I won't bore you all to tears with the exact details once again (i explained everything in a very recent thread here, post #26: http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthr...087#post231087 ) but from my personal experience the summary is:

1) Tracers look like streaks when close to you because the closer distance exaggerates the effect of the angular offset between aimer's viewpoint and line of travel. Angle offset at close range translates to a lot of lateral displacement/apparent size during their motion, the eye/brain can't keep up and they seem to streak.

2) As they move out the same angle offset translates to less lateral displacement over longer ranges, so they change over from streaks to dots.

3) You can see this modeled perfectly in Oleg's fighting sequence video of last week's update during the attack on the Defiant, just pause frame by frame between 0:35 and 0:37 and you can't miss it. Or click on the link provided above, there's a relevant screenshot.

4) Possible improvements? Not many to be honest.
They look a bit too uniform overall and a little "fat" when they are close to the player's viewpoint (personally, my only criticisms), but very similar to real ones after just a second or less of travel.
I can't decide on how "fat" they should be since it depends on ambient light conditions. I would like to see ricochets modeled at some point. Otherwise they look spot on to me.

Finally, in-game camera shutter speed will be adjustable so if anyone wants cinematic tracers and propellers they'll be able to adjust it to their preference.

Overall conclusion: Almost everyone will be happy with what they see eventually.

I hope it helps :grin:

i saw tracers with my bared eyes and yes it looks like in game, what you see in guncams is due to shaking camera and poor light caught

Totally agreed. I've seen everything from 5.56mm to 25mm tracers from my time in the military, and IMO 1C got this one right.

These are not what you see in real life. You dont see a bar - you see a streak, its very bright but it doesnt look like what is in the picture. Yes it does have a laser like quality, but so does a sprinkler if you swish it fast enough, which is closer to what a tracer looks like. The problem for me with the picture itself is that the light/bar is even in its intensity which it shouldnt be. Front end should be alot brighter then the back. Its a residual image, not a bar.

I have braved the deeps of TV Tropes to bring you This! clutched in the hands of my battered being, time pouring from my wounds.

Use it, use it well!

Ahhhhhhhhh. I got you. I agree with your sentiments. I still love the pic, and have it as a desk top. It's not so bad blown up. It looks like CoD screen shots without AA. (JUST KIDDING!! LOL)

damn TV.... it has a lot to answer for... :grin:

nice music with that video...

This is true only if you're looking down the sight of the gun that fired it.

If you're off to the side and slightly above (in the cockpit for example) then you'll see some degree of streaking.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


I was AA gunner on the Oerlikon54, basically an improved WWII design cannon.

I fired the cannon from the gunner seat and I saw the cannons firing away from the battery.

I never saw even a single time any "lasers".

The most realistic thing about tracers I evers saw in a sim is the latest mod for gunnery available for IL2 (I can't remember its name).

I think the tracers both look real and not real at the same time.
A tracer used in aircraft has way more smoke trail from the phos on the bullet base (more phos to get a longer burn i would imagine)
So on screens the clean line without smoke trail emitting from the line isnt strictly right in my opinion, but the tracer itself is.
I think someone mentioned they look too clean, well the tracer itself should be clean, its the smoke trail from it that should twist and snake, and that smoke trail should be there for as long as the tracer is burning.