Runway lights are off at night

[Nealius]

Taxi lights and other facility lights are on, but the runway lights are off unless there is either an active aircraft present on the field, or after someone contacts ATC for approach. Runway lights should be on by default at night.

[Ian Boys UK]

Not in wartime. If you need them on, call approach and as you say, they will turn on.

[Nealius]

2 hours ago, Ian Boys UK said:

Not in wartime. If you need them on, call approach and as you say, they will turn on.

1. In wartime all lights are out. Runways, taxiways, airfield facilities, even the surrounding cities in order to hinder visual navigation/targeting. Which is still moot in the modern era. Even with all lights out an adversary will be able to find the airfields with GPS coordinates and a FLIR pod.  

2. The region is not currently in wartime. If wartime light discipline is to be simulated, have it triggered by a certain date range in the ME like Normandy 2.0 does with its runway and city lighting.

3. DCS ATC only lights up one runway even when there are parallell or multiple runways. DCS ATC has known issues with windspeed/direction, sometimes giving you the wrong runway. DCS ATC does not know individual airfield procedures. DCS ATC does not know multiplayer group procedures. If a multiplayer group wants to do parallel landings, they can't because the DCS ATC only lights up one of the two runways. 

4. Marianas, Syria, PG, Falklands, Normandy 2.0 (1946 or later date) maps do not require the user to call ATC for runway lighting.

5. I am unable to find any photographic, video, or English-language evidence that runway lights are turned off in the region.

Edited June 11, 2023 by Nealius

[OnReTech]

Thank you. I think what we'll do is, International airfields - the lights will always be on. At military airfields, they will ON when a takeoff or landing is requested.

Added to to-to list.

[bfr]

On 6/10/2023 at 1:59 PM, Nealius said:

Taxi lights and other facility lights are on, but the runway lights are off unless there is either an active aircraft present on the field, or after someone contacts ATC for approach. Runway lights should be on by default at night.

Ah cool, I noticed similar the other night but hadn't got around to trying to reproduce it/make a track file. Was very weird doing a (albeit unannounced) touch and go at Cairo Intl and all the field lights bar the runways being on. Then they suddenly came on as soon as I hit the tarmac.

[Wildhare]

side question?  What would cause a DCS ATC to , when contacted, ACT tells you to "go to an alternate" and will not turn on the lights.  i do have some equipment in the taxiway and i'm sure that is the issue. What i'm looking for, is the criteria to shut down a runway.  Then i can work backwards to figure what must be removed to open runway.

[Wildhare]

I believe i answered my own question with a little testing.  If you place anything on or about the runway the ATC will consider the runway "occupied" and will tell you to "use alternate"  when trying to land.   So, place any markers or vehicles just off the runway and it will stay open for takeoff or landing

[WizzRD]

On 6/12/2023 at 10:50 AM, OnReTech said:

Thank you. I think what we'll do is, International airfields - the lights will always be on. At military airfields, they will ON when a takeoff or landing is requested.

Please don´t!

As already pointed out ATC is very unreliable and because of that we try to not use it at all. If anything make it a (special) option, but the runway lights should be on at all times - day or night. And they should stick out like a sore thump as well.

[OnReTech]

Just now, WizzRD said:

Please don´t!

As already pointed out ATC is very unreliable and because of that we try to not use it at all. If anything make it a (special) option, but the runway lights should be on at all times - day or night. And they should stick out like a sore thump as well.

roger

[Nealius]

The most balanced solution (IMO) is to do what Normandy 2.0 did by setting a "lights off" date range and a "lights on" date range. For example we could have lights off if we set the mission date to 1967, and have the lights on if we set the date to 1968 or later (1967/68 is just a random example).

[AD_FOX 2]

Hi Everyone. 

Few points i would like to bring to your notice. 

1- Ramon Airfield - FPS is dropping from 90 fps to 20 fps and even 2 fps for a brief time in F-18C hornet ATL 1500 to 4000 ft

2- Airfield and Airport approach lights are not visible in flight mode ALT 10,000FT to final approach 1500ft 

3- 3d model of building are visible over low ALT, but at higher ALT the building look washed out.

 

Once again amazing map, few things here and there. 

