Oleg, it's great to see you replying to posts here :)

Since you seem to be online right now, I'd like to use this opportunity to suggest a new feature in BOB. Please have a look at the image below.

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/9428/convcg8.jpg
(Image hosted by ImageShack.us)

What I'm suggesting here is a guns test map where we can do the thing shown in that picture.

The most important thing we do in such a map is to test where the bullets will hit on the "blackboard" which is at a chosen distance from the fighter: the "blackboard" can be placed at different distances from the stationary fighter, and we can certainly set different convergences for the cannons for testing.

Of course, when we have set the convergence for an aircraft's cannons, we know exactly the point where the cannon shells will meet, theoretically, and their paths in the horizontal plane. But we the sim pilots do NOT know the shells' trajectories in the VERTICAL PLANE.

[But we may not do exactly the same thing as did they in the photo. They were possibly also adjusting manually the elevation values of the gun barrels to make them match the convergence (bullets reach the pilot's sighting line at the convergence point). We perhaps do not need to do the same thing with elevation values because every gun's elevation value and its convergence are automatically matched in game (as in IL-2) when you set the gun's convergence.]

So if such a map exists, then the sim pilots will know much more about the bullets' behaviour in the vertical, by placing that "blackboard" at different distances from the stationary fighter. Such knowledge is very much valuable to one's gunnery.


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PS: Sorry this post is not related to the topic:).

About RoF engine - all is my thoughts after playing it around 4 hours that to look all things that they did there from professional point of view. I may be wrong in some details of my opinion, but in general I think I'm right.
I may say what I like there and it would be not in comparion to Il-2 or BoB... just what I like.
I like FM - for the first time in non jet sim I see good things. But it is good untill we get damage of aircraft. Looks nice, but in some cases - non realistic. Probably they will correct it in time. We also had in Il-2 some bugs in that area in the beginning untill we did all stable and working as it should with all cross functions tuned. However we had way more in amount that to tune...
I like details of aircraft (but the lighting effects is overdone on some surfaces).
I like Hangar in menu
I like the check by internet keys. However I will not go by the same way. Should be found more optimal.
I like the simulation of physics

Probably that is all.

What I dislike - I will never tell :) Users will find it themselves in time. Of will not find... and will be happy for one more other sim on the market.

Rumors that they developing WWII era aircraft - in my opion it is their mistake. For this they will need:
- to make also all enviroument of WWII era from arifield equipment to tanks, cars, etc...
- AI Radio chatter, engine for Radio chatter and its recording in sound, ability of player to interact with AI (great task really)
- to make at least night working in 3D engine and to make AI changes in that item....

Just of these main things listed above they will need really great development time, even if it was started a year or so earlier before release of RoF... If there will be just several playble aircraft - you can't name it combat sim... Interests will be little. Say like for some of add-ons for MS FS.
And I listed just some part of what they will need for WWII era success title...

In my opinion they should at first:
- fix bugs
- give more features of WWI era... It would be more easy for them really and will help to sell way more than it will be really....
- expand theater from beginnind of WWI to Russian October Revolution and the civil war in Russia (there were say English pilots on the north of Russia, White army pilots, Red army plots.... At least it would be very interesting for Russin customers... This is almost unknown for wide range of public in the west and east...)
- to make way better single and of course - online gameplay.

For WWI isn't so neccessary to make full copy of original cockpit for each aircraft (also they are way more simply in modeling and programming), because for many cockpits there are simply no one useful reference... in comparison to WWII and up - the consuming time for development of each aircraft is way greater... (and with our level of precise in SoW.... would be too hard for them to make more precise if only possible :))

We did such devices(test targets) already.
However I'm not sure that we will use it for direct purpose. Becasue of time limitation. Also it isn't very useful for many types of aircraft that to make it looking realistic... and it will be not so useful for the beginners...
So probably we will have it as static objects on some airfields.

Its like listening to an artist talk about someone else work...Oleg only comments on the good things. ;)

Thank you for your reply:grin:! Very glad to hear that your team have made somthing similar.:-) At least it can be hoped that the test map will be seen in one of BOB's expansion packs.

I agree, haha. But I'm not sure what you mean by the following sentence. Could you add a few more words to it?

@Proton.... I think its called common decency :) Cheers for sharing your thoughts on this Oleg, I mentioned my concerns about damage modelling earlier in this thread and asked for other opinions but nobody replied, glad to hear that at least someone agrees! But like you say, its not something that cannot be fixed.

All RoF comments aside (though they ARE appreciated), it's nice to see you take a few moments to post your thoughts here Oleg.

It's exciting to read the level of detail and complexity being built into SoW including a possible basic ground-handling model for other vehicles. Obviously, my greatest desire is to have great flight models, detailed damage models, a powerful mission builder and an easy multiplayer capability. Those are the things most important to me.

The complete environment is usually underrated by many (myself included) and having the added detail in the ground objects really is important to create an overall "feel" and add immersion.

Again, thanks for taking the time to post some of your thoughts.


TB

This means that for each aircraft we need to make special holders, visual and program.
Big work really. And then bug problems for third party.... and later with each addition of new aircraft type or model we need to make separate code and new holder in 3D for just this purpose. Way too expencive just ofr the nice feature.

Ground modeling is importnat for all modes of gameplay in flight sim. From single to online. Ground targets define the ouput of online wars, etc... Its targets for bombers.
In one of modes of BoB online ground objects will define all the ways of gamplay.

So I guess (campaign wise) for a RAF pilot, a high kill rate Vs fighters will mean nothing if the bombers get through to their target. Or the same for a Axis fighter pilot if the bombers fail to damage their objectives.

Will campaign success be based on what percentage of a target is protected or destroyed?

Cheers! Oh and thank you for the countlesss hours of enjoyment and frustration I have experienced in IL-2. I am looking forward for even more in BoB!