Hello chaps,

Just thought I'd post up my first experience of a career proper. After getting some help and advice from some of the guys on the combat ace forum I took too the skies as confident as one can be over a warzone! Anyway just thought it may be of interest to anyone who might be unsure about giving this amazing sim a go.

I decided to start a career up with No 46 squadron in May 1917 flying the Sopwith Pup.

Enter 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Wattle, my first flight was a short patrol in a flight of 5 on lovely sunny late morning, the patrol was delightfully uneventful unfortunately for the poor sods on the ground things were far from uneventful with a relentless artillery barrage churning the ground around them. After spending 20 minutes or so circling that hell below us I couldn't stomach any more and with no sign of any untoward air activity I gave the signal to head for home,secretly I just wanted to get back and have this first flight safely under my belt.

It was a quiet flight home spent soaking in the beautiful French countryside, if not for the endless sound of exploding artillery shells one could almost escape the fact that hundreds of men, not too many miles from our flight were senselessly loosing their lives. We all landed safely and I stepped in to see the Adjutant, I didn't have much to report to him apart from my flight had all come back in one piece. He informed me that the first flight to leave that morning had returned a little earlier, claiming one kill but sadly young sgt Hazard had failed to return and was currently missing. I left his office and made my to the mess where I grabbed a cup of strong tea then stepped outside for a cigarette in the morning sun and pondered what would be up next.

Welcome back, pilot. And good luck for the next missions in the grinder.

Any mission you survive, and bring back all your squadron mates, is a good mission. And remember...17 hours is the average life expectancy for a WWI pilot. Exceed that, and the young pups turning up as replacement pilots will start calling you "Pappy' and "Gramps'.

A big thrill to finally have a pilot do more than 17 hours, not such a big thrill when one of ym squadron rammed him from behind as he was going after my kill at the time. I hope that happens less in WOFF.

Welcome, Redmonkey. Has anyone told yoyu yet that the new guy buys the drinks? Mines a Spitfire.

OUCH!

Hello Hauksbee...yes ouch! Hope your well.

Welcome RedMonkey. Don't get too comfortable up there. If you like surprises you can turn off all the visual aids - the guys probably mentioned it, then you'll feel the need for a real silk scarf to help the chafing

Welcome to the MeatGrinder

Welcome to the sometimes friendly skies of OFF, Red! Glad to have you with us.

One of the things about OFF that can make it such a harrowing experience is the false sense of security that missions like yours can have. You might get two, three, five missions where you see no action. The enemy seems to have packed up and headed home - leaving you to patrol the lines alone. Rest assured, however, that the dynamic campaign engine is populating the skies with up to 250 planes per mission and countless flights are always in the air flying sorties - weather permitting. It's only a matter of time until your path will cross someone else's. What happens then is where OFF goes from interesting to truly frightening.

I flew a 1916 RFC campaign about a year or so ago. My first half-dozen missions were duds. Not only did I not see any German aircraft, I didn't see any friendly ones either. I started wondering if something was wrong with my install and even double checked my workshop settings to be sure. And, sure enough, on our next sortie, we were jumped by a flight of at least half a dozen Albatros fighters - all painted in bright colors. My entire flight was massacred. I only survived by taking the cowards way out - and running for home once I realized what kind of mess we were in. Call it crazy - and this is the kind of behavior you'll likely exhibit after a while - but I actually felt genuinely ashamed for running for home - even though those RFC pilots back there are nothing but 3D models and code... I felt bad for abandoning them. Granted, I knew for sure that if I had stayed I would have been shot down and killed just like the rest of them, but still - it's an honor thing.

That pilot went on a rampage for the next three missions. I downed everything in my path in an attempt to earn back my dignity. It met with a grizzly end. My pilot was caught from behind by a Pfalz fighter and set alight... I burned all the way down.

OFF is one of those sims that will truly get its hooks in you. Game designers today seek to create massive set pieces with ever more explosive and over the top action. OFF will grip you like none of those games ever could because of the very unpredictable nature of it.

Good luck up there. Keep your wits about you and don't do anything too rash - you won't last long if you do!