Hellshade

Deadmeat, Looks like I was wrong, I'm happy to say. Winder just clarified in another thread that 1.28a is NOT the final P3 patch. They are just no longer doing P3 content update. No more added features and stuff. Specifically he said that they are aware that low level AI isn't as aggressive or challenging as it is at the higher altitudes and they are working on fixing it. Just when I think this flight sim couldn't get any better... Hellshade

Winder, that is just outstanding. Seriously. I misunderstood and thought that you guys would be releasing no more patches at all. I am glad to hear that while no new content is going to be released for P3 (except possibly if you create and sell an expansion pack, hint hint) you are going to continue to work on bug fixes and AI improvements. Would that every developer was as dedicated to perfecting the quality of their product as you guys are. I can't wait to have a go at fritz at low levels and find him equally as eager and capable to engage me as he is up in the clouds. Tree top dogfights will be some true white knuckle flying then! I can't wait. Hellshade

No, there isn't a built in paint shop for Over Flanders Fields. You would be 'stuck' choosing from one of the 3,500 historically accurate, beautifully rendered paint schemes that comes with the game, unless you wanted to break out Photoshop and create one yourself in there. OFF P3 isn't "perfect", but for historical accuracy and high quality flight sim experience, you really can't go wrong with it unless you just plain don't have the gear to run it. If you plan to buy it, may I suggest switching to 16xQ antialiasing mode. It improves the quality of the picture tremendously and even seems to help it run faster and smoother. Let us know what you think once you get it. Hellshade

They have never knocked me out of the sky but I did sustain one friendly AA fire hit that knocked me out of the fight. With nobody in close proximity there was a loud burst of black smoke and fire that I caught out of the corner of my eye somewhere under my right wing. Controls were immediately shot to hell and it was all I could do to bring my crate in for a rough landing. I imagine friendly AA fire occurred during the war. I notice however that they DO stop firing as soon as the last EA has been brought down from the sky. At least that lets me know when I can stop looking over my shoulder for trouble. I have the radar turned off so it's the only time I'm not worried about being jumped from above or behind. Hellshade

I have to say that when using Realistic FM, if I am heavily out numbered or lose sight of my prey, my best chance of survival is to dive for the deck and re-engage them again down at tree top level. They are far less likely to engage me with their guns at low altitude. They seem to be a bit more aggressive if you use the Easy Flight Model, probably because they don't have to work so hard to recover. The trade off, of course, is that then it will end up feeling more like a hollywood movie than a realistic flight sim, complete with low level barrel rolls and a somewhat lesser impact on handling of your own plane if you are only slightly damaged (using Normal DM). I personally have found that that can be pretty fun and exciting in it's own right. However if you are a purist, that naturally is a bad thing. I think your coding solution is excellent. A short time of vulnerability would be an improvement over the current low level combat AI routine of endless dips and climbs. I'm afraid with the Devs drawing a hard line at patch 1.28a, the only hope of getting it implemented would be for someone else to make a 3rd party mod of the OFF P3 FM. Given the incredible passion and support that has gone into making OFF BHaH such an amazing product, I can only speculate that the reason the Devs called a close to further patches is because they have something else on their plate now. Perhaps P4. Perhaps an expansion with more planes and better AI for P3 or maybe something completely new from the ground up. Again, pure speculation on my part. Ok, and a bit of hope too. As far as low level AI is concerned, I found out the hard way that I'm not the only one who can shoot them down. As I brought my trusty SE5a around to have a go at a Hun passing low over my airfield, the boys down below got him with a direct hit of AA to the belly of his craft. I was so shocked that it happened right before my eyes that it took me a second to get a screenshot of it, a moment after the fact. You can still see the big black cloud from where the hit took place and the EA dropping stright down, bottom wings completely gone. What an amazing game. Hellshade

1.28a is the latest and final patch for Over Flanders Fields - Between Heaven and Hell. The Devs have said after that patch, which is now available, OFF P3 is finished except for minor database tweaking now and then. Hellshade

