Phase 3: Official Combat Reports from The Front

A "real feel" thing

Hi, OvS; reads like a realistic feeling, when weather changes during flight; and you see other flights underway nearby. I like that bit, where your escort checked, but didn't attack by all means. Sounds like a lot of variety ingame - not these typical repeating patterns of most old games. When you say: "We were sent to bomb a Krumpet drome, with NO opposition" - did you know at start, there was no opposition to expect ? Or does P3 keep that a secret (as I hope it would)." Thanks again for your good insight reports, and keep them coming. Olham
 
Great report, OvS!

You mentioned in one of your earlier reports about noting the location of a kill for your subsequent report. I am interested in how that all works. How detailed do you need to be in such reports? Is there a standard vocabulary that you need to use? What kinds of information are they looking for?

This brings me to another question. Will there be a digital manual with the game that explains these kinds of mechanics?

Thanks in advance for addressing these questions.
 
You never know what is going to happen. P3 is totally unpredictable. I think the flights where nothing happens are just as immersive as those full of action. The dynamic weather really adds to the realism. I had a flight with a small group of DVII's to patrol the front and we were warned by the met officer of impending rain. It was a dark and gloomy day with heavy clouds. We finished the patrol not seeing another plane and just as I was approaching the airfield to land it started pouring rain.
The mission I am going to share however was not one of those quiet missions, and I was going to do another squadron or Jasta since I have shared missions from Jasta 2 but I can't pass this one up.
As I cycle through the planes I am testing I have noticed that my Jasta 2 Fok DR1 pilot is having a particularly long life compared to the rest. 11 confirmed kills out of 16 claims. Most don't last for more than 2 or 3 missions.
There are some cancelled flights due to weather, then it is snowing. I take off and land. No weather to be flying in. The next day the storm has moved on, it is grey and there are patches of snow from the storm. (very cool) The mission is to attack troops that are building at the front for an assault. They send 4 of us off for the task. Things must be getting tough. The countryside with the patches of snow is very real looking and I am enjoying just sight seeing over the wintry landscape. We near the front and there is a brutal barrage going on on our side. The Tommy's must be getting ready to go over the top and we swing wide around the bombardment to get at the infantry positions and the next thing we know we are in a storm of Camels. 10 Camels have dropped down on us and we are in a fight for our lives. I am all over the place I get on one and land some hits and when he darts away I immediately pull up and go for the one that was one my tail not waiting to see if I sent the last one into the mud. I am holding my own and causing some damage. There are plenty of targets around. I get a glimpse of the mele going on over the barrage and I see 2 aircraft trailing smoke. I have a bad feeling they are most likely my squadron mates and I will soon be the only target around for everyones entertainment. I try a running fight for our lines and damage several more camels with bits flying off and trails of smoke. As long as I don't stay on one for too long I have a chance but my plane is starting to take some punishing hits. I feel they have all joined the chase now. I finally go into the ground and my pilot is captured. I start over with a new Jasta 2 pilot. What a way to go. The greatest significance of this fight was that I survived as long as I did and did some damage while I was at it. When I started testing I would not have lasted 20 seconds in this fight. It made me realize that you actually have a chance to survive in this game with a little bit of experience, getting familiar with how the different planes handle, and developing your marksmanship. That was a great action packed mission.
 
The key to the claims report is remembering your wingmans or one of your other squad mates names to have a chance of getting a confirmed kill. You maust have a witness. It also helps to know what kind of plane you shot down. You can say, "shot down plane" in the report or you can get elaborate and write about the mission in more detail. Once you find yourself starting to get immersed in the experience you will find it is interesting to read back over your reports from some of the missions.
Another game pointer for trying preserve a pilot. If you are in the middle of a mission and totally engrossed in experiencing air combat in the Great War and some urgent call brings you back to present day and you stop your mission to deal with the interruption, if your pilot was flying over the wrong side of the line you will discover that he has been captured and his career is over.
 
CaptainScott said:
Great report, OvS!

You mentioned in one of your earlier reports about noting the location of a kill for your subsequent report. I am interested in how that all works. How detailed do you need to be in such reports? Is there a standard vocabulary that you need to use? What kinds of information are they looking for?

