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Hey folks, version 1.1.1 of OFFice, OFFbase, and OFFworld is now available for download at the official website and Combat Ace. Here's the change-log: Injured pilots can access their journals and read their squadron's daily status reports from in the infirmary. Counts missions flown by your AI squadmates, reporting the tally in the Duty Room. Reduced frequency of Congressional Medal of Honor being awarded in American campaigns. Adjusted Goodwill scaling so missions are relatively more important. Optional Goudy Bookletter 1911 for American campaigns and Croissant One font for French campaigns, while clarity of the German Behrensschrift and British Railway Sans have been improved. Fixed bugs transferring between squadrons, handling gunner/observers in multiplayer squadrons, encounter partner selection, and elsewhere. Some edits to encounters and internal code refactoring as well. If you're interested in membership in OFFworld, the kick-ass multiplayer version, send me a PM.

Think this next update is something many will really enjoy. Along with a complete font overhaul to make spending time OFFbase and OFFworld more pleasant, version 1.1.0 includes CaptSopwith's mix of the soundtrack to Red Baron 3D, along with a mix of the soundtrack from the old Amiga classic Wings as suggested by Creaghorn ages ago. These make for amazing retro experiences that will take you right back to those glory days of the 1990's. FYI: Wings, the major inspiration behind OFFbase, is graciously available as a free download for the Amiga by Cinemaware, who reserve all rights. AmigaForever is an officially licensed Amiga emulator that will let you play Wings on your PC. Digital joystick recommended. Look at all these music options to suit any mood. Try them all! Additionally, the installer can now extract music & sound files at different levels of quality, providing low-def versions for old, slow computers with crummy onboard sound that suffer FPS hits under all the fancy high-quality stereo sounds. So get OFFice 1.1.0 today! And as always, if you're interested in joining and contributing to OFFworld, the kick-ass multiplayer version, send me a PM.

See the new website I've put up with help from RAF_Louvert. Here's the changelog: Lots of bug fixes. Bunch of edits to encounters. Some internal refactoring. Improved and expanded grammar rules for the Adjutant status reports. Adds observations in character descriptions about one's Goodwill, and adjusts some Goodwill scaling. Reduced severity of damage and injury under the "Forced down" mission result. Extends time to complete missions before the possibility of getting in trouble with the Adjutant. French squads have an "Aide-de-camp" to the CO instead of squadron "Adjutant", to avoid confusion with the rank of the same name. Cannot create new pilots in an OFFworld squadron if you have at least two on active duty already. Expanded names files thanks to data sharing with Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator. OFF P3 shipped with just 11,850 unique German names, boosted to 116,446 in HitR by including Creaghorn’s German last names. With the power of combinatoriality, the additional names collected by Lothar for OFFice and Pat Wilson for his Campaign Generator push this to a vast 1,343,406 unique German names! British now include 511,674 unique names, 156,306 for the French, and the Yanks get 120,246. But OFFice also sprinkles a few middle names into the non-German campaigns for additional combinations of Allied pilots and crew. Still, this is a far cry from the tens of billions of unique personalities possible in the game. If you're interested in joining OFFworld, the ongoing multiplayer campaign, membership is a one-time fee of $12. Send me a PM to get started. The location of the website may end up moving. I'd be willing to discuss free membership in OFFworld in exchange for hosting it.

Hey folks. Setting up a little website for OFFice/OFFbase/OFFworld so people can download them and such even when the forums are cranky. But I've no talent for visual design and such, and wondered if anyone with such skills would like to volunteer? Siggi? Lou? Anybody else? Wouldn't mind just reusing the layout I built for the old DiD website, designed by Siggi. But I'd need new graphical icons and new header images. You around somewhere, Siggi? Still have the raw banner images without text overlays?

Hey folks. Version 1.0.8 of the OFFice incomparable campaign engine for OFF is now available at Combat Ace! Here's the full change-log: OFFworlders can play their Injured characters for encounters in the Infirmary, interacting with visitors, other patients, and of course the doc. Duty roster now shows claims as well as kills. Fixed 1.0.5 bug updating kill tally on duty roster--should sort itself out after your next mission. By default now disables promotions by OFF Manager in exchange for extra OFFbase Prestige from completing missions, based on your pilot's Aerial Skill and Professionalism. If you prefer the old system of rapid promotions from OFF Manager, you can disable this on the OFFbase page in OFFramp. OFFice includes the custom skin pack 'Skin in the Game' with historical skins by Bullethead, nbryant, Olham, RAF_Louvert, Robert_Wiggins, and UK_Widowmaker. Made a historically-appropriate campaign aircraft skin you think should be included? Contact Lothar of the Hill People at Combat Ace or SimHQ. Still working on posting a smaller update for just the software, but to make sure you get the skin pack and Olham's airfield imagery from 1.0.7, just download the whole thing. If you're interested in joining and supporting OFFworld, the multiplayer version in development, send me a PM.

Hey fellow OFFers, version 1.0.6 of OFFice with OFFbase/OFFworld is now available at Combat Ace. Get the full download, or just the smaller update if you already have 1.0.2 or later installed. This release contains some important bug fixes and improvements. Full change-log below. And if you'd like to join OFFworld Phase I -- essentially multiplayer OFFbase, send me a PM. Having other real humans in your squadron is pretty cool. OFFice and OFFbase: Updates to squadron personal are now logged and squadron data archived daily, and this history of your campaign can be reviewed the Adjutant's Office. Reputation-based promotions are now automatic instead of having to apply for them from the Adjutant. More bug fixes! And a few GUI refinements, including seeing photos of squadmates when choosing someone to encounter, and buttons to cleanly and safely delete individual pilots or entire squadrons. Added the expanded encounter help advice to the Tips system so they can be browsed individually on the OFFramp Tips & Tricks page. Added a button there to submit tips. A few more edits to encounters themselves. Updated OFFset profiles for NVIDIA/AMD graphics cards for modern systems (assumes more than 256MB RAM). Run OFFset, click Import, and choose the profile for your card manufacturer. Rebalanced observation balloons and set more historically-reasonable damage for Le Prieur rockets. OFFworld: New interface for communicating with human squadmates in the Mess Hall, allowing you to check status and engage in enconters at will. Squadron history is shared between users, giving notification of the outcome of other players' missions.

Hey fellow OFFers, version 1.0.5 of OFFice with OFFbase is now available at Combat Ace. Get the full download, or just the smaller update if you already have 1.0.2 or later installed. This release contains some important bug fixes and improvements. But the big news: OFFworld Phase I is now Online! OFFworld is a commercial multiplayer version of OFFice. Phase I brings multiplayer to OFFbase! Share a persistent, online squadron and interact with human friends and common AI squadmates on the ground, while flying separate combat missions in the same ongoing campaign. OFFworld Phase II will add multiplayer combat missions in a shared, persistent online war--but needs your support to get off the ground. See the OFFworld page in the OFFramp mod manager for more information and how to join. Phase I is only $12 USD. This release features turn-based multiplayer encounters between human players in an OFFworld squadron, either in real-time or step-by-step as players come and go online. Simple text-messaging between human players in encounters makes for full interactivity. Now you can share the highs and lows of an OFF campaign in the Great War with fellow OFFers! Buy them drinks, arm-wrestle, throw snowballs at each other, visit each other in hospital, etc. With real people on the other end, and all the wonderful dynamic encounters contributed by JamesL, the flexibility and strategic depth of the encounter engine really shines (it's based on a continuous iterated prisoners' dilemma if you're curious). And you can message each other to aid cooperation, taunt in victory or curse in frustration, justify your actions or appeal for forgiveness, even try to fool someone into letting their guard down. It's an awful lot of fun. Plus it's just really cool to share a squadron, common roster and ground crew, and move the dynamic immersive campaign forward together. Also, OFFworld members who want to focus on these human-human interactions can let their own pilot character AI take over encounters with AI squadmates. Note that this can also basically turn off the role-playing in solo campaigns. Even if you don't want to play a shared online campaign with other humans--just want to get all the texty interactions with AI squadmates out of the way and fly OFF with all the other enhancements and improvements of OFFice--well there's another reason to join! See the OFFworld page in the OFFramp mod manager, or just send me a PM.

