Shiloh

.

 

Oh yes Shiloh, and quite well too. Which is a good thing as the WWI kites respond quickly to rudder, and it is an integral input for many of the maneuvers you will need to perform to stay alive in a dogfight.

 

.

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.

.

 

I have used that JS for the last several years and find it excellent for OFF. I have moved to rudder pedals rather than the twist function, but it worked very well for rudder control when I did use it for such. And Lewie is quite right about programming those extra keys for the more needed functions.

 

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

Even though around here it's use is frowned upon, in Workshop you can monkey around with the Realism setting to make the aircraft more forgiving of input.

 

As long as you're not intending to practice your gunnery, the Bristol Scout is the most docile bird available. That can dive, climb, and turn like an actual fighter

 

If you were ever too attempt using the gun you would never forget it, and you might hit a tree. As the gun itself is canted 35 degrees off the centerline of the aircraft

 

She does feature a vicious career ending stall, but only when set to REALISTIC, on EASY it all but vanishes

 

There were a couple of corny Utubes, from the original R.O.F. showing the princibles of Flight. But they appear to be history now.

 

The Sopwith Camel earned her nickname of 'Widowmaker' a name bestowed on her by British Pilots

Hmmm...I'm wondering whether I should start off on realistic or easy settings?

Well if you have to, get yourself a twisty joystick, at least one with enough optional buttons and hat switches so you can move some of the more frequently used keyboard commands to the joystick.

 

My recommendation would be to initially move the elevator trims to two of the buttons straight away, as it will reduce the amount of workload trying to hold the joystick off center for climbing and descending rates. get to know your throttle control and treat it like it's supposed to be, as the up and down control. Most of these kites have little handling quircks. Also get to know your F4 key for panning external views and keep the "Z" key, ( which brings up the HUD information..) handy so you can keep track of how the various planes handle, their stall speed and which direction they're headed, as some like the Bebe don't have a compass.

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 like the Sopwith Camel but I've only flown it in CFS3, and if the Nieuport 11 is any indication that the planes do fly differently between CFS3 and OFF. The Bebe Nupe is good kite, but it's touchy about climb rate and rudder input and it has a good portion of gyro procession to make rudder turns interesting.

 

Yes hydration helps but I don't always remember that when I've been drinking.

I'm assuming I'll control my rudder on my joystick? or keyboard?

I, too would recommend the SE5a. It's still my favourite plane of choice even now.

Cool.

Gee Shiloh, you've made quite an impact - half the mess are falling over themselves to greet you (or is that just falling over the ones that have fallen down, drunk!). I'd order a virtual Laphroaig but I think they've closed the bar (and with good reason!)

 

Pleased to hear you're not so-named after the Neil Diamond song!

 

If folks are now advising on specific craft for you to tack your 'L" plates on - let me put in a plug for the Soppy Strutter: well mannered in all aspects of flight (from lift-off to landing and pretty much everything in between); handy rear gunner to watch your 6 if you're fully occupied concentrating on what's happening up ahead; get in early (ie with a RNAS squadron in April-June 1916) and you get a relatively quiet airfield with coastal views and fresh sea air - and a handy combat advantage over the Fokker Eindeckers you'll mostly encounter for the first few months - just treat the odd Roland with respect. They bite!

 

There might be 'better' planes on offer in 1917, but there's also a whole lotta bad company you have to share the sky with by then . . .

 

And as for immersion - if you're excited at the prospect of joystick control, just wait til you combine that with a TrackIR (or similar) headset. Man, you are in for a great time here!

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.

Dej's advice contains the safest British craft to score with, and to be able to evade with:

The Sopwith Triplane! But it will spoil the other craft for you.

The Pup is also agile, but less effectiv.

The Camel is agile and effective, but much harder to fly.

The only other very good beginner's choice would be the S.E.5a - fast, good climb, solid, effective, and agile enough.

Dizzy now?

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.

I usually have a couple of technicolor discussions with the Great Porcelain God before I can even think of sleeping, if I ever am that far down the bottle(s).

 

Airplane spins, you can keep them, let the Camel pilots get their thrills getting dizzy..

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.

