Different dawgs for different critters...same shotgun, just different ammo though.

[quote=Brigstock
RoF isn't perfect by a long way but neither is OFF. What OFF lacks RoF makes up for it. What RoF lacks OFF makes up for it.

Horses and courses I suppose.
[/quote]

Perhaps Brig, one sim has the cart before the horse Once they get that sorted it'll take off and be what was promised.

I`m from Dixie, it`s an old horse racing term. Puts

Let's see, "the right tool for the job at hand", or "Don't send a boy, to do a man's job".

I never really got into OFF and I will never buy ROF for reasons I probably should avoid in this thread. I paid a huge chunk of change for OFF too and it will never be even close to IL2 as far as I'm concerned. I went back to full time IL2 until SOW comes out. Or I should say "if" SOW comes out.

I disagree with someone saying the graphics of OFF is better than IL2. Yeah, the ground looks better because OFF does not use the bitmap layered forests that IL2 uses. But the aircraft in IL2 look way better at any distance than the ones in OFF. Even RB3D of ten years ago had better looking planes that OFF does. Or maybe my memory of that classic sim is just too tainted by biased fondness.

The thing that kills OFF for me is that it's about impossible to survive more than 15 or 20 missions before something kills you somehow. It's not a question of if, just when. But something will get you. That's actually very historical but I think you have to draw a line sometimes between realism ( in the realm of survival likelihood ) and the sake of game play. It's just no fun to get killed in a campaign any way you slice it. It's OK sometimes and to be expected in any sim but not every time you turn around. The only way to survive your aerodrome being attacked is by just sitting on the ground and opting not to fight!! I got killed in about 3 out 5 of those missions. Crash landings at slight angles should also be way more survivable. That always infuriated me to no end.

Then there's the time element, I'm referring to the inability to end many missions in a timely manner. For someone short of time it's frustrating to be behind enemy lines with lots of enemies in the air. You have to fly back to your own lines in real time, no way to speed it up due to the enemies. And you can't end a mission ( why, I don't know ) behind enemy lines or you're considered captured, ending your career ( yet again ).

I'm really glad that some people really enjoy this game but personally I wish I could have tried it before I bought it. Simply too many times I played OFF and pounded my fist in to things in fury. And this is the only sim that has had that effect on me, ever. And I've had most of them going back to 1992!!

Never mind Fishingnut. It's not for you then. But thanks for contributing to sales and supporting WW1 flight sims if you purchased P3. Can't ask more than that.

Now, I sympathise with your above statement. The last time I "pounded my fist into things in fury" was many years ago with a FPS Xbox title called ....{wince, it still hurts!} .... Soldier of Fortune for a bit of light relief. Well it was all jolly good fun until I got to {wince again!} "THE ROOFTOP" level. The 2nd last level I think .... GAAAAAA !

ARG ! So there I was on this bloody roof on an island about a mile up with limited ammo opposing an aggressive Osprey kitted out with unlimited ordinance and rocket launchers that grew back no matter how many times one blew them away. I tried every tactic I knew (remembering that a gentleman never cheats ;)) for days on end and never got to the last level. Rage is not a word that adequately described my feelings at the time and I will never forget it as long as I live. I think I may have pounded my fists into many things before seeking solace in alternative diversions.

It is true this is a sad story .... but I'm glad I got it off my chest. Never again !

Good post Fishingnut,

Some games are just not your cup of tea and it is best to move on.

It's perhaps worth pointing out that the latest incarnation of OFF (ie, the latest patch or so) now has 'pilot never dies' as a tickable option. Seeing as you've already lashed out good money on OFF, would that help you to get the longer campaigns, as I'd agree that it's heartbreaking to lose a pilot who has 15-20 under his belt.

Still, they did (or still do) advertise it as something along the lines of 'can you survive as long as the average WWI pilot', or similar.

SimonC has a good point, it was very hard to survive in the air, even the great aces had close calls with death, and many did`nt live to see the end of the war. A lot of them died shortly after the war in flying accidents, flying was a dangerous business even in peacetime. I don`t expect to survive the war, and just try to make it thru one more day. I play DiD, and enjoy all the furballs one can get into, better yet try to get out of. Puts

Hello,

Fishingnut wrote:

" ...
I disagree with someone saying the graphics of OFF is better than IL2. Yeah, the ground looks better because OFF does not use the bitmap layered forests that IL2 uses. But the aircraft in IL2 look way better at any distance than the ones in OFF. Even RB3D of ten years ago had better looking planes that OFF does. Or maybe my memory of that classic sim is just too tainted by biased fondness.
..."

Well, i am playing IL2 sometimes, and its WW2 aircraft are (certainly being much more "simple" from appearance) nice to look at - but they are not really a competition for OFF phase 3 ?! Nice, but not nice enough. And RedBaron3d, certainly with HASP or Canvas Jacket patch, do not come close - i just flew it yesterday, and while i am still liking the small single missions provided like "Get airborne with Boelcke and fight off the BE2s" neither the planes nor the flight model comes anything close to OFF - really, getting airborne, or landing is ridiculous in RB - i still like it because it was a complete sim in every aspect, with phantastic online possibilities, but remember all else was all done by independent fans much later (who now work for OFF, as i might add). The original RB sim was nothing to write home about.

"...
The thing that kills OFF for me is that it's about impossible to survive more than 15 or 20 missions before something kills you somehow. It's not a question of if, just when. But something will get you. That's actually very historical but I think you have to draw a line sometimes between realism (in the realm of survival likelihood ) and the sake of game play.
..."

Well most say this is nothing but historical, since most pilots indeed did not survive the war - but just in OFF of all sims you can adjust so much things for your liking, from "pilots never die" to less accurate enemy fire, or less accurate AA, simple landings, or adjusting the flight model - i still think the side slipping along with rudder action and how it works, is really best simulated in OFF - and RoF.

I agree that lighter crash landings kill the pilot too easily, as well there is no collapsing gear and belkly landings, all instantly ends in a big boom fireball - still CFS3 style.

"...
Then there's the time element, I'm referring to the inability to end many missions in a timely manner. For someone short of time it's frustrating to be behind enemy lines with lots of enemies in the air. You have to fly back to your own lines in real time, no way to speed it up due to the enemies. And you can't end a mission ( why, I don't know ) behind enemy lines or you're considered captured, ending your career (yet again ).
..."

There's always warping (x, or ctrl-x?), which unfortunately only works without enemies in the vicinity - but YOU CAN speed up your flight pressing the ctrl-shift-e for accelerating, and ctrl-shift-r for reducing. The more times you press it the faster the time passes, even with enemies near - just try it ! Only one hint : You may NEVER assign those keys to anything else, because you will not be able to re-assign them - doesn't work. Spare those for exactly this, no other keys can be assigned for it as far as i know, without having to re-install OFF.

"...
I'm really glad that some people really enjoy this game but personally I wish I could have tried it before I bought it. Simply too many times I played OFF and pounded my fist in to things in fury. And this is the only sim that has had that effect on me, ever. And I've had most of them going back to 1992!!
..."

You could have tried before, if only with the free OFF phase 2, but then you cannot compare this with the new "MkIII" version. Pounding my fist in anything has become a "sign of quality" of sims for me - for me that is lol

Greetings,
Catfish