Well I've been screwing with this game for a month now and have things working fairly well.

So, what would be the next thing to do to add a little fun into the game?

Remember, I'm an old fart so I can't keep up with an air full of aircraft...

Just wondering what you all do to move the game along to different scenarios..

by the way...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well, if you want to add a lot of fun into the game, join a squadron. Don't be put off by the competitive aspect (although that is a large part of being a squad member), flying into action with a bunch of like-minded simmers puts an entirely different light on just about any flight sim.

W.

I think a squadron would be fun...Wonder if there is an "over-the-hill" squad...like 50+ or so.

The AARP squad? I shouldn't joke like that I'm only about 8 years off from joining that squad! I'm sure there is a few squads out there that would fit. My squad is mostly 40+ But you would be welcome to wing up with us anytime.

I sense from your other thread you want something low maintenance to ease into, at least for the near future. Correct me if wrong.
Why not try an offline campaign first, where you act out the pre-prepared missions of a character.

You've got three choices:

1) There are the Campaign missions right within RoF itself. They are linear, in that one follows the other, no choice--you fly what is given to you. So kind of staged, but can be fun if the mission builder is talented. Vander has an excellent campaign for sale with this update at the RoF store.

2) There is the Career Beta which is more random (also within RoF, but you need to have an online connection). You conceive of a character, or fly a historic persona that you always wanted to pretend to be.

3) Then there is Pat Wilson's excellent caampaign mission generator. See the massive sticky thread at the top of this forum entitled ROF Campaign Released. Would require a bit more effort on your part to install Java (if required on your system), and then manage the generator and mission files a little bit.

Perhaps door #1 would be a good choice, there is a Yank "Hat-in-the-Ring" campaign, and a German one "Du Doch Nicht" or something like that. Ease into the more complex world of online flying with time. There is so much to explore offline, some people never venture from it...

PapaG, I'd go with the career beta-all of my flying's done in it.

You do need an internet connection but heck, you're here so we know that's good.

It's really simple, click on Career Beta, pick a side, pick a plane and pick an airfield. After that go to options and do the fine-tuning as to how you want to set up your plane. The neat thing is you can have a bunch of pilots "created" at the same time so you can fly different aircraft at different times during the war and you can fly for both sides-all at the same time.

After you've created the pilots, you click on career, pick the pilot you want to fly as and go flying. The missions are created for you and your duty is to try and complete the mission-and survive! The cool thing is that after you've set up things with your pilot, the only options are how much fuel you'll carry, bombs (if you're aircraft can carry them!) and what you want your aircraft to look like (skin) so you can start flying RIGHT NOW! Another neat feature of the career is that you'll be flying against enemies that are flying aircraft from the same time period so you won't be flying an SE-5 against a Fokker Eindecker!!! You'll be assigned many different types of missions like covering a couple of recon birds, patrol the front, attack balloons, attack anything that moves ( :D), well you get the picture!

Until you get promoted to a leadership position, you'll be flying as a member of the flight-when you're promoted you'll eventually lead the flight.

As you progress through the career, you'll get promoted and you'll receive commendations for your success and "bravery". It really is easy to set up and once you've done it a couple of times you can create a new pilot in nothing flat. Once they're created, you start the game, pick the pilot and go fly-the sim takes care of the rest.

Give it a try, I think you'll really like it. If you have any questions, drop us a line here!

Hey...And Happy New Year guys. Thanks for your input.

I believe that online career might be the best for me to start with.
I'm just to dang slow to go against the "kids" ha ha.. one on one I can hold my own, but there is a
bunch of em...I'm dead meat in quick time...

I have the beginning of cataracts so after just a few seconds distance I loose the other aircraft.
I hate to use icons, but sometimes I have to do a quick flash on then back off to get an idea
just where the bandit is so "full real" is just a bit to much for me anymore...

I also love the outside views because I just like to fly along & look around...I'm not into that dogmatic
kill em all" mentality. I kinda like seeing what others have taken the time to create on the maps etc...

