Pilots,

It's easy to underestimate the amount of work it takes to write, edit, illustrate and localize a user manual for a complicated combat flight-sim like ROF. Hence, we have never had a big manual due to resource restrictions and language barriers.

Our manuals have always been just enough to get a player started and cover the basics. Plus with all the changes to ROF the manual quickly became obsolete and we know that was frustrating for new users.

So, in the second half of 2011 I recruited four ROF community members to write a new ROF User Manual that is more useful and in-depth than ever before. We certainly think it is and we think you will too.

This manual is too big to be printed and stuffed in a box, but it will be included on every disk we make in the future and available for download on our website.

This manual will be updated over time and more sections will be added to as we go. We already have several sections identified as needed additions. It will evolve as ROF does and it will also eventually be localized into other major languages. For now it is just in English.

This manual is the culmination of many, many hours from LukeFF, Charlo, Zoring and Squid. They deserve huge kudos and appreciation! Everyone did marvellous work, but I want to single out LukeFF especially, who wrote the vast majority of the text. A herculean effort for sure. Charlo, Zoring and Squid added their own expertise and artistic talent to put it all together. I hope you'll enjoy their work.

And a special thanks to ROEN911 for his permission to use his beautiful ROF inspired artwork as the cover.

As you explore this document you will no doubt find errors, ommissions or other areas that can be improved. Feel free to post your thoughts in this thread. Please, please, please be kind and respectful to the team who built it.

In the future I may tap others in the community to contribute their talenets to updating the manual.

Download 2012 ROF User Manual (English)



Regards,
Jason

My appreciation and thanks goes out to Jason for allowing me to work on this project and for trusting me to see the task through to completion. What you guys see here is the culmination of many, many hours of work and collaboration with the other team members. Plus I got to hang out with Jason a couple of times.

This is actually the second user manual on which I've played a part (the first being the Real U-boat Mod for Silent Hunter 4), but this one goes far above and beyond that. I've always enjoyed writing, and so I jumped at the chance when Jason approached me about this project.

Beyond that, much thanks is also due to Charlo, Zoring, and Squid. This manual wouldn't be complete without their input and work.

Enjoy guys! I hope you all like it.

Great work gents!!

Wow! Thanks guys. What a wonderful idea!

Thanks so much for all the hard work.

Hey Thx
Thats what we need

Fantastic on so many levels:
1) This is what a complex flight sim really needs. And not all have it, because of the huge work involved.
2) Because Jason leveraged a tremendous resource, which entails its own set of problems but which can ultimately contribute a lot.
3) Because it seems that it will be continually updated.

I think that there should be a link to the manual from inside the sim, because the people who'd look for answers in a manual before asking in a forum are typically the people who'd also just look for a manual inside the sim and not on the interwebs... :-)

Thank you all for your time and effort!

Jolly good show....thanks awfully

That's great, thanks!

Thank you good Sirs Gonna start reading it straightaway when I get home from work. Salud!

Absolutely top hole chaps.. thanks for all your hard work, it is much appreciated!

Great stuff, thanks for all the hard work!

Thanks guys for the time and effort,really appreciated.

Thanks, seems like I bought the sim at the right time

Great work!
Thank you all guys!

Great! Thank you!

Great manual! Kudos to everyone involved!

Just flicked through the entire manual and I have to say I'm in awe! This is so beautifully done and very comprehensive. Especially all the plane explanations and the table with information regarding the control of each plane - very useful also for those who own the sim for some time now.

Thanks once more!

Awesome work.

I only have one quibble -

I'd definately pay money ($10-$30 range, anyway) for a printed version of this . . .

Thanks for all the compliments! The manual will definitely be updated over time.

Excellent! Thanks to all involved, looks to be a great read!

A quick but very enjoyable perusal suggests a quality effort, and one that took a lot of dedication and time.

Now printing .... in color!

Splendid, & very handy, muchas gracias chaps ... LukeFF, Charlo, Zoring, Squid, Jason and the RoF team!

Had a good read of the manual now, and it is really terse and matter-of-fact. More for consultation than for "enjoyable perusing", which is just fine for a manual, I guess. I personally would have enjoyed a fun remark here and there, maybe some WWI quotes sprinkled throughout the text, but then again, I am not a very serious person...

Huge effort and super-useful. An example to follow for other sim makers, and yes, 1C, I am looking at you!

Great job! Very nice presentation and useful information.

I haven't had a chance to look at through it thoroughly but I know I'll be using it when I finally start using my bombers.

Absolutely excellent job. Well done, guys!

Thanks!!!

Dammed good show! Many thanks chaps!

S!ap

Personally, I prefer it like this. All too often I find that fun remarks etc aren't much fun (could be my sense of humour, or lack of it ) or that they are just taking up space that should have been used for vital information. Another thing I dislike is when a flightsim manual lists pages of "historical background" or useless stuff about ground objects that you can find just as well on Wikipedia. Very happy to see that RoF doesn't go that route!

I perused the manual a bit and already learned some things (e.g. I never realised that the "Forward" command actually means "Attack" ).

Since there will be revisions, one minor request if I may: could the "best climb speed" be included in the aircraft performance tables?

Really cool!!! Thanks!

Very well done.


Wheels

Good job! Now the manual is on par with the rest of the sim!

I'd pay for a printed color manual. Preferably ring-bound...

I can't see any point in a printed manual when it will be constantly updated with content from future patches, new aircraft etc..

Because

(1) I hate and almost never read online manuals/books/etc.

(2) I can peruse a printed manual away from the computer.

(3) I'd easily buy an updated manual every year or two if they kept updating info (or, alternatively, a supplemental "aircraft handbook" or whatever).

(4) Printed manuals are just cool.

Indeed.

I printed it out in B/W, but man, that looks cool!

Hahaha Cichlid, you have the same keyboard as me .

Cheers and nice printout,

Fafnir_6

Nothing on configuring controllers.

My Cougar is stuffed with the new updates.



The new input files have killed the Cougar.

Yes, there is.

Well done on the manual Luke!
After seeing the pics above of the printed manual, I dl'ed it and started reading. Interestingly, I learned something about tracking my purchases.
2.5 Track Purchases: In addition to purchasing items in the ROF Store you can also track the purchases you have made by viewing the licenses you currently own within ROF. All items you purchase come with a unique identifying code that is stored in our database. You can view all of your purchases and corresponding codes by clicking on the Profile button and then the License button.

I've had times where I wasnt sure if I had everything and all the field mods, but this shows exactly what you have and when you bought it. Very nice!

I'm jealous of the manual above I miss the old days where you got a decent manual with your purchase.

Awesome work guys