A noobs report: WW1 Arena

[Citabria]

having been away from the game when ww1 set was released this may be old news to most but maybe some would be interested in a fresh viewpoint of someone experiencing the arena for the first time.

I must say I am hooked. the flight envelope between stall/spin and structural failure is so tiny it makes this arena challenging to even experienced MA dweebs like myself. I find these planes even more unforgiving than the likes of limited envelope MA WW2 fighters like the 109k4 and 262.

I stepped into the ww1 arena earlier this week for the first time and proceeded to blow up my engine and rip my wings off with remarkable efficiency while trying to become proficient with this planeset.

I have tried all the planes but have found the only aircraft that is not an easy mark to be the dr1. thus grappling with very limited flight envelope I was not yet up to the skill or proficiency of flying the underdogs I have stuck to the Dr1. I have noted a trend of the few who do fly this arena fly the dr1 more than any other plane to a margin of 3 to 1. It makes the variety of an already limited planeset an exercise in sameplane tactics on almost all fights.

The camel does not exist as anything but a target with blinders on flown only by a few masochists and new players who do not know better.

The D7. reported to be able to dive without structural failure in historical accounts sheds its wings just as fast or faster than the dr1. it can roll the best of them but its turn ability and climb are way below the dr1.

F2b is the only plane in the set that seems to hold its own vs the dr1 but will lose after a few turns in a 1v1 with the dr1.



So who flies what? They fly the dr1 a lot. the best of them fly nothing but the dr1. they can wade into a numerically superior cloud of dr1s, F2bs etc and vaporize them with head shots. Masochists fly the d7 and camel. The payback crowd that thumbs their nose at the dr1 and does not liek flying it retaliate from their rear guns a lot. though a few exceptions can make the f2b defeat lesser dr1 pilots.

plane    K      D       K/D
Dr.I    1580 1130    1.40
D.VII  522   612      0.85
F.2B   402   562      0.71
F.1     302   507     0.59


This planeset should be a turn fighters dream because the structural limitations cause both engine and wing failure if diving for more than a second or two thus prohibiting any form of  BnZ.


So my question is if one plane is so dominant that the other 3 do not get used why not perk the dr1?

wouldnt have to be much... just a few perks to recognize its limited service (300 total?)

and the fact its late war competition that forced it out of service for being slow... the (SPAD) are not in the set.

The only argument I could put against this would be "We like flying the Dr1" we will not fly the other planes.

but they like the dr1 because its the dweeb ride that slays the rest of the set thus if you want an alternative to the dr1 there is none when you are a new player grappling with the flight model barely able to fight mouth breathers that will rape your face in their Dr1 dweeb rides.

add to that the dr1s high instability will send it into a tailslide if you stall it out quite often. its not a new player friendly ride. but flying anything else may be more forgiving but will put you in the tower even faster.

so take it with a grain of salt. one dweebs opinion.

I am currently hooked on the ww1 arena and will keep flying nothing but the dr1 till an alternative presents itself. This may be in the form of my skill inscreasing to the point that I can actually maneuver dr1 vs dr1 with expert dweebs in this set (I can not and must use my superior gunnery to end them before they smash my face), or new planes added or dr1 being a perk ride forcing all these dweebs to branch out into the lesser planes ending the dr1 monopoly.

but all in all thumbs up even with the limited variety I love it!

GJ HTC glad you guys took the time to add this. even with its warts its a gem.

[Yeager]

It is GREAT at first!  But unless you have fabric covered kites ingrained in your genetic code the novelty wears off after a few months.  HTC really, REALLY, needs to develope this thing more.  SE5a and Albatross would be an immidiate boost of excitement for more than just myself (hint, HINT) 

Looking forward, hopefully 

[Citabria]

well it's a one dimensional fight. there is no BNZ viable tactics which is what separates it so dramatically from the ww2 arena and alienates so much of the player base in my opinion. Your wings will literally be ripped off if you try it. Turn and maneuver at stall speed or die for the most part is all thats available. There are a few who have found the small layer of wiggle room to bounce and make much use of very limited traditional sense e fighting. but overall its TnB nirvanna.

it makes you wonder about the furball TnB crowd who so vocally despise the BnZ guys that they do not flock to the ww1 arena.

you can start with an alt advantage of a few hundred feet at most but anything more and if you try to dive on your opponent even with the engine off you will be a wingless lawn dart in seconds.

[Yeager]

if you see AKRaven in there have him school you while he is in a D7.  Does unbelievable ZB and TF with that thing.  Even in the willey DR1, unless you get lucky and can buy a clue, he will still school anyone.

Yeah, it can be a TONNE of fun with the right attitude (kill me) ....I might need to pop back in there one of these days.

[phatzo]

I go in for a few hours before FSO, that way no matter how crappy a hand I get dealt it feels like a good ride.

[FLS]

If you fly a loop in the Dr1 or Camel you'll see where the DVII or F2B has an opportunity to exploit the gyroscopic precession of the rotary engines.

[bj229r]

Annoys me to no end that the Camel introduced here is no more than a target drone

[Anaxogoras]

So my question is if one plane is so dominant that the other 3 do not get used why not perk the dr1?

I would rather see it reduced to a more reasonable airspeed, and then decide on whether it gets perked.

Data for WW1 aircraft is frequently incomplete, but the 115mph TAS that the AH Dr1 does is dubious, especially if it's supposed to have a 110hp Oberusal.

[Chalenge]

I dont think there was an Oberursel ever made that could get 110 hp after the first hour of use either.

It sure would be nice to have a blip switch! 

[Anaxogoras]

That's right.  The same article explains that the Oberusal was inferior to the Le Rhone.

As for the wings ripping off issue, that's very strange.  Is it an artifact of overly sensitive joystick inputs?

[R 105]

 I been saying the DR.1 is to fast in AH WWI arena. The D.VII air speed particularly in a dive should let you get some separation from the DR.1s and make it more of a competitor. As is is now you fly the DR.1 or one of the three target drones in the game.

[pervert]

I still cannot understand the guys who have been playing the WW1 for a long time and their instance on flying the DR1 as their main ride. It must be very discouraging for new guys to the arena to have the 'top sticks' from the WW1 come along and whack them in their uber ride!

[B4Buster]

I've felt that the WW1 arena is driven by score. A lot of these guys who are jockeying for a spot on the home page fly in the hordes as to protect their K/D. While the attitude in the arena is nice (no ego's) a lot of the regular score goers aren't willing to switch sides and even out the fight.

[B4Buster]

Whoops! I wanted to add that the Dr.1 is a tool that makes achieving #1 easier, and why it is so popular.

[Anaxogoras]

I been saying the DR.1 is to fast in AH WWI arena. The D.VII air speed particularly in a dive should let you get some separation from the DR.1s and make it more of a competitor. As is is now you fly the DR.1 or one of the three target drones in the game.

The Camel is faster than the data from production models, too, but the Dr.1 is a worse offender.  At altitude (~10k ft and above) the Camel enjoyed a ~10mph TAS advantage over the Dr1.