Check Six

You say that you play the sim a lot. Is it not worth it to purchase ANOTHER copy of M$ CFS3 if you have played OFF so much that you WORE OUT THE OLD ONE? Broadside uda Barn says he saw them on sale for $10. I personally am hunting around for a dvd copy for future use (I won't use it straight away, as I guess you'll have to lose all your pilots). But in the meantime...when I was getting ready for OFF, I searched through my old software, and found my copy of CFS3, only to be bitterly disappointed to see I only had disc 2 of 2 in there. I immediately ordered ANOTHER copy from overseas, which made it MUCH MUCH more expensive (like $25AUS). A thorough search turned up the disc 1 of CFS3 in a "blank generic" type CD case. So now I have two. AND I'M STILL HUNTING AROUND FOR THE DVD VERSION. Bite the bullet mate. BUY a copy. Buy two. They're cheap enough.

Welcome Gunnar, To download the latest "patch" to OFF, please visit the OFF Downloads page http://www.overflandersfields.com/Downloads.htm Download "Superpatch V1.32" and save it to a folder on your desktop (Call it OFF Patches). You will get a .rar file. Extract that file to the folder, then double click the resultant file. The "Install Wizard" will do it all for you. OBD will only ever have two "patches" that you will need to update to the latest version. The "Super Patch" mentioned above, and the latest "Mini Patch". At the time of writing this, the latest "mini patch" is "mini patch V1.32d". Download that file to your OFF Patch folder, extract that .rar file to your patch folder, then activate the install wizard. Launch OFF and open the Workshop and check the version on the bottom right hand side.

The classic way to evolve tactics on how to fight effectively against a particular aircraft was to capture one INTACT and fly it yourself. Find out what YOU can't do in that aircraft, or what is difficult. Join a Camel-equipped squardon and follow the "Aces Flight" and watch them scrap with the enemy, see how they fight, learn from it. Try those tactics yourself. If they work, learn how to counter them. Its obvious you're aware of the torque of the Camel, which is both a blessing and a curse to those that flew her. Knowing the quirks and troubles doesn't appear to help you as you have trouble defeating them. Perhaps the AI Camels fight differently, or have an advantage in that wind does not effect them. That's all I can suggest, mate. I haven't fought against one yet, as I'm still flying Allied only (though I did take up a Fokker D.VII as I couldn't resist the allure of that great aircraft). I've flown some minutes in a Camel before crashing due to her eccentricities (or more appropriately, my inability to fly her), but can't offer any solutions.

Thanks Lou. Good work.

Sweet. Good news. Thanks Homeboy. I haven't "as yet" used the new softawre as i have been busy with our Art and Model Show, but I'll fire it up tomorrow.

That's the effect as I imagined it. Beautiful and deadly. Yes Sir. I understand that it might be difficult/damn near impossible to achieve that kind of effect. I think that it would put the icing on the cake. Literally.

