realize that recon planes weren't included. I've been incredibly sick the last few weeks with bronchitis and I guess in my cough-syrup induced stupor, I miss-read. And wow, 10 Bristol Fighters! If they were anything like their digital counterparts in OFF, I wouldn't go anywhere near them!

I echo Lou's sentiments. Have a safe journey and I hope all goes well. We'll be here when you get back.

I echo your thoughts Olham. There really was nothing romantic about air combat in World War I. The idea of the chivalrous dogfight, with two pilots squaring off to duel was an anomaly during World War I. If you were a fighter pilot between 1914 and 1918, your ideal dogfight was to catch your enemy from behind and shoot him in the back before he ever knew you were there. I noticed something interesting about MvR's tally. I don't see a single Be2 Quirk or an RE8 on the list. Did MvR never shoot one of those down? If that's the case, I'm surprised after reading about how these two types were essentially easy meat. I also noticed that even the greatest dogfighter of World War I only bagged 3 Bristol Fighters - I bet even old Manfred was leery about tangling with them!

Wow, well put as always Shred. I need to go visit these places in person. Thankfully, in my future line of work I will be able to. Perhaps a "research" trip to the Flanders region is in order in a few years. I already have Munich on my "to visit" list for work. @Olham, have you visited these battlefields in person? If so, what's your take on them? @Shred: I know what you mean by "you are not alone." I had a very similar experience at the Gettysburg battlefield. I have no idea why - I haven't traced by family history back far enough to know about the Civil War, so I have no direct ties, but there is such a strong feeling, an emotion that creeps up on you as you visit and grows more and more the longer you stay. By the end of the afternoon at Gettysburg, my family and I (I was only 14 at the time) felt ready to leave - that a weight had been placed on us that we didn't feel at the start of the day. There is something to it... and I don't easily buy ghost stories either.

Wow... I think these are the first photos I've ever seen of No. 24 RFC with their DH'2s. I'm so glad you posted this, JFM... this put chills down my spine. Wow.

I echo Lewie's sentiments - we're a community, not just a bunch of pilots. I'm glad to hear that Max is okay too! I've had quite a few dogs in my time and tragically, none of them seemed longed for this earth. I switched to cats and found they seem to last longer around me. I still have a soft spot for dogs, though and Max is a handsome fella. I'm glad he's home with you and yours. Cheers WM.

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.

Bingo. My apologies for being a tad too obtuse with my historical references.

I believe that's what we call "pulling a Hess."

Lewie, you are a genius sir! MST3K is one of the greatest works of art in modern times, possibly ever. I'm as diehard of a fan as they come. Well played, sir, well played.

...starting tomorrow, February 21. So, I'm turning 29. I'm prepared for all of the "you're still just a damn kid..." comments you can fling at me. In fact, they will probably help as 29 just doesn't even sound like the right number. To be honest, they stopped making any sense around 25. Every since then it's been a feeling of "okay... so I'm how old now??" I remember announcing my 18th birthday over on the Delphi Forums. I'm pretty sure I was "the kid" by a pretty decent margin back then. Aw Hell, I guess the "getting old" part starts now...and I had just gotten really good at being young.

Hey Pol. I probably figured it was a one-time hic-up. I haven't seen many of those in OFF. I went ahead and attached the log file - I had no idea those things were so intricate... gives you an idea of how much OFF is doing behind the scenes. Hope this helps.

Hi guys. I was flying a patrol with 24RFC this morning in February 1916 on a flight over the front. Along the way we ran into a flight of Bristol scouts with the strangest paint scheme I've ever seen. Their pant scheme had wheel bitmaps and part of their rudders appearing on their elevators. I snapped a screenshot, but Windows is telling me the file isn't supported and I can't get it to open so a written description will have to do for now unless I run across them again. I wanted to bring it to your attention. My workshop settings have the planes set to normal res. If you need any further details, let me know.