Author Topic: Warbirds? (Read 810 times)

Bcnu · « **Reply #15 on:** June 25, 2003, 01:52:35 PM »

I dunno, I signed up with WB in 1995, how am I supposed to know what the procedure is now?

OK, I went and looked; apparently you punch in some info and you get two weeks free. If the billing thing screws up after and charges you (apparently this is common) don't panic but just drop emails. Or panic if you want.

Download is free just like AH (ok not quite just like AH, it's 197Mb rather than 34.2Mb, bring your broadband), and you can fly offline missions against AI if you like.

Also they removed the exploding truck after many people (myself included) yelled at them; it now carries troops. Sorry to spoil your fun.

Saurdaukar · « **Reply #16 on:** June 25, 2003, 02:06:39 PM »

I signed up for Warbirds a long time ago (post AW - pre AH).

They billed me for 3 accounts for 4 months before I finally got my credit card company to step in. They didnt even respond to Emails I sent threatening to report them to the BBB.

Im sure it was a fine game while it lasted, but the game is dead. They arent getting any of my money.

WBs is lesson on how NOT to run a company.

dracon · « **Reply #17 on:** June 25, 2003, 02:31:27 PM »

BCNU, Hiya good to Cya

Online at IEN, look under WarBirds III: http://www.totalsims.com/?page=online

As for the atmosphere you may want to read Targets post on this forum:
http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83993
To me, Jello sums up the liquidy feeling I get in WB vs AH. AH can infact be "flicky". I choose to fly without Combat Trim and AOA limiter. I had to adjust my stick in total when I got here, including Dampening and Dead Zone. I try to closely simmulate the "Real Plane" controls and not spin uncontrollably with the slightest agressive stick movement. I am not a RL pilot so I have only a few expierences to draw on. I am sure I am in error to some degree.

Aces High Combat Terrain Arena has Historical Maps and correct Plane vs Plane setups. I like to fly in there.

I am not now nor will I ever be a disgruntled WBs player. I cut my teeth there. I just got tired of waiting for unfullfilled promises and low numbers. I got totally sick of the micro-warps/connects. If WarBirds ever becomes more satisfying to me then Aces High, I'm back there in a heart beat.

Any interested Virtual pilot should try it out. Nothing to lose...It's Free!!
Dracon

llama · « **Reply #18 on:** June 25, 2003, 06:15:53 PM »

Well I for one, thought WB was (or is) going down the tubes, which is one of the reasons why I, and the other members of the WB Players Con Committee (2001 Dayton, 2002 Pensacola) got out.

Its hard to put so much of your own energy and money into somethig that you don't think can generate enough players to attend.

I think the nightly player count speaks for itself. WB is lucky to get 40 players online on a weeknight and 100 on a weekend in the main arena. Last night at 9pm Pacific time, there were 375 in the Ah main arena.

That's more than enough reason for me to switch.

-Llama

brendo · « **Reply #19 on:** June 25, 2003, 06:44:32 PM »

Gday Llama

nopoop · « **Reply #20 on:** June 25, 2003, 07:32:22 PM »

Kek ya bassstage !!!

I don't "need" to post here.

I "need" to post there when I see guys that I've flown with there candles burning out. And thinking they've grown out of the passion.

That's what I ( capital I ) thought. And that isn't true in the majority of cases.

There ARE choices. And when the passion came back...

I have to share. When I see guys spending they're time playing racing games. That's sad.

You enjoy what I enjoy in flying a few. Being a trainer keeps you hooked in, knowing lots of people. If you weren't training ?? Who knows...

You might just put your butt in a Nikky.

Although it IS a "bit" much.

But they're fun to kill.

Reschke · « **Reply #21 on:** June 25, 2003, 07:33:28 PM »

Yep I agree Llama that is why I did not continue my subsciption a month or two ago. Even though I liked the way the terrain looked and even the way the planes looked. It was an exercise in futility trying to find anyone to fight outside of the white cliffs of dover area.

