Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Mika on December 11, 2000, 07:08:00 AM

Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: Mika on December 11, 2000, 07:08:00 AM
Hi all!

Yesterday I played with all icons off. You have to get damn close to make sure if that is your friend or a brutal enemy   (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
That must have been 150m or something. I thought that can't be the best solution and thought about an easy way to make it better. Well, "easy" you know   (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)

That an enemy plane at 15k (for example) is a black dot is really ok. I love that. It's also ok if these dots are still very small when you get closer (due to resolutions and that technical limits). But even if you are 600m right BEHINID your enemy you see just a black silhouette and that makes it impossible to identify (most of the time).
Now my suggestions:

What if you would use a planes colour to identify it if the resolution is not good enough today? For example a Yak and a Mustang... Mustangs are white and Yaks very dark. Both could be a black dot when they are far away. But what if the colour is changing to the correct mixture the closer you come? Let's say a mustang becomes dark grey at 5k, light grey at 2k and almost white at 1k (may be with some more versions of grey between all that). Then you would at least know that this in front of you can't be a Yak. That would make things easier in dogfights. We (LLv34) played a match against the 5 GIAP yesterday and only G-2 and La5 were in air. We had no icons and it would have been a big help if you could see the different colours earlier. I hope you know what I mean. It's hard to explain it.

The closer you come the better the colour of your enemy's plane. Black if far away and the right colour if very close... and that could change all the time when you get closer and closer until you see it perfect.

I have no idea if someone can realize that because I have no clue about programming but to me (and I know NOTHING   (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)) it sounds like a pretty simple solution for a may be bigger problem (at least for me).

Please let me know what you think about that.


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Ylikersantti Mika
Lentolaivue 34

[This message has been edited by Mika (edited 12-11-2000).]
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: SKurj on December 11, 2000, 11:15:00 AM
At long range the sun reflecting off the mustang would make it lighter as its a reflective finish (kinda)
One note...  I can ID a mustang at 7k+ range in the MA.  With the exception of the buffs I think its the only fighter I am able to do this.  The 51 is not just a black dot at 7-8k from my POV.  Its a black dot and a light grey/white dot.  Soon as i get some webspace setup I'll post this..  
Personally I'd rather just see dots not black, but the predominant colour of the aircraft.

AKSKurj
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: Mika on December 12, 2000, 06:07:00 AM
What resolution do you use?
Because I've heard that this works only with resolutions higher than 800x600 (what I have  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/frown.gif))

Mika
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: SKurj on December 12, 2000, 07:38:00 AM
1024 x 768 16 bit colour, runs better for me than 800x600.

celery @ 448
v3 3000 agp
128 mb ram
17" monitor
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: LLv34_Snefens on December 12, 2000, 09:01:00 AM
I can't tell for sure if it is a mustang at those 8-9K, but I can see that dot is white and then I know it is either the P-51, P47D30, Typhoon (dunno why, but sometimes its light at distance) or P38. I can also tell difference between bombers and fighters at that distance and using zoom I can sometime even ID the bombers further.

Certain angles its just hard to tell difference to planes. In the fight that Mika mentions we had 109G2vsLa5, and when coming from dead six it is very hard to tell the difference. Looking at them from front it was easier to tell difference (spinner of G2 and generally the difference between engine cowling of the two.

I am using 1280x1024(32bit)
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: LLv34_Snefens on December 12, 2000, 09:06:00 AM
When I was using my old PII-300@333, 128MB RAM and Voodoo2 12MB my Res was 1024x768(16bit).

Had mid 20's in level flight. Lowlevel dogfights about 15.
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: Weave on December 12, 2000, 11:47:00 AM
  Mika if you are doing this in the MA, identifying the plane type is not a good method of determining weather or not it is an enemy you are about to shoot down (open plane set and all). But with killshooter you'll only be hurting yourself anyway.

Weave
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: Mika on December 12, 2000, 12:16:00 PM
Killshooter is no option!
It happened also in the WW2 and then it should happen in any arena too. Escpecially if two squadrons are competing in a H2H  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)

I really would like to see a better solution of this problem.


