TaillyHo

You lucky, lucky bastard! Just remember: (the rest of your) life begins at 40! So make the most of the next 10 years, before - like most of us here - you truly are an 'Old Chap'! oh ... and happy birthday!!

Well aside from half a dozen shots with an air-rifle as a kid, I know nothing about real world gunnery - and I've just a couple of months with OFF (not a couple of years like many here - certainly not a veteran of a couple of decades of combat flight simming!). So I've no expertise to bring to this very interesting thread. But I have been dipping into a WW1 aviation book called The Years of the Sky Kings by Arch Whitehouse (1959) and a passage I recently read seemed pertinent to this discussion. Quoting 'Jimmy' McCudden, flying DH.2s with RFC-29 in the late summer of 1916: "The astounding thing to me ... was the number of rounds we would fire and still have nothing happen. Once six of us got in a fight and we battled away from 10,000 feet to 800 feet. We fired every round we had, but no one seemed to bring back a bullet hole. We all must have been awful duds as marksmen." I have been running the 'normal' (default) settings, but intend to shift to less accurate settings soon, as like P-W, Hassewind and others, I feel it would be more realistic if I had to work a bit harder to be able to make a 'claim'. I realise there are a number of components in OFF that also contribute to being able to hit what you're aiming at - and Creaghorn's tracer mod as well as the 'range' settings should be the next things I try. But from my limited experience - and reading the wisdom of contributors here - I support P-W's 'research' and would certainly be keen to try an adjustment of this kind.

Yes, same first and last letter - I'm sure they'd start sounding very similar after a few pints in the mess!

Ssshhh elephant, it's one of the best kept secrets in OFF! Yes, as you say, the observer can be very handy at 'cleaning up' if you run out of ammo - especially if you've already inflicted some damage to your opponent(s). It takes some slightly risky positioning of the Strutter at times, but he is an excellent shot (and very economical too). Ah the Strutter! I am gradually getting to grips with the Pup for my RNAS-3 pilot, but he still has a soft spot for the 2-seater Sopwith.

You have me mistaken for someone else, mien Herr! It is brother Tranquilo - riding his trusty S.E5 - who has vanquished the Albatros so graphically. Doing most of my entente flying in midsummer 1916, I am yet to have the pleasure of their acquaintance.

I thought Proust was a writer, and Prost a formula 1 driver! Welcome back, Olham.

Good job there, Sopwith - fielding your own hit as it were! In addition to your namesakes which are well represented, if you haven't been there for a while, you'll see a new addition from Olham on his beloved Albatri series - top stuff!

Best wishes to you and your mom, Olham. See you in a couple of weeks!

Just a quick note to say I simply swapped the 'Smooth' template for the X axis into yours - and now I have the best of both! Just flew a mission in the DFW and everything was great. So many thanks for your help, Olham.

Absolutely - best of luck, ol boy!

Thank you, my friend. I will look at the 'Roll' settings (thought it would be either that or 'X'). Flying them both recently, I can say the DFW's aiming position is easier to get to - as you say, you do just duck slightly forward, and a little to the right. By comparison, the Bristol is a more substantial lean to the left, and possibly even backwards a little. But I find 'moving' myself into a firing position is much better than pressing F6 because that gives you a fixed view until you press F6 again. If one can move one's shoulders/ upper body to get into a good firing position, you are still free to turn your head a little to really 'track' your target (or if necessary, zoom in or out - which you can't do whilst in the F6 view). Anyway, if I can just stretch the lateral perspective a smidge more, I will be happy to switch over to your profile for OFF.

From one who has enjoyed watching (and hopefully, learning) and many thanks, Hellshade - you have done OFF and I suspect, a number of it's proud owners, a great service!

Olham, thanks for the 'after sales service'! The new version is much better. I tried it in my Bristol Scout and the only Bristol-specific problem I encountered was not being able to lean quite as far left as I need to (consistently) to get a good line along the barrel of the 'cock-eyed' Lewis. Do you know which parameter in TrackIR would govern movement in that direction? The generic "Smooth" seems to permit just a little more leaning, so I am more often able to sight the MG. Prost!

Certainly not cheating, old bean! Get all the height advantage you can out of the old girl- and to that end, never mind auto-pilot (far less, warping!) just get your mechanics to adjust your elevator trim (or do it in situ in conjunction with your fuel mix tweaks) so 'steady climbing' is what she'll do naturally.

