[RESOLVED]Nighttime visibility excessive (15nm white dots no labels)

With the new night lighting there is a serious bug in that all aircraft and ground vehicles are easily visible at night.

Aircraft that are fenced in with all lights off show as bright objects in the sky and viewable for large distances making it impossible to remain hidden (particular issue for helicopter opp's).

Ground units show as white twinkling objects on the ground and are easily spotted which then suddenly disappears at 1 mile. Makes them completely vulnerable.

Clearly this is not correct - i fly purely in VR but believe its an issues also on monitors.

Can we confirm that the dev's are already aware. Before dev's ask for a trackfile, just take a flight at night and have a look its so obvious.

This is a real issue for those of us that fly multiplayer competitive servers that have player controlled ground units.

Any screenshots/videos/tracks ?

@bignewy just checking up on this bug - with the greatest of respect and as discussed on discord this does not need track files , screenshots or anything else.

It is plain to see for anyone, a blind man on a galloping horse can see aircraft and ground units lit up at night like a Christmas tree. Suggest 2 minutes of one of your dev's team or yourself to set up a ME and go for a flight with some ground units and other aircraft - or even easier jump on a multiplayer server that flies at night.

I'm trying to assist however asking for multiplayer track files that are in excess of 100mb isn't productive and not required.

I'm highlighting an issue, a simple one to see which isn't complex to replicate and is not a 'it might happen, it might not situation.

Granted not an issue for people that only ever play against AI.

Thanks for your forthcoming efforts to resolve for the multiplayer community.

Frankly, I imagine setting up an online mission with these specific conditions and selection of units, then playing it, is not a "two minute job" for devs who go through a wall of bug reports and tests already.

Whether we want it or not, in Open Beta Bugs section of the forum it's player's job to do so.

I understand uploading MP-tracks is not possible with limited attachment sizes here, but if you can't be bothered to attach at least a single screenhot and one zip of logs, then don't expect this half-baked "report" to be treated seriously. "I'm trying to assist"? Doesn't look like it.

Nighttime visibility excessive (15nm white dots no labels)

I've cycled both the mission and the systems labels to NONE to verify, and this is current OB. I do use the VR shaders mod, so everything that follows is really a check to see if that mod has broken something, so please dont take this as accusatory there is a fault, until someone can confirm (please) that this is on a vanilla install or not present by design.

The issue is that all objects, planes, ground units, parachutes, ejected pilots create a small white dot that can be seen at night without aid or zoom from over 30 kilometres away, perfectly, unaided. When close up the imposter dot disappears (<1 mile, varies). This means that tank columns at night, from 15nm, or anything really, like a parchutist landed on the ground stick out massively and wreck immersion. Whilst I appreciate some attempt to add glints or vision aids, it just makes tank columns look brighter than distant runway lights and is entirely aritifiicial. Now, you can fly to the merge perfectly with aircraft beneath you, at night, and execute a stern conversion and shoot things with ridiculous ease, or see ground units from 30km excessively brightly and it gets worse because, when you use this imaginary aid for night gunnery, just at the moment of opening to fire, the imposter white dots suddenly disappear with a new lod, rendering you blind just before you fire!

In VR, it's actually even more pronounced. I find in 2D the dots a bit more subtle on my 4K monitor. In VR they are most definitely brighter and larger!

I'm all for aids, and I think some of the folks out there with poor eye sight should have this as an option, perhaps the labels if this is indeed stock behaviour. Is this a problem with the game or is this something else?

I've done a quick video which makes this more clear.

It's worth noting that, the livestream quality of the video is nothing like the clarity of in game with a reverb, as the white dots are dulled by the video capturing reducing the size and colour depth of the scene. So imagine the dots being twice as bright and twice as sharp as what the video shows.

Bignewy as i stated on discord tracks are too large (they can be 250mb+)

Track is really not needed for anyone that flies the game at night - ask anyone that flies multiplayer with combined arms forces on the ground. Its not system spec dependant, driver dependant its core code not periphery.

Apologies for the delay in the response - have you made any progress with this in the interim?

Many thanks.

We have various issues already reported for spotting and LOD issues with lighting.

 

The reason I ask for an example track is to rule out the ones we already have reported.

 

Shortest track possible showing the issue would be great.

 

Thank you

Here are a couple track files. Noticed during some coop play. One with moon and one with no moon. The intensity of reflection is greater when the moon is out.

