Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Inferno on July 27, 2003, 05:18:18 PM

Title: Contrails
Post by: Inferno on July 27, 2003, 05:18:18 PM
I would like to see (In the Mission Arena anyway) contrails from the big groups of bombers. Maybe there could be contrails from fighters, as well. You could look around and see a bunch of curved contrails and would know that a dogfight took place there recently. Would look pretty good IMO.
Title: Contrails
Post by: F4i on July 28, 2003, 01:05:45 AM
I like the idea, but the contrails would slow down some people's computers unnecessarily.  

One thing I'd like to see is some kind of wake on the water as we fly 10 ponies below dar @ 300+ knots across the ocean.  :D   THAT would make for some AWESOME screenshots.

F4i
Title: Contrails
Post by: LLv34_Snefens on July 28, 2003, 05:46:43 AM
I would think that wakes on the water would take more power than doing contrails, but the answer is simple. Just make the user able to toggle them on/off if they want.

And a few screenies on how it could be done (from FB) :).

Low P47s 1 (http://home14.inet.tele.dk/snefens/p47low.jpg)
Low P47s 2 (http://home14.inet.tele.dk/snefens/p47low2.jpg)
Low P47s 3 (http://home14.inet.tele.dk/snefens/p47low3.jpg)
Contrails (http://home14.inet.tele.dk/snefens/high.jpg)
Title: Contrails
Post by: Rutilant on July 28, 2003, 06:32:07 AM
Yes yes yes!  :D

I suggested wake ages ago, but no one took me seriously :p

Maybe some ffect if we dipped the very tip of our wing into the water.. but not enough to kill us :p
Title: Contrails
Post by: Rutilant on July 28, 2003, 11:20:49 AM
Says ben posted here...

It get deleted?
Title: Contrails
Post by: ChuBBs on July 28, 2003, 11:21:25 AM
now when i fly low ppl would see me tho!
Title: Contrails
Post by: Dux on July 28, 2003, 11:32:51 AM
Snefens, do you think those screenshots look realistic?

I sure don't. I think it's an effect that comes from Hollywood, not the real world. (not with subsonic prop planes anyway)
Title: Contrails
Post by: ramzey on July 28, 2003, 11:46:41 AM
this looks like dust on wather:)


here som real contrails

(http://www.astro.ku.dk/~holger/IDA/S/g248549.jpg)

http://www.astro.ku.dk/~holger/IDA/S/page0146b.html
Title: Contrails
Post by: Ack-Ack on July 28, 2003, 01:22:53 PM
Quote
Originally posted by LLv34_Snefens
I would think that wakes on the water would take more power than doing contrails, but the answer is simple. Just make the user able to toggle them on/off if they want.

And a few screenies on how it could be done (from FB) :).

 




It looks like that P-47 is doing some crop dusting on the side.


ack-ack
Title: Contrails
Post by: BenDover on July 28, 2003, 02:55:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Rutilant
Says ben posted here...

It get deleted?


posted in the wrong thread.


"Il-2:FB - Hollywood with a good damage model."

Hell, give bomber guns the muzzle flash from fb and you wouldn't be able to hit anything.
Title: Contrails
Post by: Inferno on July 28, 2003, 04:35:04 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Dux
Snefens, do you think those screenshots look realistic?

I sure don't. I think it's an effect that comes from Hollywood, not the real world. (not with subsonic prop planes anyway)


A plane can have contrails regardless if it is subsonic or a prop or a jet. I'd show a picture if I could.

BTW, Hollywood really doesn't give a toejam about airplanes. ;)
Title: Contrails
Post by: LLv34_Snefens on July 28, 2003, 04:46:36 PM
Inferno,
he was talking about effect behind the low flying P47s and not contrails.

Dux,
it depends. I have never seen any films or pics of props low over water, (which could may be because there wern't anything particular to see), so I wouldn't know if it's realistic. Like some of the gunflashes it's likely overdone.

On the other hand I've seen similar dust clouds in pics from planes taking off. I'm thinking about one picture of a group of 109's(?) taking off. It's a rather famous pic, but I haven't been able to find it on the net.

Heres a nice (and probably the most famous) picture of contrails from WWII.

http://www.390th.org/research/TopCover/topcover.htm
Title: Contrails
Post by: F4i on July 29, 2003, 02:08:50 AM
Looking at LLv34's pics of the wake on the water, I think the white, hazy portion is a bit much.  But, if you look at the farthest ends of the wake, you'll see two lines marking the edge of the wake - one line on either side.  Now, those lines are what I had in mind when I said I'd like to see "wake" in Aces High during below-dar (or, "NOE" Nap-of-the-Earth) runs across the ocean.

Thanks for the pics, LLv34.  :cool:

Of course, considering the great new graphics that AH2 will offer, I expect more than a couple white lines to act as wake.  But, nothing too memory-hoarding.  :D

F4i
Title: Contrails
Post by: hazed- on July 29, 2003, 05:54:02 AM
If the weather is right (usually cold mornings or misty) and you fly your aircraft hard pulling high G's you often get small disturbed air contrails on wingtips as they approach high speed stall.This effect has been added to IL2 FB and also the high alt contrails for bombers. It may be slightly exagerated, as in maybe it happens a little too often but it LOOKS and FEELS great. You often are looking over your wings while fighting and as you almost stall in high speed turns you hear stall sounds like wind buffet then you also get a slight buffeting of the controls, if you have FFB joystick it vibrates in a superb manner, the little white wisps of disturbed air on your wingtip appears as all this happens.

RESULT? it looks and feels a hell of a lot more realistic than AH.

