Olham

PS: thanks, Shredward! Now I have - after all these years - seen this scene, Gous took his signature pic from. Wonderful!

Come down, Creaghorn - you always behave rather gentleman-like here. You made up your opinions; not harsh, just stripped down to the facts you disliked. I call that "constructive criticism" - so the verdict is: 7 days in the hole with hard bred and water! Oh, and you must be really lucky and happy now - the devs made a patch, and now you can choose between THREE ways of having your AI ! So, lift your chin, pilot, and climb your crate - we have to eliminate some Crumpets!

Tried that, Bullethead. Could it be that they are hardly visible in daylight?

That sounds interesting, and like a solution to please the most of us now. Great! Sounds like "Historical AI" will bring a good variation into the development of air combat and it's pilots. Do I understand, it would be best to leave after each sortie, and start OFF again, to get the best variety? I thank you for the big job I believe you have done on "Hat in the Ring" - I'll spend this weekend in several French, British and German cockpits! PS/Edit: Hellshade - because the PC GAMER crew is a bunch of bored PC game junkies, who have given up investigating, what COULD be interesting, but sit behind their desks waiting the games to be served to them, best with popcorn and a Cola. That's why I have given up reading them.

Bullethead, I agree with you. That's why I started this poll. I think OBD made some good improvements on some issues and, yes, they also made some things less good during their changes accidently. But, Red Dog - this was not at all an attempt to collect complaints. Much rather did I want to see, if others see it the same way as I feelt about HitR - and they do. This poll reflects my personal impression very much, and I will keep this AI rather than to change back. I find the overall feeling and impressions more like I'd think the real life was. And I am absolutely confident in that the devs will come up with another great step with P4 again.

The German DFW should also have flares, but I never found out how to ignite them.

Thanks for the news - installed it on my newer rig (ATI 4870). Do you think it wouldd also make improvements on my older rig (RADEON X1900) ?

Not in a biased order. "Hell's Angels" Howard Huges great old film - impressing Zeppelin scenes "Angel's Wing" French film (about Guynemer more or less) "Der Rote Baron" not about the real von Richthofen unfortunately, but great scenes about a German Jasta

Since we often have bad wheather and are even grounded some days in "Krauts vs Crumpets", I had the idea for an "Opposite Campaign". This will be are more loose campaign with no website. Flying activity may be less - we fly just when we feel like. But with date advanced to the same number (December 17 would be June 17 etc.) It will start tomorrow, but on the opposite date (six months ahead), which is June 1, 1917. (I did not choose 1916, cause the German side only has the Eindecker as a fighter). All who are from former Entente nations, will fly German side. All who are from former Central Powers states, will fly Entente side. We report briefly here, and occasionally show the log, when we get a new medal. The only thing we still have to decide is, do we pick Squadron/Jasta/Escadrille freely, or shall we choose certain ones, so we get a "community feeling". What do you suggest?

Imported? Where from? Wychwood? Hobbitshire? Is it true, that you British don't like your major breweries so much? A bitter I remember to have liked in my last visit 1989 in Cornwall, was Director's Bitter - possibly by Courage Brewery?

Yes, just a debate, not a hassle. Not really Xmas yet, but I wish you all a lovely one.

Ha! I thought Stiffy made a joke with that name - Hobgoblin - it does exist?

2nd Lieutenant Dennis Marlowe, 27th Aero, Toul, June 2, 1918 To all you guys in the "Dodge City Peace Commission", especially Wyatt, who'd wish his family name was Earp You guys over there wouldn't believe it - lookin' at my map, this France and Germany together aren't much bigger than Texas! And Europe is much more crammed with towns and farms; here's nothing like the prairie of Kansas. Even the sky seems lower. But when you fly, boy, that is a different matter! When the war is over, I'll buy me a crate like this and open a flying postal service in Kansas! Five days ago we arrived at Marseille - a big harbour here, but no comparison to New york. Some hot dark tanned girls there; a pity we only had one eve. And now I had my first dogfight! Near the front A-flight got jumped at from high above by Fokker Triplanes. We where much lower then; it took me ages to get up there. But then the German came down to chase Wally Zinn, while I was trying to get my craft under control again. A twitchy witch, you know? And there he was, right in front of me. Ridiculously small, that craft, that the Red Devil was flying too. But when you see them going up and down and round and round - boy, those Huns know to fly and fight! But now he was in front of me! Climb, Wally, climb! I thought, cause then I would get him perfectly. And Wally did! My bursts went right into his engine and cockpit. He spiralled down steep and crashed. Simple as that! Don't know how I did it, which is bad, cause I'd like to repeat it! But another German got me badly then. My engine damaged, petrol leaking out, craft partly on fire, I had to land dead stick and just only made it out alive. It burnt down completely! When you are one year older, you could come over here and join my bunch - a lovely crew with great humour! Try to get flying lessons! That would keep you from the trenches! And later, you can all join in to my "Kansas Flying Post Company" - what do you all say? Please write back - I miss you already. Howdy! Dennis

