Well, I've gone and downloaded the game...

Today in WW1:

"After a little frustration, I found the FAQ that explains why the game wouldn't work with my 1600x900 resolution, and I got that fixed.
Login offline, start a quick mission...flop around in the sky, crash. View does not recenter automatically, like in WW2OL. No idea how to fix this.
Try again, less flopping, manage to lure my opponent into crashing behind me. Then crash because can't stop staring at (apparently) the inside left part of the cockpit.
Try again, figured out that NumPad 5 centers the view, Hooray! Shot in the head whilst celebrating. Crash.
Try again, watching for enemy now, much flopping around finally get him in my sights and....guns do not work. Spacebar and joystick trigger...nothing. Crash into building whilst trying to read the Options menu.
Try again, having mapped 'fire all guns' to joystick trigger. Immediately crash headon into enemy plane and die.
Try again, flop around in the sky trying to get guns on enemy, crash into tree.
Try again, execute a split S, line up on enemy plane from above, wait til he fills gunsight and squeeze trigger. Nothing. Pound on trigger and spacebar, crash into field whilst raging.
Study mission set up screen. Ah...you must load ammo, it seems. I select the maximum number of bullets and start mission.
Swooping and diving, wings come off plane, I crash.
Try again, less swooping and diving, get shot in the head again.
Try again, more swooping, less diving, get enemy in my sights and squeeze trigger...nothing happens. Enemy gets behind me and I deny him the victory by diving into the ground.

Read small part of the manual relating to guns.

Ah...must 'charge the guns' with R key before you can fire them.

Try again, shot in head on first pass.
Try again, swoop and flop, eventually get awkward shot at enemy from below and to one side. ratatatatatatatatataatatata-jam. Hmmm. R key to unjam seems to work, but I am shot in the head whilst clearing my guns.

Time for a break, while the graphics are lovely, I clearly need a tutorial mission or something to help me set up my controls and camera views. Off I go to 19RAF to see if they have any tips...."

lol. welcome to the front!

I've got a couple of plane codes I can send you if you like - we try and favour the SE5 and the Dolphin as our RFC rides, although online you are usually restricted by the timescale and/or server to Spads or Camels or whatever.

Well I have no rudder pedals anymore, so I suspect I'm going to be maneuvering even more poorly than I usually do....are plane codes the things that 'unlock' aircraft for flying? Or something else?

At the moment, I have the free download version installed - I had to be sure the game would actually run on my computer before I would even consider trying to pay for it. I used to fly the Camel and the Neuport in Dawn of Aces, and really enjoyed the different pace of flight there, compared to the WW2 fighters in Warbirds, but there wasn't much to do in that game (if you remember it). Flying in any sim is fun to me, but air combat in any sim the hardest thing in the gaming universe, for me. I may buy the full version of the game (depending on what that gets me vs the free 2 play version). I really like the ragwings, and haven't seen a good sim for them in years. I dunno if I can get my TrackIR to work, I have the hardware it seems, but no idea where the manual or software went, so I have to research that again (it seems that RoF requires it, and WW2OL requires it if you want to survive, lol.)

I still have my old Saitek X52 joystick/throttle combo, and I blew the dust off of it this morning. I have been sorting out all the buttons on it again, and seeing what is available (to map keys to). When I reinstalled the new version of WW2OL last night, I hadn't thought to back up any config files I might have had, so I am starting from scratch.

Going to have The Talk with the missus when she gets home, about whether or not I'll be returning to WW2OL, and if so, in what fashion. Basically, if I come back, I have to drop the other stuff - cost/time commitment requires one or the other. Trying to do too many things leads to trouble, as I have learned. I suspect I am going to make a lot of people unhappy, no matter what I do.

aye the free download comes with the Spad 13 and the Albatross. You need to buy codes to unlock any other aircraft, they are currently $7.62 per aircraft.

Which planes do you get if you purchase the full version?

Acroyer I think your first experience of RoF is fairly typical. I suspect the learning curve is steeper than WWIIOnline. I cant hit a barn door and get shot in the head after about 3 seconds of an engagement. Fly with MJ and Hinkel if you get chance they seem to have gotten the hang of it.

I think there are different versions of RoF with different numbers of planes. You can see them on Amazon. None have cds they are just basically keys in a box. You then add the keys to your free to play version and it unlocks more planes. You only need to buy planes you want to fly. You will still see all the available planes when in game. I, ve just bought a couple from each time period that 19RAF tend to fly in.

The planes in RoF are opposite to those in WWIIOnline. In RoF the Axis planes are the better turners for the most part and the Allied are best used as boom n zoomers.

Im not sure if theres a regular RoF night. MJ will sometimes post saying he'll be on and and whoever fancies it joins him. We also use the WWIIOnline TS server. Hope to see you soon in RoF or WWIIOnline soon !