I decided to try something just an experiment. I figured the AI isn't as aggressive down at low altitudes because it doesn't have as much room to make any mistakes. If it stalls, they are dead because they have no room to recover, etc. I wondered if maybe the more realistic flight models might be more constrictive to the enemy AI because under that FM they have the least room for error. So I put the Flight Model on Easy and ran a few Quick Combat missions just see how the AI behaved on the deck. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that they are in fact more aggressive. Perhaps some of the Devs could confirm or deny this based on what they know about the code. Anyways, if you get a chance and have the inclination, make a Pilot that you play with the FM on Easy and try out some QC or Campaign missions. Let me know what you think. Am I imagining it or do they seem a bit more aggressive? Hellshade

For something that hasn't been tested Pol, I'm having a blast with it. I actually started a british pilot campaign with it, using Easy FM, Realistic AI Guns, Normal Gun strength for me and Normal Damage Model. What I seem to notice most is that when I take just a couple rounds of damage (normal damage model, not hard) my plane isn't instantly nearly impossible to control or fly. I can still put up a fight, though it is definately harder. If they get a solid burst into me or I take two or three pepper sprays of bullets I'm still done for. Also, the AI enemy aircraft still die spectacular deaths when shot down, but seem to be more aggressive and put up a better fight, especially when hedge hopping across the landscape. I can't just dive for the deck to raise my chances of survival as much. Obviously it's not as realistic, but to tell you the truth, it feels more like I'm in a WWI Hollywood movie like Flyboys. Some of the action stretches reality a bit but it sure is fun for a little pure escapism. I understand all the effort went into the Realistic flight model. I'm not going to be coming back making suggestions or complaints about the Easy FM. It is what it is and I accept it 100% for that. All I'm saying is if you ever wanted to feel like you were in some of the non-stop action Hollywood WWI movies, try the Easy FM with radar, display messages and all the other "helper" stuff turned off. Could an SE5a barrel roll that easy in real life? I don't know. Probably not, but it sure is fun as hell to keep an Albatross in view with TrackIR as I barrel roll into position behind him for the kill. For me, it's just another way to have fun with this amazing flight sim. Hellshade

BHaH = What you will be spending the next countless hundreds of hours flying in. Check out the preview movies to see why everyone loves this WWI flight sim. It's the most immersive, historically accurate and well crafted flight sim ever made (IMHO). And as a quick note, the only player controlled plane in the movies is the one you are viewing from. All others are AI controlled. Seriously. http://www.overflandersfields.com/movies.htm Hellshade

Anyone notice better AI at low altitude when the Player Flight model is set to easy? Anyone at all? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Guess not. Perhaps I'm the first WWI pilot to smoke crack. :) Ah well. P3 is a blast no matter how you play it. Hellshade

I can ALLLLMOST see what color his socks are!!! More amazing still, we didn't collide at all and I got the kill. He was suspended there for a moment just long enough for me to zip underneath after peppering his plane full of lead. Night time QC missions are a hoot! Have I mentioned how much I love this game lately? Hellshade

Just another typical day at the office...

My British pilot is Major Lazarus Phoenix. Not suprisingly, he plays on "easiest outcome" mode and so is never truly dead. He somehow always is ressurected to rise from the ashes. My Dead is Dead pilot (who I have to keep re-making) is Manfred Von Blackeagle. Clearly as with many others who love this flight sim, I have pilot naming issues. But I do have fun and that is all that really matters, isn't it? Hellshade

Hey All, I know this has been answered elsewhere and I just can't seem to find it. I'm looking to upgrade my rig, but does OFF P3 support Vista 64 bit? I don't believe it does, but before I spent any money I just wanted to be sure. My apologies for asking. I KNOW it's answered somewhere and I just can't seem to locate the thread. Hellshade

