Please bring back model visibility options

Hello,

some time ago there used to be an option in DCS to adjust model visibility - essentially making the models bigger and thus more visible on our screens. I really don't understand why this options was removed. I used to fly with it all the time. Now we're back to hunting single pixels on our screen which is a nightmare for people like me with slight color blindness (deuteranomaly).

If it was removed because of fear of multiplayer balance then make it server side option, personally I don't care about that since I don't fly in multiplayer.

Bud, I wish they would bring it back as well. I think this is the 3rd post I've seen in as many weeks. I've never seen a response but I do hope they're listening.

Now we're back to hunting single pixels on our screen which is a nightmare for people like me with slight color blindness (deuteranomaly).

It's a nightmare for people without color blindness too.

It sure would make it easier to spot targets in VR!!!

It sure would make it easier to spot targets in VR!!!

Agreed. :thumbup:

No. Don’t bring it back. It was terrible and eliminated the need for radar to find distant targets as they could just be seen by eye. Ground vehicles were the size of skyscrapers. It was ridiculous. All the servers had it switched off as a cheat.

This feature is hopefully dead and buried. RIP

No. Don’t bring it back. It was terrible and eliminated the need for radar to find distant targets as they could just be seen by eye. Ground vehicles were the size of skyscrapers. It was ridiculous. All the servers had it switched off as a cheat.

This feature is hopefully dead and buried. RIP

There's always one.

Not everybody flies on open MP servers. Some of use fly on dedicated servers for our groups.

Not everyone flies online as noted above. Some only fly single player, some do both.

Having this feature will not harm your experience as it can simply but shut off by server control. If you don't like the server controls, feel free to start your own.

There are already hundreds of posts on here documenting the demise of this feature. Clearly I’m not alone in thinking it didn’t work, since it’s gone now.

There are already hundreds of posts on here documenting the demise of this feature. Clearly I’m not alone in thinking it didn’t work, since it’s gone now.

There is truth to that but you can also find an enormous amount of threads asking to have it back. Clearly I'm not alone in thinking it worked, since those threads exist.

All the servers had it switched off as a cheat.

So what's the problem then? I'm sure "all the servers" have labels disabled as cheat as well but personally I find the model visibility option much better than labels which flat out break the game immersion. And in the end it's nobody's business how I do my offline flying.

So what's the problem then?

The first problem was that the setting was user adjustable, players could gain an advantage over another by changing the settings. That’s not really desirable in multiplayer where everyone should be on equal settings.

Second, the size of the sprites actually interfered with Beyond Visual Range combat in that it made using radar pointless. Targets could be seen visually at extreme ranges. Even the small setting was too much.

Well, gee, I guess it needed tweaking, then.

Well, gee, I guess it needed tweaking, then.

There was no way to tweak this setting that pleased everyone. That’s certainly one big reason why it’s gone.

All the servers had it switched off as a cheat.

That is fine for the servers. However, a vast majority of players do not use those servers so the opinion of the server operators is not a significant factor.

That is fine for the servers. However, a vast majority of players do not use those servers so the opinion of the server operators is not a significant factor.

Looks like it was enough of a factor for the feature to be removed. I can’t imagine adding it back and having to go through the same analysis that leads to the same result again.

Plus the graphics in 2.5 are very nice in this regard.

Looks like it was enough of a factor for the feature to be removed. I can’t imagine adding it back and having to go through the same analysis that leads to the same result again.

Plus the graphics in 2.5 are very nice in this regard.

The graphics aren't the issue, technology is. Both VR and 4K users are having issues with spotting threats in the ground and the air. I'm not saying they need to bring back the old system but something similar needs to be added.

Both VR and 4K users are having issues with spotting threats in the ground and the air.

I can understand VR users having trouble. But how is it possible for 4K users to? That’s saying that both low resolution and high resolution displays are having trouble. How is that possible that both extremes of resolution have issues? I’m running 4K and flight sims look magnificent in this resolution. I have no difficulty seeing other aircraft whatsoever. I can read their tail numbers.

The reason sprites were not a good solution is that they were a fixed pixel size and thus appeared larger at lower resolutions than at higher ones. You should be wanting to run at higher resolution not lower and yet sprites encourage players to actually turn down resolution which is just counter intuitive.

There's a number of threads about the 4K issue. Basically the pixels are reduced to such a small size that items are very hard to see. We have the issue within our group as well.

Your mileage is not the same as others.

There's a number of threads about the 4K issue. Basically the pixels are reduced to such a small size that items are very hard to see. We have the issue within our group as well.

Your mileage is not the same as others.

That doesn’t make sense. 3D objects in 4K are exactly the same size. The pixels are smaller but objects aren’t. Unless you’re talking about icons or sprites.

+1

Please bring it back!

I think the sprite overlay was useful as a training tool - it acclimatises pilots to visual scanning without relying on the (IMO) much more unrealistic labels. It was very easy to step down the size of the overlay sprites when visual spotting skill increased without having to rely on a big blue or red icon showing the location of a unit.

I do agree that for MP servers the option should be under the control of the server rather than being a local setting, but there are already a pile of options that can be set by mission designers, so surely it should be possible?

I'd also ask the dev team to bring it (or something functionally similar) back please.

It's a nightmare for people without color blindness too.

:thumbup: Brig it back!

Yeah it wasn't perfect, for example it should have worked the same no matter what resolution you were at, but it was a real godsend for VR flying. Yes I can see it could be a problem in MP, but many of us only really fly offline & coop, and I should be able to fly offline however I like.

Bring it back for people that wants it,, keep it in the same category as Labels, Easy Comms, Game Avionics.

out of mp servers but optional for private servers.

What is it they say about doing the same thing twice but expecting different results?

I can’t imagine the old Model Enlargement feature being introduced again, there were too many problems with it that would just be repeated.

If anything is done to help visibility it will have to be a completely different solution. One that’s usable by everyone, online and offline.