I still have a bunch of game questions, but I suppose they will all get sorted out sometime.

thanks all..

Hah, I don't use everything "full real" either and for the same reasons. I have the first four items checked in the first column of the options and they all have to do with looking at or seeing stuff! The only other one checked is "warmed up engine"-I don't feel like sittin' there for 5 minutes waiting for the engine to run smooth!

Papa,

I think you are grossly underestimating the average age of the "kids" flying online. If you ever venture into Teamspeak and actually talk to the people you are flying with/against, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the number who actually watched the first "Star Trek" in prime time. Some even remember how to dial a rotary phone.

Ha HA yeah smoken Hole..I hear ya.

My youngest son is 36 now and I still call him "one of the kids".

No offense intended to you younger men...

Yep, my daughter is only 25, but I was 36 when she hatched.
There are a bunch of us old coots out there, we're sneaky and hide in plain sight.

Beard

Well, I tried that career Beta thing flying as a french corporal. May as well use the same rank I had in the army...

I'm in a Nieuport 17C-1. Now that's a real "bear-bones" cockpit...ha ha... Anyway, I felt like a kid on his first flight.
My two wingies just blasted off and flew away from me in record time... I never saw them again.
I just followed the map weaving between the balloon lines and tried to not get hit with flak.
Eventually, I made it home and landed...
Felt great just to get on the ground in one piece...ha ha..

That is one of the great things about this sim: You go out on a mission and don't get a single kill and still feel like you won because you make it back in one piece!

That's a good one. I train pilots and I have to look at their pilots license and medical certificate and I hate to admit how long it's been that their birth dates are more recent than the date I started flying-by a bunch!!!

Yeah, at the age of 41 I'm quite happy that flight seems are not friendly to the 12 year old crowd.
Be aware, there's a quirk in the beta career where often a 2 seater, flying way too high, and way too fast is present at the beginning of the mission, and your squadron mates will go after it - actual mission be damned. Ignore them, and keep on with your mission. Eventually they'll follow you to the mission objective.

It's a bit of an immersion killer, but I'm sure (hope) this will be fixed soon.

Thanks Gambit21 I'll watch for that.

One question that I do have though...

when we launch from the airdrome at the astounding speed of 65 or 70 kph/mph or knots (no idea on speed)
the AI just fly off ahead and I can not catch them. I have played with the fuel, but that doesn't seem to make
a bit of difference.

In the Nieuport 17C-1 I can not read the gauge. It appears to be a combination RPM and Altitude gauge, but the way it is situated
in the cockpit it is totally unreadable. I can't find anything on the max RPM for the Nieuport 17 either..

Anyway, is this the norm for AI in the career mode?

Might I suggest Joining the 74th Squadron. Good bunch of guys there

I have enjoyed getting to know the older generation in flight sims.

A long time ago I was in a Squad where the youngest was in the mid 40's & me, around 67 or so then,
and we had a real blast. No gripes about anything...We just had a lot of fun.

Then everyone just sort of drifted away with life's assorted problems etc, and I joined another
squad which had a bunch of very young individuals and it was just one beef after another.
I finely dropped out in disgust.

I don't have headsets/boom mic anymore so I can't get on team speak or whatever they would use.

I finely just went with the mp3 player good quality ear pieces and they work much better for me.

My hearing has deteriorated badly these last few years... To many years with those dang turbo prop
engines in my ears + loud noises, rock-en-roll (younger years) etc etc... so I found it very hard to tune
team speak voice sound and the in-game engine noise to a comfortable level.

Right now I am trying to get a handle on flying the Neiuport 17C1 in the Career beta and I am trying to learn enough to keep myself alive by watching and practicing Requiem's training vids.

I can't land the dang thing without bending the lower wing though.
I was following requiem's landing technique to the letter and discovered that the only way I could land was to fly with the aircraft
default settings only. When I put in the rudder correction to where could shoot and hit something, then I could not land well.

apparently either taking the rudder or the porpoise effect out causes me problems...

oh well, Onward and upward is suppose...