Wings Over Flanders Fields (WOFF) (Dec 2013)

[Toonces]

OMG.  Please tell me that you did NOT just post that!

Short version (and subject to different opinions):

Rise of Flight:  best modeled aircraft, best flight modeling, highest fidelity aircraft, however you want to cage it.  Very nice graphics.  Scripted single player campaign and sort of dynamic single player beta campaign although it's more of a random mission generator than an underlying wargame like Falcon 4.0 or WOFF.  Multiplayer capable.  Depending on the version you buy can have several aircraft initially available with other aircraft, maps, etc. available for purchase as add-ons.  However, it is free to try with two included aircraft.

Wings Over Flanders Fields:  arguably the best single player experience with a robust dynamic campaign/war going on around you.  Planes fly full missions all around you similar to Falcon 4.0 (vice RoF where enemies are spawned in while the mission is in progress).  Has huge epic dogfights.  Graphics are held back by the underlying M$ Combat Flight Simulator 3 engine on which it is based and requires a purchase of CFS3 to play.  No multiplayer.  Comes with a ton of planes.

First Eagles:  Probably the most accessible of the three.  Decent graphics based on Thirdwire engine.  Nice selection of planes.  Trademark Thirdwire campaign engine.  No multiplayer.  Certainly a reasonably priced sim.

The most common comparison is between RoF and OFF/WOFF with FE being a red-headed stepchild to the other two.  RoF: what it's like to fly a WW1 aircraft.  WOFF: what it's like to fight WW1 in the air. 

The enthusiast really should own at least two of these sims, if not all three.

[Toonces]

The real problem is that I could be playing old Over Flanders Fields right now, which was a perfectly fun game until WOFF came out.  Now I feel like I'm missing out if I play the old version.

Complete bullshit, I know, but there it is.   ::)  So I spite myself by not playing either.  Yeah, that'll show me.

[jomni]

Can someone explain how the installation works?
I have the CDs and it is looking for patch 3.1.
I downloaded the update exe.  Does that mean I have to install CFS3 and patch it up first?
CD / DVD install not possible?

Never mind.  Figured it out.  I installed CFS3

[Grim.Reaper]

Can someone explain how the installation works?
I have the CDs and it is looking for patch 3.1.
I downloaded the EXE.  Does that mean I have to install CFS3 and patch it up first?
CD / DVD install not possible?

The install depends on the version of CFS3 you own.  If you have the DVD version, it is already patched to version 3.1 on the DVD.  So when you install WOFF, you just need to put your CFS3 DVD in the drive for a few seconds during the install routine and then your all done.  However, if you don't own the DVD version, then you must install the CD version of CFS (which is usually not the 3.1 version) and patch it to 3.1 before attempting to install WOFF.

[Nefaro]

The real problem is that I could be playing old Over Flanders Fields right now, which was a perfectly fun game until WOFF came out.  Now I feel like I'm missing out if I play the old version.

Complete bullshit, I know, but there it is.   ::)  So I spite myself by not playing either.  Yeah, that'll show me.

From all accounts of previous OFF owners, WOFF is a big improvement in all aspects.  Aside from the superbly modelled war going on around you while you are flying, the flight & damage models and AI have reportedly been rebuilt from scratch and the latter can be especially interesting since each AI pilot's personality can create varied and unpredictable behavior in both enemy and friendly AI aircraft. 

I have been drawn into WOFF like no other flight sim I've played in many years.  Despite having to fiddle with my forced video card settings before finding a good spot for them, due to the overall demands of such a widely modelled campaign environment on a single CPU core, it has become my quick favorite.  Sure, the flight modelling and damage modelling aren't there but the experiences I've had in the campaign missions have been fantastic even when brutal.

I just have some recommendations for new users on how to tweak the game for best efficiency:

1) Force AA, AF, and Vsync on in your video card control panel for the specific CFS3.exe.   Most notably the Vsync as without it I was getting some occasional stuttering when looking around in-game.  I personally use 4xAA, 16xAF, Vsync On and FXAA on my newer machine.

2) Force FXAA anti-aliasing method if you use Nvidia.  It cuts down on the white jaggies around the airplane wires more than MSAA and Supersampling is just too demanding to bother with IMO.  I don't think AMD cards can force FXAA or that they can use it well so use your own findings here between the three types.

3) If you want a general increase in framerates, first lower the Terrain Detail from 3 to 2.  Then lower Cloud Details from 5 to either 4 or 3, if still needed.  I don't think the quality drops, just the amount that is being drawn at once, so the detailed "player bubble" area drops just a bit with each.

