PDA

View Full Version : What's the verdict?



Doc
May-06-2012, 00:37
I see RAF is having issues.

Are blues able to fly formations yet?

Is this going to stay on server 1?

I really can't believe they'd release an alpha. I am totally against but it isn't my company. I am only a customer.

Doc

ATAG_Bliss
May-06-2012, 01:00
For me it's great. The same typical issues remain that weren't to be addressed in the patch - net lag, some bugs in planes, and all the majority of the bugs that were there before.

But on the plus side, I flew for 8 hours without a single crash. This included all human formation flying in 88's (4-7 planes per sortie @ 1.5 hour sortie a piece) without a crash. I was zooming in and out the whole time trying to make it happen. I never crashed once. The other pluses happened to be the sounds. Not only has the external sounds for many of the planes changed for the good, so did the internal engine sounds. The Ju88, He111, G50, Stuka, all have different start-up and engine sounds. The sound radar appears to be fixed as well. IE - spitty's cant hear you unless you are right on top of them. Opening and closing the cockpits is a huge change in sound, etc.

I also flew red trying to get a crash but couldn't do it. Some have mentioned a strange throttle in the spits, but I think it works almost identical to how the spitty's flew in 46. The high altitude of the SpitIIa is nice. The Rotal is now a slug, but it was also kind of a slug in RL. (Stable and slow).

Overall the graphics are slightly toned down IMO, but the CTD issue is gone for me. There are some particles that still cause massive FPS hits, but overall I'm extremely impressed by the patch. I think once everyone gets their installs right (not - corrupt) there will be many people enjoying like I did. Perhaps I'm lucky, but Watchman also flew for around 5 hours tonight all in heavies, in formations etc., with the same results (no crash). Overall it's a big step in the right direction for some very important things, and a few steps back on others.

335th_GRAthos
May-06-2012, 04:57
Awesome news!

This review is enough to make me install it!

Now, I can go back to the 1c forum to have my expectations toned-down.... :Grin:


Bliss, I presume this means that we still can not use autopilot in the JU-88 :sad!:

And how about the relative performance beween Bf-109 vs Spit MK1/ Hurri ? Will I put my Red Barron custom skin on? :hiding:

Is the Spit II now the only plane worth dogfighting against the Bf-109?

~S~

ATAG_Torian
May-06-2012, 08:21
Well looks like I'll be the 1st of the naysayers. Deleted the cache, got Steam to verify the game integrity, installed the patch by moving the files over individually not just letting it extract into the CloD Steamapps folder.
First fly was punctuated by freeze ups x 2 both about 20mins into the game on both occasions (this 20 minute thing seems to be repeated on many other players pcs too). Had all settings at highest so decided to put textures back to High instead of Original and a couple of nVidia control panel tweaks to optimise performance over quality. Ran well for a couple of hours then another freeze up. Since then been getting random freezes. Have altered every setting I can find to alter and even rebooting the game and deleting the cache after each sortie is no guarantee now either.
On the positive side, the Brit fighters now warm up much quiker and the Blenhiem has definitely been improved. The Mk Ia at least doesn't pretend to have a boost cut out option now, haven't yet checked it's performance over 18,000ft yet. The Mk IIa has definately been throttled back but if that means more access to it on the server then I will live with that. Seem to be getting more stutters and mini freezes. Don't know if allowing skin downloads on the server is causing any of the problems. Maybe it could be shut off and we can see if it makes any difference ?

ATAG_Deacon
May-06-2012, 08:40
I have mixed feelings...unless I fly at my monitors native resolution I will get a launcher crash. At my native resolution I cannot see "dots" therefore I have much trouble surviving and my frame rates are horrendous...

That said the game is "smoother" in that I have less stuttering.

I just have to keep telling myself that this is a BETA, I just hope it doesn't take another 6 months to see any fixes.

335th_GRAthos
May-06-2012, 12:06
...unless I fly at my monitors native resolution I will get a launcher crash. At my native resolution I cannot see "dots" therefore I have much trouble surviving and my frame rates are horrendous...

You have TrippleHead2Go & three monitors like me, right?

I fly Window mode 1280x1024 on a 3840x desktop, it solved my problems.
Nevetheless, the only real resolution to see dots is the 1024x768;)

~S~

9./JG52 Hans Gruber
May-06-2012, 12:47
More crashes for me than pre-patch. FM's are a joke. Spitfire IIa is mortal now but only plane that is competitive for red. 109 controls are insanely sensitive and the nose wobbles all over. Used to be able to manage 109 prop pitch by sound alone but that is a mess now. Online the lag is terrible, get on someone's six and they warp all over.

ATAG_Deacon
May-06-2012, 16:49
You have TrippleHead2Go & three monitors like me, right?

I fly Window mode 1280x1024 on a 3840x desktop, it solved my problems.
Nevetheless, the only real resolution to see dots is the 1024x768;)

~S~

~S~ Grathos,

I do not have triplehead2go...I have 2xGTX 570's in SLI. I would love to run my system at 3072x768 (1024x764) as I did with the last patch but I am now unable :angry:

ATAG_Snapper
May-06-2012, 18:52
As far as frame rates go I got a huge increase just as advertised. Very smooth, no stutters even flying low over Margate and Folkestone. Pre-patch I had been flying at 1920 x 1080 res with everything turned off or low in order to get frame rates as high as possible at the high res. With the patch installed I went from highs of 100 - 120 to 150++ -- occasionally hitting the 200's over sea looking at the sky! :shocked: I've since turned up some feature details, but have contined to turn off epilepsy/SSAO/trees/grass/roads at least until the next patch. I've turned AA on from 0 to +8, but haven't noticed much difference yet. The dash instruments are a little fuzzy at 90 POV (as we know), but certainly are easy to read when zoomed in to 30 POV. I've had no problem (relatively speaking) spotting other aircraft ie. dots, compared to pre-patch. Still a problem with the dots disappearing before turning into LOD's as they get closer -- but we knew that was not addressed in this patch.

No CTD's when I was doing my Spitfire flight modelling tests, nor when I engaged in a short time of combat. A glitchy thing occurred shortly after I took off from Manston in a Spit IIa -- suddenly my cockpit disappeared and I was suspended motionless in midair over the little bay SE of the airfield! It wasn't a crash, so to speak, because I was still in the game. It was more like I had suddenly become a stationary camera! LOL Hitting "ESC" took me back to the usual map room where I simply selected a IIa again and spawned again per usual.

Warm up times are greatly reduced. Throttle control on both IIa and Ia extremely sensitive. My super-duper Halls sensored Warthog HOTASS :Grin: was able to handle the super-duper sensitivity, but I could see how mere mortals could have a problem. :bgsmile:

Clouds popping up suddenly were advertised, but distracting nonetheless. It was clear some trade offs were made to gain faster frame rates, hopefully their work will continue to gain more of one at less expense to the other.

I've whined elsewhere about the Spit FM's. From a framerate/CTD aspect I think they're on the right track. :thumbsup:

Jugdriver
May-06-2012, 23:29
It is a fail at the moment from my perspective. I did get the FPS increase, around 30% at max FPS and over 50% at the average, however with that the stutters have become noticeably more prevalent to the point where the gain in my FPS is ruined by the stutters. I have also had several CTD’s in less than an hours of flying, where before I might get one every 10 hours in the air. I also feel the over all image quality has gone down a bit. Now it is an Alpha, so lets see what the Devs can do, but I am certain they were not expecting the large amount of CTD’s issues people are having. At the moment I do not think there is a single person in my squad that has an install that does not produce more CTD’s.

JD
AKA_MattE