Do you play with labels on?

No labels and Samsung Odyssey VR with sub-optimal graphics settings and ~1.5PD, and less than great vision AND a bit color blind here... I have no issues spotting ground or air targets. It's hard, as it is in real life, but doable. In the air I can spot fighters from 10NM+ and tankers from 20NM+ away as long as I'm looking in roughly the right area and focusing on it, again, as it is in real life. Planes don't magically appear and draw your eyesight to them when in visual range, you have to be looking for them and looking in the right place, you won't pick up a distant fighter in your periphery. We wouldn't have developed such advanced sensors if spotting things with our eyesight alone was as effective as some here claim it should be.

I'm a big proponent of: Play the way you want, and whatever way allows you to have the most fun. So I'm glad we have the option for people who want it. And certainly DCS could use some improvements in the visual spotting area. But I think some people saying the current spotting is completely unrealistic and that turning labels on makes it *more* realistic (!?) are a bit out of touch with how hard it is to spot things in real life from a moving airplane when not visually cued onto it in some way.

To me the labels are an immersion breaker, but options are good, everyone has a different level of what they want/expect out of a sim and not everyone craves the deepest levels of immersion.

No labels here. Although I am a bit frustrated with the Ai ability to never lose sight of you and how hard is to spot them...

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No labels and Samsung Odyssey VR with sub-optimal graphics settings and ~1.5PD, and less than great vision AND a bit color blind here... I have no issues spotting ground or air targets. It's hard, as it is in real life, but doable. In the air I can spot fighters from 10NM+ and tankers from 20NM+ away as long as I'm looking in roughly the right area and focusing on it, again, as it is in real life. Planes don't magically appear and draw your eyesight to them when in visual range, you have to be looking for them and looking in the right place, you won't pick up a distant fighter in your periphery. We wouldn't have developed such advanced sensors if spotting things with our eyesight alone was as effective as some here claim it should be.

 

I'm a big proponent of: Play the way you want, and whatever way allows you to have the most fun. So I'm glad we have the option for people who want it. And certainly DCS could use some improvements in the visual spotting area. But I think some people saying the current spotting is completely unrealistic and that turning labels on makes it *more* realistic (!?) are a bit out of touch with how hard it is to spot things in real life from a moving airplane when not visually cued onto it in some way.

 

To me the labels are an immersion breaker, but options are good, everyone has a different level of what they want/expect out of a sim and not everyone craves the deepest levels of immersion.

Well said! If you play with labels, you're missing out on an experience. People may not care, and everyone should play the way they like, but flying without labels forces you to really learn to use the sensors at your disposal, and to make better, strategic decisions... instead of just using your sensors to get a lock so you can fire a missile... sensors drive your situational awareness, and labels inhibit that feeling.

I don't find spoting always that difficult. Certainly there are situations especially against the ground when even if you look at the fighter you can't see it, it blends so well withbthe ground due to the poor lighting and textures and res compared to irl but most of the time I can spot just fine. Distinguish is different story tho.. trying to track the correct pixel if there is more than one is real pain.

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Well said! If you play with labels, you're missing out on an experience. People may not care, and everyone should play the way they like, but flying without labels forces you to really learn to use the sensors at your disposal, and to make better, strategic decisions... instead of just using your sensors to get a lock so you can fire a missile... sensors drive your situational awareness, and labels inhibit that feeling.

Not all aircraft have sensors :smilewink:

I tend to use labels for mainly missile detection from enemy air or ground(moreso aircraft). While I can spot them by their smoke plume for a few seconds, it then becomes more difficult for me to see whether they're still coming at me. Especially when my rwr goes off whenever it detects one. Either it keeps making me waste my cm's or in the case of [stealth]AMRAAM's, doesn't pop up until its too late for me to maneuver.

I have modified one of the .lua files so that the labels are greatly reduced but still there as small dots. This keeps med from being virtually blind but i dont have god’s eye either.

They implemented this again as part of the options (it was an option a few years ago). You don't have to edit the .lua file anymore.

I fly VR. To some extend and while the F18 radar does not find all the targets which are coming heads on - Labels are ON

Played with labels when started DCS and was learning on Flaming Cliffs planes. Right now I play sim planes and the game is full sim, no labels. Regardless if I see well or not. Even in VR. More fun and immersion

no labels for me as most if not all MP servers do not allow it. I used to own a rift but due to the lack of resolution it was very hard to see targets from angels 8. looking for a green tank on a green field just didnt work for me so I sold it and went back to track IR. The new Pimax may change the bar though

Not all aircraft have sensors :smilewink:

Fair enough :)

I forget about WW2 planes...