Hellshade

Heya Ryan, I'd suggest turning up the sliders, turn off the TAC and labels completely. It's tough to keep track of everyone with TAC and labels off and it forces you to fly much more defensively as the AI do have a tendancy to sneak up on you just as you get one of his friend lined up for the kill. Welcome aboard and I'm glad you enjoy the game. Camels, by the way, when properly flown can knock pretty much anything out of the sky because they can out turn them plus have dual gun firepower. If you don't have a TrackIR yet I highly recommend you get one when possible, too. It's awesome. Hellshade

My nick came from my World of Warcraft days. I had an Undead Warlock who I originally named "KillerClown" because he seriously looked like Ronald McDonald after having been dead 2 years. Red hair, pale face and everything. It was pretty funny. Anyways, I finally transfered him off the PvP server he was on and Blizzard told me I had to change his name, so I picked Hellshade. A "shade" being a spirit that is unable to rest and so it haunts people. For 2 years he was my main character, specializing in high end, sustained Damage Per Second (DPS) roles for raiding until I finally quit WoW. When I found OFF I just created this account out of habit. I really need to come up with something more WWI oriented, unless Olham wants to make a Sopwith Triplane skin with a devil on the side and flames on the top wings. Hellshade

Wings by Cinemaware on the Amiga. I was so addicted to that game! Non-stop fun. It sure does seem like a lot of new faces showing up these days. This is wonderful. Hellshade

I'm always impressed by your commitment to historical accuracy, but sometimes it literally borders on scary the stuff you folks think of. Bravo though for having such things in the works or at least planned. These are the little details that nobody else bothers with but that adds so much to the immersion and realism of the game. Hellshade

An interesting read http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/18...dead/index.html Hellshade

I don't know how well that would perform. I guess that depend heavily on the processor, video card and ram in his Mac plus how much overhead the emulator eats up. It would be worth him reading up on gaming performance in general of his PC emulator. If it's good in general, it'd probably be good for OFF too. Hellshade

Just a guess, but probably all three. Neoqb did a LOT of advertising and got a lot of coverage which did increase awarness of this era of flight. A number of people were not satisfied at the time of release with what they got (and I know Neoqb is working hard to change that). And doesn't everybody always want more of whatever type of game they enjoy? I'm just glad OBD is finally starting to get more of the word of mouth recognition that it deserves, which is obviously translating into sales. Hopefully somebody in the press will start to pick up on that and give this little gem the kind of national coverage it warrents. I'd still love to see a OFF on the cover of PC Gamer. The game is deep enough and polished enough that it has earned it. Hellshade

OMG, that is some of the funniest $chytt I have ever seen!!! Pure genius. Hellshade

A beautiful sentiment that I would love to see implemented. Thanks Jason for showing the kind of level headed maturity most of us over here in the OFF forums are happy to embrace. If we can find a way to keep the conversations civil without "neutering" our opinions, that would probably be a good thing. Perhaps a separate "room" called "Competitive Efforts" where folks can feel free to respectfully discuss other WWI flight sims as compared to OFF. That way the other topics don't get diluted with talk of other sims and the moderators really should only have to watch one room to make sure it doesn't get overheated. Set some guidelines on a sticky at the top that says no flames, no degrading remarks about anyones sim, the people who fly it or the developers who produce and support it. If you wish to state why your personal preference is for one flight sim over another, fine. But do so respectfully and with the understanding that no single flight sim does it all the best, nor is any one a complete loss. They each have their strengths that cater to different peoples play styles. Given that the room does have a heightened potential to be a "flashpoint", everyone who posts in it does so with the understanding that the moderator can shut down and pull a thread with no notice if it's felt the conversation is no longer constructive or respectful. At least that's one way you guys might be able to do it. I personally don't feel the need to discuss other flight sims anymore, however a healthy dose of compare and contrast would probably only serve to give OBD more ideas on how to improve their already incredible product. Anyways, that's my 2 cents worth. Something to think about. Hellshade

