Tank M1A1

[bravo 6 0]

i would like to ask if this also happens to the rest 1.055+ (beta):

when we are gunners of thank/m113, if you move cannon or mg does the engine of vehicle starts?

another thing; does the zoom in/out stop to work sometimes?

edit: typo

edit2: i would like to mention that the engine coulf be off because of the noise, not to save fuel (i don't really know how it work in real life)

[BroK3n 0]

now that you've mentioned it... i had the same thing happen to me in a vulcan as a gunner. no driver but getting in as gunner the engine started to rev... and the vulcan was moving in circles on the spot.

[Sniperwolf572 758]

I'm assuming the engine would turn on to power the turret, no power = no turret movement.

[mr reality 0]

when we are gunners of thank/m113, if you move cannon or mg does the engine of vehicle starts?

This happens to me all the time in ver 1.05.

It's an annoying bug, but small enough not to be too bothered by it, as the engine is on for the majority of the time anyhow and when a vehicle stops i would asume the engine is left running anyway.

I usually write setfuel 0; radio=false (to stop the AI reporting fuel low) in the init field of the waypoint to stop this kind of behaviour for tanks when i have them on a stop command.

@Sniperwolf572

I'm fairly certain that a modern MBT doesn't have to have the engine running for the turret to work. I mean these things cost millions of pounds.

[dm 9]

@Sniperwolf572

I'm fairly certain that a modern MBT doesn't have to have the engine running for the turret to work. I mean these things cost millions of pounds.

Just because they cost millions of pounds doesnt mean they dont need power

Infact, older tanks are actually more likely to have manual turret controls than the modern varieties featured in ArmA.

The M1 for example has an electronically powered turret, with a manual backup. Whether or not the batteries have enough power for extended turret operation I do not know, what I do know is that they are unlikely to be operating the turret without either the main engine or (more likely if the tank has been stopped for any period of time) the auxillary generator running.

[mr reality 0]

Well an easy way to fix this would be to not have the engine turn off when the tank stops unless you actually press the engine off key.  I'm realy speaking about being the commander of the tank with regards to this. As i've found when i order a tank to stop, the engine will cut off after a set time. But when i order my gunner to target something, the engine starts up. Why not have it so the engine doesn't stop when the tank stops...

Edit. Tanks are noisey beasts, so wouldn't they cut there engines and still be able to move the turret. Also when the engine breaks down the tank armorment must still get power or it's basically useless. I think there power system is a little more complicated than the average family saloon...

[MehMan 0]

Just one thing, isn't this a bit nit picking?

[Maddmatt 1]

Well an easy way to fix this would be to not have the engine turn off when the tank stops unless you actually press the engine off key. I'm realy speaking about being the commander of the tank with regards to this. As i've found when i order a tank to stop, the engine will cut off after a set time. But when i order my gunner to target something, the engine starts up. Why not have it so the engine doesn't stop when the tank stops...

Because it saves fuel . It was like this in OFP wasn't it? Also, if the player is the driver then the engine won't turn off automatically. I don't see any point in changing this. Otherwise you would have parked tanks that always leave their engine on when they don't need it.

[mr reality 0]

Just one thing, isn't this a bit nit picking?

One word Simulation

[Col. Faulkner 0]

One word    Simulation  

Except that whatever it is that the "tanks" in ArmA

actually "simulate", it's not 21st Century Main Battle

Tanks - they seem more like something the A-Team

would make out of an old golf cart, a pop-rivet gun

and some wriggly-tin.

[mr reality 0]

Yeah your right. The only thing they don't do, is fire cabbages.

[Heatseeker 0]

Just one thing, isn't this a bit nit picking?

One word Simulation

The simulation includes a loading crew position with coax MG, turret override and some other stuff... or so i read a while ago.

[Beagle 684]

I'm assuming the engine would turn on to power the turret, no power = no turret movement.

Definitely not. Turret is electrically driven and modern tanks (10 years and less) have a auxiliary generator to keep the voltage of the batteries.

This helps to keep the Tank relatively cool and to save fuel in watch and recon situations.

[sixfour 0]

I'm assuming the engine would turn on to power the turret, no power = no turret movement.

Definitely not. Turret is electrically driven and modern tanks (10 years and less) have a auxiliary generator to keep the voltage of the batteries.

This helps to keep the Tank relatively cool and to save fuel in watch and recon situations.