Macklroy, Perhaps what you're doing is cycling through targets. When I encounter an enemy flight, I pause the sim (yeah, OK, it's CHEATING. BAH!) and then hit "Next target" (TAB), then player/target view (not assigned - I went with "G" - actually profiled on my JS). This gives me a view of the target, with me at the centre of the screen away in the distance. This gives me some crucial information...the type of aircraft in that flight (scout, two-seater etc). I then hit "next target", and count. When you first hit "player/target" view, that's looking at the first enemy in that flight. Next target displays the second, and so on. This will tell you how many are in that flight. Keep an eye on your TAC at the same time. If there are more than one enemy flights (and friendlies as well), it will also cycle through those. That one blip at your four o'clock may have three two-seaters and a flight of fighters directly over their head. That would show up on your TAC as a single blip, so you may have decided to investigate unless you check your target views. So, you figure out that there are three two seaters at your 4 o'clock, two friendly SE5a's at 12 o'clock, and three enemy scouts at 11 o'clock. While cycling through all these targets, once you have reached the end, it will display the rear view of your aircraft, then another type of view of your aircraft (maybe "spot view" or "float view", then will re-cycle through your targets again. So perhaps what is happening is that you are expecting a padlock view of an enemy, but it has finished displaying them, if you are getting "nothing". Keep cycling, and they will re-appear I suppose. Macklroy, do you know you can re-size your TAC? might make it even less obtrusive. You need to do a search for the file "viewui.xml". You need to search all hidden files and folders, as there are 4 or 5 versions of this file hanging around. The one you want is in C:\Users\<your username>\AppData|Roaming|Microsoft\CFSWW1 over Flanders Fields or C:/documents and settings/<user name>/Application data/microsoft/cfsww1 over flanders fields (depends on what OS you're using). You can try them all (I found) with no detriment, but I'd suggest you save each file as you try modifying it, then go for a QC and just check it on the ground, see if it's been modified any. If not, replace the original file, then go to the next file on your search list and try that one. I know it sounds "dodgy" but it works. There are other "viewui.xml" files in the OBD directory, but ti's not those that you need to modify. Ok...so here's the modification. Open up the file with an xml editor or in notebook. The line starts off with <Tactical Display BGIMage = "tactical_display.dds" BGPos="0 0" BGSize="512 512" BGScale="0.15" BackColor="0x1f0000FF" Mode="0"/> <TacticalDisplayMetric BGImage="tactical_display.dds" BGPos="0 0" BGSize="512 512" BGScale="0.15" etc etc Obviously you modify the two RED parameters above. These two parameters have a default value of "1.20". You can experiment with the size if you like. I also changed the colour of the targetted enemy from yellow to green to make it stand out more. You can do this by altering the same file closer to the top where it shows TargetColor. Change the color to 0xFF00FF00. Color change courtesy of Olpaint01 and size change by various, including sandbagger. Thanks guys.

The reason this topic was closed is simple... PIRACY IS THEFT If you wish to play OFF, make sure it is a legitimate copy, as well as your copy of MS CFS3

Silver wings, Glad to hear that it was helpful to you. To view the frame rate on your screen, you press "Z" (toggle info). Frame rate, current time, latitude and longitude, altitude, and a great deal of other information is presented by pressing this key. It is a "toggle" so hitting "Z" again makes it disappear.

There's some book that says "Ask and ye shall receive". I KNEW someone would have been working on it. Thanks SJ. Good luck with your tweaking. Like I said...both beautiful AND deadly.

Lou and Bullethead, Thanks. I guess I should have known that the trim wheel idea wouldn't work. I'll just trim it like Lou suggests. Bullethead, I understand now how to make the trim pots operate as a trim wheel, but I'm not going to mess with nulls etc. If they can't operate as a "normal" trim, I'll just use keys to bump it a bit at a time.

Bullethead, I wasn't aware that you are able to trim your aircraft in OFF. Like yourself, I don't consider trimming your aircraft as cheating, as you would be doing exactly as you suggested...taking your aircraft up in the afternoon and having a good chat with your AM and keeping him working through the night to get it trimmed right (giving him the next day off of course). I have always wanted the ability to use the trim-pots (rotatable dials on throttle) to adjust for pitch and roll, but was unable as the controls for trimming in many flight sims are keys similar to + and -, so you could just adjust them "on the fly" so to speak. Is there a way to use these controls in OFF? Could you please explain how to trim your aircraft in OFF?

I like FPS and Call of Duty and Rainbow 6 Vegas are pretty good. I liked "Call of Juarez: bound for blood", despite the questionable content (please see the screenshot below...just a joke, I hope you all realise!). I also enjoyed Silent Hunter. I worked for many years as a Weapons Analyst for the Australian Navy, and my "area of expertise" was Anti-Submarine Warfare, so I learned a lot about ASW and how to defeat the torpedoes used in ASW (I used to supervise their assembly as an Inspector Naval Ordnance). I'm currently playing ArmA II. It has the ability to use TrackIR as well, but I still haven't got around to trying to work out how to use it. I know you can keep an enemy in your sights and check to see you aren't being flanked, but I haven't yet investigated whether it's suitable to use. ArmA II is a good FPS, but it is totally realistic like OFF. You CAN be killed by a single bullet, which makes your approaches to enemy camps etc very cautious. You can fly choppers, VTOL aircraft, drive tanks and APC's and trucks. Pretty good.

