UAVs and Pchela Fix

[hcpookie 3770]

Well I finally did it... been bugging me to death. Bottom line - with this mod the Pchela can be properly used in-game!

I made a basic model (its just a box with the clear texture!) with turret points in the memory LOD to allow the turret to function.

The model, being an invisible box, needed a bit more. So I used the AttachTo function in a script to attach the BIS Pchela model. THEN I modified the config to fly smoothly without constantly bobbing up-and-down. THEN I borrowed on Slatt's CDF config to add a CDF-West version. So now we have a working Pchela for all sides! :cool: All found under the new "UAV" category.

West-CDF-UAV

East -RU-UAV

Independent-GUE-UAV

Download pook_UAV_1.0.zip here:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=2123a89cb3ec88e9#cid=2123A89CB3EC88E9&id=2123A89CB3EC88E9%21576

Also:

Yep... there are also ARMED versions! :) The Pchela-1AT is a fictional model armed with 2x Shturm rockets (the same ones on the Mi-24). I made this to be loosely equivalent to the in-game MQ9 Predator that is armed with Hellfires.

I am researching additional UAV's that I may add in the future.

Edited February 10, 2013 by hcpookie

[slatts 1978]

I was right :P For a guerilla UAV, how about a RC plane with a camera?

[hcpookie 3770]

What do you think about that little helicopter UAV the Brits are taking into battle now? Just read a news article about their "toy helicopters" and had an "aha" moment :)

I'm also thinking about a helicopter style UAV for the Russians.

I remember the FDF UAV from OFP-CWC days. That was cool then and is cool now :) The entire launch platform is something I'm researching. The Pchela "Bee" apparently has a parachute recovery. Which I assume means when it needs to land or runs out of fuel the parachute pops open. That should be scriptable :)

[slatts 1978]

Got a link? Only small helicopter UAV I've heard of is the Swedish one. What about a RQ-11 MAV ;) few roadkills here and there lol

We have a similarly launched/recovered UAV to the Pchela called the Orbiter. It's launched off a catapult and recovered by parachute. From what I heard it works like you assumed.

[kremator 1065]

We wants baby choppers :)

[hcpookie 3770]

Here's that link for the handheld heli -

http://news.yahoo.com/uk-sends-hand-held-helicopter-drones-war-zone-101428321--finance.html

Looks like it would be easy to model since there isn't much detail. A big oval shape and a helicopter. Haven't done propellers yet so the "blur" thing will be new.

[jeza 5416]

Updated on the Armaholic homepage

UAV - Pchela fix by hcpookie

Edited February 10, 2013 by Jeza

[Elena 2]

Yay, Useable Pchela with the nice gray Texture :)

I've tried it out immediately, and it wouldn't be ArmA if there weren't some bugs. Synced it to a backpack via UAV Module, picked the pack up and got into control. Now with the Mq-9 i could have aimed the lasermarker on a target, highlighted the target, then i would switch to the rockets using F, lock on my target with Tab and fire them, guiding them to their target via laser. Now, with the Pchela, the missiles doen't seem to want to lock, neither on the Laser marker, nor on the vehicles itself. Whats the requirements to lock them? (Also, they don't fly straight ahead, they usually fly about 100m in front of my UAV, then make a sharp turn to the bottom right, cruising around the area in a circle pattern while loosing height and eventually crashing into the ground. Don't think they are meant to work like that, but, are they laserguided or would you lock them directly on the tank, or how would it work?

[hcpookie 3770]

Credit to Slatts for even discovering that grey texture exists :)

I remember it locked up vehicles best when you're at least 750-800m away. Any closer and that missile seems to perform very poorly... always misses. That is the default Mi24 AT missile, so perhaps it was designed to work at the slower speeds of the Mi24? ...just guessing.

My quick-and-dirty test worked but I don't recall doing anything special... I loaded up the UAV like normal - waypoints, etc. I admit I was mostly interested in making my AttachTo script work correctly. I'll definitely load it up again and double-check everything tonight after work. I'll be completely honest if it doesn't work, I'll simply make a new missile that behaves just like with the MQ9 so the experience is the same. It just seems "right" to have an OPFOR UAV that is at least partially matched to the MQ9's AT capability!

I'm also going to publish the MLOD of the "flying box" with the turret Memory points... no sense in sitting on that gem LOL

[Elena 2]

Thank you for the effort, and i agree, a nice OPFOR UAV adds great immersion to the game. I made a kind-off cyber warfare scenario where two squads of speznas and navy seals encounter eachother on utes, and they don't actually fight personally, but have acces to your UGV's, and now this permits me to add some uav's too, since pchela vs. MQ-9 would be unfair regarding the fact that the default pchela is unarmed. Thanks for those two addons :) I hope your tests turn out with positive results.

[hcpookie 3770]

Confirmed - UAV Pchela completley works with the UAV module just as expected. I have not made a script to disable AI, so you get told "target this X" orders from the "Pilot". And once you get lined up, the UAV does that annoying "dive bomb" where it lines up on that target and slowly drops altitude. I understand why BIS did that, because frankly keeping the laser on target is very difficult! :)

The Shturm missiles also behave as expected... they follow your laser marker identical to the MQ9 behavior. Of course they can only disable a T72, so the "pilot" won't break his target lock from that vehicle. Works great against APC's! :) SO. If you "fire" the laser to turn it on the "Pilot" will simply tell you to target the laser.

I will investigate what in the AI can be disabled. I don't want to cripple it so I need to tweak that because I didn't realize just how annoying "target that X" over and over can be! :)

[michaeljordan 1]

Well i got good info about latest uavs. I read about RV-VTOL25 TAIPAN which is a single-engine UCAV which was developed to provide surveillance and targeting acquisition. You can find latest information about unmanned uavs here.

[eggbeast 3673]

have the same unwanted pilot behaviour in an AI piloted su34 with our new laser targeting camera

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?181411-FRL_Air-mod-WIP&p=2776502&viewfull=1#post2776502

when in gunner seat you activate the laser and lock onto it with a kh-29L or kab500, the pilot starts diving at the target, because he is aiming his machinegun line at it (gunend to gunbeg)

for the first time in arma I could make him fly where i wanted, dynamically, and very reactively.

the problem though is that

a) we want him to overfly an area and not dive on a SAM or AAA!

b) the laer is only "seen" when it reflects off something, so the pilot will target buildings and ground but not sky

c) inevitably he flies into a bunch of trees when attempting yo track your target as you climb out of a valley

I'm starting to think maybe this is why in arma the 2 seaters crewed by AI often crash unexpectedly...

maybe we need a firedEH if laserbeam ammo is fired then driver of vec has disabletargetAI or w/e