Dawn of Aces?

[Grey]

http://www.dawnofaces.com/

What do you guys think of this one?

[Rex_Feral]

I just downloaded it the other day. I've only played offline, but I am enjoying it.

I had some issues with my Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro stick reversing the views when using the hat, but they seemed to have worked themselves out. *???

The Fokker D VII flight model bugs me, it doesn't turn worth a darn at low speed. The Albatros D Va is very forgiving, unless you go over 160mph, then it's bye-bye lower wing!

Oh yeah... If you've ever felt the urge to fly a zeppelin (and who hasn't *::)), they've got one.

[Rod_Filan]

Grey

http://www.geocities.com/aw3aw3/planes.htm

I've heard a lot of negative responses on this forum whenever DoA is brought up. I know Lt. Rudder has flown online and didnt like the FMs (I say he should have hung around longer) ;) -and I agree with him. Every plane has its flaws; but if you learn well and fly within the limits of any given a/c the potential for having a blast is enormous.

DoA has it's shortcomings, development by iEN tops anybodies list, but a lot has been done over the past 6 mos to fix a few things and imho the sim is on the upswing. Pilot base is quite low but is now growing again, albeit slowly. You can usually find 25-30 online at evening (cst) hours. Whereas DoA in its heyday during beta might have seen over 100 often.

Check out the link above. Lots of screenshots to give you an idea (sri... mostly 2D but there are a few 3D shots). I also have a links page with everything that is DoA.

If you choose an online account its actually a basic WarBirds plan with DoA unlimited for 9.95 USD/mo (I think WB may be unlimited now too - you'd have to chk on that one -I dont fly WarBirds)

Do the download and I'll cya up there!

VBR
Rod

[Tilly]

DoA is still the best WW1 era online-sim there is and the only one for MAC.(I think) My opinion is biased of course 8) but when it comes to FM and to the flying itself, there is none other. There hopefully will be but right at the moment, no.

Too bad the free Saturday promo just ended and now you can only fly for free offline or head-to-head with 1 friend at the time. If you have any questions concerning DoA mail to trainers@dawnofaces.org. We´ll try to help you.

To fly online you need to open an account. iEN´s account system is not the most simple one but here is the deal. www.dawnofaces.com -> get started:

Silver Plan is 9,95 $/month *** this is what you need ***
-Dawn of Aces, unlimited
-Warbirds 2, (WW2 sim) 5 hours a month + 2$/hour after first 5 hours.
-Warbirds 2, ACA-arena unlimited. (very limited settings)
-Warbirds 3, unlimited. (beta-like state)

Premium Plan is 24,95 $/month
-All arenas unlimited

A good place to visit is also: www.dawnofaces.org (plane info, training, events, etc)

Tilly
No, I don´t work for iEN. I just like their game best ;)

[stephenl]

I purchased Dawn of Aces but could never get it to work on my computer???? >:( I can install it and then it asks about the SVGA drivers or something to that effect it has been awhile since I have tried to install it. Any Ideas???
Thanks

[Rod_Filan]

Stephen,

First of all, you needn't have purchased DoA. It's available free via download from iEN. The most recent version is 2.75r2 so assuming your copy is out-of-date, it's probably best to d/l the new. ftp://lists.ient.com/pub/Dawn/2.7.5

Be advised there is the 2D version (which can be played using even the most basic sound/game card) as well as the 3D version (which would require a 3D video card, faster CPU and more RAM). What I'm thinking is that you may have installed the 3D version and it requires SVGA drivers installed and/or your monitor is only VGA)

If you continue to have difficulties; post at (iEN Dawn of Aces UBB Forum) http://lists.ient.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi
The DoA community is chock full of techno-wizards who are always ready, and more than willing, to assist new recruits.

VBR
Rod a.k.a. Rosbud

[stephenl]

Thanks ROD!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[PeterL]

Appologies for the duplicate thread Grey. Don't know what came over me http://www.escadrille.mcmail.com/sad.gif

[PeterL]

Now I've had a chance to play around with my "PC Pilot" freeby disc Tily is right. It is the full version of the game :). I'm still pretty much impressed (though 24 karat "Fokker fodder"), but does anyone know whether there is actually any difference in the flight models?. Aside from the DrI, which steadfastly refuses to fly in anything other than a shallow glide or a vertical death spin, they all seem pretty much of a muchness. No Nieuports or Pfalz I notice.

On the same disc is Warbirds III and I'm crap at that too. Can't shoot down bombers for toffee.

[Tilly]

Hello Peter

Indeed the Dr1 has a slightly wrong fly-mode in DoA. It would actually make almost perfect Sophid Dr1 but not a Fokker :) However, it turns really fast, rolls fast and is generally the 2nd "best" plane in our very small plane-set of DoA. No Phalz, no Nieuports :( The iEN Warbirds-Team is concentrated in the development of WB3 and until it is up and running on its own, we will not get any new planes or FM fixes in DoA. (same as in WB2) New terrain is on the way though as well as some small fixes in the structure hardness, otto-code, etc. Basically if DoA is going to be developed further it would be doing it under WB3-engine. Rumor has it that Dva is already being modelled in to WB3 ... but don´t hold your breath.

