When the feeling gets real...

[spreckair]

So I was flying a Battle of Moscow Campaign mission as the Russian flight lead in VR.  We were a flight of four in the Mig 3 and we ran into some BF-109F-2.  We came out on top with no losses and were heading home.  One of our flight was trailing smoke, but did not look too bad.  I was the first to make it back to the airbase, so I quickly landed and pulled over to the side of the runway.  Usually I end the mission right there and check the stats and move on.  This time I decided to just sit in my aircraft and watch my flight land; it was a beautiful day so why not.

 

My flight approached, turned their navigation light on, requested clearance, and began flying their circuits.  The aircraft that was damaged was selected first to land.  I watched him in the distance slowly make his turn to final (and I thought to myself that this reminded me of watching warbirds land at airshows).  Then his nose dipped and he plunged into the woods, exploded, and left a pillar of black smoke.  Holy cow, that really jolted me out of my reverie--so much that it almost felt real.

 

This sim is really a work of art.  I am glad to be able to enjoy it.  Thank you 1CGS!

[MajorMagee]

Your flight doesn't care how much you know, they need to know how much you care...

[spreckair]

Well, actually, the AI flight doesn't care about either, right?  Although if they did, I would hope that they would want a flight lead that both knew a lot and cared a lot.

[Jason_Williams]

Glad you are enjoying it Spreck!

 

Jason

[Knarley-Bob]

Flying a 110 back after a scrape, I looked back and my gunner was gone............

That really felt wierd.........

[oc2209]

15 hours ago, spreckair said:

Then his nose dipped and he plunged into the woods, exploded, and left a pillar of black smoke.  Holy cow, that really jolted me out of my reverie--so much that it almost felt real.

 

7 hours ago, MajorMagee said:

Your flight doesn't care how much you know, they need to know how much you care...

 

Rather than mourn his loss, I likely would've expounded on his poor landing technique to the rest of the flight.

 

Needless to say, I would be a very popular commanding officer.

[Giggles]

It gets real when you hear "hail" on the skin, and do an external view and see that a p40 has stiched your plane exactly right behind the armored seat panel..  THAT brings the feel. 

 

Same does following an opponent down, and NEITHER of you manage to avoid lawn darting.. 

 

So does getting cocky because you took out two P47s two minutes ago, and then an AI I-16 hands you your ass on a plate.

 

 

Realism is part mental,

[VA_Kamicosmos]

On 2/18/2022 at 12:41 PM, Knarley-Bob said:

Flying a 110 back after a scrape, I looked back and my gunner was gone............

That really felt wierd.........

 

I turned around once after getting hit, and my gunner was lying back on the deck, dead.  I was like...oh ... my....dude...are you...

glanced back front to make sure I was flying level, looked back...oh...he's gone now....

 

Now, I'm not a religious man, but...that was a weird moment.  

[Mtnbiker1998]

4 minutes ago, Kamicosmos said:

 

I turned around once after getting hit, and my gunner was lying back on the deck, dead.  I was like...oh ... my....dude...are you...

glanced back front to make sure I was flying level, looked back...oh...he's gone now....

 

Now, I'm not a religious man, but...that was a weird moment.  

If you ever get a U-2 stuck in some mud and it won't taxi, you can shoot your tail gunner and it'll delete the body eventually. The weight reduction is sometimes enough to get the plane moving again.

[Beebop]

7 hours ago, Kamicosmos said:

 

I turned around once after getting hit, and my gunner was lying back on the deck, dead.  I was like...oh ... my....dude...are you...

glanced back front to make sure I was flying level, looked back...oh...he's gone now....

 

Now, I'm not a religious man, but...that was a weird moment.  

You must have ticked the "Rapture" option in realism.

 

7 hours ago, Mtnbiker1998 said:

If you ever get a U-2 stuck in some mud and it won't taxi, you can shoot your tail gunner and it'll delete the body eventually. The weight reduction is sometimes enough to get the plane moving again.

You are a cruel, but practical man. ?

[BlitzPig_EL]

They are only pixels.

[SAG]

9 hours ago, Mtnbiker1998 said:

If you ever get a U-2 stuck in some mud and it won't taxi, you can shoot your tail gunner and it'll delete the body eventually. The weight reduction is sometimes enough to get the plane moving again.

How very Soviet of you! 

[JG4_Moltke1871]

I am in a Ju 88 career in BoM right now… I also like watch my squad landing on the ground in sorties end but in some cases even not damaged planes not able to land and crash ? 

But the experience damaged planes crash before landing I often had in different careers, these are scary moments ?

[Beebop]

3 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

They are only pixels.

But....pixels have feelings too. 

(wail)"What about the Pixels?"