I would expect depending on angle you might get some reflection off of a windshield or maybe a twinkle depending on surface reflection. When the moon is out - looks almost like headlights.

Hopefully it helps.

GRD_reflection.zip

dcs.zip

Frankly, I imagine setting up an online mission with these specific conditions and selection of units, then playing it, is not a "two minute job" for devs who go through a wall of bug reports and tests already.

 

Whether we want it or not, in Open Beta Bugs section of the forum it's player's job to do so.

 

I understand uploading MP-tracks is not possible with limited attachment sizes here, but if you can't be bothered to attach at least a single screenhot and one zip of logs, then don't expect this half-baked "report" to be treated seriously. "I'm trying to assist"? Doesn't look like it.

Art just noticed your response, clearly your ignorant on both current night time multiplayer or the requirements of mission editor, which is fine, however don't feel the need to make comments such as "half - baked reports" on a subject matter you are clearly clueless about which underlines your lack of experience, its not helpful or constructive to progressing the game. First learn how to use mission editor (i could set an example up in around 60 seconds lol), fly night times in multiplayer and using tac command slots in ground warfare, then tell me there is not a problem.

Many thanks.

I repaired and cleaned and the issue remains, the view is excessive like a label setting is stuck.

Take the moon out of the mission and watch those dots disappear, this has been a bug for quite some time.

I posted the same here with a video and screenshot

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=268805

This is absolutely a bug and undesired, I think it's actually a bug with some sort of dot only label setting getting stuck, but I cycled them and double checked and repaired. Something as small as an ejected pilot appears for 30 miles brighter than a star. Dogfighting at night is a case of turning off your radar and looking out the window for the stars. As for people that haven't seen this I have to wonder if you actually play the game, looking at ground units at night is like looking at the night sky full of twinkling stars. Its as clear as... day..... no, its much much clearer! In day you dont get dots!

I did like cheat mode for a bit, but I've grown tired of it and would like the simulation normal difficulty mode back please ED!

see next post for better details & trk.

Actually this track was custom built and smaller and better for seeing the air and longer distance >30nm for ground units

settings extracted from logs are:

2020-04-07 06:59:37.562 INFO    DCS: options.graphics =
{
   ['messagesFontScale'] = 1.25;
   ['rainDroplets'] = true;
   ['LensEffects'] = 0;
   ['heatBlr'] = 0;
   ['anisotropy'] = 4;
   ['water'] = 2;
   ['motionBlur'] = 0;
   ['outputGamma'] = 2;
   ['treesVisibility'] = 6000;
   ['aspect'] = 1.7777777777778;
   ['lights'] = 2;
   ['shadows'] = 1;
   ['MSAA'] = 0;
   ['SSAA'] = 0;
   ['civTraffic'] = '';
   ['clutterMaxDistance'] = 1010;
   ['cockpitGI'] = 1;
   ['terrainTextures'] = 'max';
   ['multiMonitorSetup'] = '1camera';
   ['shadowTree'] = false;
   ['chimneySmokeDensity'] = 1;
   ['fullScreen'] = true;
   ['DOF'] = 0;
   ['clouds'] = 1;
   ['forestDistanceFactor'] = 0.8;
   ['flatTerrainShadows'] = 1;
   ['width'] = 3840;
   ['visibRange'] = 'Medium';
   ['SSLR'] = 0;
   ['effects'] = 3;
   ['SSAO'] = 0;
   ['useDeferredShading'] = 1;
   ['sync'] = false;
   ['textures'] = 2;
   ['scaleGui'] = 2;
   ['preloadRadius'] = 97800;
   ['height'] = 2160;
   ['terrainMapMFD'] = 
   {
       ['distance'] = 
       {
           ['mapLodDistance3'] = 200000;
           ['mapLodDistance2'] = 100000;
           ['mapLodDistance0'] = 25000;
           ['mapLodDistance1'] = 50000;
       };
   };
};

dotlabelnight.trk

Take the moon out of the mission and watch those dots disappear, this has been a bug for quite some time.

:( but I like the moon :( And ED just improved the night lighting now so it's worth seeing!

How will I call my leetUberSquadron "the Werewolves"? :D

By the way I tested this, it's the same with a quarter moon.

At a low moon that is orange on the horizon, all the dots take the colour of the moon, i.e the aircraft turn into orange dots.

So it's much more pervasive than not picking a full moon, it's literally any moon in the sky.

