Tanker Director Lights Too Dim in VR

[Nuggetz]

I fly the F16 in VR almost exclusively, this aircraft has a reputation for not being the easiest aircraft to air refuel. The Tanker director lights are too dim especially in VR and especially the right hand light (forward & backwards) light. 
 

Is there any chance these lights could be boosted in brightness at least for VR users where the graphics are of a lesser quality when compared to 2D?

Many thanks in advance N

[Mars Exulte]

I got the job done without too much fuss (once I realised what the lights are actually indicating) but yeah, they were still difficult to make out.

[fagulha]

At first AAR atempts with the Viper i have the same issue but now i´m used to the PDL lights of the KC-135 and i think that they are good as it is. I have no problems spoting the lights.

Try to mess with your gamma setting it might help.

I hope ED don´t touch them and make it a giant light bloom like the Meatball of the Supercarrier.

[Nuggetz]

Thank you for your replies. 
 

To be clear (no pun intended) if I set up a air refuel mission with appropriate weather at either dawn or dusk it helps to see the lights and hence I have been able to complete 20+ complete refuels hence for me this is less about the skill required. 
 

However, when I am in MP you do not have the option to control weather or time of day which can make it impossible to see the right light in particular. If the right hand light were at least as easy to see as the left hand, albeit brighter in relative terms, then there would be less of an issue. 
 

I don’t think it an unreasonable request to have the option to boost the light brightness perhaps a tick box for VR users? That way if you don’t want or need the option you can leave it off. 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Nuggetz

[Kilo]

To be fair, this is a complaint real fighter pilots have, too. The lights are there for night/bad weather ops. Pilots use the "sight picture" of the tanker to know where they are relative to it.

Although I should probably mention that I personally use the PDL lights, too

[jaylw314]

If you have anisotropic filtering set low, move it up to 8x or 16x.  The PDL's are one of the few places where it makes a difference in clarity (although not necessarily brightness)

[Nuggetz]

Thanks for the tip, but anisotropic filter  is already turned up. 
 

I think the key issue here from the responses received is people are conflating real life visual acuity with that generated by a GPU especially within VR. Best will in the world there is no comparison even with the finest PC and VR equipment especially in brighter conditions where contrast is not obvious. Hence my suggestion with the aim of closing the gap between graphics and real life visuals. 
 

That said you I am now at 100+ refuels so maybe I am adapting. 
 

Thanks again

[clanitho]

Ideally, there should be voice prompts to accompany the lights, such as "go left, go right, up, down, etc..."

[t1mb0b]

19 minutes ago, clanitho said:

Ideally, there should be voice prompts to accompany the lights, such as "go left, go right, up, down, etc..."

who's going to do that? the boom operator? it's a simple passive system, lets keep it simple.

[Elphaba]

On 1/24/2022 at 7:28 PM, Nuggetz said:

Thanks for the tip, but anisotropic filter  is already turned up. 
 

I think the key issue here from the responses received is people are conflating real life visual acuity with that generated by a GPU especially within VR. Best will in the world there is no comparison even with the finest PC and VR equipment especially in brighter conditions where contrast is not obvious. Hence my suggestion with the aim of closing the gap between graphics and real life visuals. 
 

That said you I am now at 100+ refuels so maybe I am adapting. 
 

Thanks again

Considering the hornet wing and position lights are WAY too bright - it’s like a Christmas tree at 20 miles, there’s zero reasons why the faint and weak lights under the tanker can’t be massively improved. Not to the overblown ‘oh my retinas!’ F18 level but at least to the point where they are visible at all times of day/night/brightness. 
 

I can see the left one quite well but the right one is almost always impossible to see.  

[TheBigTatanka]

Is it wrong that i have a secret wish for a new AI Tanker? Maybe a KC-46 with bright lights? (I'm a KC-135 driver, so don't tell anyone my secret wish).

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