This brings me to another question. Will there be a digital manual with the game that explains these kinds of mechanics?

Thanks in advance for addressing these questions.
Click to expand...

No, there is no format specific verbiage. You can be as detailed or as bland as you want. What you need to know, as Makai pointed out, is at least 1 flight members name that was with you. With that info, you have a better chance at getting a confirmed kill. Again, a chance. No kill is definite until you get the response that it's confirmed. When you fill out the claim form, it's easy. Select the craft you shot down, if you're not sure, just leave it as enemy plane, then fill out the witness name, and add your own deatils of the kill.

I like to add the type, any color markings, the place it went down, if indeed it crashed, or landed. And what the closest marker was, whether it's a city, or a farm, or whatever. When I go back over my logs, it's more fun to read. Plus with our close attention to deatil when we made our skins, you can research who you may have been fighting aginst. It simply adds to the realism... as if there isn't enough already. :)

OvS

PS... yes, I think we are working on a digital manual. :)
 
Ah, yes, Stachel. You above all should know that unconfirmed by Army means unconfirmed!

Thanks to both Makai and OvS for responding to my questions. I am drooling over getting my hands on P3!
 
ovs said:
For the first time in any WWI sim, I've ever flown, I actually felt like I was being hunted
Click to expand...

Funny I had this exact feeling in a campaign mission yesterday whilst testing the Se5a Viper. 5 in my flight met head on with 7 DVII's from J18 over enemy lines.

Red and white merged with the dark Vipers. 17 seconds later I see one Se5 pumping out smoke with a DVII on his tail. I look behind and see 3 DVII's turning in to me coming around. I evade and manage to get a few wild shots at a passing DVII.

A few more seconds pass I see another wingman taking damage and he's already low, so my first bad move is I dive to help him. I get down there and fire at a few 100 yards to try to distract the German, too late. The Se5 is already going down and I fly through the crash smoke.

Twisting my neck to check my tail I see two trails of white and black smoke one an Se5 and one a DVII (thank goodness). Another DVII flashes past, but the Viper is already heading for the middle of an airfield nose down in an arc of smoke.

I turn again and see more smoke - yes another Se5a Viper being hit, then looking to the front again I see what seems to be a dust cloud very close- is it flak? No it's another Se5 heading directly for me taking hits and spewing smoke as he flashes over my right shoulder smoking, the DVII flashes by too, following very close behind him firing. As I look over my shoulder to see my fellow squad member's fate again I see the Se5 suddenly sharp spin and spiral in and crash, as I look up to the front another DVII flashes close over head.

Turning my craft around to avoid being a target I see black smoke and fire directed down to the ground - an Se5 flames licking around the cowl hits the ground and his killer flashes close by me.

Here I am 1 minute 44 seconds since the merge, and already I am alone.

That feeling James had, I have right then. If they took out four so quickly what's stopping me being next, it is inevitable and they are hunting me.
Just for a moment I have taste, a small taste of how most pilots back then must have felt at one time or other. I am not invincible, or untouchable, I am part of the war statistics right here and now and nothing I can do will stop it.

The only saving grace is my Viper is fast, so thinking fast I remember to play to my craft's strengths. Sure enough mistake number two ;). At this the moment I break for home heading towards a distant DVII thinking I can fire as I pass him then go straight on for home. I should have played for one more turn to catch my break rather than just heading out immediately.

Before I close on him tracers flash past my head, then the engine is hit and I see the DVII on my tail. Nevertheless I look forward and fire as the previously distant DVII becomes very very close. Looking back now I see my Se5 is pouring white smoke and leaving a nice marker for all the Germans behind me and the once easy controls are poor and sluggish.

I have no option but to land; a crash landing, and I am captured. And I am in a way lucky, to escape what seemed certain death.

You are no longer in control...
 
That was a fantastic report Pol. Wow. I don't have words...

Looks and sounds amazing, and frightening all at the same time. I cannot wait to fly P3 for myself! Cheers fellas. Keep the reports coming! I'm itching to get to the front! :d
 
Wow Pol, that one shot of you and the D.VII going at eachother looks like iminent death right then and there. Amazing:jawdrop:
-Rooster
 
Another pilot bites the dust.

