OFF PHASE3: PREVIEW MOVIE and FEATURE LIST available

[Polovski]

Over Flanders Fields
Between Heaven and Hell

The Great Air War
1915-1918


Until we can update the website we are pleased to announce here the availability of TWO ITEMS:

1) a PREVIEW MOVIE of Over Flanders Fields: Between Heaven and Hell
2) The Current FULL PRELIMINARY FEATURE LIST

IMPORTANT NOTE: We reserve the right to change/remove/add features to this list before release.



1) PREVIEW MOVIE
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Please find below a (temporary) location for the PHASE 3 PREVIEW MOVIE

Right click on this link and choose 'Save as' to your desktop for viewing.
(Firefox users right click and choose 'Save Link as')

LINK:
http://s199142289.websitehome.co.uk/...Preview_HQ.wmv
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The file is around 63MB.

ENJOY



2) FULL PRELIMINARY FEATURE LIST:
==================================================


'Some' Preliminary OFF Phase3 'Between Heaven and Hell' Features asof: 15/02/2008:



Weather, Scenery, Terrain and Effects:


1) NEW For P3!: Fully revised and updated high resolution terrain and all new scenery models, to suit the WW1 era. Some of the finest scenery yet to be seen in a combat flight sim.

2) Dense Rich scenery environment with accurate rendering of front lines trenches, flora and towns.

3) Five additional distinctly individual landclass regions (CFS3 has 1) that render distinct terrain graphic types: Southern England, Flanders, Marne, Verdun, Alsace and the rest of the CFS3 theatre.

4) NEW For P3!: All original CFS3 terrain is now replaced - everywhere - with high resolution terrain graphics.

5) Seven Seasonal terrain variations : Spring, Summer, Autumn, Autumn Light Snow cover , Winter , Winter Light snow cover , Winter Medium snow cover, Winter Full snow cover.

6) Fully revised and updated cloud formations and skyboxes.

7) AI weather generator - sees the weather dynamically change due to frontal pressure systems - terrain snow cover will build up, thaw and melt away over time.....

8.) NEW For P3!: Fully Dynamic weather - weather changes as player flies - in real time.

9) NEW For P3!: Dynamic Wind.

10) NEW For P3!: Historical weather mode - weather plays out as it did historically and directly affects the quantity of craft in the air as well as on very bad days actually grounding the crews.

11) NEW For P3!: Historical weather has a direct impact on air traffic density.

12) Moving frontlines and creeping damage and dereliction - frontlines are modelled in 12 'states' for the period of the war.

13) Front Line locations and positions have been accurately researched and then 'reduced' to 12 major 'states' and rendered within the advanced OFF terrain system.

14) Revised Lighting.

15) Revised Sea graphics.

16) Vehicle and building lights (unchanged since P1)


Graphics Interface (Wrapper) and Dynamic Campaign Engine:



1) NEW For P3!: Full High resolution graphical interface and Wrapper now runs automatically at desktop resolution.

2) Comprehensive standalone OBD historical database of nations, aces , squadrons, weather, aircraft, targets to support a standalone Dynamic Campaign Engine that fully replaces the CFS3 campaign system.

3) Enhanced for P3!: Over 1000 unique targets in any given time period of front line modelling representing upward of 12000 targets overall.



4) Historically based mission types and aircraft traffic density changes over time and balance of power and air traffic density swings as it did historically.

5) Squadrons operate from accurately located airfields and transfer as they did historically.

6) Over 300 airfields in the theatre of operations.

7) Every squadron is allocated the correct craft and has the correct ace complements, at any one time, as it did historically.

8.) Player/Squadron craft is uprated over time as it was historically.

9) NEW For P3!: Up to 226 aircraft are dynamically rendered in the players region above and beyond the mission flight complement in real time. These additional craft are all operating from real squadrons and real airbases, carrying out real tasks and attacking real targets as they did historically. This is scaleable for CPU power - balance between forces is always maintained irespective of scale selected.
Total rendered craft is basically unlimited and can be increased in the future.

