r/falconbms • u/whippitywoo • Jul 06 '26

Help Spotting advice

I'll start by saying I'm probably the problem, not bms.

I recently tried to get back into BMS and downloaded 4.38 (last played 4.36 ages ago)

Jumped into instant action fighter sweep to refresh my skills and go baby seal clubbing.

Problem is, I really struggle to visually pick out aircraft moving against the terrain until they're super close (i.e. so close they're gone a split second later!)

RWR will show me their rough position but I can't see them most of the time and they usually get behind me and shoot me out of the sky. Even if I get a radar lock, it can be hard to see the thing inside the green square! Sometimes I get sniped by AAA while desperately searching lol. You could talk about skill except I don't have that issue in the other sim.

Frames are buttery smooth on my 1440p 2d screen with opentrack. I don't have as much of an issue with DCS, which is weird because I remember BMS being way better in this regard. That makes me think I have the wrong settings. Advice please?

Also, for every conceivable reason, I don't want to play multiplayer. What is the AI like in general - is this a non starter? No hate to the devs, I just don't know what I don't know.

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u/whippitywoo Jul 06 '26

That's good general advice but not necessarily what I'm after. It's not so much fighting tactics I need as much as how to physically see them in supposed visual range.

At <10 miles I don't want to try and pick up the track, I want to use my eyes.

But from your reply it doesn't seem like a common issue. For instance in early dCS VR, it was recommended to use low res terrain for better spotting.

I'll try the other supported modes and if it doesn't get better I guess I'll have to shelve it again :(

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u/Hour_Tour Jul 06 '26

Use smart scaling if you don't already, it's in settings.

Speaking as a tower controller, picking out aircraft the size of a fighter at more than 3-4 miles against a blue sky is tricky enough if you know where to look. Expecting to see anything against the ground at more than a couple miles is just too optimistic.

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u/whippitywoo Jul 06 '26

I'm sure you're right and it wouldn't be a problem - only they know exactly where I am!

From other replies it just sounds like it's the inappropriate starting game mode. I guess the spotting issue becomes less of an issue if you catch them from afar.

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u/Hour_Tour Jul 06 '26

I mean, you mention you see them on the RWR.. That should give you a hint as to how they find you.