Tanks - Fire-control system

[oukej 2910]

Today's dev-branch update brings in an improvement to ranging, weapon zeroing and deflection.
 

• Most of the rangefinding equipment in the game lost its ability to measure range continuously. If you want to know the distance of a target you're pointing at you first need to lase it. By the "Auto Elevation" action. (The default keybind has been updated to "T" in Arma 3 and Apex presets)
• All tanks and APCs have lost the ability to automatically track targets. (The Visual sensors that have been recently added to Tank and Wheeled APC base classes have been removed again. If your mod vehicle should have an automatic target tracker you need to define a new sensor component.)
• At the same time they've received a more tanky-proper fire-control with an ability to use the laser ranging for assisted gun laying.
  
  What that means for tank gunners:
  • Whenever you lase a target your main gun and coax's zeroing and deflection will be automatically adjusted according to the target's distance and motion. Keep pointing at the target and fire. First-shot hit ensured. As long as your target moves in a predictable pattern. For everything else you'll need to use your skill ;)
  • Dumping the deflection and zeroing is possible via manual zeroing.

New or adjusted elements in the optics:

• Large 4-digit number (usually at the bottom of the reticle or top right corner) - measured distance
• Smaller 4-digit number with SPD (bottom left corner) - measured speed of the target
• Small square (Ready to fire box) - indicates that the gun's zeroing and lead have been adjusted (does not indicate whether the gun has been loaded and is ready to fire)

We're pushing the FCS way ahead of the Tanks DLC itself because of how the mechanic complements the Jets DLC Sensor overhaul.

Try it, use it, break it. Please let us know what you think!

[Blafirelli 24]

Whoa!

 

Edit: First!

[teabagginpeople 398]

Wanna say a big tanky for the new more tanky fire control systems. 

 

Awh man just shoot me in the God damn face.

[oukej 2910]

Few additional notes

• Updated https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/A3_Targeting_config_reference#ballisticsComputer
• Lasing and adjustments are more or less instanteneous - this is based on sekrit documents we've got about Chally 2's ;) For gameplay purposes the LRF cooldown has been set atm to 1sec.
• available IDCs for optics are
  • 198 - distance (0000-9999)
  • 199 - speed (0000-9999)
  • 200 - wpn adjusted (show/hide)

[bek 744]

Aww yis

[R0adki11 3949]

This is 

[snoops_213 75]

This is cool fun. My arma 3 apex preset sets this "auto elevation" to the \ key not T key. Will try to break this during the week :) 

 

Good out to 3000m. After that rounds fall short. Any chance of seeing the 105mm upgraded  to a 120mm? Or a new more powerful 105mm APFSDS round? I dont see NATO tanks downgrade from 120mm to 105mm without having a even more deadly round to replace their current tank killer rounds

[Alwarren 2767]

Must.. update... devbranch!

 

Looking great!

[petek 62]

Hi - not sure if related to this but gunner in slammer is not auto engaging enemies - as commander I'm having to call out the targets and ctrl-firing for them. Admittedly it's been a while since I've messed about in tanks in ARMA but figured the new update was worth a go;-)

UPDATE - tank will auto engage foot mobiles - but not tanks, APCs or MRAPS.

Edited March 6, 2017 by petek

[sammael 366]

Just WOW!!! 

and thank you devs

[ski2060 167]

Wow, wasn't expecting the new sensors to get removed from Armored vehicles so fast.
Are there not automatic targeting sensors on current armord vehicles?  Laser/Radar warning devices?

[sammael 366]

As long as your target moves in a predictable pattern. For everything else you'll need to use your skill ;)

 

Does this meant that I can`t spam T key  for fast adjust range between targets? or  I must switch to laser- measure the distance and again swith  to fire mode?

[dragon01 902]

Wow, that sounds great. Were you inspired by RHS or directly by reality? :) RHS was doing exactly that for a while, as were dedicated tank simulators. I'm going to test this as soon as the update downloads.

 

I think that it works like in RHS (though the actual update is still downloading, so I haven't checked). You press "T" to lase a target, FCS gets its speed and range, then you can fire after the gun is adjusted. I don't think BIS could improve on the RHS implementation here, but it's great that they'll be making it a part of the vanilla game.

