Note, not an actual suggestion (yet) just pitching my idea here to get feedback on it!
Hi! I’ve been working on an idea today, and I want some feedback on the prototype UI that I have created to demonstrate the idea. I’ve stripped the UI all unnecessary elements to draw attention to what’s being presented. Values given don’t represent in-game ones either.
My idea lies in the fact of adding a flight model viewer/previewer to the War Thunder hangar. Currently, I feel there is an annoying lack of hard information regarding the implementation of aircraft in the game, so, I feel it would be only natural to suggest the addition of a feature like this. However, it’s also something I feel should be done a certain way. So here is my draft/prototype images (so far) regarding the implementation of the feature.
The way to access this new feature would be from the right click menu where we can currently find secondary weapons, customization, crew & other such interfaces.
Once a player clicks this button, they will be greeted with a bunch of new interfaces. (Ignore background, it’s a placeholder for now)
On the left side of the screen, where the info card for the vehicle was, a more advanced stat card will show up detailing much more than the original one. Values highlighted in green, much like currently, are based on ideal conditions, and change with weapon loadouts. Most of these stats are rather self explanatory.
Going from a rather basic overview of flight characteristics to maneuverability, which details different turn rates at different speeds. You will also notice the inclusion of a “energy retention” and “super-maneuverable” stat, these are there to provide players an easy, at a glance view of what the aircraft is capable of. A final list contains the various limitations of the given aircraft.
Improved Info Card
Those more keen-eyed may notice the inclusion of a new button at the bottom, in the place of where armor protection stood.
The inclusion of this button is something I have not yet fully thought out, nor prototyped to any extent. But the shortened form of my core idea for it now, is that it would serve as a tool similar to the armor examiner; but regarding the flight model of the aircraft. Giving the player the ability to examine the different flight surfaces of the plane in 3D and see their relative values.
Moving on to the right side of the screen.
You will notice arguably the biggest proposed feature so far. Three different tools, with the aim of giving players the ability to analyze the flight model’s characteristics in detail. Covering them in descending order:
This tool is designed in mind to give players an easy way to see the effect of drag and lift on their aircraft. A slider is given to set the airspeed. Capping at the maximum TAS airspeed. A proposal of mine is the addition of a wheel, to define a AoA range. (Ignore the button for it, I forgot to remove it!) The player is able to rotate the two notches on the wheel to define the AoA range. The larger one being the starting point, and the smaller one how far it goes.
Once the given values are given, the player will be given a ratio. They can also open a graph which will detail information in a more detailed sense. Providing information about Lift Coefficient, Drag Coefficient and the effect of airspeed on it. A save button is available, so the player can simply save the graph as a image onto their computer for ease of showing said info elsewhere (be it a bug report or not)
Perhaps one of the more important ones. Giving players the ability to assess turn rate at given speeds. Currently, it assumes that thrust is at 110% but I think I might add in a thrust slider, later. Much like with the drag, there is a wheel where one can select their turn angle. The information will automatically update.
It displays the turn rate, and how much speed is lost during the turn; and by proxy turn rate by the end of the turn. It also displays the turn time in seconds, along with a estimated radius of the turn.
As is with the above, players can choose to open a graph to see more detailed information regarding the turn they wish to take. And can also save it to their computer for other uses.
And finally, engine performance. Here a player can select the amount of amount of throttle they are inputting, along with what altitude their aircraft sits at.
The game then calculates automatically, displaying the raw thrust present in the engines at said altitude. It also shows the effective thrust, because of how air density effects this. This would naturally be quite useful for figuring out how you could maybe conserve fuel at different altitudes, along with just giving you info on how your plane fares at different altitudes.
I also chose to add a “distance covered” indicator, for an ease to digest way to figure out how fast you are going.
Naturally, if you click on the graph button it would open a graph regarding thrust and give the player more information on their engine(s) and how they effect the given aircraft. Saving is still an option, for utility purposes.
Outside of that, I do not have anything else to show yet. I hope that this idea resonates with some people, and if you have any suggestions then let me know. I feel this is a feature that has been missing for a while, so I took it upon myself to get to work on suggesting it’s addition – but it’s also smart to touch in with the wider community as well, before I go and make my official suggestion post.
I won’t leave a poll here, so simply comment what you think of the idea. If you think I should change something then let me know. I hope my demonstrative UI is decent enough to pass as being somewhat legitimate.