RAF_Louvert

. Oooooh, Olham could you sign my copy, "To Lou, the most awesomest virtual WWI pilot I know anywhere on the entire planet." .

. Tranquillo, I can do your kite for you as well, but I wouldn't be able to get to it until the weekend. If Herr Olham can handle it for you sooner than I say take him up on his kind offer, elsewise it's my pleasure to take care of it for you on Saturday. And Oktoberfest in Germany, oh how I remember those days, though the memories are a bit fuzzy round the edges. Cheers! Lou .

. Olham, that is an outstanding map Sir! I look forward to receiving your rework of it. TaillyHo wrote: Yes TaillyHo, I use known landmarks to map my routes, and that is the purpose of the "Cook's Tour" of your AO, to find those landmarks and distinguishing features. As to hitting the in-sim waypoints in order to be promoted, I have not noticed this to be much of a factor in the campaigns I have flown with the "paper" maps and customized routes. It seems that as long as I get relatively close to the waypoints the sim sets and complete the missions I get promoted in a fairly realistic amount of time. I believe promotions may also be contingent on number of kills, medals awarded, targets destroyed, and other such factors. TaillyHo wrote: There used to be a scale that showed in the Workshop giving you a %Realism setting, but that has since gone away as it was fairly arbitrary. The new realism settings outline by BritishEh and/or the DiD standards are better guidelines to use if you wish to more closely follow what our RL counterparts had to endure in the course of their duties. As to baby steps, perhaps you'll be interested in my book: Available at questionable booksellers and less-than-reputable newsstands everywhere. TaillyHo wrote: Many thanks Sir. The French WWI aviateur's uniform has been an ongoing labour of love for quite some time now. I am close to having a proper pair of red trousers to complete the ensemble very soon. Javito1986 wrote: Javito, if you have a relatively good monitor you will be surprised just how far you can see with the "naked eye", in particular once you have your TrackIR up and running. Also, your idea of programming hot keys on your JS for the zoom in/out functions is a good one and one I employ myself. Slarti, I am very glad to know you too are still enjoying Paul Blum's story. I know I certainly enjoy writing it. And again, you are more than welcome Sir. Cheers! Lou .

. Many thanks Olham, I take being "mad" in this way as a true compliment. To share such madness with the likes of you and others here places me in very good company. As to the map: When I fly in the Alsace-Vosges region I use the wonderful maps made available by Waldemar Kurtz in the OFF Downloads section. They are excellent, however you will have to make note of the airfields yourself. .

. Flying by map is perhaps one of the most singularly immersive additions you can make to OFF, IMHO. As Olham has pointed out, you can begin with a clean map of your AO, then make your first few missions a "Cook's Tour" of your sector. Mark in airfields, (if they are not already on the map you are using), note locations of oddly shaped woods, lakes, unusual bends in rivers, anything you can use as a landmark really. After a very short time of flying over the same piece of ground you will be surprised how quickly you can navigate without the map at all. My "paper" map is actually a second computer and monitor to the port side of my flying rig, and I have the map pulled up there and I draw in my route, waypoints, target, etc before the mission. I can then make notes of air battles and crashes and such as things progress and are fresh in my mind, (or as soon as I am free of danger and can jot them down). Flying by map and compass really takes this sim into a whole new dimension. I will never go back to the in-sim map with the icon to show me where I am, it's much too much fun getting lost and sorting out where over God's Green Earth I might be. Here is a generic example of one of my mission maps at take off, flying from Ensisheim to Nancy and back: If you've never tried it you really should give it a go. Just ask Olham. BTW, for those who haven't seen it, (and because I am rather proud of the set-up), here is my flying room showing the second monitor for my map: Cheers! Lou .

. Greetings All, After putting together Slarti's new Strutter "Fiddly Bits" I'm rather in the mood to do another Sopwith product, and I will have some time this coming wekend to call my own, soooooo....if anyone is interested in having a custom skin of their own just drop me a PM and let me know. Also Dej, I just went through that site you mentioned and linked...WOWZERS! I have it bookmarked for future use. Cheers! Lou .

. As one of the fortunate foolish, I know too well of what you speak. No amount of prior planning will ever replace pure dumb luck. .

