RoF aircraft in BoX

[HagarTheHorrible]

WW1 air combat might be a good fit for the upcoming VR update to BoX. Given that updating RoF to Dx11 in order for VR to work, might be more work than is either financially practical or even finding time to do the work I wonder if instead it might make more sense to introduce the aircraft to BoX. Most people, given the opportunity, might like to try WW1 aircraft without caring to much what countryside they're flying over, either in instant action or multiplayer.

 

Doing this might provide a bonus to players who already have a stable full of RoF aircraft but people who haven't might be tempted to buy some to play in BoX, hopefully covering the cost of any work required.

 

Can't talk more at the moment, a sulking son and a lego pirate ship call.

[Gambit21]

Not going to happen

 

I do want to see RoF brought up to date though.

[HagarTheHorrible]

Not going to happen

I do want to see RoF brought up to date though.

Do you know that for sure or are you just guessing ?

 

If it's lots of work transfering the aircraft then yes you are right, but if, given it's the same game engine, it's a pretty straight forward process possibly with a little tweaking here and there then why not ?

 

It might even plays into 777's buying single premium aircraft, granted many of us might already have some, if not all RoF aircraft but others who were late or hadn't even considered RoF might be tempted for a little bit of fun, varied multiplayer. It might even squeeze a bit more revenue out of an otherwise, possibly financially moribund game.

[Gambit21]

It's not a guess.

 

Updating the WWI sim at some point is however on Jason's wish list. That doesn't mean he'll get to though. We can hope.

[AndyJWest]

Trying to 'squeeze revenue' out of a WW1 game by shoehorning aircraft into an entirely inappropriate context looks to me like a non-starter. People that already own RoF are unlikely to be interested in paying for the same aircraft again just to see them operating off WW2 airfields (I'm certainly not), and people that don't own RoF aircraft are more likely to want to fly them in the appropriate context. As for it being a 'pretty straight forward process' converting RoF aircraft to the BoX engine, I'd be surprised, given the many significant changes that have been made for BoX. 

 

Jason has already stated that he would like to revisit WW1 at some point, and the best hope for WW1 aviation fans has to be that this happens, or that further work is done on RoF, rather than putting significant work into a half-baked bodge that would satisfy nobody in the long run.

[SCG_Space_Ghost]

No thanks, I don't think integrating ROF's content into BOX is intelligent, nor desirable.

 

At some point I hope that it is feasible for the team to bring ROF's DN up to par with what they've done with BOX... Nothing more though.

-snip-

 

As for it being a 'pretty straight forward process' converting RoF aircraft to the BoX engine, I'd be surprised, given the many significant changes that have been made for BoX. 

 

-snip-

 

Transferring a table-based FM and a 3D model probably (yep, I said it... "probably") isn't a mountain of a workload... You plug the FM table data into an existing atmospheric simulation model and import a 3D model. That doesn't mean that it's a good idea or makes any sense to do it, though.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Space_Ghost

[HagarTheHorrible]

 

Jason has already stated that he would like to revisit WW1 at some point, and the best hope for WW1 aviation fans has to be that this happens, or that further work is done on RoF, rather than putting significant work into a half-baked bodge that would satisfy nobody in the long run.

I'm not holding my breath waiting for RoF to be updated, I'm sure Jason would like to do it, time and resources might very well scupper that though.

 

We, unless you know something I don't, don!t know how difficult, or otherwise, it would be to put RoF aircraft into BoX ( you may very well be right of course) Die hard WW1 fans might fined it impossible to come to terms with flying a WW1 fighter over Stalingrad but many, maybe even most, probably don't give a tinkers cuss over which piece of landscape they are flying, wether it be Ypres or Yorkshire, from 1000m one river, or copse of woods, looks pretty much like any other.

 

Let's imagine for a moment, that you're a died in the wool WW1 fan, your only chance to potentially enjoy WW1 flight siming, in VR, is in a non historic location, if still a wartime one, would you really care ? DCS and FSX tend to suggest that most people can overcome that small hurdle.