Despite being based on an old game engine, the graphics are decent.  The reason the game is a big resource hog is the sheer amount of stuff going on with the campaign while you're flying.  In order to test how well your settings will run, fly campaign missions not quick battles.  There is a much larger CPU load in campaign missions.  They do have options included for lowering the campaign activity and such if your CPU is having problems keeping up without occasional stuttering.  Mine has been working great since I forced Vsync on in the vid card settings, but was generally quite playable before that even.

If you enjoy flight sim campaigns, this is a must-have IMO.  Those last two missions I flew earlier, the last resulting in my Richthofen encounter, just increases my addiction.  All other sims I would've temporarily moved on from by now but this one is damn addictive.  It also doesn't hurt that there are so many flyable aircraft included in the base game so I don't have to worry about DLC Soup or DRM activation or logins.

3)


EDIT:  Forgot one more suggestion.   Turn on 'Easy Outcomes - No Pilot Deaths', at least for awhile.  You will die regularly until you get used to not only flying specific aircraft, but knowing when to fight or flee along with your wingmen and how to best do that.   I also recommend it even for the most gung-ho permadeath enthusiasts just because there is a known issue where rookie AI pilots occasionally wing over into their wingmates when the flight makes a sharp turn to engage.  It doesn't happen all the time but until that is fixed, I keep pilot deaths off as insurance against such a thing.

[Nefaro]

Hellshade put up some more vids featuring campaign gameplay recently.  He makes it look easy!

[Toonces]

I don't think I've read a single thread where folks were disappointed in the purchase, so this seems a safe bet.

I see myself buying this soon...probably this weekend.  One last gaming purchase before I go into game buying hibernation for a while...or at least until Mount and Blade 2 comes out...

[jomni]

Is there a manual for this game?

[Toonces]

I'm sure there is, but for someone like you (or me) a manual is not really required.  The sim is extremely straightforward compared to what we're used to flying.   8)

[Nefaro]

AFAIK, there is no manual.  The SimHQ forum, and perhaps the website, has a hotkey command pdf but I only tend to use maybe 1/3rd of the key commands listed therein.  I first learned them just by writing down some of the stuff while I was setting mapping my HOTAS keys.   

I left a list of the key commands I maped to my HOTAS buttons earlier in this thread, if anyone wants to check it out for reference to my most-used key commands in  WOFF.  There are only a few besides those, and those mostly to do with turning on & off extra interface indicators.  There aren't many key commands at all compared to most sims.  I just let the computer do the fuel mixture adjustments for me, which is the only extra aircraft management inputs to worry about besides stick, throttle, blip switch, and rudder.

The game  menus are all pretty self explanatory and the sub-menu buttons all light up when you mouse over them.  I found it all fairly self explanatory.  One great thing about these Great War sims is that there isn't a lot of learning to be done other than getting experience in each type of plane via flying them.

I'm not sure whether they will create a manual or even a quick-start guide of sorts.  I believe there are some additional flight command additions on the wishlist that we hope to get soon as a priority.  I really want a Straight & Level Autopilot so I can use time compression when flying out of formation and off the assigned route.  All in all, however, it is pretty straightforward for those familiar with flight sims and pretty bug free.

The only oddball thing I found was that in order to end your mission, you need to hit CTRL+Q and ENTER.  There's no in-flight Escape menu for doing so.

[jomni]

Flying is no problem.  I just want to know more about the campaign engine and how to perform well.  What to tweak to make it enjoyable?
Ok so I'll ask some questions here.

1)  Warp does not seem to work.   How do I make it work?
2)  Do you really fly the missions until complete?  Like do you really loiter for the required amount of time?  How do you know when you fulfill the objective?
3)  Wingmen commands, is there such a thing?
4)  After stalling and regaining control, my altitude keeps dropping (distance to ground counter).  Is this a bug?
5)  Quitting without landing leads to a bad result?
6)  Any tips in achieving the mission objectives?  I have never really finished a mission.

[Toonces]

I have posted this before, and I think it's somewhat valid although it's apples and oranges.

fuggetaboutit!!!11!!  8)

[Nefaro]

1)  Warp does not seem to work.   How do I make it work?

It doesn't.  Since they redid whole swaths of the game, this was never added back in.  They told us that since every pilot in the air, in campaign missions, make their own choices and such, a Warp feature would completely toss that dynamic out the window and they would have to resort to respawning all the flights every time the player used Warp.  That's something they said they didn't want to do (aircraft spawning in the middle of the mission).  We have to use Autopilot and time compression.  Fortunately the objective is usually nearby.  However, you don't always want to go where the Autopilot wants to take you.  That's why some of us have requested a 'Straight & Level Autopilot' so that we can just point our planes on a course, hit this straight and level autopilot, and just time compress forward in the knowledge that it will keep heading in that direction and at that altitude just fine. 

