Pilot Kill hit sprite (?)

[Wraith_TMS]

I was reading one of the requests for revised hit sprites and was reminded of an idea I had a bit ago. 

I would like to see a bloom or puff of RED mist for *extreme* pilot kills.  Meaning, if one or more tater rounds, or a volley of mg rounds, were to burst the pilot with head or torso shot (sorry, gory...  ), instead of a flash/smoke sprite, why not have a bloom of red spray. The red colored spray would signify the extreme, rather bloody, damage of shells hitting the pilot full on.   

The benefit to this, besides a touch of additional eye candy, is that we would see an indication that we had an instant PK on our target.  Not a big deal per se, but it might be good feedback for gunnery.

Possible Cons: this may increase the hit on some gfx cards, so maybe it could be an advanced gfx option, with the normal flash sprite being the default for cockpit hits.  It's a bit gory too, so maybe not for everyone's taste, especially our really young players.  Lastly, I'm not sure that a bloom of red mist is any more realistic than a bright flash hitting a cockpit (but it would be distinctive  ).

Just some food for thought, FWIW

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[Saxman]

Generally speaking, such a bloody poof would be contained by the canopy of most aircraft in the game. Although the I-16 and WWI birds you might see something....

[Wraith_TMS]

Generally speaking, such a bloody poof would be contained by the canopy of most aircraft in the game. Although the I-16 and WWI birds you might see something....

You're probably right, Saxman, but note that I'm not proposing this for realism's sake, but rather because it is a better indicator of a PK. 

As it stands now, hits on the cockpit create the usual flash sprites, but that's not necessarily realistic either--especially in the reverse case of hitting the cockpit of I16s and WWI birds, meaning that hitting an I16 pilot square on shouldn't create a sparks flash.  And similarly just hitting a glass canopy with shells probably wouldn't create a huge flash of sparks either, but that's what we have now.  (I read in another thread where HT said that 1 hit = 1 sprite, so currently, hitting the pilot would generate a flash sprite--I think I got that right.)

So yeah, I think you're correct on the technical aspect of it, Saxman, but I think my wish holds up as much as does the legitimacy using spark-flash sprites for PKs. 

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[guncrasher]

You're probably right, Saxman, but note that I'm not proposing this for realism's sake, but rather because it is a better indicator of a PK. 
 

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there's an explosion in the cockpit and the red icon disappears, doesn't get any easier than that that the pilot got killed. (see how many grammar rules got killed too  ).


semp