Good evening, all. With OBD rightly furthering its strengths in WOFF's immersive single-player campaign, multiplayer WW1 aerial combat has become the territory of other games (hard to call anything else out there a 'sim' in comparison). OFF multiplayer has fallen by the wayside for good reasons including technical/compatibility nightmares and the death of Microsoft's CFS GameMatch service. I can solve those problems, but have something much grander in mind. The following is a brief outline of my thinking at this stage, as an initial gage of interest. The goal is to merge the rich depth of OFF's campaign and the thrill of its aerial combat into a massively(?) multiplayer online role-playing combat flight simulator (MMORPCFS?), where players can fly both singleplayer (PvE) and multiplayer (PvP) missions in the same persistent, shared online Great War: Serve in the same squadron as your friends, with a common roster of human and AI pilots and OFFbase ground crew. Submit claims from multiplayer as well as singleplayer missions and witness claims by both human and AI wingmen. Even friends without OFF would be able to join and take the role of Ground Crew! Encounter other human pilots OFFbase and fly alongside and against them in multiplayer combat missions. Or fly your own AI-only singleplayer missions to advance your career and the persistent campaign if no other human flyers are available and no multiplayer missions are scheduled for your squadron. Global campaign open to all well-behaved OFFers would begin early in the war (date TBD) and advance time across all participating player squadrons with each mission until Armistice. But anyone would be able to create and share multiplayer campaigns for private clubs, special events, etc. Start the campaign at low rank, but earn achievements and promotions as you build your persistent online career. Replacement pilots could begin at ranks you've reached in-game but no higher, while transfers between squadrons open new career possibilities. Multiple pilots in different squadrons and nations would be supported. One highest-ranking player per squadron can serve as Squadron Commander: Score multiplayer mission claims for confirmation based on player reports Reward medals and promotions as well as approve/reject those granted by OFF Manager Coordinate with other squadron COs to approve and assign transfers Generate and schedule multiplayer missions and schedule parties in the Mess Assign flight leaders and alternates Authorize players for lone wolf missions Disciplinary options for breaking formation, friendly fire, cheating, etc. Of course, it would need a Matchmaker system: Far more than just a replacement for the defunct CFS GameMatch directory Publicize and help players sign up for and join scheduled multiplayer missions Let players post future availability to help COs schedule missions Make roles available in hosted mission files for player squadrons on both sides of the lines Synchronize all players' date, time, frontlines, weather, etc. Synchronize all players' available aircraft to eliminate mismatch errors while affording individual armaments/skins, gun convergence distances, fields-of-view, etc. Require/enforce OFF Workshop and CFS3Config difficulty settings for difficulty/fairness and to prevent cheating Generate and publish web-based killboards Expanded OFFbase Mess Hall where you can hang out with your fellow human squadmates: Built-in chat client Multiplayer mini-games, both turn-based (move a chess piece) and real-time (drinking contest) Publish and share tales of your deeds from your Journal in a squadron Library And of course, full integration with WOFF after release (aka WOFFworld?). Combining the depth of that experience with the stakes and emergence of a persistent shared online campaign would be the greatest simulation of the Great War,. I've done enough research and experimentation to know this is feasible on top of my OFFice system. But to make it a reality I need help from all of you. This would be a paid effort. The final form could take the form of either a single purchase or subscription, but I would need funding to get it off the ground, so to speak. I'm thinking of charging via PayPal for 'Early Access' to the closed test campaign and a chance to shape it's features and development. So if you would truly value something like OFFworld, let me know. I'll try attaching a (non-committal) poll to this topic, and if you're reaaally serious about contributing feel free to message me privately. As I said, this is just an initial, informal, gage of interest. If it's going to be dead in the water, I'd rather know now. But if not, the fun can begin soon. Shared synchronized OFFbase squadrons, with all pilots and ground crew, are already mostly up and running over a decentralized network on top of the latest OFFice release. Anyone willing to pay to share their "singleplayer" OFF and OFFice campaign with a friend?

Hey folks! Quiet around here so maybe this'll give reason to get back up in the air. The latest version of OFFice incomparable campaign engine including the OFFbase role-playing simulation is now available at Combat Ace! Download the full package, or the smaller update if you have OFFice 1.0.2 installed. Most noticeable improvements are the many more dynamic encounters for more unique and interesting ways to interact with and manipulate your squadmates and learn more about them, as well as more illustrative descriptions of characters to bring their unique personalities to life. Thanks to JamesL for major contributions on both these fronts. Here's the full change-log: AI improvements, most noticeably to encounter selection; internal 'Initiative' Attribute helps determine which party chooses the encounter, and AI is more deliberate about picking an encounter to reach its goals. Simulating the squadron is a bit slower however. Character Illustration system by JamesL and Lothar dynamically describes higher-level aspects of personalities. Just as Attributes summarize individual combinations of traits, Illustrations summarize combinations of Attributes. The dynamically-generated descriptions really bring unique personalities to life so you can more easily remember them and manipulate them socially. Currently Illustrated are characters' motivations and use of language, with appearance and mannerisms under development. Descriptions of individual attribute levels have been also been added to the pool of observations available to describe characters in encounters. Lots of small bug fixes and some major internal refinements and restructuring. Some things like startup should be a tad faster. Overall OFFbase is a little more processor-intensive, but much less aggressive in writing to your hard drive. Squadron and pilot personality data now stored as compressed binaries with additional info to make squadron campaigns fully persistent. Now squadron campaigns can be continued with a new character even after the last player pilot has been deleted or transferred out, so a failed pilot never ends your ongoing campaign. Can create new pilots to join existing OFFbase campaigns from within OFFbase itself, removing need to launch OFF Manager to make replacement pilots. Includes random name generator as well. British, American, and French airmen generated by OFFbase will sometimes include a middle name (already built into German namelists). Supports characters with quotes in their name for nicknames. FA(A) Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie) squadrons are no longer assigned Scramble missions. Exiting OFFbase stops any music from playing. OFFice user settings are now also available on the OFFice page in OFFramp. Refinements to Infirmary screen, including an estimated release time for each patient. The togglable encounter help info credits the author of the encounter. More revised and expanded encounters by JamesL and Lothar that yield unique insights into the characters of the parties involved, playing out differently each time. Even the venerable "A Salute" gets a small make-over. Added "Mixer" trait to complement the "Introvert" and "Husky" trait for those 'big-boned' airmen. Preloads Andy73's sounds for improved performance on low-spec machines. The reason for some of the major under-the-hood restructuring will be clear soon, but new bugs may crop up so as always I appreciate reports of problems. Please copy&paste the text or take a screenshot of any errors in the 'REBOL 3 Alpha' console. And have fun!

