Hasse Wind

Nah, I'll have bought it hours before you even see the line forming.

Looks great! These new models seem to be much better and more detailed than some of the planes we have in OFF. The DH5 was an interesting experiment with that wing configuration, and though it was much better than the horribly obsolete DH2 it replaced in many squadrons, it turned out to be a disappointment compared to new German fighters. But at least the view forward is good.

Eindeckers beware - Widowmaker plans to finally defeat you with his Snipe! Seriously speaking, I hope to see the Snipe myself in some add-on pack, maybe with the Pfalz D.XII. I can understand the appearance of the DH5 in the first add-on, because quite a few British squadrons used that plane in mid 1917. Currently you can't fly through 1917 in RFC 24, for example, because the DH5 is missing.

Every now and then when I shoot somebody down I think how macabre this hobby actually is - but then I remind myself that they are just computer characters and it's much better to fight a war on a PC screen than in the real world. The worst kills are always the burning planes, when somebody jumps out screaming to meet a certain death. Actually I don't always hear the screams, as I've adjusted my sound settings and made the engine very loud, but I know it's there.

The only way we'll ever know for sure is if some of OBD's AI gurus provide us with an answer. And just to make sure for anybody who may be wondering what this discussion is all about, let me assure you the AI in OFF is probably the best in any flight sim.

I was flying as one of my French pilots this evening (Esc. 37, Nupe 11, March 1916, Verdun) and when returning from a balloon busting mission I flew over a German airfield that was under intense bombardment from French artillery. I forgot to check the name of the field, but it's located on the eastern part of the Verdun bulge. It seems the front has moved a little too close to the field and it has been abandoned, because I didn't receive any AA fire when I flew quite low over it. They forgot to take those four Rolands with them as they fled, though. It was really cool to fly over the field and watch the bombardment. I was actually feeling lucky to be a pilot and not one of those poor bloody infantrymen down below my Nupe in the trenches. Nothing beats OFF and its immersion! Maybe some of our hot-headed German fighter pilots from Siggi's new DiD campaign would like to be stationed on that field? Would that be more exciting than flying boring two-seaters?

The Nupe 11 looks pretty and is a joy to fly compared to most other planes of that early period of the war in the air. I can dance around the Eindeckers with the Nupe. Unfortunately that Lewis gun firing over the prop is not as good as the Eindecker's synchronized Spandau, but in a few months I'll be getting the N.17 with a proper synchronized Vickers. If my pilot lives long enough, that is.

Nupe is the plane in OFF that I have the most experience with in addition to the Albs, and I know from my test flights and actual combat missions that you can dive with the Nupe if you are careful and don't make any sudden moves that will make the g-forces go wild. Pull the stick up too quickly and, voilà, there go your wings. But I swear I've seen the AI sometimes do manoeuvres with the sesquiplane fighters (Nupes, Albs) that are not possible for human players to repeat. Occasionally, when flying the SPADs, I've been unable to shake off some pesky Alb D.III/D.V/D.Va that's followed me in a very harsh dive which certainly would have ripped the Alb's wings off if had I been the pilot. I suspect that part of this can be explained by the fact that the AI knows *exactly* the limits of all the planes it's piloting, which takes considerable time and skill to achieve for the human player. The AI Nupe or Alb won't break its wings, because the computer is able calculate how much stress the crate can tolerate and will never cross that fatal line. But as I really know nothing about the sim's code, I'm just wildly guessing here.

And I thought we were only going to get some planes and squadrons...

The next step in the Nupe's evolution would be the Nieuport-Delage NiD 29, which became available too late to see any action in the war. It was intended to replace the SPAD XIII and was really fast, about 240 km/h, armed with two MGs and more agile than the SPAD. The Nupe 29 would easily have been the war's best fighter. It was very popular in the 1920s. The N.28 wasn't bad at all when the problems it had were fixed. But then it was already too late and the Americans had got the SPAD XIII.

Those pesky French peasants sneak up to the airfield every night and re-plant the trees. They don't like it when we pilots woo their women in our free time.

Maybe the OBD guys could make one (or more) expansion packs that contain only new two-seaters? I know I'd be among the first to buy such pack(s).

This keeps getting better and better! Yet another beautiful Nupe! Does this mean the American campaigns will now be improved, or do we have to wait for another add-on or even P4? In any case, brilliant!

Yeah, I also miss that transfer option we had in Red Baron. P4 maybe?

Did you ever try the RB3D mods? It was definitely included in them, Hell's Angels for example. I remember shooting down quite a few of those miserable 2-seaters (and even more Caudron G4's!). Thanks for the review. I've known about this book for some time, but its terrible price has prevented me from getting it. And I own quite a few WW1 aviation books, so I was wondering whether this one had anything to add to them. It seems it has.

