Gfx visibility

[Laevus]

I havn't seen this mentioned.
I seem to be able to see the weapon gfx outside my visibilty(field of vision), doesn't happen always though seen it with torpedo frig and flak frig...

Seems like a bug to me...
It would mean I could get an advantage in a MP match :\

[Mr-e-Man]

You mean you can see beyond the view radius limitations of HW?

That would make sense considering there is no view radius limitation in HW2...

play the second SP mission and you'll see what I mean.

[Laevus]

What I'm trying to say is that in a multiplayer game even though I can't see the ships I can(sometimes) see their weapons fire like torpedoes and flack clouds...

I can understand if I could see the MS/carriers blowing up since that is such an big and well light event :D but seing the individual weapons makes no sence might even give me an advantage...

[Laevus]

So is this a feature then?
Doesn't seem so to me since it kinda destroys the whole point of scouts and Fog o War.
Or is it something specific to the Demo? :wtf:

Let me explain more detailed...
Imagine 3ppl playing an MP-game, no teams.(I'm one of them)
At no time can I see the others ship unless they enter the proximity of my own ships.
Now player1 launches an attack at player2 (My fleet is still at my momship).
As player2 is being attacked I can see the weapons fire from the frigates(at no point my ship are even close to this event) although I can't see anything else of the battle.
Now to me it seems one could use this to ones advantage (exploit) for example I now know that both player1 and 2 has suffered losses...

I apologise if I'm being stupid and not realizing something here but this does seem wrong to me and I'm going to continue to think so should not anyone convince me otherwise(to bad for me huh).
:bump:

[Laevus]

Well I'm not giving up on this.
Here's a screen on it, hard to tell by it I know but trust me I have no ships even close to that location...(and even then the ships would be visible)

http://w1.532.telia.com/~u53207009/bug.jpg
After reading ubers post below I want to clearify...that black cloud is flak-frigate fire that originate from a CPU that was attacking my friends fleet...(in a multplayer game btw) he specifically told me that they where there and he was clearly suprised that I could tell him how many torpedoes that was on approach to his ship...:wtf:

[ÜberJumper]

In the SP game, there are situations in which gunfire and explosions can be seen in the distance (well outside the boundries of the map). Watch M02 for the background flashes.

I think this is at least partially by design...

[Laevus]

I think this is at least partially by design...
Even in Multiplayer? but that makes no sence to me...I cant see the ships then how could I see their weapons firing...
Ah well if that all there is to it then I'm giving up lets call it a feature then...*walks away*

[Laevus]

I'm having another go at this...
http://w1.532.telia.com/~u53207009/bug2.jpg
http://w1.532.telia.com/~u53207009/bug3.jpg
Notice that my scout is all over the other side of the map...

Now most ppl I've talked to says they can't see this when they play hence I would call it a bug, no?

[ÜberJumper]

I can see those kinds of things.

Perhaps you're just more observant than others?

[Laevus]

Hmm, the guy I played against seemed to see nothing of the like...
I guess It might be a thing with some setups then :\
Would be interesting to find out what(if it's a bug at all) it is that cause it...
Or if its a limitation with the engine as one could think.

I guess the engine handles Fog of War by excluding the hidden ships from the "rendering buffer" thus effects is never checked for it...:\
Still am I so much more observant?

[F176]

This is maybe a 44.71 driver specific problem.
I experienced with that driver.(FX5600)
Try the 44.03 driver.
45.23 has problem related performance.

[Uranium - 235]

I'm no game designer, but I'm sure this is traced to the engine for purposes of visibility. I've seen this in other games as well. Simply put, the engine has a 'visible limit' for things such as heightfields, staticshapes, images, and objects. However, projectiles and weapons (Entities, you might say) are, by design flaw possibly, exempt from this visibility restriction.

An example: Total Annihilation. You'd see explosions occuring in the Fog Of War-obscured areas.