Olham

"Wo früher meine Leber war, ist heute nur eine Minibar." Mmuahahahahahahahaaaaa!!!!! Hey, you must have spent too much time in Germany, HasseWind! Careful with drinking in the air - it won't keep you warm, but it could make you an easier prey.

Hihi - I know what you mean, Slart! Some call it addiction. Well, okay - it doesn't kill the liver!

Started a pilot with Jasta 2, Bertincourt, on 8. September 1916. The flying and fighting in the Halberstadt went very well, and I could even shoot down two Nieuport 17. Well, to be honest: after killing the second craft, I stalled and slammed into the ground. But I'll try again. Generally an easy to fly aircraft. On the second sortie, I sighted no enemies, but it was wonderful to just be up there in this kite.

As for the hit sounds: I hear them clearly, when my aircraft gets hit. And again for all you purists: I just recommended to the beginners to use Labels to make it easier to find out about everything. Later they may decide to turn them off. And I recommend them for SOME of the time, if you want to know, who you meet in the fights. I have 19 pilots right now, which I fly just after my momentary feelings. There are more serious (non-aids) pilots, there is one "Full DiD" pilot, and there are others, which I use, when I am stressed or tired, for a more game-like flying. I have no problems with that - there is a solution for every condition. And you purists can fly as you want - nobody said you should use Labels, did I?

Lou, with Buckler's book, I didn't find there was any propaganda. The only bit, were he brings up a personal reason/excuse for anti-Jewish emotions on him, did probably happen that way, and only here, I felt, that he took cover behind his personal reasons in the face of what happened in the "Reichskristallnacht". I got the feeling though, that he was qite an honest and nice bloke. He tells his story from his childhood years (in poverty) over the learning years ( as a roofer) to his flying school and throughout the war until the end. At the end, again his book is of course Nazi-coloured, when he describes the uprise of the Navy and the Soldatenrat as a mutiny of people, who appeared of questionable morale. But apart from that, it was a very informative and as pleasant read as Udet's book. The English version is edited by Norman Franks, by the way.

Thanks for the tip, slarti; didn't know this one. Just checked their website, but I didn't find anything about LAN multiplayer options so far. Do you know more?

Good they reacted so quick to our comments, Rabu. I have added some info about the instruments/HUD, Labels and messages in another comment, and I have added our forum address here. Hope the admins there won't mind and let it in.

SirMike, on the next scramble, you could fly away climbing steeply with the SPAD, until you get enough height and distance to the enemies. Then return and fight it out the way a SPAD likes. I would always prefer the SPAD before the Nieuport, which is so fragile. But well, I come from the Albatros...

Hitler was not the only one who started that second world war. The victors of WW1 had put very drastic and irrational reparation payments on Germany; that is meanwhile admitted by historians from all nations. And the "upper 10.000", mainly the "industrial barons", helped Hitler and the Nazis to get to power. They would have never got there without this strong support. And Hitler was not the only man, who did the Holocaust. That was a nation of followers, bureaucrats and civil cervants and military men, who hadn't learnt anything else from their parents but to obey and to follow. Many were courageous in the battle fields, but also too many did not show enough civil courage. I hope, that we live in an age of enlightenment - and that those dark ages will never happen again.

Hasse Wind, here is a colour chart with some samples you may find useful. You have to add the opacity value in front of the codes. 0x2F will be quite transparent; try also 0x4Fand 0x6F - I have even used 0x7F. Enjoy!

I love scrambles! (I must be mad!) I made my highest scores in scrambles - somehow I seem to always find the right way. Very often, I'm getting away from the immediate attack, return, and give them some. In Albatros types that is, of course not in Eindeckers. God beware!

Both sides then had different views and attitudes about their own countrymen, and the enemies. Surely more naive, cause without far less information and knowledge about each other. Nowadays, we travel to those other countries and learn to know the "foreigners" as people not too different to our own. I'm sure that, when we read books from those old days, we will read them with all this in mind and forgive the authors for some of their prejudices. Could they live once again today, I'm sure, that many of them would recognise it, too.

