Vasco

Yes, TS3 is up and running now: the details are: TS Address: tx.teamspeak.cc Port: 9083 PW: pfalz Vasco

Fragonfly, It could be a problem with the joystick configuration within the sim. If you can get on TS asap we'll see what we can do (both Red Dog and I are in the UK). The reason for doing it sooner rather than later is that BH_Dutch is upgradng Teamspeak to version 3 this weekend and the settings/address may change. Regards, Vasco

Oh, all right then. I suppose we'd better considering what's waiting for you in the hangar.......... (We were considering naming her "Black Willy" for Willy Coppitt but we didn't want anyone to start the campaign with an unfair advantage!) Regards, Vasco

To quote from Wikipedia: By the end of May, the Royal Flying Corps was badly in need of reinforcements, much due to the after-effects of Bloody April. As a result, Collishaw was posted to his previous No. 10 Naval Squadron as a Flight Commander. Collishaw's "B" Flight would be composed entirely of Canadians. Although British commanders had strongly discouraged pilots painting their planes, Collishaw's flight painted their Sopwith Triplanes dead black, and called themselves the All-Black Flight, later known more simply as the Black Flight. "The aircraft of the All-Black Flight were christened with suitable names. Ellis Reid, of Toronto, flew Black Roger; J. E. Sharman, of Winnipeg, flew Black Death; Gerry Nash, of Hamilton, called his machine Black Sheep; and Marcus Alexander, of Toronto, christened his plane the Black Prince. The flight commander, Collishaw, flew a machine which gloried in the name Black Maria." During their first two months they claimed a record 87 German aircraft destroyed or driven down. The next Vasco's Volunteers campaign will encompass the exploits of our own virtual Black Flight during May/June 1917 where we will find ourselves up against the Albatross' of Jasta 11 and other German staffels of note. The campaign starts on Saturday 24 September and will run until 30 October at 7PM GMT, 2PM EST and 11AM PST. Meet up on Black Haze's Teamspeak server as normal. For those who haven't flown online for some time, join Winston, Red Dog or myself on Teamspeak to test your OFF installation prior to the event. Regards, Vasco

Dej, That's what rteally hits me as a major missed opportunity. Despite this sim using an ageing flight engine, the sheer depth of the simulation knocks all other WWI sims into a cocked hat. If the multiplayer element was developed properly RoF and Canvas Knights would fade into obscurity overnight. It's the reason I keep flying OFF MP despite its present shortcomings and RoF just takes up space on my hard drive. Vasco

I haven't voted on the poll because a lot of what I want to see isn't there or the voting buttons are too restrictive (one choice of a limited selction). Mine are: A flyable in game map (on the poll) Fill out the missing aircraft from the squadron selection (Morane Saulnier Parasol, Sopwith Dolphin, Nieuport 10, etc, etc) All the missing multi-seaters that filled the skies during the war and more stuff to do with them rather than loiter for 16 mins, etc And most importantly - don't do anything else that nerfs multiplayer (I would have preferred to say 'improve multiplayer' but I've all but given up hope) Vasco

Gentlemen, As you know I withdrew from running our online campaign in order to concentrate on finding a new contract for my business. I am happy to announce that as of this morning I have negotiated an open-ended contract to act as a consultant to a major UK life assurer! Therefore, if the interest is still there, I'd be happy to start running Vasco's Volunteers on a regular basis providing there is sufficient interest. Please post below to express your interest and when you're likely to be able to tear yourselves away from the barbeques and grandchildren to begin to fly again. Vasco

Uncleal, I think it's more a case of conserving the limited ammunition and bringing the Lewis to bear once the Vickers starts scoring hits. Like cannon-armed fighters really, you don't fire the cannons until you see the strikes from the machine guns. Vasco