Diary of Leutnant Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Roeder *** Lt. Roeder, a member of an old Prussian military family, entered the Great War as a Guard infantry officer, seeing plenty of combat on the Western front. Like so many others, he was shocked by the slaughter and destruction of modern industrial warfare and deeply disappointed when the fighting wasn't over in a few weeks as the war turned into a bloody stalemate in the trenches. Becoming wounded in early days of the Verdun offensive, v. Roeder decided in the hospital that he had had enough and that he HAD to get out of the madness of trench warfare. Aviation had always interested him, and soon he applied for pilot training. To his surprise, his application was accepted (the expanding German Air Force needed more pilots and v. Roeder had good merits) and so in mid 1916 v. Roeder began his training as a two-seater pilot. In October 1916 v. Roeder arrived at his new unit, FA(A) 250, based at Wasquehal. He was full of hope and expectation about this new form of knightly warfare, as he thought about it. *** Date: 30 Oct 1916, 8:40 AM. Location: Wasquehal, France Unit: FA(A) 250 Mission no: 1 Mission type: Recon of frontline positions close to Arras Flight time: 0.95 hours Total flight hours: 0.95 hours *** What a day! Took off for my first mission with 3 comrades at 8:40 AM. The weather was beautiful with some moderate cloud cover at 2 km altitude. We were ordered to take some photos of enemy positions close to Arras, so after take-off and forming up we headed there, meeting 3 Halb. D.II escorts from Jasta 8 on the way there. We were feeling quite confident, flying in a neat formation below our guarding angels from Jasta 8, bright sunlight making the metal parts shine brightly and my observer Jacob Schneider scanning the skies with his hawk eyes. Suddenly everything went to hell. About 10 French Nieuport 16 scouts, those deadly white devils, appeared out of the cloud cover and attacked us. We were badly outnumbered, but bravely the Jasta 8 pilots turned to meet the attackers. One N.16 dived straight at me, hitting my plane but getting hit in turn by short bursts of bullets from Jacob's Parabellum. Soon some more Halberstadt's joined the battle (fortunately for us!) drawing most of the N.16's away from us, but some of the stubborn Frenchmen followed our formation and exchanged fire continuosly with our gunners. Despite all the fighting, we were able to reach our target and quickly took some photos. We were in such a hurry that I fear they weren't very good! Finally the Frenchmen gave up and flew away as we turned back to home. The mission was uneventful after this, though I was worried about the damage my DFW had taken. Fortunately nothing critical was hit and we landed safely 1 hour after we took off. The mechanics, those macabre but brilliant men, surrounded us and immediately started counting the bullet holes. I don't want to know how many hits we took, I'm just glad we made it back in one piece. I know this feeling - it's exactly the same I felt at Verdun. ***

Olham, you really have to give up the Albatros for some time and give these beautiful Nupes a chance, especially when the N.24 is released. They are great little fighters. The French don't use the Aldis sight, if that's what's keeping you away from them, and the windshield can be lowered just like opening the canopy in CFS3.

That plane is a beauty!

It's dangerous to drink something while reading the posts in this thread.

Strange how unwilling you krumpets are to fly your excellent DH2's and Nupes and whatnots - we'd welcome you with open arms and twin Spandaus.

I'm a surgeon's assistant. I help the surgeon in everything he or she needs during the operation, so I'm basically a surgical nurse. An interesting job most of the time (and rewarding too, though not necessarily monetarily compared to the surgeons' huge wages), but also stressful and demanding. I was always a too lazy and unruly student to become a doctor myself, though sometimes I wonder how much more wealthier I'd be if I had become one. But at least we don't have the same kind of responsibility the surgeon has - if something goes wrong, he gets most of the blame.

I've always considered the SPADs to be relatively easy opponents in OFF when flying one of my Albatros pilots, and even more so if I use the deadly killing machine, the Fokker Dr.1. I'd rather meet a flight of SPADs than a flight of Camels any day. Back in the day when the Pfalz FM was having problems and the crate was a death trap to fly, I could most easily fight against the SPADs while I had to avoid Camels like the plague. The problem must be the same as in practically every combat flight sim - the AI has trouble with energy tactics. It's easier to go wildly chasing after the player than to properly fight in the vertical, make dives and utilize the SPADs best characteristics, great speed and toughness. While it can be argued that every WW1 fighter can be used as a turn fighter because even the clumsiest of them is a lot more manoeuverable than the heavier WW2 fighters, the SPAD must the fighter of WW1 that most closely resembles the typical energy fighters, and so the AI would benefit greatly for flying them as such. This doesn't mean it's totally unchallenging to fight against SPADs - on the contrary, I've lost quite a few pilots fighting them, and they can be very dangerous in larger flights. But if I had to choose one enemy scout to fight against with my trusty Alb, I'd rather pick the SPAD than any really dangerous turn fighter.

Lou, that skin is brilliant! What are you giving to your turnips to make them grow into 20 pounders?

It's really amazing how you are able to keep your pilots alive one after the other for hundreds and hundreds of hours. For me, it's impossible. I once made it to almost 50 hours and a second time a little bit over 40 hours, but never again. Lately I've been flying in 1918 and living only 10 hours is a challenge. And I've done my utmost to be as situationally aware and careful as possible, but to no avail. I just can't do it. Sooner rather than later somebody shoots me down, or AA hits me, or I collide with my wingmen, or spin out of control in the thick of battle. Creaghorn, you're a master pilot. It's really a humbling experience to see your logs. Makes me feel myself quite insignificant as an OFF pilot.

When the war is over and we have won, the whole of Europe shall know the taste of turnips! Buahahahaa! (As you probably know well, the turnip joke comes from Black Adder and the great character of Baldric.)