Legally Blind CoD Pilots

[EZ1]

I have finally taken the next step with CoD by getting into some on-line action since the final patch came out. I have played IL-2 Classic almost exclusively on-line for over 4 years. Unfortunately, the few populated servers up for CoD are “full-real”. “Full-real” is a bit of s stretch because real pilots would be required to have perfect or nearly perfect vision. CoD pilots would be considered legally blind in the real world. For example, I took off near the Dover coast line to defend against bombers yesterday. I turned inland to get some altitude then headed back for the channel. As I approached, I started seeing a great number of flak explosions. Assuming they were shooting at an enemy plane I headed toward the flak. When I got there I could see no other planes. I circled and searched for several minutes but still nothing. Finally, I saw more flak east of my position then a dot appeared. It was coming toward me, which I determined based on the exploding flak shells and NOT the look of the dot. Finally, it kind of took the form of an airplane. Even when it was within a few hundred meters I still could only tell is was a fighter, but I couldn’t determine what type. I only determined it was an enemy because it was being shot at. I turned to chase it down. I didn’t really expect to catch up but hoped he would turn to engage me. As he pulled away, poof, he just vanished. A few seconds later he reappeared as a dot again. We made a few more passed at each other and I believe he was having as much trouble figuring out who I was as I was having with him. There wasn’t much “real” or fun about that sequence to me. On a bright clear day I should have been able to ID that plane from several miles away. If not for the flak, I would have missed him completely. I have the same issue with “full-real” IL-2 classic servers, but it is far worse with CoD.
I know icons are now realistic to many, but they do compensate for the lack of reality in the graphic images produced by the game. It’s a bit like giving the pilot eye glasses.
P.S. If you are able to see other airplanes better that what I just described I would really like to see your settings, especially your screen resolution. My screen resolution is 1920x1200 which should show a lot of detail even without anti-aliasing.
I will probably continue to provide a target to you other on-line plays so just remember I am legally blind:shock:

[Trooper117]

Join the club!

[EZ1]

I guess I did joint the club.

If they could just put the CoD cockpits (with CoD's the greatly improved look-around) into IL-2 Classic (with nice clear graphics)...Was that a sin?:oops:

[ATAG_Snapper]

"I consider myself a Man of Vision", while the rest of the world wears bifocals!" -- Paul Newman as Butch in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".

Unlike ol' Butch I wear bifocals and have a devil of a time spotting aircraft. I'm easy meat if I'm flying alone online. If there's heavy enemy action at Hawkinge the only way I can survive is flying tree-high tight figure 8's following the hilly contours -- hoping to spot a strafing 109 before he spots me! It works about 1 time in 10........ ;)

[MadBlaster]

It's disappointing, to say the least, to read this. Year after year after year of players posting dot complaint threads on various forums. Is it just unsolvable? All this new hardware and software, 6 years and $8 million investment and they somehow have made it worse than before? :confused: This is the second post I read this morning of someone requesting icons to see the bogie. Just too sad.

@OP. You might experiment with lowering the resolution to make the dot fatter.

[drewpee]

Spotting then keeping track of AC is my biggest problem with all of the IL2 series for me. I'm sure my hard wear takes a big hit with all the panning when I'm frantically trying to re-find a enemy at close rang. It's even worse with COD with all the background clutter. I get jumped all the time because I have to concentrate so hard to keep track. Look over my shoulder and I'm guaranteed to totally loose my target.:evil:

[6S.Tamat]

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=27176
welcome in the club

[louisv]

My own real life experience is that it is very hard to see aircraft from another aircraft. Even if it would be many pixels. An aluminium colored aircraft reflects the surounding sky, unless you get the glimmer of the sun, you just don't see it.

Your eyes just dont cover a very big part of the sky from a cockpit. If you are on the ground, the aircraft you are looking at has a light background, and there is only half of a sphere to look at. In the air of course you need to look under also.

A dark helicopter flying over a forest seen from a higher plane is just a white or yellow seemingly empty ring (the blade tips, very important)...dark on top of dark. To me it is a lot easier to see an aircraft in any sim than in real life. We don't even have clouds to speak of in CoD or rain, haze.

I can see why it is so important in the game ( I haven't tried CoD online yet), it is just as in real life...

[GOA_Potenz]

now for me major problem is the lack of FSAA jaggies make forms quite confusing a the state of the game now, when the FSAA will be implemented in the sim we are going to have more clear scene

[pupaxx]

+1 just ended an online session. server time was at dawn, so extremely poor conditions about visibility, murky terrain and bright sky, very contrasted. I was at 1000 when I spot at 3 miles (extimated) a dot, I head on it, it's 2 inches above the horizon well visible. He, for sure, see me and the situation evolves in a direct head to head, he is higher than me and put the nose some degrees down towards me...I think friendorfoe? friendorfoe? friendorfoe? ...the distances decrease rapidly and suddenly he blends completely in the dark landscape; I lose sight of it for 4 seconds, I mantain my heading looking for it zooming in and out....the epilogue...my wings are shaken by his shots...FOE!... Managed to return to base. ;)
Ciao....

