Spotting aicraft against the ground

[VC]

I'm at a point where I am happy with my ability to spot in DCS (VR, Vive Pro)... as long as the target isn't too far below me.

 

Now, I do know spotting against the ground is supposed to be more difficult. But I often lose targets that I am already visually tracking at ranges inside 2nm, they go over a change in terrain colour and just disappear like they stopped rendering. They're not pixel dots anymore at that range and they aren't even camouflaged!

 

Is this normal? Are there any graphics settings that I can tweak to help with this?

[Scaley]

This is known problem in DCS. As you close in on the aircraft the LODs change and the high-contrast shadow rendering at distance (that makes things visible) disappears. Unfortunately this happens further away than the high detail shadows start rendering. This leave you with a range band in which the aircraft is rendered with no shading and thus is essentially contrast-free. If the background is a similar colour it will appear to have suddenly disappeared.

 

One trick solution (which sounds totally mad but...) is to zoom you view OUT a lot. This changes the LOD rendering and will give you the shading back on the aircraft and thus enable you to regain tally.

 

I know this sounds silly, but if you try it a few times you'll probably work out how to get it to work.

[VC]

I can't zoom out in VR. I already try to avoid zooming in unless absolutely necessary (e.g. to ID), so I'm probably getting a good picture overall. I can spot against the ground, quite well in some conditions, but others not at all.

 

The no shadows things explains it a bit, but even without shadows it doesn't really make sense to me that a light grey aircraft disappears against a dark green forest for example.