• Please make sure you are familiar with the forum rules. You can find them here: https://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/index.php?threads/forum-rules.2334636/

Rise of Flight vs Over Flanders Fields (CFS3 TC)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
SiC-Disaster

SiC-Disaster

Grizzled Veteran
Dec 16, 2005
4,889
679
36
Netherlands
www.tangodown.nl
#1
So, i was looking at getting into a flightsim since i now own a TrackIR, and i would like most to make it a WW1 game since this part of history interests me a lot.
After a bit of research, i came up with two titles that hold potential, one of them being Rise of Flight as a stand alone game (which is actually on sale now at 50% off over at gamersgate.com) and a total conversion for Combat Flight Simulator 3 called Over Flanders Fields - between Heaven and Hell.

However, i'm slightly drawn towards OFF more, considering it has a dynamic war campaign, and i also understand it has infantry (some of them even target the plane if you fly too low, apparently) etc.
Looking at ROF, it seems that, except for some battlefields filled with craters, there is very little to see on the ground and purely revolves around the air combat. While i also would like to see some actual soldiers every now and then, to complete the scene as it were.

Is there anybody who can give some good advice on these games?
 
#2
This is a tough one, but it all comes down to what you're really looking for. Rise of Flight is 25x more of a flight simulator than Over Flanders Fields. Every aircraft, including the ones available for purchase (I have all of them except the recent Handley Page), are done with amazing detail and each have their own flight model. The physics are really nice too, allowing for wings, wheels, and other parts to be shot or ripped off. If you want to experience the closest thing to flying World War I aircraft, then Rise of Flight beats Over Flanders Fields in that regard. The aircraft in Over Flanders Fields may not be as detailed or accurate, but they still look good. There are a ton of squadrons to choose from for the dynamic campaign, and each one has their individual markings and schemes.

But if you want to experience surviving World War I from the aerial perspective, then Rise of Flight falls short. Over Flanders Fields downright beats Rise of Flight in terms of the atmosphere. The first moment I flew over the front on a reconaissance mission in my fragile Bristol Scout, I seriously said aloud, "Oh my god." The sound of the artillery was very intimidating and at a somewhat high altitude the flak was a cause for concern. The front is very alive, and the dynamic campaign represents the various offensives that occurred during the war. There are infantry that shoot at you, but they don't really move around and stuff. It doesn't really matter though since you usually don't want to fly that low anyways. In regards to the flight models and physics, Over Flanders Fields has really transformed Combat Flight Simulator 3. It's not arcade, flying can be pretty difficult, but it's not as accurate as Rise of Flight.

Even though Rise of Flight will be introducing a dynamic campaign mode in their next update, I don't think it has the assets yet to provide one as immersive and complete as Over Flanders Fields. There are ground vehicles and flak guns in Rise of Flight, but the world still feels empty and even peaceful at times. I've flown pretty low over the front pretty frequently, and while there is flak, it is rarely dangerous. And while there are about fifteen or so aircraft in Rise of Flight, I feel that it's not enough to portray World War I in a dynamic campaign. Considering most of Rise of Flight's aircraft are late war, I think the campaign will only be set from 1917-1918, whereas Over Flanders Fields covers 1915-1918.

In terms of the visuals, Rise of Flight obviously looks better and more recent than Over Flanders Fields, but while Rise of Flight looks good, Over Flanders Fields looks more real. The terrain in Rise of Flight is fairly bland, and the front looks exactly the same throughout it's entire length. Over Flanders Fields may not have the amazing clouds that Rise of Flight has, but the terrain looks pretty realistic. Rise of Flight has a summer and winter, but Over Flanders Fields has a spring, summer, fall, and winter. Now because Over Flanders Fields is a mod, it doesn't have a professional looking menu like Rise of Flight, but it's easy to look past.

