RAF_Louvert

Good Morning All, Last night I went shopping for some real estate for my Dardanelles Campaign missions as the OFF map does not quite make it to lower Turkey. But after a bit of flying around I found a locale to the south that should work well for this project. The terrain is about right and the coastal features are close enough to set up several large missions based on the records of the battles. Here is a short video that shows one of the areas I am considering. A British cruiser is hammering at some enemy positions up in the hills with the Ark Royal joining in a well. I also switched to a calm sea animation that appears to be a bit bluer, which should come pretty close to the waters in that AO. Enjoy, and any feedback will be much appreciated. Please keep in mind that I am only just getting started with this project. Dardanelles Project Video 1 Cheers! Lou

Oh, and Rickitycrate, yes, Lou it is. Although Louie is fine too. Just don't call me late to supper. .

Hauksbee, that's the exact question I was attempting to find an answer to by flying through the arc of those big shells, though I imagine that if it is like it was in real life I could fly back and forth through that fire all day long and never be touched, but merely bounced around a bit. In all my readings over the years I have only run across three reports of aircraft being struck by barrage fire, but on all three of those ocassions they were decidedly reduced to their primary atomic particles. Thanks for the feedback Gents, I will continue to keep you all posted as to the progress of this campaign. Cheers! Lou

I want to go to there. .

BigJim, apologies if "arcade" was a poor choice of words. My point is that OFF offers you a ton of adjustability in how it can be played. I have flown a fair number of flight sims over the years as well, and I have to say that the FM in OFF seems very close to the reports on how a good majority of these planes actually handled. As to the AI not being affected by the weather due to the CFS3 limitations, that is true. But there are ways to work around that, as there are with your complaint of always being jumped from above by an angry horde. I have flown all the time periods now in OFF and if I set the air activity to light or medium I do not encounter anything like what you describe. EA will come in high, low, or co-alt, and seldom in the masses you indicate. I will say again that I feel the devs have done a great job of offering something for everyone in this sim. Is there room for improvement? Always. Cheers! Lou

Further proof that there is no such thing as bad press.

I use it all the time Olham. It's a great learning tool and quite enlightening. Cheers! Lou

Ruck? What ruck? You didn't kick off a ruck Flyby. We are merely having an open and animated discussion about a point we all find worthy of such discussion. Now, if anyone is beginning to feel like it's turning less than amicable, well then I'd say its time for a group hug. C'mon...big hug now...can't ya' feel the love? Hey, hey, watch the hands there!

Good Morning All, I spent some time last night browsing through the many OFF items available for download at Combat Flight Center and Sim Out House, (kid in a candy store), and a couple of the goodies I ran across were Corado La Posta's model of the WW2 carrier HMS Eagle and Captain Winter's rework of it into the WW1 carrier HMS Furious. After downloading the files and popping them into my ship folder I added it to my Short test mission and went in to check it out. While you can use it as an operational platform at sea, that feature is a tad awkward due to issues of the landing elevation changing as you approach. However that aspect can be removed, and it will work very well as a stand-in for the HMS Ark Royal, which served in the Dardanelles in 1915, (first purpose-built aircraft carrier in the British fleet BTW). I landed the Short to starboard and pulled up next to the crane, which is how they managed the retrieval of the seaplanes assigned to the ship. Very neat. It is amazing when you start to look how many additions you'll find specifically created over the last several years for this terrific sim. Cheers! Lou

Thank you Gandi for the advise, much appreciated. I assumed as much last night as I was making my attempts, and I am sure that given a few more trys into the wind I could hit the mark. More for me though it is quite an immersion killer to have the ship drop like that. I realize it is a coding issue and this is the best solution available, and I am not complaining. However, I don't think I will utilize the carrier-landing feature in my missions. Cheers! Lou

Our freedom of speech, at least in the United States, was only meant to apply to the public arena. Beyond that we are all expected to be polite guests and abide by the rules of our hosts, IMHO. Cheers! Lou

LOL! And me dear old Mum was an english major to boot, she was. She'd be turnin over in 'er grave if she were dead.

Well again, small world getting smaller Jim. I served in the US Air Force from 1974-78 in England, primarily as a radio intercept operator for the now-defunct USAF Security Service, (I was a Cold War warrior). In 1975 in Bremgarten, Germany during the Royal Flush XVIII recce competition I seem to recall monitoring some of the flights of No. 4 RAF. And more serendipitous still, it was No. 4 RFC that my WW1 aviator persona was first "assigned" to in the character bio I wrote for my RAF 209 Squadron pilot page, which you can read here if you like: Louvert S. Albertson Pilot Page and Bio Cheers! Lou

LOL! I tried the same thing myself last night with a Camel uncleal. It is a bit unnerving to come in on final approach only to have the entire ship drop 30 feet into the ocean so the deck is now at sea level. After several attempts that all ended with my Sopwith and I getting very...umm...Soppy, I decided I could make better use of the carrier by disabling the "landing strip" feature and simply using it as a ship, and taxi my Short up to the winch and leave it at that. It will still work nicely in such a role as the HMS Ark Royal in the missions I am planning. Cheers! Lou

