Night lighting

[Neuse]

Given what I knew then and what I think I know now, I don't think they should mess around much with night illumination. At first I also though that nighttime is too dark. Not anymore. Now I like it , sort of, the way it is. It appears to me that ED implemented human night/low light level eye adaptation. It takes few minutes to adjust. One notices that after 2-3 minutes, things are more visible. Avoid using NVG during this time. Plus moonlight is illumination light. As in real life, the darkest time is before dawn. Additionally light is simulated , it changes across time. So taking off at 4 am, and coming back after 5 am, you get to see early morning light. Physiologically humans are weakest, least alert , when awake, between 2:30 AM and 4: AM. Standard military Stand To (everyone is awake and manning post) is around 3 AM, depending on mission commander's guidelines, and tactical situation.

Above applies to 2.5 with Deferred Shading ON. Legacy HDR is too bright to be believable.

 

Mission file attached.

A private little war scenario.

American , Georgian, and Ukranian PMC vs Insurgents suppourted by plethora of various nationals, also PMC,. Concept is inspired by Dale Brown's Chains Of Command, and Harold Coyle's Strategic Solutions Inc. novel series.

The real life precedent, is modern day Syrian Civil War, War In Donbass, Angolan Civil War, and various Bush Wars of 1960's and 1970's. All made use of proffesional combat aviators and maintenance/ordnance personell.

 

I don´t think people complain about the night beein dark. It´s about light sources not working properly. Runway lights appear way to late, flood lights like in the A10 don´t work at all. You can´t light up the pit properly or bring a light on the boom.

[ac5]

I don´t think people complain about the night beein dark. It´s about light sources not working properly. Runway lights appear way to late, flood lights like in the A10 don´t work at all. You can´t light up the pit properly or bring a light on the boom.

 

Exactly.

[Torso]

Given what I knew then and what I think I know now, I don't think they should mess around much with night illumination. At first I also though that nighttime is too dark. Not anymore. Now I like it , sort of, the way it is. It appears to me that ED implemented human night/low light level eye adaptation. It takes few minutes to adjust. One notices that after 2-3 minutes, things are more visible. Avoid using NVG during this time. Plus moonlight is illumination light. As in real life, the darkest time is before dawn. Additionally light is simulated , it changes across time. So taking off at 4 am, and coming back after 5 am, you get to see early morning light. Physiologically humans are weakest, least alert , when awake, between 2:30 AM and 4: AM. Standard military Stand To (everyone is awake and manning post) is around 3 AM, depending on mission commander's guidelines, and tactical situation.

Above applies to 2.5 with Deferred Shading ON. Legacy HDR is too bright to be believable.

 

Mission file attached.

A private little war scenario.

American , Georgian, and Ukranian PMC vs Insurgents suppourted by plethora of various nationals, also PMC,. Concept is inspired by Dale Brown's Chains Of Command, and Harold Coyle's Strategic Solutions Inc. novel series.

The real life precedent, is modern day Syrian Civil War, War In Donbass, Angolan Civil War, and various Bush Wars of 1960's and 1970's. All made use of proffesional combat aviators and maintenance/ordnance personell.

 

To be honest, it doesn't sound like you have really read what the issues are. Nothing you said addresses the problems with the night environment. A light in a pitch black world still projects light. The main issue is that in DCS, lights do not project light. At least not in anything close to what is realistic. I suggest you take a look at aerial photos or videos of what it looks like to fly over a city/town/oilrig/boat...car..or simply anything that has a light on it and then compare that to DCS and then say it is all good. I am fairly confident if you are honest, you will see the kinda big issue here. Lights should be visible for miles..not meters. In addition to the actual physical object lights, moon lighting and just normal night ambient lighting needs to be overhauled. No way is it close to being accurate or even really functional currently.

[DaveRindner]

Agree on cockpit at night. It could use more illumination. Agree on lack of light islands on cities at night.

I've been to Nevada High Desert, and Ft. Irwin, and at night, the area is really dark. Moonlight interacts slightly differently with various minerals on surface, and that is what gives terrain appearance of dark areas with slightly brighter areas. Once a person's eyes adjust to night, the differences in albedo, gives terrain features . ED has done a really good job in 2.5 with Deffered Shading engine of capturing those details in their texture maps. Check out that mission I uploaded. Do it with Deffered Shading ON and Gamma to 1.5 or 1.8.

As far as I know, military airfields have more subdued lighting. Reason is that bright runway and taxi lights will interfere with crew's MK1 night vision. They have to train at night over military reservation terrain that is mostly free of man made structures with lights. During combat operations , at night, lights are even more subdued or off. So approaching Nellis or Creech or Tonopah at night, without moonlight, runway and taxi lights are dimmer.

Thus , to me, airfield lighting at Nellis, Creech, Groom Lake, and Tonopah, in DCS 2.5 is appropriate. Photographs were mentioned for reference. Those are photos and camera footage with controlled exposure, and image manipulation, so the resulting images are vibrant. I think of that as fast food burger photos. There is dramatic representation, and then there is reality.

What stumped me in DCS 2.5 A-10C,is pilots night vision device. Operating aircraft safely, even in sim, in pitch dark and a large hole in middle of screen for light intensification image, with feathered border where cockpit is out of focus, is disorienting. I am training myself to be proficient with it.