Finally Got WOFF

[Sailor Steve]

8 August 1914

In France Noel Kay sits in a small cottage hospital in Chalons while Escadrill C 13 moves to their new field at Verdun.

In England Corrie Augla continues his training with 3 Sqdn. Today is a flight from Netheravon to Woking and back.

[stork100]

All very interesting. I had not heard of WOFF until coming across this thread and now I'm curious to learn more. I've always been a die hard fan of Red Baron 3D (still my favourite game) for three significant reasons:

1. The dynamic campaign, which provided endless playability and new surprises even after a decade worth of playing, plus the historical authenticity and the fairly realistic representation of the nature of WW1, the missions, squadrons, aircraft etc. At least, it gave the right kind of impression.

2. The level of spirit put into the game which was absolutely superb, never seen anything else like it. Very endearing.

3. The aggressiveness of the AI. A significant element missing in more modern flight sims in my opinion, where enemy fighters tend to just fly singly in wide sweeping level turns, essentially waiting to be shot down by the player. In RB3D however, they were very manoeuvrable and would attack very frequently, with a level of unpredictability even for the experienced player.

It was partly for these reasons that I never got Rise of Flight, as these ingredients all seemed to be distinctly lacking, at least to the level of RB3D. That combined with the whole having to be online thing, continually having to buy the game etc, the trend of modern games that I refuse to interact with.

I already have CFS3 so may well think of giving this a go. Since you've come from Red Baron, and probably appreciated it for the same reasons I do, I'd be interested in how you might compare the two. Understanding that it is its own game with its own unique character of course.

All the best with your campaign. Cheers.

[Sailor Steve]

I'll try not to gush too much, but it's going to be hard.

Originally Posted by stork100

1. The dynamic campaign, which provided endless playability and new surprises even after a decade worth of playing, plus the historical authenticity and the fairly realistic representation of the nature of WW1, the missions, squadrons, aircraft etc. At least, it gave the right kind of impression.

I think the Developers at WOFF had RB3D in mind when they started out. The dynamic campaign allows you to start the game in January 1915, seven months before the eindeckers make their appearance. You can get into fights with the enemy at that time, but it's not easy matching two-seaters, especially the poor old BE.2c, which is only outfitted with a rifle. You spend a lot of time patrolling the lines hoping the AA doesn't get you. Assigned missions can include photo-recon and artillery spotting, and you actually witness artillery barrages taking place. I've seen truck convoys on the move. Sometimes you will be informed that due to the weather you won't be flying today. After each mission you go to the squadron board and see who scored kills and who didn't come home.

There is also a very nice AI-pilot mode, not really autopilot because you don't set the plane up (of course they couldn't in real life) but a mechanism that follows the waypoints with a limited time-compression (12x is the maximum). It's handy because some of the flights are pretty long. On the other hand I've read about a couple of die-hards who print out the maps and navigate purely by sight. AI-Pilot is also handy when you are the wingman. I have found it very hard to keep in formation and tend to get lost a lot. With the AI-Pilot you stay where you're supposed to be all the time.

2. The level of spirit put into the game which was absolutely superb, never seen anything else like it. Very endearing.

Someone said that if you want to fly historically accurate WW1 aircraft, and wand to fight against other humans, you need Rise Of Flight, but if you want to actually experience trying to survive the war WOFF is the only choice.

3. The aggressiveness of the AI. A significant element missing in more modern flight sims in my opinion, where enemy fighters tend to just fly singly in wide sweeping level turns, essentially waiting to be shot down by the player. In RB3D however, they were very manoeuvrable and would attack very frequently, with a level of unpredictability even for the experienced player.

I haven't had any combat experience yet, but according to WOFF's guidebook the AI makes decisions based on in-game experience. If they think they're losing they might try to form up and run. They do have a 'Workshop' where you can adjust things yourself, including the aggressiveness of the AI (your side and theirs) and the accuracy of the gunfire. I'm not likely to learn much more for myself anytime soon as my OCD has me stuck with several campaigns, all at the beginning of the war. As you can read, neither of my current pilots has even seen combat, and since the Germans are still in Belgium they probably won't for quite some time.

Among the adjustments is the ability to make yourself flight leader all the time or make it according to rank, so you find yourself playing wingman a lot.

