C'mon mate, we all started from the lowest rank
It gives you something to aim for, something to achieve.. and to be honest, it didn't take too long to get myself up to the highest rank.
You will find that due to your kills and successful mission outcomes, plus the attrition rate for the squadron, that you will advance alright.
Once you get to Captain or equivalent rank, you often get to lead flights anyway.

I think it's quite good that you can't start career as a squadron leader.It provides a bit if an incentive to keep your pilot alive.

I've not had too much trouble keeping up with the AI, I only take the gas I think I need and try to climb efficiently. I suspect a lot of people who are outpaced by the AI are trying to climb close to a stall.

"simulation pilots always take 100%"

Ouch RoFfan!
Do they?
Does this mean I am an arcadian?

I get what you and Mogster are saying, still wish I could start where I wanted to right from the beginning

But now that I know once I get up there in rank it'll always be available to me, it's really not too big a deal. I'll just have to fly a few more missions, and stop dying so much. Oh and try to shoot down more planes, I suppose. Right now if I make it back to my side of the lines in one piece it's a big accomplishment.

It means you're whatever you want to be. Don't let someone else's determination of what it takes to be "serious" bother you.



The Jedi Master

Oh thats ok Jedi Master,I'm used to making these naive mistakes.
I am a bit surprised though that simm pilots take a full load.
Is this on all missions,I mean is that realistic?
What about Camel pilots for instance,or maybe RoFfan is pulling my leg.
Anyway,no harm done.
All the best,Gwalch

Once you get in the mindset of trying to keep your virtual self alive then ROF becomes one of the great gaming experiences. Everything you do, every attack, even a fuel load choice becomes an exercise in calculated danger, every mission briefing makes you nervous till you see "line patrol" come up rather than "airfield attack"

I couldn't tell you the last time I took a full load of fuel on a mission-probably the last time was the FIRST mission I went on!!!

I generally run between 45 and 65 percent fuel, depending on the mission AND/OR the aircraft.

Camel pilots spent about 30 minutes climbing and forming up before crossing the front on patrol (climb rates varied between machines). The idea was to have at least a thousand feet of altitude for every mile into enemy territory. The Camel had two fuel tanks (not simulated in Rise of Flight), a main tank, and a gravity tank. The gravity tank was a back up in case the main tank was holed or the little glass fuel gauge in the cockpit broke (leaking fuel everywhere). Both were topped off if the aircraft was not loaded with bombs.

The problem is, for many people, they just don't have the time when they are playing to spend swanning about the lines for a couple of hours burning off all that fuel, regardless of what they did in real life..
I never take more than 60 percent fuel because I get out, get the mission objectives completed and then return.
If you want 'total realism', get your arse up in a Tiger Moth for a couple of hours at a few thousand feet and freeze your nuts off..
Me, I'm enjoying playing a my game!

Exactly. True realism is unattainable on a PC, you have to make concessions, and decrying that this concession is fine while that is not doesn't make it true. It's an opinion. Some people will accept nothing but everything as hard as it can be (in the mistaken assumption that hard = realistic, when often the real thing is easier because of the lack of limitations), some want nothing more than the condensed "Cliff's Notes" version where it's all about the combat without the dreary piloting stuff, some want it in-between...but there's no rule that says what is not enough and what is too much, only your opinions.

And guess what? Opinions are neither wrong nor right, else they would be facts. Far too many people attempt to classify opinions as facts that are nothing of the sort...just watch the pundits on TV for people who make a living claiming opinions as fact.
ROF, CloD, FSX, DCS, they're all entertainment, which means "for fun", so do what you want to make it fun as long as that doesn't impede someone else's fun (ie going on a public server and crashing into them or other griefing tactics may be fun for you, not them) and don't presume to tell others their way is "arcade" or in some way inferior to the AWESOME way YOU do it. No one cares how you want to do it!




The Jedi Master

I typically take at least the default amount of fuel the career mission starts me with. You aren't always loaded out with a full tank. I frequently add a little more because I like to have the spare fuel in case I get a fuel leak. Yeah, it means I am not optimally set up for a turn fight, but I try to avoid pure turn and burn anyhow. In a Camel, it adds a layer of challenge too with having to fly heavy until fuel is burned off. That being said, the Camel is one where I would rarely, if ever, take a 100% fuel load.

I hardly ever take 100% fuel. It seems that rl pilots didn't fight on full tanks so neither do I. Taking less gas just simulates flying around for 30 minutes to an hour before enemy contact.

I've never seen an explanation for why the Camel's tank is so large. It seems a strange design decision to build a scout with a 180l fuel tank when others have 120l or less.

How else are you going to escort the bombers all the way to Berlin?

Large furball? Do you have a different version of ROF than I do?
I have to set these up in the quick mission builder - wonderful 15 on 15 air battles.

Jason, more AI in career - PULEEAAASE!!!

Definately glad to hear that.

This +1000. Haven't flown or bought anything for ROF in months and won't until they make the Career a little more alive with activity. I'm not holding my breath as I think it's been stated they are keeping it boring for people with low spec computers. <sigh>

Pat Wilson's career generator has some nice size furballs.

Exactly....just shows that it's possible and there shouldn't be an issue beefing up the Beta career. Pat's generator is great but it would be nice to have the game engine running the career so you don't have to switch back and forth.

While I don't know exactly how Career Beta is coded, it would seem to me that it should be quite doable to simply code a "switch"/option for high end vs low end campaign, where they high end generates more and bigger flights when appropriate. Certainly some other campaign generators over the years have had that feature.