I love the new damage model effects of WOFF. Wing and fuselage damage looks awesome. I'm also extremely grateful that the Devs got rid of the engine exploding out of the plane and falling separately from the craft as it used to do in OFF:BH&H. THANK YOU!!

My wish list request item though is to have fewer total structural failures where all of the wings come off of the plane. For myself at least, this seems to happen very often. I can pump a bunch of rounds into the fuselage (I generally aim for the pilot or the engine if at all possible) and for awhile it seems like nothing is happening. Then all of a sudden there is a loud "bang" noise and all four wings fall off. It seems like the plane would catch fire or the pilot would get killed long before a total structural failure would happen. My shooting accuracy (set to Normal Gun Strength and Normal Accuracy) ranges between 35 - 45% most of the time, probably due more to the fact I am so close to my opponent when I shoot than anything else. So any way I would figure that with that level of shooting accuracy, I'd be "assassinating" pilots long before I'd put enough damage into the fuselage to cause a total structural failure.

Does anyone else see the total structural failure damage model effect very often?

The total wing-ripping off from gunfire thing only happens when I've pumped lots of ammo into a plane.

I used to get the occasional lucky hit, and see an enemy plane tip over and crash into the ground as if the pilot was hit. But in the latest update version(s), It's become much more rare. Been having to unload steadily on them until either their wings all rip off, as you mentioned, or their engine finally gives out and they lazily descend for a crash landing. Like I'm sawing away over long periods.

Typically put about 40 to 80 rounds into one before their engine dies and they cruise to the ground. More than that eventually ends up with the complete wing-popping. Don't see the AI pilots being killed much at all. Dunno if it's WAI or if something was recently changed.

Yep, all the time... Just about every aircraft I really plaster has the same effect over and over... big crashing sound and all the wings come off.

That pretty much sums up my experience as well sir. They don't seem to die very often without pumping a lot of rounds into them and then suddenly they just have total structural failure.

I'd consider modding it, but I have no idea where to even look and I'm sure I'd probably break something.

You might consider using less accurate guns, as I do. I often have shot dead enemy pilots who are spinning down out of control, but otherwise more or less intact. Also I have occasional wingbreaks and sometimes I'm sending them down in flames, spinning all the way down, disintergrating within time. IMO a good mixture and depending of how good I get him. The other positive aspect of less guns is that you can also get out of fights sometimes with 20 or more bullethits, but without a wound or burning engine, sometimes you get wounded quickly. IMO the most realistic mixture of aiming and shooting and getting shot at.

That wasn't my experience with less accurate guns Creaghorn, but maybe it's just the SE5s top gun that appears to just destroy Albs. I'll have to try it with some other Allied plane and see how it works then.

Maybe we should bring this up in a new thread?

Seems like something changed with the damage modelling recently. Who knows - it may be a bug caused by something else being adjusted.

Possibly. However my guess is the Devs have their hands full with whatever new surprises that they are cooking up next. I'm certainly not opposed to them looking at it, but I trust their priorities. Add-ons and expansions don't just add new content for us, they also bring in cash for the Devs, which makes it possible for them to keep supporting the sim. Monkeying with the Damage Model, unfortunately, does not.

I'm sure when they have time, they will review it and do whatever makes the most sense. That's why I put it under the Wish List instead of making a thread actually calling for a Damage Model review at this time. They are a pretty good group of guys. I have no problems giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Agreed, the devs have, and continue to do outstanding work on improving the sim
My only gripe is that I'm away with work for the next 3 months (Saudi, East Africa and Gulf of Aden) so won't get to fly it or see any new expansion until I get back....
But I'll be dropping in on these forums to get up to date news on how things are going any time I can get a wifi signal!

My ultimate wish list item for WOFF is that the sim makes a load of money on sales so that the team can continue to deliver on this excellent product. It's not perfect and there will always be more "wants". The squeaky wheel always gets the grease, but the wheel that makes no noise if often not fully appreciated. So it is with sims.

IMHO!

Sure. It's not all that pressing of an issue right now. I just noticed a change recently, so it doesn't hurt to mention it.

My biggest request is still the Level Autopilot. My carpal tunnel is killing me from holding the aircraft level when separated from my flight and flying to anywhere besides the nearest aerodrome (where the Autopilot always wants to go).

Gonna update my Wish List for WOFF.

It's quite nice in it's current iteration, but I would also like to see these tweaked if ever possible:

1) Straight & Level Autopilot added.

2) All Nieuport models' wing stress/breakage levels increased to be sturdier and more relative to the Albatros' speed and G tolerance levels (but still not the same, of course!). The Nieups V-strut wings seem to warp and break far easier than the Albatros.. maybe too much. The N28's wing breakage is most notable as the canvas only tended to tear from the top wing in long ~180mph dives and was usually recoverable, but it does so much easier here and is often deadly.

3) Remove enemy planes spawning directly overhead in the "Air Start" option.

4) Remove the Gunsight View and Player/Target Views from their respective view cycle hotkey and give them their own hotkeys. If this isn't feasible, then perhaps switch the Gunsight View (in F6 cycle) with the Player/Target View (in F1 cycle). This would be to make the Gunsight View more easily accessible without having to cycle through map and instrument panel views, which briefly prevents you from looking outside the plane while cycling to the gunsight view while in a dogfight.

In essence, this final one would allow the F1 view cycling to keep your eyes outside the cockpit while fighting, and make the F6 views "head down" or away from the aircraft altogether. F1 would be more convenient to cycle in a dogfight.

Thanks for the consideration guys!

@ Nefaro :
You don't have to go through the F6 cycle if you don't want to. Pressing F6 takes you to gunsight view, pressing C brings you back to cockpit view.

Really? I thought the 'C' key disabled your TrackIR or something odd like that?

Also.. what if I cycle through F1 after hitting the 'C' key? It doesn't mess with that does it? I was just hoping for a gunsight toggle or something, but I can actually just move my head around with TIR at the moment so that one's not a biggie like the others on my list.

Either way, I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip!

Sorry I realized too late I had probably said something wrong ! The C key brings you back to the cockpit from any view of the F1 cycle, not from the F6. ( I always stay in cockpit view, except for taking a screenshot and I thought it worked the same - the only plane so far I have flown in gunsight view is the DH2)

Ahhh!

Yeah.. I was just looking for a way to toggle directly to Gunsight View from Cockpit View and back. I'll just move my head to the sight if I ever need to, with TIR. I nearly always aim by the tracers, anyway.

Speaking of... I forgot to add:

5) Brighter tracers.

I use the trimmers (which most likely didn't exist in those aircraft) but it does get over the tail-heavy trim of most of the aircraft. I mostly use elevator trim at about -29° to go level.

The only problem is that if you engage the AI autopilot it forgets your trim settings ...

You can also adjust throttle to find the right speed at which your plane is rigged for level flight.

The problem with that is when I'm flying straight & level, it's usually to get somewhere as quick as possible.

I experimented with the trim settings, and it's not a bad idea to start using them again, but they only make it require less input from you. You still have to fly the stick, which can get crazy in time compression. A Straight & Level Autopilot would be for the Autopilot to hold your current course & altitude while you use time compression. I like saving time.

Hmmm, what about teleportation ? (I agree with you a Level Autopilot can be useful, but not for the same reason. I would use it (like I do in ROF) at real time when I need to do some navigation on the map which is on my second screen. For now I can use the Pause feature, but it kind of breaks the show.)