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Mr. Lucky

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Everything posted by Mr. Lucky

  1. Flimsy Balloons

    One mission, I was escorting some BE2's. While they dropped their bombs, I was staying close by and a balloon was right in front of me. I fired one very short burst and the balloon blew up. I thought I'd gotten it, but the Review Mission content revealed that the bombers hit the balloon base which destroyed the balloon. My timing and location just happen to be a coincidence. I've never had a balloon go down quickly otherwise. Sometimes, I've emptied all my ammo into one and nothing.
  2. 3. Your PPL instructor should have taught you that you should have an RPM increase when leaning. If you don't have an EGT guage, you lean to max RPM's then a little past until the RPM stat to drop, then go back to max again. IF you keep an RPM drop, you're leaning too much. In OFF, not all planes utilized mixture control (Shredward has a couple of posts about which ones). In OFF, I usually don't start leaning until 2500 feet and then you might see a few hundred RPM increase or hear it but not see a real result in on the tach. But, you won't keep up with AI planes because they're not confined by aerodynamics in the way we are. That's one of the reasons I choose to always fly lead. That and I tire of circling the field 8 times when 2 or 3 will suffice.
  3. Some AI questions

    1. Can't answer for sure. I've only been in that position attacking a flight of two seaters. With fighters, I've been lucky sometimes to spot them before their bullets and take away their advantage. 2. According to Pol, if your clouds are set on 5 in the config.exe, the clouds do block AI vision as well. 3. Nope. They don't have the same restrictions as us and therefore many historical tactics due to machine performance differences don't apply here. IRC, they also have unlimited ammo and fuel. 4. No again (most times). It has been done, but referring to #3 it doesn't always work i.e. a DR1 sticking to the tail of a SPAD in a multi-thousand foot dive. The best viable means for escape is hedge hopping since the AI won't go that low and obtain a good firing position. They may try to make firing passes though. Then drag them across an airfield or ground facility and let the AA gunners help you out.
  4. I'm seeking advice and opinions. Like many here, I've always enjoyed trying to start at the beginning of the war and work my way through or as far as I can. I've done this with the original Red Baron, IL2, etc. So, I'd like to do the same with the EIII. I could start in 1915, but I wouldn't encounter much, which may be a blessing. But, I would still have to pass through the latter part of 1916 which is usually where I start, hoping to enjoy the feeling of being handed my brand new ALB DII or Halb. DII. The problem is, with all the reading and learning I've done about WWI aviation and the end of the Fokker Scourge, what strategy do I adopt to survive long enough to get to the newer aircraft? All that comes to mind at this point is to try and fulfill my mission and hope for no enemy encounters. If there are any, then the only option available seems to be to get as low as possible and try to escape or at least low enough that I can bring my bullet riddled crate to a safe landing. The aircraft I'm likely to encounter; DH2, N11, Sop 1 1/2 can all chew me up nicely and outclass me in every dimension. Since the early aircraft aren't available yet, I can't go on the offensive much at all which is anathema to a fighter pilot. So, if anyone has an alternative strategy to what I've come up with, please let me know. Thanks
  5. I've survived numerous ground attack missions, ridiculous as they may seem. But, I still try to do my duty, but here are a few tips I can offer. 1. If I encounter and fight enemy aircraft on the way in, the mission is off, I don't know how much ammo I've expended nor if I've taken any unseen damage. After the dogfight, I head for home. 2. When strafing or bombing, NEVER make more than one pass. As you've seen, your wingmen almost never are with you, therefore you are the only apple of the gunners' collective eye. The first pass, they may not get you...the second, you can bet on it. 3. After the ground attack, head straight home, avoiding all other encounters for the same reasons in #1. Plus, the ground gunners have a nast habit of planting one right in your fuel tank that you may not realize til it gets real quiet. The reason you always lead ground attack flights, is the AI, when leading, has a tendency to go to the wrong target or not attack anything at all, so you, the homo sapiens has to lead.
  6. Like all good inventors you need to try this and let us know how it works out. If you're successful, we'll ask for volunteers. Meanwhile, we'll miss ya
  7. On my last mission, I thought I brought back all my wingmen (left with two, returned with two). After ending the mission, it announced my wingman was KIA. I watched the replay to see if he went down during or after my landing, but nope. I did see that there were some Alb DII's destroyed and the area was probable that they were from the first flight. So, it appears that OFF or CFS3 doesn't correlate a given casualty with a specific pilot and the other pilots live and die at random. Is it on the drawing board for this to be straightened out in P4 or later? Thanks
  8. Actually, it is very close to historical. Walter Boning and later, Karl Hopf flew one very similar.