 

I'm not suggesting that anybody, who already has a stable of WW1 RoF aircraft buy them again, just anybody who doesn't own them and want's to give it a try.

[BraveSirRobin]

I asked Jason about this when BoS was first announced. He said it could not be done without a LOT of effort. The most significant problem was the damage model. RoF is completely different from BoS.

[SCG_Space_Ghost]

-snip-

 

Let's imagine for a moment, that you're a died in the wool WW1 fan, your only chance to potentially enjoy WW1 flight siming, in VR, is in a non historic location, if still a wartime one, would you really care ? DCS and FSX tend to suggest that most people can overcome that small hurdle.

 

-snip-

 

Yeah, I would. If I were a dyed in the wool WWI guy flying a D.VII over 1940's Stalingrad wouldn't do it for me because there is nothing that ties the experience of the aircraft, the war or the theater together.

 

That would be like flying an F-15 over 40's Normandy... You can pre-order this experience before the future live stream.  Speaking of which... A lot of the fuss surrounding DCS is not being able to overcome the weird discrepancies in theater/aircraft/generation choice. It is the main reason that I and quite a few guys on these forums don't bother with it. No cohesiveness.

I asked Jason about this when BoS was first announced. He said it could not be done without a LOT of effort. The most significant problem was the damage model. RoF is completely different from BoS.

 

I didn't consider that. Fair point.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Space_Ghost

[BraveSirRobin]

I didn't consider that. Fair point.

It surprised me, too.

[HagarTheHorrible]

No thanks, I don't think integrating ROF's content into BOX is intelligent, nor desirable.

 

At some point I hope that it is feasible for the team to bring ROF's DN up to par with what they've done with BOX....

Yeh, sure it would be nice, but realistically.

 

Not intelligent or desirable, why? Don't like it then don't install RoF content, that's not very difficult. When was adding extra choice to the aircraft you want to tootle around in, in the privacy of your own computer a problem, or even on a like minded airquake multiplayer server. Apart from being available to fly in instant action or on a specific server it wouldn't impinge on the BoX game at all.

 

Ok, enough said, I give up,

Edited March 8, 2017 by HagarTheHorrible

[SCG_Space_Ghost]

Yeh, sure it would be nice, but realistically.

 

Not intelligent or desirable, why? Don't like it then don't install RoF content, that's not very difficult. When was adding extra choice to the aircraft you want to tootle around in, in the privacy of your own computer a problem, or even on a like minded airquake multiplayer server. Apart from being available to fly in instant action or on a specific server it wouldn't impinge on the BoX game at all.

 

When we are discussing the principles of business and software production there would be very little return on investment.

 

Realistically, that makes it undesirable from the standpoint of somebody who would like these guys to be around 10 years from now developing ROF 2: Eastern Front or IL-2 Sturmovik 2.

 

It would be unintelligent for them to take a risk that is unlikely to produce a feasible return.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Space_Ghost

[Gambit21]

Yeh, sure it would be nice, but realistically.

 

Not intelligent or desirable, why? Don't like it then don't install RoF content, that's not very difficult. When was adding extra choice to the aircraft you want to tootle around in, in the privacy of your own computer a problem, or even on a like minded airquake multiplayer server. Apart from being available to fly in instant action or on a specific server it wouldn't impinge on the BoX game at all.

 

Ok, enough said, I give up,

The salient point is that BoX is not just RoF with WWII planes. RoF was already struggling, and 1C wants return in investment. Jason is doing the smart thing to make that happen (thus enabling their existence and our sim to grow) by devoting resources to PTO next.

 

About the worst decision would be to devote resources to convert WWI aircraft.

 

That said I'm a big fan of the WWI stuff. Were it not for the "enemy engaged! Spiral to the deck!" AI I'd still be flying RoF.

