Olham

View File Albatros D.II "Bavaria" This is my first Albatros D.II skin, I think. Since Baldric and Hauksbee asked for an older Bavarian design, which I had erased unfortunately, I quickly built another again. I made a Bavarian flag pattern for the tail section. I didn't go so far to make the pattern on sides and top match correctly - that is a nervewrecking try-and-error work I didn't have the time for. I think it works okay as it is. The skin is based on much of the original OFF-Skinner's work - thank you, OBD-Skinners! Submitter Olham Submitted 02/15/2012 Category Aircraft Skins

Nice to see, that some got inspired to try something new in OFF. Ultimat, if you have tips and tricks for building a free-track, you are welcome in my "TrackIR for poor Students" thread: http://combatace.com...post__p__552797 .

Perhaps you can choose "Jewish people"? I tried to check, what choice you have, but since the video is banned here, I cannot click it anymore.

Yes, I know - it is only removed in Germany. But at least here it is banned now. Two-faced!

Capitaine, I just checked "Die Wacht am Rhein". It is a pre-WW1 song, and it is about defending the river Rhein by sword and blood and life; to keep it a German river. The French are not mentioned as the threatening opponent, and the song is not fascist nor pro-Nazi - it is just about the defense of the fatherland.

Good points, Flyby. Well, I guess not. Parody on the Nazis is usually allowed. They had in my case not even traced the HW-Lied at YouTube. They only banned it, after Hauksbee, some others and I had marked it. Well, I will check the text and the time, when it was written. The Prussian military music might of course be anti-French. The two nations had their wars, hadn't they? I'll report. .

Found this photo in the web, and I wonder about the scales left and right. Could it be, that this photo was made with an observer's camera?

Hmmmmm.... - I see what you mean. And it's been when flying an SE5a, that I also found it difficult to decide, what's better. On the right, "High Res" one, I prefer the wooden parts, and the tone of the green-brown colour. But you are right - the left one looks much crisper. I guess, if I would fly the SE.5a, I might also chose "Normal res". My self-made skins again, they look far better in "High res". Tricky, that!

Are you sure, that there are not two wires on your your card linked the wrong way?

CaptainSopwith wrote in another thread, that he might want a TrackIR, but for a price for poor students. Well, you may need to search Ebay for quite some time to stumble across a TrackIR 4 or even 5 for a cheap price. My tip: include TrackIR 3 in your search. It shouldn't be bad with a WW1 sim, I guess - it seems to do all necessary movements. See this 2007 demo video:

Thanks for the info and the screenshot, Lou - I had more or less expected that result, and will do the same. ??? Seems it is a matter of taste then - when I see the Lozenge in "Normal res" and then in "High res", there is a visible difference to me, with the bias on "High res". But one shouldn't argue about tastes. God made it that way, so that the men don't all kill each other for the same woman, I guess.

Great info, thank you, Capitaine. What force, I wonder, could have bent the rearward steelplates, that had held the wheels?

An advice for AV programs with firewalls: check every year, which program is the best right now - that varies. This year, KASPERSKY is top range, but that may change again next year. Very important: update your AV program for the latest virus signatures - best is at least three times a day.

Welcome to the OFF Forum, Vidken, you must be a new face here, but you're flying OFF since some time? Then you need to be added to our OFF Forum Pilots Maps now. If you send me a PM with your town and country, I'll place your name in there.

Adger, I run Aircraft Skins on "High Res" since quite sometime. The skins will look much better. You will still see that sort of damage like wings breaking off; but not "damage decals"; that means, no bulletholes or ripped off patches of canvas. I can live very well with that, cause honestly: when do you see that sort of damage on your opponent? How close can you go? PS: could you post a screenshot with Terrain on "5"?

Yeah, but why should you know, wether they are friend or foe? In real life, they didn't know that either. Your choice to fly on, or to turn away. But a TAC - they didn't have one. .

Baldric, I'll see, if I still have skin. Do you guys never back up your files???

redpiano, I guess you're helped with the chart, thanks to Ulti. Ulti, here is my way of doing it before TrackIR: I used a mix of "pan view" and "static view angles". I had the toggle command between the two on my stick (thumb button). So I could fly my patrols in the nicer "pan view", until a foight occured - then I pressed my button and fought with "static angles view". Apart from the forward view, the other view you would want most is checking your six. Also important: the looking up. Looking up not only helps what's above you, but also, when curving hard banked with a foe - you can possibly track him with "view up" angle. But my advice: sell anything you don't need; save all money you would spend on Burgers and Pizza (that's even healthy!), and try to find you a second hand TrackIR set. It may even be a TrackIR 4 - the new software will work with it.

