Is the ATFLIR supposed to be worse than the Litening Pod?

[S. Low]

I don’t know what the real ones are like. But I thought the ATFLIR was newer? Am I wrong there? The ATFLIR has way worse clarity and zoom range

[Hulkbust44]

I don’t know what the real ones are like. But I thought the ATFLIR was newer? Am I wrong there? The ATFLIR has way worse clarity and zoom range

DCS LITENING is overperforming as it's limitations aren't modeled. Since is uses a digital zoom the image you should be very pixelated making it almost impossible to identify stuff at range. The ATFLIR fixes this by using 2 zoom levels and 5 FOVs. Avionics wise the ATFLIR is vastly superior and just lacks an IR maker. Technically because we don't have the varient with the IR marker, we should have the NAV FLIR capability.

Mobius708

[norbot]

Maybe because it's work in progress?

[S. Low]

Ok. So… I’m going to keep using the litening pod until things progress

[Hulkbust44]

Ok. So… I’m going to keep using the litening pod until things progress

Yet it's still inferior in many ways. A patch or two ago they fixed the LITENING to same zoom level as the ATFLIR to compensate, so there's still no reason to use it. Plus, you're flying a Hornet, and you can't operate off the boat with a LITENING.

Mobius708

[S. Low]

Oh I see, the game physically limits you to the broken/worse one because of realism despite neither being realistic? I’m just teasing sort of

[Hulkbust44]

Oh I see, the game physically limits you to the broken/worse one because of realism despite neither being realistic? I’m just teasing sort of

You can use either one physically, but only the ATFLIR is rated for CV ops.

Mobius708

[Bunny Clark]

When the USMC was trying to decide on a new pod, they determined that Lightening and ATFLIR were roughly equivalent in capabilities. They selected Lightening only because it was cheaper. 

 

ATFLIR has more optical zoom levels (3 instead of 2) while Lightening has more digital zoom. In real life, optical zoom is clearer, while the Lighting's digital zoom should get progressively more pixelated as you zoom in. Right now the Lightening at full digital zoom provides an unrealistically good image. Presumably this will get addressed when the new rendering system for targeting pods comes out, whenever that happens. 

[S. Low]

Thanks for the… clarity.

[Oozler]

Oh, it will be a grand grand day on the forums when ED addresses the LITENING pod and brings it back to an accurately modelled digital zoom... I can almost see/hear it now. The pros and cons, the realism argument, the why cant they make it both ways for people who don't like too much realism, the way it is now vs then, the game vs sim, the tears, the frustrations, the sweet diatribe... mmmm a delicious heady brew is brewing.

[Hulkbust44]

Oh, it will be a grand grand day on the forums when ED addresses the LITENING pod and brings it back to an accurately modelled digital zoom... I can almost see/hear it now. The pros and cons, the realism argument, the why cant they make it both ways for people who don't like too much realism, the way it is now vs then, the game vs sim, the tears, the frustrations, the sweet diatribe... mmmm a delicious heady brew is brewing.

Oh I know! Just wait for the Viper radar to be corrected...

Or for the Hornet to have to set LGB codes on the ground.

The biggest argument is going to ensue when ED impliments stores over-G to the Hornet and Viper... especially since the Viper lacks a G-limiter.

(Now the reason for the fictional code entry is because DCS JTAC can't change to your laser code. I'm interested in seeing how they resolve this in the future.)

I just thought of another thing, F-16 hot pit refueling... gotta open the AAR door.

There are so many things we're missing damage model wise that would make DCS completely different.

Mobius708

[Foka]

If you want to see how digital zoom should work, watch some films with Tomcat's TGP on youtube. Heatblur got it right.