Stealth Hunter
03-13-09, 03:50 PM
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400a.html (http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400a.html)
Introduction
Every few years it seems a new round of WWI games and simulations (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/world-war-i-games) make their appearance. It seems you're either enamored with history about The Great War or you're not. Count me in with those who are both curious and fascinated. Who remembers Wings of Glory from Origin and Flying Corps from Empire Interactive? The granddaddy of WWI flight sims, Red Baron (and Red Baron 3D) by Sierra/Dynamix is arguably the best of the crop and still has fans for it's campaign engine. The recent release of the latest CFS3-based mod Over Flanders Fields (http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_395a.html) should be considered among the very best and includes a remarkable amount of innovative modding work. Also there is TK's Third Wire fun title, First Eagles (http://www.simhq.com/_air8/air_266a.html) built upon yet another rendition of the SF engine. There have also been some notable attempts that unfortunately didn't see the light-of-day such as the 2004 stillborn title Knights Over Europe (http://simhq.net/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/53/1/Knights_Over_Europe_Archive.html). But anyone who follows this vintage era of air combat aviation knows there has been a new title in development for the past 3 years. Starting as Knights of the Sky (http://www.simhq.com/_air9/air_290a.html) by Gennadich with the IL-2 engine, the title, engine and company name was changed to Rise of Flight (http://www.riseofflight.com/) (or RoF) by neoqb. Many of us wondered what happened during the lull between Gennadich morphing into neoqb, but upon the return of the team we knew development was moving forward.
SimHQ was fortunate to receive an early build of RoF recently from the development team. When offered, it was not anticipated the build would be much more than a pretty slide show with some flight characteristics. I couldn't have been more wrong about my expectations. Early build yes, but there was enough content to see this title has every reason to warrant the excitement WWI aviation fans are anticipating from the final release.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_005.jpg
Installation and Menus
Keeping in mind that everything shown here is subject to change in the final release, and this truly is a work-in-progress, lets talk a bit about what the version I received included. First, the installation went without a hitch. I just clicked on the setup file, allowed it to install to the default path, and it started laying-down files. Once finished, I rebooted. Now that's not necessary (I know, I know) but old habits die hard and I've still seen recent titles that did not register correctly until the machine was rebooted.
Once WinXP came back up, I clicked on the "RoF Settings" icon and saw that my machine was going to be happy with moderately-high graphics. The settings will determine what your computer should run RoF as it's default. Of course they can be raised or lowered, and like every simmer I tried the default then messed with maximum and minimal settings. Conspicuously absent was the textures and sound settings adjustments as both were obviously intended for a later build version. For this sim, I prefer a bit lower screen resolution but higher quality graphics. I saved my settings and ventured into RoF by clicking on it's icon.
First, I created an account for myself then started looking around the main menu. The "Single" (mission) and "Campaign" menu text was available as was the "Profile" and "Exit" text. The menu text for "Training", "Multiplayer", "Options", "Awards", and "Statistics" were unavailable. The menus at this point are currently somewhat plain, but it's evident neoqb is using a motif from the turn-of-the-century. Undoubtedly they will look more detailed in the future considering the excellent graphics work presented in other areas of the sim. Some nice visual detailing did stand out. The hangar interior 3D image is beautiful and interesting to look at all the interior objects as it rotates.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_003.jpg
To start a mission, click on "Single", then you select your plane and read the briefing on the mission you will be flying. There were 4 planes and 4 missions available to select in this build version (but there will be many more in the final shipping version). The mission loading progress screen is a reproduction of a well-known WWI painting that was later used as a poster promoting service in the Army Air Corps. One item that was totally unexpected — when going between screens the cursor turns into a pirouetting metallic-gold ballerina! Now this might seem odd for a military flight sim but in the context of recreating the history of that era, it was a unique but nice detail. Next is the mission settings screen. Among the items you can select are allowing gun jams, adjusting the radiator, and many other details unique to the planes of WWI. You can also select the amount of fuel, variable loadouts if it was available on the real plane, and which plane skin of various famous pilots and squadrons. Then there was something I have never seen included before in a flight sim. Soon as I saw it I thought, "Of course! Why didn't someone do this before?" You can adjust the machine guns convergence point with a visual slider. Brilliant!
