reported earlier Cockpit Reflections and NVGs

[Bunny Clark]

Overall, I'm loving the new cockpit reflections, especially on the MFDs and DED. 

 

At night with NVGs it's a mess though, the canopy reflections obscure everything but well-lit areas on the ground. It's impossible to make out anything where there is no light. You can see at night better with the NVGs off right now. 

[Harlikwin]

On 4/19/2021 at 12:08 AM, Bunny Clark said:

Overall, I'm loving the new cockpit reflections, especially on the MFDs and DED. 

 

At night with NVGs it's a mess though, the canopy reflections obscure everything but well-lit areas on the ground. It's impossible to make out anything where there is no light. You can see at night better with the NVGs off right now. 

 

So you're saying its kinda like RL? You try turning the lights down/off? 

Edited April 20, 2021 by Harlikwin

[greenmamba]

Welcome to the real world challenges 

[Bunny Clark]

Alright so I did a side by side comparison, using the same mission in the same location looking the same way. 

 

DCS 2.7:

 

DCS 2.5.6:

 

I realized that the mission I was flying took place at a time with no moon. Changing the date to a night with a full moon makes a pretty significant difference:

So something is clearly different with DCS night lighting in 2.7. I've never flown a plane with NVGs in real life before, so I can't say which is more realistic. But right now in DCS if there is no moonlight you're better off flying without NVGs than with them.

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Bunny Clark
All my text disappeared?

[_SteelFalcon_]

I wish we could set the gear indicator lights to be more NVG friendly. Is there any switch that does that?

[Harlikwin]

2 hours ago, Bunny Clark said:

Alright so I did a side by side comparison, using the same mission in the same location looking the same way. 

 

DCS 2.7:

 

DCS 2.5.6:

 

I realized that the mission I was flying took place at a time with no moon. Changing the date to a night with a full moon makes a pretty significant difference:

So something is clearly different with DCS night lighting in 2.7. I've never flown a plane with NVGs in real life before, so I can't say which is more realistic. But right now in DCS if there is no moonlight you're better off flying without NVGs than with them.

 

 

 

IDK what happened with lighting, but it definitely changed with 2.7. 

So at least IRL reflected light from inside the cockpit will cause the "autogain" to turn down the actual gain of the goggles. This is why NV compatible pits are important, since "that light" is mostly blocked by the bandpass filters inside the goggles, though I'd say you have to play with the interior lighting. 

If you don't have NV compatible lighting, say like on a ground vehicle, it can be a major pain in the ass to see outside IRL. I have lots of experience with that.

Maybe someday we will have something that "simulates" NVG's and the inherent issues with them in DCS. But I'm sure thats "later, much later in Early Access"

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Harlikwin

[deadpool]

Take a black pencil and draw an absolutely black sillhouette into the screenshot and you have how another F-16 looks like in NVGs.

 

Ever since the "great night lights and ground lights" update the F-16 is coated in a super light absorbing material that makes it a black hole even in NVGs .. if you want to see them, you crank the NVGs up to full and look for black holes in front of the sky.

 

Black space sends out more photons than an F-16 skin will reflect in DCS.

[WHOGX5]

On 4/23/2021 at 9:50 PM, _SteelFalcon_ said:

I wish we could set the gear indicator lights to be more NVG friendly. Is there any switch that does that?

Don't think so. But as far as I know, in real life pilots never land with night vision goggles. You always flip them up and do a regular ILS landing instead.

[_SteelFalcon_]

2 hours ago, WHOGX5 said:

Don't think so. But as far as I know, in real life pilots never land with night vision goggles. You always flip them up and do a regular ILS landing instead.

Yeah i guess but the green lights are on during the flight and checking left front panel instruments/switches with nvgs on is like looking into the sun. Is there no way of dimming them? Or is it just not implemented yet?

Edited April 25, 2021 by _SteelFalcon_

[Harlikwin]

3 hours ago, _SteelFalcon_ said:

Yeah i guess but the green lights are on during the flight and checking left front panel instruments/switches with nvgs on is like looking into the sun. Is there no way of dimming them? Or is it just not implemented yet?

 

 

Well in DCS there are brightness controls. IRL there is autogain, which sorta works, just not how you always want it to though. 

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Harlikwin

[Bunny Clark]

20 hours ago, _SteelFalcon_ said:

Yeah i guess but the green lights are on during the flight

Ummm, if the green gear down indicator lights are on then your gear is down. IRL by the time the gear is lowered the NVGs are usually off and stowed. 

[_SteelFalcon_]

8 hours ago, Bunny Clark said:

Ummm, if the green gear down indicator lights are on then your gear is down. IRL by the time the gear is lowered the NVGs are usually off and stowed. 

Makes sense, tried landing with the nvgs on, was a rather interesting approach

[BIGNEWY]

This is already reported, moonless nights need some tweaking possibly however visibility in black out conditions should be reduced. 

 

thanks