Tracers could use a little tweaking (minor issue)

[daveallen10 35]

I've seen a number of Arma 3 night battles and I have been thinking that there could be a little tweaking done to tracers to make them look a little more realistic and less like lasers. I think the streak of the tracer visual should be decreased just a little so it doesn't make such a solid line.

Secondly: Tracer rounds are usually only every 5th round in a magazine. In this game they are every round, when using tracer ammunition.

Tracer rounds in real life:

Tracer rounds in Arma 3:

I know this isn't a big issue, but its just a small immersion thing. There is a feedback tracker issue here, if you are interested.

If you want to see burning tracer rounds after they hit the ground, refer to this feedback issue (not mine, but I support it).

Edited June 22, 2013 by Daveallen10

[froggyluv 2130]

Just looking at the stills above and what has always bothered me is that you can clearly see that the RL tracers are 'reddish' not pure blank red like Star Wars lasers. Needs more of that incandescent white light with reddish/greenish hues rather than absolutes.

[Sneakson 1]

What you got against them lasers son? :confused:

[oldy41 61]

The tracers are way too long in both game _and_ video footage of real life tracers.

Videos do not actually show tracers in the same way as they are seen with human eyes.

[daveallen10 35]

The tracers are way too long in both game _and_ video footage of real life tracers.

Videos do not actually show tracers in the same way as they are seen with human eyes.

This is true--the human eye can see at about about 28 fps. Most videos from before 2008 were shot with lower-speed video recorders, giving the illusion of the "streak". New cameras are much better because they shoot at a higher speed.

Anyways, I am fine with a little of the "line" because it is a video game and it helps friends and foes to determine the direction bullets are traveling. But it needs to be toned down for sure.

here's a higher speed footage of tracers.

[sqb-sma 66]

This is true--the human eye can see at about about 28 fps. Most videos from before 2008 were shot with lower-speed video recorders, giving the illusion of the "streak". New cameras are much better because they shoot at a higher speed.

Anyways, I am fine with a little of the "line" because it is a video game and it helps friends and foes to determine the direction bullets are traveling. But it needs to be toned down for sure.

here's a higher speed footage of tracers.

In reality I see a streak when sitting next to someone firing tracers, it does depend on the angle and the proximity (best surmised by the angular velocity), it's just another element of motion blurring which does happen in real life (look at the road next time you're in your car). Last time we went out shooting I brought my laptop with me and attempted to recreate the blur length. Anyway, long story short I found the "frame time" for the human eye looking at a high contrast scene at night was between 220 and 400 frames per second. To put this in perspective the shortest frame time from which the human brain gathers useable information is 1/220 of a second, which corresponds to my minimum. I do think that in desirable circumstances the eye can determine differences of motion far higher than this (according to my horrifically error ridden experiment, maxing out at 400 "frames" per second at night). I'm not sure if it's different during the day time, as I can't recreate it with tracers.

[Tonci87 163]

The ACE 2 Tracer mod did it right, enable ACE_BALLTRACERS in your userconfig

[daveallen10 35]

In reality I see a streak when sitting next to someone firing tracers, it does depend on the angle and the proximity (best surmised by the angular velocity), it's just another element of motion blurring which does happen in real life (look at the road next time you're in your car). Last time we went out shooting I brought my laptop with me and attempted to recreate the blur length. Anyway, long story short I found the "frame time" for the human eye looking at a high contrast scene at night was between 220 and 400 frames per second. To put this in perspective the shortest frame time from which the human brain gathers useable information is 1/220 of a second, which corresponds to my minimum. I do think that in desirable circumstances the eye can determine differences of motion far higher than this (according to my horrifically error ridden experiment, maxing out at 400 "frames" per second at night). I'm not sure if it's different during the day time, as I can't recreate it with tracers.

I didn't realize it was so high. But I am aware that a lot of that visual information gets mushed together giving the illusion of a lower "visual framerate"