Janjans icon idea reworked.....

[Fidd]

I was thinking over Janjans idea again, (it's been niggling my mind) and I think I may have derived from it a possible really nice solution:

In RL flying, it takes *time* and effort to identify an aircraft. There are in fact 3 stages to this. 1 initially seeing "an aircraft" , 2 identifying it's relative velocity , 3 identifying it's type.

Suppose that icon generation was a similar multi-stage process, one that was dependant on range, time in view, and perhaps time of day/sun position?

For example:

You see a "bogey" at 6k+ range. Provided you keep him in view, at 6k you see his icon showing country only, if kept in view for 4 seconds, then his distance icon information presents, and then plane-type after a further 4 seconds. Any aircraft which you so identify *remains* with full icon info provided it remains within 6k of you.

Additionally, any aircraft within 3k of you automatically presents with country and distance info, and once under 2k presents with type info. *Provided* that he has appeared in your view for 4 seconds cumulatively.

At "night" the ranges at which these events occurred would halve, and the times double.

All planes, both friendly and enemy would be acquired in this way.

My feeling is that this would help towards more rewarding gameplay, but I'd be interested to see what you chaps think.

Regards Fidd

[illo]

I still think you get most realistic results with no enemy icons.

Gunnery ranges became more realistic. Tactics come more realistic.

Before you say anything about Screen limitations, i must say that with my no icon experience its as close real as we can get IMO. After some learning I found right tactics to score kills in no icons scenarios. It comes more and more to stealth, suprise and teamwork in such conditions. All evasives are MUCH harder to follow, E states harder to judge... this brings whole new dimension into the fight. Also pilot survivability goes up quite much.

But im sure HTC needs some arcade stuff to keep current player base it has. Extreme realism isnt good for HTC income for sure.
Think if pilots averaged 1 kill for 5 or 10 sorties. I would be happy, but how many would lose their interest to AH. Most people want arcade, action. period. Thats why quake and doom were so popular. Even most simulation players seem to want action and some realism mixed together. That is completely allright.


Just compare a Hollywood movie to document film. NO doubt which one has more sales.


I have no intend to offend anybody, this is just how i see it. I agree i may be wrong.



[This message has been edited by illo (edited 04-27-2001).]

[Fester']

Agree with what you have to say, but certaintly Fidd's rework is a pretty decent compromise, especially to the state of the matter as it currently stands.

I do agree tho, there aint no pucker factor like a no icon pucker factor <G>

I would take what Fidd is offering as an extreme improvement

[janjan]

Just found this from WW2OL page.

I know you can find this yourself, but as it is so close to this thread...

" Our icon system is a combination of old tried and true methods and some cool new stuff.

Icons are displayed for the following:

1) All aircraft: Game IDs on friendlies, and plane types on enemies.

2) Friendly troops and ground vehicles. Enemy troops and GVs do NOT display any icons.

The basic display shows Icons (as described above) in a unique way. They fade in with time-in-view. This gives a feeling of having to really "look" for them. Quick view panning gives little or no icon feedback, while longer times in a single view will start to fade in Icons within that FOV, switch to another and you’ll have to wait a tad for these new ones to fade in. Distance is also factored into display, so as you get closer the icon fades in as well. These two paradigms combine for a great icon effect. You really get the feeling of distance and time in view. As well, the time off target is a fade out, so you get a very cool effect while scanning:

Say you look left to a tree line…as you hold your view there a few friendly troop icons fade in. You hold a bit in that view until they are fully developed, game IDs fade in and you know who’s “with you”. Switching to straight ahead now, you see 3 tanks in the distance, firing. As you hold sight on them, 2 icons fade in, showing you that one of the tanks is an enemy. You look left again, and your troops icons are still there, but have faded a touch depending on how long you were watching the AFVs slug it out. This works fantastically for air to air fighting. “Loose sight, loose the fight” never was so true in a flight sim.

Aircraft have a very cool closure indicator that I won't explain fully right now, but it dynamically changes the shape and area of the icon as closure rates shift. It gives you positive closure feedback at all distances, and it is not linear, meaning the faster the closure rate the more dynamic the icon’s transformation."

[Nexus]

No need for time delays.

My IFF transponder, tri-corder, and F-22 Helmet-visor heads up display tells me exactly what type of plane I'm looking at.

Now, if we could just get that impact pipper
working.

neener neener!!

Nexus

[Toad]

 

Originally posted by illo:
i must say that with my no icon experience its as close real as we can get IMO.

Just curious. You base this evaluation upon what personal experience? (Other than ACM computer games, of course.)

You have a bunch of mock dogfight time in actual airplanes for instance?

Just wonder what you used to reach this conclusion.

Thanks.

[easymo]

 HT has stated, repeatedly that he is not going to change the icons. Whats the point