Okay, I'll send you this encrypted line - you should know how to read it:

 

http://combatace.com...post__p__315225

 

 

Heeeyy!!! Don't buy him any more drinks! The man is already drunk as an ocean!

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

Welcome Shiloh. To add to Olham's advice above, the 'Flying and Air Fighting' primer on the Camel includes advice from Louvert, so read up on that first and then ask him any additional questions after you've flown the Widowmaker when you have OFF in your mitt, I'd suggest.

 

Another point if you're a Camel fan is that of all the machines in OFF she does seem to provoke the greatest variance in flying experience depending on the rig you have... don't know why or how but that's how is seems to be. OFF is hard - it's meant to be - but it'll be a whole lot harder starting out in a Camel. Of course, you can make life much easier with the Workshop seetings and as a newcomer to flight sims you should take advantage of that until you have your 'air-legs'. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend starting out with a Sopwith Pup - it's the best behaved scout in the sim, then move up to the Sopwith Triplane before you try the Camel.

 

Anyhoos, welcome again, and mine's a pint of Mauldon's Suffolk Pride, if you please.

Thanks for the advice...bottoms up!

Sopwith Camel has a lot of character. She's like your wife. Handle her with care and you'll be rewarded. Misuse her and she will cut your head off. Usually in the form of an unrecoverable spin.

 

SE5 is a good starter plane if you join the Flying Corps. Very forgiving, you have to work to make it spin out on you. Stable gun platform, and capable of diving and speeding away if you bite off more than you can chew. Plus she can climb so high that nothing can get ontop of you, except a Fokker DVII if you live long enough to see them introduced.

 

I don't have much experience with other planes. If you join the Americans the Nieuport 28 is very mediocre. It's wing invariably sheers off whenever things start going well for you.

Thanks for the tips.

Welcome to Death Valley, Flanders.

 

I would heartily recommend that you spend a good while learning how to configure the standard CFS3.1 - I assume you have the game already, 'cos you'll need it?! - to run optimally on your rig. I arsed about with OFF when I'd got it, and I was appalled at how badly it ran and how the colours were gash, etc. Well, of course, it was my own fault for not carefully pored through the readme's concerning tweaking the CFS config files. Once I'd done that, it made an enormous difference to the FPS and suchlike.

 

Didn't stop me getting killed repeatedly, like, but you can't have everything.

 

Speaking of getting killed: yes, you will. A lot. It's best to learn the sim with everything set to realistic except pilot death, at least to begin with (in my humble). Otherwise you'll end up with a stack of dead pilots scattered all over the floor beside you - I know I did, and it was quite painful, as I was losing pilots after 1, 2, 3 or at most, 4 or 5 flights. It's a brutal game, as you'd expect, and the AI won't show you any mercy whatsoever. When you've finally plucked up the courage to start a campaign, you'd be very well advised to start in early or late 1916, before the real butchery kicks in, as you'll met fewer foes and they won't be quite so mental.

 

Mine's a pint of Pendle Witch, ta muchly.

 

Cheers,

Si

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 think you'll discover that a World War One Simulation such as this very enjoyable, as your input is directly responsable for the actions of your aircraft. Less so in a World War Two Aircraft, myself I feel like a passenger in my P-40 rather than the pilot of my Sopwith. The only reason why a good WWII sim is enjoyable . .is the level of possible destruction you can cause.

Likewise the Jets. . I tried them . .. but I wasn't excited . . unless of course . .you get a thrill from making a blip vanish on your radar screen. And enjoy all the scenery being constantly blurred

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.

And one thing you'll learn from this sim is that the colour of adrenalin is brown.

Nice...I'll have to put on one of my kids' diapers.

.

 

Welcome to the virtual front and to the OFF forums, Shiloh. There should be an empty bunk in the hut nearest the south Bessoneau, so just drop your kit there and toodle on over to the mess. Bit of a Great War history buff myself, so sometime we shall have to trade opines concerning the cock-ups from the brass hats on all sides that led to this little soiree in the first place. As Olham has so rightly noted, I do indeed say, "New lads buy the drinks!" So be a good chap will you, and order me up a nice red ale with three fingers of Tullamore Dew parked next to it, and I'll be along directly after late morning patrol to partake. Might even be persuaded to enlighten you about the time I bested four Albatri and a brace of Fokker tripes who all pounced upon my trusty Camel over Lille.

