Olham

Three policemen carry Olham into the madhouse. The attendants take him over; the doctor starts filling in the papers. First policeman: "He keeps repeating the same things over and over: The Gotha and the Handley-Page are coming! Mmuahahahahahahaaaaa!!!!" Psychiatrist: "Ahem - Gotha? Handley-Page? Those were early airplanes, I think?..." Second policeman: "They were bombers in the Great War. I build little plastic kits, so I know." First policeman: "Yes, he's really good at it! He painted a Lozenge camo on his latest..." Psychiatrist: "Yes, yes! I need to fill in this form! Ahem - How many "a" in "Muahahahahaaaaa!!!" ?"

You are flying that crate, Winston? I had thought it was only an AI model??? Seems I should dive into the user made missions a bit more, after doing the one from Lou.

Ah, okay; thanks, BirdDog.

First alien: "See this? That guy has got "Wings of Glory" running on his rig." Second alien: "A fifteen years old simulation? On a modern computer??" First alien: "Yes. They call that "good old memories" or such." Second alien: "He spent hours to get this to work, when he can have 'Over Flanders Fields'???" First alien: "Yes - it's irrational. I don't think we should land here..." CaptSopwith, I also got that sim, back in the last century! I loved it! When I hear the music, and see the funny pilots talk - it was so simplistic, now it would be trash, but oh, the memories!

Yes, it works. But for all who want to fly this mission: make sure you have changed from "fuel management" to "personal skin" in "Workshop". I had started my flying, but half way over the channel my petrol was down to 41 % - the sim had used my last "fuel management" setting for the start, which was a filling of 50 % or so. I broke it off; then got visitors, and so I must start again Monday or Tuesday (I don't want to use warp, and it takes some time to get there).

Yes, I was on the field, I suppose it should work now! So I'll try it now. God, am I curious! Sorry for the comotion, Lou!

Ah, I think I found the problem - Stumpjumper's HP had slipped into the wrong folder. (I hate the newer Windows bullsh*t, were Windows try to think for you by opening further folders).

Okay, I had forgotten to delete the .bdp file. The Gotha folder is placed in the main aircraft folder. But it contains more files than all other aircraft? There are a "model", "sound" and "Textures" folder too. Is that right? I just tried it again after deleting the .bdp file, but still no go. The first of the "Quick scenarios" didn't work either; only the second one I could fly. For your mission, I always get "failed to load mission".

Hmmmmm - doesn't seem to work for me. I'm always getting the same message: "Mission file failed to load!" Here is what I did with your files, just to check: This file is placed in the main "missions" folder: Gothas_Along_the_Thames.xml This file is placed in "missions/sceanrios/Germany" folder: Olhams Gotha Escort.xml I am getting a window in "Quick scenarios" where I can choose the mission, but the it fails to load it. Any ideas?

Okay, I am ready! Thank your for all this! I must admit, that my hands are a bit moist. I have never flown so far over water. And there may be wingmen with me, for whom I feel responsible. I have switched TAC and "Labels" of, although this will not allow me to make my wingmen attack specific targets. But then, in the air they couldn't communicate very much anyway. I don't expect to survive this, so I created a special "Test Pilot" for the mission. If I fail, I'll try it again, but only the first attempt is closest to real life - all further attempts are based on some more knowledge. Wish me luck!

Are you still around, Lou? I have a little problem. The Gothat files did not contain an .xml file, but Stumpjumper's Handley Page does. Now I don't know where that has to be placed? (I told you I'm a computer/install idiot...)

A PM to Parky might be a good idea? He seems to know a lot about computers.

Would it then be possible without too much work, to add those instruments, which are covered by knees or elbows, to the instruments clickable by F5 (the compass etc.). There are instruments not yet used in WW1, like the "artificial horizon" - perhaps they can be replaced? Just another thought.

Ah, another Albatros-Man - great! Wonderful pictures you shot there, von Oben - it seems you're getting into it now. I am very glad that you got your graphic problems sorted out.

Great, von Oben - I had thought, that you should be able to run it a bit higher than me. Now the question is, if one should install the new ATI 10.9 driver - don't know what it brings.

Just a thought: do you devs think it could be done so, that the body can be chosen "on" or "off" in "Workshop"? Would make all happy.

With your idea, you are adding some new terrain to the sim - the nightfighting has probably not been done very much and with such conseqence. Great screenshots, Waldemar - almost spooky! And that you chose an Albatros for this, well - wonderful. The black body and your emblem fit your tasks nicely. Keep reporting in the "Screenshots" or "Reports from the Front" threads, please.

The aces may not have been SOOO much better in their flying than their less experienced opponents. Just a good bit more decidedly, a cooler head, and knowing all the right maneuvers to fly. With all that, they can't impress us much. We are pretty cool (cause we can't die); we are decided; and we know the right movements, cause we flew and died many times. All that regarded, I think we can't expect to meet a Super-MvR, who can do MUCH better than us. But what might be possible to program, would be a more intelligent co-op between MvR and his wingmen; a co-op you can't beat so easily.

I'm running 10.3 right now. What more would I get with 10.9 ? Would it really be an improvement?

Okay, thank you for the job, Lou! I wish you a good journey; "Hals- und Beinbruch", as we say here. Until thursday I should have made it. This may even get me into trying some other uploaded missions.

Thanks a lot, socrate! It is always exciting for me to read about such details. It was not exciting for the poor Sous-Lieutenant Pouchelle, but he is dead now and may watch us from his cloud with some amusement about our passion.

Hihi! I may not make it the first time, but I'm a man who tries again, until he understands what mistakes he made. My ambition is though, to get it all right at first flight. I can only fly it tomorrow. So if anyone should fly it before me: please don't tell anything!

He was so young - but well, he died like Boelcke... This Jasta 10 pilot had only just absolved his third sortie - a balloon defense near the Argonne forrest. They had all returned without enemy contact. But strangely, one Albatros D.II was quite a bit behind the others as if he had engine problems. When they flew over the last waypoint, they just entered a thick white cloud, but he could recognise the others turned away for their landing approach. So he banked his craft hard right, still in thick white haze, to make a steep side slip - and chrashed into the rearmost flyer, which he had forgotten. Both pilots fell out of the cloud without any controll about their wreckages. Seems the Albatros D.II was not made for a monoplane test.

Can you try to translate the "wounded report", socrate? I read something of Prieur rockets, and a broken leg, but I don't understand it all. Hasse Wind, I use LEO DICT for translations. Here's the link: http://dict.leo.org/frde?lp=frde&search=

I use Catalyst Control Center Version 10.3 - there was a later one, but it was not good. When you click on the "graphics" button in the top left corner, there click on "3D" in the menue, then choose "All". Now you should get everything there is.