Broadside, I have downloaded the new version, but haven't yet used it. When you attempt to download it, it gives you an install wizard that basically insists on you uninstalling your older version first. Perhaps it might be prudent to save your old version first.

I'm pretty sure you can't. Look at the left picture you have posted. It says OFF is set at the full realism, and gives you a realism rating of 130%. I would suggest that means you can't set it ant higher than that (or any lower that -220%).

Silver wings, Welcome to OFF. I'll try to address some of your questions, and hope that if I can't answer you adequately, either my reply will give you a better idea of what you need to do, or that someone else will provide you with an answer. First...Joystick button mapping. This largely depends on what type of joystick you're using. I personally use a Saitek X-52 Flight Control System, and I can describe the process there. The Saitek Joystick and Throttle has programmable software. Perhaps you can see an icon on your desktop, or perhaps perform a search of your computer for the brand of joystick you're using. The saitek system places an icon on your task bar. If you click on it, it provides you with a menu. The one you want will be similar to "profile editor". In that program, it asks you what keystrokes you would like to call up when you press that particular button on your joystick. You look at Homeboy's key command guide and figure out what keys are essential to you during combat (some of the most useful are Virtual Cockpit, Chase View, Toggle View, Next Target etc). Other keys are essential to flying OFF, but are not used in combat (for instance, like you mentioned "Mixture Cut-Off" [Ctrl+Shift+F6] - a very useful command, but you only use it after you have landed...just as you roll to a stop). Now that command doesn't need to be put on one of the very few buttons on your joystick, you can press them after you've let go of your joystick, and wiped your brow. OK, the next step is to command your joystick to "emulate" these essential key presses. Let's take "Toggle View" as an example. Look on Homeboy's list, and that tells you the key command used to toggle view is "F4" Choose a button that you think would be useful for "Toggle View". Now this is sometimes used in combat, other times, when you're about to enter combat. If you use it very often, and in the heat of combat, you want it on one of the upper buttons on your joystick. If you use it less often, you can put it on one of the buttons on the base of your joystick. Select that button with your mouse on the profile editor. It will ask you what keystrokes you wish to emulate with "Button A" or "Toggle 6". You then press those keys (even compound key strokes such as Ctrl+Shift+F6). It will have a stop button (see the picture I've included...it has a red "X" to stop and reset, a round red "Record" type button, a green "Tick" to enter that key stroke set. There you have it. (The Saitek has the ability to then show what command you have set for that button...see mine below). So mine for instance shows Fire Button A = Heads up display and then shows it is emulating "F5". One of the most useful commands in flight combat is "Virtual Cockpit". If you look at Homeboy's key guide, it shows a blank line to tell you what key is assigned to Virtual Cockpit. By default, there is no key press assigned to this view. I have used the "V" key to call up my virtual cockpit. To define this, you need to get yourself on the airfield, looking at your aircraft, ready for take off. Press "Escape" and a menu will drop down from the right hand side of your screen. Select "Controls". A menu will open up on top of your screen. Scroll down alphabetically until you reach "virtual cockpit". You will see it is blank. Select "Add Assignment" (I think that's what it's called). It then asks you which key you'd like to assign for this command. Press "V". Then you need to SAVE your new command key list. You need to save it as "Mine"...you can see that when you open it up, your key commands are saved to "Mine" by default. Once you save it, click to remove the menu, then try it out. Unpause your sim, then press "V". You should now be sitting in the cockpit. Voila! If you wish to assign "V" now as one of your buttons on your joystick, use the process I've described above. OK. Now sit down and have a think about what keys are most useful to you in combat, and those that are complex key strokes that you'd like to assign to one button, but not on the handle of your joystick, but on the base. (You are of course, more than welcome to use what I have provided earlier in my profile [remember that there are lots of buttons on the Saitek joystick and throttle, and that some such as hat switch views are not depicted...they're lower down]). Follow that procedure and map the key strokes you think are essential to combat to the most accessible keys to your fingers and thumbs. Profile other less useful keys strokes to the base buttons. Well, I hope that was easy enough to follow, and that if you're using a different brand of joystick, you can work out how to do it on that joystick. (If you can't, get back to us and tell us what joystick you're using, and someone with that type will help you out I'm sure). Second question. This one is easier. Click on this link below, and it'll take you right there. (You should bookmark this and read through it often, you'll find heaps of useful tips and tricks there). http://www.overflandersfields.com/FAQ.htm Third question. Well mate, your choice is your choice, but please don't act hastily and throw that "other sim" in the bin. Both are good in their own ways, I'm sure. I think you might have trouble flying some of these aircraft on OFF as well. They are reasonably accurate flight models, and these aircraft are difficult to keep in the air, and when they begin a spin, it's difficult to recover (compared to the aircraft you're used to flying). If you have a Force Feedback Joystick, it will begin to shake just before you begin to stall, so get the speed up again quickly. If you don't have a FF joystick, you'll see a warning appear on the extreme top right of your screen warning you that you are about to stall. Be patient, fly a few hours doing lots of turns using rudder to keep your nose up and turn flat as possible (losing altitude in a WW1 fighter or bomber can be fatal...if the AI aircraft you're fighting loses altitude in a turning fight, and you don't, you're half way there towards defeating him). The place to do this is in "Quick Combat". You can select (up the top) "Free Flight". No enemies. Just get used to being able to climb (slowly and deliberately...sometimes helps to climb in a spiral in some aircraft) and turn. Once you are satisfied that you can fly adequately, you can then select "Turkey Shoot" and fight against AI and assign their capabilities ("rookie" or "veteran"). Remember to select "pilot never dies" so that you're not constantly having to re-enlist pilots. This is very discouraging, and a collossal pain in the proverbial. Then you're going to enjoy this sim more and more. Then you can tweak the game to make it harder and harder and more challenging. For more than a few reasons (which I won't go into here), I don't own that "other sim", but might purchase it in the future, but please don't shelve it. Fly both. Compare them. Enjoy both! I hope that helps you out mate. If you need any further help, please come back and ask. We're very helpful and friendly here.