Since Winder says that P3 is basically done after patch 1.28a, I'm not sure there is a point to posting "nit picks" anymore anyways. Hellshade

Looks like I am somewhat close to the max anyway Pol. 3.16Ghz Intel Duo Core 2, 3GB Ram (PC 6400), 1GB GTX280. Honestly, now that I found out about the 16xQ settings, I don't need to upgrade a thing. All settings on 5 except scenery 4 and clouds 1 and I can hold steady at 40 FPS in flak filled skies during a 6 v 6 furball right over an air field. No stutter, no white jaggies, no frame drops. It's so smooth that nothing really takes me out of the immersion. But you know what? The game is so good I was willing to fork out the cash if needed to upgrade my gear so I could have the best experience possible if I had to. You know THAT is a satisfied customer. The fact that it turns out the game runs so well when correctly configured that I don't NEED TO UPGRADE just makes it that much better. Great work guys! Hellshade

In game with no labels, no warp, and no radar etc, you will not last long enough to get 100 kills that's the point as you will as we all do switch off looking around whilst struggling to stay in formation, or checking your map or whatever. Don't fly with Warp if you want to get the odd realistic surprise from above ;) A valid point Pol. I just started flying with no radar and my new favorite phrases seem to be "Where the F--- did he go?!?" and "Where the F--- did he come from?!?" I doubt very seriously many of us would get more than 17 hours flight time with true "Dead is Dead" settings, especially if it was our first time flying in combat. No auto mixture, no auto rudder, no warp, no radar, hard settings for all guns, etc. Seriously, if I need to make the game any more realistic at this point I'll put a huge high speed box fan on my desk, turn the temperature in my house down to 0 degrees and have my wife shoot me with a pellet gun every time my pilot gets hit. I'm good. And with no disrespect ment to any other WWI flight sim developers out there, I don't see anything better currently on the market or hitting the shelves anytime soon. Thanks for a fantastic WWI flight sim. I hope you sell a million copies. Hellshade

I think the ability to swap DMs is fantastic, that way BHaH has something to appeal to everyone interested in a WWI flight sim. Personally, I enjoy the fact that it's easy to shoot down planes, especially when I know my plane is just as easy to get shot down. It means I have to pay attention constantly to make sure nobody gets on my 6 or stays there long. Combat is fast and furious and I never feel like I can just relax. As long as there is even one enemy craft in the sky, I know I am at risk of being shot down so I can't take anything for granted. I know some people say the current DM makes the game too easy, but I wonder if they have the "Radar" up so they can always see who is around them. Without the radar, you could be shot down before you even saw the enemy aircraft dive down behind you. Isn't that how it really was? True, my cables seem to get hit 100% of the time when I am shot, reducing my manueverability and that seems a bit too harsh but I just use it to make myself try harder to never, ever get hit. I seem to recall one of the patches was supposed to "strengthen cables". They seem weaker, to be honest. But whatever. It's by far the greatest flight sim I've ever played and even one of the greatest games along with Oblivion, Neverwinter Nights and World of Warcraft. There is enough here to keep me interested for years! Not that I expect you to tip your hand, but I hope the sudden stop in patches is because you guys landed a deal with a big developer to get to work on creating something even better. No doubt you all have the talent, persistance, passion and skill that it takes to make a world class flight sim, so I wouldn't be suprised if somebody took notice of your work and made you all a great offer. Regardless, I wish you all the best! Hellshade

The only advantage I figured 64 bit would give is the ability to address over 4GB total memory. Right now I am maxed at 3GB system memory and a 1GB GTX280 video card. I thought maybe that might give the game a little more room to handle all those high res textures. Other that, there really aren't any games I play that use the DX10 features.