Thanks, Olham - I'm pleased I wasn't making a complete goose of myself by saying that. Will try the new version shortly. I understand the context in which you say use the 'height' movement (lying on your side) - it must've been very straining on the pilot's necks in real life, being pushed down into their seats by the G-forces of holding a 90 degree bank, but also needing to look around to see their opponent(s) - and tree-tops and roof tops when the fighting gets really low. Nice immersion-adding idea you have there, Creaghorn - I would be interested to hear how you get on with your next 'rookie' pilot.

Hello Olham, I have tried your profile and whilst I like the quicker 'yaw' axis response (I have been using the generic "Smooth" profile so far), I find the "pitch" profile a little too exaggerated for my liking - especially moving my head upwards felt like I was almost standing up in the cockpit!). When I looked at how you had mapped "pitch" it was unusually asymetrical (at least, compared with the defaults and a couple of other user profiles I've seen). Can you explain to a TRackIR newbie why you went this way?

Wayfarer, in my 'early' war experience flying against Eindeckers, I would advise you take no comfort from being at 8000 - as I've often encountered them at 10,000 feet and higher. Lou's advice as to their limited abilities at these heights may give you some comfort, but ...

Wayfarer. my relatively limited experience echoes the wise heads of Uncleal and Olham, but I'd just like to acknowledge your outstanding commitment in campaigning still in the much maligned B.E2. Long may you complete your (mission) goals, Sir - and reap the well-earned rewards of promotion!

Wonderful news, elephant - that your copy of OFF finally arrived. I think you have had to wait the longest time - hope you feel your patience has finally been rewarded! (patience is not a bad quality to have in OFF, anyway!)

Thanks Hellshade (and CW3FS), about time I updated drivers, so given your feedback I'll be downloading the XP version tonight.

fair enough. If it's good enough for you to be taking up the fight against Albatri in Bloody April ... in a Fee (!), I fully understand why you feel those lily-livered Nieup pilots should be there too.

Thanks Olham, pardon my ignorance on that score. Given that, I'm very happy the AI are able to re-load in need. Now what's all this Niuep-bashing? I understand Olham, as most often a German OFF pilot would have it in for them - but I thought Bullethead was usually a (or even, "the") Fee pilot (?) Surely in that 'bus' and that time of the war, Nieuports would be your friends?!?

Well we can't re-load 'in flight' (notwithstanding that if you look around the cockpit of, say a Bristol Scout, you can see drums of ammo for the Lewis stacked neatly either side of your seat!), so it would be a tad unfair if the AI pilots had that capability!?! Mind you, it would be an uber-cool feature to have in P4 - even if you just pressed a key, and then had to wait, say 30 seconds (to simulate the time to replace a drum - actually that must've taken a bit longer for the top-wing mounted Nieuports compared with the others where it's right beside or infront of you!) before you have a renewed load ready to go. Of course, there should be some limitation on control input during this re-load period to simulate the fact that while you were re-loading the drum, you could only steer with your knees!! I'm sure even 30 seconds would be a nerve-wrackingly long time in the midst of a frantic dog-fight.

That, or his last firing action was from directly below an opponent!

Been reading Joshua Levine’s Fighter Heroes of WWI recently. I’d be surprised if this hasn’t been posted before, but better twice than not at all, eh! ‘Twas brillig and the Slithy Quirk Did drone and burble in the blue, All floppy were his wing controls (And his observer too) ‘Beware the wicked Albatros’, The O.C. quirks’ had told him flat; ‘Beware the Hun-Hun bird and shun The frumious Halberstadt’ But while through uffish bumps he ploughed, The Albatros, with tail on high, Came diving out of the tulgey cloud And let his bullets fly. One, two; one, two, and through and through. The Lewis gun went tick-a-tack, The Hun was floored, the Quirk had scored, And came ‘split arsing’ back. ‘Oh has thou slain the Albatros? Split one, with me, my beamish boy, Our RAF-ish scout has found them out’, The C.O. wept for joy. (attributed to William Bond, 40 Squadron – with apologies to Lewis Carroll) According to Levine, this was based on an actual encounter near Arras in April 1917.