Icon Range Whine

[Gooss]

I apologize in advance for my whining. 

I do not like the short enemy icon range in FSO.  I would prefer the 6k MA range.  Going from zero enemy to 10 enemy, who are all within 3.5k, well, bites.  Whatever poor SA skills I have in the MA have no carryover. 

We see dots.  Investigate.  Get mugged.  Send <S> to survivors.  Go to MA to satisfy bloodlust. 

Flying with squaddies is fun.  Clearing 5 bandits off squaddie with 5 bandits on my six is not.

I apologize for my whining.

Thanks to all the people who make FSO possible.   

HONK!
Gooss

[texastc316]

excellant form

I think the more things that are not like the MA the better. my .02. I personally like it more difficult. Not that I can handle it, Im just silly like that.

[trotter]

Have to disagree, short icon range I believe is one of the best features in special events.

I don't read as many WWII air combat pilot recollections as some, but I've often noticed pilots often talk about the strange and yet startlingly sudden transition from a peaceful sky to a sky full of bandits. And after some quick minutes of maneuvering they often find themselves all of a sudden alone in the sky again. I've had something like that experience in short icon mode, and it would just never happen with the 6k icon range. Long icon range gives you warning of the initial bounce, and 6k icon mode also keeps yourself far more aware (unrealistically so) of the "entire" fight than a typical fighter pilot would have been.

[Delirium]

I'll bet big money that the ones that enjoy the short icon range are those running at a better resolution and have better computers overall.

Going from 1024 res to 1900x1200 made a huge difference, even with that plus, computers cannot take the place of the human eye.

If you factor in speeds of the combatants, the guy flying at higher speed has a much bigger advantage as well because he can close the distance and make the kill before the other guy can notice him.

Don't believe me? Many of the scenarios that had 262s enabled with short icon range proved this. Those that didn't do well were flown by those with little experience or the fight was happening above the normal operating altitude of the 262.

[Vulcan]

I'll bet big money that the ones that enjoy the short icon range are those running at a better resolution and have better computers overall.

I like it and I fly at 800x600. Mk 1 eyeball can still spot dots at range, after a while you start to get good at picking stuff out (white dots are usually US iron, black dots are usually LW etc).

Harden up girls.

[Delirium]

Well, hopefully I (and a large number of the community) can grow chest hair like you some day.

 

[ROC]

after a while you start to get good at picking stuff out (white dots are usually US iron, black dots are usually LW etc).

I actually noticed this for the first time last Friday.  Flying towards a cloud of dots on the horizon, I noticed they appeared as red dots.  Sure enough, Niks! Really started to notice after that.

[ImADot]

You might also want to check your range radio when you see bogies.  If there are names there that aren't part of your package, those dots are friendly.  Also, if you're inside your base's dar ring when you see those bogies, and the base is not flashing, chances are they are friendly.

Short icons makes the FSO experience all that more intense. 

[captain1ma]

maybe you could compromise and go 4.5K. that way the newer or less experienced guys can see them just a bit further out and the orthodox FSO guys still get their short ranges. just a thought.....

[Nefarious]

I say we have Friendly Icons only. 

[apcampbell]

I'll agree with that! 

[33Vortex]

I say we have Friendly Icons only. 

Yes! 

[daddog]

What Nef said! I wish we could!

[Krusty]

Doesn't help. I've got at least several old films archived of SEA events where enemies didn't show up unitl 800 yards (400 yards in some cases) simply because of the sheer number of planes in one area. Even when they don't magically appear 1k behind you (warping in) they still are very fast moving planes with very small cross-sections and easy to miss.

In these cases (which happened frequently) it doesn't matter if enemy icons are set to 6k. The game's programming limitations don't allow them to show up.

In small engagements, I've thought it would be better to have full icons, but when you really need it it wouldn't show up anyways.

[Motherland]

On the subject of icons;
I don't seem to remember the setting in FSO, but is it possible (or has it been considered) to turn the 'full icon' off, so instead of having the icon tell you what specific aircraft it is inside of 800 yards you have to visually identify the variant? Ex., you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an La5FN and an La7 unless you knew the visual differences between the two types?