I have been a forum admin for the 209 Squadron for the past three years, and as far as I know the only ones who can prune and relocate entire threads are the admins, or those who have found a way to hack into the admin panel. No other way it can happen really. "Now then, let's not bicker and argue about who killed who. This is supposed to be a happy ocassion." Cheers! Lou

Very good Jim! So, what unit are you flying with, and what area of the front? While the entire OFF front is relatively quiet through most of 1915 some areas are more quiet than others. As I have flown 1915 I have tended to run into two-seaters more often, (when I find EA at all), and they are usually well above me in alt, which would be more-or-less in keeping with that period. Primarily recons and gun-ranging being done with the available aeroplanes at that time, with the scouts being developed and utilized to try and prevent just such activities as the war went on. Cheers! Lou

You are more than welcome Sir. Let us know when it arrives, maybe even post a pic of the cover and the frontispiece illustration if there is one, (having never seen an origianl printing of this book I don't really know). Cheers! Lou

Great! Thanks for the info Steve. I will keep you posted on when they arrive and if I can turn the tension adjuster on mine. Cheers! Lou

Good Morning All, This sim just keeps getting better and better! At sitting duck's suggestion over in the "First Time PHOTO" post, I signed up as a member of the "Doves and Hawks" website yesterday and studied a bit more on the MP side of OFF. With the exception of some final adjustments to the TS set-up in my 64-bit XP Pro OS, I should be good to go for some online flying. I then downloaded the Short Folder torpedo bomber originally created by Nod, (with FM work by Pol), that stumpjumper has available in his downloads section, and set up a quick test mission to see just how it really handles. I have to say that for this early-war B/R flyer it was like being a kid at Christmas all over again. "And what do you want for Christmas Louie?" "I want an official Stumpjumper carbine action two-hundred shot OFF model Short Folder sea plane with a 254mm Mark 14 torpedo and a compass in the dash and this thing that tells time!" I know that for you OFF veterans the Short is old news, but it is an excellent plane to have at our disposal for those of us who wish to fly the very early period of the War. If it hasn't already been built back in Phase 2, I would like to put together an MP/SP mission pack for the Gallipoli campaign in the Dardanelles where, on the 12th of August 1915, Flt Cmdr C.H.K. Edmonds made history in his Short Folder #842 by being the first to sink a ship by aeroplane torpedo attack. He then went on to sink a second supply ship on August 17th, again by torpedo attack. BTW, does anyone happen to know if the map in OFF covers that area of the globe, and if not is there a way to add that area as a download in a mission pack? Here are a few screenshots of Nod's outstanding model of the Short in all it's lumbering, wallowing, slow-flying glory. And despite it's flight characteristics, (which uncleal quite accurately describes as "a concrete block with a propeller and wings"), it is a rush utilizing it to navigate out over open sea, locate an enemy vessel, and successfully send it down to Davy Jones' Locker! I discovered too that landing the Short on the water takes a fair amount of finesse if you don't wish to join the ship you just sank. The front office of the Short A fly-by view Fish on its way to the target A very satisfying explosion Gawd, I love this sim! Many thanks again to all who have worked so hard to create such outstanding aircraft and features as these that we all get to enjoy. Cheers! Lou .

uncleal, my father and grandfather ran a repair garage back in the 20's and 30's as well. And you are so right, it was a whole lot different back then. If an engine went 30,000 miles before needing valve work it was the talk of town. Heck, I lapped valves in by hand myself on a flathead six in a 1940 Plymouth I had back in high school, with my dad watching over my shoulder telling me exactly how I was doing it all wrong. Cheers! Lou

Have fun with that new addition Hellshade, from what everyone says it makes a world of difference in flying this sim. I have been saving up my pennies as well to purchase a set of the Saitek PZ35 Pro Flight pedals, and I am planning on ordering them up next week. Any words of advice from folks who are currently using these in OFF? Cheers! Lou

CaptSopwith wrote: Once again in this sim, we are sharing more closely the real life experiences so often reported in the memoirs of WW1 fighter pilots who engaged two-seaters. Almost universally they expressed a dread of attacking an experienced pilot and gunner team in a B/R plane, or worse, a flight of them. Also, unless they could sneak up on the two-seater from below the tail and remain unseen until the last moment, the preferred attack was a fast dive from the front quarters which gave them the opportunity to put a quick burst into the cockpit area then streak by and slip under the tail and away before the gunner could get a good line on them. Then lather, rinse, and repeat. Another tactic used against a flight of two-seaters was to try and force one to break formation, as they were easier prey to take down that way. Easier being a relative term. Cheers! Lou

The obvious is what so often escapes me entirely Hauksbee. I tend to have a lot of "DUH" moments. Cheers! Lou

Good info and ideas here to share with all. I too have gone in and changed the names of pilots in my squadron in an effort to become more "invested" in my wingmates. Not that a fellow doesn't become invested pretty darned quick in this sim as it is after a few successful missions under his belt. :yes: Creaghorn, let us know if adding more names to the list works for you. I would give that a go myself so as not to see the same ones popong up so often. Cheers! Lou

Hauksbee, the Short is available at the Doves and Hawks website download section that was put together by stumpjumper. Doves and Hawks Website Just join as a website member and you will have access to the Short as well as other items currently being used for the MP meets. Very nice. Also, the Short was called the "Folder" because the wings folded back for storage below deck in the ship. Cheers! Lou