sthompson

Same here. I've gotten to the point that I can make hits on both sites. But never a successful RTB afterwards. Either I'm killed or the plane is too badly damaged and I have to eject. But the stupid AI never do what they are told. Half the time one or more of them crash into the ground before we even get to the AO. And when I tell them to engage they seem way too eager to pop up to an altitude that invites multiple SAM launches.

Here is a bit more information to supplement the very good advice you have received already from MaxSenna. VAICOM (not Viacom) stands for Voice AI Communications. (At least that's my best guess.) It's for AI communications only. It's not intended for general control of your aircraft, or views, etc. The only keywords you can add are aliases for the AI communications functions that VAICOM supports. VAICOM PRO communicates with the AI directly using network functions to exchange messages between its VoiceAttack plugin and lua code that it adds to DCS itself. (Older versions of VAICOM used virtual keypresses instead, but that system was quite fragile and frequently broke when DCS was updated.) VoiceAttack, on the other hand, can activate all kinds of things through voice commands, but is limited in its communications to virtual keypresses, mouse clicks, etc. I'm not sure why you would want to add VoiceAttack commands that have nothing to do with AI communications to your VAICOM keyword list. VAICOM would not know what to do with them.

You don't say which module but generally it helps a lot to set the instrument brightness very low. How to do that is module dependent. I can read the airspeed in the P-51 with NVG, for example, simply by turning the instrument illumination way down. In the Hornet you also need to put the various displays in "night" mode and use the NVG switch.

If you just say "Inbound" without first selecting the recipient then this command is probably being sent to the default airfield. And then if Easy Comms is turned on the frequency changes automatically to that ATC frequency. There are a few ways to make this work: If easy comms on: "Stennis, Select," then "Stennis, Inbound." You can skip the first command if you use the "instant select" option. But then you must specify Stennis in the second one. If easy comms off: tune radio to Stennis, then "Stennis, Select," then "Stennis, Inbound." You can skip the radio tuning if you use the option "select tunes radio" or you can skip "Stennis, Select" if you use "Instant Select." But you can't skip both because "Instant Select" will not tune the radio even if you have "Select tunes radio" on.

I tried dynamic switching and didn't like it because the use of the "Switch" command when I want to talk on SRS seemed awkward. For me the solution is to turn off dynamic switching and then set up SRS as follows. First, I use the same buttons for SRS radio selection and VAICOM TX nodes. Then turn off the SRS feature where radio select also works as PTT. Instead define a new button for SRS PTT. That way you can use one of the SRS/VAICOM buttons to talk to the AI or select an SRS radio. But to actually broadcast on SRS you then need to push its separate PTT button. SRS does not hear the VAICOM commands or vice versa with this setup, and you only need one additional button.

I'm still really struggling with this mission. Have flown it close to 20 times without achieving success because I always get shot down. If not on the first pass then on the second one. It's getting old. Any tips would be welcome. My most effective strategy so far has been to come in very low and fast (400+ knots) with rockets and hope I get the Iglas before they get me. Other strategies have almost always gotten me killed on the first pass.

Turns out this isn't a bug but rather a feature that I've never seen in action previously.

That did it. Thanks Flappie. Can't recall when I turned that on, but I never noticed the behavior until very recently when it caused trouble. I guess I don't usually bring up the briefing after being KIA. It isn't clear to me why that feature is tied to the briefing. The manual documentation of this feature says nothing about what triggers a respawn.

no and no. You can go straight to 2.7 openbeta. It does not download everything twice, but it does copy files that are the same across each version from the copy already installed if you have more than one version, causing duplication. So yes it takes a lot of space, but no you don't have to download everything twice. The space issue is considerable if you have multiple maps installed.

