Drone Controls

[comp_uter15776 1]

Update! New video! -

Okay, so numerous people have been asking "how do I make it do this?" "what about this?"... Here's a little rough-and-ready guide to the vary basics of ArmA 3 Drones. (UAV depicted only, but applies to UGV)

Firstly, you need to get your UAV and UAV Operator in the game, like so:

When ingame, you'll want to head to your UAV and connect the UAV to your terminal. As Windies has said below, you can also just open the UAV terminal, right click a UAV, and connect, for multiple drone control in an easy manner.

http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/9803/odw7.png (905 kB)

Step back a bit and open the terminal.

Left clicking a position will set a waypoint for the UAV to move to.

Hitting left-CTRL and clicking will add an indirect waypoint, good for a specific ingress/egress direction.

Hitting left-SHIFT and clicking will add a normal waypoint but will let the UAV Operator visibly be able to see where it is.

Right clicking the above will bring up a list of options.

In the altitude tab, you have the following options:

In the behaviour tab, you have these:

And finally, in the type tab, you have these options:

Altitude Types:

COPY GROUND - 20m

LOW PROFILE - 50m

TRAVEL - 200m

HIGH -500m

VERY HIGH -2000m

Just found out, you can hit + and - on the NUMPAD to zoom in and out of the camera.

Major drone-related FT issues:

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=12853

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=12852

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=12844

Thanks for reading this very quick tutorial, I'll expand on some of the options later. Feel free to add opinions, questions, suggestions or feedback!

Regards,

Harry

P.S. I don't know why one of the images is suddenly a lot larger in filesize and thus isn't displayed :s

P.P.S. I know my voice sucks on the video mic, but hey :')

Edited August 18, 2013 by Comp_uter15776

[windies 11]

You can also right click on a UAV/UGV from inside of the terminal on the map and attach the terminal that way. You don't have to walk up to it. You can actually control multiple drones this way very easily.

[petek 62]

Thanks for this mate. I'm away from my arma3 pc for a while but look forward to trying this out next week

cheers

[comp_uter15776 1]

Cheers Windies, I've updated with that. Petek - not a problem :)

Oh, I've added near the bottom some pressing matters related to AV issues. It'd be cool to get these solved!

[tuplas 10]

Shift clicking doesn't seem to be any different from just clicking. Just adds a waypoint for the player also.

[comp_uter15776 1]

Shift clicking doesn't seem to be any different from just clicking. Just adds a waypoint for the player also.

From what I've tested, the UAV will begin to circle around the point as opposed to a normal click which I think is just directional. Obviously a quadcopter can hover whereas a greyhawk is will probably still circle anyway.

[tuplas 10]

From what I've tested, the UAV will begin to circle around the point as opposed to a normal click which I think is just directional. Obviously a quadcopter can hover whereas a greyhawk is will probably still circle anyway.

Tested again, still no difference. Am I doing something wrong? Changing it to loiter makes it circle, but shift click does nothing other than add waypoint for player also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrxGbn_3UmQ

[comp_uter15776 1]

Tested again, still no difference. Am I doing something wrong? Changing it to loiter makes it circle, but shift click does nothing other than add waypoint for player also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrxGbn_3UmQ

I'll look into that then haha, and modify accordingly if it is the case.

[CSLALUKI 30]

Very useful ! For example, I didn't know how to use it yet :o ... thank you for this awesome tutorial !

[nmdanny 22]

I've tested on the quadrotor, shift clicking is no different than left clicking. The manual doesn't say anything about shift clicking either.

If you right click on the waypoint after shift clicking and select "Type", you'll see that the "move" option is already chosen, and not loiter.

[daze23 1]

why no 'cycle' waypoint?

---------- Post added at 10:25 ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 ----------

anyone want to give a quick rundown on how the Laser Designator works?

[comp_uter15776 1]

why no 'cycle' waypoint?

---------- Post added at 10:25 ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 ----------

anyone want to give a quick rundown on how the Laser Designator works?

I'm not sure :s Hopefully they shall add it in.

The laser designator basically is visible in NV and to a lesser extent in TI, which will let squadmates know about a certain area. It also marks a location for a guided missile attack.

[daze23 1]

It also marks a location for a guided missile attack.

that's kinda what I was wondering about. can any of the current stuff take advantage of that?

