Avoiding collisions

[Quev]

Hello everybody;

 

I know that will be an easy question for you, guys, but I couldn't find the answer anywhere.

 

Does anybody know if there is a way to configure a mission to avoid collisions (I mean collision with another plane in flight)?

 

We are flying in closed formation and it will be useful for us.

 

I know this is cheating, :music_whistling::music_whistling:, but we will use this just for a while. I promise!!!

 

Thanks in advance and see you.

 

Bye!!!

 

Ps.: I already try the 'Inmortal' configuration in the simulator, in the mission parameters and in the trigger action configuration folder of each plane. But it doesn't work. I tried also the 'Invisible' thing, but the results are the same. Thanks!!!

Edited July 17, 2015 by Quev

[DarkFire]

When you say 'avoid collisions' do you mean AI aircraft colliding with each other, AI v player aircraft or player aircraft colliding with player aircraft?

 

AI aircraft will make some effort to avoid other aircraft, whether player-flown or other AI aircraft. The "immortal" option for players only means that a collision with the ground and certain other objects won't kill you, instead your aircraft will bounce off the ground. This does not apply to other aircraft though, the only option there is to avoid them. It's vital to be comfortable enough with your aircraft that you can fly 'eyes out of cockpit' for 95% of the time, particularly when in close proximity to other aircraft. When flying ion formation the only pilot in the flight who should worry about things like speed, altitude & heading is the lead aircraft. Everyone else in his or her flight should have their eyes glued to the lead aircraft and their only concern until entering a fight will be to stay in formation with the lead aircraft. This is done in reality, to the point where lead aircraft have mistakenly crashed in to the ground and their wingman has followed...

 

Good quality visual scanning all around is the only way to avoid others around you. To this end, consider making use of formation lights and anti-collision lights on all aircraft in your flight until near the target area or CAP zone, whichever applies but also bear in mind that having your lights on will make you much more visible to both other players and to AI opponents, particularly at night.

 

Hope this helps...

Edited July 17, 2015 by DarkFire

[feefifofum]

Hey Quev.

Setting the mission options to enforce player invulnerability on will prevent you & friends from dying if you bump into each other, but you will still ricochet off of each other. As far as I know you can't totally turn off collision detection.

 

 

EDIT: Be sure to do this in conjunction for setting IMMORTAL on for any AI flights involved or they'll still be destroyed

 

I've also noticed that with some settings, the missions will follow your personal menu options in multiplayer in spite of something being enforced differently. If the above doesn't work, have all human players turn invulnerability on in their personal menus as well, especially the host.

 

PERMIT CRASH RCVR may also be required, though I think this is only relevant to impacting the ground.

Edited July 17, 2015 by feefifofum

[Quev]

Thanks both of you (DarkFire and Feefifofum)!!! Your answers are interesting and very useful!!!

 

DarkFire, what you say is a very good aproach to flight in close proximity formations indeed. Thanks a lot!!! I agree with every word you said and, if you don't mind, I will send to my collegues this terrific paragraph.

 

Well, I apologize if my English is not good enought to express myself clear enought.

 

Ok. I will start from the beginnig.

 

I use to fly with a group of people and we are interested in acrobatic fly in close proximity formations. You can think as an example in the Virtual Red Arrow, in the Virtual Blue Eagle or in the Patrulla Aguila Virtual (in fact I flown for a couple of years with this guys, the PAV, the Patrulla Aguila Virtual).

 

In our training sometimes we flight with a human leader (I know this is the best practice), but sometimes we fly with a mision I created with an AI traffic as a leader (Feefifofum knows about that 'cause I asked a couple of questions relate to that).

 

The problem is that we are not so good yet and sometimes one of us goes 'against' some other traffics.

 

When I asked you about avoiding collisions, I mean avoiding collisions with an AI traffic.

 

As you said, when an AI traffic realizes another traffic is going to crash with him, he bounces and exits its programming route for a while and then he returns to his defined route.

 

When this happend, as you suposse, the formation became completely broken and we have to rejoin and begin again.

 

So my question is: Is it possible to avoid this avoiding manouver from the AI traffic?

 

With the FC2 you can configure the mission / simulator, so you can go throught an AI traffic and it didn't notice at all. You pass throught it as it were a ghost.

 

Is it possible to have then same configuration in DCS to have the same reaction (I mean, no reaction at all)?

 

Thanks again for your answers and for your patient.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Quev

[DarkFire]

Glad to be able to help :)

 

Your question about AI collision avoidance: I don't think it's possible to turn off the AI behaviour. There is a command in the editor to turn off group AI but this only works with ground & possibly naval units, not aircraft.

 

The AI in the current version of DCS does some very strange things on occasion. Apparently DCS 2 will eventually (not sure if it will be included at launch) have a totally new air traffic control system. As part of that I would imagine that the AI avoidance programming will have to be re-evaluated so more may be possible at that point.

 

In terms of doing acrobatics, I don't think that the current AI is capable of realising what you're trying to do and will simply keep trying to avoid you.

 

As a suggestion, one of the multi-player servers is specifically designed for acrobatic flying, with no weapons allowed, so it might be worth you and your friends flying together on that server to practice.

[Quev]

Hello again, and thanks for your quick answer!!!

 

Well, I was afraid this could be the situation.

 

Ok, it doesn't matter. We will look forward for the new versión of DCS. It will great if they improve AI's behaviour (turns are terrible; with a lot of bank angle and with out any progression and landings are completely crazy).

 

I knew about this acrobatic server, but I never tried. I'll check it out.

 

Thanks again for your help and see you in the virtual skies.

[feefifofum]

You might still have a shot...try REACTION TO THREAT: NONE on top of all that other junk.

 

I know they won't avoid incoming missiles if you do this, and I've seen one of my buddies drive up an IL-76's engine in the first mission of my campaign ;) I can't say for sure that he won't pull away if you cut him off, but you may be able to get a little closer to what you're looking for with that.

[Quev]

Thanks, Feefifofum!!!

 

I tried that and you are right. With the Reaction to threat deactivated, you can fly closer. But if you cut him off (if you pass in front of him), it still bounces and try to avoid the collision.

 

Well, we'll have to wait for DCS 2. I hope in this version AI's behaviours will be smoother.

 

Thanks for your help and take care!!!

 

Bye!!!