Bomber leader formation lights

[HagarTheHorrible]

Because computer graphics struggle to reach the clarity of real life, making it harder to make subtle deductions about our environment.

 

If and when people want to play on-line as part of a bomber formation, especially if it is all very ad hoc, it might be helpful to have some visual aids to help with forming up and identification.  I don't think it needs to go beyond the very basic so for the formation leader a set of virtual lights, much like anti collision lights, which might do the job.  At it's most complicated the lead pilot can cycle through a series of colours if required for differentiating between smaller groups within a formation.  The light bulbs (so to speak for the ease of clarity) wouldn't be visible on the skins but when switched on would act like normal aircraft lights.  I think it important that they would also only need to be visible to the home side, at the moment aircraft lights can be seen for miles and the last thing a bomber wants is too attract to much unwelcome attention. It might even be that it is the follower who can control if he sees the lights so if he knows what he is doing he can also turn them off from his view.

 

My first thought was to have specifically obvious skins or panels, much like invasion stripes, but I passed up on that because it still needed a certain proximity, might detract from the authenticity and credibility of skins and might attract undue hostile attention to the point that potential leaders were discouraged.  The lights option is clearly seen from a distance so aiding quick formation build up and allowing for the retention of maximum situational awareness while grouping up while still easily spotting who you are trying to formate with.

 

The reason I have suggested this is because I think trying to work out who is who when forming up a group of bombers, or making sure you are following the right aircraft, can be a little chaotic especially for newer players or players not flying with a group of practised friends and can discourage people from what might be an otherwise fulfilling element of the game, this is especially so if forming up takes an age with confusion being the most common experience.

 

Purists might argue that it isn't very realistic, but neither is having a bunch of untrained noob strangers trying to form up a fighting formation especially when visual clarity is worse than in real life.

Edited July 23, 2014 by HagarTheHorrible

[Talisman]

Because computer graphics struggle to reach the clarity of real life, making it harder to make subtle deductions about our environment.

 

If and when people want to play on-line as part of a bomber formation, especially if it is all very ad hoc, it might be helpful to have some visual aids to help with forming up and identification.  I don't think it needs to go beyond the very basic so for the formation leader a set of virtual lights, much like anti collision lights, which might do the job.  At it's most complicated the lead pilot can cycle through a series of colours if required for differentiating between smaller groups within a formation.  The light bulbs (so to speak for the ease of clarity) wouldn't be visible on the skins but when switched on would act like normal aircraft lights.  I think it important that they would also only need to be visible to the home side, at the moment aircraft lights can be seen for miles and the last thing a bomber wants is too attract to much unwelcome attention. It might even be that it is the follower who can control if he sees the lights so if he knows what he is doing he can also turn them off from his view.

 

My first thought was to have specifically obvious skins or panels, much like invasion stripes, but I passed up on that because it still needed a certain proximity, might detract from the authenticity and credibility of skins and might attract undue hostile attention to the point that potential leaders were discouraged.  The lights option is clearly seen from a distance so aiding quick formation build up and allowing for the retention of maximum situational awareness while grouping up while still easily spotting who you are trying to formate with.

 

The reason I have suggested this is because I think trying to work out who is who when forming up a group of bombers, or making sure you are following the right aircraft, can be a little chaotic especially for newer players or players not flying with a group of practised friends and can discourage people from what might be an otherwise fulfilling element of the game, this is especially so if forming up takes an age with confusion being the most common experience.

 

Purists might argue that it isn't very realistic, but neither is having a bunch of untrained noob strangers trying to form up a fighting formation especially when visual clarity is worse than in real life.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!  Holds head in hands.  Please no.

[LukeFF]

Way too complicated of a suggestion. 

[DD_Arthur]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!  Holds head in hands.  Please no.

 

Lol.  Hagar, you seem to have produced a solution for a possibly non-existent problem.

 

However, historically the Eighth Air Force certainly used flares, lights and special paint jobs to aid their bomber groups in forming up after take off from East Anglia in WW2.  Mind you, they had to cope with formations ranging in size from hundreds to over a thousand.  Not quite sure if the BoS engine will be up to that yet.

 

We'll have to make do with Team Speak.

[RDW]

Just use the chat menu in multi-player and icons in single player. Turn off icons when you don't want them.

[HagarTheHorrible]

Just use the chat menu in multi-player and icons in single player. Turn off icons when you don't want them.

 

It's really a multiplayer idea so that players of varying abilities can quickly take off, as they spawn in, and rapidly get a fix on who's supposed to be leading the formation to target. 

 

I think one of the obstacles to half reasonable bomber formations, by the rabble as opposed to dedicated groups, is the time it takes to get organized and formed up, if it was easier and more people could be confident of doing something other than just playing chase, at full throttle, only to probably find everyone was following the wrong guy anyway then more people might enjoy doing it, more frequently ( I'll put that to the wife and see what she says)

 

There are many scalable difficulty settings to make up for the limitations of computer technology, FOV and pilot ability why does anyone have a problem if it can be switched on or off as desired or required by participants ?

 

The scenario I have in my mind is of several aircraft spawning in to the game taking off, and trying to figure out who they are supposed to be trying to follow while circling the airfield and everybody chasing the tail of everybody else because nobody knows who to follow.  Certainly a flight leader could put on his normal lights but it might also attract the wrong sort of attention.