 

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

.

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 think my laptop would be a fair representation of a low end machine, even though at it's time it was considered one of the better laptops.

 

HP Compaq Presario R3400

running windows XP 32 w/SP2 and recent updates

AMD Athlon 64 ( single core ) at 1.8 GHz

2 gigs of Ram

NiVidia Geforce Go440 64 meg discrete video card

 

I'm doing quiet sector campaigns with the video set at 16 bit colors and 1024 X 768 pixels, and I frequently get about an average of 24 FPS that drops some to about 17 FPS if the background gets busy. I let the OFF GPU configurator at it's default, and just turned off the shadows in 'Display'.

 

I would suspect that most folks would find this resolution, frame rate, and color level not acceptable, but since I run quite a few late 90's and early 2K era sims and 3D programs, I'm pretty happy with what I'm getting out of this old clunker. It used to get pretty warm when taxing the video and CPU but cleaning out the dust bunnys, reseating the cpu/gpu cooler and applying new heat sink compound has helped it a lot.

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.

Welcome, shiloh. All advice you get here will be top notch. Good advice there from olham - get used to your chosen crate in "Freeflight" first. The Camel is definately not the easiest to fly - kills more British pilots than the Albatros

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.

Shiloh, welcome to the flight simulation world I am new here too.

 

I have years long experience with a lot of flight simulations. My first combat sim was on Amiga 500: F-18A Hornet. Followed with Gunship, FS2004, FSX, IL-2 1946 etc... I am flying the WW1 Legends since a few days only. And I discovered Over Flanders Fields: Between Heaven and Hell also with Hellshade`s youtube videos. (God Bless you Hellshade )

 

Believe me there is no need for other flight simulations if you got OFF: BHaH

Because it`s really lifelike.

 

Greetings from Norway-Stavanger (Have no Enemies )

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

There was a thread earlier this year about low-end systems and who was running what - might be worth a look. 'Low end' might not be bells & whilstles, but it should be quite playable.

Like you say, Shiloh - see how you go.

Reckon they'll be a few here planning their next hardware upgrade to coincide with OFF P4 (hopefully) later this year.

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.

Welcome to the OFF Forum, Shiloh!

Your avatar makes it clear, what you are gonna fly, once you had some training.

So let me hand you on to our Camel expert, RAF_Louvert - he'll tell you all the tricks.

He will also say this: New lad buys the drinks - so I say the same. I'll have a virtual Warsteiner.

 

 

You will find, that you can make easier settings, but I would rather recommend to do some good training in "Free flight" without

opponents, on the craft you want to fly. There are some easy to fly crates, like the Sopwith Pup, the Nieuports, or the Albatrosses.

 

 

You will find out soon: it is NOT a game.

Do you have TrackIR Pro view device? If not, and if you really want to pilot your kite with an overall view, as it should be - get it!

It isn't cheap, but for a WW1 sim, it is a "must have" device.

 

Can you tell me, what "Shiloh" is? On German TV, we once had an American western series: "The People from the Shiloh Ranch"

Is it an area or a landscape in the US?

Last point: if you write to me your twon and state, I will add you to our "OFF Pilots Forum Maps", which you can find in the stickies above.

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

I'm running OFF on this low-powered machine at 1920x1080, with everything up high but anti-aliasing, I only use a little anti-aliasing (and don't notice)

 

 

 

 

-----------------

System Information

------------------

Time of this report: 4/3/2011, 22:57:55

Machine name: DIEGO-PC

Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2 (6002.vistasp2_gdr.101014-0432)

Language: English (Regional Setting: English)

System Manufacturer: Micro-Star International

System Model: GX620

BIOS: GX620, BIOS Version: A1651IMS Ver1.0P

Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU P8400 @ 2.26GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.3GHz

Memory: 3070MB RAM

Page File: 2289MB used, 4051MB available

Windows Dir: C:\Windows

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

DX Setup Parameters: Not found

DxDiag Version: 7.00.6002.18107 32bit Unicode

 

 

 

 

Display Devices

---------------

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT

Manufacturer: NVIDIA

Chip type: GeForce 9600M GT

DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC

Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0649&SUBSYS_72201462&REV_A1

Display Memory: 1777 MB

Dedicated Memory: 497 MB

Shared Memory: 1279 MB

Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (30Hz)

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

Those who run it seem to be satisfied . Mostly those in GB or Europe or Greece where the VAT puts Trackir out of reach. I would Download the program from that video, however there's a few ways to build one, all on Utube

 

Personally I run Trackir, but I've never heard of any complaints.