FAQ for the OFFice incomparable campaign engine and the OFFbase role-playing game at its heart. Do I need an internet connection to use OFFice or play OFFbase? Nope. Select ‘Solo Mode’ in the User Settings to stop OFFbase and other OFFice programs from going online for any of this stuff: Selecting an account at Combat Ace or SimHQ in the User Settings configures access to support, mods, documentation, and other links in the forums from the OFFice interface. OFFbase 0.8.6+ checks online for newer versions Posted at Combat Ace, and adds a tip to the status bar to alert you. See the question below for what to do. Future versions may include additional online features, such as multiplayer OFFbase campaigns. I get a VBScript error when I try to run the software. How do I fix it? If you’re running Windows XP, make sure you install Service Pack 3 to get Windows Script Host 5.7. You can also install it from here: http://www.microsoft...ls.aspx?id=8247 If you’re running Windows Vista or later, most likely the problem arises from 3rd party anti-virus software not properly uninstalling. See the fix in this post: http://combatace.com...ds/#entry613019 See here for more information and the source of the fix: http://www.sevenforu...tml#post1396118 How do I update OFFice / OFFbase? If you see a tip in your Squadron HQ’s status bar about an update, just “Change Squadron” to return to the main menu, hit the “About” button, and click “Update” to download the latest update. Close OFFbase and run the new OFFbase.exe installer. Which OFF pilot Dossiers do OFFbase/OFFice modify? The program won’t touch OFF pilot Dossiers in squadrons you don’t play OFFbase, so you can safely try it without risking your long-standing pilots. Just create a new pilot in a new squadron, which is the best way to start an OFFbase campaign anyway. All active pilot Dossiers within a squadron are synced to the active campaign date when you “Play Pilot” to join an OFFbase squadron and when you return to your current OFFbase campaign. Do I have to play all my OFF pilots OFFbase? Nope, as above pilots in non-OFFbase squadrons remain untouched. You’re free to launch OFF by itself, setting JSGME mods manually, to play the original OFF:HitR the old-fashioned way with these pilots. You should first deactivate the Advanced Ammo system in OFFramp and Save your changes to restore stock guns, ammo, and tracers for non-OFFbase squadrons. After exiting OFFbase, launch JSGME and be sure to deactivate any OFFbase-specific JSGME mods along with your other choices. Then quit JSGME and launch Over Flanders Fields manually. How do I uninstall OFFice and OFFbase? Because of the complete integration with OFF and extensive, dynamic modification of game files (far beyond just JSGME mods), OFFice cannot simply be uninstalled or deleted like a stand-alone product. If you truly wish to roll back your OFF installation to a pre-OFFice state, restore it from backup. Your best bet’s just to stop using it and go back to managing JSGME and launching OFF manually. See the above FAQ question for playing without OFFice and OFFbase. You may also wish to run OFFset and recover your pre-OFFice Workshop and CFS3Config settings. Can I use OFFice for Quick Combat (QC) or Multiplayer? In short, it’s best to use a different pilot for QC and multiplayer flights, flying configuring JSGME mods and launching OFF manually as in the above FAQ question. Pilots launched from OFFbase can indeed enter and user QC, but the mods and settings it configures are only appropriate for your actual campaign and specific aircraft. Other aircraft aren’t properly configured, and switching aircraft in QC may confuse OFFbase. So if you insist on launching QC from OFFbase, do so only with your current craft. Also, OFF Manager continues to advance time and generate mission results for your squadmates while you QC. Best to be a part of the campaign while this is happening! How do I play as an American pilot in Escadrille La Fayette née Escadrille Américaine? It’s a French military unit with French ranks and uniforms, so start a campaign for France in Esc LaF. The other pilots in the squad will have American names (and maybe French mustaches), while the Ground Crew will be France-born or Colonial. You can eventually transfer to other French squadrons as many American pilots did. Perhaps future versions of OFFbase will allow transfer into American squads once the USA joins. What happens if my initial transfer mission is canceled due to weather? That’s fine, just keep trying and letting time advance in OFF Manager until it clears up enough for you to fly and join your squadron. How do I join an existing OFFbase campaign with a new pilot? A squadron is converted to an OFFbase campaign when you first join OFFbase with one of its pilots. To join this same campaign with replacement or other pilots, it’s critical you create a new pilot Dossier in OFF Manager for the existing OFFbase squadron before the date of your most recent pilot in that squadron. If you fail to heed these instructions and join with a newer pilot it, will overwrite all your old AI squadmates. It’s easiest just to create new pilots at the first date given for the squadron by OFF. They’ll automatically join at the later date, so you don’t need to page through time in OFF to join the squad with subsequent pilots. Why can’t I reuse the same name for multiple pilots? OFFbase personalities are assigned to pilots, both player and non-player, by name. In the case of player pilots, this is also used to sync to their OFF pilot Dossiers and CFS3’s unlimitedpilots.xml. For two OFFbase pilots with the same name, one may end up overwriting the other. You don’t want to corrupt your pilot files, do you? As per above, duplicate names are just fine for your old non-OFFbase pilots as their Dossiers are ignored. To help avoid duplicate names for AI pilots, which just causes confusion as they try to share the same AI, use Lothar of the Hill People’s expanded names mod, linked above in the Mods section. When is it safe to delete an OFFbase pilot’s Dossier in OFF Manager? Only with another Active player pilot in the same squadron! Seriously! Each squadron’s campaign continues until the end of the war (or the squad itself terminates in which case you can transfer to another). Deleting the last pilot in the squad will break this system. Active: In Service, Returning, On Leave, Injured, Hospitalized Inactive: Deceased, Captured, Disabled Deleting an Active player squadmate creates an AI squadmate (see FAQ question further below). Deleting an Inactive squadmate is generally unnecessary and even detrimental, but sometimes you may wish to free up the name (see FAQ question below) or photo. Even after your pilot’s career has ended, your deeds OFFbase and in the air continue to shape your ongoing campaign as part of your squadron’s institutional memory. Their journals remain in your squadron’s Memorial, where their records are listed for posterity, but it’s more than that--the hole they leave behind can affect how your replacement pilot is received by those in grief. Once an Inactive player pilot is listed as “Forgotten” in the OFFbase Memorial, it’s safe to delete them in OFF. This means you can quickly clear out rookie pilots who died after not making much impact. How come my changes in the OFF Workshops or CFS3Config keep getting reset? A number of mods and features of OFFice and OFFbase work by directly controlling these settings. Much of this is configurable however, and many options can be returned to your control. See the options in OFFramp, particularly the Realism Profiles. Sometimes OFF Manager seems to take a while, or CFS3 even crashes, while launching a mission from the Campaign Briefing Room. What’s up? OFFramp dynamically rebuilds OFF aircraft source files for Advanced Ammo, OFFfov field of view management, etc. Compiling new binary aircraft files can take a while for hundreds of aircraft, and CFS3 originally only had two dozen to worry about. So should CFS3 crash when launching your mission, just close it, go back into the Briefing Room, and try again. The binaries should be finished compiling by now and your mission will start in short order. I’m not interested in all this role-playing stuff; can I still take advantage of the mod management, injury system, custom missions, expanded post-mission options and reports, advanced ammo, realism profiles, field-of-view management, medal upgrades, transfers between squadrons, etc.? Sure, gameplay has been designed with you in mind as well. Having a personality and some basic relationships are required for some of these advanced features to function (hence why you cannot access OFFramp until you reach Squadron HQ), but you can minimize your exposure to the role-playing elements. After the initial introductory sequence, just stick to the Adjutant’s Office and your Hangar and avoid the