Author Topic: Reflector Gunsights (Read 508 times)

Innominate · « **on:** September 08, 2006, 12:09:55 AM »

Most planes in ww2 used reflector style gunsights. The practical effect is that your gunsight appears super-imposed over the target, regardless of how you move your head.

In AH though, it's only half-implemented. If you move your head left/right or up/down the sight follows. If you move any closer or farther from the gunsight, it gets bigger or smaller.

Given that a BIG part of the use of the gunsights was to determine range, it strikes me as a MASSIVE departure from realism. I'm not sure how much extra work it'd take to make the reflector sites behave more realisticly, but it would add a lot to immersion if the sight would stay the same across any head movement.

Tilt · « **Reply #1 on:** September 08, 2006, 03:11:38 AM »

Are you sure Innom?

Re a simple reflector gs

Take a mirror and hold it over a small circle painted on a bit of paper.

Fix the angle to show you the circle when looking straight at the appropraitely angled mirror then move your head around.

As you move to the left the circle will move to the left of the mirror also.

As you move closer the circle seems larger but is the same size with respect to the mirror.

This seems to be what we have in AH (lead computing to one side)

Innominate · « **Reply #2 on:** September 08, 2006, 03:42:26 AM »

Reflector gunsights were focused at infinity though. What you describe is focused at the distance from your eyes to the mirror to the paper. The focal distance is the big advantage over the ring-and-bead sights, since the gunsight appears clear and in focus along with the target.

Tilt · « **Reply #3 on:** September 08, 2006, 05:03:06 AM »

My understanding was that the fact that it is focused on infinity maintains the sharpness of the image.

I do not see how it stops its reflection moving as you move your head with respect to the reflecting glass.

It has to do this to eliminate the paralax effect of a fixed gun sight.

Or are you suggesting that it does move but not appropriately.

ie using /.target once the ac is lined to the bull moving your head should keep the sight on the bull (whilst you can see it) even tho the sight apparantly moves across the glass as you move.

Latrobe · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2006, 03:13:49 PM »

some planes didnt even have a sight! Thats what i want..no sight