 

I formally ran a Quad@2.4 Ghtz

 

Now a Duo@3.6 Ghtz Now I can no longer build a Bridge, but I wasn't planning on it anyway

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

That 2.2 Ghtz will put you in the Lower end of machines as long as you stay in that catagory there should be no problem. It's strange OFF prefers speed rather than power

 

Funny thing about OFF, the ultimate contradiction, if you run OFF which means your desktop, at the maximum resolution your monitor will allow. OFF will be very happy, unfortunately everything else won't be

 

The views in OFF are pitiful. Views are very important for a pilot's situational awareness. Most folk use a rather expensive toy, in the $150 range

 

If you find that too rich for your blood, there is an alternative

 

Or you can try without, but get used to getting shot to pieces by the unseen enemy

 

 

 

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?

Shiloh - Welcome to the "airfield". New chaps buy the drinks at mess ;>)

 

You will enjoy flying OFF without a doubt. If you are a history buff and WW1 is in your area of interest, OFF is like a time machine. The developers put an enormous amount of historical accuracy in this sim. IMHO you won't find anything like it. The guys in this forum group are knowledgeable in history, simming and computers hardware and software.

In that case the next round's on me. I love historical immersion games so this is right up my alley.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

what he said..

 

I'd like to add that the only true trainer aircraft in OFF is the RAF BE2c or Quirck. This is where this sim could use some variety, an AVRO 504 and an Albatros BII would be good entry level trainers. There is a freeware WWI sim that has a number of easy to fly early WWI aircraft, and the flight model is less rigorous than OFF's

I will study up on these planes and learn as much as I can before taking flight...thanks for the advice.

Best way to learn OFF is to enlist in the Richtofen's Jagdgeschwader in March 1918, set air activity to heavy, and throw yourself into a 30+ aeroplane dogfight over No Man's Land. Surviving to April will separate the men from the boys!

Nothing like jumping in head first - if I survive I'll probably look like this.

Welcome to OFF, Shiloh - hope you don't have to wait too long for your disc.

 

As uncleal suggests - there's lots of good reading on these forums to keep you occupied in the meantime. If you are a flight sim virgin, it will be important to choose a plane that is going to help you 'learn to fly' . . . and give you half a chance in a combat situation (which, in a WWI simulation you'll only be able to avoid for so long!).

 

Suggest you check out the 'survival in the air series' sub-forum and look up the pilot's guides provided for some of the craft available in OFF. Also do a bit of research on different timeframes in the war, (so you know literally what you'll be up against), and different locations (choosing somewhere a little quieter might be a good move initially).

 

You'll get heaps of options once you intall the sim and go to 'enlist' your first pilot - specific dates and individual squadron morale (elite; good; average; poor) you can't see until you get OFF - but having narrowed some other choices in advance will help you ending up somewhere, in something, you regret. That said, expect to lose a lot of pilots in the early days/weeks.

 

Your rig looks like it should run OFF just fine. Vista reportedly does a few funny things here and there, but nothing you won't find advice on here from those that have been there before you.

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.

Not to burst anybody's bubble at this late a stage. However I feel the question must be asked of one who has never flown a flight sim previously

 

That being . . . Is your hardware up to the task at hand http://www.overfland....com/sysreq.htm

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)

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and say how excited I am to enter the flight sims genre. I researched sims carefully and loved the look, feel and time-period of OFF. I watched a bunch of great YouTube videos (Hellshade) and was instantly sold. I read some posts and it seems like a really great community and I look forward to being part of it. I have never flown a sim but know I'll love it as I'm a student of military history (Civil War/WWI/WW2) and love learning more about a particular time period and I definitely can use some brushing up on WWI dogfight tactics.

Yesterday I ordered the game, a joystick, and hopefully I'm up flying with you guys by the end of the week. I'm looking forward to it!

~ Shiloh