Sorry Hasse Wind, that's simply not the case. Although the regular MP campaign missions are currently suspended, the MP community has more than enough fighter aircraft to be able to fly any period of the war and make it challenging. We usually fly a series of contiguous missions for a single squadron, ecadrille or jasta as part of an online campaign lasting anywhere between 1 month to 4 months real time. In the last campaign we flew for 24 Sqn RFC (DH2s) and had a detatchment of 3 Sopwith 1/2 Strutters in the mix for strike missions - and those were the first aircraft to be grabbed by the online players. It is the lack of flyable 2-seaters that is as frustrating in MP as it is in SP campaigns, hence my reluctance to accept a 'compromise' that any new 2-seaters be made AI only even initially. Furthermore, I'm pretty sure that once the aircraft model itself is complete, there are only the cockpit files to add to make the aircraft crewable (please grab a developer or Stumpjumper for an exact explanation because the MP community has had to crawl around in the bowels of the aircraft files to get some aircraft flyable in MP). Regards, Vasco

Registered! Vasco

Will you guys pack it in with the requests for AI 2-seaters for crying out loud! It appears that is a vocal minority putting that request into every P4 thread I've read. There are currently no AI-only aircraft in this sim and some of us really enjoy the challenge of flying reconnaissance and bombing types. God forbid that ODB start to think that the addition of aircraft we cannot fly in the game is acceptable. How would you like it if the 2-seater fans started requesting Sopwith Snipes, Siemans Schuckert DIII/IVs and Pfalz XIIs be introduced in game as AI-only or intiailly AI only aircraft? Please be careful with what you request, especially if it's likely to affect the enjoyment of this game for others. Vasco

Ax, I'm one of the final two applicants for 2 contracts and 1 full time job. As soon as I'm gainfully employed again I'll be posting about getting Vasco's Volunteers going again. I just hope our US regulars can tear themselves away from the barbeque pit and grandchildren before winter sets in. Keep those fingers crossed, Vasco

Looks like a scaled-down version of the 'L' type to me - it's what Roland Garros mounted a forward firing Hotchkiss in and started the real fighting war. Vasco

Hi guys, There's a lot of interesting ideas in this thread to increase the immersion factor and give us more aircraft to fly, particularly 2-seater and multi-engine types. To my mind there one missing aspect of this simulation that would make the introduction of the much-needed missing 2-seaters something everybody would enjoy - to be actually able to perform artillery spotting, reconnaissance and photographic sorties rather than just loiter in an area for a minimum period or fly along the same track multiple times. At this moment in time, apart from a few masochistic individuals who enjoy flying 2-seaters in single player, the majority view reconnaissance and bomber aircraft as 'targets' and there's even been a suggestion to make them purely AI. I must admit that the abiltiy to develop such mission roles for 2-seaters is heavily dependant upon higher resolution and reasonably accurate in-game maps, but other than that the concept appears sound if the CFS3 engine will allow it. For artillery spotting, actually give the crew guns to direct where the historic clock code and comms can be used to adjust the guns and call down fire on the objective For reconnaisance (especially during an offensive), plot positions of defence works, attacking troops and progress (or lack thereof) then have to return to a pre-designated position to drop the reports over HQ like a flare For photo recconaisance, equip the aircraft model with a camera and allow the crew the abiltiy to photgraph the target area properly at either oblique or vertical angles as required and have mission success based on whether the entire area or location was photographed successfully. Use the in-game screenshot facility to actually produce mosaic maps that can be viewed during the debrief Give 2-seaters a proper role other than just claim form fodder! (Just my twopenneth's worth) Vasco

Guys, I've just had two job interviews. If I land one of these two contracts I'll be back on my feet and laughing, so prayers and any crossed fingers on my behalf will be most appreciated. Furthermore, the moment I'm working and solvent again I'll restart the Vasco's Volunteers campaigns again as soon as you guys can drag yourselves away from the barbecue pit! Vasco

Guys, Is anyone aware of a European time zone RoF MP squadron that flies regularly? Vasco

