Tracers - any easy way to have em look more realistic?

[SsSsSsSsSnake]

lol i knew you wouldnt be able to resist Dano

[whoarmongar]

I know in a recent Arma2 update they made tracers only visible from behind ie from where they were shot so it is possible. However at the moment I would keep them as they are as its the only way to discover your under fire in multiplayer, coz you sure dont hear anything.

[janpitor]

Originally Posted by whoarmongar

I know in a recent Arma2 update they made tracers only visible from behind ie from where they were shot so it is possible. However at the moment I would keep them as they are as its the only way to discover your under fire in multiplayer, coz you sure dont hear anything.

Unless the oponent uses no tracers...i think this will be the way to go in multiplayer

[Macka]

OMFG....not again!!!! I haven't chimed in on this in the previous 14 threads but I cant stand it any longer. I have to say something this time and I have kept this quiet but....in real life I am a tracer. So I know what I am talking about. I come from a long line of tracers. My grandfather was an oerlikon tracer in the Second World tracer war on the German side and my grandmother was on the British side, thats how they actually met but thats another story. Anyhow your all correct. In any family you have all different sizes and shapes. My Dad was pretty fat and slow (was fired from Janes back in the day), mum was slight and fast an very colourful due to her great fashion sense (she actually used to work as a consultant on the first IL2 series). My brother is always drunk and is fat and wiggly and got a job with WOP. I'm razor sharp with a quit wit over at eagle dynamics and my sister is....well we dont talk much about her she is an oilerkin vaccum now and just sucks....she's a sl*t. So there....we can be whatever you want (my son wants to go to Hollywood and work for George Lucas when he grows up).
I need another bourbon....bye

[SsSsSsSsSnake]

lol

[phoenix1963]

If the il2 tracer chasers are complaining, it must be better that they can`t be seen from afar.

56RAF_phoenix

[Redroach]

Originally Posted by Macka

My grandfather was an oerlikon tracer in the Second World tracer war on the German side and my grandmother was on the British side, thats how they actually met but thats another story.

I hate to ask you about that, but I need to know... it did hurt the first time, didn't it?

[Macka]

I heard it was like fireworks!!

[Blackdog_kt]

This has been done to death and as such i can understand people poking fun. On the other hand, every question merits some valid input.

So, i'll keep it short in the interest of giving a valid answer without going over it in length for the umpteenth time.

From personal experience with 20mm AA cannons i can say there's just one slight departure from reality with CoD tracers. They are a bit too fat when they are close to the player's viewpoint.
As for what they do right, they appear short, almost like dots, when viewed from afar or behind and they appear as streaks when viewed from close up and sideways (eg, the rounds coming from wing guns are "streakier" than the rounds coming from cowl/nose mounted guns), which adequately simulates the optical illusion that occurs in real life.

I think there was some developer input on this where they acknowledged the "fat" issue and said it has something to do with limitations in the way they scale over distance. Maybe it's easier to have the current size varying over distance, that is, maybe making them thinner when viewed from close up would "break" how they long at long range, necessitating swapping of the graphics models at different ranges and so on, who knows?

They probably kept them this way for now because it's more useful from a gameplay perspective to be able to see them at medium/long range as they approach the target, rather than having them at the correct "width" when viewed close up only to be hard to see at the ranges they are supposed to be useful.

I guess it's one of the myriad of things that will improve over time, but i find them realistic enough and perfectly functional for the time being. Your mileage may vary of course. An easier option could be adding some transparency,especially around the edges. This is visible on biltongrbu's promotional videos and it makes them look much closer to reality.

[jf1981]

Hi

I noticed that they are not located at gun exit, they are located about in the middle height of the screen, e.g. when you lift up the head, the tracers are lifted up too.