I am finally getting a new system. My question is should get ROF? Is it worth it? I have seen mixed reviews.

I want a realistic flight sim and I want to know if this will fit the bill? I am not new to flight sims so I would appreciate some honest feedback in terms of campaign, damage models, AI, etc...

Have the patches improved any of the earlier issues?

Thanks.

It's the most realistic flight sim to date in terms of flight model and "feel of flight". Needs a good system to get the best out of it. Patches are making real improvements every month.

There's a demo here you can try: http://riseofflight.com/en

Cheers,

RD.

I agree with rocket...the patches have brought the sim a loonggg way. with a good system you should get much enjoyment out of it. I play it everyday and there is always at least ONE moment that leaves my jaw dropping thinking "I cant believe how realistic this game is"

definately worth a shot and if you have the money pick up the camel and DR.I as well...both very challenging and rewarding aircraft.

Read this, should help you to decide: Convince Me!

Thanks. I will give it a try.

Does the multiplayer mostly dogfight or are there mission objectives?

I think that you might care to buy the game, on the basis that you're supporting the flight sim/combat sim/WWI industry. I haven't bought yet. I tried the demo, which took some time to authenticate in order to fly, and found that the graphics were OKish - I was expecting a quantum leap from OFF but didn't get it (NB - I have an ATI graphics card) - and that the controls weren't quite what I expected, but that's hardly surprising in a new game.

Most of the demo download was relatively painless, apart from the half gig hit on my ISP download limit - thanks fellahs - but the online thing, whereby it mooches off to find the latest update and then downloads it pissed me off greatly. 300 meg of update for the limited life demo? That's just wrong.

My demo period - 72 hours I believe is what you get - is over, and RoF probably won't be heading towards our place soon, but that's because I have qualms about the permanent online status and the nature of the RoF campaign, and the period it currently covers. I may well pop back in due course and scam another 72 hour - wish it were more - demo through a different email address but until I hear from NeoQB that they have a campaign game that covers WWI rather than the last year of it I'm inclined to sit on my wallet.

Please see subsequent posts for further opinions.

I think it's got the edge on OFF. No slur on the OFF team, but the RoF engine is much more modern and can do a lot more.

Cheers,

RD.

Hi RD,

"I think it's got the edge on OFF. No slur on the OFF team, but the RoF engine is much more modern and can do a lot more."

I'd agree if I had an Nvidia card I suspect, but I'm pushing my AGP based graphics rig to the limit with both OFF and ROF, and I'm hard pressed to see improvements. I'm sure it's the age of my PC (bought in 2006 and therefore obviously out of date), but that was my take.

I've simply reported my own experience of RoF as a demo, but I would urge the potential buyer to research very widely, particularly if they have a preference for an SP campaign.

"Worth" is very subjective. And is probably based on the amount of "disposable income" you have available. AT 30 dollars, it's half the price of other modern PC titles, with additional planes being less than the amount you'd pay going through a McDonalds drive-through.



Not only will it fit the bill, but I would go so far as to say it will be the most realistic flight model from PC software you have ever flown!!



Current ( and previous versions of ) ROF appears to be made more for the MMO Flight-Sim crowd, such as Aces High, Warbirds, etc... it is not a WW1 Pilot Carreer simulation/RPG (such as Red Baron), you don't track/assign pilots, you don't transfer to other squadrons, you FLY. As one may expect in a flight simulator. ROF tracks your missions flown, your kills, kill/death ratio, bullets fired...and other statistics you may (or may not) find interesting.

Current campaigns are pretty much a string of canned missions...but developers have said that the SP campaign is being enhanced.

Additionally, PatrickAWilson is currently making a java applet that adds "RPG-type" features to Rise of Flight, and you can look at that in THIS THREAD.




While all games have the need to drop some realism for game-play's sake, ROF's DM is still by far the best I've seen! It has it's limitations and apparent sillyness in some situations (flying with wings only between center struts). But even with these limitations, it's still far better than anything else you will see.



The AI is good! It used to be better, but the community pitched a fit, and so they dumbed it down (a testimate to how the developers have their ear to the community). Bad move in my opinion to lower the AI, but looking at the bright side, you'll get shot down less when you are a beginner. But I suspect the AI will get boring faster for you now.



So far, we've seen ROF getting updated once a month. Each patch brings many bug fixes, a few new features, and two additional planes.


My biggest gripe with Rise of Flight is the configuration process. It can be very counter-intuative! But this too is being updated.

I'd get the demo, and get it all set up BEFORE you register it, that way you can spend 72 hours flying it instead of configuring it!


HAVE FUN!

LMAO Simon,



So, are you attempting to say ROF graphics are NOT a quantum leap ahead of OFF then?



HAAHAA! OMG! That's too funny!


...and I won't even mention why your arm hurts, it's pretty obvious why! No doctor needed!

Even in screenshots this sim gives a better sensation of altitude than any other I have seen.

Only buy this sim if you want to never fly your old sims again. They will feel like arcade games. That's what happened to me, and I'm a real life pilot.

ROF gives by far the best visual and audio sensations of flight, and flying on the PC that is all you have to go off of since there is no feel.

I'm not just talking about perty graphics and high def recordings, I'm talking about the total package of visual and audio perception and the way it is put together and presented. If that made sense.

Oh, make sure your system can run it too.

Same here.

Cheers,

RD.