  9. I've posted before. I'm posting again, how this sim draws you in. I've always dreamed of flying in combat in WWI, and thanks to OBD, I've gotten as close to that dream as I could ever conceive possible. That even includes the emotion and tragedy involved as well. Maybe this should be in letters to the front, but I don't know. Who could I talk to that would understand?My wife, my family? Not so much. not so much as those who fly with me in the skies over Flanders. I am flying for MFJI in Feb. 1917. I flew a patrol behind enemy lines over Poperinghe. I knocked on the enemy's door, but either they weren't up or nobody was home, so after stooging around for about 20 minutes, we headed back. As I usually do, the drone of the engine would lull me to sleep and I'd catch myself dozing off. Of course, I would jerk awake and start scanning the skies. About midway back home, I woke up and looking around, I saw a flak barrage and smacl in the middle were two dots. Being on my side of the lines, and our flak firing at them I had the luxury of being reasonably sure that there were enemy. I closed on them and ordered the attack, but my wingmen seemed content to let me proceed on my own. I divined that I was closing on two quirks. Poor fellows were doomed out there alone with no escort. I closed on the trailer and made a few passes when I saw him wing over and spiral down. I left him and went after the leader. I made a long curving pass firing the whole time and when I was real close, the middle of the fuselage burst into flames. Then I saw to my horror, the observer and then the pilot leave the plane. Not the comic evacuation we've seen in the videos where they seem to spring out of the plane, but the with the fames obscuring the manner of their egress, I merely saw them leaving the plane and plummeting to earth. Usually, we shoot at machines, objects. We may know there are peolpe inside, but we don't see or feel it. When you're close enough to touch and see them in their last moments, knowing they have no chance.....it's different. My nerves tingled, my heart raced, I was shocked. As I circled away, I saw that the first plane was still flying but spiraling and descending. I could've finished them, but after seeing their comerades die, I determined, that if they didn't turn back to their side, I'd let them try to land and get captured. But they'd be alive. So, I circled behind them and above as they slowly descended until , finally, they crash landed 2 miles NW of Esen on the south bank of the river. Close enough to see the crushed bodies of their mates I believe. They didn't burn, just left a crumpled wreck and I don't know if they survived. So, thank you OBD for giving me all of the experience, the good and bad, the thrilling and the shocking. This sim will draw you in and immerse you if you let it.
  10. I'll throw in a little experiential story ala CJ. I've been playing OFF since P1 having been thrilled that finally, my thirst for a WWI simulator was starting to be satisfied. And it was free as well! In P2, I knew my rig was borderline and when P3 came out, I could barely play OFF. I knew it was my equipment, so I wasn't bitter, but frustrated as I knew I need to update my rig but couldn't yet, so I'd just have to touch it out with minimal settings and, sometimes, slide show combat. Then came the first patch, and the OBD did something, because my frame rates got a little better. Next, fortunately, AMD pulled their head out and improved their drivers further helping my frame rates but still dicey. Now, I must say, with the succession of patches, the OBD team has not only smoothed things out where I can truly enjoy the experience, they've added visual content as well. I don't recall them even being asked to improve this! So, simply on their own and with their diligence, I can now play P3 with very acceptable frame rates without changing my equipment til I can afford it. I am able to reduce my settings and still the scenery and terrain look better than ever before. My heartfelt thanks go out, but it's not enough so I don't even try to express in words. On reflection, I know one reason I feel the ol' blood pressure rising when someone posts a rant, especially about the team's efforts. These people, as we all know, have done this work on their own time, with their own resources, under their own volition. Though they have rightfully asked for some compensation to offset their expense, it is not their goal. So, we finally, have a group of individuals, doing something for all the right reasons, doing it well and doing it for us, so any decent person would naturally want to see them have success and satisfaction, and most importantly, be recognized for their efforts. With the over abundance of self-centered, greedy, corrupt people who get ahead or, at worst, get away with what they do with little ramifications it becomes hurtful to see the OBD team turned upon. Even in a moment of passion. This sim is an emotional Pandora's box. So much has been done to make it almost perfect, you want more. It's so realistic, you invest time, effort and emotion and when something doesn't go right either in game or war, that same emotion carries over and can become frustration or anger. You are so grateful for the product and the work put into it, you don't understand when someone else expresses dissatisfaction. I will say that we all need to try to remain calm in all we do with this and it's not easy. Many is the time I've just sat after landing and shutting off, sweating, hands almost shaking, heart pounding, breathing a huge sigh of relief and just listening to the birds and other engines for a bit and 'coming back to earth'. Maybe I need my wife to dress like a french bar maid so I can get a shot of whiskey after I fly too :). As real as it gets.
  11. Going on Vacation to Washington DC

    Williamsburg is great too if you enjoy colonial history. Just make sure when you're in D.C. to shower regularly to wash off the slime and corruption that accumulates.
  12. OBD: Thanks, as always for your hard work and superb product. Just remember, that the greater percentage of users who are completely satisfied usually remain silent as they have no complaints and/or are too busy flying. Remember the silent majority...we're out here. Take your rest, cook up new ways to astound us, and keep up with your secret formula... do it for your satisfaction..ours and the success will follow.
  13. open letter to OBD