So to summarize, if you're looking to experience flying some World War I aircraft, then Rise of Flight would be the game. But if you're looking to feel immersed within World War I, then go with Over Flanders Fields. Both games support TrackIR very well (Over Flanders Fields doesn't support roll however). Both games are somewhat costly investments though, whether it be paying for Rise of Flight aircraft, or for Combat Flight Simulator 3, OFF, and the expansion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ImPeRaToR, SiC-Disaster and Nimsky
Upvote 0
#3
Thanks for that comprehensive explanation, Volodnikov :)
Seems that Over Flanders Fields is the way to go for me, the immersion is what is most important for me and i couldnt just be content with empty fields or just a lone, small group of ground resistance here and there. It wouldnt feel right.
As far as simulators go, i'm not at all experienced with flightsims and personally wouldnt mind if it was a bit less accurate if that meant i could get into the sim a bit more easily, and move on from there to more advanced games.
But i have to have something to look at, something compelling going on around me, to keep me from trying to get good at the game and not just give up in frustration :p and as you pointed out, Rise of Flight did look a bit too 'clean', at least from the video's i didnt get the feeling a war was going on, while one of OFF's vids was absolutely tremendous. But i just had to get a second opinion :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: PNV
Upvote 0
#4
There are 21 planes in Rise of Flight, 22 soon. They are releasing a patch every 4 to 6 weeks on average, often with one or two planes each time.

They just started to add flyiable planes other than fighters, the handley page bomber was recently added and the Gotha G.V will be next. The two AI two-seaters will probably be next and as mentioned by Volodnikov a dynamic campaign is also planned, for free while they could've released it via an addon.

What Volodnikov says sums it up pretty well however the AI in both games is not very impressive so if you want an actual challenge you should play MP, and OFF does not even offer that afaik ;)

Having played il2 online for several years I could not go back once I started playing ROF online, the flight models and physics are just far more immersive and fun, il2 feels like flying on rails. I never cared much about ww1 but ROF got me hooked now :)

So now that we finally have more and more non-fighters we can finally play online wars and campaigns, it can't get much more immersive than that ;)

It is true that the landscape is not very alive in ROF, but WW1 was an artillery war, it was all about spotting and reconnoitring so you don't have to be able to see infantrymen, let alone strafe them, it's all about defending and attacking recon planes and their escorts.

Anyway, there is a free demo that allows you to fly two planes and some of the single player missions as well as participating online but the latter might be a bit steep for the beginning, your call :)
You can find the official demo torrent here:
http://riseofflight.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=15932


New pictures of the Gotha G.V:
http://riseofflight.com/Blogs/default.aspx
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
#5
Aw just stick with IL-2. With the UP2.01 mod it's freaking amazing (well it was without it but even more so with the mod)..... there's WW1-like fighters available (i.e. biplanes, and just very slow a/c in general with engines that cut out in negative g maneuvers)

Unlike Rise of Flight... You've got like what... at least over 200 planes to choose from. Think it might be over 300 can't recall off the top of my head.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
#8
ImPeRaToR said:
What Volodnikov says sums it up pretty well however the AI in both games is not very impressive so if you want an actual challenge you should play MP, and OFF does not even offer that afaik ;)
Click to expand...

Ah yes, thanks for mentioning that Imperator. I'm not much of a multiplayer man, so I tend to forget that feature when talking about games. Of course the AI pales in comparison to human pilots, but the AI isn't bad for what it is. Especially if you're new to flying WWI aircraft, the AI can be pretty challenging at times.

And Nox, while Il-2 is undoubtedly the best WWII combat simulator currently available, I have a feeling that SiC has probably played Il-2 before. I think anybody who has played RO or has an interest WWII has played it at least once. But in terms of WWI, you really don't have a choice between Rise of Flight or Over Flanders Fields. There's Red Baron and Wings of Glory though :troll:
 
Upvote 0
#9
NoxNoctum said:
Excuse me??? The flight models of all the planes are pretty damn different from each other LOL. Try flying a 190 like an LA-5/7 or vice versa.
Click to expand...

I did not say that they fly the same, but to me, they all seem to fly like on rails compared to ROF ;)

Try the demo and see for yourself, of course the demo does not allow to fly the Dr.I, Camel, D.VIII or Triplane (some of the most interesting FMs) but you might still be able to see what I am talking about.

No need to be offended btw...
 
Upvote 0
#10
Volodnikov said:
Ah yes, thanks for mentioning that Imperator. I'm not much of a multiplayer man, so I tend to forget that feature when talking about games. Of course the AI pales in comparison to human pilots, but the AI isn't bad for what it is. Especially if you're new to flying WWI aircraft, the AI can be pretty challenging at times.

