cloud fix

[moot]

Kweassa your sig should have these instead.
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,155592.msg1745324.html#msg1745324
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,166537.msg1889964.html#msg1889964

I really don't understand how clouds equate to spoilt fights.  Why not remove the sun too?

[Bronk]

Moot the sun is localized ...clouds not so much.

[moot]

Come on.. You can't be serious? What about mountains?  Why not set AH in a big endless void of air?  I'm not saying the sky ought to be integraly filled with clouds, I'm just saying they ought to be as they were in reality. That includes the occasional bad weather, night time, etc, yes.  The sun might be just one spot in the sky, but it's there at all times and all you have to do is be between it and your opponent and you've got as "unfair" and "spoiling" a crutch as clouds are.

[Bronk]

Moot I'd like to have clouds also. I just feel a certain brand of player would utilize them exclusively... know what I'm getting at?

[moot]

The kind that dies as soon as they're out of the clouds?  Everyone will be on an equal footing.  I don't understand why they ought to be kept out when they're so immersive and add relatively so much tactical variety.

Lemme give a story.. We were in some scenario, FSO or CAP or something, back when Wotan still had his JG2.  We were in Me262s, coming back either from the first or second stint, rtb'ing.  We had failed to find some Il2s... The rtb field was overcast..   You can guess what happened that had us utterly embarassed in the tower. 
Yeah, I think clouds are great.  Would definitely bring as much good as bad. No more strato bombers. A new type of "NOE" dweebery.. But all in all I think it's a positive addition.

[Bronk]

The kind that dies as soon as they're out of the clouds?  Everyone will be on an equal footing.  I don't understand why they ought to be kept out when they're so immersive and add relatively so much tactical variety.

Lemme give a story.. We were in some scenario, FSO or CAP or something, back when Wotan still had his JG2.  We were in Me262s, coming back either from the first or second stint, rtb'ing.  We had failed to find some Il2s... The rtb field was overcast..   You can guess what happened that had us utterly embarassed in the tower. 
Yeah, I think clouds are great.  Would definitely bring as much good as bad. No more strato bombers. A new type of "NOE" dweebery.. But all in all I think it's a positive addition.

Hmm you have a point. I guess hiding in the clouds to catch a suicide dweeb might be fun.

[moot]

It used to be great.. You'd come up on bombers trying to pass incognito to their target by hiding in the stormfront, and only see em (and they you) at the very last moment, literally.  We had missions in the pea soup right there within what would be icon range, but couldn't get guns on them because of the clouds, unless you made a good recon pass and had good enough sense of orientation to guess where they were gonna be on your next pass, and nail em in almost totaly blind shot.

[Lusche]

I have a book about the operational history of KG 2. For the biggest part of the war, they were flying Do-217's out of France against Britain

In addition to recon sorties, attacks on shipping and night bombing missions of various size, they also were required to fly numerous daylight Störangriffe. Single (!) Do 217 entering Britsih airspace and attacking key industrial targets. They used to fly in adverse weather conditons, hopping from cloud to cloud to evade any interceptors.

[NoBaddy]

Ok.. let's ditch the terrain too, then..

Ok, I will with draw my objection...provided they also add varying wind layers at ever alt and windshear. Yah, the folks that would love clouds would also love being at 800 feet on final when windshear hits and suddenly they are in the tower. 

[moot]

NB I'm not trying to be obtuse. I don't understand how clouds are such a rain on air combat's parade.  Why are occasional clouds such a problem ? No, I wouldn't mind realism like windshear at 800 feet (though I doubt everyone would agree), but why would that and clouds have to be added together?

[Motherland]

Clouds just add another dimension to the experience, just like wind. I'd love to see both implemented realistically in the mains.

[LLogann]

LOL..... SO darn true.

I think too many people mix this game up with a flight simulator. You want pretty clouds to fly in and out of, you want rain and snow, go play Flight Sim game from Microsoft. This is a combat sim game where the focus is on combat, not looking at the pretty scenery. I could see it as a tool used in the FSO and such, but not in the mains.

And let us not forget that making new water is one thing, it's still a 2d model for practical purposes........ but clouds?  That is 10 times as labor intensive for your computer.  Less is More!!!

[Kweassa]

And let us not forget that making new water is one thing, it's still a 2d model for practical purposes........ but clouds?  That is 10 times as labor intensive for your computer.  Less is More!!!

Maybe if one's PC is something that went extinct 65 million years ago, that is.

Ofcourse, an MMOG like AH should not have to warrant a state-of-the-art level of PC system for the player - except, according to the current tech curve, GFX techniques which allow nice-looking shiny waters and gently overcast clouds are hardly considered "intensive" any more.

Being safe haven for low-end PC users was always a strong incentive working towards AH, which is a good thing. But really, one or two PC upgrades during anytime in the last five years should probably be more than enough to enjoy the upcoming updated terrain features. I'm not exactly feeling sympathetic towards people who keep veto-ing updates to the game under the reason that their PC systems are from the year 2000.

[NoBaddy]

NB I'm not trying to be obtuse. I don't understand how clouds are such a rain on air combat's parade.  Why are occasional clouds such a problem ? No, I wouldn't mind realism like windshear at 800 feet (though I doubt everyone would agree), but why would that and clouds have to be added together?

Of course you weren't trying to be obtuse. You were trying to be a wise guy by suggesting that if we didn't need clouds we didn't need terrain. I simply tried to "out wise guy" you.

BTW, my main objection is covered in the guy's initial post..."I would like to see cloud modeling where like in real flights you coud use clouds for cover.". Personally, the clouds we have are more than adequate for hiding.

[moot]

No, that's honestly my pov. I dont see the difference between the two; clouds and terrain unpredictability, the sun, etc. What is it? 
The clouds we have still have the neon sign visible at all times. You can only use them to hide at ranges beyond icon.