REALLY hard to see...

[cydno]

Originally Posted by loopdreams

True but I've done a fair bit of flying and it's a damn site easier to see cars on the ground if you're flying an actual, real plane at 3,000ft than it is to see them in this even when you're flying at 300ft. Eyes have a very much higher resolution than 720p and even cramped cockpits offer a wider field of vision than a telly. It's like flying a plane, whilst peering through a letterbox and wearing glasses smeared with butter. As detailed as the ground is in this sim it's nothing like the view from a plane in terms of readily identifiable landmarks with which to orient yourself.

Also with minimal HUD you don't get the target markers all over the place but you do get to use padlock view. I don't find it destroys immersion but merely compensates for some of the inherent deficiencies of playing on a screen.

Completely Agreed!

I only play on sim mode (and finished the campaign though) but I do not hesitate to use the virtual cockpit and the zoom as it compensates the poor visibility that we have in the game.
the immersion is still there anyway and it is really great when you shoot an enemy plane using the virtual cockpit and the zoom... it reminds me all of those WWII TV documentaries.

Also, here is how I managed to spot ground targets.... from pretty far try to line up with the targets pretty low, use the virtual cockpit and zoom in... it is pretty efficient . I managed to spot two vehicles in the street of stalingrad (which is, I must say, a real challenge!).

[H Lecter]

Originally Posted by cydno

Completely Agreed!

I only play on sim mode (and finished the campaign though) but I do not hesitate to use the virtual cockpit and the zoom as it compensates the poor visibility that we have in the game.
the immersion is still there anyway and it is really great when you shoot an enemy plane using the virtual cockpit and the zoom... it reminds me all of those WWII TV documentaries.

Also, here is how I managed to spot ground targets.... from pretty far try to line up with the targets pretty low, use the virtual cockpit and zoom in... it is pretty efficient . I managed to spot two vehicles in the street of stalingrad (which is, I must say, a real challenge!).

Virtual cockpit and zoom - sure as hell. I just don't like the markers, apart from that I appreciate all help that the game offers.

[cydno]

Originally Posted by H Lecter

Virtual cockpit and zoom - sure as hell. I just don't like the markers, apart from that I appreciate all help that the game offers.

Yeah me too... all I want to say is that it doesn't kill the immersion and it won't make you a cheater or at list not a "real simmer".

[n-off]

"hard to see" is when flying in a storm. it's pretty much impossible to find anyone in sim mode

[loopdreams]

Originally Posted by elneilios

Interesting idea.... but how do you know what you have targetted without the icons? Seems it could be a bit random as to what you have padlocked? I suppose its just a case of remembering what you last aimed at when pressing the target button? But it could still get confusing if you pressed cycle target, you wouldn't really know what your locking your view on to.

Most of the time it's not too bad, just hold down the target button a bit longer at it will select your primary objective, if you're trying to target an attacker then hold down the padlock view button and keep pressing the target button until you get the right one. Overall though if you just approach it as though you're playing sim but with the extra help there when you need it then it's a good compromise. No good if you're going after the achievement for getting through the game in sim of course, and no use in multiplayer either where disabling the HUD is only putting yourself at an unfair disadvantage.

[InfiniteStates]

I do feel that simulation mode is too punishing as far as target aquisition goes. Mainly for ground targets. Aquiring an air target is not much of a problem, although determining friend or foe is a different story... but that's a different post

I think the game as it is now is hugely realistic - if all WW2 planes were piloted by Kenny from South Park. As has been mentioned or not the problems are, IMO:

* You have a lot less peripheral vision than a real pilot. I can see IRL from about 10 to 2 o'clock (possibly 9:30 to 2:30), but in the game your vision cone as it least half that.
* The graphics engine clips ground objects at a range that is too close to adjust your attack line. Planes have a highlight (which should be a bit smaller IMO - it looks like flak fire) at long range, so why don't ground targets? Ground targets are already harder to spot because they don't have sky behind them.
* You have no sense of the orientation of your plane if looking around in the virtual cockpit, so it's still unsure of where he is relative to you.
* The controls for looking about are so bad that it is no way as easy as looking with your head. Changing from hold to toggle, and adding a sensitivity slider for looking might help fix this. But the hold is truly crippling (I can only play online every other day because I have to let my wrist recover - fast track to arthritis hold-n-look is).

In the demo, I spent over 90 minutes flying backwards and forwards over the orange dot on the map of the P51 mission trying to spot the artillery guns. Trying to find a black spot on a black spotty texture is not much fun. Air to air missions are great fun in simulation mode and hugely satisfying, but air to ground missions are not remotely fun IMO. Trying to find something that either isn't being rendered yet or when it is looks like part of the texture it's rendered on sucks.

I strongly feel that the L2 button's role should be altered slightly in this mode to compensate for the unrealistic aspects listed above: holding it down half way should zoom as it does currently, but holding it all the way should padlock view onto the nearest enemy (there could be a distance cap on this, but it should be big enough to set up a strafing run in roughly the same direction. I'm also ok with there being an angular cap - say 180 degrees - too).


EDIT: Is the command to attack target (up on the d-pad) rendered useless in simulation mode? Given that you can never have a target...

[elneilios]

I haven't got the full game yet so forgive any ignorance....

Can someone explain how you can identify friend or foe when playing in Sim mode during a multilayer session? The reason I ask is because I'm assuming that in a team scenario, both sides could have a mixture of allied and axis planes, therefore even if you were a virtuoso at silhouette recognition it would be impossible to tell enemies from friendlies?

[King Jareth]

Originally Posted by elneilios

I haven't got the full game yet so forgive any ignorance....

Can someone explain how you can identify friend or foe when playing in Sim mode during a multilayer session? The reason I ask is because I'm assuming that in a team scenario, both sides could have a mixture of allied and axis planes, therefore even if you were a virtuoso at silhouette recognition it would be impossible to tell enemies from friendlies?

Friendlies have blue bands on their wings, enemies red.
I have never once shot down a friendly plane. nope never.

[n-off]

also, looking at the map is helpfull