bulk of the encounters. You will still receive one encounter with a member of your flight prior to each mission, but this is by design. Just click through without reading if you really don’t care. Having a labeled picture of a flightmate flip by for a second on the way to your Hangar acts to quickly teach you the name of those in your formation. You’ll soon have no problem listing witnesses for claims, even getting the spelling right for those kooky Germans. Your claim confirmation rate will rise thanks to these “flash cards”. The Adjutant will let you know if there are encounters waiting in the Mess, but just avoid them. Not everyone has a roommate, and this is only one encounter per day, so you can often access your Lodgings without bother to further edit your Journal or nap/sleep to advance time to schedule your own missions. Even better, make your character an introverted slob loner killer and no one will want to bother him anyway. You’ll be exposed to much less of the social component of OFFbase, which rewards even this kind of anti-social role-playing. But if you want to play a more socially-skilled character and micromanage your squad’s morale and social networks, you’ll more often have access to detailed info on your squadmates, receive more encounters per day in the mess, and have more tactical and strategic options to employ those encounters. How come the clouds outside my Hangar never move? Because they don’t in OFF! I just parked a bicycle outside a few airfields (careful to avoid any identifying aircraft), turned on time acceleration, set FRAPS loose to take time-lapse photography, applied a simple film grain filter and resized. But there’s a solution if you can do better... There’s no snow / the topography’s not quite right / I know that random crate wasn’t historically there on date XYZ... How do I make my own imagery for my Hangar? The cool thing is, it’s easy to make the view from your Hangar anything you want. In the OFFice\images\field you’ll see folders for different OFF Airfields. If the name matches your squadron’s actual location, it will take the appropriate imagery, otherwise choose one of the existing image sets at random. To make your own imagery, first just make a folder with the exact same name as the location of your airfield. Next, onto the images themselves: The recommended size is 300x357 pixels. The file type and suffix doesn’t matter (.jpg, .bmp, and .png should all work). To just show a static image of your airfield, maybe from historic photos or an in-game screenshot, copy the single image into your airfield’s location folder. Viola! To show dynamic images that change over time of day, look at one of the included imagesets. Within each location folder is a series of time-stamped images. Again the type and suffix don’t matter, but the base file name must be a four-digit military time. Beware you cannot use colons (:) in the filenames, just numbers! The first must be 0000.xxx where xxx is your file type. Then add images that will appear at the named time and show until the next image’s time. For example, 1845.bmp will show for fifteen minutes until 1900.png, though you have to move in/out of the Hangar or encounter the Munitions OFFicer to advance time and the image. Also note that those times are just references. OFFbase adjusts the time of the image it requests to account for seasonal variation. For example, an 0600 dawn photo will show at 0800 in the dead of winter. Keep this in mind if developing different sets for different seasons. If people actually go to the trouble of making the images, I can extend OFFbase to choose from different seasonal image sets automatically based on absolute time across seasons. To make sure your time-sensitive images match the description in the text with the current system, here’s the rule that classifies the seasonally-adjusted times. So your “dawn” photos should start at 0530.xxx and by your 0630xxx the sun will be up, though you’ll actually experience this “dawn” later when closer to winter. case [ time < 3:30 ["late at night"] time < 5:30 ["pre-dawn"] time < 6:30 ["dawn"] time < 7:30 ["early in the morning"] time < 9:30 ["morning"] time < 11:30 ["late morning"] time < 12:30 ["around noon"] time < 14:30 ["early afternoon"] time < 16:00 ["afternoon"] time < 17:30 ["late in the afternoon"] time < 18:30 ["early evening"] time < 20:00 ["evening"] time < 22:00 ["late in the evening"] true ["night time"] ] And yes it sucks the Germans don’t get a bicycle aka exploding tripod. Still, OFFbase image packs can be shared, and even installed and activated with JSGME. How do I create/customize my AI squadmates? Create a new pilot with the name you'd like in your squadron before your current pilot's date (see FAQ above) Play the new pilot in OFFbase, choosing his Archetype and other traits by rank and go through the intro sequence Change Pilot back to your primary character Delete the new (still Active) pilot's Dossier in OFF next time you Fly Mission with your primary Viola! The AI given to the new character will take over his virtual career with the name, rank, picture, and personality you chose, and you get to know him OFFbase and fly with him in the air. Your OFFbase Adjutant may not assign you to the same flights right away, but it's cool as OFF will still simulate missions for the second flight and after some additional turnover flight assignments get shaken up. All part of the drama.

File Name: OFFice: Skin in the Game File Submitter: Lothar of the Hill People File Submitted: 29 January 2013 File Category: Aircraft Skins ‘Skin in the Game’ is a custom skin pack for the OFFice incomparable campaign engine for Over Flanders Fields. It includes historically appropriate custom paint jobs for player aircraft in the OFFice campaign from the OFF community’s best skinners. Most of these are already available for download at Combat Ace, but this provides a single, easy-to-install package. Installation: The installer will automatically extract the mod into your OFF JSGME mods folder if OFF and JSGME are installed correctly. The ‘OFFice - Skin in the Game’ folder can be manually activated with JSGME if this pack is used without the rest of the OFFice suite. OFFramp will activate the mod automatically for your OFFice campaigns, so when you next launch OFF from OFFbase any additional skins will selectable in-game for your aircraft type. If the Bletchley’s RSS Ammo mod is enabled in OFFramp, your Munitions Officer will let you know in the hangar if custom skins are acceptable. Contributions: Bullethead: DFW C.V Realistic(?) Naval Hex After a lot more research, I totally re-did the paintjob of my naval DFW skin. Now it looks (I THINK) about as realistic as possible, per Dan-San Abbott's information. Hand-painted, symmetrical hexes in hopefully the right colors, and the correct colors on the fuselage and rudder. nbryant: SPAD VII – Spa.26 1917 No. S 1042 (14) of Spa.26 crashed on nose at St. Pol. This plane was wrecked on 14 September 1917 by M.d.L. Quellec. The serial number indicates that the plane was constructed by Blériot but it appears that the upper wing had been previously replaced with one constructed by S.P.A.D. or Kellner as the cocardes are of a larger diameter than found on Blériot-built planes. Also note that the nose appears to be painted in a dark color. A darkish color extends over the fabric surfaces back to the fuselage band. Olham: Albatros DIII early Burgundy - Jasta 24 1917 Albatros DIII Red Yellow - Jasta 28w 1917 Albatros D.V "Windrose" - Jasta 17 1917 Inspired by the 3. Albatros D.Va built by THE VINTAGE AVIATOR, I made this skin. The plywood of the TVA craft was varnished with a clear laquer with a warm redbrownish tone added. It looks like a darker honey, or amber. Together with the mauve and green upper wing camo, it goes very nicely. Albatros D.V Haifisch - Seefrosta 1 1917 Sopwith Triplane Blue & Silver - RNAS-8 Sopwith Triplane "Silver Bird" - RNAS-8 RAF_Louvert: Bristol F2b – RAF 139 #D8084 flown by Capt Sydney Dalrymple of 139 Squadron RAF, based at Villavera aerodrome. Robert_Wiggins: 4 historically accurate skins for Captain William George Barker’s Camel B6313 while he flew with 28 Sqn RFC OC, C Flight, October 1917; 28 Sqn RFC OC, C Flight, March 1917; and Major William George Barker’s Camel B6313 while he flew with 139 Sqn RAF OC Summer 1918; 139 Sqn RAF OC September 1918. http://combatace.com/files/file/13489-william-barkers-camel-b6313-4-personal-skins/ UK_Widowmaker: Sopwith Pup – 66 sqd 1917 Flown by s/Lt W.C. Heathcote Additional Credits: Many thanks to the OBD Sofrware skinners--OvS/James Romano and Paarma/Arto Karttunen--who created the immense output of over 3,400 skins for OFF that serve as basis for all modders’ work. Additional Contributions? Made a historically-appropriate campaign aircraft skin you think should be included? Contact Lothar of the Hill People at Combat Ace. Click here to download this file