That's my intention! Vasco

To my mind wargames are a sanitised version of what they attempt to represent. The movement of counters, models or pixels in chess-like manoeuvers; turn-based or real time convey nothing of the experience of warfare. They are a study of the mechanics of battle for any given age or engagement and as such, a useful tool for historical study but for all that; incomplete. Simulations that put you in the body of a person involved in such conflict convey far more of the experience of warfare, limited though it may be. Any simulation that makes the palms sweat on the controls, induces the conditions of stress and fear or the terrible sense of loss that comes with a falling of a comrade is far more valuable. When you experience the emotional element of being in combat the lesson is far better learnt. This is the reason that OFF succeeds where other WWI simulations fail. Without the atmosphere and the sense of continuity conveyed by the simulation, without the sense of loss felt when the character falls to an unlucky shot, avoidable accident or lapse in concentration from being at the controls for too long, the experience is worthless and sterile; the user learns nothing. Although the full horrors of war cannot be simulated with the technology currently available on a home computer, the beginings are there. One day the ability to totally immerse oneself in the experience may become available, but I would hardly call that 'entertainment' and as such is unlikely to be reproduced within a medium available to the masses. Instead the value of such wargames and/or simulations depends on the real world experiences of the player and the reaction it triggers within that individual. The young and/or inexperienced cannot visualise what it may be like to fall thousands of feet at the controls of a disabled aircraft or lose friends that have become as close to you as brothers, but some of us can and that is why the value of a wargame is different for each user. The lessons of history can be conveyed in the writings of those who experienced them at the time at the time far better than analysis of those who came later. Luck or judgement? Only those who who were there will ever know with certainty. Good simulations such as OFF will only give us a gross approximatation and lead us to our own conclusions, whatever those are likely to be. Vasco

Winston, There are three files at that link. Do we need them all? Vasco

Brilliant news mate, Vasco

You bugger's should really have PM'd me to come and join in. Sods! Vasco

Mein Herren! I have finally located the missing journal with the scores from the first few missions of the Jasta 4 Online Campaign. I entered the additional scores into the spreadsheet and the results in reverse order are as follows: 23rd - Blue 781 (4 pts) 22nd - Kamikaze and Kingkat (6 pts) 20th - Loopy (7 pts) 19th - Leadtongue (8 pts) 18th - FRO (9 pts) 17th - Griphos (12 pts) 16th - Sweeteye (16 pts) 15th - von Guber (36 pts) 14th - Axgrinder (38 pts) 13th - SRC (39 pts) 12th - McIlroy (42 pts) 11th - AV8R (43 pts) 10th - Dutch (50 pts) 9th - Spawnrider (51 pts) 8th - Sitting Duck (56 pts) 7th - Osten (66 pts) 6th - Firecage (95 pts) 5th - Stumpjumper (97 pts) 4th - Dudley (99 pts) and the top three: 3rd - Burning Beard (102 pts) 2nd - von Baur (133 pts) 1st - Red Dog (139 pts) So the replica Blue Max medal goes to RED DOG. Congratulations mate! I'd like to thank all those who attended and made the event the success it became, especially those individuals who contributed the ace skins and mods neccessary to make this work as well as it did. 24 Sqn RFC Online Campaign results will be coming very soon. Vasco

Mike, Jesus mate, you should have let me know sooner. Look after yourself and keep us up to date with developments. My very best wishes, John

Guys, Just to let you know that everything's fine for today's campaign session. See you there. Vasco

Hi guys, Sorry for the no show on Sunday. I got back from Karen's two hours before the start time time and found I had no internet connection or phone line - apparently the telephone cable was damaged by construction workers on the building site behind the cottage on Saturday and British Telecom have just repaired it. You'd think they'd check for pre-existing cabling before attacking the ground with a JCB! I'll be online for the final session of the campiagn next Sunday. Vasco P.S. I'm not in love - I'm not that stupid!