Over Flanders Fields: Between Heaven and Hell

stevedrew · 20 July 2009, 01:45 AM

Forum,

I'm pretty shocked that there are so few threads about this great flight sim, and so many on RoF, most of which are either questions about what is available in the game now, what is planned in the future, whether the sim is good or not...

Over Flanders Fields is also available (now for a reduced price). OFF has 39 flyable aircraft, a dynamic Campaign, good Flight Models, historically correct down to the weather on any given day.

I have seen many Rise of Flight clips on YouTube, and also many OFF flight clips. Both are great flight sims in their own ways. I encourage those that are interested in WW1 flight simulators to check Rise of Flight clips and to also seek out Over Flanders Fields clips.

No, I don't work for OBD software. I just like WW1 flight sims, and OFF is a great one. I'm sure that RoF will also be great. I haven't flown it yet, but there are several reasons why I won't for some time. I won't go into them, as it seems I might just be bashing RoF. That's not my intention here.

I merely want to point out to anyone visiting this forum that there are two great flight sims available right now. I encourage those that are looking for a WW1 flight sim to visit YouTube and view clips of both sims. Both are worth your money, and will no doubt provide endless hours of fun.

Reinout · 20 July 2009, 09:42 AM

I've already got my eye on OFF! I just wonder how it compares to RB3D with Western Front Patch 6 (100 different planes) and VonTom's Campaign Manager - could you tell me?

I really enjoyed the RB3D dynamic campaign, despite the quirky AI controlling my men's planes of course. Online play is something I never indulge in; I usually fly only when it suits me and actually keep records of my offline pilots!

Kind regards,

Reinout

JFM · 20 July 2009, 09:48 AM

There are beaucoup OFF threads accessed via the Search feature. There just aren't many current threads because OFF isn't new anymore and ROF is.

Bleddyn · 20 July 2009, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reinout

I've already got my eye on OFF! I just wonder how it compares to RB3D with Western Front Patch 6 (100 different planes) and VonTom's Campaign Manager - could you tell me?

I really enjoyed the RB3D dynamic campaign, despite the quirky AI controlling my men's planes of course. Online play is something I never indulge in; I usually fly only when it suits me and actually keep records of my offline pilots!

Kind regards,

Reinout

Although I haven't played OFF, the one thing I do know is that if all you are after is the 1 player Campaign experience, then OFF is the right title for you. By the sounds of things it is unmatched. ROF certainly does not, and will not try to outdo OFF in that area.

ROF, when fully working will be geared more towards the online aspect (which seems odd at the present as servers are kinda borked.. but no games launch smoothly anymore...). It has (reportedly) a vastly improved flight model over any other WWI sim. For some of us, that is the most important thing. For others it is the bits between the flights that make or break the game.

BarkhornXX · 20 July 2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reinout

I've already got my eye on OFF! I just wonder how it compares to RB3D with Western Front Patch 6 (100 different planes) and VonTom's Campaign Manager - could you tell me?

Reinout

Here is a good read for you:

CombatACE - Reviews - Over Flanders Fields: Between Heaven and Hell Review

To me, OFF is the successor to RB3D as I, like you, fly off-line only. The level of detail is superb and it is bug free***.

***Some CFS3 "artifacts" notwithstanding

Just find a cheap copy of CFS3 - order OFF and you will not regret it.

Visit the CombatAce forums for questions/issues.

stevedrew · 20 July 2009, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reinout

I've already got my eye on OFF! I just wonder how it compares to RB3D with Western Front Patch 6 (100 different planes) and VonTom's Campaign Manager - could you tell me?

I really enjoyed the RB3D dynamic campaign, despite the quirky AI controlling my men's planes of course. Online play is something I never indulge in; I usually fly only when it suits me and actually keep records of my offline pilots!

Kind regards,

Reinout

Reinout,

I can't tell you, as I have no experience of RB3D, but I can assure you that the single player off line campaign is unsurpassable. The detail is incredible, and historically accurate. You get 39 flyable aircraft (so far) in OFF, and there is more on the way.

If you (for instance) join RNAS 8 Squadron, choosing a date given, you will find that the Squadron aces that were in the squadron at that time are recorded on your duty room board. When they are returned to England to train rookie pilots, their name disappears from the board. Same as if they are KIA...then you'll even see a newspaper story about their passing.

Your squadron will be at the airfield occupied by that squadron at that time (and even will move about as the Front changes due to "pushes" etc), and you will be flying the aircraft that squadron was flying at that time. Enemy activity gets more intense before these pushes. You can fly over the Somme and see the heavy bombardment, and troops walking through No Man's Land.

