Superlative and well-researched narrative covering the RFC WWI air war. I just got done reading it, and it’s probably the best modern look at what flyers experienced.
And, of course, the best, most lyrical pilot memoir of the war
Editer
3826
Thanks, @Scharmers. Just bought both.
I wish we could convince modern flight sim designers to read air war memoirs along with their maintenance manuals and test pilot reports. Sigh.
Kolbex
3827
No Empty Chairs
I would like to buy an epub of this, but it seems like it’s only available tied to certain stores/devices.
This forum needs a fucking like button.
Editer
3829
That’s kinda how most decent ebooks are?
At any rate, search the Internet for Calibre and you can pretend we don’t live in a future of dedicated device ecosystems yet. :)
You’ll also want the Apprentice Alf plug-ins in addition to what Denny mentioned. Those two together will do what you want.
Thanks from me too. Amazon owes you credit for a couple sales.
Kolbex
3832
Does this work again? A while back it stopped working, and I thought that plug-in was no longer under development. If be very happy to be wing.
Also plenty of decent ebooks get sold through, like, Smashwords or other places.
E: Oh, it is still under development! Excellent, I will be buying this, then. I do not like the Kindle app, so this is good news for me.
So, neat things that happen in WOFF:
- Leading a 3-ship of Nieuport 12s to Arras for a sneek & peek. Along the way, somebody must have misread the map, because my wingmen fuck off for parts unknown. Slightly miffed, I proceed on course, alone, and eventually arrive that way at Arras. After zooming around for a bit, I note a three ship of EIIIs, 3 oc, coalt. Uh oh. We warily eye each other as we pass, then one of them – just one, note! – does a HMB and peels off after me. I, however, have historical knowledge, and choose not to do what observation aircraft did back then… instead of trying to dive away, I turn into Mr. YOLO to give him the broadside…
- After some roundy roundy, my observer gives the E3 then gun, and I am treated to the rare sight ('cause you’re usually too busy) of watching him spin to his destruction. His buddies are nowhere to be found. Chuffed, I begin the long flight back to base, and, halfway there, am rejoined by one of my erstwhile stablemates, along with his high cover (an N10). I’m like: really? Anyway, we uneventfully RTB (our escort watching over us most of the way there). I land, he lands, I fill out a claim form for that EIII, and have it turned down…
- Flying to St. Vaast as lead in a 3-ship Parasol flight, I fly through a cloud. Leaving the cloud, I notice I am now a 2-ship. Well, okay. After some exciting times involving a couple of die-hard E2s and E3, me and my wingy (who’s a bit banged up) make it back to base, only to find element 3 there, safe and sound. Guess clouds didn’t suit him. And I didn’t get confirmation on another kill, god damn it, even though element 2 clearly saw what was going on, the rotter.
- Another squabble over Loos. Wingy gets a kill, but is also a bit shot up in the process. He’s so freaked out about the experience that he beelines west toward the nearest airbase. His ship was relatively undamaged. He was just freaked. (As confirmed by his status after the battle).
- Enemies will also say “fuck this” after being knocked about a bit, and take a powder, especially when some asshat in an observation bus doesn’t play by the rules and keeps turning into them (Observer Gunners Love This One Neat Trick!) Some of them, however, can and will regrow a set, and decide to come back after you.
WOFF is a story generator, that’s for sure. And the AI is just… loveable.
I love it when your claim it turned down for no witnesses after your wingmen abandoned you.
Well no, there won’t be any witnesses because they all left me…
Editer
3835
Ran across one of my first CGW columns. In which I talk about the unreleased so far Falcon 4.0, the producer discusses circuit-breaker-level switchology, and it’s made clear that VR goggles need better resolution than they had in 1995 to be usable for sims:
Awesome! Thank you for sharing!
I would say its a pretty great time to be simming again with the rise of VR. Agree that the g forces will never be there but given my advancing age that is probably a good thing ;)
You just made me buy it! Will dust off my old Biggles books just for the hell of it as well.
Never say never! Unlikely we’ll get home centrifuge in our lifetime, but I wouldn’t mind trying a home motion platform in VR.
These 6 axis ones are ‘only’ $3600… seat and HOTAS not included. Oh and you need to be 100kg or under. ;)
I’m 95% sure my wife would veto that, but it’s good to know the option’s out there.
Heard of anyone that actually has this kind of setup? I guess the software has to be coded to support it? The price is not as bad as I would have thought…
Considering this was my first air combat game, I’d say I am pretty happy with where we are at in 2019 with DCS et al…
Yeah these ones are really cheap, comparatively. Pretty sure DCS already exports the data that they need. See this guy:
Note, he has the CV1 camera also mounted on the platform so the view in VR doesn’t shift when the platform does. I’m guessing this wouldn’t work so well with inside-out tracking like Rift S has.
