AH-64D Apache Longbow for ArmA2 by Nodunit and Franze

[kimi_uy 134]

Thanks for your answer,

So it means that I cannot fire a missile when there is no target? How do I do to destroy a building, per example? I tried, and I can't manage to get a solid box (whereas it works fine against vehicles).

Just change acquisition to hmd (if you're pilot) and tell your gunner to target "laser target" from the command menu. Then u just have to aim at the building get a solid box and shoot away, you'll notice when aiming that the solid box will "follow" your crosshair in the hmd

[gatordev 214]

I may be misunderstanding your post, so if that's the case, let me know...

On the same venue you say that most simulations use the xH-1 series VRS rather than what most helicopters are capable of; is the xH-1 series just more understood with ready data or is the exaggeration simply used as a form of fake difficulty?

I'm not speaking about "simulations," but actual quoted numbers in pubs for the actual aircraft. At least on the Navy side, there's a decent amount of "performance number" creep from the H-1 into the H-60 numbers, when in fact the H-60 is a bit more "robust" and can accept larger descent rates than the H-1. Talking with some H-60 test/evaluation pilots, it seems it was easier to just take the H-1 numbers than actually worry about the numbers for the H-60. That's improved a *little* bit over the last few years, but the numbers are still far more conservative than reality. Given the Apache is a similar 4-bladed monster, I'm guessing similar numbers apply to it. Probably not as big an issue in-game, but just FYI data points.

[franze 196]

It would make sense to put in some conservative estimates lest pilots try to get away with more than they might be able to - especially when adverse conditions and heavy loads are involved. Army Aviation tries to get away with a lot. :)

[gatordev 214]

Army Aviation tries to get away with a lot. :)

Definitely a different culture, that's for sure. Although the story I could tell you about how the Navy showed up in some "interesting" conditions and the Army turned tale and ran back home. Just different environments and comfort levels that we all work in.

[max power 21]

Sounds like inter-service partisanism, which is really quite boring to be frank.

[franze 196]

Definitely a different culture, that's for sure. Although the story I could tell you about how the Navy showed up in some "interesting" conditions and the Army turned tale and ran back home. Just different environments and comfort levels that we all work in.

And then sometimes they crash the bird in the snow. :o

[b00ce 160]

^Lol Apache jocks.

;)

[gatordev 214]

Sounds like inter-service partisanism, which is really quite boring to be frank.

I think you're confusing service rivalry with outright contempt.

Army guys do a specific missions in a professional manner

Navy guys do a very different mission in a very different environment in a professional manner. The differences don't negate mutual respect.

Far more importantly, I haven't had a chance to crash this into a mountain. Is this feature still in the new version?

[max power 21]

I think you're confusing service rivalry with outright contempt.

Army guys do a specific missions in a professional manner

Navy guys do a very different mission in a very different environment in a professional manner. The differences don't negate mutual respect.

I'm not confusing anything. I simply I said I find it boring.

[franze 196]

Far more importantly, I haven't had a chance to crash this into a mountain. Is this feature still in the new version?

Yes, but you must first find a mountain; there are non available by default. :p

[kimi_uy 134]

Hey franze, I know you asked about how much time we're capable of waiting for the start up sequence a long time ago but here's my humble opinion. I'm willing to wait whatever would be more realistic but for the purpose of the campaign itself, it's better to leave it as it is, because most of the missions requiere you to take off ASAP. Another thing, the sounds in the start up procedure of the apu and engines stop after 15 seconds aprox after flipping the switches so if u start setting up your weapons, pfz's and wp's inmediately after turning on switches it's kind of weird that the aircraft is mute, even though you have 2 huge turbines on. Anyway, I finnished the campaign about a couple of days ago, IT ROCKS so much that i've decided to play it all over again without saving.

On another note, the other day I was watching some block III vids about how apaches and UAV's work together and it reminded me of the vanilla arma 2 OA mission were u control the uav and lase targets for the apache and engaging them from a safe distance or even behind cover. I don't know if the block II is capable of this or if ur releasing a block III variant, but seeing that the vanilla game has this feature I think it would be a nice touch to team it with a firescout or the unmanned little bird. Like uploading the wp's from the tsd page to the uav and from there "telling" the drone to upload automatically the targets to the TSD page, lasing them and so on. Maybe I'm just dreaming but it would be a nice feature for a future release or something. I know it may take hours and hours of scripting LOL, but it's just a thought.

Thanks to you and Nod for replying every single question I've posted here, youtube and in swissmaverick's live stream (yeah I'm the poor bastard that plays with kb and mouse). Cheers :)

Edited September 26, 2013 by geraldbolso1899
forgot something :s

[islesfan186 83]

On another note, the other day I was watching some block III vids about how apaches and UAV's work together and it reminded me of the vanilla arma 2 OA mission were u control the uav and lase targets for the apache and engaging them from a safe distance or even behind cover. I don't know if the block II is capable of this or if ur releasing a block III variant, but seeing that the vanilla game has this feature I think it would be a nice touch to team it with a firescout or the unmanned little bird. Like uploading the wp's from the tsd page to the uav and from there "telling" the drone to upload automatically the targets to the TSD page, lasing them and so on. Maybe I'm just dreaming but it would be a nice feature for a future release or something. I know it may take hours and hours of scripting LOL, but it's just a thought.

