Perhaps I could buy you a plane ticket so you could come here and taste me

Please keep your lurid fantasies to yourself I'm a married man and I'm missing you already

Ming

I flew online in the IL2 early days with 61ShAP as 61ShAPCatso. We flew on the IL2 online wars with =FB= squad (including Viks). On many occasions when we flew on the same servers as the =FB= guys we would see massive SELECTIVE lag. This lag was caused by repeatedly pressing the print screen key to cause massive lag making an accurate shot impossible. It only ever manifested itself when one of the =FB= guys had a bandit on their tail. I also witnessed on many MANY occasions the =FB= guys would use the then unknown engine off exploit. This exploit meant that turning off your engine in flight for a few seconds would give you a completely fresh engine. Now if someone knows how to exploit bugs in the game to gain an advantage and their opponents do not then many will view this as cheating. We both flew on the same side in these missions so this isn't a case of being a sore loser. I am just saying that the =FB= squad knew a lot of these exploits and they used them a lot (rightly or wrongly).

Note: Yes Viks was/is a very good pilot. He really didn't need to use these exploits but he did and I can assure you I witnessed it on many occasions. I am not attacking Viks or the =FB= squad members personally (it was a long time ago). My only reason for posting is to counter the many posts such as your own that seem to portray Viks and the =FB= squad as paragons of virtue in the flightsim world. I appreciate the work they did on RoF. I have it and find it to be a stunning sim in many areas and sorely lacking in many others. A definite diamond in the rough and I trully am exited to see how it develops over the next few years.

Well, it's true. Red Baron deliberately preyed on the weak targets.Cheater!

Unfortunately that is correct. The missions being hosted by FB_Weeper are simple 6-v-6 co-op missions with a timer (ten minutes before mission end I beleive) where the opposing teams start at aerodromes next to each other. By the time you are wheels up, the enemy is engaging. It's about as close to a dogfight server as there is available right now.

As to the original topic of this thread, I can certainly understand and empathize with the frustration at getting shot down so quickly. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and the decorative plate. Currently standing in line for the snow-globe.

Railing against the server host for "living on the server", who was good enough to put a server up in the first place (no mean feat in itself as the game stands now), it can be expected that he would be living on the server. It's his box after all. That he has taken the considerable time to learn the intricacies of flying these crates is evident in his kill record. Perhaps when we have as many hours devoted to flying the sim our own scores will equal or greater to his. All the great aces made the neophyte enemy pilots their favorite prey ... as neophyte pilots our goal is to survive the ace's onslaught and learn to give a little of the punishment back.

Even with the "I may be wrong" statement, this is typically the way false rumors continue to spread around and reputations stay attached to some individuals.

About Viks, I remember having been shot down by him many times during the heroic times of the first IL2 online wars (so long, long ago.... ) ... and what I remenber mostly is that he was a superior tactician, staying above the melee, choosing target a bit isolated and that have not seen him, and killing them even before they had noticed his presence.
... but well, I had the chance to kill him once for the dozen of times he got me...

Now, all this was very long time ago...
And as the principal contact for external helpers, as FR said, Viks is since 3 years a very nice and honest guy to work with, quite reactive and really trying to be constructive.

To the original poster...

You cannot judge online quality solely on the one poorly realized and set up coop match that every server seems to run currently.

It's a joke. Anyone with experience in the online arena knows this. Bases are far too close, the 10 minute time limit is as stupid as it can be as well.

When real dog fight functionality comes, and when more of us figure out the outrageously complex mission builder, then we will start to see very well crafted missions for both coop and dogfight servers.

Anyone who thinks that a dog fight server has to be "air quake" is just sticking their head in the sand, or has never developed their "piloting" skills to the level necessary to survive online. There are many very good mission based, goal oriented, "dog fight" servers in the IL2 world. Missions that require more than just take off, shoot, die, hit re-fly. These will come to Rof as well. It's just a matter of time.

As to your personal survival rate, if you only fly against AI, you will never realize your full potential as a virtual combat pilot. And it sounds like you are fairly new to virtual combat flying. I assure you that someone of very little experience in the real world of aerial combat would have the same result as you did.

You have to remember that many of us have been "flying" for years, if not decades. In that poorly made mission you flew in your result was pretty much a forgone conclusion. Stick with it, build your skills and then at some point some n00b will make a post about you like you just did about your first time online. And you will have the benefit of being able to utterly dominate the AI when you do fly offline. AIs, no matter how good, are never as good as a well versed human opponent.

Never.

Golly, Mister... Really?

Flying for years, you say? Wow! I am humbled by your awesome experience.

But what if I can never "build my skills" enough to be as great as the godlike warriors who "utterly dominate" the air-quake servers? Whatever will I do??

It's become clear to me that I can no longer hide my n00bishness. You have seen right through my courageous facade and perceptively sensed that I am "fairly new to virtual combat flying."

It's hopeless. All I wanted to do was try this 'combat flight simulation' thing and see what all the fuss is about. I tried it for one day, and must now throw it all away. I will never be worthy of being in your presence or gazing upon your greatness.

Even better said.

Combat flight simulation is the most difficult form of online gaming.

You will not "get it" after doing it once.

And you cannot judge the online experience by that one terrible server you flew in.

I'm trying to encourage you to continue. All of us that fly online against human opponents had the same experience as you did.

Stick with it and you will improve and find the real satisfaction that flying online against other real players can give.


Copping an attitude with me is not helping your cause son.

A thousand apologies, Sir!




Good lord... where do you dig these guys up? He really doesn't have a clue, does he?