Aircraft against the terrain

[pembquist]

Except it is quite easily disproven.

Just look at the screen shots.

Interesting. I hadn't looked at the screen shots, (I cannot see the plane at all in them on my chromebook, just the icon,) so I was agreeing with what is another problem maybe just mine and a few peoples. I think it is a brain thing, it is harder for me to tell what a plane is doing except maybe for speed when the icons are on. Unfortunately I can't tell friend from foe without icons and any icons make my brain have a harder time seeing iconless aircraft.

[DmonSlyr]

Interesting. I hadn't looked at the screen shots, (I cannot see the plane at all in them on my chromebook, just the icon,) so I was agreeing with what is another problem maybe just mine and a few peoples. I think it is a brain thing, it is harder for me to tell what a plane is doing except maybe for speed when the icons are on. Unfortunately I can't tell friend from foe without icons and any icons make my brain have a harder time seeing iconless aircraft.

You can hit alt I and have friendly Icons only. It's actually pretty exilerating. I did this one time going into a FSO fight and it was really something else.

[bustr]

Aside from attempting to use this post as a "collective" to send Hitech a message about icons that "the collective" wants a change to the icon system.

Do any of you know why the glass plate called the reflector plate in Dob's P38 is twice as dark as all the other Lucite panels that make up the cockpit you look through?

In real life that glass was optically correct and crystal clear and the angle of the windscreen and sight glass were the same which created a crystal clear view.

Here is the real glass from a gunsight without Waffles tinting:





Square glass L3:

[rvflyer]

Yes it is especially camouflaged aircraft. The two best colors for any aircraft Real life or RC  aircraft are yellow and orange. Red won't cut it red looks black against a dark background. White is an awful color looking up against a gray sky. Just some observations from years of flying my RV-6 and flying RC airplanes.

It is extremely difficult to pick out a plane against terrain in real life also.

HiTech

[rvflyer]

Why don't we all just sit back and have AI take over our airplanes in the game? We can just become spectators to the battle instead of participating. Nothing in the world wrong with the way it is now. smh  BTW could you fix the game so I don't ever get shot down? :-)

A "halo" around the aircraft silhouette instead of the text icon when inside 400 yards would be an awesome improvement in the game.

I have been wishing for "halo" icons since Dobs came up with the idea 20 years ago in a galaxy far, far away.

[rvflyer]

All of you are just trying to make it easier for the high perch pickers to swoop down and pick their victims easier.

what I believe is that the objects skins need to be painted with 3d perspective in mind.
we see a beautiful 2 d landscape in front of us, its like a landscape painting. the same 2 d paint style is applied to aircraft and . the objects have a tendency to fall into their backgrounds.

objects skins good exhibit a little forced 3d appearance with the paint job. look at how painters bring specific subjects out of the canvass, tattoo artist been doing stuff as well.

[pembquist]

All of you are just trying to make it easier for the high perch pickers to swoop down and pick their victims easier.

No I'm just trying to save on the cosmetology bills I've been racking up with all the squinting I have to do!

[1stpar3]

Bustr has a point! Why is it difficult to redo the tinting on the reflector plates? 

[Chilli]

Kudos, for those like Bustr, Dobs and others who don't feel that every feature in its present state has been sent down from Mount Sinai chiseled onto stone tablets. With the type of logic in some of these posts we would still be using log rollers to transport heavy objects.  Just remember  We are the center of the Universe.  All the stars and heavens revolve around us, and the world is of course flat.  There is no other explanation.   

(Nothing log roller about the current icon system) ..... although, there are some real downsides to their application that has been brought to light. 

[The Fugitive]

I think it might have something to do with the players coming in from another game.

I have been here since AW closed and when Im in a fight I dont even see the "icon". Im and totally zoned in on the plane and what it is doing. Coming from another game others may see it as odd, annoying, less immersive and so on because they are use to a different system.... what ever that may be. They are fumbling with learning and getting comfortable with a new system, so I can see where some suggestions to changes might be to make things easier.

I cant see HTC making changes to make "their" game more like "the other" game. A new system unlike anything else, maybe, but they wouldn't do it just for the hell of it. There would have to be a pretty good reason. Having trouble spotting the target low in the trees while in the "dusk" type darkness I wouldn't think was a good reason.

[Dawger]

Well dawger, my only gripe about that is, most skins were made to sort of blend in with the terrain. I think the skins should provide that value. When I take my sortie seriously, I often choose skins that blend in with the terrain to make me blend in better. Think about about battfield 4, where camouflage really does work. I think putting this kind of ring around the plane, or highlight of plane, would defeat the skins purpose and make it too easy to aim. While I do agree that it is difficult to see the plane in some circumstances when the sun is down, I don't think highlighting the plane, and giving it's camo away, is the best option either. Just being honest here. I dont think the plane should he totally transparent, but I don't think it should be completely given away either.