Edited August 16, 2013 by daze23

[comp_uter15776 1]

Oh, double post! yay! <sorry>

New update - Video has been added to first post. This gives a better overview without being limited to pictures, but doesn't cover the waypoints as much indepth.

I was also mistaken on a couple of points - these are acknowledged in the video now, and I shall soon modify the photos etc.

Very useful ! For example, I didn't know how to use it yet :o ... thank you for this awesome tutorial !

Thank you for reading! If you still struggle, the new video is here :D

I've tested on the quadrotor, shift clicking is no different than left clicking. The manual doesn't say anything about shift clicking either. If you right click on the waypoint after shift clicking and select "Type", you'll see that the "move" option is already chosen, and not loiter.

Yup. Rectifying now.

[Bee8190 10]

Good work on this, thanks for sharing

[nmdanny 22]

why no 'cycle' waypoint?

---------- Post added at 10:25 ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 ----------

anyone want to give a quick rundown on how the Laser Designator works?

I think that the laser designator basically creates a tab lock target that is considered an enemy vehicle. When the UAV is on open fire, and you lase something, eventually the lased position becomes a red target marker, and usually your UAV strafes towards that marker and fires ATGMs which lock onto that laser target.

It's impractical though, because the plane has to strafe so it doesn't work when loitering, and the optics aren't stabilized which makes targeting stuff more difficult.

You don't need to lase vehicles though, because you can just tablock onto vehicles as the pilot of the UAV.

(tablocking = clicking T in the new preset)

[sgt_Savage2003 10]

By the way, great video. But I cant get the greyhawk to take off. By both way points or user control. Yes I have tried from both ends of the runway. Once iam in the air by setting to flying in the editor I can take full control and use my wasd keys but for some reason they don't work while its on the ground.

[Sniperwolf572 758]

By the way, great video. But I cant get the greyhawk to take off. By both way points or user control. Yes I have tried from both ends of the runway. Once iam in the air by setting to flying in the editor I can take full control and use my wasd keys but for some reason they don't work while its on the ground.

Airplane controls dropdown is missing from the controls, but what you need to press to accelerate/turn the engine on is "SHIFT" and "Y/Z" is to slow down. At least that's what it's bound to by default.

[kocrachon 2]

And yet again this has the EXACT same issue I had with the UAV in ArmA 2.

In real life, the UAV pilot can control both the laser and the weapon system at the same time. If you watch what UAV's do, 99% of the time they are hitting infantry locations. But I cannot do that with the current setup. I want to be able to point my laser and lock it on a spot (unless I am missing something) and then fire my hellfire at that location. Because as of right now, this is just another OP armor killer that cant help with true CAS support.

EDIT: In order to accomplish my goals, I had to have a DART target the infantry, and then the Hawk to kill them. I also dislike the method of using the UAV, I have to "pilot" it to fire missiles. When I should be able to set a flight path and fire the missiles from the turret position.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Kocrachon

[L3TUC3 32]

No freelook while in first person?

[liquidpinky 11]

Don't need to be a UAV operator, spawn as whatever you like and get a UAV terminal from a weapon crate (I use VAS so I can't specify the exact ammo box) and drag it into the GPS equipment slot.

There are three varieties to match the factions, each individually coloured and will only operate the correct sides UAVs and UGVs.

To get these I just spawned all the operators and took their terminals after killing them, then saved in one of my Saves for VAS.

Beware of the armed UGV and UAVS as they will fire on enemy factions, putting an enemy Dart at your feet can result in almost having them blown off.

All in all, good fun to be had with the new toys. :)

[kylania 567]

Don't need to be a UAV operator, spawn as whatever you like and get a UAV terminal from a weapon crate (I use VAS so I can't specify the exact ammo box) and drag it into the GPS equipment slot.

Classnames are in this thread.

[blackjacktom 10]

Altitudes for the waypoints are:

COPY GROUND - 20m

LOW PROFILE - 50m

TRAVEL - 200m

HIGH -500m

VERY HIGH -2000m

would be nice to have an altitude between high and very high as the UAVs are quite visible at 500m and 2km is past my object view distance.

[comp_uter15776 1]

Cheers tom. I'll add those into my OP.

Liquidpinky, I know, but we're trying to give people the basics here, not send them on a goosehunt to add a terminal in if they already have a special class XD

[comp_uter15776 1]

UPDATE!

Hitting + and - numpad keys will zoom in and out of the camera! You can get up to 3.3x as Greyhawk pilot and 35x as the turret controller.