When you are sent on a mission, you may see Flight 1 comprises several famous aces from that squadron, and you'll be able to fly alongside your heroes. Flight 2 will comprise your enlisted pilot and a few others (depending on your assigned mission).

You may not even make it out to the aircraft sitting on the field. After your mission briefing, you'll get a briefing from the Met Officer, who may tell you that it is snowing heavily, and all flights are cancelled (the weather is ALSO historically accurate...if it rained that day, you'll be flying in the rain).

So you don't like flying Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutters?? No problem, advance your date of enlistment until they start being issued with the Sopwith Pup, or the Camel. Want to fly the remarkable Fokker D.VII? Join a German Jasta late in 1918 that actually flew this aircraft, and you can. (There are over 5,000 different aircraft skins to choose from...the German aircraft skins are amazing!).

Want to be a bomber pilot? Yes you can. You can even pilot a two-seater, and jump into the rear gunner seat to take that pesky Albatross out if you wish (though you'll subject yourself to an autopilot affair from the front seat, no manoeuvring from him, just you shooting at the enemy).

If you have defeated an enemy in the air, when you return to the duty room, you will be presented with a Claim form. Fill it out accurately with much detail such as your flight members names for witnesses, area of the combat, type of aircraft shot down, and you MAY get credited with a victory. Shoot down three and your wingmen don't make it...well with no witnesses, you probably won't get credit. That is how immersive this sim is.

AI aircraft in OFF are great, using tactics, evading, turning to get on your tail etc.

I can thoroughly recommend this product to anyone. You need M$ CFS3 to run it, then buy OFF:BHaH and you'll never regret it.

VonKost · 21 July 2009, 05:26 AM

Curse you Steve! you have convinnced me to spend more of my money!

stevedrew · 21 July 2009, 09:11 AM

VonKost,

You curse me now, when it is going to cost you money.
When you receive OFF, you will thank me.

Rickitycrate · 21 July 2009, 09:15 AM

Excellent post Steve. If I might add some pics from the observers seat...

JFM · 21 July 2009, 10:04 AM

OFF is great but it's not the Second Coming. Your historically accurate missions will include, for instance:

*Jasta 11 being assigned to fly 100km behind the lines to strafe airfields during

Bloody April.

*Dogfighting RE8s.

*Midair collisions that mangle the gear and a wing, but after you nurse the plane back to the aerodrome the plane explodes the nanosecond the wingstip drags the grass. In fact, hit a windsock pole with a wingtip while taxiing and the plane will explode--you know how explosive those Albatros wings were! Midairs? No problem. Windsocks? Fatal.

*There are marching troops but when you go to strafe them they just keep marching in formation and don't shoot back; a couple passes and they are all dead.

*AI Planes that fugoid around before eventually stalling and auguring in for no apparent reason.

*Albatros Ds that have the spark control handle as the throttle.

*A dodgy claim system. It's a valiant effort but woefully wacky. Many complaints about this. Shoot down a plane over your own aerodrome, file a claim, have it denied. In fact, most of them are denied. I've had roughly 1 out of 14 or 15 claims accepted. Come on! As I've posted elsewhere, at that rate Richthofen would have submitted 1,120 claims and been denied 1,040 victories.

The only time you can access a claim form is after you've shot down a plane. Thus, if the sim recognizes you shot down a plane and provides the claim form, why do you need to ask for acceptance via a claim form if the sim has already accepted that you shot down a plane in order to provide the claim form?

See how daft?

Still, I think claims are a great idea have suggested that the claim form be available after every flight, not just when you shoot one down. That wouldn't solve the hyper denials, but it'd be a start.

*Towering cumulus clouds that soar vertically but are as thick as dinner plates on edge. Other cumulus clouds contain the turbulence of an F5 tornado.

*Snow that falls through the wings--i.e., the airfoils themselves, not just the gap.

*Sometimes you can hear enemy pilots "argh!" when they are shot. Straight out of the arcade.

*FMs that are decent enough, mostly, excluding the no-apparent-reason stalls of the AI. Still, get a bullet in your wing and suddenly your roll rate is cut by a third. Always.

Still, I enjoy OFF. I have 20/20 vision and go in knowing what to expect. I'm just saying it has its own shortcomings that shouldn't be overlooked. OFF can be fun and is well worth it, especially now that the price has come down from the almost sixty bucks it cost me (fifty plus the usury-esque nine dollar shipping charge).

And, really, what does OFF have to do with ROF and vice versa? I've never seen such mountains made out of molehills with guys flying sims. Unlike some, I own both sims; there's more than one flavor at Baskin Robbins.