labels .. is there another way..

[wehyam]

I'm working my way through the BS.. and I'm making my own 'blow stuff up' toy training missions.. using the 'real' mode as far as possible.

MY problem is I cant find my targets unless I put them on roads and know almost exactly where they are... So I use the labels tick box.. but this is ok to start with.. 'blue dots' dead ahead.. but as you get closer the writing of the desciption/labels(!) becomes a mess.. :( and intrusive..

Is it possible..

1) To turn the labels off mid 'flight' .. ie once I've seen the blue dots, got the HMS and Shkval on it..

OR

2) any other fix?

 

grateful for any help.. regards..

[AlphaOneSix]

There is a mod around here somewhere that changes the labels so that they are grey for all coalitions until you get close enough, then the dots turn blue or red I think. Also, they are just dots no matter how close you are, so you have to do range and target identification on your own. I will see if I can find it.

 

EDIT: Here are a couple of threads to check on and see if they do what you want:

 

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2643164

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=55121

Edited April 14, 2011 by AlphaOneSix

[wehyam]

Thanks for the response.. alpha16..

 

I see one post says use notepad++ er.. sounds like C++ warning bells..

I'm off to the FAQs but any further advice??

regards

[Weta43]

The *.lua files are just text files - but they're better edited with something like notepad or ultra-edit.

They're simple enough to understand (unless you want colour changes mid air :-). There's a few threads with suggested values. Think about (research) what realistic values for detection ranges are, and set the labels to show appropriately.

How far away could YOU see a truck, or a plane ? How far away could you make out what kind of aircraft / truck / tank etc, and how far away could you tell the difference bbetween a Red Su-27 and a Blue Su-27 ?.

If you can't see a plane at 20km, you probably can't see an AMRAAM at 30km :-).

You don't have to use all the values - you can comment some out if you want, and you can turn the labels off at a range which you believe you should be able to detect them on screen.

With regard to colour - my suggestion is to set the colours to relatively dark grey. That way they're visible against the ground but don't stand out, more visible against the sky, but don't stand out in darknesss, or show trough the frame / floor of the cockpit (the added benefit is that they don't show in the dark, but do show against the green when the NVG are activated.)

 

(By way of an example of grey labels, there's a plane with label above the patch of pale grass image at left, and above the radar unit at right (open ia a new tab & view full size)

Edited April 15, 2011 by Weta43

[Bee_Sting]

i understand what you are saying and it can be hard,but you must train. if you are looking for your keys and you don't have a real good idea where they are. you look carefully and use your senses until you get a location of your keys! samething as flying the ka-50 smooth and slow,using the ka-50 sensors and your awareness of your surrounds.

 

you can use lables to find your keys! ;) good hunting!

[isoul]

This maybe somewhat irrelevant but...

 

The need to use labels, in many cases, is derived from the need to engage/destroy specific targets in order to complete a mission. Worse, these specific targets may be hiding in areas that makes them almost impossible to spot. Personally I dislike labels, and try not to use them, since in real life you don't have labels helping you to spot possible threat/targets. You actually have to use your eyes and sensors to reckon all the time and be careful were you go.

 

Still, in quite many missions you have to destroy something lurking in a forest. Quite many times people place MANPADS or AAA in thick forests which keeps shooting at you even thought it doesn't have a clear LOS at you, while other times you have to destroy 4 tanks which you can't spot using your eyes+sensors because there are hundreds of trees around. I get very disappointed when I see missions with such objectives.

 

My suggestion? While we try to reproduce real combat situations we should try not to exaggerate.

 

Example : In real life a MANPADS may be hiding in a dense forest but it won't fire at you through the dense forest, same goes for AAA.

 

Suggestion : Since we don't have a mechanic were trees in the LOS of an AI unit prevents it to fire at you, try not to place, at least, SAMs and AAAs, in dense forested areas. In real life they wouldn't be there, or if they would, they couldn't open fire at you 90% of the time. Such targets in open or semi-open areas are fine.

