RAF_Louvert

. "A split second given to pull the trigger as a plane zips across the sights: an eternity spent to try and twist out of the path of the bullets. An entire lifetime won or lost in less than an eye blink." (to quote myself) More B-E-A-U-tiful movies there Hellshade. Thank you for creating and sharing these exciting video vignettes. Well done, Sir. Also, I'm betting you can make a meatloaf last a long time, given how thinly you like to slice things. Cheers! Lou .

. Outstanding screenies everyone. And Rickitycrate, how did you manage those close-ups?! Wowzers. .

. Good Morning All, Got home late yesterday evening and had some time to plug away at my project. I did sort out, (again), how to have ships fire on ground targets, and then turned my attentions to creating what will become the first mission of the campaign. I decided the best way to creat the initial Zeitgeist for the entire affair might be to have you bring your kite into the theatre via a carrier launch under the cover of darkness, (to avoid those elusive Hun submarines that seem to continually patrol the Mediterranean). With your BE2c backed up to the aft edge of the deck you can get her in the air before you hit ocean, (a thrilling start to a campaign). It is then about a 25 mile jaunt across open seas in the light of a crescent moon as you navigate your way due south to an air strip at Alexandria. I gave it a go, and after sorting out my initial compass heading I flew "by the stars" and found my mark. It really built some first rate atmosphere and did serve to pull me right into the whole affair. Here are a few screenshots to illustrate the point, (BTW, in MAW the water is animated and the waves look quite good as they roll along beneath you). Taking to the night sky from the HMS Ark Royal, (being secretly despatched from Imbros just for this mission). Making the turn south and taking a last look back before my journey across open sea. Dropping down over Alexandria in the early morning hours of late November. I'll keep you folks posted as work continues. Cheers! Lou .

. Thanks for the offer Royce, and there is something I could use a hand with. I'm having a senior moment and for the life of me cannot remember what items need to be set in a misson file in order to get the CFS3 ships to fire on shore/ground installations. If you, or anyone else FTM, could sort out that info for me it would be much appreciated. Now then, as to that DH2 flitting about the Pyramids, you must have had that kite sent over especially for you Sir as there were very few in the theatre. RHIP, eh what. Cheers! Lou .

. I finally got a chance earlier this morning to watch all these videos. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing. Cheers! Lou .

. I agree with each and every sentiment expressed above concerning the perpetrators of such a crime. It is a wretched thing to do to such hallowed ground. And sadly, in a way, so many of us do a great disrespect also to these same sites when we simply ignore them. I say this because here in the States it was Memorial Day two weeks ago, and once again the number of folks stopping by the grave yards to pay respect to those who gave the last full measure was pitifully small. A disheartening sign of our times I'm afraid. .

. Si, it's very simple. Just go into your "Microsoft Games" folder and change the name of your "Combat Flight Simulator 3" folder. I have mine labelleb "CFS3 Original", "OFF BHaH", "CFS3 MAW", and "OFF MAW". When you change the name of that folder your install disc won't recognize it and so it can be reinstalled again and again. However, when you play any of the sims they will each still be able to locate the disc in your drive and initiate. Also, you can have a launch icon for each version on your desktop by creating a shortcut to each, dragging it onto the desktop, and renaming it to match that version. Just remember to manually pick the appropriate path to the various versions when installing updates and/or add-ons. Easy Peasy. Also, two other excellent bits of reading regarding the Mesopotamia Campaigns are,: "In The Clouds Above Bagdad", by Air Commander John Edward Tennant; and the War diary of 2nd Lt. Harold Warnica Price which you can find in the collection, "A Rattle of Pebbles", by Brereton Greenhous. Cheers! Lou .

. I always hit what I'm aiming at. Unfortunately, I am seldom aiming at what I want to hit. .

. Ta mates, I appreciate the encouragement. By the by, if you'd like a bit of historical flavour written in the day, here's an article pertaining to the subject at hand, which I ran across a while ago. Cheers! Lou .

. Greetings All, This weekend I was updating some software, after which I could not get FRAPS video capture to function properly with my OFF install. I wanted to make sure it wasn't the FRAPS program itself so I dusted off my old IL2 set-up and flew a few RAAF Gladiator missions along the coast of Libya, circa 1940, to test things out. I'd forgotten just how nice this 10-year-old combat flight sim is: IL2 RAAF Clip Best water animations ever, and a first-rate WW2 sim al the way around. I am now entrenched in this RAAF campaign trying to see it through to the bitter end, (fortunately it's a short series of missions). Cheers! Lou .

. Morris, Not sure what to tell you there Sir. I run XP Pro 64 bit myself, but I shoulf think you can make IL2 run on W7. Might want to check on one of the IL2 forums to find out the trick. Cheers! Lou .

. It may be dead in the water for now WM, at least that is one of the rumors I've heard. Olham, you mentioned that you feel the terrain and clouds are better in OFF. I believe the two sims are on an even level there, depemding on which mods you use in IL2. As a case in point, here are a few shots of Ford Island in the early morning, (Compans terrain files and the very fine "Blue Sky, White Sun" campaign files used in these). Cheers! Lou .

. VP and Widowmaker: I imagine there are better water animations out now, (though I haven't run across them yet myself), and IL2 is showing it's age, but it still is a nice piece of craftsmanship. Winston: Wish I could fly MP but my stone age IP won't allow it. Olham: How can you say I'm easily distracted? Why that's just...ooooo, look at the froggy, can I have some chocolate, why is France so far away, how do they make shoe laces, where's my pillow, is that a real cowboy... .

. CLICK HERE NOW !!! .

. SWEET! The pic of Gretje Bothe looks like my old Grandma Gunhild. And, "The Four Knight's, mit Olaf Gebauer" ... I love it! Sounds like a polka band that plays right down the road from my house, in the little burg of New Germany. .

. So Over50, your problem is the jerkiness you see when you first start to fly? Does it settle down after you have been in the air for a while? I have the same issue unless I go to an outside view of my kite and do a full pan around, up, and over before I roll. If I do that as part of my pre-flight it's smooth sailing for the rest of the mission. This of course goes right to your thought on caching. Good Luck, Lou .

. Welcome back Olham! Great to see you in such fine fettle Sir. Now then, did you bring us any postcards, hmmmm? Cheers! Lou .

. Thanks Pol, and I didn't take it personally Sir. Sort of figured it was about lack of hours in any given day. Not enough time is something I am painfully familiar with. Cheers! Lou .

. Over50, did you happen to try the idea I noted farther up in this thread today? Just curious. Cheers! Lou .

. Truth be told vonOben, ground attacks by fighter/scout aircraft on either side of the mud early in the war was pretty unlikely. Those were jobs usually left to the two-seater recce/bomber types. However, the best way I have found of surviving one of those missions, (short of coming down sick and bowing out of the party altogether), is to drop down to the deck near the target, but in a quiet area. Then approach NOE and make a strafing pass or two, turn tail, and head PDQ back for camp, again going "nape of earth". Cheers! Lou .

. HS, I should think flying with one of the US Pursuit groups starting on September 12, 1918 should do it. The St. Mihiel Offensive saw the largest aerial battle of the entire War. And just as a point of note for those who don't quite savvy the French lingo, it's pronounce "San Mee-yel". Cheers! Lou .

. hee hee hee...not to worry vB, but I do hope you're better about keeping tabs as to who is on your six, elsewise we'll be raising a glass to your empty chair at the dinner table within the week. Cheers! Lou .

. Shorten the shoulder straps BirdDog. I have to do that to mine regularly. .

. You're welcome vonOben, but my name's not Morris. Now where's my damned drink?! Lou .

. feel the love .