I used to be a real life tanker, my tank didnt have an auxilary generator. When we was standing in one position over a length of time we turned off the engine, then turned it on again to reload the batteries about every 30 minute, as the turret pulls lots of juice.

Also we didnt want the tank to be cool, we wanted it to be hot as i'm in Norway. Norway during the winter is very cold, especially inside a metal freezing box. Luckily we had a very powerful heater inside

[INNOCENT&CLUELESS 0]

@ Mr. Reality:

As DeadmeatXM2 mentioned, being combat ready all the time requires power, batteries are to heavy to even think about equipping tanks with a huge battery capacity for hours.

Thats why in almost all MBTs you have auxiliary power units which are meanwhile pretty quiet. No good tanker would play with the batteries in combat, to dangerous that when batteries are low and he wants to fire up engine, the engine fails. Batteries are meant to give the tank fighting abilities when all power sources failed.

[Col. Faulkner 0]

Yeah your right. The only thing they don't do, is fire cabbages.  

Having tried the "HEAT" rounds in the game they may as well be cabbages!

[bravo 6 0]

Just one thing, isn't this a bit nit picking?

One word Simulation

The simulation includes a loading crew position with coax MG, turret override and some other stuff... or so i read a while ago.

well i edited my 1st post here because i really dont know how it works in real life. If someone explain me i would be very apreciated. I think realism should be at top priority

Maybe the engine is on so it generats energy to the cannon, or the batteries would die fast.

I once saw a movie "the beasts of war" ( i think ) and i would risk to say they could move the cannon ( manually) without using the tank's engine on.

Please some expert on the subject confirm if the tank's engine are necessary to be on in order to move around the cannon. TANKS!

edit: typo

[HotShot 0]

Check Sixfour's post on the previous page, which seems to amount to no they dont need the engine on to move the turret, just to recharge the batterys for it every half hour.

[bravo 6 0]

Check Sixfour's post on the previous page, which seems to amount to no they dont need the engine on to move the turret, just to recharge the batterys for it every half hour.

geez.. thank. i guess i missed that post

hope BIS make the realistic way

[Beagle 684]

I'm assuming the engine would turn on to power the turret, no power = no turret movement.

Definitely not. Turret is electrically driven and modern tanks (10 years and less) have a auxiliary generator to keep the voltage of the batteries.

This helps to keep the Tank relatively cool and to save fuel in watch and recon situations.

I used to be a real life tanker, my tank didnt have an auxilary generator. When we was standing in one position over a length of time we turned off the engine, then turned it on again to reload the batteries about every 30 minute, as the turret pulls lots of juice.

Also we didnt want the tank to be cool, we wanted it to be hot as i'm in Norway. Norway during the winter is very cold, especially inside a metal freezing box. Luckily we had a very powerful heater inside

With "keeping" cool I meant the heat signature. But in hot Summers the temperature inside the old LeosIIA4 (without air conditioning) could exedeeded 30°. Thats why they now all have air conditioning and auxiliary Generators that also drive the electric/electronic gear.

[dm 9]

Check Sixfour's post on the previous page, which seems to amount to no they dont need the engine on to move the turret, just to recharge the batterys for it every half hour.

geez.. thank. i guess i missed that post

hope BIS make the realistic way

Thats only for the specific model of tank he was operating.

The M1 for example will simply run the auxillary generator.

What BI have as it stands is a pretty good comprimise, since adding in code for aux power units (whilst it would be nice for both tanks and aircraft) isnt REALLY necessary, given that we're not operating over periods of time long enough to deplete fuel supplies as in the real world.

[bravo 6 0]

so DeadMeatXM2 are you saying it should be as it is or BIS should change it?

[dm 9]

I'm saying it would be "nice" but that its totally un-necessary since we dont play for anywhere near the length of time which would make APU's an important factor in fuel consumption.

Whilst it might be mildly irritating that the engine turns on when operating the turret, it is far from unrealistic and isnt a "show stopper". Theres other things that BI should "fix" first before worrying about something as pointless as whether or not the engine is running during turret operations

[bravo 6 0]

Theres other things that BI should "fix" first before worrying about something as pointless as whether or not the engine is running during turret operations

i guess i read it before..

..if i remember well it sounded something like this

pointless, spam, closed.

[-CS-SOBR-1st-I-R- 0]

I know of the Marder 1A3 IFV that the turret is moved by gearwheels providing quite a fast movement of the turret.

But I can well immagine that modern MBTs have a second battery/power source to move the turrent. For sure an emergency system when the tanks engine is damaged.