    He's entitled to his opinion and certainly to voice it here. I am extremely interested in WWI aviation and, as usual, OBD has raised the bar for all others. The new patch has taken the terrain up several notches in realism. the plowed fields, undulating terrain, trees, etc. and it looks almost exactly like the terrain I fly over. The haze at altitude is spot on. My last mission 4/1917 for 56 squadron, I took off with three in my flight and six in the other. We headed to our patrol sector and as we neared the lines, I saw a cluster of AA bursts like never before. All concentrated and tracking some target. Suddenly, I saw three speck move out from amidst the flak but couldn't make out the type. I expected albatrosses. As I got close, I realized they were enemy 2 seaters just as the tail gunner opened up. I ordered the attack, circled back and as I approached again, I saw my wingmen send one down smoking. I opend up on another who did the same to me. My engine died and I saw flames coming back at me. All of this never happened before, so thanks to this latest patch, OFF is the most realistic I've ever seen. Yes, the sound need some tweaking now. I don't like the levels, but, as WM wrote, they can be changed and customized. I think I'll do that instead of uninstalling OFF (like I would ever do that!). I mostly just wanted to express how incredible I think this patch is and am continually pleased at the work and support done by the OBD team.
  14. Breaking Wind in the CP?

    I've done a couple hours in a Stearman (PT17) and many hours in a Cub with the door open. With the engine running, even at low RPMS or idle on approach, I didn't hear anything but the engine. I felt the wind, but OFF can't replicate that. The only time I heard wind was doing a slip in the Cub and it was beating on the side.
  15. SE5A Clock

    Wasn't sure where to post this, but... The OBD team has done the impossible again! They invented the time machine! In the SE5A, as you fly, the time in the world around you progresses, but in your plane, it stands still. At least according to the clock (lower right) which always shows 7:35 IRC. At least it's right twice per day Just wanted to bring attention to the devs that the clock in the SE5A doesn't operate. I find the in-cockpit clocks very useful. One thing I do like about the Entente planes over the German. Feel free to move this if in the wrong forum. Thanks.
  16. Radeon question

    The way they handled graphics processing in the early drivers turned me off the brand for a while. Like I said, the new drivers are great so I'm not in such a rush to upgrade for now, barring equipment failure. As for the clouds, Pol mentioned in a post a few days ago that if the clouds are set to 5, then the AI can't see through them either, so I set them on 5 ever since.
  17. AAA

    One time I was flying Sop Tripanes and near the target, I looked back to check my wingman and just then I saw him hit by an AA burst dead amidships and the pieces just floated down. It happened so unexpectedly and suddenly, I was actually shocked and stunned for a second. It almost felt as if I actually lost a comrade. The immersion here can get very deep if you let it.
  18. I've done a few campaigns in RNAS 3 flying the Sop 1 1/2 Strutter in June 1916. It turned out to be a very good fighter in it's time as well as carrying bombs and a tail gunner.
  19. be2c

    Dead right Duce. I was always more nervous flying an RC plane than I ever was flying a real one.
  20. Claim realism %

    Good advice to follow: Play OFF so as to get the most fun out of it for you. The realism percentage or anyone else's opinion matters not. I like the claim forms myself, and since I navigate by paper maps, I've developed enough situational awareness, that after combat, I can usually mark the area on the maps just as they did back then and in the movies. I think I've only lived long enough to have one claim confirmed, so just surviving is still my first priority. But, to each his own.
  21. I always enjoy flying for Germany in Verdun. I love the scenery, the hills and valleys, forests, etc. when it's not all clouded up and snowing. The flights are usually challenging as there are less roads and rivers to navigate by and the front isn't always north to south. I usually don't last too long though before meeting my demise at a flock of Nieuports. The drawback is that there is less activity and not too many varieties of aircraft until OBD adds more. I would have to say, I have encounters at least 50% of the time with no aids and flying December 1916.
  22. SE5A Clock

    My great grandfather's pocket watch actually. Kind of helps with the immersion.
  23. Radeon question

    I'm running a Radeon HD3850 which was a dog and I was cursing it daily. But since the 9.6 drivers came out, performance has increased dramatically and now OFF is playable for me albeit not at the highest setting : 4,3,2,4,5 . I can push my scenery up to 3 but around big towns such as Arras it drops frames too much. Mind you, acceptable me is FPS in the high teens to low 20's. Before I was lucky to get double digits. I wouldn't get any AMD product for OFF in the future, but overall I've always gotten good performance from AMD products except for their mid-range video cards. The way they had the 3850 handling graphics made me so frustrated, it left a bad taste in my mouth for AMD. I do reiterate, however, that performance improved greatly with the latest drivers. For m, I'll switch to Nvidia next time.
  24. I usually fly late 1916, early 1917 in Verdun and am almost always outnumbered by the enemy. Not every time though. Last mission flying SE5A in mid April 1917, we outnumbered the encountered enemy 3 to 2. I cannot ascertain whether all of those began outnumbered or others joined in. I could tell once or twice that the latter was the case but it's hard to give details when you're fighting for your life.
  25. battle damage to aircraft

    I've seen it, usually in the form of bullet holes and usually after taking lots of hits. Not every time though.
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