Hellshade

Hands down the best forum I've ever been a member of. Hats off to all the folks that make it possible. Hellshade

Good call Shiloh. Thanks. Here's a few pics using Lou's settings and the ENB series graphics drivers for bloom, etc.

Lou, Thanks for posting your config. I mixed that with the ENB series for bloom effects, etc and I really like the results. I am trying to post a few screen shots but every time I attach a picture and upload it I get an error that says "Used 40.93MB of your 40MB global upload quota" and it tells me the upload failed. The screenies are in .jpg format and only around 120 - 220kbs each. How do I clear out my "40MB Global quota"? Any ideas? Hellshade

We've come a long way from Pong.... http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/03/09/unreal-engine-3-highlight-reel Hellshade

ASUS P6T for my mainboard. No complaints. Hellshade

Within 2 weeks after April 21st if not on that actual date. Hellshade

I don't know if I would recommend Phase 2 disks to anyone at this point. They don't even do a shadow of justice to what Phase 3 and it's expansion accomplished, let alone the total re-write that OFF 2 will be. I'd hate for anyone to get the wrong idea of how great the sim really is at this point compared to the old freeware versions. I mean I guess it would be fine as along as when someone gets them they realize that P2 in no way shape or form represents the quality and breadth of Phase 3 or the upcoming expansion. It's like playing the original Doom and expecting it to give you an idea of what Modern Warfare 3 or Battlefield 3 is like. Yes, they all focus on guns from a first person shooter perspective...but after that.... Just my 2 cents worth. Hellshade

Well as long and extensive as this article is, it fails to mention our beloved OFF2. But if you are interested in a whole crap-ton of titles that are slated to be shipped in 2012, it's interesting to see some of what's coming. http://www.pcgamer.com/previews/the-best-pc-games-of-2012/ Hellshade

I think they'd love to get it out the door on April 21st. Such a short time between now and then could explain the lack of preview movies (1 so far for OFF2 compared to 11 for P3). I'm going to sign on for April 21st as well Crossbones and predict an official OFF 2 release movie just days before it comes out. A week at most. That said, I'd rather they released it when it's ready rather than on some artificial date, which is what I imagine they probably will do. Quality matters to these guys. But if they can, I agree they are aiming for that date. Hellshade

I can't speak for the Devs but I can probably give a fairly accurate answer anyway. (Devs please correct me if I'm wrong here). The reason that they are taking this "stance" is because attempting to get both P3 and OFF2 on the same machine at the same time is likely a programing nightmare that would add inumerable months to the development process of OFF2 and inject countless little "easter eggs" of problems that would plague BOTH products, ultimately undermining the quality of the experience we end users have with the finished product. I see your point, but I'm guessing practicality wins out in the end. Nobody wants to wait longer for a product to ship that now has unnecessary bugs in it just so that a few people can still play the older version of the game...which they may well discard once they begin enjoying all the features of the new game anyway. That's what I'm guessing. Hellshade

UncleAl made a lot of positive contributions to the forum and helped out quite a few people. He also alienated quite a few folks as well. I wouldn't be against him being let back into the forums either, but as Olham said...he got plenty of warnings and never seemed to be able to change his pattern. If we are indeed supposed to be adults here, it's a fair question to ask that "How many warnings should you really need to get?" After a point, if nothing permanent is done, folks begin to see that there really are no rules (rules that aren't enforced aren't really rules, are they?) and then everything pretty much goes to hell in a hand basket. Our primary purpose on this forum is to keep great open lines of communication between the Devs, other OFF simmers and ourselves. Sure there are plenty of OT posts, but so long as they are civil, nobody really minds. It's the continuous uncivil posts that chased away or nearly so a number of people who showed an interest in OBDs fine sim. The Devs work too hard to build a great product to have someone alienating newcomers asking perfectly understandable questions. Nobody is saying they are happy about how it all ended, but as long as we are thinking about what is "fair", I think it's only right to ask what is fair to the Devs? How long should they have to put up with a forum member, even one who has contributed many positive things, pissing off potential new buyers because of some very rude (and often totally undeserved), caustic remarks? I'm sorry it ended the way it did but frankly, it is what it is. And it wasn't without multiple warnings. How many should a man really need? As for OFF, it's definately some of the best money I have ever spent on a flight sim. Not just because of the high quality software either. I find considerable value just being a member of this forum. I've been on quite a few forums in my life and this is the only one I have never quit. I may not post all the time but rare is the day I don't stop in and see what the fine folks of Combat Ace OFF:BH&H forums are up to. Hellshade

Can't say I've ever heard of Override settings not working. Did you do a complete shut down and restart after you uninstalled and before re-installing OFF? Which Override settings aren't working? All of them or a certain few? Hellshade

Hey Devs, So if Over Flanders Fields P3 is "Between Heaven and Hell", will P4 be annointed with a new name as well? Maybe something like Over Flanders Fields : Air Combat Experience Simulator "ACES" Edition. Hellshade

That was my crazy suggestion since it's a total re-write from the ground up and Pol would like the name to be shorter. But who knows what the Devs have done (apparently they do in fact now have a name). Frankly, they could call it "The latest stuff from Pol, Winder and Crew" and I'd buy it. But reaching beyond their established fan base probably requires something a bit more artistic. Hellshade

