OLD CROW

I'm affraid not mine cause this one is still in my photoshop/GIMP oven so I got no idea if anyone had shared it anytime. I've never digged too much in contrasting the info but I'd found her pictures as Squadron 601, basically the only squadron that had naked bare metal beauties like this one. The level of detail in this DCS 3D model and template is astonishing: all bumps and details in the metal plates and rivets and how the curvy surfaces reflect the ambient light & shadows.... simply... "a visual state of ART". With the 2.7 devs have nailed the X in the pirates treasure map of hardware resources optimization.

After several years of P-51D & Spit MK.IX with 100 octanes Merlin engines cohexisting with a late war brand new last 109, I think it's time to upgrade them to 150 octanes like most of them were in times Willy launched his last propeller toy.... or just downgrade the 109.... I mean... launching any Gustaf model cause the only way the Kurfurst could be challenging is being her opponent. This way 3D models need zero major tweak, at least on the mustang & spit side (only the Manifold/Boost in-cockpit gauge changes), and on the 109 you only have to do from scratch "some" parts of it cause her streamline didn't change radically from G models to K models (the 2 upper guns bundles in the nose, maybe a thinner wing in the G models and if you want to be "exquisite" the non retractable tail wheel in some G models). From the point of view of the mainstream, people are mostly interested in the clash between the two-three most famous/infamous fighters that change the tide of the war in ETOP (this opinion is based in the plane set we got nowadays in game) than in flying "underdogs"-"Rare" planes that mean from anything to nothing to most actual & potential pilots/customers and like it or not don't forget this is a bussiness for a few, at least for those who develop the sim , so for multiple reasons it's easier asking them for small changes in their short/mid term timelines but a great game changer for us from the second one of its implementation.

"The multiple tail debries mistery " Disclaimer: this is just what you can see: an ingame screenshot. ZERO image editing or filter added.

The Queen of the Checkerboard

Due they were always full of fuel (it means heavy weighted most part of the mission) mustangs were not the best in terms of acceleration so the "little friends" flew always in altitudes over the bomber boxes and to keep their speed higher than the bombers and to avoid the overshooting the "heavies" they just fly zigzagging the formations below them. So once you reach your desired cruise altitude just set the RPM & manifold pressure in Max. RPM 2400 & Max. 35 Hg. Also this technique is good to keep a good Situational Awarness all time due you can check their 3-9 zone regularly checked also yours cause their rear gunners can shoot hostiles in your 3-9 zone. Keep always an eye on any red tracer shot from bombers: they give you a clue from the direction where boogies are. At the beginning of the Mustang implementation as the "standard Heavies Escort Fighter" Fighter squadrons break their escorting duties just to enter in evoluting fights with german decoy squadrons to separate Escort fighters and clear the path to the squadrons with the main goal of downing bombers. Due that, Fighter squadrons received the main orders of mantaining the escorting duties all way to Germany and from Germany to Home bases and always break any evoluting fight that goes lower than Angels 18 (18,000 feets).

Tested layers in Growling Sidewinder server.... 100% properly working. 100% recommendable. My SA has been improved exponentially. Thanks again for sharing them Hobel... really appreciated.

Thanks for advance.... but if those files are mods that's the main reason why I'd came here and didn't download any of those before or just mod the layer and re-install it in its folder: everything modificated it's not valid when you try to acces to any server (99% of them), also I'm affraid older modificated files are always replaced by the default ones every single update. I was thinking in a long term official solution and maybe it's too complex fading the foggy layer just to see outside any cockpit.... sure they added the label point for this reason . I'll give the zip a chance and I'll report back.

From skipper to all crew: So... I think the last discussion is now over after the recent implementation of the brand new "Made in Germany Air Conditioning air intakes"

Trying to form up with a B-17 closer than a mile away from her: Normal Zoom Zooming In Full Zoom in Even the original same layer level of transparency in the F/A-18 had been increased.....