2nd Lieutenant Dennis Marlowe, 27th Aero, Toul, June 4, 1918 Dear mum and dad We are flying in wonderful wheather here, and the landscape is so nice, I think you two should travel to France after the war - it's lovely. Today I went up together with my new friends Alec Royce, Steve Coolidge and Abner Mosley. We had a patrol south west of Verdun. On the way to the area, we saw four German fighters doing a ground attack. Jerry Vasconell's flight was ahead, and when we reached the fighting, the boys had already "smoked" two of the Huns. But I was lucky, I spotted one far aside of the fight, and approached it. It was an Albatros, a beautiful bird, with a yellow fuselage and a black spiral band around it; rudder fin and the elevator where striped black and white. I will never forget, how good it looked, when it filled my windshield. But I fired some good bursts into it, and it seemed to shake from the hits. The pilot looked round at me - I think he hadn't seen me coming. He turned a 180° so tight, that I could not follow, and now he ran towards good Abner. But Abe didn't fire! He flew towards the German and me, as if he didn't see the guy! To wake him up, and to get the Albatros to break, I had to fire, risking to hit Abe, but what else could I do? Only now, Abe fired at the breaking left German. Phew - that was close! You must know, on the ground, Abner Mosley is the friendliest and most funny bloke I ever met. He works for the "Jack Daniels" whiskey destillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and he talks and acts verrrrry slow, you know, you could resole his boots, while he's walking. When the boys are together, he can tell wonderful stories in a most pleasant, heartwarming way, and everyone likes him like a brother. But as a fighter pilot he often doesn't seem to realise all the fast things going on around him. I must really have an eye on him; wouldn't want to miss him, you know? But back to my Albatros - it got slower and pulled a thin smoke trail. I had to fly a full circle to get behind the guy again, when I saw Alec Royce in perfect firing line behind the Hun. But then he saw me coming round, and he let me have him! Alec is a real friend surely! Well, and so I shot down my first Albatros D.Va, west of Vaucouleur aerodrome. Tonight, I'll have to buy the drinks! But here Abner will come in quite helpful; I'm a bit short right now, and he got a box with Tennessee whiskey sent by the "Jack Daniels" crew, and he promised to open it for me. He was glad I had fired at the German - he wouldn't have seen him, hidden by his upper wing; he only saw me firing. So we'll have a nice party tonight. I hug you all - Dennis

Oh yes - Germans often talk as if they are the world champions of beer brewing. But I have had some very good bitters over in England, oh yes! And they most often even make them more after the Reinheitsgebot (German purity law) than us, cause the British beer is not aerated with carbon acid. We do that here to get it pressed out of the barrels into the faucet. They do that by pulling the pint with low pressure - they pull the handle, which causes the low pressure and that will make an exact pint run into your glass. Proost!! On the British beer - may it never be changed!

The wingmen did attack before, too, when pressing "A" - even without assigned target. But now I sometimes have them firing at the craft I'm chasing, although I have NOT pressed "A" at all. Then I find it hard to get them back lined in, by pressing "R". Cause, as long as I'm not in trouble, I want the Nupes for myself! But try "H" (help), when you need some - they will be right there and shredder your PITA.

Morris, I think what Zoomzoom might aim for is, that we all possibly see very different quality AI, depending on our settings and maybe also the quality of our rigs, mainly CPU and GPU. While many write, they find the new AI boring, I cannot say so; I had very good fights and make less kills now.

Yeah, they won't let you starve, Rickitycrate. See, if you can get some fluffy Yorkshire Pudding; or the heavy, but tasty Plumpudding. Not all British cuisine is bad!

Olham's - arhm - Leutnant Mahlo's Gruppe starting an attack. (Jasta 15, La Selve, May 1917)

Hahaha!!! Hey, guys - Stiffy has woken up! The most flights are cancelled since weeks now, Stiffy. In all our squads, English and German. Where have you been?

For ATI card users only (thanks for the tip, Cameljockey): Since even some veterans here didn't seem to have the "graphics" settings right, I want to encourage you to check the "overrides" and "texture info" settings, as I have chosen them. Maybe they are much the same as the devs had already recommended, but many didn't see that or didn't even know, these settings could be changed. You may perhaps get a lot more eyecandy and better performance. [OvS - edited title as I will be adding this thread to the Knowledge Database! Nice one Ohlam!!]

Ahh!! Great news, Polovski! Perhaps you should mix them more. Like I just said - it would be a real thrill, not to know, who the very good pilots are, but that there might be some.

It seems to just boost contrast. In Photoshop, when I click "auto contrast" for my screenshots, they often look similar. But OFF made a lighter overall picture, and aircraft in the air, with all the reflections from the clouds, may look brighter; also the landscape with all the haze reflecting light. For me, OFF has found the right lighting.

Zoomzoom: A more realistic variation of pilots and responses however, would be wonderfull. I do agree with you though Creaghorn, they do need a bit more agile aggression. No question for me, too. Somewhere here I read, that the AI quality can not be mixed. That would be a pity, cause then we can only encounter a totally rookie, a veteran, or an ace squadron. A mixed squad would of course be far more interesting, as you would never know, who the dangerous pilots are, until you fought them.

Stiffy: ...although my new trackir combined with new AI may put my kill rate down for a while! Not necessarily, Stiffy - the new AI is more lurking/observing often. The fight take longer now, with less kills. So you have good chances to learn your TrackIR.