Restore/Repair Thargoid Interceptors to their old lighting (Images)

[Firehawk894]

Hi there all o/ (Images below)

So I've been mulling over this for a while and it's finally gotten to the point where it annoys me enough to talk about it.
While some people enjoy the Odyssey engine lighting because it makes things feel 'more realistic', a lot of things were ruined by the change to the lighting system.

My main issue is that during AX combat it becomes extremely difficult to identify Thargoid Interceptor classes if you aren't right next to a bright source of light. The ship candles don't do anything because they only have an effective range of 200m front. Night Vision is equally unhelpful because it just washes out everything with it's aggressive level of green.

Without getting a Xeno Scan on them, a lot of the ships are extremely difficult to identify at a distance which is not aided by the "new" Odyssey distortion wave that interceptors leave behind them when they travel, Cyclops and Basilisk become impossible to distinguish in any light that isn't right next to the star due to the lack of structural differences, Medusa are difficult to spot because of their colouration but at least have the red spikes. Hydras used to be extremely iconic with their acid green colouration and green glowing lights... Now Cyclops look plastic-y when you get up close to them, Basilisk and Medusa hide in any available shadows and the Hydra looks like someone put it on too hot of a wash.

Below is an Odyssey Hydra vs a Horizons Hydra.
Circled in red is the rear extra petal of the Hydra, which is the only way you can visually identify in the image that is is indeed a Hydra vessel.

 

[Sublime]

Hi there all o/ (Images below)

So I've been mulling over this for a while and it's finally gotten to the point where it annoys me enough to talk about it.
While some people enjoy the Odyssey engine lighting because it makes things feel 'more realistic', a lot of things were ruined by the change to the lighting system.

My main issue is that during AX combat it becomes extremely difficult to identify Thargoid Interceptor classes if you aren't right next to a bright source of light. The ship candles don't do anything because they only have an effective range of 200m front. Night Vision is equally unhelpful because it just washes out everything with it's aggressive level of green.

Without getting a Xeno Scan on them, a lot of the ships are extremely difficult to identify at a distance which is not aided by the "new" Odyssey distortion wave that interceptors leave behind them when they travel, Cyclops and Basilisk become impossible to distinguish in any light that isn't right next to the star due to the lack of structural differences, Medusa are difficult to spot because of their colouration but at least have the red spikes. Hydras used to be extremely iconic with their acid green colouration and green glowing lights... Now Cyclops look plastic-y when you get up close to them, Basilisk and Medusa hide in any available shadows and the Hydra looks like someone put it on too hot of a wash.

Below is an Odyssey Hydra vs a Horizons Hydra.
Circled in red is the rear extra petal of the Hydra, which is the only way you can visually identify in the image that is is indeed a Hydra vessel.
View attachment 364509
View attachment 364510

I’m all for them fixing the lighting such as the glowing hearts. Also for many things I much prefer the old horizons lighting because although it may be less realistic, it was a lot more atmospheric.

Regarding your specific issue though, you can easily tell what kind of interceptor it is without doing a full scan by seeing how many hearts it has. Once your scanner does a standard resolution of the object you can see the number of hearts based on the number of wide dashes under the interceptor’s profile image.

 

[Firehawk894]

I’m all for them fixing the lighting such as the glowing hearts. Also for many things I much prefer the old horizons lighting because although it may be less realistic, it was a lot more atmospheric.

Regarding your specific issue though, you can easily tell what kind of interceptor it is without doing a full scan by seeing how many hearts it has. Once your scanner does a standard resolution of the object you can see the number of hearts based on the number of wide dashes under the interceptor’s profile image.

And what if you aren't carrying a Xeno Scanner like many AX pilots? Many forgo the scanner for an SFN

 

[Sublime]

And what if you aren't carrying a Xeno Scanner like many AX pilots? Many forgo the scanner for an SFN

Then you’re probably much more elite and experienced enough to easily tell in any lighting situation, or by the size of the thargon cloud, etc.

 

[Schmack]

Work around aside (that's all it is), visual identifiers were put into the game for a reason. There are workarounds for a lot of issues, that doesn't negate the issue.

 

[Firehawk894]

Then you’re probably much more elite and experienced enough to easily tell in any lighting situation, or by the size of the thargon cloud, etc.

I consider myself an experienced/elite AX pilot, I've soloed every variant of interceptor (before the OP weapons), soloed an AXCZ including killing the Hydra at the end of it, killed a Basilisk without taking damage, killed a Medusa with the HUD turned off, etc.

It doesn't help trying to identify other Interceptors at range in a combat situation that includes multiple different ships flying around

 

[Kira Goto]

It doesn't help trying to identify other Interceptors at range in a combat situation that includes multiple different ships flying around

I personally determine the variant(primarily between Cyclops and Basilisk) by rate of fire/salvo size. Medusas and Hydras are more easily distinguishable.

In the absence of xeno scanner, I find it quite reliable to keep the first two apart, and I can usually recognize a Medusa due to its shades of red and black before entering firing range. (The Thargon swarm, if present, can also serve as an indicator - Medusa swarms usually fly in more ‘advanced’ patterns than those of the Basilisk.)

Also… I’m not sure where you got those screenshots from, but the first one looks like a Cyclops, with a human wreckage piece behind it. I’ve taken pictures of Hydras in Odyssey and they look like the second screenshot exactly, very easily distinguishable regardless of where you look at them from.

Oh, also, the update 16 patch notes supposedly listed the faint heart glow as fixed.

 

[Firehawk894]

I personally determine the variant(primarily between Cyclops and Basilisk) by rate of fire/salvo size. Medusas and Hydras are more easily distinguishable.

In the absence of xeno scanner, I find it quite reliable to keep the first two apart, and I can usually recognize a Medusa due to its shades of red and black before entering firing range. (The Thargon swarm, if present, can also serve as an indicator - Medusa swarms usually fly in more ‘advanced’ patterns than those of the Basilisk.)

Also… I’m not sure where you got those screenshots from, but the first one looks like a Cyclops, with a human wreckage piece behind it. I’ve taken pictures of Hydras in Odyssey and they look like the second screenshot exactly, very easily distinguishable regardless of where you look at them from.

Oh, also, the update 16 patch notes supposedly listed the faint heart glow as fixed.

"I'm not sure where you got those screenshots but you're wrong" It is very much a Hydra, the Comp scan done of it lists it as a Hydra

 

[Kira Goto]

"I'm not sure where you got those screenshots but you're wrong" It is very much a Hydra, the Comp scan done of it lists it as a Hydra

Well, I definitely have never seen a Hydra look like that, so you can understand the confusion?

Definitely a bit odd, but I’d personally have written it off as a lighting (or graphical) bug there and then.