HUD compass on Expert settings

[19//Moach]

I'm surprised nobody's raised any objections to this already

 

 

in expert mode, it is very frustrating to see that, while the realism-seeking player has such arcade-ish feature duly disabled, there are many score-seeking players which will waive realism at any opportunity to gain an advantage, however small...

 

thus it seems very unfair that the game actually gives this advantage to those who care more about their personal kill count than about having as authentic a dogfighting experience as possible.   

 

 

understandably, the HUD compass is a needed workaround for those without head-tracking gear, as some planes have that instrument placed in rather awkward spots on the panel (under gunsights, and such) 

 

however, it becomes an exploit which grants unnatural situational awareness to those using it in a dogfight situation - as the compass can be instantly read without ever looking at the panel - players using it, thus never become disoriented in the slightest way, regardless how many times they are forced to turn with an opponent

 

the implications of this are larger than it's perhaps immediately apparent - this ever-so-casually selected option is completely alien to the WW2 setting, and is fundamentally unfair unless the HUD compass were to disappear whenever the view is oriented such that the real compass on the panel is off the view.

 

but it does not - and those who use it thus earn a non-negligible advantage in exchange for doing away with realism 

 

many who do seek realism, are also forced to compromise and leave it on due to the fact that others are using it - and even though they deem it an "undesirable necessity", it only serves to extend the problem

 

 

 

the best solution would be:   have the compass show ONLY when the panel compass is inside the view cone

 

there is no valid reason why this should be undesirable for realism-seeking players, as the HUD compass would continue to provide the functionality for which it is intended (overcoming panel obstructions) - i.e. the compass would be readable whenever the real one should, but ONLY in those same conditions

 

 

if not that, then it's complete removal from expert mode should be considered - for far more often than not, it serves to aid those who have no true need of it, besides to improve their score hoarding capability at the expense of others who are not willing to accept the compromise

Edited May 11, 2017 by 19//Moach

[FTC_Etherlight]

1. I play DCS, CloD and BoX, so I have a pretty good overview over the different solutions. I think that compass is absolutely negligible, to be honest. An annoying one that would pop in and out depending on viewcone would be severely distracting and a very unelegant solution. I just don't think it has a significant impact. I can tell where I'm going without it, just like in CloD and DCS. I think you simply overstate the supposed advantage people get from it. Directions are important when you fly into a certain direction for at least a few seconds, which is absolutely enough to glance at the compass in the cockpit quickly. I don't mind having it switched off, but I also don't care if it's switched on.  It's just a quality of life thing that I have simply come to accept as it is.

 

2. The fact that nobody complained about this until now, which you rightfully realized, might give you a hint at how important this issue actually is to the absolute majority of people. People have different ideas about authenticism and which quality of life options are tolerable and which are not. Same discussion about the GPS on Wings, same discussion about the "radar" around airfields on other servers, same discussion about the legitimacy of tech chat, considering that even the slightest change of throttle (1%) can get you into the arbitrary "combat power" or "emergency power" which starts a timer. If you really want to change this detail, you might be better served by actually opening up a poll and asking people what they would prefer. The result of that might indicate if this issue is even worth the developers' time.

 

3. Do you have a bone to pick with people who like to be successful and, god forbid, actually happen to achieve that? Lots of salt in that posting, bruh. Do you actually think people rock in fights, because they can look at their heading half a second quicker than those who do not like the HUD compass? Come one, man. That classical elitist attitude along the lines of "Well a REAL simpilot OBVIOUSLY has this disabled and only the STATHORDERS would dare to USE it." is one of the few things that really ticks my gagreflex in this forum.

[Riderocket]

the only time i look at the compass at the bottom, is when i need to fly somewhere a large distance away from where i am, i usually check the map first, then the compass. (then fly using landmarks once i have my direction)

 

during a dogfight, i dont see the need to know what direction you are facing? and i dont even notice the compass 99% of the time.

 

would i call it an "advantage" no, not at all.

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

IMHO it's insignificant to be worried about and it's available to all parties, also it's true that I look at it rather than on my plane instrument. It's different with techno chat which I avoid looking at and check instruments in cockpit.

[DD_Arthur]

1. I play DCS, CloD and BoX, so I have a pretty good overview over the different solutions. I think that compass is absolutely negligible, to be honest. An annoying one that would pop in and out depending on viewcone would be severely distracting and a very unelegant solution. I just don't think it has a significant impact. I can tell where I'm going without it, just like in CloD and DCS. I think you simply overstate the supposed advantage people get from it. Directions are important when you fly into a certain direction for at least a few seconds, which is absolutely enough to glance at the compass in the cockpit quickly. I don't mind having it switched off, but I also don't care if it's switched on.  It's just a quality of life thing that I have simply come to accept as it is.

 

Agree completely.