Your thoughts on tracers on/off

[OnePunch]

Doesnt matter to me either way but I got to thinking about it.
If the overall effect of AH is realism, or as close to as possible, then the option to turn off tracers should not be an option at all;)
Your thoughts anyone??
Now im not going to even get into a tank being killed by a palm tree:D

[Kronos]

I use the no tracers option when I'm getting really crappy at the angles shots.  I will do really crappy the first couple of days, but then I'll start getting the angles back down.

After that I go back to tracers.


I know, its backwards from the way everyone else does it

[Ouch]

Umm, not sure what you meant about "close to realism" in your initial post.

Quite a few squadrons in WWII did NOT use tracers.  They put tracers in only the last 50 rounds in a gun so that the pilot knew when he was running out.  Other than that, they didn't want tracers because it 'warned' the enemy pilots they were under fire if the first burst missed.

It was a 'choice' made at that time by the squadron commanders rather than the individual pilots, but it was a choice that was available during WWII.  Having it here is definately an "pro" realism thing, not anti.

Ouch out

[OnePunch]

I guess my point is for the sake of realism the option to turn tracers off should not be in the MA. Sure enable them in the TA or DA:D

[OnePunch]

Hmm ouch not to sure about that can you point me to your source? I was aware that every 5th round was a tracer? I do stand to be corrected here

[Wotan]

"Three Englishmen with radial engines appear, in very tight formation, and I pull the stick into my stomach and zoom up behind these. A quick glance left and right. All clear. I dive and get the leader in my Revi gunsight. I press the button and he goes down, his companions covering him as he disappears. I climb again, searching the sky. To the right there is nothing, but I cannot believe my eyes when I look the other way. The sky is full of Spitfires, and just a few 109s. I go straight into the dogfight, but at once get a Spitfire on my back. At full speed I try to lose him Now I have one Spitfire in front and another behind me. Damn it ! I dive vertically away to lose him, then climb again. Suddenly I see white trails shooting past. I look back. Yet another is behind me, sending his tracers past my ears like the "fingers of the dead"[/i]. I will thank God if my mother's son can get out of this dogfight ! I manage to outclimb the Spitfires, and try again to help my outnumbered comrades, but each time the Tommies come down behind me. Suddenly a 109 comes past very fast with a Spitfire behind it. This is my chance. get behind the Spitfire and centre it in my Revi. After a few shots it goes down ... I watch it crash into the sea with a huge splash."

Dunno if this means that all spit fires fired all tracers but I doudt it.

Most of the gun camera footage I have seen there has been these "fingers of the dead" I dunno if this is because of the cold temp at alt with the hot round passing through moist air or what but. Tracers rounds usually "glow".

I do know that shooting small arms on the ground I have never seen "trails".

So I dunno whats "real".

[-ammo-]

Several FG's in the US would opt to not use a mix of tracer and then others would. It was not sert i stone throughout the war for them. Was a commander option AFAIR.

[AAvenger]

Tracers was an option. As far as every 5th shell, they could have made it every 6th or every 9th shell. That was just how the armorers loaded the cartriges into the belts. One of the stories in 'Aces against Japan" by Eric Hammell (?) the pilot goes into it a little bit.

One pilot said his squad didnt use tracers because the chemical made the tracer bullet have a different trajectory than the bullets without the tracer chemicals on the back. Also, as previously stated, it would give you away if you missed on your first try.

[Sandman]

If it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Some people like tracers. Others do not.

Some WWII fighters used tracers. Others did not.

Making the option something that is defined by the arena is just asking for trouble and an endless amount of whines and counter-whines.

(see killshooter)

[Löwe]

Ouch.

These guys are correct, some units did and some didn't use tracers. Francis Gabreski for example is one who only loaded the last 50 rounds in his M2's as tracer . His reasoning was he didnt want to alert his enemy that he was being fired on, and like others have stated, he loaded the last 50 rounds tracer so he would know the guns were low on ammo.

Reference: Gabby, by Francis Gabreski, and Carl Moelsworth.

[Tumor]

IMO tracers or no-tracers really won't make any difference until the Linda Blair head-spin and neck contortion abilities of pilots are made more realistic.  If you have any SA at all you should  be able to see whether a bogey is on your six or not.  If there is, you should take a huge gamble and bet he's shooting at you whether there are tracers or not.

Some sort of indication that the other pilot is actually fireing might help as things are now.  Fire and smoke, while minimal would be easy to see coming from guns and cannon's.  Right now you just can't tell whats going on until you either see tracers or catch lead.

[Toad]

So you're saying that an AH pilot choosing between no tracer and tracers is less realistic than a WW2 pilot.. particularly an Ace like Gabreski or Hartmann or Johnny Johnson or Sakai.... talking to his armorer and telling what loadout he wanted in his belted ammo?

You don't think they'd let these guys have that much latitude in their fighting style?

[Turbot]

Not a scientific study, don't know if it is tracers or something else, but I dont remember seeing any gun cam footage from WW2 where the bullets were invisible.

[Toad]

How much (%) of the total gun cam footage from all sides has ever been shown in any public forum or made availabe in some type of media?

How much of the footage even survived the war?

Why would a show like "Wings" or whatever broadcast a clip without tracer?

They even dub in the sound of gunfire to show the audience what's going on.

[Dead Man Flying]

Originally posted by Tumor
Some sort of indication that the other pilot is actually fireing might help as things are now.  Fire and smoke, while minimal would be easy to see coming from guns and cannon's.  Right now you just can't tell whats going on until you either see tracers or catch lead.

Planes without tracers produce muzzle flashes around the guns when they're firing.  If you're close enough, and you know what to look for, it's tough to miss it.

-- Todd/Leviathn