My wish for 2006, is a version of AH2 totally dedicated to graphical updates only. What I mean by gfx updates is not something big - it's not a request to make AH to look like IL2, nor is it a request to change the graphics engine.
These updates I wish, are petty, small, little changes in details that can be fully adjusted within the limits of current AH2 engine/version. Small things can make a huge difference.
Small ideas such as...
* even a small change in color can make things look different. I want different tone of green for the land textures
* a change in sky colors...
* beaches between land-water transition
* the new "explosion" animation, while a vast improvement over the old AH1 explosion, still leaves somewhat to be desired. Perhaps AH2 could risk a few more animation frames to make the explosion overall smoother, and less quick and jerky?
* the splashes on water can be made to look better. It uses the same 'splash' animation as seen in AH1. It's tolerable, but clearly outdated - it is done in low resolution, a bit unclear, and the animation is a bit jerky. Likewise, bullets impacting ground use the same effect as seen in AH1. Again, not bad, but outdated.
There could be a lot of ideas with small details like these - perhaps a teensey bit of particle effect can be added so it depicts the finer droplets of water spraying around the main 'splash'. Likewise, a teensey bit of added particle effect with bullet impacts to the ground, so it looks like the hits are throwing off dust. Option to turn off such miniscule particle effects for people with lowend PCs.
* get rid of all 'generic' effects... for instance, tank shells impacting on land throw up the same animation as bullets striking land. Tanks shells are tank shells, and bullets are bullets. There are many such inconsistencies within AH2 that is remnant from AH1. Such are probably leftovers, waiting on the "low priorities" list forever. But times have changes, AH2 has much more potential, and people use better PCs now. Can't we see tank shell impacts to the ground throwing up a poof of dirt in the air like it should?
Likewise, bombs landing on normal ground should throw up a dirt pile in the air. We currently do have the bomb impact animation, but everything rolls so fast that its hard to appreciate how the bomb landed. Again, an old remnant from AH1 animations.
* cheap trick with cameras - using the 'camera movement' to portray violent explosions or vibrations. I know it can be done easily enough - I've seen AH1 before 'gun vibrations' were introduced. IMO it's simply a matter of making the screen shake at a certain interval. Small calibre gun strikes wouldn't matter much - but what about 88mm flak bursts? The closer the flak burst to your plane, the harder the screen shakes. It is only a simple visual effect, and yet small things like these can make a huge leap in enhancing the gaming experience.
Likewise, bombs landing close to a vehicle should cause a screen shake. Maybe a bit less for heavy tanks, but lighter vehicles and their crews would definately feel the impact and shakes, even though they survived.
* better looking hit sprites... I wouldn't go as far as ask individual hit effects... how about better looking hit sprites instead? More detailed, higher resolution, clean and cool - instead of the hideous low-resolution 'white glob' we currently have? For instance, my guess is our current 'white glob' portrays incendiary rounds hitting and causing a 'flash' upon impact. So, why not make it lookw more like a flash? Brighter color, more abrupt, violent, and sudden animation.. etc..
* can planes crashing down to water throw up a huge big splash, instead of suddenly blow up? And while I'm at it, how about if someone slowly and very gently sets down the plane at water, the water creates a very big wake and splash trailing the plane, and the plane quickly sinks underwater afterwards? I mean, in graphical bugs with new versions we have planes sinking to the ground time to time. So, if we can do that why not make a plane gently landed on water sink down the water polygon? No need to depict underwater... just make it sink downto cockpit level and then the pilot gets sent back to the tower - he must bail out before it sinks that much.
* can empty fuel tanks stop leak visible fuel now?
* can the effects of self-sealing tanks be visibly depicted? I am aware that such effects are considered in the game already. But currently, it depicts only fuel tank damage that is too large for self-sealing tanks to handle. When a plane is hit at the fuel tank but the damage isn't big enough, it just doesn't show. Can we see the plane leak fuel for a while, and then the hole would seal up and the leak stop?
* can cracks in the cockpit glass be depicted differently according to source of impact? The small holes we currently have, should be fine for AP weapons.. but what about a cannon hit that the glass survived? Or a very close by flak burst? These don't just drill holes, do they?
......... and etc etc, yada yada.
There could be a lot of small bits and parcels added in to the game. AH2 just isn't reaching its full potential, because IMO these small things just keep getting pushed back in the list. Everytime HTC comes with a great new project, and the gamers appreciate it fully... but I think the small, "low priorities" have been delayed for much too long.
A version totally dedicated for "low priorities" - that's my wish.
