Laser guided bombing changes in 1.14?

[zootia 0]

I did tons and tons of bombing with the GBU harrier prior to the 1.14 patch, and after 1.14 I noticed something very different.

Before 1.14, The way it worked was, if you had someone on the ground to laze you a target, you could acquire and lock on to the laser marker. Then, your onboard targeting computer would generate a green square on your HUD of where you SHOULD be aiming when you release your bombs. You would then proceed to align your targeting reticule on your HUD with the square your targeting computer made, and release your munitions.

Heres a screenshot of it in action, right before the bomb is released.

**Notice how the green HUD square the targeting computer generated does not overlap with the actual white target square.

Now, however, after 1.14, your targeting computer doesn't seem to do anything! The green square generated by the targeting computer always just sits over the white square. This doesn't tell you where to drop your bombs or anything, it just tells you the location of the marker.

Here is a screenshot

Obviously, the green square rendered by the computer in the screenshot is not where you need to have your reticule to release the bombs (They will fall way too short).

I've dropped hundreds of GBUs in ArmA and, unless you have a perfect angle of approach, the green square and white square never line up like that.

The new targeting system is pointless, as you already know where the laser marker is, and dumb because now you have to actually manually aim your bombs at the targets with gut feelings. This leads to more inaccurate bombings and closer and more dangerous runs.

It took me a few friendly fire incidents to figure this thing out. I bombed like I always did, where the computer told me to release the bombs. They fell way short of the target and hit friendlies a few times and I knew something was off with the targeting in 1.14.

Has anyone else noticed this or is it only me??

[Benoist 0]

You play with enemy tags and weapon cursor activated. People with out that wouldn't know where the target is.

[rstratton 0]

increase your altitude and dive down towards the taget

[max power 21]

To be honest I think that any use you found for the HUD of the aircraft was coincidental. Those aircraft HUDs were pretty well worthless. I think you might be the only one who's missing them. That's a neat trick you found though.

The reasons your bombs are falling short is that they don't have enough energy for the distance you want them to launch. I don't believe that if you're firing with a diamons lock it's a targetting issue. So, decrease the distance or increase your speed or altitude. Also, the higher and slower you are, the less error you'll introduce, and near misses will be closer. Obviously, there is a balance here between bombing envelope and aircraft safety.

[zootia 0]

It was NOT a coincidence, the green square was where you were suppose to drop your bombs. You could be flying so high, where you couldn't even see the ground, and the ground troops couldn't even hear your engine and still drop bombs within 5 meters of the target using the green square. In cases like this, you don't even have to tilt the nose of your plane.

I know how to dumb bomb without the laser marker, and I can hit targets pretty good. but what I am trying to tell you guys here in this thread is the fact that there was computer assisted targeting before and now it is gone.

[UNN 0]

Quote[/b] ]but what I am trying to tell you guys here in this thread is the fact that there was computer assisted targeting before and now it is gone.

It may have gone unoticed because you don't need to have the Aircraft pointing at the target and you don't need the HUD.

How did the green square handle distance from target?

If it's was also available for non laser guided bombs then it would be usefull.

[Peregrine 0]

@zootia, I know what your talking about.  If you fly with USEC F117A Nighthawk you will see the green square there also.

Like your saying, the green square is used if you dont have a laser targeted.  If the green square goes over the target you can drop the bomb and hit your target without locking on with a laser.  Since it use to be in game, I guess someone can mod it back into the game.  I would talk to the people that made the USEC F117A Nighthawk since there addon has it.

[[aps]gnat 28]

Since it use to be in game, I guess someone can mod it back into the game.

Arrhhh ... no, not nessisarily.

BIS may have completely dropped or re-done the animation or driver "source" for that "mode" (maybe so AI would bomb better for example) and therefore it is no longer available.

[max power 21]

I thought that target box is just the improperly calibrated HUD trying to put a box around your target. And the closer you get, the closer the HUD gets to being correct. When the box surrounds your target, all that means is that you're facing the target and you're close to it. Since you're facing the target and you're close, the bombs have an easy time acquiring the laser and hitting the target (at low altitude).

Are you guys sure that this isn't the scenario? Are you sure that this box represents a constantly calculated impact point?

[Peregrine 0]

Gnat @ Nov. 13 2008,12:30)]

Since it use to be in game, I guess someone can mod it back into the game.

Arrhhh ... no, not nessisarily.

BIS may have completely dropped or re-done the animation or driver "source" for that "mode" (maybe so AI would bomb better for example) and therefore it is no longer available.

I also say that Gnat because the USEC F117A Nighthawk has it.  Since the USEC F117A Nighthawk has it in 1.14, shouldnt someone be able to add it back to the harriers in 1.14?

[mattxr 9]

Well im a pilot in a clan and when we lase the largets i get the square within a square for dropping the bomb.. hit everytime, so it must be your settings mate. We play 1.14

Also the bombs will "fly" a little way glide as u like to the target with the fins on the bomb if theres a laser active i think

[Daniel 0]

No matter what happens once you've got a lock with the LGB, it's pretty much gonna hit. I think zootia must be referring to dropping dumb bombs...

[Binkowski 25]

Come in high and level from one direction keeping the lock in sight, I usually go out to 3000 + meters. You can't just do a hard banking turn lock and drop, it doesn't work that way. Remember you don't have to have the Target in the HUD.

[GeneralCarver 0]

Yeah. I think they have been making changes. It seemed like back in 1.09 the laser targeting was not even working if I remember right.

Now it does work again in 1.14 however, I never noticed the cursor which you showed. Very observent.

[max power 21]

Hopefully all of these features and what they actually represent will be present in the arma 2 manual. If they document it all very well and don't change much in terms of the mechanics, we might even be able to use the ArmA 2 manual for ArmA.