I'd like to join in the praises as well. I couldn't go into the marvelous depth that Hellshade did, but agree with all that he said. This is unquestionably the most wonderful and genteel groups of people, the most dedicated and responsive developers, and the most reverent and advanced sim I could imagine. The greatest thing about the general good-willed nature of the forum is that it is composed of people from around the world, with many not speaking English as their first language, and many different cultures and sensibilities, and yet we have managed to get along very well.

I've been an OFF'er, and then a WOFF'er, for so long now I can't remember. I am right flabbergasted that it's been 4 years since the release of WOFF. Where does the time go? It's been so long now that my handle, HumanDrone, which was meant to reflect my inability (like the old drone targets they used to practice on), now could be taken as someone claiming the skills of the new high-tech drones - believe me, I'm still the hapless drone target.

Life and work keep me from having much stick time at all. But when I do, it's amazing. As I've often said, this is the first sim that I've even attempted where I go into a turn, glance toward the ground with my trusty TrackIR, and do a double-take at the the incredible realism and sense of altitude. The skies are simply a work of art. And I don't even fiddle with the settings like some of you do. There just isn't time. And I come back from a mission asking myself, "How in the world did they do this?!?!"

I'll close with an illustration. When the animation team finished screening their final cut of "A Charlie Brown Christmas", under a very tight schedule and using a very unconventional (for the time) mix of a jazz music and child actors and the legendary recitation of the Gospel by Linus, they just weren't sure that they had it right. But in the quiet after they shut the projector off, one of the animators (Ed Levitt) stood in the back of the room and said "They'll be showing this on TV 100 years from now." We've just passed 50 of those years, and this year marks 50 years of "The Great Pumpkin" and Snoopy as the WWI Flying Ace (which, by the way is unquestionably my seminal influence toward aviation and WOFF).

And it's my prayer that this incredible group, this incredible sim, continues as far into the future as possible. I think it is an extremely valuable tool amidst the easy slaughter arcade shoot-em-ups, to show your kids or nieces and nephews or your friend's kids what it's really like, that flying is hard, shooting is hard, and death is awful and not to be taken so lightly.

God Bless you all. I hope to see many of you in Dayton in October.

Very nicely written, Hellshade! With you 100%. I am very grateful to everyone on the OBD team, past and present. WOFF is the highlight of my week, every week!

H

Thank you Hellshade for the eloquent and detailed kind words and your great support over the years, and to all the great comments here.

We are still going and have things in the pipeline for WW1 too, we are trying our best to produce more. Sales for WW1 (flight sims at least) are too low to sustain total time and effort in that unfortunately. WOFF has superb reviews, mentioned in several places as one of the very top sims of all time, yet sales do not reflect that 'mighty' position.

That's very exciting to hear that where possible you will still have new things for WOFF! I don't know how a small team can pull off such a thing and continue to deliver both top quality products and support, but OBD has a long history of doing the impossible so I'm content to let you guys work your magic. I just won't expect anything any time soon. I will focus on enjoying what we already have...which is far more than has ever been done before.

Yes, economic realities are what they are and nobody can say the WWI flight sim market is "exploding" with sales revenue. Even the upcoming Battlefield 1 is proof of that, given how poorly the gameplay reflects the historical realities of the flight characteristics of the planes. It's just a bunny hopper with a fresh coat of WWI paint. Time to move on or at least branch out into other more profitable sims. We all get that. Probably no one is more frustrated by that than you guys.

Work has kept me away from the forum for a few days, but I hope it's not too late to express my thanks to Hellshade for putting into words what so many of us feel about this labour of love, this time machine called WOFF.

WOFF has let this old guy live out his boyhood fantasies and continues to relegate all other PC entertainment products to the shelf.

We should reflect seriously on Hellshade's reference to gratitude as the source of all joy. ROF was ruined for me by a persistently negative community which seemed to generate petulant responses from the developers. In contrast, the WOFF community has been characterised by helpfulness and general optimism about this sim, and the developers have responded with outstanding service and support.

Thank you all very sincerely.

Just like Osprey is releasing no or very few WW1 books lately--sales aren't there. Their top selling air war books? WW2 and Vietnam.