[[CPT]Crunch]

When the P-51B released I was recently back into flying actively again, the first time I experienced the new smoke and fire effects in its cockpit I physically began to smell strong smoke, I put the game on pause and lifted the headset off my face in alarm, but it was just the game messing with my reality.  Next time it happened a few weeks later I smelled smoke again, not as intense, just enough to give me a grin.  The cackling flames and smoke is that convincing.

[Giggles]

i tried running some one on one drills.... it was bad. 

 

my e7 damaged a p40 enough to make it land....   i crashed while trying to strafe it. stupid trees pop up fast.

 

then i got shot down by a p39 while flying a p39. 

 

     

[ST_Catchov]

That's no laughing matter Giggles.

[56RAF_Roblex]

Someone pointed out recently that the new Sun effects are so good that he actually worries about damaging his eyesight when he looks into the sun in VR and, thinking about it,  I think I do the same ?

[[APAF]VR_Spartan85]

On 2/17/2022 at 11:46 PM, spreckair said:

So I was flying a Battle of Moscow Campaign mission as the Russian flight lead in VR.  We were a flight of four in the Mig 3 and we ran into some BF-109F-2.  We came out on top with no losses and were heading home.  One of our flight was trailing smoke, but did not look too bad.  I was the first to make it back to the airbase, so I quickly landed and pulled over to the side of the runway.  Usually I end the mission right there and check the stats and move on.  This time I decided to just sit in my aircraft and watch my flight land; it was a beautiful day so why not.

 

My flight approached, turned their navigation light on, requested clearance, and began flying their circuits.  The aircraft that was damaged was selected first to land.  I watched him in the distance slowly make his turn to final (and I thought to myself that this reminded me of watching warbirds land at airshows).  Then his nose dipped and he plunged into the woods, exploded, and left a pillar of black smoke.  Holy cow, that really jolted me out of my reverie--so much that it almost felt real.

 

This sim is really a work of art.  I am glad to be able to enjoy it.  Thank you 1CGS!

In the “Achtung Spitfire!” Scripted campaign similar moment but enroute to objective to strafe ground troops in a flight of five in wedge form… and me being number six in the middle behind the lead.. love this mission because of so many in formation I can see all of them.

 

while passing over the line the flak starts… then so does the game of chance..  as one of your squad gets a close call, seems fine,, then ten seconds later his engine gradually produces smoke and starts to catch fire… and all you can do is keep saying “bail out!, bail out!”..

then six becomes five… and you can’t help but wonder if they made it…

 

As I take off my vr headset…I see my seven year old and two nieces staring at me like I have issues… lol

[Irishratticus72]

Once took off my VR headset to see my cat doing the feline version of this...... 

Edited March 1, 2022 by Irishratticus72

[Cravis]

I had a similar experience with my III./JG26 Bodenplatte pilot career.

 

Me and my squadron where send near Nijmegen to bother allied air forces in the area. In the second half of the battle we encountered P38 and Spitfire Mk XIe.

As the battle was in full swing I saw one of my wingmen being followed by P38 just in front of this impressive cloud formation and it just happened that I was in a decent position to intercept it. As I was closing in I saw the P38 firing on the Bf109 and immediately got over the radio that Raven 5 is damaged, injured and bailing out. Well it never happened because the P38 was lighting him up so good he exploded a second later mid air just as I was about 600 meters away. I saw everything unfolding powerless to change it. I took revenge on the P38 a few seconds later.

I figured it wasn't going our way (as it usually does with Spitfires and the AI) and decided to call it a day and tell everyone to RTB.

While disengaging and making a run for it I saw Bf109 trailing white smoke just above the deck being followed by a Spitfire.

I thought to myself "I was too slow for Raven 5 but maybe I can save this one". So was diving down with everything my poor G14 could muster and fired on the Spitfire knowing I wouldn't hit it just to get it off him and I did. A short engagement later the Spitfire made some mistake and went sideways into the ground without me being responsible for it. But it felt good, I saved my AI wingmen.

I turned into the direction of the base and sure enough after some time I caught up to the smoking Bf109. As I was sitting there smiling to myself that I got this poor's AIs back he suddenly made some strange moves, dived to the ground and violently crash landed in a field.

Just as the wreck came to a stop I flew by but I couldn't make out if he survived or not. 

At base I found out he didn't.

 

It felt strangely real...

 

[40plus]

5 hours ago, Irishratticus72 said:

Once took of my VR headset to see my cat doing the feline version of this...... 

I once punched my cat while playing in VR . . . made that same face

[Irishratticus72]

18 minutes ago, 40plus said:

I once punched my cat while playing in VR . . . made that same face

You're dead to me. 

[ciderworm]

I guess most have played Alyx. So I've put the pistol into the replicator machine for an upgrade. Went to take it out of the machine & it's turned into a struggling cat. Nearly jumped out of my skin. In the Index I can hear them arsing about whilst I'm flying - only a matter of time before they turn their attention onto me...