I can verify that this is how it behaves. I do not use the feature myself so the following is speculation and guesswork. I suspect the problem is that when you try to import the keywords VAICOM does not know what to do with them because you have reset the database and so is ignoring them. For VAICOM to know what to do with these keywords it must determine the underlying actions in DCS that each one of them triggers. How it does that is part of the mystery, but I'm certain it is querying data structures in the communications systems to get the name of each F10 action in the current mission and a hook to the corresponding action to be taken when it is selected. Some of that information is then probably saved in the keywords database so that VAICOM does not have to search the underlying DCS data structures each time you invoke an F10 keyword. If you reset the database this information may be lost, and so if you then try to import one of the previously saved keywords, VAICOM does not have an action to match it to. Exactly how it does the matching I don't know. But possibly if you re-run the mission the F10 entries in the database will be repopulated, and then you may be able to import your custom aliases for those actions. Why don't you give that a try and tell us if it worked.

The easiest way is to do a DCS repair, deleting unnecessary files when it asks you about that, and then not re-installing any. No. I meant you should uncheck all the boxes on the right hand side under VOIP CONTROL and move the slider to "Broadcast Parallel." But it would also be a good idea while testing to uncheck the one you indicated.

I suspect that VAICOMPRO is conflicting with other lua code that modifies DCS. Some suggestions to help isolate the problem: Turn off VOIP integration. Disable all mods and do a DCS repair to make sure no mods are interfering. Delete export.lua completely so that VAICOMPRO can create a clean version with no SRS, Tacview, etc. (Note that if the SRS line is in export.lua then some SRS code runs when DCS is running even if the SRS client is not running.) Test using ATC rather than AWACS. Test in SP, not MP. Test in a very simple mission to be sure that mission scripting is not a contributing factor.

Apart from "Kneeboard" those are not VAICOM kneeboard commands. If you are looking for them then I suggest you have not read the kneeboard documentation in the VAICOM manual. "Kneeboard" itself should work but you need to make sure you do the "Finish" steps to add them to your profile.

If you look just above your post you will see another post that links to a thread on the End Mission bug. There is a fix for that bug embedded in the thread. Once you implement the fix you can then use the "instant win" feature to skip ahead to the next mission.

You seem to have multiple issues. If VAICOM is not saving settings it could be because VoiceAttack (and thus VAICOM) does not have permissions to modify the VAICOMPRO files. Do you run VoiceAttack as administrator? If not, are you able to create/edit/delete files in the VAICOMPRO folders using the usual Windows tools? Regarding the SRS/VAICOM issue can you be more specific as to what the problem is. All you say is that it "sort of works." What exactly does not work? And if you have trouble on particular servers but not others you might want to get more specific in your posting here and/or contact admins on the servers that are not working for you. SRS and VAICOM do work together well for many of us, but we need more info if we are going to sort out your issues. If you reply, think about posting a new thread in the main VAICOM forum that identifies your specific problem instead of adding to this impossibly long one.

"chocks" is not in the list but "remove the wheelchocks" and "place the wheelchocks" are in the list. At least in the PRO version. Keywords are sometimes phrases. They are listed in the manual. Note that wheelchocks is one word in the keyword phrases.

"Chief, remove the wheel chocks."

Attached is a track file and a debrief log that demonstrate the bug: Fly a mission and crash intentionally (or unintentionally). Then press Left-Alt-B to bring up the briefing window. Then press fly. You will find yourself in a new plane as if nothing happened. In the attached track I did it several times in a row. I first discovered this when running a Campaign mission where the spawn caused me to attain mission success (apparently because I killed some enemy defenses when I crashed) where return to base was part of mission success. But of course spawning a new plane shouldn't count! mission.log Mission.trk

More on the bug I mentioned regarding resurrection after a failed mission. I flew Mission 10 and deliberately crashed shortly after takeoff, then looked at a few planes who were still flying (external view), then pushed LAlt B to view the briefing, then the FLY button. This kicked me back to a hangar at Krymsk cold and dark. I'm attaching the debrief log that shows me restored to life. The track file is too big to post in the forums, but it shows the same thing. This is on OB 2.7. mission 10.log Edit I discovered that this is a bug that has nothing to do with the campaign. I was able to reproduce it using an Instant Action campaign for the F-15. I reported it here:

