Simple idea to have a more inmersive sim.

[MANDOBLE]

I know these ideas are not new ones ...

1 - Just to have reflections in the cockpit glasses (the way Falcon 4 implements them), even some dirt. This way we'll have the feeling of being "enclosed" INTO something.

2 - Draw real instrument panels with more realistic instrumentation. Not just a generic one like we have now for all the planes.

3 - Use metric system for soviet, german italian and japanese aircraft. They represent more than 50% of planeset and we are still using "feets".

[mason22]

i'd dig having some reflections on the canopy!

how much more does this require on the graphics engine?

[MANDOBLE]

mason22, dont know here, but in Falcon4 the impact in performance is not apreciable.

[duffus]

The reflections are a good idea as well as the cockpit redo. I would like to see the aircraft icon replaced with a small X so you would have to use your compass to navigate. Also the tracers while well done are a little to arcadey. The graphics in B17 are the best for tracers I've seen in a sim so far. Ammo counters in the cockpit could be replaced with changeing color when ammo ran below a set amount. Just a thought, this is my first post and my first 2 cents worth.  

[MANDOBLE]

Studley, ammo counters should "go home" except, for example, the 190/Ta152 (historically had them).

Historical, precise and well calibrated gunsights should be attached to each plane (by default), not that ugly green cross.

In my personal experience, in AH I may have the feeling of flying a 190, but not the feeling of being INTO a 190. That is the point. Same applicable to the rest of the planes.

[laz]

if you want a new gunsight download one and replace it.      

[duffus]

If Im not mistaken 190 had an ammo counter mandoble. Not precise but it gave the pilot a good estimate of rounds left. I believe the allies used changeing tracer color when they were below a certain level.

[MANDOBLE]

laz, do you ever imagine that green cross as something acceptable in an expensive boxed game? Do you imagine Falcon4 with a green cross in the center of the HUD (and the hability to download PLAYER made sights)????
IMO, having gun sights different than original ones is just like having weapons different than the original ones. Imagine a player made Mg151/20 firing 80mm shells at light speed... The sight is a part of the original aircraft as the engine is.

AH for 30$ a month is the most expensive game I've ever played, and I dont expect less than in any boxed sim. I know this is a game in constant development, but if we are looking for the maximum realism FM, we should be looking also for the maximum realism in the rest of the plane (cockpit and sight included).

[DB603]

S!

 Definitely something could be done with the cockpits.First of all..give us METRIC gauges to above mentioned planes.Even as an Setup Option maybe?WB has it.
 Make the cockpit glass a bit tinted,if not making any reflections.Didn't those plexi glasses get a bit yellowish when ageing?
 Ammocounters.Remove them from Allied planes.Didn't have them so get rid of them.Replace with red tracers,when ammo is low.Used historically I read somewhere.Or the pilots had to count seconds how much of ammo left.109/190/152 had ammo counter.Principle of operation was simple.When roughly 50rds were fired the small white bar dropped 1 notch.1 notch represented this 50rds.So..when U had 250rds for the MG131,then 5 notches of ammo was shown in the counter.Mk108 showed only 1 notch,even it had roughly 64rds.Also gun pods(109) and outer guns(190) had their own counter.EAW,WW2F had them modeled pretty right.
 Oh well..haven't played much lately due to other activities and my summer vacation of a whopping 3 weeks began :DCheck six though..my 109 just might have shown up there guns blazing   HAve a nice summer!

[texace]

Here's something that could make the cockpits more "immersive"

1.) A light tinting pluse a light reflection. Falcon's reflections are too much IMO. When I sat in an enclosed cockpit (RV-4) I could see a reflection, but is was very faint.

2.) Nicks, scratches, and inmerfections in the canopies. They were made of plexiglass, and would nick and scratch over time. These could be  small white lines and "jaggies" that we're opaque.

3.) Nicks, scratches, paint splatters, etc in the cockpit and the seats.

4.) Realistic gauges in all planes. US and British planes used the standard guages, but Japan, Germany, Italy, and Russia had metric guages. Also, have numbers and panel indicators and words (gear, flaps, beacon, etc.) in the language of the plane.

5.) Some sort of lens flare through the glass, and propeer cockpit shading.

6.) Move the gunsights closer to the pilot/move the seat up. The cockpits now seem too spacious. Find a plane like the RV-4 and sit in it. Looking straight forward, you can see the top part of the panel, the dash, nad out the glass. To see all your instraments, you need to glance down. Then you could see all you instraments, and with peripheral vision, out the front a ways.

7.) If the graphics allow it (this is just eye candy, and shouldn't be implamented if it will kill FR) moving controls and levers. WWIIOL, and WWII Fighters do this well.

8.) Cockpit lighting at night. A faint red light plus back-lit instraments (I think these were in WW2..not sure.) MS Flight Sim is WAY too much IMO. I have flown at night, and it is just a faint ed light, so as not to kill yoy night vision.

<G> Ok I'm finished rambling...

[laz]

sorry mandoble.. didn't know ya felt that way about the game          

[laz]

did they planes have any external lights during ww2??
     

[Kingonads]

please no changing the language of the gauges I have hard enough time reading english.  as for putting it in meters and meteric and stuff that would be cool.  But Y put paint spaltters and stuff Y not put in holes in the cannopy whe the pilot gets hurt or shoot out gauges and such on near pilot wounds ( for those of U who may have played it like Pacific Air War Gold) I have no problem with removing the ammo counter I never keep track anyway to many numbers for my 66mhz brain to crunch into the work of flying.  

                              Hodo

[Kweassa]

I think the planes DID have external lights to assist them while taking off/landing in the dark. I remember using some lights in the Microsoft Combat Simulator   ..

 There'd be external lights and internal lights too. The cockpit seems almost flourocent when dark. It's a little thing, but putting in switches for lighting up the instrument panel would be fun.

[Octavius]

What about bullet puncture holes?  I love the damage modeling of Jane's WWII Fighters.  That game has lots of eye-candy  

oct