Task Force Arrowhead Radio

[boozdeuvash 5]

Could you add more details for aircraft intercoms?

Well, whenever you get in a helicopter in the real world anyone can pickup a headset that is pluged into the intercom system, so people can talk to each other without having to cover the noise of the rotors. Plenty of military ground vehicles also offer that possibility, for instance for the crew of an APC to talk to the payload in the back. The way I see it, the easiest way to implement that would be to have a virtual radio using one virtual frequency per vehicle, that is accessible just like the long range radio, and available to everyone in the vehicle. People can access a minimalist UI where they can set the intercom on/off or change the volume maybe. Then either you add a push to talk key (just like SR/LR/UW radios), or you add the intercom to the voice range selection cycle (prefered option).

Right now helicopter crews have to setup a short range radio for that purpose and it can be a problem.

[nkey 35]

Well, whenever you get in a helicopter in the real world anyone can pickup a headset that is pluged into the intercom system, so people can talk to each other without having to cover the noise of the rotors. Plenty of military ground vehicles also offer that possibility, for instance for the crew of an APC to talk to the payload in the back. The way I see it, the easiest way to implement that would be to have a virtual radio using one virtual frequency per vehicle, that is accessible just like the long range radio, and available to everyone in the vehicle. People can access a minimalist UI where they can set the intercom on/off or change the volume maybe. Then either you add a push to talk key (just like SR/LR/UW radios), or you add the intercom to the voice range selection cycle (prefered option).

Right now helicopter crews have to setup a short range radio for that purpose and it can be a problem.

Yes, I was planning to implemented something about it. Also, if it possible we could decrease amount of game sound while using headset.

Are even passagers in heli have headsets?

[boozdeuvash 5]

In many commercial helos yeah, the passengers get headsets, cant hear anything otherwise.

In tactical choppers im not sure about the passengers, but all crew get one for sure.

[Vulpix 10]

Would exterior tank radios be possible with this? I.e a guy walking up to the back of a tank nd being able to talk to the crew without,them turning out? Thanks love this mod, armas so much better with it!

[doveman 7]

Yes, I was planning to implemented something about it. Also, if it possible we could decrease amount of game sound while using headset.

Are even passagers in heli have headsets?

You'll have to watch that it doesn't conflict with other things though. I use the TS3 Volume Control plugin which lowers the game volume whenever someone's talking (including myself) and I find it very useful to be able to understand people even when on foot, especially in the middle of a firefight. If TFAR lowers the game volume in helos as well then it might be an issue, so maybe you could make that optional, or let the user specify a percentage in the config to reduce it by, which I could set to 0?

I imagine IRL helo crews don't have to PTT to talk to each other as that would be too fiddly, so maybe you could reverse the PTT function when in helos, so it acts as a cough/mute switch, either whilst held, or as a toggle, so that we can mute ourselves whilst there's nothing to say but the rest of the time it's voice activated and we can talk without having to hold a button whilst trying to fly/manage weapons systems. I guess that might require TS3 to be in voice activation mode though and that's not ideal when on foot. A workaround might be to set TS3 in voice activation mode and set a hotkey to mute the microphone, so that we have it muted when on foot unless we need to talk to someone and then in helos, leave it unmuted most of the time, if TFAR can be made to use the local chat channel as a crew->crew intercom when in crew seats in helos/vehicles.

For passengers it would be best if they still have to PTT to communicate with the crew though, so they don't distract them. I guess ideally passengers would be able to chat amongst themselves using PTT in the back without the crew hearing them and only be heard by the crew when using the intercom (which could replace the passengers SR when in a helo or vehicle), with LR used to communicate with other helos/vehicles/ground squads.

---------- Post added at 02:35 ---------- Previous post was at 02:30 ----------

Well, whenever you get in a helicopter in the real world anyone can pickup a headset that is pluged into the intercom system, so people can talk to each other without having to cover the noise of the rotors. Plenty of military ground vehicles also offer that possibility, for instance for the crew of an APC to talk to the payload in the back. The way I see it, the easiest way to implement that would be to have a virtual radio using one virtual frequency per vehicle, that is accessible just like the long range radio, and available to everyone in the vehicle. People can access a minimalist UI where they can set the intercom on/off or change the volume maybe. Then either you add a push to talk key (just like SR/LR/UW radios), or you add the intercom to the voice range selection cycle (prefered option).

If TFAR is able to detect what type of vehicle we're in, maybe it could re-use the UW radio PTT key as a intercom key when in helos/vehicles. That would allow crew<->passengers communications, whilst leaving crew>crew comms on a different channel/radio which the passengers don't hear (and ideally doesn't need a PTT key).

