Arma Textures: Trail Decal Poll

[sinewav]

Does anyone have an opinion on the trail decal (lighting bolt) in Arma? Do you find them necessary, useful, or distracting? (I actually think they are helpful.) While we are talking about trail graphics, let's hear some opinions on transparent trails. Related: I have been working on a new bike skin this weekend and it looks really sharp. Probably the best one I've made. definitely the most detailed and complicated.

[Light]

I've played around with it in the past, making glassy trails and trying different styles for the decals. I've always went back to defaults. The trails having transparency makes gameplay more difficult for me when they all get closer together. It's very apparent in DF, and probably worse in modes like HR that require very little space. I just have trouble seeing small paths when it blends together.

Maybe if there was special care taken of the edges, such as a dark fade or something on the edge to help separate it, it wouldn't be as bad, but it wasn't ever anything I wanted bad enough to put effort into. For modes like sumo or fort I think it makes it look so much better and doesn't (for me) hurt the gameplay at all.

If this is talk for a future default theme, I would put a vote in for a moviepack choice option. I think Ww had the client that did this in the past? Have some good defaults in there, like the original, the legacy pack, and some others. That way people could switch around and have an option as to what they like, along with promoting the idea that everything is able to be modified and anyone can make them.

In themes, my biggest issue in testing them in the past was when people didn't use the proper side for the bike (or whatever they made it). I dislike going through a wall a bit before hitting it. Just a note to watch for, as that makes it feel unusable.

[Word]

I always thought being able to switch between transparent and normal trails makes gameplay easier, especially in incam mode, but I'm too lazy to change that whenever I reinstall the game.

[sinewav]

In themes, my biggest issue in testing them in the past was when people didn't use the proper [size] for the bike (or whatever they made it). I dislike going through a wall a bit before hitting it.

I'm pretty sure no one is working toward a new cycle model, so we will still have the current one in 0.4x. I agree that models should not dig into the wall. The current one does that slightly. Pike's donut does it even less.

I tend to go back and forth between liking transparency and having it off. I have yet to design a trail that has a good mix, but I'm still working on it.

[vov]

For me it usually doesn't matter too much with my extreme camera settings, but it's definitely a nice feature.
Here's what I use, some kind of banana shape. Looks pretty neat to me, maybe it gives some ideas. Not sure where I got it from, maybe made it myself even.

dir_wall.png

(2.18 KiB) Not downloaded yet

[Lucifer]

I like the trail decals because they provide a measurement for the wall, from which speed can be deduced visually when you're between two walls. Don't much care what they are, as long as they're not distracting.

As for alpha, I find 75-80% opacity to be optimum. Transparent enough to spot cycle on the other side of the wall, but opaque enough that you can see the wall clearly.

[Phytotron]

I think the lightning bolt was a terrible choice, opposed it from the start. Just doesn't fit the aesthetic whatsoever. Stupid metalheads. >:P

I've always supported a basic trail with a directional arrow on it. Simple, clean, helpful without being distracting. I in fact have created probably a couple dozen variations on that theme. I can probably upload them. I may just dump all my textures on here at some point. None of this is impending, is it? Once 16.04 ships I'm gonna install that and finally transfer all my old Mac stuff onto this PC, but don't want to take the time with it 'til then.

As for transparency, it should be like it used to be: Lightly translucent so that the alpha-blending effect can be seen when enabled, but alph-blending shouldn't be required to see whatever image/pattern may be on the texture. If you follow my meaning.

[Ratchet]

I'm sure you've gotten what you were looking for out of this thread, but:

I have hardly ever even noticed the lightning bolts. I never really look at the trails that closely. The only time it throws me off is when they are weird and transparent (like Origins). I haven't actually experimented with other trail textures to see if I would notice.

[Your_mom]

The trail decal is awesome. Whoever made it must be a terrific person with excellent taste!

[kyle]

I don't think there is much usefulness or helpfulness to it, But I like it but it could be changed, not sure if a change could make it more useful or not.

[Monkey]

Hang on...you mean you people actually have enough FPS to enable trail decal?!

I should be so lucky...