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Ylikersantti Mika
Lentolaivue 34
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: SKurj on December 12, 2000, 12:28:00 PM
Snefens... a single V2 won't do 1024x768... unless there's a hack out there...
Oh yeah and I also noticed that what I described for the 51 does apply to the 47d30 and 38 as well.
Will have to look closer at the typh.
A buff can be id'd as such from 8k in 1024 as well.

AKSKurj

Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: LLv34_Snefens on December 12, 2000, 02:57:00 PM
I couldn't choose 32bit with my voodoo2 but no problem with my 1024 view. I can't remember for sure but I think I could also choose 1280.
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: Karnak on December 12, 2000, 04:02:00 PM
Snefens,

I single Voodoo 2 doesn't have enough memory to do 1024x768.  Do you have an SLI setup with two of them?

As you noted, the Voodoo 2 (Like the 1 and 3) cannot do more than 16bit color.

Sisu
-Karnak
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: LLv34_Snefens on December 12, 2000, 05:39:00 PM
Hmm, I had a 8MB Diamond Fire 1000GL Pro or somthing to that extent as my primary video card besides the Voodoo2 I used for 3d-acceleration only. The diamond WAS able to accelerate too, but not as well as the voodoo. I had always thought the Voodoo worked independant of the Diamond, but now I see they might have worked together.

It was my first PC and pretty much composed by the store so I had no idea how it worked.
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: PJ on December 13, 2000, 05:28:00 AM
I'm confused; I use a C/L V2 with my Matrox G200 and always use 1024x768 resolution on a 17 inch monitor with no problems. Are you guys saying this should be impossible?
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: Maniac on December 13, 2000, 08:13:00 AM
I know Warbirds have had different colours of the enemy "dots" depending of what type of AC it is.

Why HTC have not come around to doing this yet i dunno...



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AH : Maniac
WB : -nr-1-
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: snafu on December 13, 2000, 12:26:00 PM
Hi All,
Hey now I'm confused, I have exactly the same setup as PJ and Guess what I run 1024 x 768 as well with no problems

TTFN
snafu
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: PJ on December 13, 2000, 01:16:00 PM
Hey Snafu, seems they've all gone to ground!!
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: Karnak on December 13, 2000, 02:57:00 PM
Are you sure you're not using the Matrox G200 for AH?

A G200 can do 1024x768 with only 8Mb of memory.

The Voodoo2 uses its memory diferently though.  It is using 4Mb for textures and 4Mb for buffering and prepping (I think) the next frame.  The extra 4Mb on the 12Mb cards is very rarely used.

I do not remember what effect the extra 4Mb would have.  I guess that it might allow 1024x768, but I don't recall it doing that.

Its been too long since I read up on Voodoo2s.  I have long since moved on to newer, faster cards myself.  I do have a K6-III 450 running 2 12mb Voodo2s in SLI mode in my living room though.

Sisu
-Karnak
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: PJ on December 13, 2000, 03:47:00 PM

Hi Karnak, I have tried using the G200 and I have to say the colours are brighter but fps are better with the Voodoo. Just been fooling around with V2 Tweaker which gives lots of options including clock speed which is 90 by default. Can get it to run stable at 95 but above that it just locks up in AH. One day I'll get myself a better graphics card but it does the job for now and I don't play many games - sad or what??!!

Paul  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: SKurj on December 13, 2000, 10:24:00 PM
Hmmm mebbe somethin new in drivers for V2 these days....  In the past SLI was the ONLY way to go greater than 800x600 with V2's.  AH is direct3d btw, be sure you aren't using your primary adapter.  If you aren't .. well  errmm  wtg +)


AKSKurj
Title: Spotting and identifying
Post by: PJ on December 14, 2000, 05:50:00 AM
Hi Skurj, all I know is that I have the option in Video setup (AH) to use my primary adapter or the voodoo - if I use the G200 I get fps of 20 tops; 10 on the ground, whereas if I select the Voodoo I can double this. If I play in 800x600 I can get upto 65fps but the scenery's not so pretty hence the reason I use 1024x768; weird eh?

Paul.