Realistic optics

[afp]

I always knew that in ArmA the optics are overpowered (as I also watched a lot through real optics) but I've been always too lazy to measure and analize this. This happened up to today when I've found a picture taken through a real ACOG so I measured the distances in pixels and compare the overall view to Arma's. I can understand that everything is related to the normal ArmA zoom to compensate the field of view and bring it closer to real eye accuracy, still there is enough room to improvement to make it more realistic.

So lets see. With a real 4x magnification, the height of the object appear, as it is normal, 4 times bigger than the original. What should be noted here is how accurate the object is seen through the optics. The building is like 350-400m away, you can figure out the size of standing man and realize there can be enough troubles aquiring the target even being proned.

(click picture)

At a similar distance (maybe even longer), in ArmA, the normal zoom is added to the 4x optics so the objects appears more than 8x higher. You can see that aquiring a target the size of a man is much easier, the optics behave more like a powerfull binocular than an ACOG. The effect is even more visible with 8x optics.

(click picture)

Conclusion: in order to balance the optics and make them more realistic, the optics should be downgraded to a lower magnification. If they are higher then normal zoom (like looking through an aimpoint), they are still realistic, aquiring a target at 4-500m with an ACOG shouldn't be just a piece of cake.

[Max Power]

One thing to take into account is that 1x zoom is not the default field of view in first person, but the zoomed in field of view. The default field of view is actually zoomed out a bit to get a wider view area.

[afp]

Yes, I could figure out this, plus everything is adjusted so its a fine balance between field of view, zoom, distances etc since a real mountain doesnt have 300m. Still, looking through an ACOG looks more like looking through a telescope...
This guy made a more realistic ACOG but the usage may not be very handy: http://youtu.be/CZ2pphUfhZc?t=32s . Lowering current magnification could be a fast solution.

[MavericK96]

This guy made a more realistic ACOG but the usage may not be very handy: http://youtu.be/CZ2pphUfhZc?t=32s

I've used that mod (with the 3D ACOG). Those are REALLY awesome in-game. It also seems like it makes it less laggy to zoom in, since you are getting a fast, but still sequential zoom rather than just an instant cut to full zoom.

[NkEnNy]

A rather interesting observation. I seem to recall that such suggestions have been shot down in the past, due to the vast difference in monitors and screen resolutions used by players. Without me being completely able to wrap my head around the problem that is.

From a gameplay point of view, lowering magnification will shorten effective engagement ranges, which normally leads to better gameplay. Indeed it appears to be a common tweak on all serious PvP scenarios to limit access to optics.

-k

[Beagle]

That's not the way the zoom optical designation works. You did fall to a common missinformation. A 4x Scope does not make the objekt 4x "bigger" but to appear 4x closer. magification factors for object magnification instead of zoom factor are used in microscopic optics only, not in Telescopic optics.

the distiction is beetween geometric magnification (microscopes)) and optical magnification (telecopes)

[da12thMonkey]

As Max said, the the default view for first person isn't meant to represent a 1x zoom, it's designed to give a more realistic FOV in terms of the angle that human eyes see (though IIRC it's still only 90° instead of the full 120° of Human FOV), but scaled to fit within the limits of a PC monitor. The 'zoomed in' first person view gives a more realistic impression of 1× zoom eyesight in terms of depth - though the monitor now limits the FOV significantly, because you can't fit a image representative of true unity vision on a monitor, with a realistic FOV. The limits imposed by your monitor are like looking through a small window in a wall out onto a distant landscape - you can only see a portion of what you'd see if there was no wall. Another limiting factor is image resolution - your monitor can't display distant objects in anywhere near as much detail as your eyes can.

So, likewise, optics are generally scaled to create realistic FOVs rather than relative zoom levels compared to other in-game views: ArmA maximises image detail though sight by making the circular sight picture extends through the full height of the monitor's image (the primary purpose of magnified optics is after all, target identification). The FOV (in terms of the angle that you can see through the optics) and relative size of distant objects compared to the reticle and aiming points, is then configured so that it is realistic for a given real-world optic.

Imagining the default ArmA view as being at 1× unity, while maintaining it's more natural 90° FOV; this is roughly comparative of how an ACOG's 7° FOV would look with 4× magnification of the background:


^click to expand^

Now it isn't too bad; but masses of space is wasted that could otherwise be used to give a much more detailed image of the sight picture that would be more representative of the clarity of the image you would get looking through a real optic and make it as easy to observe the graticule markings of the scope, as it is in real life.

[afp]

Monkey, I'm not talking about FOV, I agree with you at this point but about magnification. You made an ArmA "4x" magnification in your pic which looks far more realistic for an ACOG. Just what I'm trying to prove.
EDIT: Beagle, still in terms of gaming and projection of the image on the screen we could talk about the object being about 4 times "bigger".

[metalcraze]

Hold RMB while not using optics, make a screenshot then compare. You will get your realistic 4x zoom.
Default ArmA view is zoomed out to simulate peripheral vision. Holding RMB is how you would really see the world - but alas it isn't playable that much while looking at the world through a small window that's a monitor.

[da12thMonkey]

Monkey, I'm not talking about FOV, I agree with you at this point but about magnification. You made an ArmA "4x" magnification in your pic which looks far more realistic for an ACOG. Just what I'm trying to prove.
EDIT: Beagle, still in terms of gaming and projection of the image on the screen we could talk about the object being about 4 times "bigger".

Yes, but if you don't scale down the size of the sight picture overlay accordingly, to match a simple 4x magnification of the default view; the scope becomes useless in-game because the aiming marks on the various crosshairs/reticles relates to sizes that are currently supposed to be 'magnified' more than 4x compared to the default view (8.5x according to you).

For example with the mil-dot scopes you could no longer use the mil-dot formulae to estimate range to target, because the spacing of dots would no longer equal 1m @ 1000m in the sight picture, and the width of the stadia lines on the ACOG's BDC graticule would no longer relate to the shoulder-width of a man-sized target at the marked ranges on the graticule, nor would the lines properly follow ballistic drop for those ranges - unless you adjust the scale of the sight overlay as well.

As I showed, scaling the sight overlay for the ACOG correctly for a simple 4x magnification of the default view makes it really difficult to see the BDC stadia lines because of monitor resolution - the solution therefore is what BIS have done; and just increase the resolution of the overall image when in the sights view, beyond what it would be by simple magnifying the default view.