Dev blog #361: Flying Circus development news

[LukeFF]

6 minutes ago, jollyjack said:

There are 2 mods i oft tended to use: No dummy explosions (still works, think i made it once probably with someone's help LoL),

and arras pre/post war from Liz Lemon. Latter seems to work on the old FC1 map area only and needs a fix.

If you want them i'll post a link here for download.

 

Discussions about mods go in the mods section of the forum, thanks. 

[Avimimus]

2 hours ago, PatrickAWlson said:

I looked this up and I have to concede that I underestimated the frequency of combat between Eindeckers and Entente single seaters.  The vast majority of German victories were still over two seaters through the service life of the Eindecker, but there were some victories over single seaters.  Eindeckers, not surprisingly, seemed to get the worst of it when they tangled with Nieuports.  Fighting an N11 would not have been fun, never mind an N17.  

 

The E.I begins arriving in July 1915 (although the second kill doesn't happen until August). The E.III begins appearing in September 1915.

 

There are a number of single-seat scouts (Morane Saulnier H, Bristol Scout), but they were unarmed (or effectively unarmed). With the exception of a few converted two seaters (and a dozen or so Morane-Saulnier N) the Eindecker's don't really have fighters to dogfight with until the beginning of 1916.... and I believe they end up being outnumbered pretty quickly (due to the higher production rate of Entente fighters).

 

So I suspect that the dynamic shifted significantly over the course of the Eindeckers' service.

 

 

 

[PatrickAWlson]

1 hour ago, Avimimus said:

 

The E.I begins arriving in July 1915 (although the second kill doesn't happen until August). The E.III begins appearing in September 1915.

 

There are a number of single-seat scouts (Morane Saulnier H, Bristol Scout), but they were unarmed (or effectively unarmed). With the exception of a few converted two seaters (and a dozen or so Morane-Saulnier N) the Eindecker's don't really have fighters to dogfight with until the beginning of 1916.... and I believe they end up being outnumbered pretty quickly (due to the higher production rate of Entente fighters).

 

So I suspect that the dynamic shifted significantly over the course of the Eindeckers' service.

 

 

 

 

That makes it all the more fun to have Nieuports and DH2s on my score sheet in an early career 😀

[ST_Catchov]

The early/middle war period is my fave because the crates are great and it's the beginning of the evolving infancy of the war bird. Not that I don't like the later stages. It's all fascinating. But there's something about the early birds ....

 

Like this. I dunno how many times we have to say it, but we need it.

 

A Be2c somewhere over the Middle East ....

 

 

 

[IckyATLAS]

11 hours ago, jollyjack said:

If you want them i'll post a link here for download.

Not really as I have decided long ago not to use mods anymore as it has created too many issues in the past when I was using lot's of mods. I did myself a few mods that have become quickly incompatible, or conflicting with the versions (crashes impossible to debug) and so I prefer just to update when needed and improve the campaign instead of dealing with mods. I do not keep older versions and always use the latest version.

I am really using only the Kuban Map (The best to date) mainly on my campaign project at the moment. I improve it as new elements which could be used are released.

But your link may be useful for others in the community so why not post it. 

[LukeFF]

Guys, as I said yesterday, discussion about mods needs to be in the Mods section of the forum, thanks. 🙂

[ST_Catchov]

Maybe we'll get more accurate plane matchups after the FC4 planes are released? The AQMB is good and I'm pleased it has finally been added to FC but flying a Camel in a bomber escort mission recently I came across a bunch of Halberstadt D.II's which I would have thought to be highly unlikely ... perhaps should have been Alby D.III's. Something for the devs to work on to make it a tad more realistic.

[LukeFF]

9 hours ago, ST_Catchov said:

Maybe we'll get more accurate plane matchups after the FC4 planes are released? The AQMB is good and I'm pleased it has finally been added to FC but flying a Camel in a bomber escort mission recently I came across a bunch of Halberstadt D.II's which I would have thought to be highly unlikely ... perhaps should have been Alby D.III's. Something for the devs to work on to make it a tad more realistic.

 

Because it's an AQMB, it's going to randomly pick a fighter plane for the opposition flight.

[Avimimus]

1 hour ago, LukeFF said:

 

Because it's an AQMB, it's going to randomly pick a fighter plane for the opposition flight.

