A potential fix for the Aircraft visibility problems?

[SlipBall]

Originally Posted by zapatista

because compensating for one error by introducing other errors just leads to further problems down the line i, and most people here, also use their pc setup for a whole host of other purposes, and reducing quality has other flow on effects.

i agree with you however that for people buying a new monitor for il2/CoD, this is something they should maybe consider. but then again we also need to advise those people to set their monitors to lower resolutions so dots and LoD models stand out more (and distort their color setups, a well calibrated monitor is again a potential disadvantage)

or instead luthier could fix the dot/LoD visibility issue, and we can all enjoy the glory of the new CoD scenery in its greatest beauty possible, as well as our hardware will allow

i prefer option b)

btw, using a 6 bit monitor doesnt really "solve" the issue, it just makes it significantly easier to spot a small moving dot (eg il2/CoD distant aircraft) against a static terrain scenery. even with that "glitter artifact" present under those conditions it still doesnt provide correct viewing/spotting/tracking/identification distances in CoD. for ex just try and fly over an airfield at 1250 meters and look down to see if you can spot static parked small aircraft or see individual vehicles driving around, i bet you cant (dont use a zoomed view, use a correct FoV for your monitor size only !!). yet in real life you could/can, that's the issue. its just that during these debates a small group of people has *less* of an issue with this, and that is where the 6 bit monitors come in

I took the zapatista challenge, and yes the static aircraft are clearly visible for me 1250m. I had a truck driving around the aircraft, I would spot it, and then loose it at times...I'll edit, and post some shots...let me say that the shots are not as clear as viewed while flying

Sunrise, 1250m, 12 static Bf 109, one truck...just past wing end




high noon, just ahead of leading edge

[zapatista]

Originally Posted by SlipBall

I took the zapatista challenge, and yes the static aircraft are clearly visible for me 1250m. I had a truck driving around the aircraft, I would spot it, and then loose it at times...I'll edit, and post some shots.

lol, great

why dont you take this one step further and make it usefull for the rest of us !

make a recording track of your "event" so the rest of us can replay it on our own CoD and see what visibility we have. if i understand correctly how the il2 tracks work, and somebody correct me if i am wrong, playing the track will in effect recreate the event on our pc using our own CoD program (and use its detail and option settings) so the distant LoD and dots are recreated, not just "displayed as a recorded video clip" (if you see what i mean)

if that is correct, it should work fine as a comparison method to determine who can see what on their different systems

SlipBall, please make sure you are at 1200 meters and dont use a "zoomed view", because that is the equivalent of using a pair of binoculars strapped to your pilots head. use "normal view" (untill hopefully in the next patch luthier will allow us to set specific FoV's we are stuck with the 3 pre-defined ones). planes parked on the ground must be stationary (truck/tank can be driving around)

ps: dont have a truck "driving around the aircraft" plz (creates the same repeated movements in one specific location), just have a truck driving from point A to point B somewhere on the airfield, or drive in a wide loop as you might want to overfly the airfield several times. a single or multiple trucks driving on a small open road is also a good sample for our purposes.

[SlipBall]

OK, just one thing though, this will be the first track I ever made (crazy right!). How do you/where will I find it/ how do I package it?

[zapatista]

when you make the track, give it a name that is easy to identify, because you then next need to go look in the folder where il2/CoD saves its tracks. then just rar or zip up the track into an archive file and upload it on the web somewhere

[zapatista]

slipball,
i cant see anything there at your wingtip that would specifically represent a small prop aircraft or a truck, and i expanded the screenshots you posted to full size on my 27' monitor and looked over the area just above your wing tip with a magnifying glass

i dont doubt you see something, but i dont think it illustrates what allied pilots were describing when talking about going on a free hunt after the normandy invasion, and being able to pick out individual german tanks/trucks stationary in a field, or moving on a road. even if there was something to see in the screenshot you posted, i think it would represent what YOU can see on your setup, rather then have each of us looking at the same scenery from the same distances on our own pc setups.

a ingame recorded track might do that (hopefully somebody here knows more about how they work exactly when replayed on other pc's)

[SlipBall]

Originally Posted by zapatista

slipball,
i cant see anything there at your wingtip that would specifically represent a small prop aircraft or a truck, and i expanded the screenshots you posted to full size on my 27' monitor and looked over the area just above your wing tip with a magnifying glass

i dont doubt you see something, but i dont think it illustrates what allied pilots were describing when talking about going on a free hunt after the normandy invasion, and being able to pick out individual german tanks/trucks stationary in a field, or moving on a road. even if there was something to see in the screenshot you posted, i think it would represent what YOU can see on your setup, rather then have each of us looking at the same scenery from the same distances on our own pc setups.

a ingame recorded track might do that (hopefully somebody here knows more about how they work exactly when replayed on other pc's)

edit:
Replaced the broken track file, see below

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

made a track, photobucket can't seem to get it downloaded all the way 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.



1000m



800m



600m

[zapatista]

Originally Posted by SlipBall

made a track,..how about this shot from 1200m, I moved the aircraft's to nearby the hangers, added 3 He111, and 1 tank on the move

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)

Originally Posted by SlipBall

..as a side note, even when you get far away from the hangers, and they begin to fade/disappear, the aircraft remain visible!!...

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)