Lower cloud base

[laren]

Where: mission builder

What: should be possible to set:

1. Overall visibility from 0 to infinite (or to the sim limits).

 

2. Cloud base from 0 to infinite (or to the sim limits).

Edited May 1, 2017 by laren
visibility added

[cichlidfan]

Clouds at sea level? I am guessing that is an exceedingly rare, if it ever occurs, situation.

[OnlyforDCS]

Clouds at sea level? I am guessing that is an exceedingly rare, if it ever occurs, situation.

 

Isn't that called fog? :)

[cichlidfan]

Except that isn't the effect you would get by setting the cloud base to zero. You would have clouds, depending on the density setting, skittering along the ground.

[OnlyforDCS]

Still would be nice to have fog, wouldn't it? I mean no matter what you call it.

[cichlidfan]

Still would be nice to have fog, wouldn't it? I mean no matter what you call it.

 

Yes it would, but the OPs request will not provide it.

[kobeshow]

wait, last time I checked there was a fog setting.

[Sryan]

You can set fog

[OnlyforDCS]

@Laren: Well there you go then. Just use the fog setting.

[laren]

You can set fog

 

Fog is just an option, it has nothing to do with the cloud base.

Moreover, top #1 in the weather builder has to be VISIBILITY slider. Which doesn't exist there at all.

 

BTW all soviet/post-soviet pilots of the XX century had weather ratings as BASE/VISIBILITY.

And the BASE/VISIBILITY was the way to describe the weather conditions: "Now we work 300/3". Which was the lowest for ПМУ (VFR).

The lowest for MiG-21 or L-39 pilots was 150/1.5. MiG-29 ones could do 100/1.

Civilians like Tu-134 could make as bad as 40/300 at high CAT ILS airfields those days.

 

So having the base limit of 300 is a bit lame.

[CoBlue]

Yes, there should exist the ability to set the clouds to at least 30m (100') & also an overall visibility setting. As it is in RL METAR's or FFS's (Full flight simulators).

[Nealius]

More importantly the cloud base should be set to altitude MSL, not AGL. When flying in the mountains the cloud height is all over the place.

[shagrat]

As far as I'm aware the cloud base is calculated from MSL, at least in Caucasus, or did I miss something over the last decade?

Second thing, fog is implemented since forever and if the goal is to have clouds at 100 ft (30m) MSL wouldn't there be a very dense fog?

So when you need really bad visibility you can currently set the fog to maximum height, reduce visibility to below 300m and set the clouds to 9 or 10 and as thick as you like...

 

I've rather have the option to define fog and mist from AGL rather then MSL to get misty valleys in the mountains.

 

And zones for fog would be ingenious. Maybe even zones for cloud layers?

[Ala13_ManOWar]

And zones for fog would be ingenious. Maybe even zones for cloud layers?

That would be nice. I guess it could be done by using gradients in atmospheric temperature and pressure along the map.

 

 

S!

[laren]

Yes, there should exist the ability to set the clouds to at least 30m (100') & also an overall visibility setting. As it is in RL METAR's or FFS's (Full flight simulators).

 

Absoulutely. The base and visibility are vital settings for any flight simulator. MS FS has them from very begining.

 

Just added visibility to the topic title.

[laren]

More importantly the cloud base should be set to altitude MSL, not AGL. When flying in the mountains the cloud height is all over the place.

 

Well, any reference level will do. For now we have just some abstract height or altitude or whatever those numbers supposed to mean in the cloud base selector.

 

PS: 5000m as the max cloud base is too shy. Clouds can make at least twice higher.

[Yurgon]

1. Overall visibility from 0 to infinite (or to the sim limits).

 

Moreover, top #1 in the weather builder has to be VISIBILITY slider. Which doesn't exist there at all.

 

I think I see what you are aiming for with this.

 

Quick question: If there was such a slider, where (in the game world) would the visibility be applied?

[laren]

I think I see what you are aiming for with this.

 

Quick question: If there was such a slider, where (in the game world) would the visibility be applied?

 

Same as in the real life: flight training for better weather rating.

[Yurgon]

Same as in the real life: flight training for better weather rating.

 

Yeah, sure, that's what you want to do. But how should the slider influence the visibility? Apply xxx meters visibility throughout the entire game world? Obviously, that wouldn't be realistic at all.

[shagrat]

I have a nice idea: like FSX we should ask a third party company to provide "RealWeather" and let people pay for it?

 

What we really need is a realistic dynamic weather system, that generates different pressure and density based clouds/moisture/fog/haze not a slider to bring the clouds down to tree level.

Especially enhancing the existing dynamic weather with some control over the point of origin of a cyclone/anti-cyclone and its size seems favorable.

Along with better representation of cloud layers and visual effects... Maybe somewhere in the future.

[laren]

But how should the slider influence the visibility? Apply xxx meters visibility throughout the entire game world?

 

Any mission has an airfield of departure, arrival and the route. It's up to the developeres how they code the transition between the phases.

 

With all due respect, current DSC weather tools are way below standard. The worst part is, I don't see any improvements in that area in the 2.0.

[laren]

I have a nice idea: like FSX we should ask a third party company to provide "RealWeather" and let people pay for it?

 

The RealWeather could be a good extra, but it can't replace very basic/vital manual weather settings as the base and visibility.

[shagrat]

The RealWeather could be a good extra, but it can't replace very basic/vital manual weather settings as the base and visibility.

It should! If it can't it isn't "real" because reality does not have sliders and settings, as well. ;)

[shagrat]

Any mission has an airfield of departure, arrival and the route. It's up to the developeres how they code the transition between the phases.

 

With all due respect, current DSC weather tools are way below standard. The worst part is, I don't see any improvements in that area in the 2.0.

Standard for procedural training simulators like FSX or for a combat flight simulation?

Compared to virtually any other combat flight sim apart from military trainers I don't know anything on par.

 

FSX, AccuWeather and P3D etc. focus on these things, using resources needed for AI, ballistics and damage modeling in DCS.

I would love to have in depth weather simulation in DCS, but what part would you cut the resources from?

Especially when the poor guys in VR already are down to 30-40fps max when reducing settings.

 

DCS is a careful balance between a lot of aspects, currently.

[Yurgon]

Any mission has an airfield of departure, arrival and the route. It's up to the developeres how they code the transition between the phases.

 

That's not what you asked for in post #1. You asked for a visibility slider, as if it was the most natural thing in the world what you meant by that.

 

What you said above is a simple case. One departure airfield, one route, one arrival airfield. Should one slider affect each of these equally? Or just the airfields? Or just one of the airfields, and if so, which one of them?

 

What about alternate and divert airports, and FARPs?

 

What about Multiplayer?

 

What about airports at different elevations?

 

All of a sudden, it might be more appropriate to have one visibility slider per airfield. That of course would mean highly localized weather. And now what seemed like such an obvious request becomes a wee bit tricky.

 

Add to that the fact that DCS has so many places that need brushing up. Merging terrains into one version, applying terrain engine changes to the oldest terrain, reworking ATC (my gosh that is an old request), adding new aircraft and assets, fixing AI problems, fixing bugs, integrating MP shared cockpit so that 3rd parties get a toolset and an API to integrate this into their modules, coordinating with 3rd partiy module and campaign developers...

 

Yeah, I wouldn't mind improved weather, but you make it sound like this should be the single highest priority. I beg to differ.