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_001.jpg
Recommended Technical Requirements
As expected, RoF will need a system with a strong CPU, video card and RAM. neoqb has the requirements for RoF already on their web site:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz
RAM: 3 GB
Hard Disk Space: 6 GB
Video Card: 512MB (NVIDIA GeForce 9800 Series or AMD ATI Radeon 4850 Series)
Internet Access: 512 kb/sec Connection (or better)
Operating System: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Windows XP requirements can be a little bit less then listed above
Support of 64-bit operating systems is not guaranteed by the developers
Here is the system I tested Rise of Flight on:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 (overclocked to 3.21 GHz)
RAM: 4 GB DDR2
Hard Disk: WD Raptor
Video Card: ATI Radeon 3870X2 (overclocked)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 3
22" LG widescreen LCD (1680x1050 native resolution) The resolution I found that worked best was 1280x800 providing the 16:10 aperture. At this setting I could run the graphic quality settings on high. A couple more technical notes to pass along. This build set both cores "on" by default in the CPU dual core affinity setting. Cool! neoqb development team member "=FB=VikS" commented in the SimHQ RoF Forum (http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2678978/Re_System_Requirements_Redux.html#Post2678978)rece ntly, "ROF have separated threads architecture, so two/four cores will work. Actually we have exact numbers of trials of core duo vs core quad, and core quad works 30-40% faster than core duo with ROF".
Also, I may be the luckiest person who ever loaded this particular build version, but in flying it for hours I had one freeze when switching between screens. That's it. For an early build of any software, that's impressive. RoF was remarkably stable on my test computer.
In Cockpit
Sitting in the beautifully detailed cockpits you can really appreciate the variance in the planes. The Nieuport reminded me of an Austin-Healey I had back in the 1970s. The Spad looks more like the interior of a classic Duesenberg and the Albatross looks like a backyard project. Watching the Fokker mechanicals work, especially the guns, fit well with the "all business" German approach. As you look around in the cockpit you'll find all the levers work as do the instrument dial needles. While MFDs were a long way into the future, there is a surprising multitude of items to set, click, and fiddle-around with in the cockpits. Using the mouse and wheel you can pan around, look up and down, move forward and back. That works fine during "flat-and-level" flying but in a dogfight you just don't have enough hands or time! Because these planes fly so much slower (110-120 mph maximum speed) than WWII fighters, they can move in a smaller space when turning and the dogfights can be difficult in ways many prop pilots haven't dealt with before. The sim fully supports NaturalPoint's TrackIR 6DoF technology. If you don't have a TrackIR yet, you'll want to get one before your first dogfight in RoF, or grow an additional arm and hand for the mousing mobility.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_008.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_006.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_007.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_009.jpg
In Flight
So how does it fly? Well your first big challenge will be the take-off! Forget all about the smooth tarmac surfaces of jet sims. When you start rolling down the airfield in 1915 there is nothing but bumpy, grass covered terra firma. Once you get airborne, there is so much torque you'll find it difficult to keep from getting into a wingover condition and darting left into the ground. With practice, you can get wheels off and head to the first waypoint. Keep in mind your flight is right there with you on take-off and mid-air crashes with your wingie are a real possibility. It happened twice to me. The first time evoked a real "what the....!" reaction till I remembered this was no sanitary, orderly take-off governed by radar and a radio-equipped control tower.