Reschke · « **Reply #22 on:** June 25, 2003, 07:37:51 PM »

Warbirds numbers at 7:35 p.m. Central US Time Wednesday night

Link to the number pages at Total Sims

PLAY NOW!
Arena Players
Armored Assault
Armored Assault 0
0 player

Dawn of Aces
Main Arena 2
Training Arena 0
World War I Arena 0
2 players

WarBirds II
Fighter Ops 11
Practice & Dueling 5
Special Event 0
Training 0
16 players

WarBirds III
World War 2 52
Fighter Ops Air Combat 9
Special Events 2
Historical 1
Practice & Dueling 1
Training 1
Fighter Pilot Academy Arena 0
New Technology 0

66 players

zroostr · « **Reply #23 on:** June 25, 2003, 08:28:21 PM »

Well I'll just mess around with it offline then.

And it's warbirds III if that means anything to the folks who say I got an old version. It was on a disc with real war cuz I bought it as a bundle pack.

dracon · « **Reply #24 on:** June 25, 2003, 11:21:59 PM »

Go Here to Update WBsIII to the latest version:
http://www.totalsims.com/index.php?page=downloads

Regards,
Dracon

zroostr · « **Reply #25 on:** June 25, 2003, 11:40:54 PM »

Griego · « **Reply #26 on:** June 26, 2003, 12:22:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Kekule
Wow, this post is missing nopoop, lazs and ripsnort!

WB has a historical slant, AH has a balanced, free for all slant. To each his own.

WB could very well disappear soon, as in weeks or months. (or not) Of course, the death of WB has been predicted for the good part of a decade.

AH will disappear eventually as well.

WB has a decent IJ planeset with a suspect damage model.

AH has no Ki-43 or Ki-84. (Not a problem for most John Wayne types though.)

WB has buggy, historical maps that cause problems for many people.

AH has non-historical maps designed for playability that many people severly dislike.

WB has lame-prettythang president for the company who couldn't sell 1/2 price gasoline to SUV owners.

AH has an owner who sold his original game to the same lame-prettythang as above.

Both games are not updated frequently enough.

In conclusion: Both games suck in their own special ways. Pick which one you think sucks less or wait (and wait, and wait, and wait) for TR.

zrooster, if you have an exploding suicide truck, then you definitely have an old version of WB. The new, full version is almost 200 megs so I hope you have a fast connection. AH download is much, much smaller, don't know exactly but I'm guessing 30 or 40 megs.

Then again, if you dig the suicide truck, then maybe combat trim and AoA limiting is right for you.

Kekule
WB: 18th Sentai

LOL sounds about right

Griego · « **Reply #27 on:** June 26, 2003, 12:31:53 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Bcnu
WB often posts primetime numbers of 100-120, with peaks of 200-250 for the S3 events. If I may be so bold, some ex-WBers have perhaps maintained some inaccuracies about WB.

My own thought is that AH and WB are so close in flight modeling it's spooky. Some time back (WB: 3.02r2, AH: 1.10p4) I did a comparison between the 'big 3' online sims with regard to their BoB-era planes. There are some very minor differences, but with 5 minutes to get used to different control keys a AH pilot could fly well in WB or vice versa (monumental virtual pilot egos aside).

There are FM reviews going on right now, but not by committee; to the best of my knowledge it's Iddons and a test team doing the work. They're using core sources just like Dale and Doug would, not waving magical nerf bats.

The real differences are stylistic; WB has a rolling plane set and Axis/Allies split; AH doesn't. One or the other may be your preference. WB has a control inertia and AH doesn't; you could call one 'jello' or the other 'flicky' if you want (I think both are right given what they intend to accomplish).

Still, I don't see anything in Reschke's post that I would disagree with. After all, it was due to Stealey's glorious management style that two of iCi's founders ended up creating new simulations...

Don't know about the numbers in WBIII but the graphics are heck of alot better than that of AH thats for sure. Just flying the b17 is worth the download.

As far as all the rest I agree with the above post.

by the way I don't play either any more.

Been Playing FB Offline. It's pretty much all i need right now anyways.