File Name: OFFice: The incomparable campaign engine for Over Flanders Fields File Submitter: Lothar of the Hill People File Submitted: 18 January 2013 File Category: OFFice / OFFbase / OFFworld OFFice: the incomparable campaign engine for Over Flanders Fields creates a dynamic campaign unlike any other combat flight simulator. Far more than just a collection of mods, OFFice deepens the historical accuracy, sensory immersion, and emotional terror of flight and combat in The Great War, while rooting the campaign in the day-to-day life of the officers and crew of an aerial squadron. Note 1: For more information, latest news, additional screenshots, etc., visit the Official Website. Note 2: If you're interested in joining and supporting OFFworld, the multiplayer version in development, send me a PM. Major goals of enhancing and expanding OFF:HitR: Persistence: Squadron-based campaigns continue when your pilot is captured/killed, so you can carry on the war as another pilot with the same mates. Living pilots can transfer between squadrons and continue their careers past the bounds of OFF aircraft availability. Start by flying two-seaters and transfer to a fighter squadron on promotion. Even take turns flying multiple pilots in a squadron, handy when one is out for injury. Track outcomes for your squadmates so their deeds in the air matter. Unleash the true power of OFF’s exemplary campaign engine! Immersion: Steeped in historical detail, OFFice campaigns offer dynamic difficulty and realism over the course of the war with more appropriate squadron roles and access to technological developments as well as more dynamic and engaging missions. But persistence is only immersive if pilots are not disposable. The secret: “flying to live rather than flying to kill”. OFFice realizes this vision to a degree unparalleled in a combat flight simulator with: OFFbase: the barmy automated squadron experience for OFF, an immersive role-playing simulation of life between flights! Turn your squad’s roster into a bunch of learning, thinking, interacting artificial intelligences, toss in a bunch of ground crew (and observers for two-seater campaigns), and drop yourself in among them with your pilot’s own unique personality. Emergent sandbox gameplay with unique, adaptive, goal-seeking characters harnesses fun to a purpose--the deeper investment in your pilot’s personal journey makes every trip up feel a matter of life and death, for your fellow flyers as well. Manage not just your career but help steer your squadron through years of war and loss. Lead through social encounters as well as your deeds in the air. Build deep, long-lasting friendships and social circles, while struggling bitterly with enemies--all affected by events in the skies. And vice versa; you’ll find it truly changes how, and why, you fly. See the included OFFbase.readme.rtf for an expansive list of features and usage notes. Ease: Take the headache out of configuring and customizing OFF. Finding, installing, and using mods correctly can be daunting, let alone setting up Workshopsp and CFS3Config. But OFFice is a coherent and customizable package that just works--in fact it makes OFF itself easier and safer to configure by imbuing the wisdom of the OFF community’s technical experts. Realizing settings for immersive simulation flying is a snap. There’s no better means for beginners and experts alike to get the most out of OFF, and no easier way to start. See more on the OFFramp, OFFset, OFFput, and OFFfov components of the OFFice suite geared toward ease further below. First, more of the fun stuff... OFFice features can be most easily organized around some of the personalities you’ll encounter regularly OFFbase: Squadron Adjutant Transfers between squadrons--voluntary and otherwise--so your persistent campaign doesn’t end until the war does. Begin your career flying bombers and transfer to a fighter squad when ready. Smarter and more historically-accurate mission planning for your squad’s role in the war and in the face of inclement weather, with Dawn Patrol missions and optional historical Lone Wolf missions More rational rank-based assignment of flight members and wingmen, and assignment of observer/gunners to pilots of two-seaters. Your German observer’s likely to outrank you, so remember who’s in charge! Track flight members’ in-air outcomes--report them as crashed or missing, and even witness their claims! More post-mission options and consequences, including the ability to submit claims for non-target and Lone Wolf mission balloons--become a balloon-busting ace early in the war, if you have the guts and skill Write optional post-mission reports even without claims; edit these and any other writings in a squadron Journal synced to the Flight Log Choose your pilot’s photo--your squadmates will become familiar faces as you interact with them on the ground, many even look their traits Dynamic historical medal system with more than twice as many awards American, British, and German campaigns get expanded historical news and more diverse names for squadmates based on historical popularity Expanded enlisted ranks for crew in American and British squadrons Escadrille La Fayette gets American pilots alongside French crew Towns named in missions, e.g. “Verdun” instead of “british town 153” Munitions Officer Recommends loadouts for the specific mission you’ve been assigned Advanced ammo including smoke and tracers when historically available, as well as incendiary rounds for targeting more resistant balloons Sneak incendiary rounds into a ‘dirty’ mix for deadlier firepower--if you can get away with it--but who would brazen and inhuman as to use it full bore against planes or ground targets? Historically-accurate ammo capacities and machine-gun rates-of-fire Set your own gun convergence distance to perfect your aim Custom skins can optionally be earned as historically appropriate--easiest for German flyers (linked to ammo capacities) Mask and upgraded goggles to keep your face from chapping! Choice among more detailed, higher quality in-game maps to navigate Refined, less obtrusive TAC and labels for those who use such aids Improved flight and damage models with some historically-timed engine upgrades, and with AI planes carrying the weight of fuel and ammo Damaged/destroyed aircraft can result in Leave while awaiting repairs More realistic and historically appropriate anti-aircraft fire, with difficulty adjusting dynamically for each side over time Better arcs-of-fire for rear guns on two-seaters Complete audio overhaul for more immersive sounds: engines, explosions, bullet hits bomb drops, pilot screams, ground gunnery, flak, machine gun sounds synchronized with historical rates-of-fire, and more! Medical Officer Detailed injury system with a diverse set of healable wounds and permanent and potentially disabling maimings Injuries, maimings, and death depend on the reported severity, location and timing of the crash, health and skill of the pilot, access to medical care, relationship with and skill of the Medic, and luck Visit the Medic and injured squadmates at your local Infirmary--and influence respectively their bedside manner and recovery The persistent squadron means you can even encounter and try to cheer up the AI of your own injured pilots to hasten their healing! Access to medical care varies, but becomes more effective over the course of the war Across the lines you’re at the mercy of enemy medics and facilities! Mess Chief The food may not be much to speak of, but the Mess Hall helps monitor and manage your squad’s morale Quality and availability of food change over the course of the war, with better Mess Chiefs able to do more with less Witness encounters between squadmates in addition to taking part Musically-trained officers and crew form a squadron band in the Mess that influences the mood of those in attendance Additional music options for OFF Manager, including period-appropriate piano scores for French and German campaigns Chaplain Funerals for your dead pilots, convalescent home for the disabled, care packages for captured pilots, and prayers for those who need them Squadron memorial lists your ended pilots and archives their journals so you can trace the whole story of your squadron in the Great War The influence of your dead/captured pilots can linger as their careers become part of the squad’s institutional memory, shaping its future Interactions and social networks are dynamic, so events on the air and ground spill over to affect peoples’ behavior So don’t underestimate the role of the Chaplain in providing stability to your squadron--assuming he’s stable himself! Everyone Other pilots and squadmates pursue their own goals, building their own careers and social networks Engage in and witness nearly 150 different kinds of encounters, some more