It was partly for these reasons that I never got Rise of Flight, as these ingredients all seemed to be distinctly lacking, at least to the level of RB3D. That combined with the whole having to be online thing, continually having to buy the game etc, the trend of modern games that I refuse to interact with.

I completely agree. While ROF is very pretty it has nothing that I really want from a WW1 combat sim.

I already have CFS3 so may well think of giving this a go. Since you've come from Red Baron, and probably appreciated it for the same reasons I do, I'd be interested in how you might compare the two. Understanding that it is its own game with its own unique character of course.

I described WOFF to a friend who is a big RB3D fan as 'Red Baron 5'. Yes, I skipped 4 because I think it's that sophisticated. As I said, I can't stop gushing. It's everything I could have hoped for and more.

[Sailor Steve]

9 August 1914

Chalons: Noel Kay is informed by the doctor that he could probably leave now, but they want to keep him under observation for a couple more days.

Netheravon: 3 Squadron is informed that British troops are organizing for the cross-channel trip to France, and they will be following soon after. Corrie Aujla's flight takes him and Capt Carlson far to the northeast and back. Aujla now has passed the 20-hour mark in the BE.2. The weather continues overcast as it has been for the past couple of weeks.

[stork100]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I described WOFF to a friend who is a big RB3D fan as 'Red Baron 5'. Yes, I skipped 4 because I think it's that sophisticated. As I said, I can't stop gushing. It's everything I could have hoped for and more.

Fascinating. I'll definitely check it out further, because it sounds like the real deal. Could be what I've waited a long time for. Thanks very much for your insights.

[Sailor Steve]

You're most welcome. I regret waiting as long as I did, but the whole '100 Years' thing has been tying up my life, and I haven't had time for anything for quite awhile now. The good news is that I skipped the whole WOFF 1, 2 and 3 parts and got to jump directly into 'Ultimate Edition'. And now you get to do the same.

Oh, I forgot to mention earlier - there are some truly awesome mods right now. They're all on the Mods Download page at the main WOFF website, so they're easy to find. Also you can find the dedicated fans at the SimHQ forums:
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.ph...landers-fields

Check out the Screenshot thread there. Page 4 will blow your mind.

[Sailor Steve]

10 August 1914

Chalons: Noel Kay is now being told that he can probably leave for Verdun in a couple of days, but won't be cleared to fly for another week. Meanwhile news has come through that French forces have attacked the Germans near Mulhouse, in Alsace. This is the first fighting by our troops.

Netheravon: Sgt Corrie Aujla and Capt Fabio Carlson flew eastward today, to Guilford, then northeast to London. From there they followed the Thames, heading back up-river to Esher in the southwest, then northwest to Woking. From there it was west by southwest back to Netheravon. Flight time was 2 hours 39 minutes.

[Sailor Steve]

11 August 1914

Chalons: Noel Kay writes "Still sitting out in the warm afternoon sun. I could grow used to this. News came that yesterday the Germans captured Liège in Belgium, and have re-taken Mulhouse."

Netheravon: No flying today. No 3 Squadron is moving to Swingate Down tomorrow and every man is busy organizing and packing for the equipment to be moved directly to Dover.

[Sailor Steve]

12 August 1914

Chalon:
Noel Kay writes: Today we received news that France and Britain declared war on Austria-Hungary yesterday.
0930 A car came to take me to our airfield at Verdun. We arrived at 1237. Three and a half hours! I could have flown there in one hour. Anyway, the boys were all happy to see me.

Swingate Down:
Corrigan Aujla writes:
0748: Squadron took off for Dover via Brighton. At 0916 my friend Robbie Reinard suffered an engine failure and landed just east of Brighton. Lt Salmond had us land nearby. After examining the situation he had us take off for Eastbourne at 0927. From there the Lt took off with a mechanic. at 1354 he returned with Robbie's BE. in tow. At 1420 the Squadron took off for Dover. at 1520 we landed at Swingate Down and were assigned quarters for the night.
Time in aircraft: 26.13 hours. Total flight time: 26.13 hours.

[Sailor Steve]

13 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay writes:
Yesterday Belgian troops defeated the Germans at Haelen. The Austro-Hungarians have started their invasion of Serbia.
0947: First flight in almost a week. Flew around the Verdun area, learning what is where. 33 minutes.

