Greetings all! I am a new member of the IF community and have only a few flights in my history. My problem is with the HUD (especially the bottom bar where selected information can be displayed.
During daytime it is almost impossible to see the text displayed on the bottom bar)
It would be nice if the transparency of this bar can be set according to the flight environment.
I know there was a topic about this but closed years ago.
You are 100% correct ! The HUD in IF ( I have generated a few posts on the topic before) is deficient, and needs a review for upgrade and enhancement. It is hard to see in some conditions particularly the horizon bar.
There are no degree references on the bars also
The AP mode and input values are not displayed.
Its another original or older game feature that is needed no doubt, but is old now and I hope upgraded. It just barely resembles real HUDS in commercial or military use.
Anything I have mentioned about it always falls on deft ears.
so use the toy and insufficient HUD forever !
I use it as little as I can but would use it more in cockpit mode if it ever develops
Totally agreed to other HUD issues you raised as well. I don’t think it would take too much effort to implement HUD improvement changes in the code. It should treated as a quality of life improvement.
I agree your statement is sometimes true when the background colors are bright:
but in such case I just move to cockpit view for a darker background for the bottom data text to be clear.
I think I understand @phoenix74’s comments to some extent. But to be honest I also have some trepidation about the risk of “regression to the norm” as far as moving to be all things to all people on all devices. If I recall correctly, the developers have shown sensitivity to the issue of treating small mobile devices with the respect they deserve: you can’t truly be a fully functional cockpit representation on a small screen. You have to respect the limitations of the medium in which you produce the art. There are competitive simulator implementations which try to include all bells and whistles. And my feeling is, while that is one philosophy, it can also be a slippery slope towards sameness, towards lack of meaningful, value added, differentiation.
I say this as a person who likes to create, and as a former engineer and pilot, and former flight simulator developer.
The developers have to balance the sim to reach many user types. Thats a fact of life.
Its important to deliver an enjoyable experience to users with different device specifications.
People do pay for the IF experience .
But this has been a challenge and paradox since flight sims were born. MSFS 2020 was mentioned in social media do to its anniversary. There is a product/service that arguably now sets the performance and features bar very high. That unfortunately comes with a price transfered to the users. To play you pay.
The user demographic for IF is I’m sure fits a different income, age group. But none the less the repeated cries for more and more features and graphics by the IFC can’t come always for free.
Device performance will need to ramp up and they cost more for one thing.
So your points are well articulated. IF can’t be all things on all devices to all people. But for it to advance even in small increments, there will be sacrifices that have to be made. It can’t stall or go backwards. Its up to us to keep up. The developers/designers work hard to deliver a more immersive and realistic experience. We want that ! We bug them everyday for that, but then expect to keep up with them with some user minimal requirements. Its already documented a minimum of 2 gigs of usable RAM is required. That was not the case 3 or 4 years ago.
Now as for the HUD… back to the HUD lol, I hope it shouldn’t destroy the game in any way to enhance its capabilities.
So maybe in time like other features of IF it will be scrutinized seriously to see if it too could be enhanced.
Fingers crossed !
I admit I have a bias that less is often more. Definitely not always, but often narrowing focus helps with the quality vs quantity tightrope. This is often the competitive advantage that small companies are able to muster against larger better resourced competitors.
Sorry for the ambiguity, but that’s the best I can explain at the moment (maybe I need to think about it more).
My object of discussion is just simply to tweek the HUD. Its visibility questioned is in concert with that I think. Thats why I brought it up again. Many users use it exclusively. So its a key feature of IF.
The discussion of IF “overall” was addressed here also. No problem with that.
The “more is less” philosophy usually isn’t applied to Virtual gaming. IF like its competitors and bigger siblings in computer gaming are always striving for more user immersion more features. The model there is if you are standing still you will die,is it not ?
The IFC, the users , are continuously , daily actually asking for more features and realism from the sim.
More liveries, more airframes, more clouds, more weather, more lighting features, more airports, more sounds and ground texture , just to name a few. So more is better and incrementally required to stay relevant in the user base.