Some of the new screenshots of the terrian is looking pretty good in WBIII. I may d/L the 196mb monster soon and try it out again. Also waiting for AH2 to come out.

wrag · « **Reply #28 on:** June 26, 2003, 01:17:02 AM »

Hmmmm...

Flew in WB for a very long time now....

My thoughts RE WB =

the board of directors got rid of the people ( at least twice so far, perhaps they cost them to much ) that knew how to run the software properly and now has individuals that don't fully understand the current system... (I'm a retired programmer/analyst - application designer)

leading to the sad fact all merlin engined aircraft are now 10 hp under powered!? Along with some other interesting flight model/damage model fubar's!!!!!

Super eye candy that drives all low end computers right outa the sim (frames around 5 to 9 fps) due to extremely low fps/rubber bullet syndrome (your shooting isn't seen by the server and does nothing or very little to the con)!!!! (and according to one of the major people at IEN if you can't hang with the graphics TUFF! your outa here!).

Continual crashs to deaktop that seem to occur when you roll left and look down?!? (reported but no response and no fix so far!!!???)

The P40's (after 3 years!!!!!!!) still use the P51B cockpit for flight! and the frames are so big, and your view position is fixed (not like AH where you can move the pilots head and lock it where you want the view to be) You can't see much of anything! And the F6F, actually all navy planes, really suck too!

The 109's (except the K models, which has no bullet proof glass but uses steel plate, go figure!) have a doggies head out the window view when looking to the 7 oclock position. Several flight models and dammage models are very suspect!!!!

Buffing is quite different as well.

No actual strat to speak of (jabo all you want nme fuel remains 100% ord same etc.), no rearming and continuing your sortie, no orgainized missions to join and accept.....

I could go on but why????? I'm finally here and finding I like it!!!

I've reduced my account to minimum (Hey I've been flying with a GREAT squad and really like all the people in it! soooo.... ) but will soon, more then likely, cancel my subscription to WB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (someone very tired of broken promises and smoke blowing up his prettythang, or --> don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining!!!!!!!!)

Karnak · « **Reply #29 on:** June 26, 2003, 02:58:07 AM »

WB has a historical slant, AH has a balanced, free for all slant. To each his own.

The Aces High Combat Theatre (which is just about as populated as the WBIII MA) renders this rather moot.

WB could very well disappear soon, as in weeks or months. (or not) Of course, the death of WB has been predicted for the good part of a decade.

AH will disappear eventually as well.

True, but AH's demise is not apparently imminent, though who knows if something were to happen to HiTech.

WB has a decent IJ planeset with a suspect damage model.

AH has no Ki-43 or Ki-84. (Not a problem for most John Wayne types though.)

True to a degree. Aces High does have the N1K2-J and a cannon armed Ki-61-I (two Ho-5 20mm cannon and two Ho-103 12.7mm machine guns). Aces High also has the Ki-67 bomber. It does need the Ki-43-II-Otsu and Ki-84-I-Ko badly though.

WB has buggy, historical maps that cause problems for many people.

AH has non-historical maps designed for playability that many people severly dislike.

Once again the CT resolves this. Take a look at the North Africa, Finland-Russia, Slot and Okinawa maps.

WB has lame-prettythang president for the company who couldn't sell 1/2 price gasoline to SUV owners.

AH has an owner who sold his original game to the same lame-prettythang as above.

True, but he learned from it.

Both games are not updated frequently enough.

Maybe, but I feel that for seven people HTC is doing pretty well by me. How many people are on the WBIII staff now? If it is as small they might be doing OK too, I don't know though as I've stopped tracking WBIII's progress.

In conclusion: Both games suck in their own special ways. Pick which one you think sucks less or wait (and wait, and wait, and wait) for TR.

To a degree, but not nearly so balanced as you make it out to be.

Further WBIII has the unforgivably sloppy flight model in regards to rolls. AH's rolls (at least for the Spitfire) have been stated by a Spitfire pilot as feeling loose and worn out.