Wayfarer

I am flying reconnaissance missions in July 1915. The mission breifings show an average mission height but I have never been sure what height I am supposed to be at at any particular time. I confess that I used to warp throught the 'circling the airfield' waypoints until I was on course for the front, imagining that the altitude I ended up at was the 'proper' one for the mission. Recently it took me to an unusually high 8000' and, for the first time in a number of missions, the flight got back home completely unmolested by Eindeckers. In the last three missions, therefeore, I circled the airfield climbing up to around 8500'. I completed the missions seeing no enemy aircraft at our level and no AA that seemed to be seriously aimed at us, though there was plenty going on below. I'm concerned, however, that I might be exploiting some sort of game design limit for the enemy AI, which seems a bit like cheating. Does anyone know if there is any 'correct' altitude set for each mission and, if so, how to find out what it is?

Thanks TaillyHo. This all explains why Arthur made Major so quickly. I'm not sure whether it's really commitment or just perversity! I think sometimes it's subconsciously my little testament to the real aircrew who had to fly the things.

Regarding the 'Bleriot' designation, as far as I understand, early on the Royal Aircraft Factory used the names of prominent French designs to indicate the configuration of their aircraft. Bleriot was for tractor machines and Farman for pusher types, I think (haven't had time to look this up yet). I don't think it meant that the design was necessarily French.

Still on my first OFF campaign, flying BE2s. I find they stand up to my poor handling pretty well ... except when flying directly into a tree ... twice!

Thanks both. As I am flying reconnaissance and spotting missions in a BE2 I'll continue dutifully follwing my waypoints.

I recently completed a reconnaissance mission and noticed that the message ‘Goal Completed No More Goals’ came up as I was nearing my home airfield. A couple of missions ago, my flight was intercepted by Eindeckers and all my wingmen were shot down. Immediately after the last one went down a mission failed message came up. I carried on and completed the mission anyway. Both missions were recorded and contributed to the total flying time. Does it make any difference in any way in OFF if you can get a ‘Goal Completed ...’ message - say in terms of promotion?

I'm glad to hear that. I frequently listen to the whole theme before playing. Somewhat to the surprise of a CFS3 playing friend of mine to whom I recently gave an OFF demonstration. I kind of got caught up in the music and suddenly realised he was waiting to start, with a politely puzzled look on his face!

I got 'Over Flanders Fields'! (Seriously ... that and this forum kept me sane through a number of family illnesses and deaths.)

Now that explains a lot! It may help me break the habit of using the TAC if it doesn't show all enemies anyway. I start off with the best of intentions, but the paranoia gets to me. I realise that accelerating/warping also tells you when enemies are close so I should really stop that. It's just that I have to fit OFF inbetween people's coursework. Still, my wife's course ends in August ... perhaps I'll just carry on using them until then!

Uncleal, that could be it. It is possible there was the remnant of another flight near us. Unfortunately, it was one of those landings where all the AI aircraft flew into a wood at the edge of the field and blew up. I wasn't quite sure who made it back.

Thanks for your replies. I thought I'd been able to warp with the enemy over 4 miles away before now. I'm wondering whether I could actually have had enemy aircraft flying parallel directly below us - being one of the few times nowadays that I returned with most of my flight, and in close formation. We were at about 8000'. Could I have missed a different coloured spot under the gaggle of blue.

On the last leg of reconnaissance missions, behind our lines, I usually accelerate time, or warp a little, to get back to the airfield. Sometimes I get the 'cannot leave ... enemies nearby!' message. A couple of times I have got this message even when no other aircraft were showing within 8 miles on the TAC. Does anyone know the actual distance that has to be clear before acceleration/warp is allowed?

See, the old Quirk is really quite versatile! Nice period look to the decoration as well. Merry Christmas to all members of this forum. Wayfarer

Mightysrc, Von Paulus, sorry to hear hear of your troubles. Can't offer any better advice than Flyby's positive comments, but you have my sympathies for what its worth. I'm waiting to see if the budget cuts in my organisation will mean I have a job or not. My wife finishes her nursing diploma next year and we aren't sure what NHS reorganisation will mean for her getting a job. It may end up with the kids keeping us yet. My own personal political/economic rantings won't add anything useful so I won't trouble. I hope, of course, that things eventually work out better than they look at present. I guess you just have to stick it out for the moment, like an old BE2 full of holes, fighting a bitter Westerly, heading through the Archie to a safe billet.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I'm going take it it under further consideration after Christmas. I have a couple of friends who used TrackIR and I think I might be able to get a live demo in the New Year.