And yes, there are huge differences between the FMs of various a/c. I am sure it must feel frustrating at first as every plane feels sluggish and hardly maneuverable. *??? Try to keep airspeed well above the stall-speeds. Like real planes these planes in DoA bleed energy if you pull too hard. Gentle control moves and careful trading between alt and speed. That means avoid level banked turns. :)

It will take some time to get used to new sim and DoA/WB is not the easiest to learn. You know where to get help : www.dawnofaces.org (http://www.dawnofaces.org)

Tilly
trainers@dawnofaces.org or tillonen@suomi24.fi

[PeterL]

Thanks Tilly, I shall certainly follow that link. Actually I'm getting the hang of the DrI now. I'm still cr@p but I'm improving. The trick appears to be opposite rudder in those vertical bank turns(surprize!) Got to get some rudder pedals.
http://www.escadrille.mcmail.com/red.gif

[Rod_Filan]

Peter,

I had a thought you may have been flying in easy-mode until I read those fatal words: death-spin! Easy mode would have given you a false sense of security and an overall ease in handling albeit sluggishness. Tilly is correct about the FMs tho. You'll notice they're drastically different once you fly a Dr1 for a long period of time then hop onto a Albatros for example. I fly Dr1 almost exclusively in DoA and will send you my Pitch/Roll/Yaw settings for you to at least have a setting to start with. From there you can tweak to suit your own style. Are you using a twist-rudder stick at present or are you using the a-s-d keys (keyboard)?

Thanks for taking care of Peter's question Tilly. The events of the last week have weighed heavily upon me and I've neglected to keep an eye on this thread. Perhaps you should invite Peter to fly HTH for a little Euro-training ;)

Peter... Tilly is one of our best and most dedicated pilots. We're very fortunate that he has volunteered to be an online trainer. Unfortunately tho; I don't get to see him often enough because of the time zone differences, but on the off-chance I do run into him it's always a learning experience as well as a helluva great fight!


VBR
Rod
aka Ro§bud

[PeterL]

Thank you all, and thank you Rod for those settings. I have installed them and it handles much better. I've still got to watch my altitude though.

Until now I didn't even know there was a joystick with a twist function.(we are dealing with a complete dumdum here) Down at my local PC superstore, 25% markup on your average corner computer shop, a "sidwinder" is £34:00, or about $50:00 in funny money. Any recomendations?

[Rod_Filan]

Peter,
I wont recommend anyones product but I can tell you a couple of things. I go through a stick about every 12 months. The last two I've had have been Logitech products. The last one (now in dire need of replacement) was the twisty rudder version. I can't say I dislike it, but my expectations of using a twisty stick were much higher than the results attained. All the vets tell me: If at all possible spend your money on rudder pedals. I'm currently looking into purchasing a CH stick, using the a-s-d keys for rudder control in the interim, then asking Santa for pedals to match. ;)
For all my investigating CH products are the best and come highly recommended from anyone that has one. See http://www.chproducts.com/index.html

VBR
Rod

[Rex_Feral]

Long term DoA report:

The more time I have spent with this sim, the more I like it! I still don't feel good enough to be competitive online, but my flying is much better after spending a few hours with the sim.

I love the wide differences in the flight models in the game. Blipping the rotary engines on final approach to slow down my descent is my favorite part. With the wings rocking gently in time with my blipping, and the engine sound coming and going, I can almost smell the castor oil!

My favorite A/C are currently the Albatros D.Va and the Fokker Dr.I. They are at totally opposite ends of the spectrum. The D.Va is very clean and doesn't bleed off energy too quickly, just be sure to throttle back when you point the nose down! My fights in the D.Va usually stay at relatively high altitude with shallow diving attacks followed by climbing away from my opponent and out of his reach. The accuracy of the D.Va's guns seems to be better than most of the other planes, killing the enemy pilot on the first pass is not uncommon.

Fights with the Dr.I always seem to end up as turning fights, near the ground, with no room for error. The ability to bring the guns to bear with the Dr.I is impressive, kicking the rudder or blipping the engine can temporarily point the nose in a direction way off the flight path allowing a few unexpected hits to be scored. Having a light touch on the stick at low speed is vital, and if you have the engine off, don't turn it on until you have pointed the nose down and are a few MPH over Vmin.

[PeterL]

Rex: *"I still don't feel good enough to be competitive online, but my flying is much better after spending a few hours with the sim."

Amen to that. Thanks in no small measure to Rod and Tilly I am getting better, really I am. Except I just tried setting the player level at experienced instead of rookie and...

ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping KABOOM!!

[Tilly]

some basic tips:
(Most likely just the same as in any sim but nevertheless here goes)

1. Fuel. to make planes lighter and more maneuverable ppl often take less than 40% fuel. 25-30% is quite typical fuel load.