I'm a Charter OFF Flier, since OFF Phase 1. Been lots of fun! But I'm very much looking forward to your "non-WW1 sim" and encourage focus in that direction.

WWI aircraft are still winning against the latest billion dollar stuff ...

http://combatace.com/topic/89051-f-35-v-mvr/

That was also because of the bad moderation on the RoF forum, were a group of, still I suspect "free to buy players" were trying to kick-out old 2009 members like Hottom.
Also Jason did made some promises when starting the BoS development, that were false.


But believe me at the start, the RoF forum was a nice and helpful forum even when that game was full of bugs when it was released. Lots of free plane gifts were given to other members.
Right now it seems the atmosphere on the RoF forum is positive, but this is more because of the lack of posters, I guess.

I've certainly got my money's worth from OFF/WOFF, and then some!

I just hope we'll be getting some new airplanes (French two-seaters!) - and maybe the Belgian air force - before WOFF development stops altogether.

I am sure BF will make a ton of money
Just the detailed flight sims are a niche and WW1 more so it seems. High praises from reviewers but it doesn't make much difference it seems.
So the years of effort and thorough detail produce less sales than if we made an arcade ww1 game of Snoopy v Red Baron!

Pol, it is often a question of "to HAVE or to BE".
My all-time favourite band PROCOL HARUM never made the big money (well, with the exception of that one haunting hit
"A Whiter Shade of Pale", maybe). But what they have created is so unique, so original, that they are among the
famous "10 records I would take to a pacific island" with me.

If I had a computer on that island, and I was only allowed to take one sim with me - it would be "Wings Over Flanders Fields".

WOFF is such a product of love and devotion also.
Truely special and original, with it's very individual character woven or painted right through every bit of it, to make it unique.

Maybe it will take several more years for a bigger "audience" to find their ways to WOFF.
Maybe people will always be too lazy to care for the extra effort they'd have to make.
Simple songs always sell better - because more people are able to hum them.

It's not to late to add a Snoopy expansion for WOFF.

Haha! Yeah, why not - bait the kids to catch their fathers!

The arc of WoFF, in a weird way, parallels somehow, that of the Great War. Looking back on it, WOFF seems as inevitable as the isolated incident that grew into the all encompassing conflagration of the years that saw the end of Empires, and the start of something new.
Several of us had been actively modding RB, but the platform really reached the limits of what was possible. A few of us were sucked in to the start of what eventually morphed into what became RoF, but we soon realised that was not where we wanted to go. We still felt the need to build on the possibilities that RB, and a gifted Dutchman in particular, had shown us. The path had a life of its own, just as did the path from Sarajevo. About that time, Winder proposed building something to fill the void left by the end of RB, something to apply our interest, knowledge, and experience to, and we jumped at the chance. A death in the Balkans, or the demise of RB, but it just snowballed. What we had originally intended as a little project for our friends, just kept growing and growing and growing; one that has consumed all of our lives, with casualties along the way, but which has enriched us as well; not materially, but has allowed us to pay tribute to the catastrophe and the sacrifice of those who lived and died in the Great War
Cheers
shredward

That was beautifully said Shred. Was that a nod to Karel that I detected in the middle of your post? If I read that right, then you made me properly choked up.

It has been a long, fantastic ride.

And as for those sales, I need to get WOFF 3 and do my part for this great group of folks.

Cheers

Hmmmm, he was from Belgium.

You got me there, dutch. You're right.

A shout-out to Raine and Shredward for great posts, and an understanding nod to Pol.

But glory of Heaven, just LOOK at that screenshot by Olham! Tell me that isn't a close to a photograph as you can get! Ok, yes, except for a certain beloved Beagle... But it is simply awesome - and I've been airborne enough to know (as have many of you, I'm sure). Criminee! That's what continues to get me - the unique, probably once in a lifetime mix of historic devotion, talent, and attention to detail that has produced a truly monumental work.

I don't know what you've got up your collective sleeves, but if you did for WWII what you've done for WWI... Well, you'd have this paying customer at least. You guys put it out, I'm buying it, it's that simple. And I've been "preaching" it wherever I go.

Agreed. Winder has created an immersive illusion of altitude and depth of field that is truly unrivaled. His use of color and AnKors shading (and whomever else might be to thank) is incredible.