I cannot say how far along the flight model is, but it felt more "right" than any other WWI sim I've flown. Always subjective, the flight model did what I expected, and sometimes didn't do what I expected. While banking I noticed a definite slip as the wooden-framed, canvas-clad wonder I was flying reacted more like a kite. The audio from the different engines completes the feeling of immersion. The poor Nieuport sounds more like an anemic garden weed trimmer while the other planes sound much more robust and throaty. I have little doubt that neoqb captured the correct sounds of the engines including the Nieuport. All the engines were so primitive (remember that gasoline engines hadn't been around that long) that there is a presence of cycling rpm's and oscillation even at a relatively steady speed. Another first for RoF — least I haven't seen before in a WWI flight sim — the flights don't ride around like they're on symmetrical rails. Planes stutter forward, up, down and back. Really tight flight formations in these birds are a wishful dream. I mustered-up enough nerve to try some maneuvers that would not be more than a yawn in a typical WWII or jet flight simulation, and they always proved to be an adventure in themselves. Yet the flying was not "twitchy" once I became used to flying these motorized kites with machine guns. At least as long as the wind and turbulence was turned-down in the settings!
Below are two videos that show planes in flight. The first is essentially a "flat and level", non-combat clip that displays panning around the plane, shows surface lighting, and some of the beautiful scenery. The second video is a dogfight. You can view them below from the SimHQ YouTube account, or you can download them in a zipped .wmv format that is linked below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMmkhdCbqF0&eurl=http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400c.html (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMmkhdCbqF0&eurl=http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400c.html)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdecOfipAiE&eurl=http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400c.html (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdecOfipAiE&eurl=http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400c.html)
Scenery and Terrain
Before discussing the scenery, we must look at how and where the air battles in WWI were fought. While these planes had ceiling limits in the range of angels 17-21 and top speeds from 107-120 mph, dogfights were typically fought much lower to the ground. Strafing the enemy lines was typical and it was a prize to find a supply train or truck convoy (as one of the build missions portrayed). To create a believable WWI flight sim, it's imperative that low-level dogfights and ground strafing be fought on realistic terrain. RoF not only has the fields and forests, but also the pot-marked craters where artillery has blanketed entire areas. RoF probably has the most well done terrain of any combat flight sim I've ever seen. In addition, the rainy weather and haze effects are just amazing. Take a look at the images below and see for yourself.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_010.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_011.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_012.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_013.jpg
The Supporting Cast
Besides the various planes, there are multiple other vehicles, ground crews, artillery and observation balloons to fill out the missions.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_014.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_015.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_016.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_017.jpg
Variable Plane Damage
When a plane is damaged in Rise of Flight, it breaks up, tears, grinds, and the wood cracks and splinters. Damage can be as light as a tear to the upper-wing canvas or a cracked-strut, or it may be completely demolished. Ground impact damage varies. Pilots who do not go down in a spiral and are able to feather the plane to earth can receive little or no damage. While I was panning around trying to set-up screenshots, I stayed with one interesting wreckage for nearly 30 seconds trying to achieve just the perfect angle. Right as I was about to grab the image, I heard a "crack!" and saw a flap that had been attached to the downed plane's lower wing let loose, and one end of it fell to the ground. This was not a plane I was flying. It was not right after the plane crashed. It happened a good 30+ seconds after I had been randomly viewing it. Heaven knows how much else the development team has added like this one incident, but I was impressed at the detail and planning involved to let that one end of the flap fall down to the ground many seconds after the AI plane crashed. Note the partial damage and tearing of the upper wing in the first image below, and the more extensive, various damaging in the other screenshots.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_019.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_020.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_021.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_022.jpg
Conclusion
It will be a while yet before we see the final gold version of Rise of Flight, but based upon this build, it has every potential to be one of the classics. That is no guarantee of the final version, but it does show the development teams quality criteria. What they have done so far is combine good action, visuals, seemingly realistic flight models with a dose of surprise elements. But that doesn't really sum-up what Rise of Flight is to this point. That can best be described with one phrase... it has heart. You can sense the labor of love that went into this one, and that is not always evident in games and simulations these days. Lets hope the team can finish with the same quality they have demonstrated so far and are permitted to invest the valuable time necessary to see the project through to completion the way they have envisioned it. If they do, I'll be one of the first ones in the purchasing line.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_023.jpg
Since I am limited to using 20 pictures, I deleted one of a Spad with no wings crashing (from page 4, I think it was; it was about the damage model, anyway). Hopefully, this will clear some of the issues other users have been having about the game up.