Having got to the stage in my early period campaign where enemy aircraft are starting to take a really unhealthy interest in me, I have been giving TrackIR serious consideration. One concern I have, however, is that it seems my occipital nerve (up the back of your neck and round each side of your head - apparently) is easily aggravated. Amongst the 101 things that upsets it is repeated turning of the head. I have things set up at work to avoid this. Symptoms can include acute headache, sensitivity to light (I thought I was becoming a vampire) and plain old throwing up (embarrassing at work). I would be interested to hear if anyone has encountered any problems like this themselves. I really would like to try TrackIR, but if the odds are it will bring this on ( something does most days) it might be wise to give it a miss and my wingmen will just have to make more effort to defend themselves!

Happy Christmas Captain!

I seem to connect the wearing of armour like this with attempts at planting explosive charges under the enemy's wire to blow gaps in it - only thing is I can't remember why I make this connection!

Thanks for your replies everyone. I shall try using 'H' next time. I was aware of the view in F6 but I hadn't really got faith in what I was seeing at the time. As it happens, we did end up just over the treetops. Unfortunately, as posted elsewhere, I got struck by the stutters with the frame rate dropping to single figures. One touch of the joystick was producing sickening lurches a few seconds later - often even nearer to the trees! Fortunately, the FPS picked up after I paused it but I tried to get a little height after that as I didn't want to lose my pilot that way. It's a testament to the immersion factor of OFF that I realised I was actually reproaching myself for not knowing my wingmen's names (I am duly ashamed Olham)! It made me think, how must they have felt in real life when they were responsible for people.

Thanks Uncleal. I've altered my sliders a little so I'll see how I get on.

It was Fokker EIIIs. One thing I may have done was spend a bit too long shooting at several that drifted in front of me. That was due to me trying to work out where the bullets actually went rather than any claim hunting. I thought that the gun on the BE was offset to avoid the propeller but it seemed to shoot straighter than I imagined. I was trying to work out somewhere to sight through. I did actually hit a couple to my amazement, as I was in spot view at the time. Several minutes after hitting the last one I was informed that I had destroyed an enemy aircraft! I didn't see it go down, however, and since my apparently successful landing suddenly turned into a crash landing (I had landed and cut off the engine and was coming to a halt - I am presuming battle damage played a part) there was no claim form ( I have yet to see one). I wouldn't have had a clue what happened anyway! I'll have to start making a note of my wingmen's names just in case - if I can get any of them home!

Having run a BE2 campaign from Winter 1915 and reached early June I encountered the first serious enemy aircraft opposition last flight. There were hundreds of ‘em! Well, 12 in the end – and only 4 in my flight. I used the various tips I have picked up from this forum. When the first four attacked, I turned into them, selecting a target for my wingmen and ordering them to attack using ‘A’. Whether anything came of this, I don’t know because I got too busy trying not to get shot down. I tried to clear the Fokkers off my wingmen’s tails when I could. I used ‘R’ in the hope that Rejoin would help keep us in some sort of formation, but I kept losing track of them. By the time one of my wingmen had gone down and I had realised there were now 12 aircraft directly attacking us, I decided to try and lead my flight to the nearest friendly airfield, pressing ‘R’ every now and then. They kept falling behind, however, and I had to keep turning back to try and help them (despite the fact that before I started leading the flights I could never keep up with them). I headed close to one of our balloons, in the hopes that the AA might scare the enemy off. It did, apparently, destroy two of them. By that time, however, my other two wingmen had fallen, so I scuttled back to my home airfield with a hole in one wing and a rattling engine that seemed to be slowly dropping revs. Given the odds, the aircraft types and an inexperienced flight leader, the outcome seemed not unreasonable. What I’m wondering, however, is did I miss anything obvious, tactically or game command, that I could have done to save any of my wingmen or have I got to get used to the guilt!

I set the Ground Object Density to High for the first time today. Then, also for the first time, got surrounded by a swarm of Fokkers and ended up at about 150 feet over a forest. At this point, the frame rate dropped really low and the the game really started to stutter, so I need to adjust some settings. Is it possible to do this in the middle of a flight? When the stutters were really bad I couldn't judge the behaviour of my aircraft and nearly flew it into the trees. I really wanted to be able to pause and alter the graphics, because I didn't want that to be the cause of killing my pilot, but I couldn't think if there was any way to do it.

Olham, von Baur, thanks for your kind sentiments - and a question - how do you all get those You Tube items to show in your posts?

Thanks Olham. That is interesting. I have seen British combat reports from WWII before, but no German ones from WW1. It's interesting that he describes the finish of his own aircraft and that, although he records having taken part in three attacks, he is emphatic that the other pilots were responsible for downing two of the aircraft.