- Yes
- No
With the advent of new SPGs and howitzers added to the game with each passing update, I believe that using them in their “intended” role could be greatly supplemented by the addition of a gun elevation indicator.
The basic principle of this is that on either the right side or left side of the gunner’s sight, there will be an indicator of sorts to inform the player of the current elevation of their main armament (or whatever weapon is selected). Currently, the only way this is demonstrated in-game is by setting the mouse wheel to “Sight Distance Control” (SDC) in the controls menu. This, however, only gives the player a general idea of where their shell will impact, and does not give any information on gun elevation.
The addition of this would allow the player to calculate shots much more accurately than by pure guessing or relying on rangefinders, and can benefit any tank whether or not they have a rangefinder module. Below are a few examples of how this can be implemented:
- Absolute Gun Elevation Indicator
This is probably the simplest of the forms involving a scale that can be implemented. The side shows the elevation limits at all times, and has an arrow (or some other indicator) to inform the player of their current gun elevation. In this version, the scale itself remains fixed, while the arrow will move depending on the gun’s elevation.
Demonstration of No. 1
- Relative Gun Elevation Indicator
This one solves an issue with the first example that would be present with tanks that have a high elevation rage: clutter. In this version, the scale is compacted and moves relative with the player’s view, and the indication arrow remains stationary. Also in this example is an “extended range” that shows the player more elevation angles that their weapon cannot elevate to, seen in red.
Demonstration of No. 2
- Absolute Gun and Camera Elevation Indicator
The basics of this one are exactly the same as the first example, however this one has two indicators that show both the angle of the player’s sight/camera (labeled “S”) and the angle of the player’s weapon as set by the SDC (labeled G). (Note how the weapon’s indicator stops at 0°. This is due to the fact that the player cannot use SDC to depress their armament below 0 m impact range.)
Demonstration of No. 3
- GUI Elevation Indicator
If screen clutter is something that the player wants to avoid at all costs, the absolute simplest form in which this can be added is an elevation indicator that can be added to the player’s GUI. The example here has in the bottom left section of the GUI.
Demonstration of No. 4
Of course, there are certainly other ways that this can be improved/refined beyond what I have here. These are only proof-of-concepts that show the basics of what can be done.
