Hello all!
I'm and old Phase I and Phase II and recently started getting back into Phase III. After giving it some time, I decided to take this to the forums as I'm not entirely sure if this is some sort of bug.
It feels as though every patrol is predictable. Despite different mission objectives and locations/altitude, I seem to be encountering the same situation every time. After warping to the objective (yes I know, but my free time is generally quite limited), I encounter an enemy patrol of fighters roughly 3/4's of the way to the objective waypoint. The enemy aircraft number and type is always different and variable, however; after taking off, I can always expect to encounter an enemy flight.
Back in Phase II and earlier, every flight was different. Sometimes I'd warp to a target zone and get intercepted on the way, others I would find enemy aircraft, or more realistically - I would find nothing. I greatly enjoyed those patrols where I would arrive at the objective and see no enemy aircraft, and would really have to keep a sharp eye for a flight in the distance. The sparse amount of enemy contact made a dogfight all the more exciting (as I was desperate for a fight!) - - the way things should be.
I am currently playing OFF BHAH, with HITR 1.47 in maximum difficulty (minus warping): -light regional activity, -OFF controlled aircraft spawns, -no in-game messages or radar, -gun set to weakest etc...
Since the only way to warp home and complete the mission with the whole flight is to destroy all enemy fighters, I am finding that with full difficulty I am easily claiming 3 enemy planes per flight (naturally, none confirmed yet for this lowly sergeant with 10 hours flight time). Back in phase II, I used to pull home 1 or 2 claims for ever 2-4 flights, which seems like a more realistic rate.
I realize I may sound as if I am complaining, but I honestly don't mean to do so nor to go sim-bashing; I believe that thanks to alot of hard work, OFF has evolved into one of the most definitive ww1 sims to date! (all the more outstanding is the fact it is a mod for a shotty microshaft simulator ).
Again, my reason for posting is to ascertain whether others are experiencing the same thing. I have reinstalled the simulator to eliminate a corrupt install, and I was wondering if I have been experiencing coincidences or if this period of the war is designed to be this predictable (Allied - Feb/March 1917).
Fair winds!