Since Autopilot is essentially the AI flying & fighting the plane, that is what will need to be added to.  One of the devs stated they want to do this so hopefully we'll see it before long.  Right now, if I'm doing something other than what the AI autopilot wants to do, I'm having to fly manually.  The extra autopilot feature is my biggest 'Want'.

2)  Do you really fly the missions until complete?  Like do you really loiter for the required amount of time?  How do you know when you fulfill the objective?

I believe patrols usually have a minimum amount of time to circle in the vicinity of the objective.  You can see it in the 'M' map screen, too, while you're airborne.  On patrols I usually just set my view to the more distant external view (in the F1 view cycle) and keep an eye on the Tactical Display whilst letting the AI cruise along in formation on the patrol at 4x time compression, or 8x if far enough behind the lines to do so without much stuttering. 

Until I see unknown planes showing up on my Tac, I just keep time compression going.  If something comes close I hit normal time and decide when to take over from the AI autopilot if the flight leader decides to engage.

3)  Wingmen commands, is there such a thing?

A - Attack, R - Rejoin (stop ground attack), Ctrl+R - Return To Base, S - Split Formation, Ctrl+L - Land Here.

I don't think the formation commands work unless you're somewhat close to your wingmates, for obvious reasons.  Also, the Attack and RTB commands are about the only ones worth using since Rejoin doesn't actually make your flight reform on you when enemy aircraft are about.  At that point, it's every man fights or flees by his own decision.

There is a Hotkey pdf download for most commands on SimHQ, and probably on their website too.  It has most of what you need listed.

4)  After stalling and regaining control, my altitude keeps dropping (distance to ground counter).  Is this a bug?

Not really sure what you're saying.  Is your speed still terribly low?  Are you still facing below the horizon?  Which "counter" are you reading?  I've not seen anything odd about recovering from stalls, so I'm not sure what's going on.

5)  Quitting without landing leads to a bad result?

Nope!  Use Ctrl+Q and quit whenever you want.  If you didn't finish your patrol time (mentioned above), or never reached your assigned area, then it will consider the mission a failure.  Take it lightly because mission success or failure in itself has little effect that I know of, although not sticking around to patrol very long kinda misses the point of a Patrol mission.  The measure of success should be how many targets your flight killed and your losses. 

AFAIK, such mission success has no bearing on the campaign as a whole.  I'm pretty sure one of the devs stated that the war proceeds as it historically did no matter player mission successes.  It only affects your squadrons future missions, your promotions and such.  For instance, after a couple consecutive successful railway bombing runs, command kept assigning me more railyard bombing since I had been getting such good results at them.  Those are the kinds of results you may see from the overall mission success.  Not front lines magically moving because you finished a 30 minute patrol or anything like that.   I'm also sure you get promoted faster, the more successful missions you do, but that can also be troublesome since I'm finding flight command to be a bit difficult keeping things organized in certain circumstances.

6)  Any tips in achieving the mission objectives?  I have never really finished a mission.

You don't need to finish a mission.  Just make sure you blow some sheeit up!  ;D 

If it's a bombing mission, try to score hits on the target.  For patrols and intercepts you just need to reach the designated area and patrol it for the specified minimum time.  If you're in autopilot, the AI will fly the formation back & forth between two points until either it has spotted enemies and begins to engage or the alotted patrol time runs out.  In the latter case, the formation will turn home.  Easy!

Don't sweat the mission success all that much.

[Nefaro]

So ends 2nd Lt Richard Rash - in a smoking pile next to the German trenches.

After shooting down his last Albatros in the middle of a 1v3 confrontation, his damaged Camel stalled & went into a spin during a climb whilst shooting at another Albatros.  The very low altitude of the engagement ensured the extra nasty spin of the Camel prevented recovering in time. 

He had some nice achievements while he was flying.  :)










I think I may either fly a late war SE5, a DVII, or try an early American start.  From the couple of missions I flew an SE5, I was quite impressed with it's zoom ability and relative stability when firing.  I'm kinda fearing flying the SPADs.  While they're decent planes, the forward visibility is terrible with that big upper wing at what feels like almost brow-level.

There are still quite a few aircraft models I've not flown yet in the game.

[jomni]

Thanks Nefaro.  I'll give it a whirl.  Never realized autopilot is implemented.  Not perfect but it may help a bit.