[snoops_213 75]

9 minutes ago, sammael said:

As long as your target moves in a predictable pattern. For everything else you'll need to use your skill ;)

 

Does this meant that I can`t spam T key  for fast adjust range between targets? or  I must switch to laser- measure the distance and again swith  to fire mode?

You dont need to switch to laser. You can quickly lase another target and shoot. It seems that there is a 1sec delay (laser cooldown?) before you can lase again but thats fuck all really. 

 

[dunedain 48]

Excellent!

 

Just tried the Tanks showcase and it's working  great. That's the kind of features I really like to see personally. 

[oukej 2910]

23 minutes ago, dragon01 said:

Wow, that sounds great. Were you inspired by RHS or directly by reality? :) RHS was doing exactly that for a while, as were dedicated tank simulators. I'm going to test this as soon as the update downloads.

ACE and RHS as a proof of gameplay in Arma environment :) Otherwise as usually - our mil. advisors, available manuals and docs, other sims.

 

42 minutes ago, petek said:

Hi - not sure if related to this but gunner in slammer is not auto engaging enemies - as commander I'm having to call out the targets and ctrl-firing for them. Admittedly it's been a while since I've messed about in tanks in ARMA but figured the new update was worth a go;-)

Gunner will auto-engage only with the coax.

 

30 minutes ago, ski2060 said:

Are there not automatic targeting sensors on current armord vehicles?  Laser/Radar warning devices?

There are. Like Vesna-K / AST-B for target tracking. However it's probably better to keep these as something unique to a specific vehicle rather than default base.

 

23 minutes ago, sammael said:

Does this meant that I can`t spam T key  for fast adjust range between targets?

You can, with a small delay. Let's see if that works or if it is too OP and easy. There's still quite a lot of time between lasing and impact, even if you're really quick in pressing fire right after lase.

 

 

[dragon01 902]

Checked it out. It could, perhaps, have a small delay between lasing and the gun being ready. After all, it has to be physically readjusted to the correct range. Ideally, it'd depend on the difference in speed and range between current and previous target. Though since in most situations it'd be very quick anyway, this may not be worth additional work.

 

Otherwise, it seems to work just like it should. It'd be great to see those laser warning systems, too, at some point. It'd certainly add some tactical depth to this feature.

[CaptainAzimuth 714]

Awesome. Just Awesome.

[petek 62]

Thanks for the reply oukej - so it's by design that the gunner doesn't auto engage with cannon? Been a while since I've done the "tanker" thing! Tried it with AI and they seemed to handle themselves okay;-) Cheers

[Devastator_cm 434]

The lase will not cause AI flying around to send hellfires right?
At the moment if a laser is created on an object AI is firing rockets or dropping JDAMS which can be unwanted behavior here.

[dragon01 902]

No, this isn't a targeting laser, merely a laser rangefinder. In game, those are completely different systems (literally nothing in common) and IRL, they work on different frequencies and in a different way. Rangedfinder typically pulses briefly instead of giving a constant beam, which is also the reason it doesn't constantly update the range.

 

Speaking of which, would that be possible to add those features to handheld rangefinders and designators? I don't know if real ones can determine speed, but they also don't constantly update the range.

[Alwarren 2767]

Just tested it, I love the fact that the radar and automatic locking is gone.

I would propose though to add a target box around the lased target once the FCS has a firing solution. Otherwise it is very difficult to determine if the shot will hit or not, and as I understand it, most modern tank FCS have that feature.

 

Other than that, great new feature, and completely unexpected :)

[twistking 204]

that looks awesome. keep up the good work!

 

i know, i keep repeating myself, but couldn't you use this tech, to simulate the NLAW by creating and updating a guided missile impact point?

[dragon01 902]

Actually, that could work. Basically, the missile would guide to the point where the target will be if it keeps moving in the same direction at the same speed. 3-second lock time optional but highly recommended (could possibly use the locking system from Titan AA?).

[lex__1 422]

AI does not use the new targeting system, as it was before too. AI change the angle of the barrel, without adjusting a laser rangefinder. It doesn't look good, in the situation that AI adjustment is correct, and for you, this adjustment is not correct.
Details in this ticket. https://feedback.bistudio.com/T123093

But everything else is as it is presented in the DEV update - great work and news.

 

Excuse me, with the adjustment of the barrel AI\User, there is a change, everything works correctly. Now checked, the AI correctly places the corner of the trunk.