BFC, Is it possible to give us some sort of separate 1 sec control on playback?

[John Kettler]

While some here doubtless have lightning quick reflexes and can do that, I've repeatedly found my reflexes simply aren't good enough to freeze  the display at the right point to capture some of the juicy action on screenshots. For example, in my QB with BD, I had an AT-10 hit the turret upper front and ricochet. It was there on playback, though my eye initially "read" a turret roof skimming miss, but there was no way for me to capture the event. Likewise, many attempts failed to capture the muzzle flash when my BMP-3 had the drop on BD's tank and fired. Since the game is obviously displaying events second by second, it would be helpful, IMO, if you gave us a discrete button which would allow us to advance or rewind the playback in one-second intervals. The existing controls are certainly enough to get into the event ballpark, but many here don't have, I certainly don't, lightning quick responses to visual stimuli and would, I believe, find such control useful, and by no means just for screenshots.

 

The pace of CMBS when the shooting starts makes it very easy to lose track of what's happening, where and why, and I believe this would help. As it is, it's not unusual for several replays still not to reveal the actual event dynamics. And that's with very few shooters in play. I shudder to contemplate, say, a Task Group sized DF fight in complex terrain covering a large area. The digital data links and displays depicted in terms of effect in CMBS allow combat operations to occur over enormous frontages as compared to WW II low level (company and down) tactical combat. Because my Constellation C4 system is up, I can and am doing things I wouldn't so much as try in a WW II context.  But that very ability to operate with enormous inter vehicle dispersion makes it that much harder to stay on top of the details of battle on large frontages, of considerable depth and often in wholly different terrain compartments.

 

I have no idea how doable this might be or what it would take in terms of people, time and money to implement if it is doable. This merely seems to me to be an idea worth a look. Amid a sea of other ones!

 

Regards,

 

John Kettler

[Bil Hardenberger]

John, the playback will freeze at less than a second intervals.. what I do is hit the play/pause button real fast as I get close to the event I want to capture, stopping and starting the playback in very short segments.. sometimes it takes several tries to get the shot I am looking for, but I always eventually get it.  Takes practice.

[Baneman]

Yeah, what Bil said.

 

Stop a second or so short of the moment you want to capture then advance by repeatedly double-clicking the play button.

[agusto]

John, the playback will freeze at less than a second intervals.. what I do is hit the play/pause button real fast as I get close to the event I want to capture, stopping and starting the playback in very short segments.. sometimes it takes several tries to get the shot I am looking for, but I always eventually get it.  Takes practice.

 

Hey, but how about a slow motion feature? THAT would be cool, wouldnt it?

[Bil Hardenberger]

Hey, but how about a slow motion feature? THAT would be cool, wouldnt it?

 

Sure I could get on board with that.. also I think what John is really looking for is a way to step through the playback easily one frame at a time.  That too would be cool and very welcome.. don't hold your breath though.  

[A Canadian Cat]

One thing you could do is record the video play back and then use a video editor to go frame by frame or play slow motion.

[c3k]

One frame at a time??? I have my CM playback capped at 30 frames per second. 5 seconds would mean going through 150 frames. Ouch. If I didn't cap it, it would be worse.

 

Slowmo would be cool...

 

Otherwise, watch the timer when something happens, rewind, then hover the mouse over the play/pause button. It's the same spot, so all you do is double-click the left button to advance in small time increments. Using a stopwatch, I've gotten my double clicks down to .03 seconds. But that's not useful in CM.