Have you already found if there is any hidden CIA or KGB reasson to keep the ED moon in this side? : Some posts are so hilarious they can only be considered a product of the Blue Moon effect. So don not be surprised if sales are lower than expected on anything that does not equip a radar.

Indeed. Maybe from a someone's diehard purist point of view ( I don't share it) it could be considered "visually with lack of realism", but when all your situational awareness fully relies in all what you can spot.... holly molly yeah old times rules!! At least it had a higher playable component than nowadays. From an "optimistic- sarcastic point of view now I got 2 variants in 1: a P-51 D with a teardrop glass but with the same rear visibility than a B/C version with the birdcage canopy ;)))).

I asked them to increase the transparency in that visual layer in the P-51, as it was some updates ago..... still waiting an official answer one week after and counting. IMAO models LOD's at mid visual ranges should be "fake augmented" in WW2 small fighters silouetes. I understand they try to tend to be realistics in this point....but it also depends in other ingame points that help it to work properlly, and this is not the actual situation: 1 mile away or even in a close vertical dogfight a 109 is just another motionless pixel from the sea at most zoom out positions....if at least they were sparks....

The third one is looking to 3 OC, not all them are looking to the rear. If I wanted a guess I would have written this post in complains or wherever, but I came specifically here just to get any kind of official explanation. Even that thanks anyway.

Could you tell me in which part of my initial post I've refered specifically only to the rear? Pictures show the rear, also the sides. This layer is anoying in 360 degrees, but in the rear part is even more noticiable, of course, due at the front you got a flat windshield. I'm talking all time to the visual layer they've implemented to create the sensation you're inside a cockpit covered by a piece of plexiglass: that one generates too much "inside light reflection shadows" or "too much view distortion" (using your words), even can block your visual at very short distances, even the weather is overcast (Pictures attached). This layer has been recently implemented with this point of non transparency, and now Mustang have same visual issues as Spitfire had in the past. Basically I don't need another more element to add to eliminate any possibility of seeing outside the A/C beyond the Propeller... or my next complain would be "why labels size are so small?" LODs of small size like WW2 Fighters in DCS can be anoying (if not impossible to find) for any kind of spotting beyond 1 mile away. I still remember when the only possibility to check your surrounding views was pressing any keybind and that possibility was even "more unnatural" than any Head track device, but this is not the point here. The point is we can't see an A380 at 1.5 miles away from my 3 to 9 OC cause a "lovely" distortion enables nothing more than its own reflection.

???? You're mixing concepts. Watching properly outside the glass is not a question of using track ir or VR or your mouse as the head axis.

Please, could you fade out a bit the glass cockpit layer?, cause it is almost impossible to see anything outside at normal visual zoom positions. I guess the levels of brightness of this layer are not subordinated to the amount and position of the light so, in most weather conditions it creates weird visual situations,.almost reduces your field of view with no reason. Full zoom in at less than 1 mile from the fires... the fog is inside the cockpit.

Escorting Heavies over France

Hard to Repeat... though

I know maybe this issue belongs to any other topic related to LOD or whatever but it's also a question of layers & textures.... This permanent (cause it doesn't change with the incident light) translucent layer that simulates the plexiglass bubble reduces a lot the spotting of anything (small fighters or large bombers) far away from 0.5 miles at some zoom out levels, even with the label dot setting enabled. Beyond 0.5 miles you have to zoom in a lot and it means loosing a lot of Situational Awareness. The problem goes worse cause this layer is always there and it seems its fade in/out is not linked to the incident light and the position & angle of the A/C respects with the light source position. In modern jet fighters this issue remains minimal cause jets are larger so their LOD is larger too so you can keep having a decent visual to boggeis inside 2-3 miles range, but in WW2 warbirds is critical if not the top 3 things you have to master to keep you alive: the visuals inside your surrounding 3-5 miles range (and everybody knows AI's got no issues in lock on you beyond any human visual range distance. Same issue was detected a few years ago in the Spitfire model and finally fixed it by fading this layer. I would appreciate from anyone to redirect this report to its correct topic in case this isn't the correct topic. Thanks for advance.