 

Ah! Even though it is based on the old campaign engine?

 

That might be a good incentive to make a 1916 version of the Flying Circus map... as it could allow limiting the planeset (also a justification for selling it as a full Vol.4, instead of individual Collector Planes).

 

[ST_Catchov]

4 hours ago, LukeFF said:

 

Because it's an AQMB, it's going to randomly pick a fighter plane for the opposition flight.

 

Thanks, I was unaware of that. It still seems odd but, hey bro, I can live with it.

 

However, they will be revising Career mode to reflect a more accurate planeset for any timeline when FC4 is released yeah?

 

3 hours ago, Avimimus said:

That might be a good incentive to make a 1916 version of the Flying Circus map... as it could allow limiting the planeset (also a justification for selling it as a full Vol.4, instead of individual Collector Planes).

 

I'm liking this idea. 

[EAF19_Marsh]

16 hours ago, Avimimus said:

That might be a good incentive to make a 1916 version of the Flying Circus map... as it could allow limiting the planeset (also a justification for selling it as a full Vol.4, instead of individual Collector Planes).

I agree and I made this point above. Contrary to popular view, in April 1916 the Somme region did not look like a hellscape but was (bizarrely) normal beyond the immediate fighting area: villages were recognisable, woods had trees etc.

 

Would be a nice addition to see this, maybe transplanting the BoN / Bp work.

[LukeFF]

17 hours ago, ST_Catchov said:

However, they will be revising Career mode to reflect a more accurate planeset for any timeline when FC4 is released yeah?

 

That's the plan, yes.

[ST_Catchov]

18 hours ago, EAF19_Marsh said:

On 5/5/2024 at 5:24 AM, Avimimus said:

That might be a good incentive to make a 1916 version of the Flying Circus map... as it could allow limiting the planeset (also a justification for selling it as a full Vol.4, instead of individual Collector Planes).

I agree and I made this point above. Contrary to popular view, in April 1916 the Somme region did not look like a hellscape but was (bizarrely) normal beyond the immediate fighting area: villages were recognisable, woods had trees etc.

 

Would be a nice addition to see this, maybe transplanting the BoN / Bp work.

 

Talking of maps, let us not forget the Battle of the Yser (1914) where the brave Belgians held off the German hordes and established the Western Front trench line that now extended to the North Sea near Nieuport in Belgium, thus saving a little slice of Belgium to the Allied cause. The race to the sea was over and the 1914 period of open warfare ended.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing the FC maps extending beyond Wipers to this area. Perhaps a conduit to the Channel map.

 

 

 

Bender in uniform.

 

 

 

[EAF19_Marsh]

4 hours ago, ST_Catchov said:

Bender in uniform.

Not often seen in uniform.

[No.23_Starling]

Mr Bender, just reading The Lore on the DH2, the main problem with the engine was not fires - it was far worse. Hawker’s brother in his biography for Lanoe writes: “‘Many of the cylinders had been re-bored. This made the walls thin and weak… As a result the cylinders would crack off and fly out, sometimes cutting through the tail booms with fatal results. This trouble was known as “cylindritis””.

 

The two casualties i noted in No.24 squadron in 1916 from this cause were Glew whose tail boom was cut by departing cylinders, sending him to his death, and Sibley whose vibrating engine detached his Lewis gun which smashed his head. After climbing out of his wreck he was found staggering into the mess of another squadron naked and unaware of his surroundings. He had to be ID’d by the only thing on his person - his identity disc!

 

Mick Davis mentions the same issue in his history of Airco adding that the push-rods also had a habit of sheering off. Lange writes in his diary of a bracing wire pinging off and into the prop. Hairy stuff.

 

Not sure how you’d model a disintegrating engine with departing cylinders…

Edited May 6, 2024 by US103_Rummell

[ST_Catchov]

8 hours ago, US103_Rummell said:

After climbing out of his wreck he was found staggering into the mess of another squadron naked and unaware of his surroundings. He had to be ID’d by the only thing on his person - his identity disc!

 

Yeah well, who hasn't done that.

 

10 hours ago, EAF19_Marsh said:

Not often seen in uniform.

 

Aye. Special occasions only. "Bender resplendent during the Gala Ball celebrating Hanriot HD.1 release" is the original caption.

 

[LukeFF]

Let's get back on-topic, please.