My personal preference is no icons IF the game is doing everything it can to replicate real life conditions. DCS with no icons is an example of this. AH isn't quite there (nor will it be given its target audience.)

So we have to make do with compromises for the low end gaming hardware AH is aimed at.
 
AH has the potential to be a visually stunning experience and neon icons hamper that experience in a very real way.


In the real world, 3D objects cast shadows from the light source that we perceive with binocular vision, giving us our sense of depth perception.

In AH, leaving the sun at high noon and removing the gangster tint from the gunsight combining glass would probably totally alleviate the issue present.

However, I don't think either is likely to happen.

The halo icons at short range do two things for me. I can see the target and the butt ugly text icons go away when I get close. Win/Win.

There are many other options or ideas.

WWIIOL had an interesting icon system that is less obtrusive than the text block with a full circle that reduces counterclockwise to nothing when you get close.

i have never seen a game with the soft glow halo. I have seen plenty with text blocks.

Primarily I want to be able to see the aircraft I am pursuing when he is 400 yards away or less where camouflage is useless if I know exactly where he is (which I do because of the icon). That is the goal in this thread. I don't really care how HTC achieves that.

[Dawger]

I think it might have something to do with the players coming in from another game.

I have been here since AW closed and when Im in a fight I dont even see the "icon". Im and totally zoned in on the plane and what it is doing. Coming from another game others may see it as odd, annoying, less immersive and so on because they are use to a different system.... what ever that may be. They are fumbling with learning and getting comfortable with a new system, so I can see where some suggestions to changes might be to make things easier.

I cant see HTC making changes to make "their" game more like "the other" game. A new system unlike anything else, maybe, but they wouldn't do it just for the hell of it. There would have to be a pretty good reason. Having trouble spotting the target low in the trees while in the "dusk" type darkness I wouldn't think was a good reason.

The OP and myself came from a game with same butt ugly text icon system as AH (likely coded by the same guy last century) The issue is not a desire to emulate another game. The desire is to move AH forward. We are on the cusp of the VR explosion and AH kinda needs to modernize and work towards the future. 1990 era text icons can certainly be improved upon.

[Chilli]

it was a bad idea  (removed)

[bustr]

Ok so this post is a bait and switch to try and "group think" consensus Hitech into changing the icon system. If any of you in the "group think" consensus group acknowledges the alpha mask difference between the Lucite canopy panel right next to the glass reflector plate. Your lynch mob is finished for the night and has to pack up your rope and go home.

Why doesn't this lynch mob get honest and join Dagwer's legitimate wish list post asking for a change of the icon system? The answer to the OP's problem in this post is Waffle making the 2x darker alpha mask representing the glass reflector plate on his L3 gunsight, the same alpha as the Lucite panel next to it in the OP's screen shots.

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,384541.0.html

[DmonSlyr]

My personal preference is no icons IF the game is doing everything it can to replicate real life conditions. DCS with no icons is an example of this. AH isn't quite there (nor will it be given its target audience.)

So we have to make do with compromises for the low end gaming hardware AH is aimed at.
 
AH has the potential to be a visually stunning experience and neon icons hamper that experience in a very real way.


In the real world, 3D objects cast shadows from the light source that we perceive with binocular vision, giving us our sense of depth perception.

In AH, leaving the sun at high noon and removing the gangster tint from the gunsight combining glass would probably totally alleviate the issue present.

However, I don't think either is likely to happen.

The halo icons at short range do two things for me. I can see the target and the butt ugly text icons go away when I get close. Win/Win.

There are many other options or ideas.

WWIIOL had an interesting icon system that is less obtrusive than the text block with a full circle that reduces counterclockwise to nothing when you get close.

i have never seen a game with the soft glow halo. I have seen plenty with text blocks.

Primarily I want to be able to see the aircraft I am pursuing when he is 400 yards away or less where camouflage is useless if I know exactly where he is (which I do because of the icon). That is the goal in this thread. I don't really care how HTC achieves that.

Realistically, the MA has to have icons or some sort of visualization because all the planes are different countries and of different years. This is what makes it very difficult to just have icons off. You could not tell which is friendly and which is foe. That being said, you might be able to set your JS to where 1 button can toggle the "friendly Icons only" very quickly. This way you could have no icons for enemies at least.

I think the AvA arena is great for this type of balanced gameplay fighting. Once they build really small maps that easily attract players and put them in the action, it will start to gain popularity. This arena is realistically much more suitable for the type of advanced no icon game play you are looking for. I'd be happy to fly in this arena with more players. Most new/learning players would get eaten alive with no icons in AH. The MA is already tough.

I do honestly think the planes should be sharper in visualisation, If thats possible. I was trying to shoot a plane on the deck earlier today and it was very difficult to judge wingtip direction, or outline of the plane. I do see what you are saying. I think a black solid outline may be a better approach or at least something to outline the plane more sharply might work..