HPW: I wonder what the circumstances were behind that and if he experienced any difficulties coming from the "other side" in the Great War? From the film clips of meetings of the Battle of Britain veterans I believe to have seen, that the German and British pilots talked in the deepest respect for each other. And why not? Hadn't they experienced the same hell? And hadn't they seen, how good the other side tried to do their duties? I think, in a fight you can learn to esteem your combatant; and realise: he is your opponent, but not necessarily your enemy.

When I started this thread, I didn't mean to ask everyone to switch their Labels on - I was only advocating the freedom of choice; and I wanted to highlight the advantages Labels can have. But surely: everyone to his own likes. SirMike's post made me think of another thing we "Full DiD Hardliners" have eliminated: the simulation warning lines. I must say, that I found it quite useful to know, when my aircraft was threatening to stall. A real life pilot told me once, that he finds it hard to fly sims, cause they don't provide him with the "belly feeling". What he meant was, that he can actually feel the plane being close to stalling. And the simulation warning can give you just this "belly feeling" back - even if it costs a bit of "full realism" or might look a bit arcadish. But as I said - everyone to his own likes.

Ah, the 94th Aero! I have been there (for a short time, until a Jasta 18 ace shot me down). Were those Fokkers red and white, perhaps? Cause that's Jasta 18 - a very good lot!" As for the flying of a SPAD: never bank hard and fly slow! The kite flies like a racing truck - fast and strong, but difficult to handle in slow motion.

Congrats on your find, Lou! I suppose you know Julius Buckler's "Malaula! The battle cry of Jasta 17" - a great read by a sympathic pilot. Made me join Jasta 17 immediately!

Von Baur, you can switch the message lines off in "Workshop", in the "Graphic settings". Fortiesboy, for a veteran like you it is arcadish, of course. But I was advocating the aids for all still new to OFF, and those who still find it hard to keep an overview. No one should feel like he isn't accepted round here, when he uses those aids.

Update August 30; 2010; 14:43 h Berlin summertime (= GMT + 2) Macming, Scotland, added. slartibartfast moved to Austria. All the maps are in post 1 of this thread

My mistake - I meant "Jagdgeschwader", but my puzzled brain....

Hey, Admins For my Sticky Thread "OFF Pilots Map" I used to upload the maps as Jpegs. Now I tried to upload the changed map for Europe today, but the upload fails again and again. Any ideas, what could be wrong?

Okay, here is a ZIP file of the Europe map. I don't think it's the file though, cause I uploaded other Jpegs to the "Screenshots" yesterday, and it worked fine. Could it be, that the Post #1 in "OFF Pilots Map" sticky has a limited date for editing, and it ran out? Thanks for your time and help! Cheers! Olham

As Rugbyfan already said, JG 1 (Jagdgruppe 1 - fighter group 1) was formed in June 1917 and consisted of Jasta 4, Jasta 6, Jasta 10 and Jasta 11. MvR flew with Jasta 11, which was the most colourful Staffel. You could join Jasta 11, as soon as they are based in Brayelles, flying the D.III early. Then you won't miss "Bloody April", a successful time for the German pilots. To browse through the countless and wonderful skins OBD's skinners made, you could download the free program "Irfanview" - you will be amazed by all the variety!

nbryant, I have Vista, but perhaps it's similar on Win 7. If not, search for the file: ViewUI.xml On the C:-drive, I find my "computer name" as the second folder, right under desctop. In that folder I have a folder called AppData. In there, I go to folder "Roaming"; in there is the folder "Microsoft". There, I go to "CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields" - and in there is the ViewUI.xml Make sure you make a back-up copy of it.

Jasta 71 was one I had never flown with before. So I made me a skin with their markings - a tail plane with red and white stripes - and enlisted in June 1918. Their base must be the most southern German field at the Western Front: Fierentz airfield in Alsace.