TAC goodness?

[Siggi]

I couldn't stomach the labels anymore, but nor was I prepared to go back to being practically blind, for all realistic intents and purposes, so I decided to give the TAC a chance.

First thing it showed me was at just how short a distance a/c become invisible in this game. And that's at 1920x1200 resolution. So I no longer consider it a cheat exactly and I don't have it permanently on, I trigger it only when I do my actual head-turning scan.

So, it's a keeper.

 

[gimpyguy]

Actually it can be a helpful addition, especially when you drag the screen into the Lower Left Corner. You can alter the distance viewed.

All of it's features are discussed in the OFF Tips & Cheats #1

 

[Siggi]

Actually it can be a helpful addition, especially when you drag the screen into the Lower Left Corner. You can alter the distance viewed.

All of it's features are discussed in the OFF Tips & Cheats #1

That's where I genned up on it before I activated and mapped it. Cheers Gimpy.

 

[Rick Rawlings]

Eddie Rickenbacker famously talks about not seeing any A/C at all during his first flight. If you wanted to "role play" you could leave it off earlier in your career and then turn it on later when your eyes have "adjusted". It is an eye opener when you realize just how little your hugemongus monitor actually allows you to see, even at high resolution. Since I am not going to drop $130 on track IR and I haven't bothered with freelook yet, I go back and forth between padlock and TAC use to help get a more useful picture of the sky. If the kids are sleeping and the wife is at work and Left 4 Dead isn't calling me, I turn everything off and enjoy the view. Otherwise I usually want to get to the "moments of sheer terror" part of the flight...

RR

 

[Siggi]

Eddie Rickenbacker famously talks about not seeing any A/C at all during his first flight. If you wanted to "role play" you could leave it off earlier in your career and then turn it on later when your eyes have "adjusted". It is an eye opener when you realize just how little your hugemongus monitor actually allows you to see, even at high resolution. Since I am not going to drop $130 on track IR and I haven't bothered with freelook yet, I go back and forth between padlock and TAC use to help get a more useful picture of the sky. If the kids are sleeping and the wife is at work and Left 4 Dead isn't calling me, I turn everything off and enjoy the view. Otherwise I usually want to get to the "moments of sheer terror" part of the flight...

RR

I already flew 12 missions in real time without seeing a sausage. Now my eyes have "adjusted".

 

[shunkan]

I thought there was a way, in some file, to make the aircraft "reflect" or something at a further distance........maybe someone else remembers, or I am just crazy.

 

[jayo]

I have labels off,and the TAC set at 2 miles.Reckon thats about the average eyeball distance,and being as things are harder to spot looking at a screen than in real life i have no probs with using the TAC for that extra help.

 

[Rick Rawlings]

I thought there was a way, in some file, to make the aircraft "reflect" or something at a further distance........maybe someone else remembers, or I am just crazy.

There are flashes when you see the sun reflect off the upper wing when a plane banks. This really helps out dinstinguishing a plane from ground clutter.

 

[Gandi]

I thought there was a way, in some file, to make the aircraft "reflect" or something at a further distance........maybe someone else remembers, or I am just crazy.

no you're not going crazy!! There was a 'thing' that increased/added to the plane shine so that they stood out further away, trouble was it made them look too shiny close up (like wet dope on fabric)...I tried it but didn't like it, trouble is I can't remember what the 'thing' was....sorry

 

[Olham54]

Hey, JAYO,
you can put the TAC at 4 miles. When I had it on two miles, I saw 4 specs in the distance, but they weren't on the screen yet. As they were approaching fast (Camels), they appeared short after. But I'd estimate, I saw them in a distance of three or four miles (against the clear sky that was - when they fly lower, their Camel **** green camouflage protects them.)

In this case, they made the above mentioned mistake (approached).
I smoked them.

 

[77Scout]

I have spotted planes 'by eye' at more than 2 miles out (depending on the back drop) and my eyesight isn't anything special. Yes, you do get better at it with practice.

If you don't fly as the flight leader and can stick with your flight, then no need for the TAC...your flight will turn to engage enemies so just follow them to the fight.

So nope, no TAC for me...it is a total immersion killer (for me) having any of that phoney neon crap on your screen.

 

[Siggi]

I have spotted planes 'by eye' at more than 2 miles out (depending on the back drop) and my eyesight isn't anything special. Yes, you do get better at it with practice.

If you don't fly as the flight leader and can stick with your flight, then no need for the TAC...your flight will turn to engage enemies so just follow them to the fight.

So nope, no TAC for me...it is a total immersion killer (for me) having any of that phoney neon crap on your screen.