[PatrickAWlson]

If it ever happens that is how it would be done.  Much easier to port RoF's planes and maps into the BoX code base than the BoX code changes into RoF.  I'm hoping for something like I did with PWCG - combine the code bases and seal off WWIisms and WWIIisms through interface, keeping common code common.  If you do that then any change benefits both code bases.

[Jason_Williams]

I'm sorry no this will not happen. If we ever do anything again with regards to ROF it would be to port all of ROF to the newer engine. That takes a lot of time and money. It's not on our current schedule.

 

Jason

[Bando]

Too bad.

Fair enough though.....

 

Alas...

[TG-55Panthercules]

I'm sorry no this will not happen. If we ever do anything again with regards to ROF it would be to port all of ROF to the newer engine. That takes a lot of time and money. It's not on our current schedule.

 

Jason

 

Not good news for us RoF'ers, of course, but appreciate the honesty and clarity.

 

I don't suppose, though, that we could maybe persuade you to alter your response just slightly at some point, perhaps like the following?

 

 

I'm sorry no this will not happen. If we ever do anything again with regards to ROF (other than release the previously-submitted skin pack volumes and maybe others once a year or so) it would be to port all of ROF to the newer engine. That takes a lot of time and money. It's not on our current schedule.

 

Jason

 

Hope springs eternal

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

Of the BoX/ROF games, ROF is still my favorite by a wide margin.  Not that the other games aren't good, maybe I just have a lot of empathy for guys that climbed into (barely) aircraft and went where everyone was trying to kill them, at times hopelessly outclassed.

 

In my own area, IRL, we still have air mail beacon towers here and there, and they always make me think of the guys that went out with in any sort of weather, over the mountains, day or night following primitive strip charts and route sheets and the lights from the beacon towers. No 2,000 hr TBO engines, no radios, no magenta line on their GPS to follow, no VORs or ADFs, no controller to chat with if you needed something, no radar, no meteorology resources like I can get on my phone or iPad whenever I feel like it...

 

Pretty incredible what those open cockpit folks did.

There are plenty of impressive WW2 aircraft, but for sims it is hard for me to not not to love a good WW1 campaign-driven simulator.

Plus, while it is possible I might actually fly in something like Crazy Horse some day, I can't imagine a series of events that would put me in a SPAD or Nieuport ever, or that I would say yes if I had the chance!

[JG1_Vonrd]

 (other than release the previously-submitted skin pack volumes and maybe others once a year or so)

 

 

Oh yes! Please!...c'mon throw us a bone  

Edited March 9, 2017 by II./JG1_Vonrd

[[APAF]VR_Spartan85]

Well i would love to have some biplanes at some point. Like trainers. Stearman, FW-44,PO-2/u2.

Not likely to be any time soon but would be awesome

[Lusekofte]

 

 

Updating the WWI sim at some point is however on Jason's wish list. That doesn't mean he'll get to though. We can hope.

 

As all in business, you have a vision for where you want to be within a timeframe, this is always set higher than the realistic goals based on existing budget. Question is , what are we informed with, the vision or the realistic goal?

Personally I guess we are getting a mix, something in between . After all we have been given more than we bargain for back in the Alpha stage 

[Feathered_IV]

Cheers Jason.  If ever you did indeed manage to port RoF over though, I'd happily pay a triple-A price for the privilege.

[Dutchvdm]

I'm sorry no this will not happen. If we ever do anything again with regards to ROF it would be to port all of ROF to the newer engine. That takes a lot of time and money. It's not on our current schedule.

 

Jason

 

I would love the to see a remastered ROF. It's something that i would also love to pay for. But i understand that it's something that's difficult to sell business wise. 

 

Grt M

[Gambit21]

As all in business, you have a vision for where you want to be within a timeframe, this is always set higher than the realistic goals based on existing budget. Question is , what are we informed with, the vision or the realistic goal?

Personally I guess we are getting a mix, something in between . After all we have been given more than we bargain for back in the Alpha stage

 

We've been informed as to the plan - it's pretty straightforward at this point.

No "visions" involved to date.