Finally Got WOFF

[Buddahaid]

So it was sounds like the throttle problem is a software bug. At first I thought it might be a modelled in torque effect but it would be badly done if that was the case.

[Buddahaid]

Reading through the support FAQ I learned how to map the controls properly and solved the issue. It's not enough to bind the control to what you want to use it, you also have to unbind other controls that may be using it. In my case I needed to unbind the Saitek throttle from the X axis so just the stick was bound to it. Obtuse for me.

[Sailor Steve]

27 March 1915

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0820: Followed Lt Cruikshank on a scouting mission over the enemy aerodrome at Haubourdin. 1 hour 42 minutes."

Saint-Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "0825: Supported Lt Ellis on an Artillery Spotting mission. 1 hour 56 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "0903: Defensive patrol over our airfield at Abeele, with Lt Masson Sollier. 1 hour 20 minutes.
Garros has returned. It seems that he and his personal mechanic Hue have been spending time at the Morane Saulnier factory in Paris, working with Raymond Saulnier on some kind of a mechanism that will let him shoot a Hotchkiss machine gun through his propeller. He showed us the system and told us he would be going hunting for Germans as soon as possible. We are all curious about the thing and he gladly showed us all how it works. I’m not sure I understand completely, but it has metal wedges bolted to the propeller to push any bullets that come in contact out of the way. It will be interesting to see if he gets any results."

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "1003: Scouting mission over the trenches near Herleville, with Ltn Leffers. 2 hours 1 minute."

Senard, Verdun
Noel Kay writes: "1100: Took off for photo mission over Guignicourt, looking for suspected enemy troop buildup. Engine failed. Managed to land back at field. 7 minutes.
1123: Took off again in spare plane. Arrived over Guignicourt, took pictures. Followed the Aisne west back over the lines. Motorcycle dispatch rider waiting for us on the field on our return. I guess these pictures are important. 1 hour 55 minutes."

Pontfaverger
Odis Först writes: "1325: Long scouting flight over enemy airfield at Champaubert. 2 hours 13 minutes."

[Buddahaid]

I've got a handle on things and started career today. Mostly just a struggle to maintain station on a front patrol ending with a bad landing writing off the plane. I was in the virtual cockpit and didn't realize quite where I was so I came up short and rolled into a tree.

[Buddahaid]

Oh and I took home and repaired these Champoux binoculars that were at dad's house. I thought they were just old Opera glasses, not WWI French trench binoculars. They work surprisingly well.

[Aktungbby]

^JEEZE! ANYONE GAZING THRU THOSE AT CORDITE SMOKE, MUSTARD GAS AND GENERAL FOG-OF-WAR WOULD TEND TO BE A LITTLE 'OVER THE TOP' AT THAT

[Sailor Steve]

What an amazing thing to have in your collection! That's a thing of beauty.

[Sailor Steve]

28 March 1915

Verdun is suffering under another rainstorm, but Flanders is quite active.

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0903: Lt Christensen and I supported Lt Cruikshank on a Photo mission over the trenches near Lens. 1 hour 21 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "0906: Defensive Patrol with Sgt Desramée over our airfield at Droglandt. 1 hour 30 minutes. Garros went on his own special mission – an Offensive Patrol looking for Germans to attack with his new gun system. He returned, like us, having seen nothing.

Saint-Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "1024: Scouting misson with Lt Lehman. 1 hour 44 minutes."

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "1102: Photography mission, Vfw Leffers supporting. 1 hour 29 minutes."

[Sailor Steve]

29 March 1915

Saint Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "0809: Supported Lt Ellis on an Artillery Spotting mission over the trenches near Lens. 2 hours 21 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "0903: Offensive patrol over the lines near Niewpoort, Lt Coupet leading. 1 hour 22 minutes."

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0925: Scouting mission over Haubourdin again, with Sgt Alford supporting. 1 hour 32 minutes."

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "1101: Scouting mission over Allied positions west of Arras. Vfw Leffers supporting. While crossing the lines engine quit. Was able to glide several kilometres back into our own lines. Made safe landing about 1 km from an observation balloon. Used their telephone to call base. Vfw Leffers was able to complete the mission. 1 hour 14 minutes."
Garros went off on his own again. Returned with nothing to report.

Senard, Verdun
Noel Kay writes: "1132: Misty weather. Scouting suspected troop buildup in the woods around Buzancy. Didn’t see anything. 1 hour 19 minutes."

Pontfaverger
Odis Först writes: "1552: Misty day. Scouting mission, further west than usual, over the trenches near Pinon. 1 hour 55 minutes."

[Sailor Steve]

30 March 1015

Another storm sweeps across the Front during the night. Everyone is grounded again as heavy rains turn everything to mud.

[Buddahaid]

Getting better. My second patrol saw combat I survived somehow but ended in another muffed landing while I struggled for a better view.

The third patrol saw no combat and crappy weather. I almost have a handle on staying in formation but it's difficult to keep an eye out for enemy patrols at the same time. I made a proper landing for once.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

Getting better. My second patrol saw combat I survived somehow but ended in another muffed landing while I struggled for a better view.

The third patrol saw no combat and crappy weather. I almost have a handle on staying in formation but it's difficult to keep an eye out for enemy patrols at the same time. I made a proper landing for once.

Sorry to say that I cheat a lot. I programmed both Autopilot functions into my Joystick and until I absolutely need to fly the plane I let the AI Pilot do the hard part while I look around. Of course my current date is April 1915 so the chance of running into an enemy plane is very low, and running into one that is armed is practically zero.


As for landings, well...I've figured out how to reinstall careers when the game kills me for its own reasons, such as the Stick going wonkers, but I did lose the one pilot I left dead when I was so worried about hitting the hedge at Chocques that I didn't see the tree ahead until it was far too late. I deserved to lose that one.

[Buddahaid]

I knew there would be an autopilot but I wanted to see what it was like not using it at first. I ran the next two missions on autopilot and even let the AI fight to see what it did. I still survived but the last mission it tried to land in no mans land so I took over. It must have been the MCAS system.
I also wanted to see how it handled formation flying.

I'm flying a Bristol Scout in Flanders and I have no idea how to aim that canted MG well. Yes, F6 gives you a sight view but it's still strange so I should set up a quick combat scenario to practice.

Nice sky.

[Buddahaid]

I've made a scenario for the Bristol Scout fighting a Fokker EIII and based on that I made a couple of changes to my control mapping to help keep situational awareness in combat. That's helped a lot although I still get messed up often enough. Back to the career.

[Buddahaid]

I now wonder if I'm missing something. The mission I just flew, as a rookie pilot, was a ground attack mission on a railway yard. There was no load out of bombs and when we attacked nobody shot at anything despite several attack runs! Am I, the lowest man on the totem pole, expected to determine the flight's load out? Confused.