Helpful AND generous. Well done indeed Mark. Our good friend Homeboy is currently working on this project. Don't know if you are aware of it or not, but he's working on turn rates, climb rates, maximum speeds at certain altitudes, service ceiling etc. It is a work in progress. You can see it here... http://snomhf.exofire.net/OFFaircraft.html Homeboy is not going to RFC tables to check out their posted statistics. He is taking the aircraft aloft, and grabbing a stopwatch, and pressing "z" to get accurate figures, so the figures are for OFF aircraft, whether this is accurately modelled or not...it's the way they are. The climb/dive rate tables are not filled in yet. http://snomhf.exofire.net/OFFaircraft/climbDive.html Check that page out guys, and keep an eye on it. PS. Jim, Homeboy has also set up a great guide to setting up TrackIR, up in the stickies. That will help you immensely.

I'm pretty happy with the sim as it is, and I'd like to add a huge thank you to the devs for their work so far in add-ons, patches, enhancements etc, as this is the last effort before a well-deserved hiatus. OBD Crew...take some time off guys. Relax. Rest your mind and think of simple things in life. Come back when you're good and ready, sit down, and "brainstorm" out the alterations/additions/modifications you've been planning/thinking about for phase 4. Good luck with all your endeavours, enjoy your break, and we'll be hearing from you soon.

