33LIMA

My old system's low spec for WOFF (Core 2 Quad 2.33 and 1 gig 250GTS, before that a 512 meg 8800GT), but runs WOFF very acceptably, and on quite high graphic settings (I don't play much late war stuff but could dial back that era's higher air activity, if I needed to). And that's with Ankor's shadows mod which much improves the visuals. I have OFF+HITR but WOFF is such a massive step-up over OFF, that it's very well worth the move, unless your rig is well off the lower end of the WOFF scale. OFF: WOFF: ...and the visuals are only one part of the upgrade. But then, you probably knew all this already!

It's just one of several variations, trying to find the right balance between camouflage and visibility, from different aspects. Your pic is the 1939-40 era. Just before the war, the standard was Type B roundels (red and blue) on fuselage and upper wings: The red/blue roundels would have been better for camouflage on the ground, from the air. The higher-vis fuselage roundels would have improved air-to-air recognition, without unduly compromising camouflage while on the ground. The 'Battle of Barking Creek' would have emphasised the desirability of that (a couple of Hurris were shot down by Spits, when a radar masking problem led to friendly aircraft being reported as incoming bogies). At that time and up till about mid-1940, there were no roundels under the wings - for recognition from the ground, RAF fighters 1939-40 swapped 1938-era overall aluminium undersurfaces for half black, half white (or aluminium), with some variations. About the time the upper surfaces were changed from dark green/dark earth to dark green/ocean grey in 1941 IIRC, roundel styles changed again, with thinner white and yellow rings, and for head-on recognition, yellow outer leading edges on wings.

Here's ome scenes from Mission 11, the final one in this three-theatre campaign and last of the three missions made by me (with a LOT of help from Lockie!). We move out from the Forming Up Place to firing positions overlooking the semi-fictional Hockenheimer Brucke... The vehicle commander puts the gunner onto an approaching enemy armoured column, so far oblivious to our presence but about to get a rude awakening... The accompanying Shermans plaster us with 76mm APC and HVAP, but fare little better than the armoured infantry's half-tracks... Pershings! The 'heavy brigade' has arrived, to rescue their lighter cousins... But now, it's our turn to be re-inforced, as the 17th SS Panzers line up next to us and open fire... Anyway, the 'Erich Schulze's Diary' campaign is nearing completion. Having finally 'taken the plunge' with the Steel Fury Mission Editor, my impressions are that the initial learning curve is quite steep, but once yuou're past that (preferably with the much-needed help of an expert like Lockie) it's not very difficult to set up quite a lot of useful or interesting things. It's useful that the ME, with its satellite, 3d view of the game world, will let you start the AI moving following the scripts you have devised for each unit, while you watch from above and zoom in or out. The ME's manual is a bit hard to follow in places, and there's some detailed and tricky work needed outside the ME, in doing the right edits to the right files, following conventions that are a tad arcane, to get things like messages, waypoint markers and all the sundry, lesser-but-important details working. Not to mention the time spent in testing, tweaking and retesting (backing up as you go, against the one edit that will break something so badly even the Mission Editor won't load the mission again). There's a lot to learn and much that I still understand poorly - or not at all! But if you're thinking of having a go, fire away. It can be quite addictive, and nothing beats seeing your creation finally come to life, with tracks rattling, engines growling and shot & shell flying, as the Steel Fury STA mod's world springs into violent and noisy life!

Some scenes from a more recent test of the Jagdtiger mission! It's late March 1945 and schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 653 is in action in the Rhineland, near Schwetzingen. The Americans have already got across the Rhine at Remagen and it looks like they're about to capture another bridge, in the chaos undefended and not yet wired for demolition. The only hope is my platoon of three serviceable Jagdtiger, tasked with holding on until a kampfgruppe of 17th SS Panzer Grenadier division can arrive, to secure the area properly. But the Amis are closer. After a hasty approach march which we hope hasn't destroyed the zero of our big but sensitive 12.8cm guns, we near the high ground overlooking the bridge. I order the platoon from column into line formation. As the river comes into sight ahead, I order a halt, driving my own vehicle into a shallow revetment - just in time, for the leading Amis are motoring right to left along the road on the opposite bank. It's a platoon of M8 armoured cars, out on point. Behind the light armour, the first Shermans pull off the road and turn to face us. Our cannon have a low rate of fire, but they are pleasantly accurate. With the range set only at a 'battle sight' setting, even crossing targets can be engaged with consistently successful results. Enemy infantry who have debussed from their half-tracks are working their way towards the bridge... ...covered by yet more Shemans... As we engage the Shermans, some half-tracks make it over, but they and the Shermans are quickly dealt with.... Reinforcements arrive - unfortunately enemy ones, in the form of M26 Pershings. Under cover of their fire, the leading enemy infantry sprint over the bridge...this is going to be tricky... Lots more work to be done to this mission yet but so far, I'm enjoying even the testing...there's something to be said for fighting in a big monster of a virtual tank (or tank destroyer) against more numerous but smaller, weaker enemies!

Working on the first version of what's likely to be the last mission in the campaign, with our hero transferred to Jagdtiger outfit s.PzJg. Abt 653 in the Rhineland, March 1945: