Icon Philosophy - Approach

[SAJ73]

I have a really low performing 15" laptop, but I still had great fun in AvA the other night fighting enemies with no icon. It really makes the realism go up a few notches! And the fun factor also, even if it was alot harder to get any kills because I had to spend so much more time and effort on scanning the skies for other enemies during the fights..

There can be one lurking around u hiding in the terrain, and u don't even know he's there until.. BOOOM! 

[Hap]

I have taken this idea from Jimson on A v A rocks but want to apply it to the MA.

What would happen is HiTech had one night a month (or at least try) no enemy icons, period.  The reason why is from 6k out you can tell what is coming to you or in the vecinity. This gives you time to adjust, angles, speed, altitude, ect as the other plane does (could) before engagment.  At 18,000 feet out you already know what you are going up against. 

I think the dynamics of a fight/furball would change if no icons were on and everybody would find out up close what they are dealing with.  I think this could be more realistic and make everybody approach a fight differently. 

If I am in a P51 up close versus a spit or A6M, and if I decide to run, the opponent because of close proximity has a chance to shoot me down and make me "fly" my way out of trouble versus, just run. 

Yes I know, I can turn icons off, but that is not what I am trying to do here.  It's for everybody. 

Nope.  I'd hate it.

[jimson]

It's just not true that this is about some trying to gain an advantage, no one is advocating turning off icons only for the other side, and no one knows if the opponent has better or worse video equip than they.

Whether the realism is accurate or perceived, it's all about the immersion, which is why I advocate it only for the Axis vs Allies arena.

[dedalos]

It's just not true that this is about some trying to gain an advantage, no one is advocating turning off icons only for the other side, and no one knows if the opponent has better or worse video equip than they.

Whether the realism is accurate or perceived, it's all about the immersion, which is why I advocate it only for the Axis vs Allies arena.

Agreed, but you are talking about your personal immersion experience.  You can achieve that by turning off icons, putting a bullet in your head when you get a PW etc.  What ever it takes or works for you (you meaning anyone looking for realism and immersion).  Why worry about my settings and my immersion experience?

[jimson]

Agreed, but you are talking about your personal immersion experience.  You can achieve that by turning off icons, putting a bullet in your head when you get a PW etc.  What ever it takes or works for you (you meaning anyone looking for realism and immersion).  Why worry about my settings and my immersion experience?

Well, because you still want somewhat of a level playing field, and to really set the arena apart from the others, I guess.

[Sonicblu]

I brought this idea up a few years ago even Hitech got involved. So I suggested a seperate arena. I was tired of the cumplusive picker just diving for a red icon and not looking for a fight.

I havent flown in the Ma in weeks. Ive been in the AvA a bunch and ww1.

Couple of things
1. I think the guys that no icons appeals to have a different standard for what they want and are looking for in a fight. So having an arena that we can go to for this makes it work.
2. Forcing all the (..............) in the MA who say stupid things like "turn yours off" is just a waste of time they have no intrest in it. For them AH is pwnage of icons in the MA. They like having 99% noobs to pawn.
3. It will stay fun if its just a few of us keep the flamers  out. They dont want it. Let them fly in the sewer pond know as the MA. We need a place to send the carp.
4. It is forcing them to play a way they don't want to. We see it as fun they can't see it and thats ok.
5. IMO I don't think it will work on a large scale anyway.

I do think what happens is we have so much fun in AvA we we try to go back to MA its just icky. Our perspective changes a bit. Just something you can't share with those living on Myopia ave. They will just have to check it out for themselves. I'll just have to shower each time I visit the MA in the future. So far I log after just a few minutes in there. <Tired of the same old stuff. So AvA is great for me.

So its.

Lemmings over the cliff in the DA
Sewer Carp in the Ma
The real pilots in the AvA

 

[Bizman]

I suppose you think 1500 yards is close. Walk 1500 yards from your house and let me know if you can still see it.