17 hours seems a LOT longer to reach in Phase 3, especially if you like 2-seaters.

On this mission with FA 3 Lb, we were assigned to recce some enemy troops positions over the front. I had a choice of 3 different missions, and the first seemed too long for me, but 2 had escorts, 1 did not... the shorter one, which I chose. Big mistake!

Everything is good, we get off, form up and a quick hop to the front. I see the target coming up and hop into the back seat to observe. All is quiet. Down over to the left, I see a scrap going on. Some Jasta 4 Pfalz's are having a go at a squadron of RNAS-10 Camels. No biggie, they're too low for me.

Well, they brought some friends, up high.... higher than me. I watch them for a little while, trying to get in position to defend, I'm close enough to run back to the lines. But it's too late. They charge at us really hard from above.

They came at us from the front and whipped by the left side as I got some wasteful snaps off from the Parabellum. Useless... a waste of ammo.

Four of them turned towards us while the other 3 headed low for the Pfalz melee.

Not long now... I try and defend, but there are bullets all around me. They're pouring lead at me like a free-flowing river!! I watch in horror as one of my wingies burst into flames and heads for the ground... will that be me? Hell no!!!

I take control of the plane and nose dive for the ground just trying to build-up speed. I can't get away. I'm crippled, and going in.

I find a spot to land, but this *** is relentless. My observer is dead... now it's me. I try to land, but she flips and I crash. Dead.

Lesson learned... NEVER FLY A RECCE MISSION IN PHASE 3 WITHOUT AN ESCORT!!!

OvS

PS... that extra DFW is another squadron, I just thought you'd like to see Makai's awesome lozenge job!!
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Wow Pol! That was great. Those Jasta 18 Ravens were brutal. This gives all a great sense to imagine the moving action that goes with all the reports from the front we have been posting.
Here is another one with the 94th Aero SPADs in the Verdun region.
Three of us start out on an early morning mission to attack an observation balloon that is directing fire on Allied troops.
It is a clear September day. The Verdun landscape is quite a bit different from the flat fields of Flanders I have been flying over in most of my test missions. The first thing that occurs to me is that there are going to be a lot less places to find to set down a crippled plane if you get into trouble.
As we cross the line and approach the offending gasbag we run into a group of DR1's from Jasta 36. My two wingmen take them on as I press on for the target. I am pouring a lot of lead into the balloon and it continues to grow in size as I get closer and closer. I know I may not have a second chance with those triplanes around and I keep firing until I am about to fly right into it. Just as I start to pull up it goes off in my face.
I shoot through the fireball a little singed but intact and turn for our lines. I don't see any furballs around anywhere but there are two specks coming at me. They are 2 of the Dr1's and one flashes by me at close range. I have used up a good bit of ammo on the bag and I am well over the wrong side of the line and now is not the time to get drawn into a turning fight with 2 DR1's. I put the SPADs nose down and head for home. Good old SPAD. The 2 DR1's quickly become specks, and behind them a smoke plume from a downed balloon.
Our side of the lines are a welcome sight as I cross no mans land.
The balloons are much more difficult to kill now, much more like they actually were. No more blowing up a balloon from half a mile away with a few shots.
 
Ah, finally some American reporting!

Great reports guys, keep them coming!
 
Here are 2 missions that I feel are a classic demonstration of how complex, unpredictable, and intense OFF Phase 3 can be. I will break them up so they don't get too lengthy as one post but I think it is important to describe both of them.
This one is with 9 RNAS flying the Camel.

