Ground targets are way too hard to see in Sim mode.

[Bael]

Originally Posted by Xx RTEK xX

How hard do you think it was for WWII pilots way back in the day when they didn't have HUD electronic assistance display of targets? It is Simulation Mode......they are simply simulating what it would have been like in WWII. You have to have a good memory of where the targets are, remember the terrain after a couple flybys. Watch for the muzzle flash from the cannons. Make a mental note of which direction the targets are lined up.

...

If my advice doesn't help you out, then go back to playing Realistic so you can have access to the HUD target icons. Oh and I'm playing on a 50" 1080p DLP and I can see the targets just fine without zoom. Try playing on a bigger tv, or invest in a pair of LCD goggles like the iTheater.....get the highest resolution you can buy. It's like looking at a 70" from 12 ft away.

Again, thanks for the advice - but I have to stick to my guns on this. And it's not a hardware problem on my part, my 46" 1080p LCD works beautifully.

It is an attempt to simulate the difficulty real WWII pilots had acquiring targets - but to think you have the same level of vision clarity within this game that a real pilot would have is insane. We're playing a game at 720 resolution at 30ish frames per second, which is way less than the human eye can see, and to further compound the problem the models aren't even being drawn from a certain distance. I can fly around in Tiger hunt, and I have many times, and watch as the ground targets 'pop' into view - and that happens way later than it should. There's a huge difference between not being able to see your target cause it's hidden in the brush, and not being able to see your target because it's just not being drawn. If there was so much as a speck you could see from farther distances this wouldn't be an issue.

I know there's a huge tendency for Sim gamers to fight any type of HUD elements, but for the most part HUDs are just there to supplement players with information a real person would have that the technology can't accurately reproduce. In this case the HUD could point out things REAL pilots would be able to see. And from what I gathered in the suggestions thread, the original IL-2 for the PC even had this sort of a system.

[thundermuffin]

Originally Posted by Bael

Again, thanks for the advice - but I have to stick to my guns on this. And it's not a hardware problem on my part, my 46" 1080p LCD works beautifully.

It is an attempt to simulate the difficulty real WWII pilots had acquiring targets - but to think you have the same level of vision clarity within this game that a real pilot would have is insane. We're playing a game at 720 resolution at 30ish frames per second, which is way less than the human eye can see, and to further compound the problem the models aren't even being drawn from a certain distance. I can fly around in Tiger hunt, and I have many times, and watch as the ground targets 'pop' into view - and that happens way later than it should. There's a huge difference between not being able to see your target cause it's hidden in the brush, and not being able to see your target because it's just not being drawn. If there was so much as a speck you could see from farther distances this wouldn't be an issue.

I know there's a huge tendency for Sim gamers to fight any type of HUD elements, but for the most part HUDs are just there to supplement players with information a real person would have that the technology can't accurately reproduce. In this case the HUD could point out things REAL pilots would be able to see. And from what I gathered in the suggestions thread, the original IL-2 for the PC even had this sort of a system.

Couldn't agree with you more. I've posted a good suggestion (just actually posted it on the thread about moving targets) that would imply the pilot's memory. You/'re pilot would have remembered where that target was, and the game would put a little dot or some marker over it (not unlike what they do for planes at long distance). It would fade over time or disappear if you focused on somethings else.

[Xx RTEK xX]

Bael,
How about if they made the Realistic mode have the same physics and attributes as Simulation, on it has the on screen target assistance? That way it wouldn't affect the achievements of Simulation.

The problem with target assistance on Simulation is that it would just make it easier. Simulation is not meant to be easier. The perfect solution is to just make the only difference between Simulation and Realistic be the target assistance.

[TexRoadkill]

I wouldn't want any HUD assistance in Sim mode. They just need to make the targets more obvious with more muzzle flash, smoke, maybe a larger sprite when you are viewing at distance like they do with the aircraft.

[Doktorwzzerd]

Originally Posted by TexRoadkill

I wouldn't want any HUD assistance in Sim mode. They just need to make the targets more obvious with more muzzle flash, smoke, maybe a larger sprite when you are viewing at distance like they do with the aircraft.

For whatever my opinion is worth I agree with Tex and the anti-HUD side on this. There is definitely a problem with acquisition, and I honestly think one that goes beyond the challenge of sim mode, though I think solving it without adding HUD elements is the best solution. Simply having really long draw distances would do wonders, if we could see the target from far out and line-up properly then its just a matter of skill. The biggest problem is that I know where the targets are generally, but I can't line-up until the very last second of my attack run because they aren't drawing until then. My guess is that the devs were thinking about this more in terms f the arcade experience, which with the hud is fine, but in Sim it really makes it impossible.

All that being said however I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the final ver is exactly the same as the demo, it almost always is.