I admit that if I walk 1500 yards from here, I can't see my house. But it is due to terrain structures and objects, not the distance. In the summer while trolling on the nearby lake I can tell the direction of a 5 m (half the length of a tiny Bf 109, no wings) open boat from 5 k. And in the air where there's even less disturbing elements, this study says that

if two planes are heading towards each other, there must be enough space between them to perform evasive maneuvers. We find that 12 s is required; at normal flight speed, this translates to 2.9 km or 1.8 mi.

So clearly, a real life pilot should be able to tell from more than 3000 yards another plane's direction. From that point of view 1500 yards is close.

[gyrene81]

This is in response to requests for a totally-no-icons MA:

Krusty, sorry but you're wrong...that thread was for no enemy icons in the WWI arena. I know HiTech did say it wasn't going to happen, in any of the main arenas but...that statement was false.

I hear guys say this from time to time and while it sounds like a hoot and all. This is a computer game. The icons are there to facilitate a general lack of depth perception and clarity, not to mention the absence of a true third dimension. At 6K in real life an airplane might be distinguishable to one with above average eyesight and aircraft recognition skills. But as our esteemed friend Krusty mentioned, at 6K in this video game, even with a really good computer and monitor, an airplane is just a dot.

I see a couple of you guys spouting how the human eye sees blah blah at 6k and so on...you do realize you're talking a different between yards and feet? Just in case you didn't catch it yourselves...from the cockpit 6k in AH is 18000 feet...and even if you have perfect vision, you could not tell the difference between a Spit16 and a P-40 from 18000 feet...doesn't matter if you can see a passenger jet flying at 21,000 feet, if you were honest with yourself you know you couldn't tell if it was a 707, 727 or 767 from 21000 feet away. Next time an airshow is in your area, park your car a mile away (5,280 feet or 1.7k in AH terms) from the airfield, then watch the WWII birds fly around the field and see for yourselves what details are visible...without binoculars.


Still it's not something to that should be forced on the masses in the main arenas even once a month.

[Steve]

idea=fail.

[infowars]

You guys fly with icons on in the MA...?  lol..  dweebs

[Wiley]

I don't see why they don't just do it, repurpose WWI Dueling Arena 4 or something.  Let it fill up for 3 or 4 days as all the current subscribers see something different when they start the game, log in, try it for 15 minutes and go, 'Hey, this really blows.' when they realize it's not for them and head back to the MA.  After that has run its course, let the 17 guys in the game who keep asking for it ad nauseum go in and feel awesome about their ability to bounce people from on high 2-3 at a time depending on which timezone they're in and their schedules.

Problem solved!

Wiley.

[gyrene81]

let the 17 guys in the game who keep asking for it ad nauseum go in and feel awesome about their ability to bounce people from on high 2-3 at a time depending on which timezone they're in and their schedules.

Problem solved!

Wiley.

Always with the negative vibes, Moriarity, always with the negative vibes!

[jimson]

Still it's not something that should be forced on the masses in the main arenas even once a month.

+1   Keep it in AvA only.

[dedalos]

Still it's not something to that should be forced on the masses in the main arenas even once a month.

Sums it up.  The option for no icons is there.  Individual can turn them off or the AvA for now. 

If you are going to worry about mine being on and want to force me to fly with them off, I have some things I'd like forced on you too. 

[Wiley]

Always with the negative vibes, Moriarity, always with the negative vibes!

But the negativity, bitterness and hatred keep me going...

Honestly it might work here, the dots show up at a decent range, you get a pretty decent sense of them closing.  Definitely better than in other games I've seen.

I think this would be an excellent opportunity though with 3 WWI arenas collecting dust to give the idea a try.  Definitely AvA only, with limited skins.  Also take away the zoom feature.  If you're going to do it, do it right.

Then after a week we can move on to the 'Ok, this is why there is nobody in the arena and what HTC needs to change to fix it.' portion of the program.

Wiley.