I already have Vista 32 bit, Widowmaker. I was only going to get Vista 64 bit along with some hardware upgrades to try and improve my performance, however it doesn't really matter now. The 16xQ antialiasing has smoothed everything out wonderfully. I'll wait until Intel ships a new processor type so the i7 Core 920 drops in price. Then I'll get that and overclock the begeezus out of it. I know the extra cores won't matter on the CFS3 engine, but going from 3.2Ghz to 4 Ghz should help something. Add some more ram and get a 64 bit OS to handle it all. When does Windows 7 ship anyway? I think it took them 2 years to ship Vista after it went beta. Good old Microsloth. :)

Winder, Other than the database tweaks you talked about and maybe the ability to add "Random German fighter" or "Random Allied Fighter" to the Quick Combat enemy plane menu, and maybe beefed up AI an low altitudes, I can't imagine what else you would need to add to OFF P3 to make it flawless. It truly is an epic peice of work. It's so well done and the combat is so intense, it's the first game in about 5 years to pull me away from MMOs completely. Thanks a ton for all of your efforts at updating P3. It's a masterful flight sim and, in my opinion, hands down the best WWI flight sim ever produced. With all of the options you've put into it, it can handle anyones preferences from "Arcade" all the way up to Hardcore "Dead is Dead" realistic mode. I'd give it a 97%. You guys rock. So, if you are coming to the end of the P3 patches, does that mean you guys are thinking about building something else? Or is it just time for a really well deserved and long overdue vacation? Hellshade

Holy Hell Windowmaker, it's even better on 16xQ! Not only does it look better stiil, getting rid of every last little graphical "jaggy", it also eliminates the tiny studder I was getting at with terrain bumped up to 5. Now I definately don't need to spend any money upgrading my system. It's just freakin amazing.

I was able to bump my settings to 5 (Overall) 5, 5, 4 (scenery), 5, 1 (clouds) and it still holds steady at 30 FPS under every condition. I do however occassionally get an extremely minor 1/10th of a second stutter which is almost unnoticable. Running at 1680 x 1050 x32. Make sure you Antialiasing Mode to Oerride any application settings to. Has anyone else tried this or am I just the last guy to figure it out? Hellshade

That sounds like good news for me and bad news for my tax return. heh. Pretty sure I'm going to get a i7core intel and OC it to 4 Ghz. 6GB of Corsair DDR3 RAM, new all black ANTEC case, 850 watt power supply, motherboard, fans and a 10k RPM 300GB raptor drive. I'll keep my GTX280 as that really ought to be fine for awhile. I bet I could run OFF smooth as glass with all settings on 5 then! Dunno though. I got a wedding and honeymoon coming up. May have to wait 3 or 4 months. Decisions, decisions.... Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. Hellshade

On a QC flying on a clear day at 5000 feet in my trusty DIII. A small spec in the sky ahead of me rapidly grows larger and I can barely make out the form of a lone DH2 headed towards me. I tap the stick slightly to the left, jinking my plane so that I will take him down my right side. Though my plane is better than his, I'm still anxious before the coming fight. I know all it takes is a few well places shots from him and my plane will lose its advantages. I never take my eyes off of him, preparing for the swirling dogfight about to begin. Suddenly, AA from my lines opens up and begins to fill the sky with dangerous black puffs of smoke. No matter, I will fly through it and meet my foe! Without warning, a few hundred feet in front of me, his plane is almost totally covered in a thick black ball of smoke! Flames immediately engulf his machine and both wings come apart, sending the craft plummeting earthward! His scream is mercifully short. He drops straight as a stone from 5,000 feet, flames and black smoke trailing the entire way down. I circle above watching the terribly long fall, hoping he died as soon as the shell hit him. I circle closer to his doomed craft but I cannot hear anything above the sound of my engine and the continuous AA fire filling the skies around me. He never had a chance, and neither did I. Though we fight amongst the heavens, the long arms of hell on earth below can still reach us with their black claws of death, pulling us 'would be angels' screaming and bleeding from the sky. Death steals from everyone. My victory. His life. If "war is hell", then all we mortals have done by learning to fly is stretch the hand of hell so far that even the heavens feel its touch. My God. What have we done? Hellshade