 

Example : In real life no one would send you to spot and attack X number of tanks in a forest were its almost impossible to spot them.

 

Suggestion : In real life tanks rarely pass through thick forests were no roads are present (its too damn difficult, time consuming and dangerous). Even if its too easy to place a tank in a think forest using the ME, in real life that's not so easy. Avoid placing tanks in heavy forested areas where even you can't see them. Don't expect yourself to be able to attack and destroy a tank through woods using your guided missiles.

 

Example : In real life an infantry platoon may be hiding in a dense forested area attacking a nearby target. Your mission is to attack them.

 

Suggestion : In such situations no one would ask you to kill every last soldier hiding in the trees simply because no one can't know how many they are. It would be nice (I don't know if that is possible using the ME) to place 20 soldiers in the forest but consider the mission a success once you manage to hit the first 10 of them (even through lucky shots).

 

Example : In real life you get the order to attack and destroy a tank platoon (4-5 tanks) not a whole armored division.

 

Suggestion : Don't place overwhelmingly high number of vehicles on the field. It seems ridiculous, to anyone that have even the slightest idea, to see a whole armored division (+ it's support sometimes) placed on a tiny piece of land!

 

I think that way the missions would be more realistic and more meaningful minimizing the need to use labels.

Edited April 15, 2011 by isoul

[wehyam]

Thanks for the responses guys..

BeeSting.. thanks but trust me I train! My problem is eyesight and I'm going to stick with Lwin+home for a long while yet..

 

Weta43.. some sums.. if I'm 1m away from my screen then 5 pixels (1024 res) would 'subtend' about the same arc as a 10m truck which was 5390m away (I think) I think very bright blue is good!! BUT there is an idea.. I think colour coding that changes with distance and conveys type information might be a good idea...

 

isoul... I agree.. and some of this is all meant to be fun.. I also wonder how much this BS 'performance' relies on air superiority. Wouldn't the mirages, harriers, and Maverick and Goose have taken them out. If I remember right IL2's (tank killers) were slaughtered by the 109s at the beginning.

Anyway .. thanks for the help.. I'm on it.. by the way how do you make grey.. 128 128 128 ?

[winz]

I've modified my lables to only show a small dark ~ symbol (looks more like a square in game) for ground and air units, so no magic missiles spoting with labels, and I find navy targets to be well visible from afar.

 

Air units labels are vissible from 30km away, while ground from only 10km away. And I use the same color for both red and blue coalition.

 

You can give them a try if you want.

I personaly turn them off at start of every mission and only turn them on rarely.

Labels.zip

[wehyam]

Thanks winz.. had a look at that.. but..

you said... I personaly turn them off at start of every mission and only turn them on rarely. Does that mean you can turn them on during a mission??

regards

[AlphaOneSix]

There is a keyboard shortcut to turn the off and on. I forget what it is...

[winz]

If you have labels enabled in options, then you can turn them on and off via lshift+F10

[wehyam]

Thanks winz .. I'm getting there..

regards

[winz]

np... these forums are here for help ;)

[StoOopiD]

turn off the labels and use the shkval scan mode:thumbup:

[Speed]

Shkval scan will get you killed. Just visually spot targets instead. Most of the time, targets are so easy to spot in Blackshark... big black specs on the screen... it's like having labels on all the time. My suggestion would be to get a bigger monitor, sit closer to it, get a Track IR, and bind zoom to your HOTAS.

[TulsA-10]

I've modified my lables to only show a small dark ~ symbol (looks more like a square in game) for ground and air units, so no magic missiles spoting with labels, and I find navy targets to be well visible from afar.

 

Air units labels are vissible from 30km away, while ground from only 10km away. And I use the same color for both red and blue coalition.

 

You can give them a try if you want.

I personaly turn them off at start of every mission and only turn them on rarely.

 

 

Thank you for the file, I needed help with the color aspect. :thumbup: