Iridescent Gunsights

[nrshida]

A few years ago a player was making very vivid gunsights. Might have been BlueBerry. Does anyone know how he did that? I had the impression they were more complicated than simple bmp files.

[bustr]

That was me and depending on the shape of the reticle they can be truly out standing or just hokey. Much of the problem has to do with a nimbus mask layer and getting that right so the glare of the center intense light of each structure bleeds out to the edges fooling your eyes into seeing a bright light. This is the best way I can describe it. Eventually I got the British MKII gunsight to look like color photos you can find online. In the end that kind of color intensity is not practical for game play, you will use the alpha slider and dim it down just like real pilots did.

They are totally dependent on sunlight for their illumination effects. And the german reticle you can see I was still working out problems with the nimbus layer. BluBerry was simply trying to make a mask for the whole gunsight file background that would act as a Polaroid filter and clean up the contrast between your target and it's background. I made some of those and it's more like placing a transparent blue or green or magenta or red mask on the reflector plate glass. There are some fighters that the windscreen should be green tinted as one large sunscreen.

[nrshida]

That was me

Ah Bustr, landscaper extraordinaire and connoisseur of fine gunsights.

In the end that kind of color intensity is not practical for game play, you will use the alpha slider and dim it down just like real pilots did.

It's to develop my unconventional shooting technique further. I haven't used a gunsight for years but want to try something new. Offline. Where there as just as many players for me 

fooling your eyes into seeing a bright light.

That'll do nicely. What I need is this:-



...to appear brighter in my peripheral vision. About the same size for the dense part is fine. I won't be looking through it when I shoot. Can you help me out or tell me how to do it? I know about Photoshop a bit. Rest of the community is welcome to the finished item.

 

[lunatic1]

That was me and depending on the shape of the reticle they can be truly out standing or just hokey. Much of the problem has to do with a nimbus mask layer and getting that right so the glare of the center intense light of each structure bleeds out to the edges fooling your eyes into seeing a bright light. This is the best way I can describe it. Eventually I got the British MKII gunsight to look like color photos you can find online. In the end that kind of color intensity is not practical for game play, you will use the alpha slider and dim it down just like real pilots did.

They are totally dependent on sunlight for their illumination effects. And the german reticle you can see I was still working out problems with the nimbus layer. BluBerry was simply trying to make a mask for the whole gunsight file background that would act as a Polaroid filter and clean up the contrast between your target and it's background. I made some of those and it's more like placing a transparent blue or green or magenta or red mask on the reflector plate glass. There are some fighters that the windscreen should be green tinted as one large sunscreen.

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What did he^^say      lol

[1stpar3]

  Something about Illuminati and someone glaring. Oh and some bright kid was using a shade or had a sun stroke cause he didnt have a sun screen? Something like that lol

[bustr]

Save this picture and change the extension from png to bmp. If that dosen't work I'll put up a zip download from my google drive. You use one ginormous dot for a reticle.

[nrshida]

Fantastic!  Thank you Bustr, I think that'll do the trick! I'll give that a try this morning.

 

[nrshida]

I've tried it. It's perfect. Exceeds expectations. Many thanks Bustr 

[bustr]

Glad I could help. By the way how do you aim with that mini sun blocking your view......

[nrshida]

I'm not looking through the gunsight. I'm visually tracking the target and aware of where the gunsight is in my periphery. Just an idea I had based on a piece of attention theory I had to revise recently. Seems to work very well. Try it.   

[1stpar3]

  Dont leave us hanging,Sir! Explain your method a bit...PLEASE Wish our TimeZones could sinc up, even for a few days. Would love to learn what you know

[nrshida]

Ah! well, don't get excited, this ISN'T a generic gunnery technique. You ought to consider the nature of your ACM, your favourite aircraft and its armament. MGs need either tracking shots or the old 'strafing-a-point-in-space' approach, which I'm sure can be found elsewhere on the forum. I think I even uploaded a copy of 'Bag the Hun' somewhere abouts for that sort of deflection shooting thing.

This approach is intended for crossing shots which is what my ACM generates the most. Also I have cannon and I've noted that 5-7 rounds in a concentrated space are enough to do the job which is just a tiny burst. I'm not a firearms owner, never fired a cartridge-based gun or ever had a lesson. I've watched some videos from Hickock45 etc but didn't find their aiming technique very applicable to AH because my targets are far from stationary and, well I'm a very unreliable component in a machine. So lining up the sights and all that procedural stuff doesn't work so well for me, I usually don't have time anyway.

This technique is based on the different allocation of focused and peripheral attention. So instead of focussing on the sights and having a peripheral focus on the target and hoping for the perfect moment with my tongue sticking out when they line up I'm doing it the other way around. I watch the target, track it visually and especially learn it's movement and at the fringe of my attention I'm aware of where the boresight is. That's why I needed a very bright and noticeable one. Then I just let the burst out when it feels right. No trying to force the shot or get a kill. A bit like that thing Kwai Chang Caine said: The bow, the pole, the archer, not separate things, not many things, but one.

I've noticed it gets easier with time so suspect brains are quite good at this 'learning to catch and throw' business instead of tying to become a lead-computing gunsight. Also seems to inherently get rid of gold-shyness and twitching when you shoot because you aren't focused on sights at all.

Just give it a try and see if there's anything in it for you. Enjoy!

[1stpar3]

Like Shotgun Shooting! You arent "AIMING" as much as you are "Pointing". Its more instinctual type shooting. Once you get feel of Targets speed, direction of travel ect, you swing through the target and since you know(more feel) that your target is within range and your lead is correct ,you fire. Of course we arent shooting Shotguns but that is pretty much what I got from your explanation. You dont have sights to line up, just a bead on end of the barrel. You can aim with the bead, but that isnt really conducive to shooting moving targets. Its more of an "Anchor Point" device. Lets you know your head is in the right place and you have gun in correct position(a sight picture). Once every thing is lined up properly you can repeat the same shots. Takes LOTS of time to get really good, but once you get it, it becomes second nature. Also, like Archery as you mentioned. You dont have sights(traditional bow) its more a feel thing...well after A LOT of practice. You would probably be great at shooting Skeet, Trap or Sporting Clays! You have the instinctive shooting style down, as I understood exactly what you meant...or think I do    You would love it, Sir!

[nrshida]

Yes I think it's fair to say it's not 'aiming' - if that means the procedural / mechanical putting of a sight onto the point you want to hit.

Two further advantages are that the timing of the shot seems to be inbuilt instead of a separate consideration and observing a small segment of your opponent's flightpath seems enough. Assuming they don't change that too much you can even afford to lose them and still hit them. Been making some fantastic 'under the nose' shots lately. Number of salutes has gone down lol.

I can't really say how long I've been doing this for. With no firearms experience or training it probably seemed the natural solution. I remember transitioning to the MA some years ago and suddenly feeling the need for a gunsight as many opponents tried to run away early. Usually I just estimated by the cockpit framing. Bustr's gunsight however seems to have increased the angle massively.

Should make a film I suppose. Does involve using the dreaded film viewer however. 

Shooting real guns is not so possible where I live. AH is about as close as I can get 

[NatCigg]

i remember the lore of the "dot o death" in AH.  and the true word of Harvey Penick "Take dead aim."

hope it helps.