[El Tyranos 1263]

In real life passengers don't have anything to communicate (only the team leader has a dedicated place, with a com, to be able to communicate with the crew). From my personnal experience, we were just yelling at each other and it was impossible to talk to someone else than your 2 neighbors, especially when doors were opened. But for gameplay purpose making "in flight coms" easier would be great.

EDIT : may I also suggest a bit more voice alteration even at close range. At the moment, you almost have the same voice while speaking normally or using a radio. Real life military radios make the voices a bit more robotic.

[doveman 7]

In real life passengers don't have anything to communicate (only the team leader has a dedicated place, with a com, to be able to communicate with the crew). From my personnal experience, we were just yelling at each other and it was impossible to talk to someone else than your 2 neighbors, especially when doors were opened. But for gameplay purpose making "in flight coms" easier would be great.

Sure, what I meant was that is that it would be good if the passengers could talk amongst themselves using local chat (whether PTT or voice-activated/constantly open) without the crew being able to hear them and for anyone in a crew seat, their local chat would automatically become an intercom channel, with appropriate filtering so it doesn't sound like normal local chat and is just between the crew and ideally constantly open, not PTT. The crew would sometimes need to talk to the passengers (or at least the team leader) and vice-versa, so maybe when in a vehicle the crew and passenger's UW radio PTT key (even if they aren't carrying a UW radio) could automatically become a secondary intercom PTT key, so the crew and the team leader talk to each other. Then the other passengers would hear this but wouldn't transmit on it if it's too noisy to use local chat and they have to use their SR to talk amongst themselves.

I guess ideally the cockpit/front of the vehicle and the back/passenger section would be separate audio zones, so the local chat in one can't be heard in the other and the game volume would be reduced so that there's no need to use the SR to talk to other people in the passenger section. I'm not sure that's possible in ArmA at the moment though but maybe TFAR can somehow detect what position a player is seated in and create these audio zones itself?

---------- Post added at 11:05 ---------- Previous post was at 10:57 ----------

On a different note, I don't know if it's been suggested before but might it be possible to automatically assign the SR to one ear and the LR to another? I think IRL soldiers only have a single earpiece for their personal radios and it makes it a lot easier to tell which radio is being transmitted on when they're on separate ears, so if this could be done automatically it would save a lot of messing about assigning the radios to separate ears manually at the start of each mission. Maybe this could be an option in the config, like:

SR_Ear=L

LR_Ear=R

and if nothing's set there, it operates as it does now, with the radios defaulting to both ears?

Edited March 31, 2015 by doveman

[doveman 7]

Perhaps there's a simpler way to achieve what I've suggested, that will provide most of the functionality.

On getting into a vehicle/helo:

1. spawn everyone an intercom radio (doesn't need to actually be visible in the inventory, if it's possible not to be) which is activated with the UW transceiver key. Ideally this key would toggle it on/off rather than being a PTT. Even if it were possible, I don't think it would work to only spawn them for the players in crew seats, as the squad leader in the passenger seat will need one to communicate with the crew as well.

2. If in a crew seat, mute the player's SR radio (and unmute it when disembarking)

That way, the passengers can use the SR to chat amongst themselves without distracting the crew (or alternatively they can use local chat if it's audible), whilst the crew can communicate with each other on the intercom, which the passengers can hear but shouldn't use, unless they're the squad leader and need to talk with the crew.

[Azza FHI 50]

CBA has a pre release out now in prep for the DLC. apparently it changes the way keybindings are used by other addons so this will affect TFR.

will there be an update released soon after the DLC and will clients need new TS plugins or just need to update the mod files?

[bullhorn 18]

Hey nkey, are there plans for improving/replacing the direct speech / 3d position / distance dropoff of TFAR?

How about half-duplex radios?

Thanks.

[nomisum 129]

My wish for next dev cycle: Being able to hear alive units speak in spectator channel, when cam is near. Maybe even show a list of all frequencies used to listen to. Listening only of course. That would be a killer feature :)

[schmingo 10]

I hope someone can help me out:

1. Is there a way to configure LR-radios in freshly created vehicles via script? (no player in vehicle)

2. What's the max value for tf_receivingDistanceMultiplicator_Value and tf_sendingDistanceMultiplicator_Value?

Thank you in advance for your help!

[bumgie 49]

Feature request:

- Allow players to change volume between different channels on the same radio.

[nkey 35]

CBA has a pre release out now in prep for the DLC. apparently it changes the way keybindings are used by other addons so this will affect TFR.

will there be an update released soon after the DLC and will clients need new TS plugins or just need to update the mod files?

