User sight overhaul Part 1: API for dynamic elements

Suggestions Misc
1
Would you like to see this in-game?
  • Yes
  • No
0 voters
Would like to see this represented in WW2 vehicles or modern ones?
  • WW2
  • Modern
  • Both
  • I said no!
0 voters

First of all:

  • I don’t have experience in creating user sights, so feel free to correct me if I get something wrong

  • I do not have many resources on what historical tank sights look like

  • I am not suggesting adding certain features that would lead to a gameplay changing feature

This post will focus on an API to dynamically update elements in the usersight. Dynamically updated elements would report the state of your vehicle and update it in real time.

Examples of sights

Spoiler

From warthunder.live

WT Live // Sight by Rastmust 2s38 sight
image

WT Live // Sight by SpartanulPH
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WT Live // Sight by shangxiang Puma sight
image

Dynamically updated elements

for the first category, elements that can be updated, War Thunder could provide an API so user sight creators can integrate that into their sights. Simple examples of this would be elements such as:

  • Speed (reports the speed of the vehicle)
  • Is x ready to fire (this can apply to cannons, smoke, and coax)
  • Zoom levels (a number that can change whether you are in 4x zoom, or 12x zoom)
  • Vision (could update one line or just highlight the current one among several lines)
  • Stabilizer (reports on whether the stabilizer is on or off, why is there even a key bind for this)

More complex examples would be elements such as:

  • A custom compass (although a default one already does exist)
  • A scale showing the current relative elevation/depression of the vehicle (for example, the puma sight)

One thing to note, however, is that quite a few historical tank sights don’t have or need these features, such as German tank sights, provided by this list of sights, War Thunder Historical Sights

as well as the source it links Gunsights - tanks, tank destroyers etc. - Google Spreadsheets

14 Likes
2

I 100% support this, please Gaijin!

Also, thank you for using my 2S38 sight, I appreciate it a lot. For the document, a new improved one can be found here with a bunch more sights.

2 Likes
3

Part 2 was going to be about lines and text that wouldn’t change based on certain “anchor points” but a smarter and less complex way seems to just be having a user sight for both zoom levels like rastmust’s suggestion. Issues may arise from a sight that’s intended to have a variable zoom using the scroll wheel

Spoiler

also, part 2 was denied because it was deemed too similar even though they denied this at first until the two were separated lmao

4 Likes
4

IMHO it should be introduced together with Multiple sights for one vehicle - #5 by Dahggg
And preferably to all types of vehicles (Air, Ground, Naval).

2 Likes
5

You know that most of these are already available in the UI right?

1 Like
6

Yes, a good portion of the examples are things present on the ui, but the point of this is to make the usersight feel more immersive. If I choose to use a usersight filled with more details that would also slightly impede my vision, then I want that usersight to react to what i do. I do not want a fixed speed value that doesn’t do anything, I do not want a fixed vertical targeting scale that does nothing but clutter my screen.
If gaijin wanted to go off the deep end, they could add the irst autotracker mechanic already present on helis to select tanks which would benefit greater from this. The same heli hud for everything gets boring after a while.

3 Likes
7

Thing is thought that not even most modern tank gunner’s sights have all that stuff. And vintage? Fugiddaboutit. Otherwise you might as well play WOT, which has that abstracted, ahistorical unrealistic sighting and interface. The main reason I don’t bother with it.
WT is supposed to be realistic. The information presented in the UI is necessary, but the “user sights” are literally what you are supposed to, and would see, if you were actually in a tank, with your head down looking thru the optics. Adding UI stuff to it, takes away from that.
Such an API also presents yet another hook that hackers could exploit to build cheats.

1 Like
8

Most modern gunner sights don’t have it because they all use some basic lead adjustment at best. The more modern tanks have autotrackers although I’m not sure about their sights.

In terms of the updating text elements? Sure, you don’t like them, thats fine. But one useful thing that could get added would be the different reticles at different zoom levels, which is a) historical b) useful c) doesn’t clutter the screen.

In terms of stuff youre supposed to, and would see, in a tank, theres the 2s38 sight as a example. I would see a dynamically moving figure in the top right showing vertical targetting and a thing that appears to show where the gun is pointing horizontally. Wheres that in game? All that can be mimicked to replicate those features are static representations that offer little to no use.

