45 replies to this topic

[Solis Obscuri]

I prefer my eyes.

But I use night vision on River City night, and thermal for spotting targets at long range on River City Day and Forest Colony maps, and during whiteouts on Frozen City.

[Trauglodyte]

Thing is, when you're going up against ECM, Thermal is the only way to negate its benefit. Often times, your target at ranges of 500 or greater will blur into the environment. So, unless its Caustic Valley, at which case everything is puke green, you go with Thermal to pick it up at range adn then adjust when they're up close.

Sad pandas indeed.

[Distratus]

I prefer normal vision if I can, the nightvision and thermal hurt my eyes. It's also the reason why I dislike dark maps in this game, because you really got to use thermal or nightvision.

[Red squirrel]

I prefer normal vision,
bur heat vision is just so damn OP I would be stupid not to use it.
Even on the night maps it is better than night vision.

Only in close quater fights do I switch back to normal (or to enjoy the landscape since I really dislike hest vision)

[Dirus Nigh]

I mostly use normal vision. Especially for brawling. However there are some exceptions.

I use Thermal to spot long range targets and some times snipe. Even on Caustic Valley I can spot a mech at extreme long range.

On Frozen City I use thermal in the low visibility areas.

On River City nights I use thermal and night vision equally. I use night vision for navigation and in one on one fights. When there is intense weapons fire I use thermal. I use thermal for spotting when ECM is in play. I still use normal vision for navigation and when friendly and enemy mechs are so bunch up they blur into each other in thermal.

Edited by Dirus Nigh, 06 January 2013 - 12:20 PM.

[Gralzeim]

I use normal as my default. Thermal for long/mid range target-finding on River City Night or during low visibility on Frozen City. Night Vision for close range on River City Night or navigating the city areas (so I don't bump into things). I switch as needed. Prefer normal if it works. I can usually pick out targets at long range on daytime maps with normal vision. Plus, thermal doesn't provide a detailed enough image for me.

I get much more information from a more detailed image with better depth perception. Thermal offers neither detail or depth perception. Makes it harder to target the section of a mech I want to target, harder to tell which direction the mech is facing, and it's hard to tell if an enemy is in front of or behind a friendly. Plus thermal makes visual identification of individual weapon systems on a mech difficult (if not impossible) as well. (i.e. long range, spot a hunchback, with normal you can see if it's a swayback or a LRMback, with thermal, good luck)

I don't see why anyone would ever use thermal all the time. It has its uses, but it's not a suitable replacement for normal or night vision, each of which have their own benefits and drawbacks.

[PiemasterXL]

Go eyeballs go!
Go Heat Vision go!

[WC Angelo]

I rather look at the scenery than see through Thermal.

[Coole]

I pretty much completely rely on thermal vision, sometimes even when brawling when the contrast is just too painful to adjust to (frozen city day).

[De La Fresniere]

I use my eyes most of the time, though it's hard with all those "effects" that, piling up, just make the screen into a big grey blur.

Night Vision is garbage (can't see very far and makes nearby objects so bright they actually blind you) so I never use it.

[James Warren]

I like to have normal vision on whenever possible, for sanity's sake.

I remember reading a developer interview for one of the Aliens vs Predator games which also made extensive use of vision modes (with both Alien and Predator having their own modes), they explained how they didn't want to force players into using one mode exclusively because it does your head in. So as Alien you get a bright aura around enemies that makes them easy to spot without fancy vision modes, and most of the levels are bright enough to not cause eye damage. Predator was required to switch between three modes in order to lock onto Aliens, Marines and enemy Predators with certain weapons, but otherwise was able to play in normal vision (despite in the source material relying almost exclusively on thermal).

I'll have to admit, since ECM was implemented I've been relying on thermal a LOT more than I used to. I consider myself pretty young and alert but there are still times when I fail to spot a stationary enemy in the distance without thermal on if it doesn't show on the radar, especially on river city.

Also this might just be me, but I feel like I get a further draw distance with thermal on than without it? Probably time to get a new computer.

[Xyroc]

Heat at distance "low light" at close range

[Squirtbox]

I'm actually quite disappointed in how 'OP' thermal is compared to the other vision modes in MWO. I find myself using it almost exclusively due to the fact even with 3xzoom in normal vision making out targets is almost impossible at great distance.

Being able to spot targets at over 1k with thermal gives so much of an advantage that you are simply destroying your chances of survival if you don't use it. This is even more evident with the invisible god shield that is ECM.

Night vision is a joke currently. Using it on RCN is just blinding yourself since every building is super reflective and shines bright green. It's so useless I started using normal vision for movement and brawling.

Thermal on caustic needs a white hot/black hot option. You can make out targets still with thermal but if you have trouble making out the VERY slight color difference its useless to even waste the time. Normal vision is still my preferred vision mode on caustic and probably the same for everyone else.

Edited by Squirtbox, 06 January 2013 - 01:49 PM.

[MustrumRidcully]

Well, no real surprises so far, but it doesn't look like people get good use out of low-light vision. And it's pretty obvious that people prefer to see things with normal view.

I personally would try to think about two things:
1) How can I improve low-light vision
2) COuld there be something to allow some benefits of low-light or thermal vision to also work in normal vision? Say, creating an outline mode for enemy mechs, something to give more contrast, without forcing people to look into a very "abstract" view that is not that conductive to enjoying the game's graphics and art?

[ICEFANG13]

Well I would make night vision have perfect no-color vision in perfectly dark areas, up to a certain distance (similar to now), and I would probably increase the blur on thermals, but let them go all the way. Making one better up close and one better at distance would seem like a logical start to making them different and effective.

[LaserAngel]

Thermal Vision works wonders in a world of ECM and when using PPCs or ER Large Lasers. Only once the action starts and friendlies step into the fray do I turn if off. You get very little depth perception and detail to identify a friendly vs. enemy. I surely do not want to hit a friend in the back with multiple PPCs.

[smokefield]

i prefer normal and i would like to see it improved...especcialy the zoom. and then thermal but needs a lot of improvment too. L

[MustrumRidcully]

The 2nd poll is almost as extreme as the 3rd Person View poll...

[SI The Joker]

On my PC the night vision adds all kinds of weird reflections off any buildings or structures. Plus there's almost no distinction between a mech and surrounding objects.

Thermal... if it's lighter blue... choooot!

[Tarman]

I like Mk1 for most regular engagements unless I'm potting at extreme long distances in spotty cover, then it's thermal for picking up off-sensor targets and their ghosting in and out of the cover. It's not a constantly-on system for me, I use it when needed. Night vision on the night map, only because constant thermal makes my eyes bleed out.

NV still needs to be better, I will totally take an improved version of the greyscale one; green is played out man!