Im sorry to say it, as i was no great fan of IL2 (original) but the new version has been improved immensely. Somehow they have captured the 'feeling' of being in the 'air' rather than feeling you are on a sort of invisible rail with efects added to make it feel like air.

Im not trying to pee off HTC by saying it as im sure they too must have tried it. As programmers i bet they also feel its really not bad. I suspect they would want their new AH2 to feel as good as this, then add their great servers to the mix and the reasonably priced subscription and VIOLA HTC have the world beating product. I really hope they manage it.

Title: Contrails
Post by: Dux on July 29, 2003, 11:43:10 AM
Oh, I'm all for contrails... that would look great on high-altitude bomber formations. You could even check the weather report first to plan an altitude to avoid them! :D Also wingtip vortices during maneuvers would be cool, but that's something you see in humid conditions.

My comment about "unrealistic" was in regards to that roadrunner-like dust cloud. A cruising aircraft would not generate that effect, no matter how low. A plane taking off would (in a dusty environment), but that's because  A) sitting on its tailwheel, it's nose is pointed up, and therefore the prop is blowing down and aft; and B) because it's accelerating, it's pushing more air backwards in relation to the movement of the aircraft. ie, if the prop pushes out a 300-mph wind, there's a big difference from taxi speed, and little difference from cruising speed.

I'm all for cool effects, as long as they're based somewhat in reality.
Title: Contrails
Post by: Edantes on July 29, 2003, 06:48:55 PM
I don't know, but the prop tip vortices should be enough to stir up some dust?  These would radiate out and back from the prop, and would result in a wake of some sort, I would think.

I also read an accident report, in which a couple T-28s were flying way too low out over some sandbars, and it stated that they were low enough for sand to be kicked up by the propwash.  

So, maybe the wake wouldn't be so big, but it would probably show up, if the ground was dry/dusty enough...

~EDantes
Title: Contrails
Post by: seabat on July 29, 2003, 07:03:08 PM
I dont recall seeing any dust in that spitfire video in the other forum.
Title: Contrails
Post by: Edantes on July 29, 2003, 09:34:24 PM
Just watched the video...  That looks like grass he is flying over...  Try that over some desert sand, and it might kick up a wake...  

I grant that the dust shouldn't show up until the plane is at the 0-4' alt., though.  Anything above that, and there won't be much effect on the ground.

~Luke
Title: Contrails
Post by: Maniac on July 30, 2003, 03:08:42 AM
I am sure HT could make it an graphics option for those with slower computers, i.e hit ctrl + C to turn the contrails on/off...
Title: Contrails
Post by: gatso on August 01, 2003, 07:11:25 AM
RE: water splashing up behind low flying airplanes. Someone just posted a website of a video of an F14 doing a supersonic flyby at 50ft. OK, so the tomcat is much heavier and faster but I found it interesting that even at Mach 1+ there was NO water thrown up at all. The wake is very clear though.

Video here: 940K

http://services.flypaper.com/download/plain/s-flyby.mpg?flyfile=flyfile%3A%2F%2Fsite%3A2656%2FDatabase%2F9978480977909113%2F9978495207493495%2Fs-flyby.mpg&enc=y

and a link to the page it came from:

http://www.fastpasses.com/exec.asp?Page=2656.21&display=1632/1059709299123334

Gatso
Title: Contrails
Post by: Rutilant on August 01, 2003, 09:38:01 AM
As Edantes said, i don't think it would happen with a F14 jet  because there's no propwash?
Title: Contrails
Post by: F4i on August 01, 2003, 09:54:18 AM
There is a vid that shows a wake as the Tomcat flies between 2 ships at low alt.  The plane is about 100 - 105 feet up.

That's it...we need wake in AH2.  :cool:



F4i
Title: Contrails
Post by: Dux on August 01, 2003, 10:09:07 AM
You guys aren't really confusing a supersonic shockwave with propwash... are you???
Title: Contrails
Post by: F4i on August 01, 2003, 10:11:24 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Dux
You guys aren't really confusing a supersonic shockwave with propwash... are you???


Yes...we are.  I dunno 'bout you, but my P-51 goes supersonic all the time on my way to your HQ.   :D

F4i
Title: Contrails
Post by: Dux on August 01, 2003, 10:12:56 AM
lol. Good, then I'll aim for the dust trail!
Title: Contrails
Post by: Ike 2K# on August 03, 2003, 01:39:20 PM
Quote
Originally posted by F4i
I like the idea, but the contrails would slow down some people's computers unnecessarily.  

One thing I'd like to see is some kind of wake on the water as we fly 10 ponies below dar @ 300+ knots across the ocean.  :D   THAT would make for some AWESOME screenshots.

F4i


maybe we can have have an option to turn ON/OFF contrails.
Title: Contrails
Post by: Wilbus on August 04, 2003, 05:34:20 AM
Contrails in Il2 (normal version, guess they are the same in FB) look really really good. Imersion factor in a high alt fight is awsome there.
Title: Contrails
Post by: Wilbus on August 04, 2003, 05:37:48 AM
(http://www.il2sturmovik.com/ss/14.jpg)

From FB but looks the same in IL2. Is FB good btw?
Title: Contrails
Post by: SKurj on August 04, 2003, 01:51:09 PM
I prefer FB...  but maybe its because as some would say, its "easier"

Well the fm, gunnery etc is a little easier


SKurj
Title: Contrails
Post by: Kaz on August 04, 2003, 03:15:01 PM
First patch for FB 'should' be out this week, some things will get harder, others easier.