Idea to alternative to replace AWACS radar

[Dadtallica]

Also no mater what we go with I will have the icons fade with update rate.

Yes this would help for sure.

[-gg-]

I rarely do GVs, but I like that they're hard to find. I don't think GVs should be showing up on dar like planes do.

I like the cat and mouse aspect of GVs - both gv vs gv and GVvs plane.

[Dadtallica]

I rarely do GVs, but I like that they're hard to find. I don't think GVs should be showing up on dar like planes do.

I like the cat and mouse aspect of GVs - both gv vs gv and GVvs plane.

Yes I enjoy this too. Not everything needs changing.

[Wiley]

Yes I enjoy this too. Not everything needs changing.

As a compromise, maybe have one vehicle sitting at a base flashing it distinguishable from their entire ground force moving in on the field?  Somehow tied to the squares to show if there's one or 50 of them there?  I've always thought tracks and dust rising when they move would be neat too, but that could get really hard on frame rate quickly.

Wiley.

[-gg-]

What would be cool for GV "dar"

If a player spots a GV, he can press a key and report the position... but it might not be accurate. Then others could see where he marked it, even if it's not totally accurate. Maybe the pilot spotted a GV under a tree and then looses sight, but still reports the area - then that area is highlighted for a period of time with a color-fading marker.

[hazmatt]

What would be cool for GV "dar"

If a player spots a GV, he can press a key and report the position... but it might not be accurate. Then others could see where he marked it, even if it's not totally accurate. Maybe the pilot spotted a GV under a tree and then looses sight, but still reports the area - then that area is highlighted for a period of time with a color-fading marker.

This is very close to the way it works in world war II online and it works pretty well.

[CAV]

But I am trying to think of another way to have players be able to simply report the players they see, possibly by key press and anything in view gets sent. This then could also include vehicles.

In hell let Loose, Players can pop Up a warning Triangle on an object they are looking at....

That and along with in-game Vox they can warn other players of danger around them.

Tank on my Ping...

Enemy infantry, my ping location, Etc, etc...

It shows up on the map and in game But only last A Short amount of time.

[RELIC]

If you up a storch and get within a certain distance the GV icon will display and you can mark it with smoke?

[~ZoSo~]

Solid answer this is how compromise works!

I still prefer the five seconds but I can get used to whatever.

Yes indeed, and without being condescending.

[Rubicon]

If you up a storch and get within a certain distance the GV icon will display and you can mark it with smoke?

This is only partially true.  If the GV is under trees and engine off it will not appear, even for a Storch

[RELIC]

This is only partially true.  If the GV is under trees and engine off it will not appear, even for a Storch

Sorry, I was asking if the game could be modified so GV icons will show if a storch gets close.  Poorly worded.

[Randy1]

This is only partially true.  If the GV is under trees and engine off it will not appear, even for a Storch

A storch has the ability to have longer, more varied view angles giving it a better chance of discovery with or without engine on.  However there are 3 players that I know of that can find a GV instantly no matter where you are hidden.

Since the advent of the  LilMak radar system and enhanced ammo bunkers., GVs are much more vulnerable.  It is making it much more difficult to be aggressive in attacking, and more rewarding to just wait on an attack for easier kills..

[LilMak]

A storch has the ability to have longer, more varied view angles giving it a better chance of discovery with or without engine on.  However there are 3 players that I know of that can find a GV instantly no matter where you are hidden.

Since the advent of the  LilMak radar system and enhanced ammo bunkers., GVs are much more vulnerable.  It is making it much more difficult to be aggressive in attacking, and more rewarding to just wait on an attack for easier kills..

For the record. What I asked for and what we currently have are not the same thing. Naming it after me seems a bit of a stretch. And, while hardening the ammo bunkers may have hurt a bit (never asked for that personally), it seems disingenuous to imply that a 20 second radar delay has had any appreciable effect on the ground game since they were and still are not on radar.

Now. I am of the opinion that the storch should have icons on a tank (even under trees) within 500ft. And, while I’m not fully against it, I’m also not so sure it should paint that tank on radar. Rather it should use smoke to mark it. Basically making the spotter plane be viable again.

What I would truly like to see is subtle animation that shows the shockwave or dust cloud show up for a second when a round is fired from a tank. Which might negate the need for radar or a special icon. Or maybe tank tracks that fade like bomb craters? The latter might be a bridge too far.

[hitech]

Here is what I am planning to do with radar. This is the plan, not a finished feature, so details may change as we test it.

The map will show enemy contacts 2 different ways.

Radar contacts
A plane within range of your side's radar and above radar height shows on the map as it does today. Position updates will be faster, something like every 5 seconds. Between updates the contact fades to about 25%, so you can tell how old the position is.

Seen contacts
Being near an enemy will no longer put him on your side's map. Someone on your side has to actually see him. You have seen him if he is within vis range and really in your view, so he does not count if he is off screen, behind your canopy frame, behind terrain or in the sun, or if either of you is inside a cloud. As soon as anyone on your side sees him he shows on your side's map. He stays while anyone keeps seeing him and for a little while after. Seen contacts have their own update rate, 20 seconds by default.

What this means in play
Flying under radar no longer shows you just because an enemy is nearby. If nobody spots you, you stay off their map. Flying inside a cloud, the sun and blind spots now hide you from the whole enemy side, not just the one pilot. Keeping your eyes on a contact helps your team.

Plain dots
Each arena can choose, for each type of contact, to show full detail or just a plain dot. Full detail is plane type and heading, as now. A dot tells you something is there but not what it is or where it is going. So an arena could show radar contacts as dots and seen contacts in full detail.

Your own side does not change. Friendly planes still show with full detail.

GVs may also be able to show as seen contacts. That would be an arena setting.

HiTech

[Dadtallica]

That’s not too shabby!