I don't think that's the problem. I've followed my progress against the waypoints on the kneeboard map and I do get the prompt to pop up and turn in just before waypoint 6. I am shielded from the ZSU's and Igla's at that point. It's in close right after I pass the last ridge where I start to get hammered. I tried again last night using rockets for the first attack instead of bombs and tried to jink more on the attack run. That helped and I was able to get over the ridge past the target and dive for protection. So I'm making progress. But when I turned back in for another run they took me down almost as soon as I cleared the ridge line. I'm still interested if you have any comments on the altitude issue, or what is the role of the detour out to waypoint 3. You didn't address those in your reply. BTW, I've now twice had an unusual experience where after being KIA I watched the other planes for a few minutes to see what they were doing and then paused the mission by opening the score page or the briefing. After looking at those I pushed the "Fly" button and immediately found myself back in the hangar at Krymsk sitting in a cold and dark undamaged plane, with the "Mission Complete" message in the corner of the screen. This resurrection and teleportation apparently increased my score to 100! But since I had not completed the mission to my own satisfaction I closed the mission without saving progress so that I can try again.

There is a thread on this bug here: A fix is posted in the thread, and @BigNewy has posted that ED is aware of the bug and working on it.

I'm puzzled by Mission 10. First, the briefing and waypoints in the ME tells me I should be flying the entire sortee at over 6,000 ft, but there are voice cues telling me to keep it low (1,000 ft AGL at WP 2, and to pop up at WP 6), and flying high seems to be asking for a SAM launch. The assigned altitude also seems to put me in the clouds a lot. I've been ignoring the assigned altitude as a result. Second, there is the weird path in the flight plan where I'm supposed to fly almost directly over waypoint 4 on my way to waypoint three, then do a 180 back to 4. I assumed that was to delay my arrival so I would be coordinated with the F-4s. What I find is that when I fly over 4 on the way to 3 I get a voice prompt to turn southeast (130 degrees) and follow the valley down to WP 5 and 6 rather than continue to WP 3. If I ignore that and fly to WP 3, then circle around to the north to go back to WP 4, 5, and 6, I'm quite late getting to the AO relative to the briefed TOT for WP 6. If instead, I turn as instructed and head for WP 6 I arrive at the target pretty close to the assigned TOT, but then find that the F-4s have not yet started doing their thing. Perhaps most frustrating is that when I pop up and then fly low and fast towards the target I'm getting Igla's (from Manpads?) and AAA from the multiple ZSU-23's right in the face and throughout the bombing run. So even when I successfully deploy some Paveways to take some of them out, the other ones get me before I can get over the next ridge and out of their line of sight. The briefing tells me that I should be coordinating the attack with the F-4s so that the enemy defenses are not totally focused on me, but that doesn't seem to be working. Also, my flight just follows me into the danger zone and either dies or bugs out without deploying any weapons. They do not engage or carry out the mission orders even when attacked. Any tips or suggestions welcome.

Yes, it's been noted before. I consider it a VAICOM bug. Hope Hollywood takes care of it some day.

I don't understand this description of the problem. VA would not hear a spoken command to "start listening" if it has already stopped listening. So you must mean something a bit different from what you wrote.

That is correct. This bug has been around for a long time. For me it's just a nuisance. When I want to make the menus appear (or more often to make them disappear) I press the communications key more than once as needed. It most often seems to need multiple presses when first starting a mission. I can see how this would be more of a problem if you are trying to press it via a VoiceAttack script. The problem is not the keystroke itself, but rather that somehow VAICOM is interfering with operation of the communications menu even when you do not have any of the special options (such as disable menus) selected. I could speculate about why this is happening, but without access to the code it's hard to know for sure, let alone to fix it. Perhaps you should PM Hollywood about it, or take it up through the official support channels.