Well nobody can tell you what to do with your money, for sure. You must spend it how you see fit. I too enjoy RoF and it does have it's good points. But considering that they want nearly $20 for a single add on map that hasn't even been released yet - and that mostly consists of just water - I have to say HitR offers a lot more for 1/2 the price. As I say, I enjoy that sim too, but their add-ons tend to add up pretty quickly and for less than the amount of content you will get elsewhere. We won't even get into the topic of customer service. I'll just say they have a very nice flight and damage model and we'll leave everything else undefined. Hellshade

Speaking frankly, I can't think of any more value you'll find for your $9.99 in a video game expansion than you'll get for the Hat in the Ring. It's a hell of a lot more than just an American Squadron update. If OFF 2 came out 2 months from now (and we have no reason to believe it will), you'd have still gotten your money's worth out of it. Hellshade

Oh don't get me wrong folks. I wasn't saying AI and FM were the only things I was looking forward to or that were awesome. Far from it. Just that those were the two I was most excited about because, to me, the more real they can make the air to air combat experience the more I love it. The beautiful scenery, the campaign, the high resolution plane skins, the new plane sets (Gotha's, Snipes and more!), the re-worked and highly detailed airfields, searchlights at night, individually tracking soldiers on the ground, the re-done Workshop, the possiblity of Hosting missions on-line, etc etc etc! I'm looking forward to it all and sometimes have a hard time believing that any Dev group could accomplish all of this, let alone one so small. But OBD loves what they do and it comes through in all of their products. We're lucky to have them. At any rate, so now that we know they have a name - do we start the contest to see who can "name the name" correctly? I'm going to back whoever it was that suggested Over Flanders Fields II. I'm guessing they chose that to maintain brand awareness and reduce overall title length. I'm probably wrong, but there's my 2 cents guess. Anything to fill the time before the first shipping date. Hellshade

Wow that is awesome news actually. It doesn't mean that you are close to finishing or anything, but it's still nice to know you all decided on a title for your latest master piece. I know I've already said this but of all the incredible things I've seen in screenshots and the OFF 2 preview video, the flight models and AI rank tops in my book. As mind blowing as the scenery is, the AI has me the most excited. Even combat at low altitude looks like it's going to be fantastic. Hellshade

I signed up for beta GW2 today, yes. I thought for sure there would be a beta OFF2 link around here somewhere to click but I haven't found it yet. If WM wants to PM me that link, I certainly would appreciate it. Hellshade

I can't tell you what to buy sir, but I bought the EVGA Superclocked GTX580 when it came out and I've never regretted it. It's not given me any troubles and it certainly seems to have some muscle behind it. Hellshade

Sounds like we may have a name too. Over Flanders Fields 2. At any rate, it's highest on my "Gotta have it" list. I think Guild Wars 2 might be second. Hellshade

I'll agree with that. I'll also agree that OFF already has an established name that is recognized and that has value. However, since OFF 2.0 isn't compatible with any previous version of OFF, it'll also be confusing to people who may think they may need to buy OFF:BH&H and OFF:HitRs in order to fly OFF: The Next Big Thing. Not to mention that as long as you are keeping the "Over Flanders Fields" part, you are doomed to a long name, which Pol seems to not prefer. Just my opinion, but with this many additions, enhancements, improvements and features packed into the new sim, it's a good time to make fork in the road and create a new name for this next generation, re-defining of WWI flight sims. The Devs probably will stick with OFF for understandable reasons. But just as OFF is known as the spiritual successor to the Red Baron. Maybe it's time for OFF to have a spiritual successor of it's own? Hellshade

At the risk of being crucified, let's look at what we (the players) know. It's a completely re-written flight sim from the ground up. So much so that we can't even install it on top of OFF:BH&H. New AI New DM New FM New cockpits and plane skins Just New, new and more new. It also focuses on historical accuracy (as always) and the whole scope of the war in the air. So why not make a complete break from the past and drop the OFF title altogether and start fresh that honors all the work the Devs have done, avoids cliche's (knights, etc) and doesn't focus on just a few men (the Aces). Why not just call it what it is. The Great Air War. If you wanted, you could sub-title it (1915 - 1918) in smaller letters right underneath. So you'd get something like this: The Great Air War (1915 - 1918) And for abbreviation purposes, just call it GAW. I think the name encompasses the totality of what the Devs have been working so hard to re-create and given that it's a complete re-write from the ground up, why not just give it it's own name? After all, isn't The Great Air War what we all wish to re-experience in flight sim form? Just a thought. Don't crucify me for suggesting we drop OFF altogether and start fresh. Hellshade PS. I picture the cover art to be something epic like an in game screenshot (since the planes and scenery are so beautiful) of a flight of Gothas dropping bombs on ground targets while Allied scouts attack, in flak filled skies. Of course if you could get some German scouts in the screenshot defending the Gothas, that would be even better. Maybe some photoshop cut and paste work to create the perfect composite picture?

It's an oldie but a goody. Hellshade's Air to Air Tactics video (1080HD)