LOD Problem suggestion..

[JG14_Jagr]

The LOD issue is a pretty large problem in COL as far as most people are concerned.. having to play at 1/2 the graphics goodness in order to see dots to actually find action isn't a great compromise..

So, I was wondering. Is there a workaround using the icon system? Could an icon be created that was basically a single dot? Could the vis range on this icon be set to create a better view distance? Can the location relative to the actual aircraft be adjusted to place this dot on top of the plane itself so as the LOD gets large the single dot is morphed into the plane..

This would allow for far longer "dot" range visibility.. and it might be a way to bridge the disappearing plane issue when tyou reach that critical range where the LOD switches..

Im just tossing this out there because I was wndering about it.. might not be possible.. I for one hate icons but I;m wondering if they system could be used and modified to do the job?

[III./ZG76_Keller]

I have to be honest with you, I don't feel that the LOD in Cliffs of Dover is a huge issue.

I run a modest GPU (ATI 6950) at 1920x1080 and can easliy see contacts on the ground in England while I'm at 8000m.

I live very close to an International Airport, 6600m from the nearest end of the closest runway, and 9300m from the far end of the same runway. When airliners are landing at the far end of the runway they are barely visible to the naked eye. When they take off heading towards me they are a LOT easier to see, still not close enough to identify the aircraft type though; barely close enough to tell whether it's a 2 or 4 engine plane. It isn't until the planes are about 3km from me that I can see the engines, and we're talking Boeings and Airbuses here, not 109s and Spitfires.

Being able to spot contacts has a lot to do with getting used to playing CloD. When I first started I could barely see a plane right in front of me, now I can see them about 8-10km away. You really have to develop a tactic with your TrackIR in order to see at that distance, moving your head ever so slightly so the ground appears stationary then use your eyes to look for moving pixels.

Stay with it, you just have to train your eyes.

[Falco]

I think it's more than that, the planes at a certain distance disappear! they are visible at a distance and visible up close but at just the right distance they are a shimmering pixel that is very hard to spot at certain FOV.

[AKA_Knutsac]

I tend to agree with you Keller, small a/c should be difficult to spot and ID, especially at greater distances. However, groups of a/c and contrails should be visible at significant distances. I have noticed contacts disappearing at mid and even close range, it seems related to the aspect of the contact. When the angle is "off", they're visible, but when they turn directly away or head-on, they disappear. Also, the color on the bellies of some 109s seems particularly effective at blending with the sky. I don't do the "lower your screen resolution" trick to spot contacts farther out, seems a shame to degrade the beauty of the sim for competitive advantage.

~S~

AKA Knutsac

[Kwiatek]

I think it's more than that, the planes at a certain distance disappear! they are visible at a distance and visible up close but at just the right distance they are a shimmering pixel that is very hard to spot at certain FOV.

Yes i got the same problem. I think now LOD and planes visiblilty is one of the main CLOD issues.

[Royraiden]

Yes i got the same problem. I think now LOD and planes visiblilty is one of the main CLOD issues.

1+ , As said the problem is not spotting long range contacts but, it gets really difficult to identify planes when they are mid range because the lods start shimerring all over the place.

[Uwe]

1+ , As said the problem is not spotting long range contacts but, it gets really difficult to identify planes when they are mid range because the lods start shimerring all over the place.

+1,
Sucks to be lining up on a 109 only to have it disappear suddenly.

[Mysticpuma]

Regarding the original poster's suggestion.

I think that is a really simple and elegant solution to an issue that has been repeated ad infinitum sine the original release. Personally I am not that bothered about it as I mainly fly offline and can usually get back onto the enemy before the AI has a chance to realise it's in trouble, but I have seen what the Op (and others) mention. It's the transition point from not so detailed to detailed that makes the aircraft reduce in size (at distance, so when it get closer it stays looking like a quality aircraft) and thereby at the point of transition loses it's 'dot' size.

I am not sure if it is possible, but to make a 'faux' dot appear using the in-game icon, even if it was for approx. 2-300meters where the aircraft becomes at-least a dot of similar size to when it transitioned from LoD, would (I personally think) work very well.

The main detail required would be the distance that the aircraft transitions and the distance at which it appears a similar size 'dot' as when it transitioned.

Then it just needs an icon value to be added that displays something like a player name as a . which after a period of time when the aircraft is at a similar size to the transition, is then faded out? Of course on servers with no icons a code workaround would have to be created....but I think there is certainly merit in this idea.

Cheers, MP

[92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P)]

+1,
Sucks to be lining up on a 109 only to have it disappear suddenly.

I just don't have this problem.


Run in native resolution
MeshShowLod=1 in .ini file
Turn off all Anti aliasing (in game and in the GPU control centre) and anistropic filtering
Increase game colour contrast via your screen, your GPU drivers or install a third party post-processing tool such as sweetfx or inject_fx

[miky]

I just don't have this problem.


Run in native resolution
MeshShowLod=1 in .ini file
Turn off all Anti aliasing (in game and in the GPU control centre) and anistropic filtering
Increase game colour contrast via your screen, your GPU drivers or install a third party post-processing tool such as sweetfx or inject_fx


What are your settings in GPU CP?

[92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P)]

What are your settings in GPU CP?

They are shown here: http://thevirtualflyer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/my-clod-nvidia-settings.html

[miky]

Thanks!

[Uwe]

I just don't have this problem.


Run in native resolution
MeshShowLod=1 in .ini file
Turn off all Anti aliasing (in game and in the GPU control centre) and anistropic filtering
Increase game colour contrast via your screen, your GPU drivers or install a third party post-processing tool such as sweetfx or inject_fx


So what do you use for AA? Mine is off in game and Im currently using Sweet FX.
What I dont understand is the increase color contrast part, are saying max it out?

[III./ZG76_Keller]

Absolutely do not use third party anti-aliasing (sweetFX) or GPU generated AA. The whole point of AA is to smooth out differences between pixels, and a third party AA doesn't know that that little black pixel against a blue background is supposed to be there.

Third party and GPU based AA will blend that black pixel away not realizing that it's supposed to be there.

[Uwe]

So no AA at all then?

[Kwiatek]

For me SweetFx casue even worse dots visibility. It is easly to check looking at some contacts and turn on/off SweetFx by scrolllock key.

[92 Sqn. Philstyle (QJ-P)]

Absolutely do not use third party anti-aliasing (sweetFX) or GPU generated AA. The whole point of AA is to smooth out differences between pixels, and a third party AA doesn't know that that little black pixel against a blue background is supposed to be there.

Third party and GPU based AA will blend that black pixel away not realizing that it's supposed to be there.

I run inject_fx, BUT within that I have the AA turned off.
I only use it to increase the contrast and saturation of the colour pallete.

The result is increased visibility, not decreased.