Introduction
Every few years it seems a new round of WWI games and simulations (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/world-war-i-games) make their appearance. It seems you're either enamored with history about The Great War or you're not. Count me in with those who are both curious and fascinated. Who remembers Wings of Glory from Origin and Flying Corps from Empire Interactive? The granddaddy of WWI flight sims, Red Baron (and Red Baron 3D) by Sierra/Dynamix is arguably the best of the crop and still has fans for it's campaign engine. The recent release of the latest CFS3-based mod Over Flanders Fields (http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_395a.html) should be considered among the very best and includes a remarkable amount of innovative modding work. Also there is TK's Third Wire fun title, First Eagles (http://www.simhq.com/_air8/air_266a.html) built upon yet another rendition of the SF engine. There have also been some notable attempts that unfortunately didn't see the light-of-day such as the 2004 stillborn title Knights Over Europe (http://simhq.net/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/53/1/Knights_Over_Europe_Archive.html). But anyone who follows this vintage era of air combat aviation knows there has been a new title in development for the past 3 years. Starting as Knights of the Sky (http://www.simhq.com/_air9/air_290a.html) by Gennadich with the IL-2 engine, the title, engine and company name was changed to Rise of Flight (http://www.riseofflight.com/) (or RoF) by neoqb. Many of us wondered what happened during the lull between Gennadich morphing into neoqb, but upon the return of the team we knew development was moving forward.
SimHQ was fortunate to receive an early build of RoF recently from the development team. When offered, it was not anticipated the build would be much more than a pretty slide show with some flight characteristics. I couldn't have been more wrong about my expectations. Early build yes, but there was enough content to see this title has every reason to warrant the excitement WWI aviation fans are anticipating from the final release.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_005.jpg
Installation and Menus
Keeping in mind that everything shown here is subject to change in the final release, and this truly is a work-in-progress, lets talk a bit about what the version I received included. First, the installation went without a hitch. I just clicked on the setup file, allowed it to install to the default path, and it started laying-down files. Once finished, I rebooted. Now that's not necessary (I know, I know) but old habits die hard and I've still seen recent titles that did not register correctly until the machine was rebooted.
Once WinXP came back up, I clicked on the "RoF Settings" icon and saw that my machine was going to be happy with moderately-high graphics. The settings will determine what your computer should run RoF as it's default. Of course they can be raised or lowered, and like every simmer I tried the default then messed with maximum and minimal settings. Conspicuously absent was the textures and sound settings adjustments as both were obviously intended for a later build version. For this sim, I prefer a bit lower screen resolution but higher quality graphics. I saved my settings and ventured into RoF by clicking on it's icon.
First, I created an account for myself then started looking around the main menu. The "Single" (mission) and "Campaign" menu text was available as was the "Profile" and "Exit" text. The menu text for "Training", "Multiplayer", "Options", "Awards", and "Statistics" were unavailable. The menus at this point are currently somewhat plain, but it's evident neoqb is using a motif from the turn-of-the-century. Undoubtedly they will look more detailed in the future considering the excellent graphics work presented in other areas of the sim. Some nice visual detailing did stand out. The hangar interior 3D image is beautiful and interesting to look at all the interior objects as it rotates.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_003.jpg
To start a mission, click on "Single", then you select your plane and read the briefing on the mission you will be flying. There were 4 planes and 4 missions available to select in this build version (but there will be many more in the final shipping version). The mission loading progress screen is a reproduction of a well-known WWI painting that was later used as a poster promoting service in the Army Air Corps. One item that was totally unexpected — when going between screens the cursor turns into a pirouetting metallic-gold ballerina! Now this might seem odd for a military flight sim but in the context of recreating the history of that era, it was a unique but nice detail. Next is the mission settings screen. Among the items you can select are allowing gun jams, adjusting the radiator, and many other details unique to the planes of WWI. You can also select the amount of fuel, variable loadouts if it was available on the real plane, and which plane skin of various famous pilots and squadrons. Then there was something I have never seen included before in a flight sim. Soon as I saw it I thought, "Of course! Why didn't someone do this before?" You can adjust the machine guns convergence point with a visual slider. Brilliant!
