Problems Retaining Visual on F-86s

[Slazi]

I'm having a lot of trouble following the enemy in the sky.

 

I set up a mission where I start 8km up in a squad of four MiG-15s (expert AI) trailing 1km behind two Sabres (lowest AI) fully armed. I assumed that they would die really quickly, but they can often take out some of the MiGs.

 

If I can keep one in sight and zoomed, I can get some hits if I can keep my jet from crashing. The problem is, once I lose sight, even for a second, I can never find them again.

 

They are painted full silver, so I expected it to be really easy with bright reflections, but even 1km way, I have to zoom in to the maximum to find them. It takes forever. I'm fighting over the sea, which makes things harder.

 

I have TrackIR, HOTAS, pedals, and a decent monitor, but I am finding that 99% of my focus is on trying to spot my target.

 

Having no peripheral vision is a huge disadvantage. When zoomed in, you can only see a tiny portion of the sky.

 

My non-real-world-experience-based guess tells me that this can't be realistic.

 

Any hints on what I can do?

 

I hate labels. I've tried the model enlargenent option, but that sometimes makes it even worse in some ways as the colors change at different ranges.

 

The AI never lose sight of me, even at the lowest level. Am I the only one with this problem?

[Art-J]

You're one of hundreds, if not more, with the same problem. Welcome to the world of "target spotting challenge" of WWII and Korean birds in DCS.

 

I was going to give a tip of fighting over sea, which by definition makes spotting everything easier... then I've read You consider it to be hard :D. Mate, in that case don't even try to fight over land, 'cause it's going to be even worse.

 

The only other tip I can give is not scanning the screen smoothly all the time, but fixing the eye on some point for a few seconds and waiting for any movement against background around that point, then moving to a next point etc. Because of how eye retina works (retinal rods being more sensitive to movement than cones), this peripheral vision trick works in real life and applies somewhat to DCS as well.

 

Nevertheless, there's nothing else you can do, except for waiting like the rest of us for 2.5 and hoping that new shading and reflections code will improve this effed up aspect of the game.

Edited November 6, 2016 by Art-J

[lmp]

You get better at it with training, as your eyes get used to it and you learn the patterns of behaviour of the AI. Part of the trick is knowing where to look. Use the zoom, map it to your hotas. It's easier to find targets with a wide FOV, especially with enlargement, and to track them against a difficult background with a narrower one. If the target is going to pass you closely and quickly, zoom out again, so you don't lose him in the process. It'll still be difficult and annoying, but manageable. I often do 2v2 or 4v4 fights with AI and I can keep track of what's going on now, but I went through the same frustrations initially.

 

If it makes you feel any better, it's even worse if you fight against MiGs, cause they smoke less.

[Slazi]

Some good advice here. I'll have to try this next weekend once the working week is through. I must say, the. MiG-15 is a lot of fun to fly. The 37mm cannon is a beast.

[lmp]

One more thing. If you have no idea where he is, especially if you haven't seen him in a while (i.e. more then a few seconds), the most likely place where he'll reappear is behind you - since that is where he's trying to get to in the first place. Give your six o'clock some extra attention. Also, I find that particularly in the MiG (which climbs and accelerates better than the Sabre), rather than turning like a madman, it's best to just regain some energy in a shallower turn. So when you eventually find him, no doubt in a more advantageous position than yours, you have the speed and altitude to get out of the way of his attack.

[firmek]

Most of the points have been already mentioned:

1. I is difficult to spot targets in DCS. Hopefully the 2.5 with better lighting will introduce more contrast and make the targets to be easier distinguishable from the background.

2. After losing the target while in a dogfight look for it at your 6

3. Targets are better visible when appearing on the sky. In other words try to put yourself below them - though this may not be the best position from the advantage stand point.

4. Spotting targets flying low, having ground as a background is extremely difficult. Use this as an advantage when flying against human opponents.

5. Try enabling the model enlargement - small, max medium (high is too big). Use it to practice at the beginning and try disabling once getting more experience.

6. Use a balanced Field Of View - too wide will give a better periphelial vision but will make the small details too difficult to notice. Too narrow will result in a tunnel like vision. Usually 90 deg is considered optimal for FullHD monitors, 107 deg for ultra-wide. Take it with a grain of salt though as it depends on personal preferences.

7. Learn to use zooming, map it to an easily accessible button/slider on your HOTAS. For TM Warthog the throttle slider is a good option.

8. Calibrate your monitor - may not help much but having a bad color balance, gamma, brightness and contrast can make distinguishing smaller details harder. Especially the gamma settings may influence ability to notice small details.

[Slazi]

34 inch 22:9 4k curved screens seem like a good solution. If only I could afford one.

[firmek]

34 inch 22:9 4k curved screens seem like a good solution. If only I could afford one.

I wouldn't count on that... The problem is not only resolution but the contrast ratio between the objects (airplanes) and the background. At least 34'' 3440x1440 doesn't help a lot. At the end of a day, if it's 24'' or 34'' or even bigger, the visuals are as good as DCS renders them which is basically the same. Not saying that resolution is something negligable but first it's the engine capability and then the resolution.

[Ghoullees]

I can tell you that spotting aircraft in real life is easier than what you are seeing on your screeen, so don't feel completely disheartened. The effects of shine, shadow, sun glint and other effects just cannot be translated onto a few tiny pixels 'miles' away.

 

The 'Team Fusion' build of Cliffs of Dover' did a good 'glass glint' effect which made you at least aware that there was enemy in that direction, which inturn, allowed you to start scanning a specific piece of sky. However these are knife fight ranges already. Jet fighting, always going to be difficult.

 

The advise of 'dont look directly' at a spot when scanning is good advice also. This is particularly true of nightvision. You see more 'shapes and obstacles' by looking to the side and up or down slightly.

 

Practice, practice, and don't feel like you are alone!