Congratulations CJ! 22 years is quite an accomplishment! What do you attribute your long years of success too? A good flight sim for you and 24 / 7 shopping channel access for her? hehe In any case, well done bud. Hellshade

Yes, the AI do seem to hit control surface cables with uncanny accuracy. 3 bullets in your plane and you can be fairly sure something is either going to make it more difficult to turn or the engine will start to sputter. That said, if you are a good shot and hit the outermost portion of an EA wings, you'll see them having a difficult time turning as well. When flying against multiple enemy aircraft, I try to put some holes in the top wing of as many EA as quickly as possible. THEN I worry about shooting them down when they aren't able to turn and get on my tail so fast. 3 damaged EA are A LOT easier to shoot down than 2 perfectly good ones. I'd like to see a bit more leeway on how much damage player planes take before they experience control issues, but really it just makes me fly more defensively. If anyone looks like they are getting on my tail, I stop trying to line up my current target and turn as quickly as possible to try and put my pursuer on the defensive. The enemy AI don't fire from long distances, but they are deadly accurate if you let them get too close. Hellshade

Will the single DM contain the work of PW and others who modified the Hardcore DM so show more damage effects? I've been using that optional 3rd party DM and it really is fantastic. Great idea on patch consolidation with a few enhancements. I might just try the Spad again once it has a lower stall speed. Top notch work as always fellows. Hellshade

It would be nice if we could have even handed comparisons between OFF and other flight sims, but the challenge is that many people seem to have a different view of what "even handed" or fair is. I'm the first one to support "freedom of speech", however even the Supreme Court of the United States of America said that Freedom of Speech doesn't mean you have the right to walk into a crowded movie theater and yell "fire!!!" when there is no fire. While certainly nobody here is going to be trampled to death by speaking about other WWI flight sims, I also don't see where much positive ever seems to come out of them. Since other forums exist where I could go and discuss other flight simulators if I choose, I'm not concerned about having subjects discouraged here or there that seem to only cause problems. Some people seem to feel that no matter how outrageous or unsupported their accusations may be, they are entitled to make them under free speech and any attempt to keep things civil and on topic is nothing less than an all out, unfettered attack against civil liberties everywhere. That is, in my opinion, just the excuse extremists use in order to be able to keep stirring up trouble for their own purposes. We don't need that. If I want to talk about RoF, I'll go to their forums. If I want to compare the two, I'm sure I can find a forum someplace that supports that. Ultimately though, I'm more interested in getting the most out of OFF by learning from others who play and enjoy the game. That's what these forums are for. Comparisons that devolve into flame wars serve no useful purpose and I specifically regret that I allowed myself to become involved in one previously when I read some pretty ridiculous allegations against the devs of OFF (in a naked attempt to make OFF look inferior to another WWI sim). I can understand why some people are dissappointed by the moderators ruling, however flame wars need to be prevented so the forum can maintain it's focus, which is on the various aspects of this particular WWI flight sim. I wish it could be different and I suspect so do the Devs, but I completely understand why it can't be like that. Hellshade

Excellent work! The action up there is more intense than ever. Great mod for the Hardcore DM. This is definately the DM of choice for me. Hellshade

I don't think I've heard of anyone not getting their Over Flanders Fields Phase 3 DVD that ordered it (even the ones in Europe). In fact I think most folks comment on how quickly they got it. But since you have P2 to play in the meantime, why not order P3 and when it shows up..it shows up. I can assure you that there are huge improvements to P3 over P2 beyond just the aircraft. Hi res scenery, drastically improved AI, tons more options in the Workshop, massive campaign, ability to actually fly and switch positions in those 2 seaters, etc. To each his own, but for $29.99 you get a lot more than a few aircraft. Hellshade