The First mission was to escort a couple of Strutters on a recon patrol over the line. There were 4 Camels. As soon as we crossed the line we attracted the attention of a flight of 3 DR1's and an Albatros from MVR's Jasta 11 Flying Circus. One of the DR1's is above the formation and I see that it is Jasta 11 ace Eberhardt Mohnicke. My squad mates are mixing it up with the main group and I am in a heck of a fight with the blue and red ace. If you are going to have it out with a DR1 Jasta 11 ace, the Camel is the plane to do it in. We are all over the sky and he is putting up a hell of a fight until I obviously hit something vital. This is another unique and immersive feature of P-3. You will know when your opponent is out of the fight. I watch him spiral down, not a death spiral but wide turns with a thin trail of smoke as I am looking down I see another plane going down on fire and crashing. I hope that wasn't one of mine. I wait to see if Mohnicke crashes and no sooner does he go in on a crash landing than I am being torn apart by one of the other DR1's. I got so caught up in fighting the ace that I have neglected to pay heed to one of my own rules of survival. As soon as an opponent is out of the fight break away and check your six. His attack is relentless and I loose controls and it is all I can do to keep the plane flying let alone fight. I crash land and am captured, but this time my pilot escapes after 20 days. This is rare, and I am elated because this pilot was just starting to accumulate some time and credited kills. He even gets a medal when he returns. You feel this is a big deal, not because he got a medal, but because he has lasted long enough to earn it. Mission #2 coming up.
 
This mission is the main reason I wanted to post these 2 missions. This was one of those missions that makes you wonder "what is going to happen this time" everytime you take off.

9 RNAS is taking off again with 4 Camels. We are sent across the line to attack an enemy airfield. It is lousy weather again and rains on and off at first then just rains until the end of the mission. When we get to the target there is already a lot of activity. There are a number of Nieuports from Esc 79, there are 3 Re8's circling overhead and a bunch of Pfalz's and Albatros from Jasta 35. We dive in and join the fray. I see a Pfalz flying across the airfield and dive on him. A Nieuport flashes by him in the opposite direction barely avoiding a collision. The Pfalz must have been distracted as he flew in a straight line long enough that I got in some good hits before he turned back towards the airfield. He suddenly slows and pulls up and I throttle all the way back to slow down and keep him in my sights and not overshoot him and just as he wings over and crashes my engine quits. I panic. I am in the middle of the enemy airfield drawing ground fire from all around and my engine quits. I put the nose down and hit the start switch and the Camel roars back to life. I am back in the fight. This sim is giving me gray hairs. Another Pfalz is coming around and I cut around behind him. My hits are starting a thin trail of smoke when I see tracers passing me from behind and my right wings take some hits. I am suprised as I didn't see any other EA around when I jumped on the Pfalz. I pull up sharply to the left hoping to throw off my attacker and watch as a Nieuport flashes by. He was so eager to get the Pfalz that he nearly shot me down. I pull up and away and look back and the Nieuport has abandoned the Pfalz and has a Jasta 35 Albatros hot on his tail and his engine is smoking. The little devil on one shoulder say "Let him take a few little hits" The little angel on the other shoulder says "he is a comrad in arms and it is my duty to help him out. I go after the Albatros and as soon as he starts taking hits he abandons the Nieuport. I do enough damage that he is leaving the fight and so am I as I am out of ammo.
The fight seems to have broken up and scattered and our whole flight forms up and heads for home. All are accounted for. We get close to the front. The weather is gray and rainy and you can't see the dirty brown swath that is no mans land, but we can see the flashes in the gray darkness from the bombardment that is in progress. I am just enjoying the fact that my Camel pilot has survived another wild mission when my engine dies again. What now? Can you believe it. I have run out of petrol. I hope I can glide across the line and try to stretch it out. My squadron mates circle around me as I slowly lose altitude. I am not going to make it and have to put the camel down in a field and roll up to a bombed out farmhouse. My pilot is promptly captured and spends the rest of the war in a POW camp this time.
One of the features I am seeing more and more is the mix of types of aircraft flying with the Jasta's as they actually did.
 
A great narrative and pictures, Makai. I am new to the forum and expecting my Phase 2 in a couple of days and look forward to Phase 3 coming out. I look forward to your posts as well as those of others along with the movies that show us what we can expect. Thank you. "Ras"
 
:costumes:Looks like a lot of our pilots are going to be spending a good amount of time behind bars in the near future.

ZZ.

Ps. Perhaps a hacksaw blade sewn in a boot will help.
 
As long as all we're going to get for the foreseeable future is reports from the beta testers, any chance of seeing some earlier war stuff. Eindeckers and N.11s etc.

Scott Dean
 
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