It would normally be a total immersion-killer for me too, but not so much of one as missing planes I'd be able to see in real life and going mission after mission with no action as a result.

Even close up, but above looking down, a/c vanish against the ground because they lack natural luminosity. The TAC doesn't help with that of course, or finding them after it's shown you what direction they're at, but it does mimic one spotting a glint in the distance. After that you're eyes are on their own. Plus one only knows direction, not altitude. They could be low against the ground or at high altitude.

And down in the left corner it's hard to see it's even on unless one is looking directly at it.

I like the sim to be hard, but not unrealistically so.

 

[Olham54]

I'd say the same, Siggi
Off course we'd prefer not to use TAC, but missing all the fights?
I switch it on and off, and when it shows white specs, I switch TAC off, and head for that direction to check.
Off course, you could do the same with labels.

 

[Siggi]

I'd say the same, Siggi
Off course we'd prefer not to use TAC, but missing all the fights?
I switch it on and off, and when it shows white specs, I switch TAC off, and head for that direction to check.
Off course, you could do the same with labels.

I was, and that's what I'm doing with the TAC now.

The labels were simply awful. The TAC is simply excellent.

 

[jayo]

Hey, JAYO,
you can put the TAC at 4 miles. When I had it on two miles, I saw 4 specs in the distance, but they weren't on the screen yet. As they were approaching fast (Camels), they appeared short after. But I'd estimate, I saw them in a distance of three or four miles (against the clear sky that was - when they fly lower, their Camel **** green camouflage protects them.)

In this case, they made the above mentioned mistake (approached).
I smoked them.

Then i must need a bigger moniter,or glasses!!!

 

[Olham54]

Siggi, the TAC can even be made smaller - it was in one of the recent posts. Had to be changed in the config, I think. I'll look for it tomorrow.
Also, I've drawn the compass right in it's center. (Gimpy's tip).

Hey, JAYO,
a bigger monitor is nice, but remember: you may then also need a better graphic card...

A good help is, when you think, you see something, to press "+" several times. Works like glasses - and why souldn't we have glasses with us?

 

[jayo]

"A good help is, when you think, you see something, to press "+" several times. Works like glasses - and why souldn't we have glasses with us?"

Absolutely,so long as mine is full :friday:

 

[Gousgounis]

I have labels off,and the TAC set at 2 miles.Reckon thats about the average eyeball distance,and being as things are harder to spot looking at a screen than in real life i have no probs with using the TAC for that extra help.

I do the exact same thing. And it is not an immersion killer. Just put it on 2NM and on aircraft-only mode. When you see spots in the TAC just target them and use the [] keys to zoom in and see what they are. In a dogfight, close the TAC, because if you dont, it is like having eyes on your tail. Immersion killer that is :faint:.

 

[jayo]

Spot on Gousgounis

 

[rabu]

Siggi, the TAC can even be made smaller - it was in one of the recent posts. Had to be changed in the config, I think. I'll look for it tomorrow.
Also, I've drawn the compass right in it's center. (Gimpy's tip).

Hey, JAYO,
a bigger monitor is nice, but remember: you may then also need a better graphic card...

A good help is, when you think, you see something, to press "+" several times. Works like glasses - and why souldn't we have glasses with us?

It's the ViewUI.xml file in the main OFF folder (back it up first) and in the OFF folder under the User Docs and Settings. Delete the one in the Docs and Settings and edit the one in the main OFF folder using note pad.
Use the Edit menu --> Replace and type in exactly the following then save the file:

In the Replace slot: BGSize="512 512" BGScale="0.30"
In the Repalce with slot: BGSize="512 512" BGScale="0.20"

(You are making these changes under the TacticalDisplay section of the file and there are two changes, one for metric and standard)

In game if it isn't small enough, go the same route and change the BGScale to a smaller value.

**********
As an alternate method, back up the 512x512 341kb tactical display dds file in the
C:\OBDSoftware\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields\aircraft\shared folder

Then copy the old 16kb 128x128 tactical display image from the CFS3 folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 3\aircraft\shared

and put it in the OFF shared folder above.

Then go the same edit/replace route using the original ViewUI.xml file in the OFF folder, but this time change the setting to the following (again, be sure you delete the one in the User docs and settings OFF folder:

In the Replace slot: BGSize="512 512" BGScale="0.30"
In the Repalce with slot: BGSize="128 128" BGScale="1.0"

The much better looking, and larger, tactical display that WM made for OFF with it's O'clock numbers, will be replaced with a simple circle by doing this, and if it still isn't the right size for you, just edit that BGScale number some more. I personally like WM's version better, but with all your group talk of simplifying you might go for the older one.

Just don't mess anything up or you will have problems.