Wayfarer

I just read the RSS for 1915 - June 1916, where the realistic setting for Ground Gun Accuracy/ROF is 'Easy'. It was only after I changed from this to 'Normal' that I began to be seriously bothered by AA. Now I can have a few more 'Easy' months with a clear conscience!

It's the first time I have really read the Realistic Survival Settings. They are very interesting. Thanks to the people who are putting them together.

For anyone who hasn't picked up on them, they're posted in the 'Survival In the Air Series' sticky under General Discussion.

I was reading that one photo-reconnaissance pilot was compelled to change direction every fifteen or twenty seconds to avoid AA, but it was 'worth the risk' to get good photographs. So that seems to be quite well mirrored in OFF.

Just curious...does anyone know how AA is actually modeled in CSF3. Does CSF3 actually model the travelling AA-shell (an AA gun aims, shoots, then the shell flies with an actual trajectory and travel-time from gun to explosion). Or is it simply an instantaneous 'spawn' of a flak burst randomly generated around a target plane.

 

If flak is modelled realistically then weaving will help to keep you away from the flak. If flak is just modeled as "instantaneous randomized spawns" then weaving would have no effect, as the 'mosquito cloud' of flak will instantly follow you no matter what maneuvers you try.

 

Any thoughts?

That is essentially what I was thinking. If it is modelled, I was wondering how/if adjustment by the AA crews would be factored in. I don't know if that is possible.

Of course, Hellshade's method gets round the entire troublesome issue!

Thanks everyone.

I am currently only in May 1915 - I think I'll surrender now!

Since escaping death on a die roll from an AA hit, I have been fairly corkscrewing the B.E. around when caught by AA - Yossarian would be proud! Reading pilots memoirs, they seem to laconically refer to changing altitude to put the AA gunners off, and I'm sure I am being unrealistically frantic (I know that reconnaissance aircraft often had to keep flying straight to get the job done) .

I was wondering what other people do when caught in AA, and how much difference it really makes in OFF as to whether you are hit or not?

Wayfarer

Thanks everyone for your replies.

The weird thing about the 'lightning' is that it really looks like cloud-flash lightning and I have only seen it with the right type of clouds.

It's a good point about the maximum ceiling. I am flying early on and I'm sure those deep clouds reach higher than I guess!

As for the settings, I certainly need to give myself a chance. My friends can confirm I've been notoriously bad at these things since the old Atari days!

We recently stayed with a friend who has CFS3 ETO with a force feedback joystick. Couldn't take off in a Spitfire for love nor money. Ploughed the starboard wing into the deck every time. I couldn't get used to the stick having a life of its own and kept letting it have its own way!

By the way, I only realised this week about personal conversations. I found I had notifications from a couple of people from a little while back. So apologies for not having responded, I wasn't deliberately ignoring anyone.

Just curious.

Is lightning modelled in OFF?

I am sometimes seeing parts of cumulus-like clouds 'lighting up'. Wasn't sure if it was meant to happen or if my grpahics card settings need tweaking.

Thing is, I dived beneath the clouds to avoid any harmful convection effects, got bracketed by AA and was hit.

I fly 'Die Roll on Death' (I know - some people view it as cheating) and got away with a 'captured but escaped after 20 days'. As this is my first campaign pilot I was quite pleased.

I'm thinking of climbing above the things next time!

Wayfarer

Thanks British_eh.

Thought me or the computer had finally lost it!

And thanks to everyone whose put these together.

Wayfarer

I have just searched through this thread and can't find the actual links to any pilot primer except for the Pup. I can see the posts where I thought the links were. I have viewed them before without a problem. Have they been moved/removed? If not it seems I have a PC problem.

Thanks Olham. Appreciate the effort.

This may already be well known (although the publication date says 2010), and probably not that much use to those who already have an extensive library of WW1 aircraft information, but I just got a copy of 'The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Aircraft of World War 1 1914 to 1918' by Amber books. I got it for £13.30 from Amazon UK, and haven't seen it in any shops yet.

As I gave away any WW1 aircraft books some years ago (fool - why didn't I foresee OFF!) and have been relying largely on my Dad's books from the 1960s and 70s, recently dug from his loft, this seems a good introduction (or reintroduction) to WW1 aircraft.

It has many colour profiles by an artist who has done work for Cross and Cockade, amongst other things, and information on the Eastern and Italian fronts and Maritime aviation amongst other topics. It also has a number of tables on numbers/types of aircraft deployed, losses etc.

I am not knowledgeable enough to make a well informed judgement on its worth, but the pictures certainly make it very browseable, although it does keep repeating the specifications box for different examples of the same type, which seems a little redundant.

I imagine people with a long time interest will have all this information anyway but if you are looking for an introductory book, with a reasonably extensive amount of information, this seems very good.

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. I had read a little about early 'chutes but wasn't sure if OFF had them yet.