10) NEW For P3!: Revised kill claim system and claim forms - fill in your report - detail and accuracy helps you obtain confirmations.

11) NEW For P3!: Real Battles - visit the Intell room to get the low down on battles raging at the time - battles take place in real time in the sim.

12) NEW For P3!: Mission Replay system - watch your recorded mission data play out on a 2D map viewed top down to see how you faired in your last mission - all critical mission events are displayed, complete with Play Pause Continue and Restart 'movie' type functionality.

13) NEW For P3!: Tight interface between Wrapper and CFS3 run time - 'enter directly to mission' and exit mission directly back to the Wrapper.

14) Climb the ladder in your squad (view your status in the Squadron Room) and try to survive 17 hours.

15) Enlist, use and manage up to 99 virtual pilots for Fighter or 2 seater action in a dossier style format.

16) NEW For P3!: Enhanced interface when enlisting a pilot, showing location of squadron on a map, proximity of front, allocated craft, allocated aces, and craft timeline of squad - i.e. what craft the squad will be assigned during the war over time. Step through time to see where the currently selected squadron moves to and what craft upgrades occur when, as well as the ace complement and squadron overall efficacy rating over time. All, yep you guessed it, historically researched.

17) Now join and fight in any of over 30 British, 30 German , 25 French and 12 American squadrons - all as historically accurate as possible.

18.) Enhanced For P3!: Full range of realistic mission directives. These change over time to reflect the changing tactics from Recon in the early years to Ground straffing and ground support missions in 1918 - includes photo recon and bombing missions for 2 seaters.

19) NEW For P3!: Escort missions including rendezvous - be escorted if you are flying 2 seaters or escort the 2 seaters.

20) Fully scaleable difficulty settings with enhanced control for the player.

21) Dynamic logging of all missions or campaign missions only.

22) NEW For P3!: Dynamic logging of all kill claims can be viewed at any time in the pilot dossiers.

23) NEW For P3!: A dynamically logged "settings Weighting" system to reflect players selected difficulty settings (as a %) and thus validity of 17 hour claims.

24) Historical film footage plays out interactively in campaign mode.

25) NEW For P3!: Revised musical score.

26) Several recorded Audio interviews with real WW1 pilots.

27) Comprehensive coverage of mid 1915 to 1918 operations.

28.) Real Historical news is relayed dynamically to the player as he plays, reflecting historical events and or Ace demise as and when they occurred.

29) Enhanced For P3!: Scaleable settings ensure control over CPU and GPU load.

30) Enhanced For P3!: Detailed scrollable and zoomable maps in many interface screens.

31) Enhanced For P3!: Detailed mission briefing room.



WW1 Aircraft and Vehicles:


1) High resolution skins and aircraft models accurately rendered as far as possible and within the constraints of FPS and sanity.

2) NEW For P3!: Fully overhauled Aircraft Damage modelling and updated Effects - be amazed at the variety and efficacy of the effects.

3) Revised FM to take advantage of improved AI.

4) New WW1 vehicles.

5) Enhanced For P3!: All WW1 ground vehicles complete with damage modelling.

6) NEW For P3!: Increased ground traffic.

7) NEW For P3!: Increased allocation and deployment of Observation balloons, and ground units - high resolution Observation balloons and skins, with crew.

8.) NEW For P3!: Crashed aircraft are now rendered as such - no longer a simple crater decal.

9) Literally 1000's of high resolution skins accurately depicting squadron and ace livery. See and fly with the aces of WW1, in full 32 bit colour.


10) Aircraft List for P3: Note there will be no Heavy bombers in P3 - they will be part of an upgrade pack.

[....PART 2 of this message below....]

[Polovski]

....continued.....