On the graphics front ROFs aircraft modelling and lighting are first rate, the terrain however isn't up the same standard. It looks OK from alt (as all sims do) but low down I'm still waiting for it to wow me like the aircraft models do.

More buildings would be a good start but increased texture detail and variety is needed low down.

Now when this thread starts saying that the ROF critics are trolling and stirring again in an unfair manner, please note that it seems pretty obvious that the negative comments started here with your post WW.

Keywords: Pope, Catholic

The bears were busy doing er, something else

Ming

If and when the ROF critics start trolling is when this thread will state that the ROF critics are trolling...


Now, had poor Simon's post been in it's own thread, or even part of his earlier email thread in the tech support above, I would have read it as I think it was intended...an opinion post. And I would have left it without a reponse.

...however... Simon decided to make his humorous anecdotal post to a "should I get ROF" thread! The "graphics" portion of his information has absolutely nothing to do with the question the original poster put forth. The OP even mentioned he was getting a new rig! So it wasn't helpful to the OP at all. Therefor, we have to ask ourselves, why then, was the graphics information even posted?

I'll make no judgement on that question, I'll leave it for everyone else to decide for themselves.

Why would Simon feel it relevant to explain how ROF ran (or rather doesn't run - visually I mean) on his old archaic AGP setup?
And why would it not even be mentioned; and took a second post to clarify the point he was attempting to fly on an old AGP rig?

...I found that very (it still makes me chuckle) funny... I guess you didn't.

But that's quite a stretch to conclude with: "...pretty obvious that the negative comments started here..."?



Are you suggesting that me asking if Simon doesn't think ROF graphics are a quantum leap ahead of OFF graphics a negative comment?

HA! That too, is quite funny... (if that is indeed what you are suggesting)

Heck, all one has to do is see a side-by-side screenshot. I'm sure Simon has even seen screenies and videos of ROF to see that it is indeed a quantum leap forward from OFF!

Or was it the last line in my post? If so, read the current topics around here (i.e. the "flash back" thread's doctor/patient humor)... I just segued the two and chuckled. It wasn't what I would consider a negative comment. ROF wasn't broken because Simon failed to see a quantum leap in graphics on an AGP machine...*chuckle*...it was user...no wait....let's just say it wasn't ROF and leave it at that.


I saw no personal attacks or negative comments! No, like I always seem to do around here, I just cleared up some potential misinformation regarding Rise of Flight.

If you just want to get online and furball buy RB or any other old wwI sim,,,but if you want a true realistic experience buy ROF.

Brian

"Why would Simon feel it relevant to explain how ROF ran (or rather doesn't run - visually I mean) on his old archaic AGP setup?
And why would it not even be mentioned; and took a second post to clarify the point he was attempting to fly on an old AGP rig?"

Well dear, bizarre as this might seem, there are probably people out there who can't afford to update their PCs every year and who do have setups similar to mine. If they are repeatedly told that the graphics are top 'o the range buy ROF and don't get A1 graphics then they might feel slightly miffed. The poster asked for opinions, and I gave mine.

"ROF wasn't broken because Simon failed to see a quantum leap in graphics on an AGP machine..."

At no point did I describe ROF as 'broken'. Please don't attribute opinions to me that I didn't specifically state in my post.

I get it Simon.

It's not bizarre at all. Of course there are people in this world who can't afford to update every year. Nobody is suggesting there aren't. Hell, I don't upgrade ever year either. However, I suspect the OP doesn't fit into your reasoning, since he clearly stated that he was getting a new system!



ROF graphics are top-o-the-range compared to OFF (your example, not mine). It would be silly of him to try and get that range with a bottom-o-the-range video card!! So you were performing an anti-miffed service, I get it now.

Then why didn't you just say something like," ROF graphics are top-notch, but make sure you have the video card to run it!"




Perhaps we could have avoided all this confusion if instead of taking two posts to point out that you were on an archaic AGP system, you said something like:

With my AGP card running OFF: BHaH at full or almost full graphic settings, and running ROF with everything turned down or off - the graphics were OKish - I was expecting a quantum leap from OFF but didn't get it .

Big difference wouldn't you agree?




I never said you did...the broken comment was a reference of the other "flash back" thread, and used only to explain the context behind the doctor/patient stuff to Cas -- relax and quit looking for a fight....


I'm glad you got a chance to look at ROF Simon, wish it worked better for ya'. And I do hope to see you over virtual France someday!

S!

Brian

"With my AGP card running OFF: BHaH at full or almost full graphic settings, and running ROF with everything turned down or off - the graphics were OKish - I was expecting a quantum leap from OFF but didn't get it .

Big difference wouldn't you agree?"

Why should I qualify my statements to the nth degree? I stated my experience, that's all, and I added that my rig was running with AGP rather that PCI-Eor suchlike. I'm sure that the poster who started the thread would be able to appreciate this.

Stop being so damn defensive.

I will, as it happens now that I'm finally fully gainfully employed and bringing in a wage - something I suspect that not every readerof SimHQ is fortunate enough to be - be junking my gaming PC and getting a multicore PC with a shiny new Nvidia card which will allow me to sign back on at the NeoQB and give the game another whizz, but until then, I, like countless other gamers will have to struggle by with what we actually own as opposed to what we'd like to own.

Feel free to have a pop at people on fixed budgets, if you wish, I'm afraid that I'm not terribly bothered at continuing what can only be a dismal exchange of posts.

And, since this thread is just back-and-forth, we'll bring it to an end.