Amiens:
Corrigan Aujla writes:
At 0625 No 2 Squadron took off for Amiens. We are to follow shortly.
0815: Squadron took off from Swingate Down for Calais and then to Amiens. We have some concerns about Robbie's engine, but the local mechanics assure us it is in good working order.
08:52 Crossed French coast west of Calais. Headed west.
0900: Turned south, following coast.
0925: Turned inland, following the Somme River.
1002: Having skirted the forest around Abbeville, we turned south towars Amiens.
1020: Landed at Amiens. There we met the boys from No 2 Sqdn, and they had a good story to tell. It seems their commander, Major Burke, had them travel around the forest as we did, just to ensure a place to land in case of engine trouble. One of his pilots, Lt Harvey-Kelly, positioned himself at the rear, broke off and flew straight across the forest. When the group landed at Amiens they found Harvey-Kelly's BE already there, making himself the first British pilot to land in France for the war!

[Sailor Steve]

Started another new pilot. No 3 Squadron is destined to be a fighter unit, and I wanted another one that would remain in two-seaters.

14 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay is still busy learning the area. Meanwhile news has come through that yesterday the Austro-Hungarians began their invasion of Serbia.

Amiens:
Corrigan Aujla and his observer Captain Fabio Carlson are spending time flying around Amiens, getting to know the area and their comrades from No 2 Squadron.

Eastchurch, England:
Sergeant Ries Meismer has begun training with No 4 Squadron at Eastchurch. Today was a 45-minute flight up to London, eastward down the Thames then south back to Eastchurch. It's a quiet little town right on the coast.

[Sailor Steve]

15 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay writes:
Flew south of the city today. Found a large army camp, with dozens of tents in a field. Had to buzz them. Keep their spirits up. The news tells us that Liege has fallen to the Germans.

Amiens:
Corrie Aujla writes:
Made a flight over to Abbeville today, then as far north as Bethune. Two hours in all. Big news - tomorrow we transfer to Maubeuge, on the Belgian border. Our troops are going to be stationed there, the first line of defense.

Eastchurch:
Ries Meismer writes:
Made a short flight today up to the mouth of the Thames and back. Our training is being cut short. Tomorrow we fly to France!

[Sailor Steve]

16 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay spends the day flying around the north side of Verdun. "Such a beautiful place. It's hard to believe war could ever come here."

Amiens:
No 3 Squadron transfers northeast to Maubege, nearer the Belgian border.

Eastchurch:
Ries Meisner writes:
Transfer flight from Eastchurch down to Amiens. We're in the war now! As we crossed the Channel I was thinking it's only five years since that French fellow made the first hop across from France to Merry Olde. Now it's a matter of routine. It could still be bad if one us had an engine go bust halfway across, but still we don't really think about it. Now we're safely ensconced in our new quarters and waiting to see what comes next.

[Sailor Steve]

17 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay spends about an hour exploring the region to the east this time.

Maubege:
Corrie Aujla flies an exploratory patrol to Lille and back.

Amiens:
Ries Meismer spends an hour learning the area around his new home. He is excited about being "...in the war now...",, and considers himself a crack pilot with his whopping six hours of training.

Dusseldorf:
Flieger Odis Först, 18 years old, makes his first solo flight in an Aviatik B.I. Considers himself lucky to get back on the ground in one piece.

[Sailor Steve]

18 August 1914

Verdun:
Noel Kay spent the day making his way southward this time. Actually only another hour. The rest of the day was spent talking to mechanics and chatting with his fellow pilots.

Maubeuge:
Corrie Aujla writes:
"0505: Extended navigation exercise. Three BEs. Lt Cruikshank was flight leader. Robbie was number 2, with me in third spot, We flew up to Arras, then up to Tournai and back to Maugeuge."

Amiens:
Ries Meismer took off with his observer for another exploratory flight. He had barely made 1,000 feet when his engine started banging and sputtering. Fortunately he had enough altitude and engine to make it back to base. Total flight time 7 minutes. Too late in the day for another try.

Dusseldorf:
Odis Först made his first extended flight, following his instructor down to Jüchen and back. Almost an hour in the air.