. Pips, I've flown quite a bit in the Walfisch, and while I agree it seems a bit more forgiving than the real examples described in your quote all-in-all it's quite close to what it should be, again as per your quote. I enjoy flying the "beast" and find it a treat to fight in when going up against the N11's of the day. But then, I'm a B/R pilot at heart. .

. Might I suggest hiding out in the pub until your package arrives in the post TaillyHo. .

. It's nice to know so many of you folks like the Strutter skin, and I'd be happy to make others for those who would wish their own. Scouseair, I agree about the movie being a travesty. Never came remotely close to the books or the series and their wonderful style. "It is known that there is an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the product of a deranged imagination." Sheer genius. .

. Just as a point of interest for those newcomers who might not know this: You can go in and create your own corrected medal images if you like and swap them at the approprotate times in your pilot's dossier file. Here is Leutnant Ritter von Blum's current pilot log: Cheers! Lou .

. As I was the Clerk of Commendations for the old RB3D 209 virtual squadron for over four years I am rather a fan of the WWI medals and awards. However, as Uncleal has indicated, the current system in OFF is less than ideal, but it is being updated by Paarma and others on the dev team. That being said, your first US award would likely have been the Distinguished Service Cross, possibly with a bar or two, after which you may have been awarded the CMOH, (though very, very unlikely). Truth be told you would be lucky to have been awarded the first one along with a Croix de Guerre from the French and, if you were serving with Belgian forces, a Croix de Guerre from them as well. It's also possible the Brits may have handed you a Military Cross, (or Military Medal if you were an NCO), had you served with them, but that would likely be the extent of your awards as a flying doughboy on the Western Front. .

. Yes Olham, that is all well and good Sir. But my problem is I usually zag when I should have zigged. .

. Austria! To quote Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber, (can't believe I am actaully going to quote Lloyd). Lloyd: "That's a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?" Lady at bus stop: "Austria." Lloyd: "Austria! Well, then. G'day mate! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!" Lady at bus stop: "Let's not." It was not called Dumb and Dumber without good reason.

. I can sympathize with you Olham. I have tried to sort through a few German language writings on the Great War over the years, but it gets quite tedious sitting with the book I am attempting to understand in one hand a German-English dictionary in the other. Reminds me of the Monty Python sketch where they're plodding their way through "Black Beauty". .

. More coffee, Baldrick! The man needs MORE COFFEE! .

. Outstanding videos once again Hellshade. But I must say, there seemed to be a bit of target fixation in your Red Devils encounter when you latched onto the tail of that second Hun. You never scanned around once to be sure where his mates were, even when those bullets went ripping past your starboard wing. Not like you Sir, but then your luck does seem to run quite fair for you. .

. Sorry Olham, it may not have been translated yet, I can't find a German language version posted anywhere either. Hopefully it will come along soon Sir. .

. Olham, IIRC "The First World War" is the condensed version of Strachen's monster three-volume earlier work on the subject. He is a leading WWI historian and knows of what he speaks. However, I cannot claim to have read his complete writings but only short excerpts, much as I have done with Jannen's "Lions of July" and John Keegan's "First World War". VP, I've not read any of Massie's work and will have to get to that someday as well. Slarti, thanks for the links Sir. So many books, so little time. .

. Thank you Olham, that's quite the compliment coming from someone with your superior skinning skills Sir. But the Boche best be blanched when Slarti's about in his new bus as I doubt he's saving it for simply a Sunday sally. "Damn the alliterations, full speed ahead!" .

. First time I've ever heard of that Olham, and I don't believe it is correct at all. Wikipedia is great as long as you don't trust the info too far. .

Wow! High praise indeed Ratatat, you honour me Sir. I am glad Paul's exploits have brought you back to the fold. Let me buy YOU a drink! Cheers! Lou .

. Yuppers, that is an excellent thread, and the info is spot on with what I've read over the course of time myself. Balloon busting was a good way to get yourself killed PDQ. .

. Javito, I also agree with the advice given here by the aces Olham, Uncleal, Hellshade, and Si. I try to get in very close as well to make sure each shot counts, but I've yet to claim the results Hellshade so aptly demonstrates in his fine videos. He has the knack. .

. Many thanks Ratatat and Beanie for your kind words regarding Paul's story. I'm glad to know you Gents are enjoying the read. I hope to be adding the next installment sometime later this week, if time allows. Cheers! Lou .