Attack BVR targets config/mod possible?

[mdtorch 39]

Hey guys,

 

recently Pookies SAM package was released to Arma III, with a huge load of SAM/AA-units, many of them being capable of attacking hostile aircrafts 20km away. This however, is an option only ai controlled units seem to have, because of the view distance and target lock-on limitations of human/player controlled units. I feel this is a huge let down for teams which dont like to play with AI, but instead want to have TvT matches where they still would have to visually acquire a target in order to get a shot at it, rendering most of the huge AAA-systems useless.

 

I thought about possibilites to create a mod/config which would allow players to attack aircrafts miles away without having to lock on, on a visual base. Because I'm just kind of a basic "mission designer", and have little to no experience with vehicle configs and creating mods, I wanted to know, what you experienced script-aces think of some really raw, basic ideas, before I try to learn about how stuff works and where to begin with. Maybe you can see where my ideas are going, and are able to tell me "no, that won't work!" or something like that, so I could save me some time I would waste for something that is simply impossible:

 

First thing I would start with is the raw scanning for enemy jets in certain areas. This is something that has been done before and can be made in a fair amount of time (as far as I can evaluate things). A deployed airradar with a given radius (depending on type) draws icons on the map of hostile and friendly aircrafts. These icons will appear on the maps of the radar-operator and the gunner of a nearby deployed fitting AA-unit, marking the position of all airtargets in range.

Done before: lalas AWACS script in the USAF-mod, new function in RHS (

- in fact this would be exactly what I would go for.) and done in the Zerty BECTI mission with the "airradar-building".

 

(Maybe the script could make use of something like a "stealth factor" for different jets, given as a static value for each type of jet and a default-value for jets that haven't been added. This value would make it more or less likely for jet-icon to appear on the map.)

 

Now it gets difficult:

 

Would it be possible, to add the vanilla artillery system (target computer) to a unit? What I'm thinking of: The gunner in the AA-vehicle opens its artillery computer, on which he is able to locate hostile aircrafts (scanned by the radar unit). Then he places his target-marker near the enemy-jet-marker, or where he thinks the jet will be when the missile arrives, and presses fire. The range of the AA-unit can be up to its real world data, for example: 30 km or more.

 

The missile starts and travels to the marked position. Before it arrives (distance depends on the type of missile?) the script scans for nearby hostile aircrafts. If there is an enemy jet in the given area, the missile would get its position, angle and altitude and begins to head for that spot in the sky. This scan would have to repeat to update the position of its target. Missile hits jet - profit.

 

Is this even doable? I know it sounds like a retared work around, and sure - its nothing more than that - but me and my team are desperate to get long range AA-systems working in TvTs.

 

Another solution could be Firewills new F-15 mod? He released a video in which the F-15 drops smart bombs on different targets in a small area. He didnt have to lock on to anything, but he claims the bombs would lock on their own, making use of an IR-targeting-system. Couldnt this work for long range missiles too? Maybe we will see when his mod is out.

 

Thank you guys for giving me any form of advice or hint. And if everything I wrote is worthless bullshit that would never work - dont get mad with me. Maybe you guys have some ideas ;)

 

 

 

 

[Lala14 135]

Hmm, I may have completely read this wrong but, without taking the script approach you could do it by the config, Firewill's F-14 can engage targets from BVR with the AIM-54 and it's not dependent on the view distance of the player.

[mdtorch 39]

Thank you lala. I will definetly take a look at firewills f-14. But how does that work? Do you have to fire that missile into the blue sky where you think the enemy is and the missile takes its own target? Or do you have to spam the lock on key while scanning over the clear sky? I hope there is a solution to this problem...

[Lala14 135]

Basically the radar at the top or wherever you might have it, will actually show units beyond the default, I think, 3.5km radius, I'm not sure what Firewill has set it to but yea. Plus then you actually get a target box so you can lock on to it, so yea it's not a fire at a certain position and then auto track but an actual you need to lock the target, I guess there might be a possibility where you could maybe mimic Kimi's Hud and have white target boxes around targets.

[x3kj 1247]

I remember the KA-52 in A2 in warfaremode where you could sit at the edge of smaller maps map and lock targets that where like 8Km away and shoot them. The tunguska was similary powerfull against air targets, to the point where it was almost too strong for fun gameplay. So theoretically this should still work in A3. If you want some advanced/ custom radar system with additional features it's propably going to need more work / workarounds.

Example:

 

I do not think that you can modify the artillery computer at all, which is a big shame since it's veery basic and could need some improvements. It doesnt even allow low angle solutions.