Requesting possibility to turn off the engine when stopped

[Madone]

Please I can't take it anymore, when I'm playing JTAC on a vantage point, I get the constant engine noise mixing with the comms and it's very annoying as I can stay up there for 2 hours, IRL we would most likely be dismounted and on overwatch position (not requesting this as it's asking for a game that already exist...), engine noise is something to deal with during a convoy or cavalry assault but NOT when on overwatch position. 

The "fix" I have for this is lowering both the world and cockpit volume because those 2 are used depending if you're in the vehicle as driver or gunner OR if you switch to binoculars... Then I loose all situational awareness as I'm unable to hear if someone is shooting or flying around me...

[Northstar98]

+1

 

Any improvement that brings some more serious tank-sim stuff to Combined Arms gets my vote.

[Sh4rk]

I have the game sounds on speakers, and comms on my headset (so I use both at the same time).

 

Do the engines not shut down for ALL units? I now for sure the noise is lower when you're not running, but I never noticed it being too high either as compared to the other in game sounds tbf.

[Northstar98]

On 1/11/2021 at 9:43 PM, Sh4rk said:

I have the game sounds on speakers, and comms on my headset (so I use both at the same time).

 

Do the engines not shut down for ALL units? I now for sure the noise is lower when you're not running, but I never noticed it being too high either as compared to the other in game sounds tbf.

 

Maybe, but you should have the ability to turn vehicle engines off.

 

Same goes for folding away RADARs.

[Yurgon]

+1, would be a great feature!

[thrustvector]

indeed, would really help the immersion, sitting in the woods just waiting....

[Count von Altibar]

Agree with these comments anything that can make CA more of a tank sim such as engine on/off ability would be fantastic. There's so much more mileage to be achieved within CA I really hope it gets more and more enhancements as things progress. For me DCS is at its best on multiplayer servers when there's a combined ground/air effort and players making use of communications effectively you just can't beat it.

[Revenant]

I've found from both real life and experience in another armor simulator that turning the engine off when your vehicle is stopped is great for not just conserving fuel (duh!) but also for being able to hear contacts in the distance. I can't count the number of times when I have been on a reconnaissance mission and identified the OPFOR well before ever visually seeing them just by being able to listen for their engine noise. Would definitely be a nice feature to see added to Combined Arms in the future. 

[Callsign112]

As a digital combat simulator, I see Combined Arms as being a very important piece of the puzzle for this community, and I hope ED can somehow find a way to give this important module more of the time and attention it deserves. Being also interested in the WWII theme, it would be great to see similar features like being able to turn off the engine of vehicles included in the WWII assets pack.

[PoorOldSpike]

In the Armed Assault game, vehicles show up clearly on infra-red if their engines are running (or have been running), so it's vital to switch off engines as soon as possible so that the vehicle will cool down and become almost invisible on IR.

I don't know if that also applies to Combined Arms?

[PoorOldSpike]

I just ran this test to try to switch off the engines of those 3 stationary vehicles after getting in them, but couldn't find a way to do it!

I searched the key listings for an 'Engine off' key but there doesn't seem to be one.

So the engines keep running and make the vehs glow white-hot like sitting ducks in the IR view below, crazy! 

 

 

 

[razo+r]

Engine has no factor on heat emission for vehicles in DCS. If the vehicle is alive, it will show as hot in IR view.

 

If heat was actually modeled, one could try and see if heat seekers pick up the heat source.

 

Also, player don't have the option to turn off engine, the AI can turn it off though it seems

[PoorOldSpike]

i just ran this test with an Abrams gunners IR view, I placed those Russian vehicles in the editor without any move orders, but even though they're static, their engines must be idling because they're glowing white-hot-

 

[Yurgon]

1 hour ago, PoorOldSpike said:

I just ran this test to try to switch off the engines of those 3 stationary vehicles after getting in them, but couldn't find a way to do it!

 

Dude, that's the whole point of this thread.

[PoorOldSpike]

1 hour ago, Yurgon said:

 

Dude, that's the whole point of this thread.

 

I know, but I was responding to Razo who said it seems the AI can turn off its engines.

That's why I ran the test and found that the AI didn't switch off their engines, see my screenshot two posts above this one.

That's why I'm a test nut because tests cut right through all the guesses and hunches and speculations and outdated earlier game versions tutorials and vids, because my tests are brandnew and bang up to date..:)

[razo+r]

1 minute ago, PoorOldSpike said:

 

I know, but I was responding to Razo who said it seems the AI can turn off its engines.

That's why I ran the test and found that the AI didn't switch off their engines, see my screenshot two posts above this one.

