3 Different IR Strobes, whats the difference?

[AnimalMother92 10]

But there is a bug: both marker strobe and target strobe can be locked by aircraft.

http://forums.bistudio.com/showpost.php?p=1880781&postcount=8

Is there a CIT ticket for it?

[Lonestar 11]

I'm on it.

[Lonestar 11]

I could've swore that I saw an apache use its cannon on it one time when I was messing around in the mission editor. I might be wrong about that though. I also think i've seen one use hellfires on it.

No, I'm positive the Apache doesn't lock any strobe with any weapon.

Probably because the manual was for the original release of OA. Since then things have changed..

[76690]  Fixed: Despite irTarget = 0 units/objects could be locked with TAB.

Yes, maybe things have changed but the bug is here since release. I'll report it to CIT anyway.

In any case, we agree marker strobes shouldn't be lockable for security matters. Given the fact that they are used to locate friendly forces on the battlefield.

Edited March 24, 2011 by Lonestar

[Lonestar 11]

Both IR Marker Strobe and IR Target Strobe appear as laser targets

http://dev-heaven.net/issues/18423

Vote it up! :smile:

[victim913 10]

Having IR strobes to locate friendly forces is kind of pointless in this game is it not?

I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I can see it being slightly helpful if all of the units are wearing one and I can see him "strobing" with my night vision goggles as he walks around. But if it's something you have to drop for it to work, it seems pointless.

Real life I see it very helpful. But real life is way different than playing a computer game. I don't think any game can capture what it's like when you are in situations where this is helpful. In the game it's pretty easy to see who is who, and if it's something you have to set on the ground, enemies can walk into that area and now they are marked friendly.

Maybe there is some really awesome MP games out there that get played "right" and use tactics and gets as close to possible as real life. That would be good. But the way most people play is just a bunch of crazed people on their own missions going around killing anyone. If there is an MP world out there that I am missing please tell cause the only way I know a mission will play out right is to play SP.

So having a strobe that can be locked on by all aircraft would be ideal. If the aircraft has technology to lock a missle on a target, it should be able to lock on to the strobe. Even without NV capabilities. I know that's the point, to see it with NV, but I'm sure technology can make a strobe that also has other assets, like radio signal or gps or whatever. And most modern aircraft have some type of technology for this to work.

And I mean, I want to be able to lock onto that IR strobe, and have my little green square target box to pop up on my screen. And not only that, I want that target box to stay there. If it can lock with a specific missle, and show you your target box, it should stay there even when switching to guns. The computer can lock that position (being that its a computer and can do that) I want to still know where that is even if I lose sight of the blinking. Kind of like when your squad leader tells you to shoot someone and you still see the red circle following your targets predicted path, even when behind a wall.

Bottom line, I think if you force an issue to vote on making sure the strobes mark as friendly, you will end up making the strobe almost useless by 80% of the players. Having a strobe that marks as a target, lockable by almost all aircraft (no matter what weapon it uses) and lockable by ground units with that capability (tanks, at weapons etc.)

Now having 1 for targeting and 1 for friendly is fine, but i still think the unit needs to be wearing it to be useful. Just don't take away the locking for targets.:bounce3:

[Lonestar 11]

The manual is not really clear and I may have misinterpreted it.

Tactical groups use IR Marker Strobes. When you have a full platoon, it can be very useful to avoid friendly fire during night missions.

It's also being used in CSAR missions.

Right now I see 2 problems:

• Both strobes can be targeted
  
• Only LGB can target them.
  

If someone has a better explanation, I need feedback.

Edited March 24, 2011 by Lonestar

[rhaggan 10]

Seems that the only practical use can be for marking friendlys so long as there is no friendly AI involved for the likes of co op missions etc.

I know we would only use them really if there is cas on station or on a night live fire ex.

[oksman 37]

Only use I can find for the strobes are to mark infantry with them, just to make sure you don't get blue on blue by infantry. Helicopters don't see them at all from the skies, that means lighting up targets from an apache is not gonna work.

FLIR shouldn't see them right? That's the case in ACE at least, I guess they're just there for small improvements.

[cuppa 0]

I remember playing flashpoint sp mission. I was on a hill with around 10 ai. I decided to throw an ir strobe or marker on the ground. about a minute later i turn around and see a bomb falling from the sky and boomb it killed us all on the hill think it came from an a10