This is not meant to be a typical AAR, rather I just wanted to detail some fascinating immersive details about this sim. By that I mean just how much is really going on all around us while we fly in game. To find this out I paused the game at a random moment in time (8:41am) and using the Observer camera view I detailed every plane and flight that was modeled. I did this at a point when to my in-game perspective there was nothing in view (confirmed with labels). No enemy flights were actively in my sight while I began my summary and the only allies to be seen was my own squadrons top cover about a mile away and much higher up.

First, a little background... I began an all new July 1917 British campaign today and was assigned to the proud RNAS 8, located in Flanders. While many in the squadron were already flying brand new Camels, I was assigned an older, but still resilient Tripe.

I took command of A flight, myself plus 3 Camels,on a 8am offensive patrol about 10 miles deep behind the enemy lines.

The day was beautiful, with a some large cumulus cloud formations around 8000 feet. After my flight reached 10,000 feet I turned toward the front and began scanning for enemy craft. 20 minutes into our mission, and a few miles now behind enemy lines, I spotted a pair of enemy 2-seater aircraft, ahead and slightly above. We climbed and accelerated and the range began to close. Within a few minutes we were on them, a pair of DFW's. I gave the sign to engage and my flight mates bolted ahead to engage the enemy on the right while I continued to close on the one to the left. At about 200 yards the German rear gunners opened up on me and a few errant rounds ripped into my wings but didn't cause any serious damage. My twin gunned armed squad mates made short work of the first DFW while I let loose burst after burst from my single Vickers into my target. He jinked and swerved a bit and his gunner kept up his fire until I dived under and nose up to attack from below and pumped another 100 rounds into his engine and fuselage until he finally dived down, out of control.

By now we were deep behind the lines and our top cover has slipped some distance away. The skies seemed clear though and it was at this moment, 8:41am in game, that I decided I wanted to have a looky at what else in my theater of operations was going on.

Here is what I found...

ALLIED FLIGHTS

RNAS 8 -B Flight -3 Camels and 1 Tripe (me) - Returning to base after a successful patrol and downing 2 enemy 2 seaters

RNAS-8 -A Flight -4 Camels - Providing Top Cover to my flight

RNAS-3 -4 Sopwith Pups - On ground at their home field

RFC-3 -5 Morane L - On ground at their home field

RFC-11 -4 Bristol.F2b - On patrol

RFC-13 -5 RE-8 - On ground at their home field

ESC-62 -3 Nieup 24Bis - On Patrol

ESC-79 -2 Nieup 23 - On Alert on field

ESC-108 -3 Sopwith Strutter 1B1 - In transit - Returing from mission

ESC-108 -1 Sopwith Strutter 1B1 - Ditched due to damage


ENEMY AIR ACTIVITY

RBZ 2 -5 Rumpler CIV - In air, forming up

Jasta 36 -4 Alb III - On Patrol

FA(A)-208s -5 DFWC.V - On ground at home field

FA-3Lb -4 Rumpler CIV - In Air, heading to their target

Jasta 7 -2 Alb V - Escorting FA-3Lb

Jasta 10 -5 Alb V - On ground at home field

MFJ-1 B Flight -4 Alb III - On Patrol

MFJ-1 C Flight -3 Alb III (160) - Landing

Jasta 23 -4 Alb III - On Patrol

Jasta 27 -2 Alb III - On Alert

Totals in that moment of time: 73 planes, 20 different flights, 16 different squadrons and Jastas, 15 different plane types in a region that was reported to having only low ground and air activity.

Not to mention dozens of ground units, Observation balloons, trucks, AA units and more... All of that going on... at 8:41am, July 6th, 1917... over Flanders fields


Madmatt