2. some (like me) go to extremes and choose incendiery ammo instead of regular ammo. Why? Well, planes with 2 guns carry only 400 rounds of incs against 1000 normal ammo rounds. again weight reduce is remarkable. (of course one could take off with reg-ammo and just fire away extra weight :) )

3. Stall-sound. Setup -> sound , go and move the slider to right. Easier to stay above stall speeds (or on the edge) and to keep control movements smooth. #1 tip for ppl who can't keep their planes from spinning.

4. Alt. Altitude is the best advance in any plane since speed-margins are very narrow.

tilly

btw, there should not be any need to use opposite rudder in normal banked turns. There are always situations, given the particular speed/position of you plane, were control movements against common knowledge force some momentary extra lift or speed up your turn/roll. However anything that makes your plane not to fly controlled (should I say coordinated) creates extra drag. In this case it causes side-slip and though you do not necessarily loose alt during the side-slip you will be slowing down considerably and eventually you have less of both.

[Rex_Feral]

Here is my DoA tip:

Need to get a plane off your tail? Fly through a Zeppelin hangar! ;)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid27/p55cb71c3f92f3cc086ad03e7bd7cc06d/fe2dfed6.jpg.orig.jpg

[Rex_Feral]

For anyone interested, I took screenshots of all the aircraft types available in DoA. They can be seen here:http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292316851

[PeterL]

Thanks Rex. I've never actually got close enough to see them in that kind of detail http://www.escadrille.mcmail.com/red.gif

[Rex_Feral]

Thanks Rex. I've never actually got close enough to see them in that kind of detail http://www.escadrille.mcmail.com/red.gif

Actually, I didn't make the screenshots while dogfighting, I captured them while I was flying the aircraft pictured in free flight mode. Alt-V will switch you to external view mode, [ and ] will zoom the view in and out, and the joystick hat switch will pan the view around the aircraft.

[simba]

(deep slumbering in cosy armchair ceases momentarily)

Wossis? A Dawn of Aces thread in Aerodrome-land? This ol' cat's been asleep too long . . .

Yup, best WW1 flight sim on the planet is DOA - or has the potential to be, at least, if iEN ever get round to employing some programmers again. And provide some reward for good two-seater work, so that the strategy drives the tactics employed online; the everlasting furball twixt fields 7 'n' 8 became a li'l boring after 3-'n'-a-bit years 'at the Front'.

G'night.

(ex-DOA pilot resumes making zzzzzzzzs)

(8;¬)}

Simba, formerly of 6 Sqn VRFC Black Lions, DOA

[Rex_Feral]

Here is a new DoA screen shot I call "Honey, I'm home!" * ;)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid27/p9c847ae9cfcc41c15a1b692b283b9e6b/fe1e868e.jpg.orig.jpg

[pspiranha]

*I started my on-line flying with the old TSN/INN Red baron game and fell in love with the multiplayer concept. *After RB went away I tried to continue with the Air Warrior offering but that was really more of an arcade game.

Flying Circus was next and although it provided a bit more enjoyment than AW it too wasn't up to snuff. 2 million bullets later you might get credit for a kill.

*Then along came DOA! *I was in heaven. *The original version although having a few probs, was very good. *The DR.I could give a good account of itself vs the Camel. *Later a "fix" really short changed it and even some face to face arguments with the developers at the Convention Development Forums failed to get them to believe the Dr.I was better at climbing than they programmed it.

*But even with the problems DOA was more realistic than anything else out there. *

I know I will get death threats from the people who love RB3D but you have to realize that I went through a LOT of effort to try to help them at Dynamix/Sierra and all they did was rush an untested game out the door " just in time for Christmas".

*I was actually one of the first to fly the WON arena. *The whole experience was laughable. Or at least would have been if not for waiting nearly 3 years for it to come out.

*For over 2 years, if the computer was on I was flying DOA. *I would still be up in those virtual skies if I hadn't moved to an area where my internet connection is only marginally faster than smoke signals.

*For those looking for a multi-player WW1 air combat game then my recommendation is for DOA. *Granted, it has a rather steep learning curve and you are going to run into some very good flyers up there ( Well do I remeber the many times I traded bullets with Rod and Simba, Salute guys)

*And if ya run into my old squad mates..... *Tell em Piranha said "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

Dave Johnson

*

*

[totoroman]

well, I've only tried out Dawn of Aces for just 30-40 minutes in the offline practice sessions, but I like what I see. I'm having trouble with the observer's gun though--do I just leave it on "hot" and let it do the work for me?

I like the fact that DOA has artillery spotting, and interaction with the ground in a way that other sims haven't done.

as far as single player goes my vote is still for Red Baron 3d--especially now that the SWWISA folks have had their way with the project... but the DoA seems quite good as a basic engine--the graphics are just one notch above the original Red Baron--but in terms of online fighting--it could very well be the best... in terms of overall playability. the stalls seem awfully severe, and I have yet to figure out how to pull out of them--none of the tricks I use an any other flight sim have helped save me... I'm a bit puzzled by this one.