Incoming tracer fire cannot be seen, why?

[rstratton 0]

this just posted on liveleak http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=685_1276890986 shows incoming and outgoing tracers

[Dead3yez 0]

We´ve noticed this issue during paintball mod development, it sucks not to see the balls flying towards you :(

A config value representing the angles from which tracers can be seen would be nice, but we´ve had that topic before.

icanhaztracer = 360; //fully visible 
icanhaztracer = 240; //stock ArmA 2 

There is a workaround for this if you create a proxy within the tracer model. Depending on which way you place the proxy then it will become slightly invisible from the side.

This way the tracer can only sometimes not be seen, since - from the side - the tracer is moving perpendicular then it soon travels out of the 'blind spot'.

[RogueBlade 0]

Incoming tracers:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=685_1276890986

[birddog 0]

There is a workaround for this if you create a proxy within the tracer model. Depending on which way you place the proxy then it will become slightly invisible from the side.

This way the tracer can only sometimes not be seen, since - from the side - the tracer is moving perpendicular then it soon travels out of the 'blind spot'.

do you have a file that can do this? hehe i have no idea what you just said :(

[jakerod 254]

An answer to the question of bug or feature:

Did you know... ...incoming tracer rounds cannot be spotted, as the glowing phosphorus load is fitted to the rear of the bullet.

Operation Arrowhead Manual, page 10

[maturin 12]

An answer to the question of bug or feature:

Operation Arrowhead Manual, page 10

That video Rogueblade posted disagrees with them, and it wasn't the nightvision camera this time. It's a question of twenty or thirty degrees here. If tracers can be seen from the side, obviously they can be seen (less-brightly) from certain oblique angles.

[AnimalMother92 10]

That's some weaksauce right there. I was hoping this would get added :(

[Baron von Beer 0]

Yep. The bullet doesn't create a light swallowing black hole in the front.

I guess in Real Virtuality world it's safe to smoke at night too, as long as you hold your ciggie so the tip faces away from the sniper lurking in the dark. ;)

[Big Dawg KS 6]

I'm sure if you can provide enough compelling evidence to BIS (I'd aim for Suma), I'm sure they will consider changing it... IF they decide it's worth it.

[maturin 12]

Edit: I just made a very interesting discovery. The primary thing that determines whether or not you can see a tracer is not the angle of the shot but the angle of the screen.

To reproduce, place a grounded UH-1y (or any other weapon platform with a high ROF and ammo supply). Place yourself, an enemy soldier with allowdamage false, 200 m in front of its gun. Then place another man, set to playable, 100m to the side. Set this up right and the vertex inbetween the shots fired and the second soldier's line of sight to chopper will be 22.5 degrees.

Start the game and fire on the chopper until its minigun lights you up. Then switch to the other man and watch the show.

If you look at the chopper as it fires, an angle of 22.5 degrees, all tracers are invisible.

Now look at your comrade so the chopper occupies the farthest corner of your screen. Now all the tracers are all visible immediately. They lead from the muzzle, through your hapless comrade, to disappear in the distance.

Now switch back to the targeted man, your original player. All incoming tracers are invisible, as it should be. But if you rotate your head to the side so the helicopter is in the corner of your screen, you will be able to see the tracers that fall short and ricochet above your head.

This also works if you watch through the eyes of a man 300m behind the targeted soldier. You will be able to see nothing if you look at the helicopter, but a plethora of ricochets and wide misses are visible with the camera offset.

The glitch is in the camera! If we could see dead-on what our virtual peripheral vision allows us to see, tracers would seem much more immersive and realistic. The angles I saw them at seemed to corroborate both the posted videos and the field manuals. You cannot see a tracer that has your name on it, but they do indeed work both ways. If someone is shooting wide or bouncing rounds off objects, you will see snatches of their fire, and it is damn scary.

Everyone go check this out and put it on the bugtracker.

Edited June 26, 2010 by maturin

[Ish 11]

Quote from the arrowhead manual ""... incoming tracer rounds cannot be spotted, as the glowing phosphorus load is fitted to the rear of the bullets"

[Muzzleflash 111]

Anyone know why outgoing tracers can't be seen in AO?

I lie next to buddy with machinegun. Fire tracers at distance far away. I can see tracers, he cannot.

I'm gunner in Apache I engage far target to front, left. Pilot cannot see tracers.

In both cases I can see tracers but no one else.

They fixed car horn in MP but decided to remove tracers :S ?

[ActionMan 10]

RTFM

The game manual explains that the burning tracer material is placed at the rear of the bullet so the person you're shooting at can't see it.

[Placebo 29]

That's not what he's talking about, if you RHFP you'll see he's talking about tracers in MP not being seen by someone right next to him.

[MirindoR 10]

The tracer in that Video can be seen from the camera because they don´t really fly towards it. He isn´t aiming at the camera (doesn´t want to break it), but more to the left. Thats why you can see them. You have no chance to see a Tracer Bullet flying towards you. The British Pilots in WW2 had a saying about that. "Its all ok as long as you can see the Bullets flying towards you"

assuming that is true, that is irrelevant.

the point here is that the tracers in arma are completely invisible if seen within 90 to 270 degrees from the bore sight, which is quite different.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Okay, I have to ask... What does RHFP mean anyways? :p All I can think of is Read Hole (ehh, whole?) Fucking Post (ehh, Thread?), but...

[bascule42 10]

I thought Read His Fucking Post...never seen it before.

[Windexglow 10]

Red Haired Foxy Pal.

Gosh, don't you guys know anything?

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Oh, ok, that actually makes sense :)

[Muzzleflash 111]

Well they fixed outgoing tracers in beta patch some time ago :D.