"The squirrel will probably not be available for many more photo shoots - particularly winter collections - due to its fear of people and also because the species are known to hibernate deeply during the colder months." Err....and also because the couple bashed the squirrel with a nearby rock for ruining their shot. PLEASE NOTE: No squirrels were harmed during this photo shoot. No...REALLY!

Welcome to Flanders Fields saltysplash, Glad you got the sim up and running with no great hassles. If you have any problems or questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Oh, and the bit about the "best WW1 flight simulator I have ever had the pleasure to use"...yup. Agreed.

<cough> two-seater rear-facing gunner <cough>

Agree completely. I'm happy with the game, though I've only ever used Phase 3, so I have no other phases to compare it to. I welcome all the "patches" as they are generally improvements or enhancements prompted by users of this forum suggesting to the devs of "wouldn't it be great if..." and "is it possible to...", but I agree with Winston that calling them "patches" may make non-users believe the game is seriously flawed, when as our good friend Herr Prop-Wasche suggested a better terminology of "enhancement" would be a solution to part of the "problem" alluded to by Winston (that of people believing OFF is flawed due to the number of patches coming out). It seems as if some commentators here have offered Winston a solution to his other problem (in that he is not happy with the new super patch) by suggesting he uninstall and reinstall with no patches at all (he believes that this version was much better than the current up to date version). As others have mentioned here, it's impossible to please everybody all the time. It seems to me that the reason we have so many patches is that the devs are being proactive and listening to consumers, and offering what they are asking for. They could, of course, listen to all the suggestions for improvements and outright complaints, and take in that information, and work out a way to fix it, and hold it back for Phase 4 so that most will be very happy at the new manifestation of OFF. I believe that they are doing the right thing by presenting "patches" as they are programmed to keep users happy. Knowing that all the enhancements offered so far since the release of OFF:BHaH (Phase 3) will be available in Phase 4, and much more to boot, has me lining up to pay. Winston, I'm sure you have seen "patches" or "enhancements" offered here to users because they asked for them, and the devs delivered. I think if you had offered suggestions for your own improvements/enhancements/patches, you would have reached the dev's ears just as easily, without some of the negative comments that some have posted here. We don't want to see you go, mate. Most here want to see you happy with the sim. If users or the devs can help you achieve this, you know we will try to help.

Thanks Mark, I have had surprisingly few hassles with OFF. DAMN. Shouldna said that. IM DOOMED! Well, I deliberately turn off all other programs manually before flight, but Nortons decided it was going to screw me of its own accord. The "compuer guy" that built my beast decided that 8PM was a good time to perform a nightly scan. I have altered its behaviour.

I have been considering this for some time (ever since my new computer arrived installed [against my explicit instructions] with &^%* Nortons). I'd just downed two enemy, was feeling a bit exhausted after the conflict, and everything froze. I Alt+TAB, CTRL+ALT+DEL to try to find out what was wrong, and Nortons decided it was time to look for updates. Surprisingly, I haven't uninstalled it in disgust yet, but I DID download Alacrity after this thread prompted me. I know Homeboy has reported great framerate improvement, hope it does the same for me.

Broadside, You hit the nail right on the head mate. RNAS squadrons protected Ol' Blighty from bases in Dover as well as on the other side of the Channel. There was much clamour from the local populace when all of their aircraft were in France fighting "over there" and zeppelins and Gothas were free to roam at will, causing great damage (mostly psychologicial). Some squadrons were rotated back to Blighty, and got some R&R in London, seeing all the latest shows etc. Perhaps the channel airfield was the Isle of Wight and there was a REALLY high tide that day. You may have noticed that sometimes when you're sent on a mission, Flight 1 comprising some of your Squadron Aces (plus two others) flew the same mission. Other times, just your flight was assigned that mission. When you're not flying, others take to the air. Perhaps that is how your squadron mates increased their victory tallies (or claims list), while you saw no sign of enemy activity. Oh...and as if the camel wasn't difficult enough to fly, you want to put pontoons on her. Staff Sergeant...detain that man and escort him under arrest to the psychiatrist.