Just way too many trees

[bustr]

Just finished updating to about 200+ tanks on my gunnery terrain in the Hogan Ally drive through areas. I couldn't see any that were past 600yds under trees in the shadows, so I added more to bring the number up to about 200+. I did a drive through and all the tanks near by 100-600 yds you could see. Then I turned off shadows and no tank was hidden very well by any groups of trees or bushes. And you could see them out to 2000yds on hill tops and under trees.

Shadows are a bit binary black and white, none to little gradation relative to light saturation. The amount of trees is not the problem, it's the all or nothing shadows. 

[Mano]

I've also been considering a ring on the map (about a mile in radius but will be a host setting) that turns red if there is an enemy in that mile.

HiTech

No need. If you bring up the menu and it it is green where you end sortie, there are no gv's nearby, or any a/c either. If it is red, some thing is close.
Most of the regular GV'ers figured that out right away. 

 

[Mano]

I really like the trees. I use the M-8 allot and it is really difficult for the planes to pop your turret or bomb you if they cannot find you. if they do find you the dense leaves provide lots of cover.

I think if everyone gives the trees a chance they will adapt. It took me awhile to figure how to drive through dense trees really fast. It is also very hard to camp
a gv spawn now with trees surrounding it. This is quite an improvement over AH2.

 

[scott66]

Lol I agree just a tad too many trees... It's like having a war in the state of Oregon.. Not to mention they're some anti tank snare trees..I was parked next to a tree firing on manos t34 when the tree branch picked me up.. Hung me upside down for 20 seconds.. probably waiting until all my pocket change fell out of my pants... Then dropped me on my head upside down.. And no I wasn't drinking or high! I felt violated  .. And Yes I'm being serious.. Next I was parked between two trees not moving engine stopped and it side shifted me very slowly thru the trees until it spit me out the other side.. It was like tanking in a Alfred Hitchcock movie

[8thJinx]

I was in an ostwind yesterday shooting at planes overhead.  I slewed the turret to the left, leading the target, when wham!  I hit a branch over head with a round and I turreted myself.

[bustr]

Scott that may be Hitech's recent solution to getting stuck when you run into trees. When someone posted they got stuck after that patch, he asked them how much time did they give the situation before exiting the game.

If you turn off shadows, you can see tanks under trees with no problems.

When AHIII goes live I will publish my offline gunnery training terrain. It has 2 miles of farmland and three villages set next to the tank town object. And I salted all of it with tanks so you can drive through to practice seeing them. You can test with shadows on then shadows off. In tank town with shadows on tanks just off the road are almost invisible until you get inside of 600. With shadows off, you wonder why a tank is sitting exposed trying to hide behind a few trees. There are two spawns onto the tank town roads. I also have a mile of tree bordered farm fields with a spawn at the far side of them from a regular town object for you to drive through. And then the town filled with tanks.   

[scott66]

I'm in! I have shadows off and post lighting I just thought it was funny getting hung upside down it was funny...I will say it's a whole new ballgame gv wise.. Trying to judge distance and trajectory..is 74 feet from manos butt and missed.. apparently shot over him

[bustr]

One of the problems I have with the terrain editor placing down tank objects, I cannot turn of shadows. So when I inspect my handy work from a road after hiding a tank in some trees with the help of shadows, the tank is hidden in plain sight. Online with shadows off, you almost cannot place a tank far enough off the road to hide it.

If a guy with a bomb hunting for a GV in the trees has shadows off, he will find you if any part of you is exposed to sunlight. With shadows off, tanks light up in the sunlight. Tank town has four high hills covered with trees that are the best sniper hides in the place.

[JimmyC]

So it looks better with shadows ..if your rig can handle it...but if they are off you get the advantage gving..it sounds like it needs tweaking so folks don't get too gamey with all detail down.
If I'm hiding I should be hiding right??
Kinda need a level playing field
.

[lunatic1]

I've also been considering a ring on the map (about a mile in radius but will be a host setting) that turns red if there is an enemy in that mile.

HiTech

I don't know HT seens like armourd warfare where the targeting can see enemy thru trees and rocks

I think it's fine like it is

but I could be wrong---besides the base flashing already tells you an enemy is close

[bustr]

So I wonder if shadows "off and on" replaces all those view types we used to have, normal all the way to that one all tankers used so you almost could see through hills. Or if you wanted to find tanks hidden in trees to bomb.

[Mano]

Don't you dare go in there and practice Scotty. You are one of my favorite targets. 

 





  Sir

[scott66]

Don't you dare go in there and practice Scotty. You are one of my favorite targets. 

 





  Sir

if I'm invited I'm going!! Bustr will make me great! Then yours and tyfoos days are numbered buddy you two are going to spend so much time in the tower you might as well change your address!

[bustr]

When Hitech does the go live for real, I will package it in it's own zip installer. It is an offline only gunnery training terrain for anyone to download and play with to learn your sights, ranging, wander through tank infested terrain and way much more. It is only one country with all objects destroy able. Mano, I doubt Skuzzy would make it available in the terrain list for custom arenas.

Last night I officially got burnt out placing tanks on the terrain, I haven't got a clue if there are too many or not enough. I'm seeing the buggers in my sleep now.

[Mano]

I was in an ostwind yesterday shooting at planes overhead.  I slewed the turret to the left, leading the target, when wham!  I hit a branch over head with a round and I turreted myself.

I have done that sitting to close to an ammo bunker on a v base.

I like to have the trees on one side of my Ostie to protect my six, but I do keep some distance from the trees to avoid turreting myself. A big clump of trees prevents a tank from shooting you as well. They cannot shoot through trees in this version of AH.