Just running through my key commands list and wondered if, in OFF, any German pilots ever get parachutes in 1918.

Olham,

When you get a moment, please you could move me a little south, to where 'sqran' is. That is a more accurate placing of where I am.

Thanks

Wayfarer

(I tried sending a PM but it wasn't accepted)

Also the flares are colorful signals when you're flying your DH2. Ranging for the field artillary. There's never been an offensive use for the flares, other than attempts to start Forest Fires

 

The ( F7 ) Maps, are mostly a leftover from Phase II, but I belive there's one British Aircraft which still features them. Otherwise 'M' gives a rough Idea of direction

 

( F5 ) offers among other things a working compass.

 

And six Stickys down in the knowledge base offer some excellent D/L Maps.

 

Good maps and a working compass . . . who needs 'M' ?

 

As far as editting files to make things look proper . . . do as you wish, it's yours . . . but it's not advised

Thanks UncleAl.

My main concern with the flares not working was that it might have been indicative of OFF not having installed correctly.

In addition to the 'M' map and the D/Ls I have some maps from the old 'Flying Corps' game. They're pretty good but limited in area and, of course, the front lines aren't always in the same place.

And you can bet I only venture to edit files after much reading up on these forums!

Wayfarer all you need to do is make sure you have the flairs onboard by selecting them in loadout.Then if your using the key board press back space to select them and then enter to drop.

Red-Dog. I think it was something to do with the time period. I'm usually flying a BE2 in February 1915. I tried with a 11/2 Strutter in 1917 and they worked fine. Definitely pretty!

Thanks

Hi Wayfarer, the only key i use for maps is the M key,I belive this is the default.

 

The flairs don't do antything just look pretty unless your flying online,Now we use them for signaling like you should.

Thanks Red Dog. How do you get the flares to do anything - even just look pretty - I can't seem to activate them.

Just a few minor points that cropped up during missions, if anyone could please clarify:

1). I've read that F7 is for 'Maps in cockpit'. Would this be just a multiplayer thing? I don't get anything happening but I wondered if I was supposed to have some maps loaded somewhere.

2). I have tried the flares loadout but don't seem to be able to do anything with them. Do they only work in particular missions?

3). My current pilot completed 5 missions, which showed in his Flight Log. The In Service details stated he had completed 10. I think that the difference is those missions cut short to enable daughters'/wife's homework and such. I edited his xml file to read 5 and this worked. Having completed his 6th mission the In Service details now gives the total as 11. is there any way I can edit the file so the Flight Log and In Service missions tally?

Thanks

'Italy throws a punch at Austria and misses, but Austria falls over anyway. Italy raises both fists in the air and runs round the room chanting.'

Ok ... so now I have to explain to the office why I unsuccessfully tried to stifle a massive guffaw!

"You probably won't see a Hun until June 1915 - I joined up a pilot in February 1915 (see reports from the front thread) and managed to get plenty of valuable flying time in BEs before meeting the inevitable Eindeckers ...

As for landing, you'll probably find it increasingly easy as you go on. I used to crash with monotonous regularity until I realised that the best way of landing is to actually chop back the throttle to more or less nothing, and then to glide in, keeping the nose just up until the stick's rattling away, when you cut the engine completely and coast."

Thanks Si, this confirms what I've been trying to do. Typically, I made a couple of reasonable landings first off, and now I seem to to be always crabbing sideways in the last 10 feet - and it's too late to get power back up and go around again!

I deliberately chose Feb 1915 for its quiet start - I seem to be strangely content to fly spotting flights real time, just trying to control the machine and enjoying the graphics. I never have this patience with CFS3 or IL2, but I haven't tried any WW1 since 'Flying Corps' wouldn't work with Vista. I'm going to try and persevere so the shock value of the first Eindecker will that much more exciting!

Carrick. It's just an illusion in my case. Like I said, I haven't actually seen an enemy aircraft yet in this period. I am still landing more by luck than judgement - that'll probably get me first!

Thanks to both of you. It's good to have these things confirmed. I am going to need a joystick with more wheels/buttons!

Now Lou, how much whisky ...

I am trying to manage the engine revs as explained in other posts by using Ctrl - to lean the mixture as I gain altitude, and ctrl + to enrich while descending. I am flying a BE2 and seem to keep the revs between 1100 and 1200 most of the time. My other flight members seem to climb and pull away from me with ease, often leaving me feeling uncomfortably alone (fortunately it is February 1915 and I haven't seen an enemy aircraft yet!). I am thinking perhaps I should be getting more power out of the engine.

I usually hit Ctrl - three or four times every 1000ft or so, flying at no more than 6000ft. I once tried about ten times and the revs dropped below 1000. Should I be doing things differently?

Just wondered about the interception of the British night raid depicted in the film. Does anyone know if there were many instances of this by German fighters in real life?