ok this issue is complicated, but very interesting and some good comments and tests where already made....from my point of view, with my setup, i dont have a problem with spotting targets in the far distance...
but unfortunately because of my weak system, i have to lower my resolution to maintain fluid gameplay.
i tested it a couple of times, how the game looks when playing at native resolution, and even then, i have no problems with spotting those dots in the far distance.
in my view, objects which are really far away, are almost too visible.it seems, that as soon as a plane gets visible on our screen, then the first view moments it will "fade in" as a grey dot...those grey dots look pretty good...
but as soon as they get a little closer to the eye of the beholder, the dot will become black,...its still really far away, and then it looks very unnatural, mostly because the dot is deep black.
objects, even against terrain, somehow seem to pop out and dont look at all realistic.(they are visible through clouds and hills as well).for example if i cross the channel, i can see all the static objects placed on the map at Hawkinge for example easily when im still closer to the french coast...they appear as deep black dots or small lines.
the problem to spot targets starts, when they get their 3d model,....or some seconds before, as some just completely disappear(like the spitfire).
the planes/objects suddenly switch from those deep dark black dots, to grey shimmering/(partly) disappearing objects...
i think that shimmering/disappearing is the biggest problem with keeping track of them.
i think as well, that it only looks like shimmering, but is in fact a temporary vanishing of certain parts of the objects.
(maybe if the devs would change that, and make those invisible parts look like reflections, it could help us tracking targets in a more realistic manner)
on a sidenote, ive noticed on atag a few days ago, that they have indeed reflections modeled sometimes in certain situations...i became aware of that, during a mission which started in the early morning before sunrise...as soon as the sun made its way to the horizon, i saw the pink/red colour reflected on a squadmate's plane...looked good convincing, and was good visible as well, although he was still pretty far away.
anyway, since release, the devs have obviously adressed this issue a few times already....i remember a patch, where suddenly all the planes appeared as white dots on the screen, to resemble reflections...that was way too visible, and didnt look convincing at all...
but i remember as well, that the "disappearing" problem, was not there at the release version of the game.if i remember correctly, planes disappear only since the last official steam patch...before that, they switched from beeing a dot to being a shimmering somewhat...now there is a gap between these two modes, where nothing is visible at all...it as well seems, as they have adressed this issue now with the latest beta patch for most of the planes, but i still have the problem with the spitfire for example..
its annoying, that i can see objects over half the channel with ease, but struggle to track a spit 500meters in front of me, and lose it as soon as it dives above terrain...
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