Since Siggi's "Full DiD Campaign", I had flown with a kind of "semi-DiD" setup and handling: - TAC fully unabled - LABELS put on a joystick button - curiosity kills the victor: I sometimes want to know, if my opponent is an ace - occasional outside views, when I couldn't find anyone But only recently, I had the urge again to fly "Full DiD" - the whole immersion (white-knuckle-flying and ham-fisted reactions included) is just so much greater. So now I fly like this: - TAC fully unabled - LABELS fully unabled - NO outside views (except when paused for a screenshot) - no use of WARP on short enough mission routes (except for getting past the circling of the field, or for longer mission paths; or to recollect my men, when I ..have left a fight - thanks Creaghorn for that idea; it's the only way to draw your men out of a fight) - only my direct wingman as witness in Claims report (or, if around, a friendly ace, who's craft I can identify by his markings) Now some may perhaps have one or more of the following questions: Q: How do you identify your opponents now? A: Only after the mission and claim is done. I make notes for all squadron emblems I encountered, so I can name them next time, .....if I should meet them again. For squadrons I can't identify yet, I only mention their markings in my claims report. .....Aces I only name, when I know their personal design (which is, of course, rare). .....But for my own satisfaction I look for all special markings after the Claims report is done and I'm out of the sim. .....(I use the free IRFANVIEW for browsing through the skins). Q: Won't you get far less claims confirmed this way? A: Yes, I hope so. The numbers of kills was still ridiculously high. I am beyond the crave for high victory numbers; I want to earn them a bit harder now Q: How do you follow your waypoints without TAC? A: I look at the inflight map, where a symbol of my craft and the course lines are shown. That's more like they had to do it. ....Often I may fly my own course, following real paper maps, and distinct landmarks (mostly lakes, rivers and railways). Q: How do you advise your wingmen attacks without being able to mark targets on the TAC? A: The TAC is not necessary for fighters. A bomber flight leader may need to assign the targets, but as a fighter wing leader, I only just press "A" for attack. ....For each "A", one wingman seems to peel off to attack the closest air target. If I have 5 wingmen, I press "A" four times. So my wingman will stay with me. Q: How will you find camouflaged enemy aircraft flying lower than you? A: Either I find them by looking around - or I don't find them. That's the reason for camouflage colours. Sometimes they help. Q: What if you miss entire enemy flights, and come home without any fight nor claim? A: Well, it happened so often for the real pilots. Flights may sometimes pass each other at distances, where you should be able to see them - but for some ....reason you don't. Well, why not? After such a mission, my own men, as well as all my opponents, will be having the next meal together without a man missing. Q: What if you want your wingman to attack a specific enemy fighter, but can't assign him without the TAC? A: That's never necessary. What I need him for most is, to keep my six clear. If an opponent is close behind me, I press "H" (Help!), and he will come to do so, .....if he can. If I want him to help me with a specific enemy aircraft (for example, when I'm out of ammo), I fly close to that craft and stick with it; and press"H". .....He will usually attack the craft then, if there are not other aircraft in the same close distance to us. If you find it too easy to make lots of kills, or if you just want to feel free from any distractions (which is what TAC and LABELS also are), then you should try this out. You might be amazed, how relaxed it can be! Or also, if it gets tight: how thrilling it will be! You will feel less superiour, and you will concentrate more on getting out of all the turmoil alive. .

Update 14 February 2012 - 17:25 h Berlin time (= GMT + 1) redpiano, Oregon, added. The maps are in post 1 of this thread

Yes, I knew you would feel much the same, Lou. (virtual)

Lou, I have moved the "Terrain" slider back on "3" for this very reason; and also, because I found the terrain really too grainy on "4". Just my taste - I am very happy with "3". It does indeed, Lou, and I have set "Ground object density" back on "High". So far it worked (in the Marne region at least), and it looks marvellous around La Selve airfield with the richer forests and woods. I am really glad that you got a system now, that really can satisfy you with OFF - congrats, Lou! .

Don't know about you guys, but it makes me shudder. Always, when I see such pics... Goose skin!