The first Red Baron was tremendously well received in its heyday. The sequel came out a full seven years after the original, and it had a huge reputation to live up to.
Since the two games have a large time gap between them, it’s no wonder Red Baron II feels a lot more advanced. The rolling hills, cultivated fields, texture-mapped sky, and pastoral villages are actually quite attractive, though the game still falls behind other 3D accelerated games from the same period.
The planes themselves are lovingly detailed from the outside and inside. Color schemes and squadron markings are faithfully presented, along with struts, mounted guns, and moving control surfaces. Camouflage is actually effective against the terrain, whereas Richthofen’s bright red airplane would be an easy target against the green fields and brown trenches.
Such was the case with Red Baron II, last year's sequel to 1990's hit World War I sim. Its promising dynamic campaign environment was hobbled.
The view from inside each plane is distinct. The nimble Fokker Dr. I is a real pain in the ass when you realize how much of your viewing area is obscured by it’s triple wings, but the D.H. 2’s wide open viewing area is a breath of fresh air. The cockpits themselves are just this side of acceptable: the numbers on the gauges are readable enough, but the directions on the compass are especially garbled. A targeting reticule would have been a welcome option.
The same can’t be said for the virtual cockpits – 3D, texture-mapped versions of their sprite-based counterparts. The instruments are garbled and much too hard to read. The padlock view is also troublesome. It serves as an instant IFF system that distinguishes friendly planes from enemy planes at ridiculous distances, with no options to cycle through ranges or single out wingmen: the padlock treats a nearby enemy fighter and a scout hundreds of yards out with equal regard.
The flight model is fun to play but doesn’t always simulate the experience accurately. These World War I planes are practically impervious to the spins that killed so many pilots. Roll rates are much too fast as well. There’s almost nothing in the way these planes handle that suggests the delicate, quirky, temperamental box kites with lawn-mower motors that were used as aircraft back then. If Sierra was chomping at the bit to model World War II fighters, they should have just gone ahead and done it in a World War II sim. For a WWI sim, however, it just doesn’t cut it.
System Requirements: Pentium 133 MHz, 16 MB RAM, Windows 95
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'Red Baron II: Hand Launched Biplane Glider' is yet another hybrid PLA / balsa wood hand launched glider and is the result of the numerous thoughtful comments and emails I received regarding my 'Red Baron Hand Launched Glider' model. Some reminded me that while indeed Mr. Schulz's 'Snoopy' character was at the helm of his doghouse, he imagined it to be a 'Sopwith Camel' which of course is a 'biplane' not a 'monoplane'.
So in thanks to those who reminded me, here's the biplane! And as is the monoplane model, this model is designed for indoor / calm weather outdoor flying.The design combines a 3D printed fuselage structure in conjunction with balsa wood flight surfaces in order to minimize weight and increase glide performance. Consisting of only three 3D printed fuselage components, and three 3D printed templates (used for cutting the six flight surfaces from 1/32' balsa wood), this model is pretty easy to print, assemble and fly. I used 3D printed templates for cutting the flight surfaces knowing I had many more of these to make.As usual, I probably forgot a file or two or who knows what else, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask as I do make mistakes in plenty.Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced using Cura 3.4.1 and printed in PLA on both an Ultimaker 2+ Extended and an Ultimaker 3 Extended.
Purchase, Print and Prepare the Parts.I purchased a 1/32' by 4' by 36' sheet of balsa and some neodymium disk magnets (I used two 12mm diameter disk magnets for balance) from my local hobby shop.I printed one each of all parts at.1mm layer height, 20% infill, and printed 'Fuselage, Tail.stl' using a brim.Using the template parts as a guide, I cut four wings and one each of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers from the balsa sheet. Note the grain orientation when cutting the wings and stabilizers.Once cut, I sanded the edges of the balsa parts using 220 grit sandpaper.Assemble the Tail Section.Slide the horizontal stabilizer into 'Fuselage, Tail.stl' as shown, making sure it is centered.Slide the vertical stabilizer into the assembly as shown.Secure both stabilizers in position using small dots of thick cyanoacrylate glue.Assemble the Wings.Join 'Wing, Root, Biplane, Lower.stl' and 'Wing, Root, Biplane, Upper.stl' together using 'Wing, Root, Biplane, Joiner.stl'. Apply small dots of cyanoacrylate between the joiner and wing roots to secure the assembly.Press one wing into 'Wing, Root.stl, Biplane, Lower.stl' as shown. Note the photograph shows the wing root thumb grip away from the camera. Press the second wing into the assembly as shown.Press the third wing into 'Wing, Root, Biplane, Upper.stl' as shown.