Any thoughts on how the two stack up? Trying to decide which to pick up first.

It all depends on what your preferences are. If you want a sim with highly detailed physics and flight models (5 available so far), so so scenery, canned missions, and a so so MP aspect (at this point no better than OFF MP IMO), go with RoF for $39.90. On the other hand, if you are looking for a historically accurate, dynamic SP campaign, far and away better than RB3D, 39 very good flight models, 3200+ historically accurate skins, and terrain that will simply knock your socks off, go with OFF BH&H for $29.99.
I have them both and IMHO the best bang for the buck is OFF BH&H. YMMV.

CJ

I have both and at the moment I prefer OFF.

FLight models in RoF are very nice and the aircraft look brilliant, but the immersion of OFF is far better.

BULL

Ditto.

Dirk.

Yep, I have both RoF and OFF.
I cant stop playing OFF, so immersive and fun.

RoF is pretty, and I keep loading it every week or so, play a mission, then go back to OFF.

It's almost apples and oranges at this point. OFF is more fun.
RoF has more potential, since it's a new engine and newly released.
That's just MHO

Thanks, appreciate the comments. Is a multiplayer coop campaign possible in either?

Thanks again.

Or wait for the free IL2 based WW1 flysim, release end of this summer. Cameljock at AAAforum is already testing it, maybe he can explain more about this game.

Or get all three!!!

BULL

When is the release on that one (canvas knights) scheduled for? It will be a big hit online as the infrastructure is already in place.

End of this summer, but this also happened at OFF3 and RoF releases, always some delay.
Game is free, planes have now a comicbook look, but its there first release and the IL2 game engine is a solid base for future improvement.

IMO, Canvas Knights is going to be fantastic, progress is going very well, very capable IL-2 modders are getting more interested and helping out the CK team

Becuase of new triggers coming for IL-2 4.09 related to recons and artilery fire, there will be features in Canvas Knights that have never been done in WWI sim, and in many respects, except putting WWI planes in, IL-2 gameplay value already exceeds OFF and has much greater scope than RoF will have for a very long time .. if ever ..

www.canvasknights.com ... improvements to website soon

We will see, plane graphics are not the strongest point I noticed. But if you have a IL2-1946 disk its maybe better to wait, CK downloads appears to be free. If you do not like this game then you can go for RoF or OFF3.
Right now RoF and OFF3 are the modern WW1 games to play!!!

I think that each one is a niche product.

OFF is for the guys who enjoy the historical aspect. I have phase 2 and i like it, but i don't fly it that often. If i was, i would definitely upgrade to the much improved phase3. It is the dream come true title for the dedicated offline campaign enthusiast.

RoF is for the people who want the absolute best flight and damage modelling and don't mind the lack of other features. Maybe it will become the IL2 of WWI sims in a few months or years, we'll see. Or maybe someone will do an OFF-like version by contributing to it in the future, once the groundwork for 3rd party developers is laid down. I think it was mentioned by RoF developers that they would accept such input in the future and the 3rd party groups would get a percentage of the RoF profits as a result.

Canvas Knights might not have the wealth of historical data you can find in OFF, or the cutting edge RoF engine, but it has a different advantage. It's based on a well-known and widely accepted platform that has a huge online community. Seeing how OFF is not as popular a choice for online matches due to the CFS3 network code and RoF being slow to introduce new gameplay modes other than coop missions, i think CK will do very well for dogfight servers. If the upcoming version 4.09 improvements in IL2 get ported to CK as well (triggers), coupled with the already existing multiplayer infrastructure and community, this will be a very big hit online. It might even steal some of RoF's thunder unless the RoF team manages to release a DF server mode before CK gets released.

Problem to OFF3 was that the made the game at the start to expensive, I get the game for $49,90 cost and now its $ 29,90 which is a more realistic price. By the time they lowered the prices, RoF release date was confirmed, so people getting RoF.
Blackdog: if you already have OFF2 and you don't mind about the bugs stay to OFF2 and go for the alternative games. If you can handle a Torrent you can still download OFF2.

And of course the CFS engine with its problem causing graphic adjustment CFSconfig sofware is a disadvantage to the good IL2 engine.

But as a WW1 fly sim fan, I can advice you MUST have OFF3 and RoF both right now!!!!!!!!

I'm mostly flying WWII, but if i was a dedicated WWI jockey i would. In such a case my first priority would be OFF, as i really liked the Red Baron style of campaign. RoF is too slim right now for me and i hate their DRM with a passion. Maybe 6 months later an all-in-one version will be released with a different copy protection, better MP and a better campaign, then i'll get it.

Still RB campaigns are the best in here. If campaign mode is the main choice here then RoF is gone and right now OFF3 is in the $$$. But have patience and wait for CK, planes are from a comic book, but its the first release, like OFF it need some years to grown up.

Easiest way to sum it up for me:

If you want to feel like you're really flying and fighting in a WWI aircraft then purchase Rise of Flight.

If you want to feel like you're really flying and fighting in WWI then purchase Over Flanders Fields.

Over Flanders Fields will probably never have anything on the detail that Rise of Flight has in their planes/physics/visuals.

Rise of Flight will probably never have anything on the detail that Over Flanders Fields put into their campaign.

I own and enjoy both. Both teams are very talented and dedicated and should be proud of the products they have made. Here's hoping they stick around for a long time and continue to churn out interesting things set in a period that is often forgotten in computer games these days.

Well said pixel, thanks.

I'd have to chime in that OFF is very compelling and magnetic...it just keeps you playing it.
RoF is fun because it's so vivid and beautiful...but it doesnt have the that super fun/addictive aspect (yet).

Agree. gotta have both, fly both, enjoy them for their strengths.
You'll likely end up playing OFF more....
YMMV

> If you can handle a Torrent you can still download OFF2.

Please do not support torrents, the freely released Phase 2 was not legally available on torrents, as per our wishes it is was only available as DVD swap via the offical forum, and that is all still the case.

Phase 3 is payware of course.

We have more to come for OFF, and so does RoF and IL2 version of WW1 is welcome, we want to fly them all