Search Then Engage in Zone does not search

[ColonelPanic42]

The attached miz and track show that the Search Then Engage in Zone task does not actually perform a search.

• There are three flights in the mission. The leftmost has a single Search Then Engage in Zone waypoint with the target area over the airfield. This flight RTBs the moment they hit their IP, without ever searching the target area.
  
• The second is the same as the first but also includes a flyover point over the airfield. They fly to the airfield, then back off and begin their attack run.
  
• The third is the same as the first but the search task has a duration of 15 minutes. They do not wait and RTB when they hit their IP the same as the first.
  

I don't know if this is a behavior bug or a documentation bug. I expected the first flight to behave correctly. If the behavior is correct, I'd suggest renaming the task to "Engage Already Spotted Targets in Zone" or something similar, since the unit will not search the area as the name implies.

oca_strike.trk

oca_strike.miz

[ColonelPanic42]

Based on a precise reading of the manual, I think it's a misleading name rather than a behavior bug: "Same as the Search Then Engage Enroute Task, but with an added restriction of a user-defined target area." It's not "search the zone and engage the targets", it's "search the route and filter by the zone".

 

Would be nice to have an option for the behavior I expected. https://forums.eagle.ru/forum/english/digital-combat-simulator/dcs-world-2-5/dcs-wishlist-aa/7149996-task-for-attacking-aircraft-on-the-ground

[Grimes]

More precisely it is "allowed to engage any valid targets detected in zone while task active". A critical component is that it is an "Enroute Task" which isn't a command to do a specific action, but rather what it is allowed to do if that task comes up. See this wiki page for more information: https://wiki.hoggitworld.com/view/DCS_editor_AITasking#Perform_Task_vs_Enroute_Task

 

This is why that group RTBs immediately, because they don't detect the target and they have reached the end of their route, thus the task has very little time to detect the target and be allowed to attack it.

[nighthawk2174]

Hmmm really wish the system was more like task = "barcap". Where you can set up waypoints from the advanced action menu for them to either follow in order or move between randomly. Then set an engagement zone (hopefully making it not just a circle but making it so you can define its shape more finely with a bunch of points that connect together). A lot like how its done in CMO

[Grimes]

Some of that can be accomplished, but not precisely as you desire. For example to cover an area you can combine multiple search and engage tasks to accomplish a more complex shape. Use searchAndEngage, set max distance, and the AI will use their route as the shape. Multiple searchAndEngageInZone's can be used to get some shape, while it'll have some curves to it, the shape can be close enough to what you want. Randomly moving can be commanded via switch waypoint, or possibly a better solution would be to just use the scripting engine to randomly generate those points or change the order of them.

[nighthawk2174]

Right but it really should just be one action instead of having to make work arounds. Maybe something ED can work on as part of the needed changes that are going to have to be made to make a dynamic campaign even remotely realistic.