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_001.jpg
Recommended Technical Requirements
As expected, RoF will need a system with a strong CPU, video card and RAM. neoqb has the requirements for RoF already on their web site:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz
RAM: 3 GB
Hard Disk Space: 6 GB
Video Card: 512MB (NVIDIA GeForce 9800 Series or AMD ATI Radeon 4850 Series)
Internet Access: 512 kb/sec Connection (or better)
Operating System: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Windows XP requirements can be a little bit less then listed above
Support of 64-bit operating systems is not guaranteed by the developers
Here is the system I tested Rise of Flight on:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 (overclocked to 3.21 GHz)
RAM: 4 GB DDR2
Hard Disk: WD Raptor
Video Card: ATI Radeon 3870X2 (overclocked)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 3
22" LG widescreen LCD (1680x1050 native resolution) The resolution I found that worked best was 1280x800 providing the 16:10 aperture. At this setting I could run the graphic quality settings on high. A couple more technical notes to pass along. This build set both cores "on" by default in the CPU dual core affinity setting. Cool! neoqb development team member "=FB=VikS" commented in the SimHQ RoF Forum (http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2678978/Re_System_Requirements_Redux.html#Post2678978)rece ntly, "ROF have separated threads architecture, so two/four cores will work. Actually we have exact numbers of trials of core duo vs core quad, and core quad works 30-40% faster than core duo with ROF".
Also, I may be the luckiest person who ever loaded this particular build version, but in flying it for hours I had one freeze when switching between screens. That's it. For an early build of any software, that's impressive. RoF was remarkably stable on my test computer.
In Cockpit
Sitting in the beautifully detailed cockpits you can really appreciate the variance in the planes. The Nieuport reminded me of an Austin-Healey I had back in the 1970s. The Spad looks more like the interior of a classic Duesenberg and the Albatross looks like a backyard project. Watching the Fokker mechanicals work, especially the guns, fit well with the "all business" German approach. As you look around in the cockpit you'll find all the levers work as do the instrument dial needles. While MFDs were a long way into the future, there is a surprising multitude of items to set, click, and fiddle-around with in the cockpits. Using the mouse and wheel you can pan around, look up and down, move forward and back. That works fine during "flat-and-level" flying but in a dogfight you just don't have enough hands or time! Because these planes fly so much slower (110-120 mph maximum speed) than WWII fighters, they can move in a smaller space when turning and the dogfights can be difficult in ways many prop pilots haven't dealt with before. The sim fully supports NaturalPoint's TrackIR 6DoF technology. If you don't have a TrackIR yet, you'll want to get one before your first dogfight in RoF, or grow an additional arm and hand for the mousing mobility.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_008.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_006.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_007.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_009.jpg
In Flight
So how does it fly? Well your first big challenge will be the take-off! Forget all about the smooth tarmac surfaces of jet sims. When you start rolling down the airfield in 1915 there is nothing but bumpy, grass covered terra firma. Once you get airborne, there is so much torque you'll find it difficult to keep from getting into a wingover condition and darting left into the ground. With practice, you can get wheels off and head to the first waypoint. Keep in mind your flight is right there with you on take-off and mid-air crashes with your wingie are a real possibility. It happened twice to me. The first time evoked a real "what the....!" reaction till I remembered this was no sanitary, orderly take-off governed by radar and a radio-equipped control tower.
I cannot say how far along the flight model is, but it felt more "right" than any other WWI sim I've flown. Always subjective, the flight model did what I expected, and sometimes didn't do what I expected. While banking I noticed a definite slip as the wooden-framed, canvas-clad wonder I was flying reacted more like a kite. The audio from the different engines completes the feeling of immersion. The poor Nieuport sounds more like an anemic garden weed trimmer while the other planes sound much more robust and throaty. I have little doubt that neoqb captured the correct sounds of the engines including the Nieuport. All the engines were so primitive (remember that gasoline engines hadn't been around that long) that there is a presence of cycling rpm's and oscillation even at a relatively steady speed. Another first for RoF — least I haven't seen before in a WWI flight sim — the flights don't ride around like they're on symmetrical rails. Planes stutter forward, up, down and back. Really tight flight formations in these birds are a wishful dream. I mustered-up enough nerve to try some maneuvers that would not be more than a yawn in a typical WWII or jet flight simulation, and they always proved to be an adventure in themselves. Yet the flying was not "twitchy" once I became used to flying these motorized kites with machine guns. At least as long as the wind and turbulence was turned-down in the settings!
