Is it possible to bring AH graphics engine up to par?

[leitwolf]

Amen!

[Tilt]

<snip> Why should HTC listen to requests for graphics updates when the proof is that it won't draw people to the arena in which it's available?

Do people flock to the arena where it's been available for some time now? No. If people preferred that arena because of its immersive graphics, then maybe HTC might consider activating higher graphics detail. Maybe then we could get ambient lighting and sound as well.

I was suggesting two levels graphic renderings within the same arena.

I would not argue that graphics would be the main driver in any player preference.......basically fun/enjoyment is.

The MA is where it is at..all other aspects of AH are peripheral to a greater or lesser extent. Indeed if you split the MA stats into ground war and air war they would still stand on their own as the two top draws within AH. Ground war graphics are challenged.

Graphics are a component in the fun mix.  I do not believe that folk would flock to AH because AH had the supreme graphic engine that delivered the most gob smacking rendering of any game.............  but on the other side of the coin.......... I do believe that folk use to high end graphics trying out AH might mark it down in that respect.

I share a concern re the long term viability of AH as a purely PC platform

[moot]

Who defines "par"?  What is the cost of "upgraded" graphics compared to performance?  At what point does the drive for higher graphic quality affect the game for those of us who like the stability?  At what point does the focus on pushing the graphic engine to satisfy the customer who will jump to the next latest and greatest shiny thing cost more than retaining the stable customers?  Who decides what is "better" when the only argument is "they can do better than this"?
Is this a legitimate coding question, as in, is it physically possible, or a question to HTC suggesting they are lacking in their attention, such as "is it possible to get your butt up off the couch and clean your room"?

Impossible to answer your question when it's based on something so subjective.  Everyone's opinion on the graphics is different, even between those who agree they are fine or they suck.  No one has the exact same opinion.

So, what's the question exactly? 

Putting gfx on bell curve's peak or thereabouts.
But really... AH wouldn't arguably be the top WWII air combat sim anymore, if it had at the very minimum better lighting engine.  We're not talking about real time ray tracing or diffuse reflection, nor bloom or motion blur or that kind of eye candy.  The sharp, simple old school rendering style that AH has (almost) always had doesn't need to be "fixed".  Just lighting. Clouds?  They would be really awesome... But lighting, even if it's worse bang/buck than a few items like improved clouds, is the AH gfx flaw.

[guncrasher]

People flock to whichever arena has the largest numbers. Should Hitech make an experiment one day to switch numbers between AvA and MA, 99% of users would most likely happily log to AvA instead of playing in the 'empty' MA.

nope, i would log off the ava.  it's just simply for me, with my eye sight I cant see the damn planes without icons.


semp

[doright]

One thing that is graphically scalable without unbalancing the game play is the cockpit. In the present setup any immersion of being there is lost as soon as you see part of the cartoon cockpit when you look anywhere besides dead ahead.

[TDeacon]

nope, i would log off the ava.  it's just simply for me, with my eye sight I cant see the damn planes without icons.
semp

Same here.   

MH

[MrRiplEy[H]]

nope, i would log off the ava.  it's just simply for me, with my eye sight I cant see the damn planes without icons.


semp

Uh AvA has no icons? Of course then it's unplayable for anyone with anything less than 30" displays.

[zack1234]

sit nearer to your screen

[Brooke]

sit nearer to your screen

I can't -- that's where I keep my pie.

[Dead Man Flying]

I get the sense that one of the major issues with upgrading the graphics is that doing so would significantly increase download sizes.  Bandwidth costs money, and if HTC doubles or triples file sizes, their expenses increase.  For a small operation, this is not insignificant.

Maybe they could look into peer-to-peer distribution methods?

[titanic3]

Uh AvA has no icons? Of course then it's unplayable for anyone with anything less than 30" displays.

I play on one of those 17" monitor, I can see dots long before icon range. I'd imagine there would be trouble in vision in a multi con engagement on the deck but as far as spotting enemies at altitude goes...it's not hard.

[Bender]

I recall years ago (a decade ago maybe) somthing about the way ah graphics looked being tied to the physics and flight modelling engine as one package but I could be wrong.

this post isn't about textures or 3d models (which are excellent). its about the actual engine that displays all this and to some extent the terrain engine and the level of detail it is capable or incapable of incorporating while maintaining decent frame rates...

lighting and clouds. like real tactically relevant cumulous and stratus layers of billowing stuff with shadows on the ground below them.

want it all to look real with nice clouds well you need the sunlight under them and the ground beneath them to be less bright than the areas the sun shines directly.

and do it all with 60fps across the board.

right.

well just one dweebs opinion.

I really don't care about graphics, but I have had friends and family comment on the dated graphics when playing the game.

[Brooke]

One thing to keep in mind, those people commenting on graphics, would they play it if the graphics were what they prefer?

Companies can waste a lot of money by implementing the suggestions of people who will never be customers -- or even of customers sometimes.  Focus groups are notorious for getting feedback from customers or potential customers and later finding that what people say is important and what they really act on are two different things.

[guncrasher]

Uh AvA has no icons? Of course then it's unplayable for anyone with anything less than 30" displays.

cant speak for anybody else.  but that's the main reason why I dont fly there.  anything under 200 and no icon and I cant tell it apart from shadows of other airplanes.  sorry I dont have an apple laptop that tells me the secret of flying in the ava.


semp

[Oldman731]

cant speak for anybody else.  but that's the main reason why I dont fly there.  anything under 200 and no icon and I cant tell it apart from shadows of other airplanes.  sorry I dont have an apple laptop that tells me the secret of flying in the ava.

So you've tried it for half an hour or more?

- oldman