I downloaded and installed the IDM V2.1 and have been enjoying it quite a bit. Olham pointed out he got his wingtip shot off, which I did to an Alb just a little bit ago. Nice effect. But just a moment ago I was in a QC duel with my Sopwith Triplane vs some Fokker DVIIs and on the last guy I didn't pull up fast enough as I straffed him and my landing gear collided with his top wing. Not only did it shred his plane, but it ripped off 1/2 of my landing gear! I've NEVER seen landing gear damaged before. Is this something new? Great work on the IDM! Though I have to admit it does seem like it's a bit too easy to shoot off the lower wings of the Albs. One solid burst and they shred. Hellshade

Mine certainly not as nice as some other setups I've seen, but mine is alot like the Millineum Falcon. She may not be pretty but she's got it where it counts. 28" Widescreen I-INC monitor with HDMI inputs (1920 x 1200). Saitek II multi-colored backlite keyboard, TrackIR 4 Pro, old logitech mouse, Cyber Accoustic Headphones (so the wife doesn't have to listen to WWI every night), Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick and my Rig, which I built myself. Mid Tower Black Armor Case, PQ6T motherboard, Intel i7 920 quad core CPU overclocked to 4Ghz, 6GB RAM also OC'd, 1GB GTX280 OC'd core clock to 676 Mhz, Video RAM OC'd to 1353 Mhz, 1 TB internal 7200 RPM HD w 32MB cache, 640 MB external USB 2.0 HD and Vista 64bit. Zalman CPU fan keeps it all running at 50 C under load. By next week I should have my CH Pedals. None of this unfortunately makes me a better pilot, but it certainly plays OFF well. Hellshade Oh yeah, you can see my blood pressure machine in the lower right hand corner. I don't think I got high blood pressure until I tried a DiD campaign. LOL

(Assumes his best British Accent) Now see here Devs, there's a bit of a problem with your box and banner artwork. On the banner I see a triumphant DVII buzzing past a smoking and apparently defeated (perish the thought) allied aircraft. Probably a recon flight. I suppose it happened now and then if you must know. Yet then again on your box cover art we find an Albatross behind a smoking, flaming Allied scout. Now look here lads, you've done a wonderful job with your flight sim and all. Top notch, really. But this bit about downing the Allied boys on every ad and box cover is a bit of rubbish. You know the other fellows got the bad end of a beating now and then too at least according to the papers. So lets chin up about the whole outcome thing and start showing both sides of the story. Right then. Off you go. Thank you. Hellshade

I've had quite a few wings shot off the Albs and one that went down engulfed in flames. Interesting thing about the wings being shot off. I'm usually hammering away at the top wing due to it's size and the angel I'm attacking at, yet it's always the lower wing that drops away. I don't think I've ever seen a top wing come off except on my own plane. At any rate, the damage effects look fantastic. Great work guys, I love it! Hellshade

I trying a Sopwith Triplane right now. RNAS 1. Just flew up against a bunch of Alb DIIs. I must say we had the advantage in manuverability and cleared them out of the sky nicely. The tripe is my new favorite plane. Not quite as manueverable as the Camel but close and better view. Hellshade

Has anyone else noticed that it seems like the AA is hitting closer to it's mark without being the absolute deadly killer that it originally was? I'm noticing a lot of near misses, sometimes within a few yards of the target, which makes it feel like the boys down below are back in the war doing their best to bring the bad guys abruptly down to their level. At least that is what I am seeing in QC flights. Anyone else see this or am I suffering pilot fatigue? Hellshade

I didn't get hit at all. These were QC dogfights above my base, so it was the poor bosche pilot who was getting all the near misses around him. One flak shell exploded less then 1/2 a second right after the space he flew through. Close boys, but not quite. But yes, I always zig zag. Only way to hope to survive. Hellshade

Must have just been a lucky few streaks then. Ah well. Anyways, you were about to tell us the release date for the ad on pak? Hellshade

I'm not a Brit, but always I play one in Over Flanders Fields. Can't pilot a damn Spad to save me. Hellshade

Then I'm not far from you my friend. I bought a new home out in Lehigh Acres in 2001. Hellshade