Allied Single seaters:


Bristol F2B (fighter role)
Bristol M1C
Bristol Scout (and variants)
DH2
DH2 Late
Nieuport N11 "Bebe"
Nieuport N16
Nieuport N17
Royal Aircraft Factory Se5a - Hipsano engined
Royal Aircraft Factory Se5a - Viper engined
Sopwith Pup
Sopwith Triplane
Sopwith Camel
Spad VII
Spad XIII


Allied 2 seaters or bombers:

Bristol F2B (bomber/reccy role)
Sopwith 1&1/2 Strutter 2 seater
Sopwith 1&1/2 Strutter single seater fighter/bomber variant
Short
Short (Armed)
Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b
Royal Aircraft Factory RE8
Royal Aircraft Factory BE2C



German Single seaters:

Albatros DII
Albatros DIII early
Albatros DIII
Albatros DV and variants
Albatros DVa and variants
Fokker DR1
Fokker DVII
Fokker DVIIF
Fokker EIII
Halberstadt DII
Pfalz DIIIa


German 2 seaters or bombers:

DFW CV
Hannover CII
Roland CII Walfisch


Possible Craft - still to be confirmed:

Fokker DVI
Fokker DVIII
Fokker EI and EII
Nieuport N24


11) Vehicle and Ground unit list for P3:

Allied:

Whippet Tank
Mark IV Tank
Renault Truck open
Renault Truck closed
Renault Ambulance
Vulcan Truck
Rolls Royce Ambulance
Haycart
Refugee
Marching Troops
Soldier with rifle (Lee-Enfield 303)
Advancing Troops (over no man's land)
Machine Gun Crew
Entrenched Troops with rifles - (Lee-Enfield 303)
Cavalry
18 Pounder Gun
4in Howitzer
Observation Balloon
Revised Trains


German:

A7V Tank
Daimler Truck
Haycart
Refugee
Marching Troops
Soldier with rifle (Mauser)
Advancing Troops (over no man's land)
Machine Gun Crew
Entrenched Troops with rifles - (Mauser)
Cavalry
Guns
Observation Balloon 1
Observation Balloon 2
Revised Trains



CFS3 Engine Dynamics:


* ALL NEW For P3!:


1) Revised parameters to help ensure that the AI fly the craft with correct WW1 settings... including:

1.1) AI Take-offs now perfected – full throttle takeoff runs with reduced rotation speed - AI now take-off using the mission takeoff directive.
1.2) AI dog fighting totally overhauled greatly improved - be amazed at the new AI performance - it really is a fight for your life scenario if you run into skilled enemy AI pilots.
1.3) AI cruising now set to realistic WW1 speeds.
1.4) Player can now warp (optional) when at 60Mph.

2) Resolution of the occasional CFS3 weird 'weightless flight dynamics' of player craft when it is disabled - fixed.

3) Burning craft flying on - fixed.

4) Long range sniping is greatly reduced.

5) Gun Jams built in.

6) Destroyed or Dead planes don't shoot.

7) AI only shoots when they mean it - no shooting for 'sound effects'

8.) Outcomes data ensures that the Wrapper knows exactly where the player landed and resolves captivity criteria.

9) Outcomes data enables player selected, dynamic replay, of the last flown mission in great detail - find out really what happened - did you shoot down that DR1 or was it the allied machine gun crew on the hill? Mission replay lets you know the grisly facts in a Play Pause Continue type environment.

10) 'Enter direct to Mission' from Wrapper - exit direct to Wrapper on mission conclusion.

11) Ongoing optimization of core functions.

12) Further dog fighting improvements

13) Improved maneuvering tactics

14) Improved AI ‘manager’



*********** NOTE WELL *************

OBD software reserves the right to change, add to, or remove any of the above listed features and components

*************************************

[Spetertoi]

Right now I have a gerbel stuck up my butt. I like having furry things up my butt.

[<simon>]

Piss off spetertoi you loser.

Polovski, that sounds fantastic!!