Dirk98

Hehe, Rabu, we were posting at the same time! And I'll repeat my plead: SOME COMPUTER-SAVVY AND KIND SOLE, PLEASE ADD THE INGAME AIRFIELDS TO RABU'S MAP!!! And post it for download. :) Thanks, Dirk.

Rabu, unfortunately I could not fully use this map for pure navigation in OFF3. Only if there were the ingame airfields depicted I would be able to orientate with it and not using the CFS3's GPS and/or Moving Map. The airfields are eventually the main landmarks that can be used for navigation (and the frontline ofcourse). If only someone could smartly put the ingame airfields on your map it would be sooo cool. Until then I'll be using my own method that I posted in the other thread (with the screenshot utility and 2nd Monitor). These are my thoughts on this important aspect of the flightsim and history game. Please, someone, add the ingame airfields to the map! Thanks, Dirk.

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. For example in the Briefing it is stated: Flight1 Tock Powell Rayn Aldaine Todd Cottrell Dirk Black (Player) Timothi O'Keefe -- (Wingman) In the game I turn on the labels occasionally (there's a button assigned on my joystick) to take a look who's where and you see the labels: Fligth Lead - Timothi O'Keefe -------- ------- Tock Powel - your Wingman (something like that). Not an issue of course. Thanks, Dirk.

Sure, no aircraft icon and NO moving map neither, pls. The difference may sound subtle, unless you try to take off with no CFS3 cheating tools and fly the combat task all the way to the assigned area and back to your field navigating, not cheating. And that's when your eyes, the wonderful scenery below, the only screenshot of the map (on your 2nd monitor), compass and clock will all start clicking together as they should. Thanks, Dirk.

(I never really liked CFS3 so I don't remember. In BoB2 they all land, and sometimes there are literally dozens of them going down with you, lol. Not really a big issue anyway.) Winder, while we are on it, could you pls swap The Flight Lead and your Wingman in the briefing, because in 3D they are opposite now. Thanks, Dirk.

I don't know if it is fixable, but your flight's AI crash into the airfield and explode, should you follow your lead all the way back. I like to fly By Rank. The good news: 1) They crash into the right home field. 2) The 3D mini-desasters don't get registered by the manager, they all live it. Thanks, Dirk.

...which brings the next big question: is it possible to remove the GPS moving sprite on that map? If not, then back to what was posted above (otherwise GPS is just GPS, or moving map, i.e. motivation killers). Gimpy, btw, you don't need any powerful computer for that, any PCI or onboard video with an older monitor would be enough. Older monitors don't cost anything these days. It's space on you desk that may be costy. Try it if you can, you'll love it. Thanks, Dirk. PS: if, and only if, the map can be set fixed (not moving) and the GPS sign turned off, then it will be even better than my 2-nd screen, trust me on that.

More beautiful 'screenshots' :) It's very much inspiring. Zoom in to see the details in the screenshots. :yes:

What a relief. I now fly OFF and navigate without the radar and gps. As a consequence I don't use warp or time acceleration any more. It has become all different game flying by the map: you need to stay in the formation, orientate all the time and look out for enemies. I've got 2nd PC in my LAN and in the very beginning of each flight in 3D I pull up the game's GPS map and take 1-2 screenshots. Then I open the screenshot from my 2nd PC and use it as a flight map. Airfields are EXACTLY the landmarks that eventually enable you to navigate. Also you have to memorize how the surroundings of your field look from above (a town in the north-east or a forest block in the west etc.), you have to keep an eye on the compass and note the clock all the time. Usually it is harder to find the way back to your field than to navigate to the target with your formation. But after a few flights you become proficient with it and forget about the CFS3's immersion killers. This game has seriously changed to the much much better experience since I employed this first. The important implication is that I can fianlly play it and navigate 100% with my eye only as, I think, it was originally supposed to be played with so much detail in the wondeful wondeful scenery without missing any of it. Thanks! Dirk.

Awesome, thanks. Dirk.

It looks like wingmen tend to swing left right more in v1.26 and the flight's lead is steady but somewhat slow. In 1.25 the flight moved more linear with the lead being the fastest. I've not used warp or accel. recently. Is it fixable? Thanks, Dirk.

The CFS3.exe process grows from 440Mb to 650Mb in about 15 min of the game. I tried to PM Winder but his mailbox blocked. Thanks. Dirk.

I had 2 long and overall very satisfying flights in my Campaign from Savy today. In the both I flew as a wingman in large formations of 7 planes each flight. We did it to the frontline and into the enemy's with several successful scraps on the way with amazingly very well organized rejoinings on course to the next waypoints and overall perfectly following the flight plan from the take off to the landing. Unfortunately: 1. The AI crashed in the bush on final to landing in Savy (the airbase is in the lowland so the AI hit the trees that are in the way of the glideslope). 2. In the both flights the game suspended on exit in the "Are you sure you want to end this mission" screen. First it looked as if it was trying to process all the data from the flight. Then it just suspended with no reaction to the inputs (have seen similar only in the older iterations of F4). 3. Over the frontlines the game simingly lost focus of the front screen on both crossing out and back in. First time I spotted it when suddenly the game's GFX lost Anti-Aliasing and all lines became rough and jaggy (non-AA-ed, it's visible on my large 24' screen). What helped was Alt+Tab then the game's GFX returned to AA-ed again. I would compare it with the suddedn switch of the process priority when something takes over and pushes the game's GFX behind itself (but there were no 2D pop ups, nothing in the front). I have no antivirus, nothing is running in the background, except for joystick and mouse profiles. It occured over the no man land only. And I cured it with Alt+Tab. The GFX/game would flicker for a very short instance and then the GFX would return to the very smooth antialised picture as usual. Weird since it was not even followed by any noticeable drops in FPS. I know nothing of how the game works, but it felt like the OFF manager momentarily was taking over the GFX front, lol. It didn't give me much troubles though as I mentioned because I learnt how to fix it fast with Alt+Tab. I have area air activity on high, large flights, formation tight, ground objects count @high. The FPS and fluidity are really good, but the suspension on exit spoils it all... Thanks.

Thanks griphos! I set my own flights @high, tight formation, high area activity and even high ground objects count. Woohoo! Having a blast with it. Dirk.

In my campaign flight today I found under my name in the Briefing list "Wingman Missing". He is MIA indeed, but the message caught my eye anyway. Is it how it is supposed to look in that list? Looks like kinda debug message, since he's not supposed to be added in the flight list for the breifing. Thanks.

Sure, I was coming back to say I realized those were posted long ago, lol. Thanks anyway, will switch to heavy. Dirk.

Siggi, what is your air activity setting? Looks like you're toiling in a pretty crowded sky. Thanks, Dirk.

Yes, thank you you. Combat Ace has become a noticeable resource in our hobby.