personalized, and more rare, than others Build friendships whose impact lingers even after death, and make enemies that transcend sides in the war Build friendships whose impact lingers even after death, and make enemies that transcend sides in the war Develop your character to expand their skills and capabilities as they gain ranks: advance your career, pursue a hobby, or change your approach to relationships With 88 distinct personality Traits in billions of combinations, summarized by eight dimensions of Attributes, every character is unique Tell your own personal story of life as a pilot in a historic squadron in The Great War Much of this highly configurable and/or optional, configurable with: OFFramp: rule all mods & plugins for OFF - More than just a mod manager, this dynamic scripting engine makes OFFice possible. Beneath the graphical interface where you customize your campaign and control OFFice features, ModRule plugins imbue the OFF Workshops and previously-standalone OFF mods with the intelligence, historical knowledge, and cooperative spirit of the OFF community. At the same time, powerful new ModRule plugins can tailor almost every aspect of the OFF campaign experience to heighten realism, immersion, and joy. Play OFF your way! OFFfov: the OFF field-of-view optical vanguard – This ModRule plugin helps set aspect-ratio-correct FOV settings by projecting a 3D model of your screen into the gameworld. Fly OFF close to a big screen as a true visual simulation, preserving perspective so objects are as close as they appear--or just make it look right for gaming. Your optimized FOV is applied to all OFFbase campaign aircraft seamlessly and automatically in all positions, including forward gunsights and rear gunner, as well as correctly integrating modded aircraft. OFFset: the OFF settings manager - Backup and Restore all your painfully-crafted OFF settings (Workshops and CFS3 Config), in full or in part. Handy if you need to reinstall the game or update graphics drivers, but also use settings profiles to switch between different play styles, or pre-configure hardware with settings recommendations from the experts. An OFFramp ModRule archives your settings on first run, so you can safely experiment. See the included OFFset.readme.rtf. OFFput: the OFF Pilot UnderTaker – Cares for your dead and broken pilot files by rebuilding corrupted XML files (frequently caused by retiring multiple pilots in OFF Manager). It automatically protects against some common problems and gives you a panic button that works when OFF Manager goes haywire and tells you to delete your pilots! Won’t back up your pilots for you, but makes restoration a snap. Realism profiles manage degrees of Dead Is Dead (DID) and Realistic Survival Strategies (RSS) community standards in OFF Workshops and CFS3Config, for a well-designed experience at any difficulty level. Requirements: OFFice is of no use and will not install without Over Flanders Fields: Hat in the Ring (OFF), OBD Software's breathtakingly deep WW1 combat flight simulator. The official Hat in the Ring expansion pack is recommended: Make sure you patch both to the latest version: http://overflandersfields.com NaturalPoint’s TrackIR is essential for included realism profiles and simulation field-of-view settings: http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/ OFFice uses Microsoft WordPad (included with Windows) to view documentation. The full OFFice suite requires 3GB free hard drive space on your OFF partition. OFFice installs itself alongside OFF. Credits: Producer - Lothar of the Hill People Exec. Producer - OlPaint01 Research - Bletchley, British_eh, Hasse Wind, RAF_Louvert AA, Balloons - Bletchley, Herr Prop-Wasche, Lothar of the Hill People Ammunition - Bletchley, Creaghorn, Lothar of the Hill People Damage Modeling - Herr Prop-Wasche, Buddy1998 Dead is Dead Rules - Siggi Documentation - Lothar of the Hill People Encounters - Lothar of the Hill People, Bletchley, JamesL Game Design - Bletchley, Lothar of the Hill People, Creaghorn Maps - Lothar of the Hill People Medal System - RAF_Louvert, Lothar of the Hill People Mask, TAC & Labels - Olham Missions - Bletchley, Buddy1998, Lothar of the Hill People Music Production - Andy73, Lothar of the Hill People News & Photos - Creaghorn, Herr Prop-Wasche Rear Arc of Fire - 33Lima RSS Rules - British_eh Skins - Bullethead, nbryant, Olham, RAF_Louvert, Robert_Wiggins, UK_Widowmaker Software Engineer - Lothar of the Hill People Sound Design - Andy73 Weather & Skies - Herr Prop-Wasche Weapons & Loadouts - Bletchley, OlPaint01 Additional Testing - CaptSopwith, Cavaliere57, cptroyce, FreiherrWulff, JamesL, Robert_Wiggins Third-Party Sources and Included Tools: Audio Compression - FLAC: Free Lossless Audio Codec http://flac.sourceforge.net Bloom/HDR Shaders - ENBSeries http://enbdev.com Icons - Simon Child, The Noun Project http://thenounprojec...om/Simon Child/ Installers - Nullsoft Scriptable Install System http://nsis.sourceforge.net Maps and Topography – Google Mod Management - JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler 2.6.0 Music Sources - Piano Society http://pianosociety.com - fair use clips (see included documentation) Runtime Environment – REBOL 3 Alpha http://www.rebol.com/rebol3/ License: This software is free to use and benevolently modify via the ModRules interface, but not free to redistribute or otherwise misappropriate. Simple rule: don't be a jerk. Seriously. By agreeing to use this software, if you're a jerk about it you forfeit all your personal property to the program authors. So just don't be a jerk. Finally: while much of OFFice is geared toward making your OFF experience easier, safer, and more reliable, your mileage may vary. OFFice is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software. The Fine Print: OFFice will edit your pilots and OFF Workshop and CFS3Config settings! That's the entire point. You should BACKUP your pilots frequently anyway: campaigns\CampaignData\Pilots\ in your OFF install The OFFset plugin in OFFramp will archive your OFF Workshop and CFS3Config settings on first run, and can easily backup and restore them whenever. See OFFset.readme.txt. The OFFput plugin in OFFramp can rebuild your XML files should they become corrupted or lost. With OFFice, there’s no longer any need to backup or worry about the UIsel.xml or UnlimitedPilots.xml files in your Windows user profile, and restoring pilots from backup is a snap. Persistent squadrons mean you will no longer be able to jump between the same squad during different periods of the war. OFFbase will synchronize multiple squadron pilots automatically--those at an earlier date put on leave until caught up with the most recent pilot in that squadron. So don’t be surprised! OFFbase handles the outcome of missions itself--a key ingredient to tracking your squadmates’ outcomes too. It sets ‘Dead Is Dead’ in the OFF Workshops merely so all crashes that destroy your aircraft are treated the same and do not advance time. So don’t despair at the message from OFF that your pilot is dead--this just tells OFFbase your plane is done--your pilot may yet live. Rate the severity of the crash and trust the mercy of the simulated combat medics. You may be Injured, Hospitalized, Disabled, or Deceased, but in all cases you can continue your squadron’s campaign with a replacement pilot. JSGME requires Administrator privileges to modify your OFF install, and so OFFice will ask for elevation to install and run. OFFice can launch OFF Manager and CFS3Config as Admin, but you'll need to set CFS3.exe (and TrackIR if you use it) to run as Administrator manually (right click, Properties). OFFice uses JSGME to customize your OFF installation to create a more unique and historically accurate experience for each individual campaign. When it runs, do not interfere, and please wait patiently--it will take several minutes sometimes, especially on first run. Don’t worry if it says “Not Responding”, it’s just working really hard to customize the game. READ THE INCLUDED DOCUMENTATION – ESPECTIALLY THE FAQ IN THE OFFBASE MANUAL See also the OFFice/OFFbase Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Click here to download this file

Hey folks. Finally got an update out for the OFFice suite, including the OFFramp mod manager, OFFset settings manager, and OFFbase role-playing game. The changelog tells the story: mostly updated support for recent releases by OFF modders and inclusion of new mods implementing the deep institutional wisdom of the OFF community, as well as fixes for reported bugs. Links to the supported mods are included on the OFFbase download page. Here are a few OFFramp screenshots showing off some of the new mods: Version 0.8.4 is available now at Combat Ace. Hopefully this will breathe a little life into OFF while we wait for WOFF. And I suppose I should wait for the bug reports...

