Shiloh

This is very helpful - thanks uncleal,

Good stuff. I just watched a few more of Hellshade's videos and I have the itch to get up there flying. All my stuff is en-route so I read up and play the waiting game.

Good to know. So the the twisting motion allows you to control rudders?

Hmmm...I'm wondering whether I should start off on realistic or easy settings? I ordered the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick and I figured that would be enough to get me going. It has 12 programmable buttons so maybe a can add most of my controls there. Do people use mostly joysticks or a combo with keyboard?

I'm assuming I'll control my rudder on my joystick? or keyboard? Cool. I think word got out that I'm buying rounds for anyone that can stand. Never used a joystick but I know I'm going to love that thing - not much of a keyboard guy. I've been gaming on consoles since Pong in the 1970's and have only been PC gaming for a bit over a year and never really got comfortable with the keyboard.

This is a lot to take in. I think everyone is different. I usually like a more balanced machine that does pretty well in most categories, although maybe not the best in any of them. I'll take a look at the S.E.5a. This Camel sounds like it's tough to fly. I still say the key to no hangover is a half-gallon of water right before you go to bed.

Thanks for putting me on the map. Great...my wingmen are a bunch of drunks. :helpme: Thanks for the advice...bottoms up!

Thanks for the tips. This is some great advice thanks. I did order CFS3 and OFF so hopefully I get them by the end of the week. I'm getting a real sense of how hard this will be based on what you guys are saying and given the average life expectancy of WWI pilots it makes sense. It sounds like a lot of the deaths were caused by inadequate equipment/mishandling of planes as it was early flight and that's something they didn't have to contend with as much in WW2. I'm really glad I joined this community as I already feel you guys are at least pointing me in the right direction - I appreciate that. Have one on me.

I don't like smooth and easy. I like something that has some character and you have to struggle with it a bit to get a sense of the planes demeanor and flaws. I drive an old Jeep and I know all the little nuances of the way she drives. I can feel the road through the steering wheel and she's imperfect but I love her and all her quirks. Have you ever driven a really old truck and you have to keep the wheel moving to keep her straight - that's what I like. When I drive a new car everything is smooth - nothing gives that car character and I don't like driving them. It seems the same with this. Nice...I'll have to put on one of my kids' diapers.

My bunk suits me just fine thanks Lou. You can find me in the mess after your patrol knocking down a few with some of the fellas. I'm trying to get away with just a new CPU which is the weak point in my rig. It's the AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz which I can OC to about 3.4-3.5 and thought ought to get my rig up to speed but I have to confirm it's compatible with my motherboard which is getting a bit out of date. I'm pretty big on epic battles and high-res graphics in games so I think an upgrade is in order. When I played the Total War series I could never get enough guys on the battlefield for my tastes - 3,000-4,000 is standard when I was looking for 15,000-20,000. I have a decent enough rig with a few weak spots I need to improve. It seems like everyone here is giving me some good advice and I'd be silly not to take it. You won't catch me in that Camel anytime soon as I hear it's a real handful.

Greetings ReDDoT. I am from Massachusetts USA and look forward to this with much anticipation. I've felt bored lately with gaming and have been looking for something more. Hitting a mouse and keyboard has never felt right to me yet I believe flying with a stick will provide the immersion I've been seeking. I can see how there's a lot of physical/mental skill involved with this and I'm looking forward to the challenge. I can honestly say Hellshade's videos put me over the top in getting Over Flanders Fields so I will forever be in debt. I'm not saying I won't try other flight sims but there's something about this one I think that will keep me coming back for more. It's good to be here and maybe we can help each other along the way as we're both noobs. ~ Shiloh

I'm currently looking into a new MB that would support a new CPU as I fear my 2.2 will leave a lot to be desired. I want to be immersed and I don't believe lower graphic settings are going to do it for me, but time will tell. Olham, Thanks for your kind welcome and a hearty salute! Earlier I bought a round for everyone but let me buy a virtual Warsteiner as I know that's your favorite. Now, on to business. I may try and make a TrackIR device as I may be upgrading my MB and CPU and this is getting rather expensive. I do agree from what I've seen it is a must as how else would you know your being tailed? Shiloh is a reference to the Battle of Shiloh in the American Civil War as I'm a student of that war. I manage a website on the Battle of Gettysburg that I've been growing for 6 months but Gettysburg doesn't have the same ring as Shiloh as a screen name. I'll send you my location as a PM as it's top secret and I wouldn't want for it to fall in enemy hands. ~ Shiloh

Cool. I think I just need to get the game, see how my rig runs it, then take it from there.

I'm pretty sure I'll build one. How did you run the game with the 2.4 and what was your video card?

- Shogun 2 Total War - World of Tanks - Call of Juarez

The 2.2 has been limiting me a bit in other games as well...Total War series mostly. I'm looking to upgrade perhaps sooner rather than later. $150. is a bit steep but it is good to know you can make one. How well do the homemade ones work?

In that case the next round's on me. I love historical immersion games so this is right up my alley. I will study up on these planes and learn as much as I can before taking flight...thanks for the advice. Nothing like jumping in head first - if I survive I'll probably look like this.

Thanks for the tips TallyHo. I'm taking good advice and reading as much as I can at this point. I'll check out that sub-forum "survival in the air" and see what I can learn. The more I find out the more excited I am to get going. I do understand the learning curve is steep and I'm sure I'll be picking a lot of fresh turf out of my teeth to start but it's all a learning experience at this point.

Thanks for the welcome guys. I believe my rig will suffice but maybe you guys can double-check my specs: COMPUTER - MSI M/B K9A2CF-F AMD 790X - AMD Phenom 9500 Quad-Core 2.2 GHz - 4GB RAM - Seagate Barracuda 250GB Sata HD (7200 rpm) - DVDRW/CDRW drive - Corsair 650TX 650W ATX12V - ATI MSI Radeon 5770 HD video card - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick - Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit) - Dell 22" monitor (max res 1680 x 1050)