In terms of hacking hooking into the api, I don’t have knowledge in that field so I won’t comment on it

3 Likes
9

This is a massively long overdue system. Its kind of pathetic vehicles dont come with standard issue sights at this point. The whole game is about the tanks my guy.

Ive played plenty of other games thatre infantry based that have substantially better sights for tanks

3 Likes
10

Most modern sights have some of this information, but Russian tanks don’t (which is a large portion of what you see online). The Leclerc, Abrams, Ariete AMV, and most modern IFVs have information in some kind of way about elevation, azimuth, speed, first and last lase, ammunition selected, how much ammo you have left etc. Other tanks have displays outside of the sight reticle that display all kinds of information, like the Japanese and Korean modern tanks. Russian tanks usually have separate azimuth gauges.
Some sights have even more information, like the CV 90105 XC-8, CT-CV 105HP and 2S38, but most sights only have range and fire status. I would like at least information about azimuth, elevation and fire status on the tanks that have it in real life since we don’t have that in the game already. I would love to help Gaijin research vehicle optics and fire control systems so that it could improve the game.

11

I forgot to post this, but the roadmap seems to plan to implement what this suggestion is about
IMG_1491

Spoiler

Also I’m surprised at the amount of people who chose the option for both
IMG_1492

2 Likes
12

Did you write about this in the roadmap thing? When you could write to the developers.

I was also surprised when I saw it, I don’t want it for WW2 vehicles. To have those tools would ruin the immersion of a WW2 tank.

1 Like
13

Nah i forgor 💀

2 Likes
14

Personally, I would love to see all tanks get their historically accurate sight. I personally do that with most of my tanks and find learning the skill of using it enjoyable and most of the time is better than the default optic. Now as for the API, I think that should apply to vehicles that did have it IRL, so I guess more of the modern vehicles. Would be nice to have though and ik the roadmap has a plan for that

3 Likes
15

I 100% agree, I would even volunteer to find and create these sights!

2 Likes
16

Gaijin: “oh no anyway”

17

Well what is your opinion on this new update?

18

I like the sight customizer, and it’s a good step in the right direction, because it makes general universal sights more accessible to the playerbase. The presets are also great, it’s essentially just the real sight without the extraneous text that doesn’t apply to the player or elements that arent modelled yet. It is slightly concerning on the current limitations, however.

Theres no ability to make universal presets, so you have to customize a sight for every tank or choose a generic one
I’m not sure if you can save and export the presets
And lastly, I don’t know what this would mean for the user sight scene.

I will continue under the assumption that the four main features, reload indicator, horizontal turret icon, fancy rangefinder fonts, and “fov”, are available for user sight creators to manipulate.

Gaijin could add more functionality and different types of elements which would be great to make user sights more accurate. They could also extend this functionality to commander sights, which could possibly be interesting, although I’m not too sure on what real commander sight reticles look like.
Most of the features outside of the current ones are just on certain uncommon vehicles or very modern vehicles, while sights such as the m1 abrams seems about right.

Really, my opinion on the new update is that I’ve joined the crowd of people who don’t believe that Gaijin really listens to the playerbase. My mentality and attitude on media such as books, television, and games has changed as a whole of just being in for the ride. Regardless of what you or I want, it won’t change the story or path chosen by its creators.Take this suggestion for example, it was truly a happy accident that gaijin put it in the roadmap and implemented it in a fashion that’s relatively satisfactory to the playerbase. As far as I know, this suggestion has never touched the eyes of the devs and is like trying to bargain with the void. Most suggestions posted are like this, they never see the light of day, and suggestions will mainly only get the implemented tag, if the devs happened to just add that vehicle, outside of the suggestion’s influence. Most passed suggestions will also never see the light of day, and only act as the forum throwing a bone to the users.

It all boils down to this, if the devs happen to add something you wanted, great, otherwise, you’re still in the ride of Gaijin’s vision, however it may turn out.

1 Like
19

I fully agree, just wish it was easier to contact devs. On the topic of user sights, you should read this