I agree the visibility of E/A is a problem in CloD even for those who have a great eyesight...I think another cause may be the terrain that keeps to much detail even at medium altitude. The land texture scaling must be tuned. Devs implemented the terrain with a lot of detail but this LOD is mantained constant going up in altitude (at least until certain altitudes). Too many signs that blend together.

[David198502]

i have really healthy eyes, and never had a problem in to spot planes in IL2 1946.sure it was still hard, and maybe to identify the target was harder than it would in reality, but as soon i spottet a plane, i could without a problem, follow it and keep contact...

in CLOD its much worse!!!there always was the problem of big black dots in the distance, and as soon as you come closer, the dots became smaller and changed colour to a bright grey, which was very hard to see whether the background was sky,water or terrain...

i think the devs are aware of the problem and thats why it was changed several times now since the release....for example in the first beta before this official patch, we had those white dots which where clearly visible(and also through terrain).they were ugly and could be considered as cheat...

however since the latest patch, we have the worst situation...i play because of performance reasons with a very low resolution of 1024x768, and now, while i think that the dots far in distance are looking more real, as soon the aircraft comes closer, it begins to shimmer(meaning some pixels of the shape, just take the colour of the background)...so it becomes partly invisible.... but thats not the biggest problem....when you come really close....600m-300m, the aircraft will become totally invisible for several seconds.and i mean totally invisible.its like a stealth fighter of the next generation.

this problem has to be solved quickly now.since the latest official patch, i didnt fly online yet, but i even had problems to keep sight on the stupid AI, which is normally really easy to shoot.so i dont think that i will even try to go online until a acceptable solution is found.

[JG52Uther]

I can't ID planes until I am on top of them, at a certain distance they are just a shimmering, disappearing shape.

[Tacoma74]

The teamkilling is really annoying as well, mostly due to this issue. I got shot down 3 times in a row several nights ago on ATAG by my own teammates. I was very much annoyed to say the least... It happens, but c'mon that's rediculous. On top of that I was flying blue side so I would fly all the way across the channel just to get bounced by a friendly 109. :rolleyes:

[tintifaxl]

The teamkilling is really annoying as well, mostly due to this issue. I got shot down 3 times in a row several nights ago on ATAG by my own teammates. I was very much annoyed to say the least... It happens, but c'mon that's rediculous. On top of that I was flying blue side so I would fly all the way across the channel just to get bounced by a friendly 109. :rolleyes:

I think your problem was: the 109 was not that friendly :mrgreen:

[Tacoma74]

I think your problem was: the 109 was not that friendly :mrgreen:

Well at least they apologized for it. :) I can certainly understand how difficult it is to indentify ANY plane in CloD sometimes. Almost found myself doing the same once or twice.

[Whiski]

The teamkilling is really annoying as well, mostly due to this issue. I got shot down 3 times in a row several nights ago on ATAG by my own teammates. I was very much annoyed to say the least... It happens, but c'mon that's rediculous. On top of that I was flying blue side so I would fly all the way across the channel just to get bounced by a friendly 109. :rolleyes:

Agreed mate. Although I haven't been jumped by a friendly, I have been on ATAG comms (allied) when someone was rattled by 8 x .303's.

Target ID is a problem, and ff is and was a problem then as well. What I try to look for is the insignia/roundels on the wings. German markings at a distance shimmer white (or look for yellow nose if they are using that skin), allied markings at a distance shimmer almost a reddish color (a lot harder to see). Best thing to do is hold fire until a positive ID has been made. If that means rubbing your prop on his tail, so be it.

I am currently reading a book called "Portrait of a Legend, Spitfire" written by Leo McKinstry. This book tells us just some of the ff incidents that happened, one in particular, "The Battle of Barking Creek".

On September 6, 1939, Spitfires of the 74th Squadron, based at Hornchurch, were scrambled to intercept unidentified a/c. They made contact with the bogies and began their intercept. The flight leader, called "tally-ho" and they began their attack. He noticed moments after he called Tally ho that these a/c were hurricanes. Due to the excitement and adrenaline of battle, 2 pilots of the 74th never heard the flight leaders call to "break off, friendly a/c" and never noticed the markings on the planes. Two hurricanes were shot down of which 1 pilot was killed. This led to the installation of Friend or Foe identifiers that ground control could use to ID incoming planes.

This is just one of the many incidents. Positive ID is a must and no one should fire without either visual confirmation or verbal from an engaged friendly who has visual.

Whiskey

[Flanker35M]

S!

Dots and visibility issues are an area where sims could be less simulator. We need a compromise to make it feasible to spot and ID a plane without using tags or similar. IT does not need to be see and spot all, but something that makes it a tad easier to follow a target you have acquired.

[Tacoma74]

What I try to look for is the insignia/roundels on the wings. German markings at a distance shimmer white (or look for yellow nose if they are using that skin), allied markings at a distance shimmer almost a reddish color (a lot harder to see). Best thing to do is hold fire until a positive ID has been made. If that means rubbing your prop on his tail, so be it.



Whiskey
+1

I also like to look at wingtips. It's helps to tell a 109 apart from a Spit/Hurri from certain angles.

[Gollum]

continue this here so we don't have duplicate threads please...

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=27176

[rollnloop]

On ATAG all 109s look like stukas with their gear down anyway...