That's why I'm a test nut because tests cut right through all the guesses and hunches and speculations and outdated earlier game versions tutorials and vids, because my tests are brandnew and bang up to date..:)

 

As I also said, any unit that is alive will show as hot on IR in DCS.

 

So, make sure you take all facts into consideration next time

 

But if you spectate the AI, at least from what I remember, there were times when the AI did not emit any sounds.

Edited February 18, 2021 by razo+r

[PoorOldSpike]

2 minutes ago, razo+r said:

 

As I also said, any unit that is alive will show as hot on IR in DCS.

 

So, make sure you take all facts into consideration next time

 

But if you spectate the AI, at least from what I remember, there were times when the AI did not emit any sounds.

 

 

There, you said "from what I remember" which proves my point about the value of tests, because if you ran a few tests yourself you'd have solid evidence instead of having to rely on your memory..;)

[razo+r]

Just now, PoorOldSpike said:

 

There, you said "from what I remember" which proves my point about the value of tests, because if you ran a few tests yourself you'd have solid evidence instead of having to rely on your memory..;)

 

A screenshot doesn't emitt sound so those prove nothing from your side...

 

But either way, until they reworked the IR system, as long as the vehicle is alive, it will show as hot, regardless of the engine state.

[Yurgon]

22 minutes ago, PoorOldSpike said:

That's why I'm a test nut because tests cut right through all the guesses and hunches and speculations and outdated earlier game versions tutorials and vids, because my tests are brandnew and bang up to date..:)

 

That's a good point.

 

I was just under the impression that most people here agree that neither players nor AI can turn of the engines of ground vehicles, leaving them very noisy all the time.

 

And then, while the IR signature is certainly also a very interesting aspect about vehicles, I'm right there with OP that I'm mostly annoyed by the engine noise when JTACing from a humvee or similar vehicles in a stationary position.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Yurgon

[shagrat]

...and the engine noise makes it difficult to hear approaching vehicles or planes.

A simple "Engine On/Off" Keybind would be a fantastic addition.

[PoorOldSpike]

1 hour ago, razo+r said:

 

A screenshot doesn't emitt sound so those prove nothing from your side...

 

But either way, until they reworked the IR system, as long as the vehicle is alive, it will show as hot, regardless of the engine state.

 

When I was buzzing around the 3D world taking screenshots I could clearly hear the engines of my Abrams and the static Russian vehicles, that's all the proof I personally needed to conclude that engines can't be turned off in DCS.

Other people have said the same thing too, so I think we can all congratulate ourselves on answering the OP's question, and now retire for tea and medals..:)

 

PS- i've been a game developer/playtester/tutorial writer with various game companies for the past 18 years but have never worked for DCS, otherwise its bugs, glitches and anomalies etc would never have got past me..;) 

 

[silverdevil]

i can say in my real world experience (tanker) that we did not turn off engines when we were in the field. if that sh** did not start you were in trouble. but seriously can't you just make the sound louder for the commo?

[shagrat]

7 hours ago, silverdevil said:

i can say in my real world experience (tanker) that we did not turn off engines when we were in the field. if that sh** did not start you were in trouble. but seriously can't you just make the sound louder for the commo?

Different army, different doctrine? Where I served, they did not lay in hiding as guard/observer in a Leopard 2 and invite anyone with earlobe Mk I and explosive stuff to home in on the tanks. The use of the handrails to move the turret under cover was universaly disliked, but "Geräuschdisziplin" was a very real thing.

Guess in the open desert it would have been different, too, but not when you put so much effort into camouflaging and hiding in a woodline.

[Callsign112]

Any improvements to armored vehicles would be welcome, just don't forget the ones included in the WWII assets pack.

[silverdevil]

4 hours ago, shagrat said:

Different army, different doctrine? Where I served, they did not lay in hiding as guard/observer in a Leopard 2 and invite anyone with earlobe Mk I and explosive stuff to home in on the tanks. The use of the handrails to move the turret under cover was universaly disliked, but "Geräuschdisziplin" was a very real thing.

Guess in the open desert it would have been different, too, but not when you put so much effort into camouflaging and hiding in a woodline.

@shagrat i was tanker in 1980s M60A3. we were also not at war. when we were training in Mojave California, my tank was listed as a casualty, we all had health cards that told the medics what sort of injury we had. we got picked up by an M113 ambulance by what turned out to be the enemy. when we were healed, they just dropped us off in the desert to fend for ourselves. it was night and thankfully clear. we found our unit by following the noise. in this case i am glad the engines were on. war would be a different story.