Art just noticed your response, clearly your ignorant on both current night time multiplayer or the requirements of mission editor, which is fine, however don't feel the need to make comments such as "half - baked reports" on a subject matter you are clearly clueless about which underlines your lack of experience, its not helpful or constructive to progressing the game. First learn how to use mission editor (i could set an example up in around 60 seconds lol), fly night times in multiplayer and using tac command slots in ground warfare, then tell me there is not a problem.

 

Many thanks.

You might want to check your attitude because you've been ask nicely twice and still try to be a smartass. There are some requirements to report a bug especially when it is clearly stated and asked. So here is my pretty please with cherry on top.

You might want to check your attitude because you've been ask nicely twice and still try to be a smartass. There are some requirements to report a bug especially when it is clearly stated and asked. So here is my pretty please with cherry on top.

No need to labour this bickering folks or backseat moderate, or join in! Clearly the OP finds this very obvious which is why he abbreviated the OP as such, we have all been there! :) Subsequently it does need to be defined well as there are lots of similar issues to un-duplicate, so tracks have been provided and the rest of the commentary doesn't add anything.

However I will add to the report some findings from looking at this.

The imposter dots are exactly the colour of the moon, so if it hits horizon and is orange, that also creates an orange dot.

Additionally, it matters not on the time of day, only the presence of any moon, it can be a quarter, half or full, doesn't matter, any moon will do it

Moreover, any presence of moon no creates a lot of ambient lighting, but, when the moon is under the horizon or not visible that ambience is gone, leading to very odd dusks and complete darkness until the moon rises and then a massive change to very light. This leads to a very strange environment that goes LIGHT>DARK>LIGHT inside of the hour. Resultant dots on objects also observe that odd behaviour, makign the sim absolutely weird as hell around dusk.

You might want to check your attitude because you've been ask nicely twice and still try to be a smartass. There are some requirements to report a bug especially when it is clearly stated and asked. So here is my pretty please with cherry on top.

What you are not aware of is I'd discussed on discord with the community manager previously to the post and outlined couldn't post my track files due to size - not trying to be smart but anyone that plays the game at night can see it a mile off and its totally obvious. It does need to be reviewed.

Appreciate regarding correct bug reporting re track and screenshots and when they are required for more erroneous issues they are posted. On something so clear to see for everyone it shouldn't even need a screenshot. As i said some of my track files are north of 250Mb (only play multiplayer).

As for the other post i have nothing to check attitude about,however i would ask you look at your own post re "smartass" its not exactly polite and inflammatory in nature. My comments where observational and not personal in nature. You should be have been directed at the other person wading into a post dismissing the issue on a subject matter that clearly they had no knowledge on. Just no point people making the thread longer discussing something they clearly know nothing about. As i said no offence meant however it was in response to a "half baked report comment and therefore not to be taken seriously".

@Pikey appreciate you taking the time to post your track file of the issue, thank you for the comprehensive posting. In relation to your comments I think all serious competitive multiplayer's have got bored of it lol, especially helo pilots trying to be sneaky beaky and getting nailed after 20 mile flights to repair bases or attack airbases etc who can't defend themselves. It's painful in the harrier also when use to love the night for hiding, as for the ground war, yep safer in the day now !!

Hawkeye, you're still doing it - trying to outsmart the rules by logic, like it doesn't apply to you or your case but you forget that you move the work to reproduce a bug to the one checking it.

Mind you there are a lot of free servers and services that let you upload a file even over GBs in size.

... In relation to your comments I think all serious competitive multiplayer's have got bored of it lol, especially helo pilots trying to be sneaky beaky and getting nailed after 20 mile flights to repair bases or attack airbases etc who can't defend themselves. It's painful in the harrier also when use to love the night for hiding, as for the ground war, yep safer in the day now !!

Not suggesting it's this specifically, but my server has been quite deflated in numbers at a time when there is a lot of free time to play iin the world. Playing with "labels on" any time there is a moon is pretty harsh. We are PvE, I feel for multiplayer with PvP at night, and chopper pilots.. damn, that's horrific man. I love those little chopper pilots on servers, it's like drowning kittens.

Threads merged.

 

Investigating

Let me know if you need any more information. There was a lot more to this than just aircraft and ground units, like moon and affecting any unit including parachutes etc.

I presume the comment from merged thread was now redundant about matching track to video? If not, let me know, I have some time.