And Nox, while Il-2 is undoubtedly the best WWII combat simulator currently available, I have a feeling that SiC has probably played Il-2 before. I think anybody who has played RO or has an interest WWII has played it at least once. But in terms of WWI, you really don't have a choice between Rise of Flight or Over Flanders Fields. There's Red Baron and Wings of Glory though :troll:
Click to expand...

Mind you being a core beta tester for ROF I am a bit biased but if you ask me there is nothing more challenging when it comes to flight sim than flying ROF in MP, and there also are servers that allow MP gameplay similar to what Spits vs 109.
 
Upvote 0
#11
ImPeRaToR said:
I did not say that they fly the same, but to me, they all seem to fly like on rails compared to ROF ;)

Try the demo and see for yourself, of course the demo does not allow to fly the Dr.I, Camel, D.VIII or Triplane (some of the most interesting FMs) but you might still be able to see what I am talking about.

No need to be offended btw...
Click to expand...
Probably cause... I dunno, they're a helluva lot faster??? LOL. A 262 feels like flying on rails compared to a prop plane of that era... lol.

Flight sims 101: If a plane is slower, it is usually more maneuverable.
 
Upvote 0
#13
Well IL-2 is not exactly the newest of games, I guess if it came out yesterday it would simulate certain instabilities better.

Reason I'm bringing this back to IL-2 is because afaik there is this mod Canvas Knight's which is (I guess) nearing completion and it ports the game to WW1. Of course it'll be a multiplayer experience only but probably worth a shot.

I am currently installing the RoF demo, but I doubt my hardware can really cope with it.
 
Upvote 0
#14
Aye, ROF heavily uses CPU power and multithreading for all the FM and physics calculations (prop wash, bomb and explosion blasts (flak bursts etc) and the AI. A Core 2 Duo with 2.6Ghz would be about the minimum, if you are on windows 7 you will even need a quad core because W7 fails at heavy multithreading applications :rolleyes:

I am running ROF just fine with a Q9550 at 2.83Ghz, no overclock.


You might want to download some of the official skin packs, you can find them here as well as other useful things:
http://riseofflight.com/en/community/usefulmaterials
 
Upvote 0
#16
KrazyKraut said:
Well IL-2 is not exactly the newest of games, I guess if it came out yesterday it would simulate certain instabilities better.

Reason I'm bringing this back to IL-2 is because afaik there is this mod Canvas Knight's which is (I guess) nearing completion and it ports the game to WW1. Of course it'll be a multiplayer experience only but probably worth a shot.

I am currently installing the RoF demo, but I doubt my hardware can really cope with it.
Click to expand...
I just registered after seeing your comment on Canvas Knights, it has stopped development. There is some information that it was intended to be a commercial add-on, worked on under the guise of a mod, and using the work of the modding community without their knowledge.

The folks over at SAS have taken up the banner and have started work on a WW1 mod for Il2, but work only started in October so don't expect anything too soon.

Would also like to add to the discussion on rof, it seems no one saw fit to mention Patwilsons campaign generator, this add-on lifts rofs single player campaign to new heights offering a far busier sky than rofs sometimes sterile and predictable career mode (which incidentally is already dynamic and not to be confused with the scripted campaigns).
 
  • Like
Reactions: ImPeRaToR
Upvote 0
#17
Aye I forgot about it :) Apparently it is pretty good substitute until the new career mode comes out this year but I play flight sims primarily for the challenge of fighting human opponents so it is not very appealing to me.

But from what I heard it is pretty great yep :)

I've seen screenshots of canvas knights and the age of the il2 engines just shows now, it looks worse than either OFF and ROF and it has nothing neither of them has, ROF has the superior graphics and flight models, OFF has the superior single player. There is nothing canvas knights could have done better, apart from a huge plane collection in MP, but ROF is getting there in far better quality :)
 
Upvote 0
#20
Indeed, Rise of Flight is a costly investment but worth it for aviation and simulation enthusiasts who sim more than play any other type of game. Having paid quite a bit for FSX payware, I didn't think much about having to pay for extra planes in ROF. But I can see how people coming from Il-2 would be against the idea of paying for more aircraft. But I would even buy planes for Il-2 if an amazing amount of authenticity and detail was put into each plane. A lot of work is put into developing some of the software for simulators, and it's tough for their developers to make money any other way.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Community News
Forums
Merch
Menu