Everything should work with new CBA version (but you will unable to change keybind). New update in process, but not too close.

---------- Post added at 10:42 ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 ----------

Hey nkey, are there plans for improving/replacing the direct speech / 3d position / distance dropoff of TFAR?

How about half-duplex radios?

Thanks.

yes, both in plans.

---------- Post added at 10:43 ---------- Previous post was at 10:42 ----------

My wish for next dev cycle: Being able to hear alive units speak in spectator channel, when cam is near. Maybe even show a list of all frequencies used to listen to. Listening only of course. That would be a killer feature :)

---

Will think about it as optinal thing.

---------- Post added at 10:47 ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 ----------

I hope someone can help me out:

1. Is there a way to configure LR-radios in freshly created vehicles via script? (no player in vehicle)

2. What's the max value for tf_receivingDistanceMultiplicator_Value and tf_sendingDistanceMultiplicator_Value?

Thank you in advance for your help!

1) Yes, check https://github.com/michail-nikolaev/task-force-arma-3-radio/wiki/API%3A-Functions#TFAR_fnc_setLrSettings

Use vechicle as radio object and check this https://github.com/michail-nikolaev/task-force-arma-3-radio/blob/master/arma3/%40task_force_radio/addons/task_force_radio/functions/fn_vehicleLr.sqf#L24-L35 for ids

2) tf_receivingDistanceMultiplicator_Value

tf_sendingDistanceMultiplicator_Value - semething about 10000 (bigger value - bigger distance)

tf_receivingDistanceMultiplicator_Value - zero (smaller value - bigger distance)

---------- Post added at 10:48 ---------- Previous post was at 10:47 ----------

Feature request:

- Allow players to change volume between different channels on the same radio.

Mkay.

[Alex2k 13]

My wish for next dev cycle: Being able to hear alive units speak in spectator channel, when cam is near. Maybe even show a list of all frequencies used to listen to. Listening only of course. That would be a killer feature :)

Yes! Being able to hear living players when you are near them as a spectator would be awesome!

[eagledude4 3]

I'm having difficulty implementing Task Force Radio with my mission that uses a "KeyDown" displayAddEventHandler. None of the events in my handler occur

[tachi 10]

It doesn't seem to work with this version of CBA: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?178224-CBA-Community-Base-Addons-ARMA-3&p=2912612&viewfull=1#post2912612

[devilspawn 24]

Just posted this topic on mcc_sandbox_a3 too....

Anyone else having a problem with using task_force_radio with mcc together after the latest patch? I am not able to use both at the same time on my dedicated server "startup line". I can only use one or the other. Both enabled just hangs on black screen.

mod=@cba_a3;@mcc_sandbox_a3;@task_force_radio

Edited April 9, 2015 by deVilspaWn

[dr. rockso 10]

Hey nkey,

Are you working with the newly merged ACE3 team to ensure compatibility?

[Zriel 12]

It doesn't seem to work with this version of CBA: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?178224-CBA-Community-Base-Addons-ARMA-3&p=2912612&viewfull=1#post2912612

I'm using it myslef, no problems. Though one of ou team mates had problems with tfar in game.

---------- Post added at 10:06 ---------- Previous post was at 10:05 ----------

Just posted this topic on mcc_sandbox_a3 too....

Anyone else having a problem with using task_force_radio with mcc together after the latest patch? I am not able to use both at the same time on my dedicated server "startup line". I can only use one or the other. Both enabled just hangs on black screen.

mod=@cba_a3;@mcc_sandbox_a3;@task_force_radio

We are using it correctly. Dev CBA version, latest r14 MCC.

[tachi 10]

I'm using it myslef, no problems. Though one of ou team mates had problems with tfar in game.

---------- Post added at 10:06 ---------- Previous post was at 10:05 ----------

We are using it correctly. Dev CBA version, latest r14 MCC.

Tfar can't be working with latest version of cba(the one for developers), reasons are described in my post above - look at the details of VipersMaul post

[drredfox 11]

Hi,

I use TFAR and CBA (last version) without issues. It's true that the old keybinding system don't work anymore with TFAR, but the rest of functionalities works as expected.

[tachi 10]

Hi,

I use TFAR and CBA (last version) without issues. It's true that the old keybinding system don't work anymore with TFAR, but the rest of functionalities works as expected.

Well the plugin for ts3 can't even recognize that arma is running...

Edited April 9, 2015 by Tachi

[DaViSFiT 21]

So its not save to update CBA atm if we want to use TFAR?

[mannulus 38]

So its not save to update CBA atm if we want to use TFAR?

Pretty much. My unit was able to use TFAR just fine, so long as you don't update CBA_A3. Keep everything as is for now.