edit:
Replaced the broken track file, see below

Wow! you really are blind!:-P...with my monitor, I could have air superiority over each, and all of you:-P...screenshots are like 60/70% of what I see

made a track, photobucket can't seem to get it downloaded all the way:confused: file is below screenshot...how about this shot from 1200m, I moved the aircraft's to nearby the hangers, added 3 He111, and 1 tank on the move...as a side note, even when you get far away from the hangers, and they begin to fade/disappear, the aircraft remain visible!!...another interesting thing Zap, is that the aircraft shimmer just like a target in game. I think it is the yellow paint and the angle of the sun on them.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...015_133106.jpg

1000m

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...015_153254.jpg

800m

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...015_153438.jpg

600m


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...015_154741.jpg

the 3 he111's stand out very visibly as a glittering/shimmering cluster of "something", partic from one angle (at the start of your track) when the sunlight must hit them just right, then the middle part of your track as you round the bottom part of your "go around" loop they are pretty invisible to me, and then again become visible at the end of your "loop" (which is the exact opposite view point where previously they had been so visible, so probably again the sunlight angle reflects off them).

the single aircraft you parked a bit further away is not visible for me (barely if i use a magnifying glass to view the exact spot i think it is in), and the truck/tank is also not visible. i do get a faint hint of it when at one point i think it kicks up some dust, but all the rest is invisible to me (i can sometimes spot where i think he is with the magnifying glass)

for the purpose of our comparison here, the cluster of 3 he111's is probably to large, 2 or 3 single fighters scattered somewhere on the airfield might be a better measuring stick, but the driving vehicle/tank is illustrating the problem well for me, it is basically invisible unless i exactly already know where he is and then use a magnifying glass to confirm it is a small moving object (and neither is the single engine fighter)

1/2 the time in the video you posted i cant actually see them (the 3 he111's), 1/4 of the time they are very visible (as glittering/shimmering cluster, not as individual aircraft), and the last 1/4 i kinda can see something if i know where to look (but again cant see them as aircraft)

maybe the "remain visible" (to you) is similar or related to the bug that some people reported, where distant aircraft can be seen through clouds ? (which would be a bug)

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...

My problem is losing aircraft in the Haze! as they are the same colour (light grey) as the Haze! This is incorrect as proven with photographs, aircraft as long range appear as black dots, as BOB pilots keep mentioning when talking about German formations .. "a sky full of black dots". This is because the light reflecting off far, dark aircraft loses most of the light before it gets to your eyes. Opposed to that, reflective aircraft (US) would glint brightly.

So .. i like the idea of darkening aircraft @ long range .. shouldn't be too difficult ?

.

david,

what type of monitor do you use (brand model and name plz) and what resolution do you play ?

using less then native resolution will introduce another variable, since i/we have no idea if that also affects distant LoD visibility. the most distant aircraft 'dots" are then obviously bigger, because dots in il2/CoD are defined as a little cluster of a specific number of pixels

one good thing about CoD is that distant aircraft seen against a backdrop of water/ocean, or the sky, stand out much more then in the old il2 series. probably the increase number of LoD models is responsible for this. but as a stationary or moving object against a terrain background we have a MAJOR problem still (for most users)

Which is why we need to have the LOD models redone.

I think the Developers should open this issue to allow the community to see what they can do to solve the problem, there is not that much work to be done, and I think people would be motivated.

Right now the developers likely are not interested in spending the time.

Either that or we need to have reflection modelled properly, but that is probably not going to happen at earliest till BoM.

Reflection makes all the difference in RISE OF FLIGHT, you spot the LOD models regularly when sun reflects off a wing.

totally agree buzzsaw!
i think the community would be well motivated....for me right now this is the most pressing issue with clod...
but i think, that it wouldnt be that much work for the devs either...i think only minor adjustments would be necessary to get a somewhat realistic visibility...

I did a bit more study at the 1200m level. I added single 109's, 111's, and a medical vehicle on the move.

Observation: everything as a single object will be detected, if you are looking for objects. Once you are alerted by movement or a glitter and then zoom in, vehicle movement can easily be tracked, aircraft shape/identification, is fairly easy to see and not loose sight of.

Conclusion: getting a "true" 120hz monitor would give a person an definite advantage, and solve the loosing Spit??

S!

I saw the planes at ease, the car was a bit harder to spot. I do not use a 120Hz monitor.

"the correct FoV for any monitor is between 60 ~ 75 degrees... and "zooming" in or out, is an adjustment of the FoV.

Field of View does funny things with Depth of Field, and that is where your "problem" is.


ATM, the FoV for outside view in the sim is set to (iirc) 30 degrees


Seriously.. if you want the "problem" solved, get three monitors and set the view port on each monitor to 20 ~ 25 degrees... don't put 60 ~ 75 degrees across the whole thing ;).
This puts the monitors into the viewer's 60 degree of vision and gives the more realistic real world seeing without flying in myopic tunnel vision