File Name: OFFbase: The Barmy Automated Squadron Experience for Over Flanders Fields File Submitter: Lothar of the Hill People File Submitted: 29 October 2011 File Category: OFFice / OFFbase / OFFworld An immersive role-playing simulation of life between flights for Over Flanders Fields. Note 1: For more information, screenshots, etc., visit the Official Website. Note 2: Get the full OFFice incomparable campaign engine which features OFFbase along with all supported mods and extra content in a complete package with one easy-to-use installer. This smaller package updates the OFFice software to the latest version, but to get 1.0.8's 'Skin in the Game' custom paint jobs just install the whole thing. Note 3: If you're interested in joining and supporting OFFworld, the multiplayer version in development, send me a PM. - OFFbase features persistent squadron-based play. Take turns flying multiple pilots in a squadron while sharing the same roster--and more. Separate wingmen are assigned and flights split as much as possible. See your other squadron pilots in the duty roster with you! Fly as a rookie pilot in your favorite squadron while taking your long-time veteran out on the occasion you work up the nerve. If your pilot dies, you can start a new pilot to take over for him with the same squadmates and everything, and continue your squadron's story throughout the war. - OFFbase puts you right in the Squadron HQ, where you can visit the Adjutant to manage your career, kick back in Lodgings that you may share with a roommate and write in your journal, go down to the Mess for food or drink and see how your squadmates are doing (and listen to the squadron band in the evenings), head out to the Hangar to check munitions and fly campaign missions, or reminisce over fallen heroes at the squadron memorial. The quality of your squadron's facilities develops over time. - OFFbase implements and expands Bletchley's Pilot Personality Profiles (3P) to give each pilot in the squad individual personality that informs how they behave and relate to each other. Engage in many different types of social encounters, mediated by personality traits. Personalities are composed of unique combinations of character traits, summarized by Attributes that rank characters in the following dimensions: Aerial Skill, Aggression, Charisma, Intelligence, Physicality, and Professionalism. With hundreds of billions of possibilities, the character's you'll meet in OFFbase are complex, distinctive, and completely individual in their behavior. - OFFbase builds on 3P with academic game theory to make social encounters richer, more intuitive, and open to different styles of play. Will you try to out-do other pilots, enhancing your short-run prestige at their expense, or try to build both your reputations through long-run friendship and social support? Your success at playing different strategies depends on the rank, personality, and social skills of your pilot character, as well as who the other player is and what they're trying to achieve. Over multiple encounters you'll come to know how different characters react in different situations, and what strategies work for your character. The result is a natural learning process on both sides. - OFFbase makes complex yet intuitive social encounters possible by giving characters in your squadron artificial intelligence. They remember how you and other pilots have treated them in the past, learn from their mistakes, and form social strategies to pursue their own goals based on their own rank, personality, risk preferences, social skills, and history. Some may try to boost their careers by bullying subordinates to make themselves look better, others may focus on building peer networks, while some may do a bit of both depending on who they like and who they don't and their feelings about their relationships and careers. The procedurally-generated rule-based AI system generates far more complex, dynamic, and unique behavior than traditional systems. - OFFbase features a full dynamic squadron simulation: Non-player pilots have daily encounters with each other, developing their own prestige and goodwill to develop their reputations and earn their own promotions, while periodically going on and returning from leave, even transferring in and out. All this goes on even as you advance or skip time due to weather, injury, whatever. Watch non-player pilots in your squadron share a drink, talk politics, make friends, get in fights--building relationships that affect how their careers develop, and yours. - OFFbase introduces Ground Crew, support officers or enlisted such as the squadron Adjutant, Chief Medical Officer, Chaplain, Munitions Officer, and even the Chief of the Mess Hall. Encounter and build relationships with them as well, which can affect your career, and your life, through gameplay. They may serve as stabilizing forces in dark times, or if a bad fit for a squadron disrupt morale. Encounter them in the Infirmary, Chapel, Hangar, and Mess Hall. - OFFbase introduces Air Crew: Pilots of two-seaters will share quarters with their observer/gunner. You and your fellow officers will encounter them in the Mess and on the Airfield, as they build their own careers. - OFFbase makes completing missions more rewarding, with additional benefits and costs to your career from shooting down enemy aces, friendly fire, pulling a hat trick by shooting down three or more enemy planes, and taking out ground targets and balloons. If a fellow pilot steals your kill, you can chew him out once you're back at HQ and try to take back some of the prestige he earned instead of you; or apologize and give back prestige if you steal someone else's kill. Some mission results may even affect the development of your pilot's personality by earning additional traits. - OFFbase brings additional features to the game such as transfers between squadrons, player input on promotions, funerals for dead pilots, a fully-editable journal built from the flight and claims logs, and tracking of mission results for your squadmates. Yes that's right--what actually happens to your squadmates in the air while they fly beside you matters now, dependent on and influencing the development of their characters. A Frontiersmen also trained in first aid is more likely to make it home after being downed behind enemy lines, a Cowards more likely to surrender, and a Weakling more likely to be permanently maimed by injury--especially if he's on bad terms with the Chief Medical Officer! The detailed injury system tracks dozens of different wounds and maims for you and your squadmates, with more realistic recovery times--and more ways to be disabled and killed. Dealing in the Infirmary is dynamic and can depend on the support of squadmates. - OFFbase accelerates immersion with a built-in mod manager (OFFramp) that automatically orders and activates JSGME mods appropriate to your campaign, if installed. See notes on mods below. This is accomplished through a fully-modable rule-driven scripting engine that supports plugins to the OFFice: OFF Incomplete Campaign Editor system, integrating access to Pilot dossiers, OFF Workshop settings, CFS3Config settings, JSGME mods, and OFFbase gameplay rules. Bletchley's historical ammo loudout rules and a number of other mods included in this distribution are implemented in this system. Modders: see very preliminary info in the OFFice\modrules\ folder. Gameplay: An officer or crewman's Reputation can be built in three different ways: success in the air, Goodwill from higher-ranking officers, and Prestige from socially dominating your peers. Each character has a unique set of Traits, yielding different preferences and skills toward these goals. As your campaign develops, you will observe changes in morale, upgrades to your airfield and lodgings, earn new personality-building traits through promotions and achievements, and take part in the lives and deaths of your dynamic, humanlike squadmates. To further the latter two goals, you will frequently (depending on your traits), Encounter your fellows, as well as witness encounters they have with each other. The social encounter system is based on a continuous iterated prisoner's dilemma game. Both players face a trade-off between short-run prestige from