[Volator]

On 6/19/2023 at 4:37 PM, WizzRD said:

Please don´t!

As already pointed out ATC is very unreliable and because of that we try to not use it at all. If anything make it a (special) option, but the runway lights should be on at all times - day or night. And they should stick out like a sore thump as well.

 

On 6/19/2023 at 4:38 PM, OnReTech said:

roger

It's not that bad. Somebody just haa to request take-off or report inbound and the lights go active; no big thing and a good way to deal with lights in-game I think

[Nealius]

Just to demonstrate the issue with multiplayer, here's a recent episode:

Lead and -2 are on final to Tel Nof 36. When lead lands 36 runway lights immediately shut off. -2 calls inbound to get lights to turn on. 36 does not turn on, instead 33L lights up while he's on 36 short final.

[Punkmonkey22]

On 6/20/2023 at 3:59 AM, Nealius said:

The most balanced solution (IMO) is to do what Normandy 2.0 did by setting a "lights off" date range and a "lights on" date range. For example we could have lights off if we set the mission date to 1967, and have the lights on if we set the date to 1968 or later (1967/68 is just a random example).

That only works if you are replicating historic events. The majority of DCS players aren't doing that though, they are putting down red and blue units and hitting Fly. Or like me, creating future or alternate scenarios.

[Nealius]

 

2 hours ago, Punkmonkey22 said:

That only works if you are replicating historic events. The majority of DCS players aren't doing that though, they are putting down red and blue units and hitting Fly. Or like me, creating future or alternate scenarios.

So we should all be forced to have runway lights off all the time regardless of what scenario we're replicating? Why are people so against having options so that players can enjoy the game as they please?

Edited July 2, 2023 by Nealius

[Punkmonkey22]

5 hours ago, Nealius said:

 

So we should all be forced to have runway lights off all the time regardless of what scenario we're replicating? Why are people so against having options so that players can enjoy the game as they please?

 

I'm not against options and never said that. I just don't like all the people assuming the Sinai map was purchased by everybody just to re-enact a historic event, some of us bought it because it is a geographically interesting place. Of all the methods of selecting wartime lights or not, date filter is the worst as it forces a certain timeframe. THAT is what I said I was against.

[Nealius]

12 hours ago, Punkmonkey22 said:

Of all the methods of selecting wartime lights or not, date filter is the worst as it forces a certain timeframe. THAT is what I said I was against.

Do you have another solution? This is currently the only method the DCS engine has of allowing users to choose night lighting on/off.

I also don't understand how the "certain time frame" is a limitation. If you set 1968 you can still plop down a JF-17 and enable unrestricted satnav in the mission settings, and the mission will still play as if it were 2011. 

[Thx1137]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:20 PM, OnReTech said:

Thank you. I think what we'll do is, International airfields - the lights will always be on. At military airfields, they will ON when a takeoff or landing is requested.

Added to to-to list.

For mixed/civilian airports then always on is good. I personally don't mind your idea for military too. 

A couple of other options:

1. If it is possible then you may consider a real life alternative which is to use Pilot Activated Lighting. Typically you would key a comm microphone on a specific frequency and it would turn the lights on for a while. EG: You could toggle the comm radio three times in succession to toggle the lighting. 

2. If it is possible, then a shortcut key that turns on/toggles the lighting for the "closest" airfield to the aircraft. 

3. Maybe a menu option to turn on/off closest airfield lights.

I say "closest" in the last two options because I think having controls for ever airfield might add too much clutter. Dunno.

[troberts2009]

please let dart make this a fuction of lotatc also. give the controllers on servers ability to turn the lights on would be nice. but yes this entire system needs fixed  most of the runway lights need fixed

[Nealius]

Revisiting this because it seems that the DCS ATC and the lights that get turned on don't agree with each other. For example Hatzerim, 28R is illuminated but AI use 28L which is not illuminated.

[Nealius]

This is continuing to be an issue, particularly in regards to ILS where the ATC lights up a non-ILS runway while the ILS runway remains dark. Example:

Hatzerim has ILS on 28L, however only 28R is illuminated at night or in poor weather. 28R (in DCS) has no ILS.

This is illogical.