I believe the Block III is now designated the AH-64E Apache Guardian. Block II+ aircraft also have this ability to use UAV feeds with the Vu-It/TOMMA system, but I believe only the Block III/-64E has the capability to control a ULB or something of that manner. Anyone who knows otherwise, feel free to correct me. The units I was in never had the capability....at least not until I PCSed/ETSed. Every time I left a unit, they got brand new aircraft right after I left :-/

Hopefully down the road Nod and Franze will give the BII+ and III some love, but making what they have now has been a 3 year effort, and I know that they (or atleast Nod) wants to take this project to Take On Helicopters

[franze 196]

We considered making the sequence longer and more in sequence with reality but for the purposes of game play decided to stick with simply making it more than 'engines on' or 'throttle up'. The planned TKOH iteration will be more involved with more systems and interaction required. The APU and engine startup sounds are there primarily as a cue to let you know that they're starting up; we felt that was adequate since 'disengaging rotor brake' starts the engines for 'real' and it'd be a bit of script juggling to play looped sounds on top of the existing sounds, proper cues, etc. such as the engine startup sound that occurs after the complex startup.

At one point in time we wanted a better UAV integration but as we were focused on the Block II it didn't make much sense considering Block II has only limited UAV capability. You can use the existing BI module with it, which functions just like it does in that particular OA mission; it just lacks the data transfer, etc. that Apaches have when teamed up.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the campaign, even if it's a relatively small and short campaign. :)

[ricnunes 0]

A bit in line with the previous Hellfire (and laser designation) discussion I want to suggest the following (for a next version):

- Give the ability to lock infantry soldiers with laser Hellfires, afterall the process of "locking" a vehicle or an infantry soldier with a laser Hellfire is just the same in real life (just need to point the TADS at the intended target and it just doesn't matter what the target really is).

[nodunit 397]

Are you talking about "lock" as in the auto tracking or? Because that comes the TADS, not the missile. I've not seen any lock indicators on people in any of the videos I've watched thus far which suggests they are either too small or there is something more to it..a surface reflection maybe?..Eh either way, all missile against infantry has been through manual laser designating without TADS slave assistance to the target.

We'll talk about it though since AI gunners work differently but no garuntee's, last thing we want to do is turn hellfires into a mashing tab=win tactic. Block III will have significant improvement against infantry but that's going to be a little bit.

[ricnunes 0]

No, I'm not asking for or talking about using the TAB key to lock infantry.

What I'm talking about is using the "2" key menu and then select the appropriate number to lock/designate/select (or whatever is the appropriate name) the intended infantry soldier. This is what happens with the gun when you are using TADS as the sensor of interest and you have also have the acquisition mode set to TADS.

Again if you use the gun (TADS sensor and acquisition) and then use the "2" menu you can "lock" an infantry soldier that the gunner is currently seeing, so if the gunner can use the TADS to point the gun towards an enemy soldier he also can use TADS (in real life) to fire a Hellfire missile against an infantry soldier.

Indeed you engage enemy infantry with Hellfires if you are the gunner (turning on laser, locking the laser and than point the laser towards the enemy infantry) but what I'm asking is the ability when the player is the pilot so that he can order the AI gunner to engage infantry soldier with Hellfire missile - currently it's only possible to order the AI gunner to engage enemy infantry with the gun.

[franze 196]

The issue is with how lockable guided weapons are handled; it seems that if a weapon can be guided, it loses the ability to lock onto infantry. This leaves the only option as slaving a laser onto infantry; the pilot can do this too if he turns on the laser and uses HMD mode to slave it. A more complex solution to the problem is possible but it's not one I've looked into.

[kimi_uy 134]

I have a bug report for Nod! While playing hornet's nest I got shot down by a cheeky shilka and got my main rotor blown off, did an emergency landing and switched to 3rd person view and saw that although being ripped off, the main rotor was still casting a shadow.

I had no addons nor mods apart from this one.

Here's the pic: http://s1365.photobucket.com/user/geraldbolso1899/media/arma2oa2013-09-2814-03-22-26_zpsc32fabd6.png.html

[nodunit 397]

Whoops, forgot to add those parts of the rotor to the same selection as the damage so that when it rips off the shadow does as well..will be fixed in the next update, thank you for bringing that to our attention.

[ricnunes 0]

The issue is with how lockable guided weapons are handled; it seems that if a weapon can be guided, it loses the ability to lock onto infantry. This leaves the only option as slaving a laser onto infantry; the pilot can do this too if he turns on the laser and uses HMD mode to slave it. A more complex solution to the problem is possible but it's not one I've looked into.

Humm, I see. So this is an ArmA2 limitation, correct? I always wondered why no guided weapon ever locked on infantry in ArmA (for example a Javelin - which for example was used to kill snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan), now know why.

Thanks for the reply Franze.

[Raafatah64 0]

nodunit and franze are u guys gonna add flares in the next update and plsss release the israeli air force saraph version if its already done coz in the picture way back in the forum it looks nearly done

[nodunit 397]

nodunit and franze are u guys gonna add flares in the next update and plsss release the israeli air force saraph version if its already done coz in the picture way back in the forum it looks nearly done

Flares will come with CMWS on B2+ and echo model. As for other nations...well..we're still debating on that and wether or not it is pertinent at this point because we don't want to release it as just a sort of "re-skin" but include some of the diversities between the multi-national birds.

Edited October 1, 2013 by NodUnit

[kimi_uy 134]

Have you ever thought about adding a vissible monocle like the Mando Missile Addon? I thought it was a cool inmmersive feature, still it was a lil confusing due to the overlapped displays.

[nodunit 397]

Ever? Yes, I had originally thought we could have an overlay similar to this http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/gQ_gJTAj_cA/maxresdefault.jpg coming from the same angle but the lining of the monocle would be much larger and greatly blurred to simulate the lack of focus on it.

Edited October 2, 2013 by NodUnit

[kimi_uy 134]

Ever? Yes, I had originally thought we could have an overlay similar to this http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/gQ_gJTAj_cA/maxresdefault.jpg coming from the same angle but the lining of the monocle would be much larger and greatly blurred to simulate the lack of focus on it.

Why did you discard it then?