besting their opponent in the encounter and long-run goodwill from cooperating to build friendships. If both players jockey for short-run prestige, the result is negative-sum competition where gain, if any, only comes at the other's expense. If both players seek to build long-term social support to advance their military careers, the game is positive-sum cooperation that can increase both pilots' Goodwill toward each other, providing a daily boost to reputations so long as both players continue or even deepen their friendship. Even more interesting is the myriad cases in-between. You may come on too strong and embarrass someone, or come across as off-puttingly needy. You may also find yourself at the mercy of a vicious bully, or in a parasitic relationship with a high-ranking officer who praises you to superiors only to reflect well on his command while back at the squadron mercilessly putting you in your place in front of the other men. Willingly suck up to superiors if their goodwill seems worth more to your career than the shame, or buck them to defend your prestige at the risk of ill-will. The possibilities are almost endless because non-player characters also have reputations, and adaptively develop their own strategies based on their personalities, social skills, feelings, and memories in order to exploit their own trade-offs between short-run prestige and long-run goodwill. All this sounds complicated, but in practice decisions and their consequences unfold naturally, and the evolution of relationships should be dynamic, intuitive, and fun. Not only is it about learning which pilots are trying to befriend you and which are out to build their careers at your expense--but also teaching AI pilots to cooperate and learning when and when not to exploit their trust. Should your reputation fall to "Disrespected" you're in danger of being transferred to another squadron if you don't turn things around. Lean on your friends for support, though calling in the chips in the short-run can damage friendships in the long run. If you do well and your reputation becomes sufficiently "Honored" you'll be due a promotion to a higher rank and the chance to further develop your personality. Promotions and the new traits they bring cost prestige, so you'll start off at a lower reputation. Not everyone has what it takes to make it at a higher rank--those who climb the ladder too fast may step on too many toes, and end up in another squadron. Your pilot's mood serves as a guide to how he's doing in recent encounters. If he's upset, his reputation's been harmed either through losing prestige or goodwill or both, and he'll have a tougher time cooperating with others. A good mood means recent encounters have been helpful to his reputation, in the short- or long-run or both, and more open to others. You'll get some idea of the mood of others when you encounter them, and the squadron's morale reflects the aggregate mood of its members. Since mood affects behavior, the effects of encounters spill over through social networks. A skilled and patient or stubborn player can have a profound impact on the social development of his squadron, through good times and bad. Different personalities are more naturally suited to building their reputations by some means more than others. No-nonsense skilled-pilot types advance more quickly from flying and successfully completing missions, while smooth-tongued sycophants are more apt to milk the goodwill of superior officers at the cost of prestige, aggressive social animals readily suffer ill-will to dominate more social encounters for that prestige, while introverted loners try to avoid encounters in the first place. Every character will have a unique experience, even with the same squadmates. Your replacement pilot may have a tougher time making friends in a squad deeply mourning your popular former ace--or be just thing to help restore morale after the death of a tyrannical flight leader. Simply put, the game rewards role-playing. The deeper investment in building the career of your pilot and developing relationships with squadmates not only further customizes and enriches the campaign experience, but makes death in the air all the more terrifying, and thus OFF even more fun. Who'll carry your casket to its final resting place? How will your squadron remember him? Play OFFbase and find out! Installation: First make sure JSGME 2.6.0 is installed. This is included and installed automatically in the full OFFice package. Download and run the OFFice exe, and it will automatically extract the OFFice folder into your root OFF installation (usually "C:\ OBDSoftware"). This will also create shortcuts for OFFbase and OFFset (see OFFset.readme.txt) on your desktop and/or start menu, as well as documentation for the OFFice suite and included mods. OFFbase will ask to run at Adminstrator level as this is required by JSGME. OFFbase can elevate the OFF manager, but you should set CFS3.exe (and TrackIR5.exe) to run as Administrator as well. To play OFFbase, simply double click one of the installed shortcuts. Updating: To update OFFbase to a newer version after 0.7.8, just run the new setup exe to upgrade your existing install. The installer will automatically deactivate all JSGME mods for safe updating. OFFbase 0.8.6 and later will notify you if newer versions are available at Combat Ace. Mods: Get the full OFFice incomparable campaign engine which features OFFbase along with all supported mods in a complete package in one easy-to-use installer. Many of these mods are further developed and enhanced with powerful new features compared to their old stand-alone counterparts available separately. OFFbase will give you a choice which mission, damage, flight model, sound, music mods and so on in the OFFramp mod manager. Usage: You'll no longer launch Over Flanders Fields yourself, OFFbase will do it for you when ready. Instead, launch the OFFbase program from your desktop or Start menu shortcuts or launch the OFFbase.exe program in the OFFice folder manually. Whenever OFFbase has you run the OFF Manager, do just the one task or mission expected then quit OFF to return to OFFbase. OFFbase may ask you to set some settings before allowing you to play. Follow its instructions. You'll be asked to choose a nation and squadron to play your existing pilots. If you need to create a new pilot here, you can launch OFF Manager. Leave OFF when done creating the pilot and the list will update. Make your choice and click the "Play Squadron" button. You'll then be asked to choose a pilot in your squadron. You can compare the current date of the squadron listed in the left pane with the last reported date of your pilot in the middle pane to see how much leave your pilot will receive to sync up. You may also edit and save your pilot's background here. Choose your pilot and click the "Play Pilot" button to begin the OFFbase experience! You'll be asked to choose a personality class for your pilot, then fly a transfer mission to your new airfield to check out the squadron's facilities and people. Follow the prompts, it should be a fairly self-explanatory introduction. Note: Be sure to check ‘Air Start’ for your initial transfer mission! When you're squadron has been toured, you're on your own. Chat with the Adjutant and visit the Mess Hall to learn more about your squadmates. Go to the Hangar to fly campaign missions in OFF, or just do some exploring around the base. OFFbase will automatically set your active pilot for the campaign so you no longer need to manually switch between pilot dossiers in OFF Manager to fly different campaigns. OFFbase sets the Outcomes section of the OFF Workshops Dead Is Dead to offer advanced outcome handling. Most crashes are reported as fatal by OFF, but this just triggers custom crash handling. If your pilot is killed or captured, do not delete him in OFF. Instead, quit OFF to return to OFFbase and resolve his fate. If he does ultimately perish, after the funeral he becomes part of your squadron’s institutional memory. When adding a new pilot to a squadron, be sure to create him at a date prior to your current squadron date to avoid overwriting all of your squadmates. See the OFFbase Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Click here to download this file