Hard to see the aircraft

[FFCW_Urizen]

Originally Posted by Sven

I have a real hard time here with a hat-switch, I can only see them if they're really close, or when my nose is pressed against my monitor.

I use a hat switch too(no TrackIR, yet), spotting them is not so hard, keeping track of ´em is. the problem here is, you can only rotate in steps of 45° and sometimes that´s just too much.

I'd like it if there was an option for some manner of ROF style icon or something of the sort. Right now playing online is frustrating since people are so obsessed with everything being 100% real that they leave "tags" off because WWII pilots didn't have them, but fly 20 feet above the ground looking up . . . because WWII pilots knew having an altitude advantage was a bad thing?

I remember that famous scene from the Battle of Britain movie where the Brits and Huns were circling around the south of England, desperately trying to get under their opponents. It was so tense, watching those Spits and 109's getting lower and lower.

[sorak]

Originally Posted by FFCW_Urizen

I use a hat switch too(no TrackIR, yet), spotting them is not so hard, keeping track of ´em is. the problem here is, you can only rotate in steps of 45° and sometimes that´s just too much.

Ive allways wanted the option to be able to change that 45 degree to a lesser amount.. i wonder if there is a way to do that..

[jimbop]

I thought that you could choose either snap or pan view for POV switch?

[klem]

Originally Posted by Mr Greezy

Just wondering if there's a way to see other aircraft a bit more clearly.

I'm not an old man, fyi, but I constantly lose aircraft when the ground is their backdrop. Not so much when I'm below, but when I'm above, sometimes I can't see them and I'm only a few hundred feet away.

Maybe I'm the only one, and if so, I suppose it's a matter of training my eye.

I also feel as though it's very hard to see aircraft at longer distances. The dots pop in a little too late, IMO. In real life, you can spot other aircraft (and vehicles, trains, etc.) at far greater distances than you can in this sim, so I don't feel like it's a "realism" thing. I know it was very common for pilots to lose each other, but I feel like that's more in the madness of a dogfight and less about blending textures and whatnot.

I didn't have too much trouble in IL2 1946, but I'm fully aware we are comparing vastly more complex systems, I'm simply saying I feel like a mole with the wrong prescription glasses on sometimes in CLoD.

Is there anything I can tweak in the config file, or perhaps there's a mod, to help me out?

Sorry if this has been addressed. I tried to find a post like this but couldn't.

This may be due to your settings. Anisotropic Filtering (AF) seems to extend the range at which detail can be rendered and perhaps resolution has a lot to do with it.

My AF is set to 16x and resolution is 1680x1050. I can see faint dots fairly easily and even extremely faint ones about 1 pixel size(?) if I look carefully although they are quite grey-blue.

I have my Samsung 226BW monitor set to 'game' settings:- Color Tone Normal, R=50, G=50, B=50, Brightness 100%, Contrast 70%, Gamma on 'Mode 1' (brightest of the three) but all that of course will depend on your monitor controls - try experimenting. Its essentially a fairly bright setting rather than a subdued one you might use for everyday documents, spreadsheets etc..

[III/JG53_Don]

I will try your suggestion with the AF switched to 16x, thanks!
Moste of my time on the ATAG I fly around for almost an hour without spotting anything.... and then suddenly a crowd of 3-4 planes nearby "appears" (my eye just didn't caught them earlier).

Guess a little bit luck plays a role there too, but (apart from the weak high level performance of nearly all planes) it has a reason that the vast amount of fights takes place below 2000m imho.....
When you're up high its almost impossible to spot a plane below.

[Robo.]

Originally Posted by III/JG53_Don

Guess a little bit luck plays a role there too, but (apart from the weak high level performance of nearly all planes) it has a reason that the vast amount of fights takes place below 2000m imho.....
When you're up high its almost impossible to spot a plane below.

I am sorry to disagree - it is fairly easy to spot them from up there. Especially mid channel on the water surface, but over the land, too. It is also pretty impossible to miss a contact at co-alt when you're cruising at 18.000ft. Also, formation of bombers are easy to be spotted from distance, you can also see if there is any fighters around, actually pretty nicely done ingame! I have had many great fights in 5km alt on ATAG especially because I have got better SA up there. YRMW

To the original poster - it really is only about experience. And I would add that often it's not about seeing contact as such, but rather knowing where to look.

[ATAG_Snapper]

Goering: "But come now, gentlemen, I have chastized you enough. Tell me what you need to help you succeed up there!"

Galland: "Well, Herr Reichmarshall....the option to select icons to help spot those verdamnt Spitfiren!"

[FFCW_Urizen]

Originally Posted by jimbop

I thought that you could choose either snap or pan view for POV switch?

Snap View = You rotate to a Certain degree, releasing the Hat-Switch centers your view. And trust me, Snap view is even more worse than pan view. The smallest Rotation iirc were 90°.

Originally Posted by sorak

Ive allways wanted the option to be able to change that 45 degree to a lesser amount.. i wonder if there is a way to do that..

none, that i´m aware off.

[klem]

Originally Posted by ATAG_Snapper

Goering: "But come now, gentlemen, I have chastized you enough. Tell me what you need to help you succeed up there!"

Galland: "Well, Herr Reichmarshall....the option to select icons to help spot those verdamnt Spitfiren!"

I love that figurine set. Wonder what it would cost to get my hands on it!