Thats how it appears to me. To intentionally hold back the sim will almost quarantee a mediocre product. If "it ain’t growin it ain’t goin "
Its on us I think , since we want and expect to some degree so much out of IF , on us to keep up with it then, and do our part to help it be all it can be.
My personal wish for IF is it becomes the Gold Standard and Icon that MSFS is for computer based flight simming. I hope it can deliver an experience that is unique and sets the bar for other mobile device flight sims to reach. It has competition but they already seam to fail where IF continues to shine. They are obviously trying to add features to stay in the game. Project Metal may move IF into even more graphic complexity and immersive features ! If IF is not there already, I hope to see the day when its asked “what is the best and realistic mobile device Flight Sim ?” there is only one answer, without debate… “INFINITE FLIGHT” .
Don’t forget the HUD lol
I think what you are saying is a niche or small operation can deliver a higher quality product do to more focus, and less complexity of larger operations.
Thats true for thousands of products…hand made vs. mass production for example. Micro brands vs.
large corporations.
I not sure this philosophy, applies to IF ?
Even though IF is based around just a handful of principle people, that should not ultimately force them to hold back the best product they can continuesly strive for.
I posted why I think more is better in this case if not even necessary. Im not in the hi tech field
but is it not true that pushing the envelope, breaking through boundaries, risk taking is part of that world ? Slow meticulous almost retro grade thinking is for hand made wooden furniture made to single customer specs, by a single craftsman.
Maybe I’m wrong ?.
IF is not art, furniture or a custom car, its a application in the genre of high tech, competitive virtual gaming. Every six months our devices become the last or older version. Its easy for IF to become the same…"That older, hasn’t gotten any better " Sim/game if dosen’t move forward.
Yes with thoughtful balance to make it accessible.
But not so much to dilute it.
I really like the way IF filters and incorporates community feature requests. I’ve been delighted with the ongoing updates. Thrilled in a number of cases where I thought “wow, speaking to the pilot, engineer and aspiring artist in me.”
I have faith they won’t disappoint on the HUD. Whatever that entails.
No, what I mean is larger enterprises have a natural competitive advantage of economies of scale.
But yes, smaller enterprises penetrate this with innovative niche focus. Though both large and small may be producing quality products.
I agree. And it appears they are not holding back.
Of course there is a system for features requests. So we can all make our wishes known. As for slow and meticulous. That is software development.
I would disagree. In fact I would argue that the most highly productive output in technology and science comes from the artist’s mind. Einstein was an innovator. He was an artist. The ability to see what hadn’t been seen before. Steve Jobs etc.
Well my point is to make some “SMALL” changes to the IF HUD. Visibility in bright light was brought up.
I think it just adds to my thoughts.
I don’t suggest we re-invent the wheel here.
I a little confused how Business Economics as general subject has anything to do with making any change in IF ? Does the addition of 2 updated or re-mastered aircraft coming soon effect the large scale business models ?
What are you trying to get to.
Any commercial virtual reality game needs to move forward if it is to last a long time and stay fresh.
But this subject is way out in space and has nothing to do anymore with the HUD ?
Maybe I’m missing a huge point ?
It appears you enjoy a healthy debate about the broader subject of software development , best practices, business strategies . I commented on my opinion , just my experience alone.
So for now I see no reason to use IFC as a platform for this subject beyond the time already spent.
Yes we have a feature category and I have used it before in fact today.
I was not the author of the HUD visibility concern
I just mentioned it fit in with other ideas about it
No more no less.
thanks for sharing your thoughts though !!!
Yes I know that that creative thinking is necessary to develop new technologies and improve the ones we have. Of course. When I said IF is not art , I mean its a application/service using tools that are not conceptual and still unproven but available to designers now. IF features have nothing do to with a visionary mind like Jobs or perhaps the greatest genius in modern history , Einstein. Yes some software project take years to complete.
So what does any of this have to do with the HUD feature in a flight sim app ? Or 3D airports maybe ?
lol.
thanks…
I won’t be answering this question out of respect for this being the forum of a private business (company) rather than a forum for unlimited free speech. I believe there is good reason for that distinction. I have nothing further to add.
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