Below are two videos that show planes in flight. The first is essentially a "flat and level", non-combat clip that displays panning around the plane, shows surface lighting, and some of the beautiful scenery. The second video is a dogfight. You can view them below from the SimHQ YouTube account, or you can download them in a zipped .wmv format that is linked below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMmkhdCbqF0&eurl=http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400c.html (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMmkhdCbqF0&eurl=http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400c.html)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdecOfipAiE&eurl=http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400c.html (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdecOfipAiE&eurl=http://www.simhq.com/_air12/air_400c.html)
Scenery and Terrain
Before discussing the scenery, we must look at how and where the air battles in WWI were fought. While these planes had ceiling limits in the range of angels 17-21 and top speeds from 107-120 mph, dogfights were typically fought much lower to the ground. Strafing the enemy lines was typical and it was a prize to find a supply train or truck convoy (as one of the build missions portrayed). To create a believable WWI flight sim, it's imperative that low-level dogfights and ground strafing be fought on realistic terrain. RoF not only has the fields and forests, but also the pot-marked craters where artillery has blanketed entire areas. RoF probably has the most well done terrain of any combat flight sim I've ever seen. In addition, the rainy weather and haze effects are just amazing. Take a look at the images below and see for yourself.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_010.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_011.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_012.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_013.jpg
The Supporting Cast
Besides the various planes, there are multiple other vehicles, ground crews, artillery and observation balloons to fill out the missions.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_014.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_015.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_016.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_017.jpg
Variable Plane Damage
When a plane is damaged in Rise of Flight, it breaks up, tears, grinds, and the wood cracks and splinters. Damage can be as light as a tear to the upper-wing canvas or a cracked-strut, or it may be completely demolished. Ground impact damage varies. Pilots who do not go down in a spiral and are able to feather the plane to earth can receive little or no damage. While I was panning around trying to set-up screenshots, I stayed with one interesting wreckage for nearly 30 seconds trying to achieve just the perfect angle. Right as I was about to grab the image, I heard a "crack!" and saw a flap that had been attached to the downed plane's lower wing let loose, and one end of it fell to the ground. This was not a plane I was flying. It was not right after the plane crashed. It happened a good 30+ seconds after I had been randomly viewing it. Heaven knows how much else the development team has added like this one incident, but I was impressed at the detail and planning involved to let that one end of the flap fall down to the ground many seconds after the AI plane crashed. Note the partial damage and tearing of the upper wing in the first image below, and the more extensive, various damaging in the other screenshots.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_019.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_020.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_021.jpg
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_022.jpg
Conclusion
It will be a while yet before we see the final gold version of Rise of Flight, but based upon this build, it has every potential to be one of the classics. That is no guarantee of the final version, but it does show the development teams quality criteria. What they have done so far is combine good action, visuals, seemingly realistic flight models with a dose of surprise elements. But that doesn't really sum-up what Rise of Flight is to this point. That can best be described with one phrase... it has heart. You can sense the labor of love that went into this one, and that is not always evident in games and simulations these days. Lets hope the team can finish with the same quality they have demonstrated so far and are permitted to invest the valuable time necessary to see the project through to completion the way they have envisioned it. If they do, I'll be one of the first ones in the purchasing line.
http://www.simhq.com/_air12/images/air_400a_023.jpg
Since I am limited to using 20 pictures, I deleted one of a Spad with no wings crashing (from page 4, I think it was; it was about the damage model, anyway). Hopefully, this will clear some of the issues other users have been having about the game up.