Targeting and "Untargeting"

[Sunjah]

Like many others here, I am slowly getting a (slight) handle on this beast whilst airborne. I am having trouble with some of the weapons commands/systems/functions.

 

1) How do you "Untarget" something that has been locked up and has a "C" meaning ready to fire? From what I've seen, hitting ESCAPE resets everything, but I'm having a hard time with thinking that I have to reset EVERYTHING simply to change my target. With the VIKHR missles, I got to the point where I did just reset, or caged then uncaged the SHKVAL again.

 

2) With guns, it was a bit more of a pain, unless it is so simple I am missing it. It kept saying "C," and when I pressed "Lock-up-Target," it didn't seem to really care or differentiate, except where the "q"-"auto hover to target" mode was engaged. The it usually did rotate to the target.

 

I'm looking for a "lose-the-current-target-lock-reset-do-over-try-again" command (whew! that was a long one), but not the one that simply resets ALL SYSTEMS over again. Just "unlock-the-locked-target" one.

 

3) The one time I tried using the "unguided missles" (sorry, forgot their code), I was firing everything way over the head of the enemy. From where I was, if these things are completely unguided, then I would have had to dip my nose severely (and we all remember what happened to that beast on Enok 7). If I dipped my nose severely to line-up a shot, I will go forward very fast, not be able to shoot again because my hover is gone, fly very fast, spin side-to-side, go into out of control slides, apparently over-pitch or over-torque or something to where the blades have their outer halves pop-off (that is not fun to watch knowing you're still inside that dang! helicopter), then you crash, roll, explode, burn and die (one or all of the above).

 

How can you shoot these rockets while hovering, but not dipping your nose to gain forward momentum (which, as illustrated above, can kind of lead to a life-shortening damper on the party)?

 

Anyway, any help/ideas/comments/death threa..um, no; strike that one/useful tips or other colorful (but helpful, mind you!) statements will be well appreciated.

 

By the way, does anyone else have a problem with F8 (enemy) view? Mine simply will not work.

 

Fly safe!

Edited January 7, 2009 by Sunjah
Grramtikal Airrors

[Karbo]

On #1, I push and hold my lock target button then just slew my camera to the next target.

[Spartan1-1]

Ok...

While engaging tgts with ATGM's, when your want to uncage the shkval and slew to a new tgt you can do it several ways. Normally what I do (zoom the shkval out if the tgt is in a totally different area) uncage (default O I believe) and than slew the optics to the next tgt, than lock it up as usual. Another technique is to utilize the Helmet Mounted Sight (HMS). H by default, than press and hold O while looking at your next target. This works great with Track IR. Lastly you can press and hold your lock/tgt designate button and slew to the next target.

 

As far as the unguided missle (rockets I assume) issue. The easy answer: From what I have seen so far there is no way to adjust elevation of the pods. I usually employ rockets in a foward flight profile. A slight diving attack works well.

 

Unlike the Apache the Ka-50 doesnt appear to have adjustable rocket elevation, making it a difficult shot from a hover. Throwing a question out there... The outer hardpoints do adjust elevation with the Vikhrs. Is it possible to do the same with rockets on the outer pylons? I will experiment tonight and post any results.

[geogob]

1) Just old the designate target button to unlock the shkval and slew it off target.

 

2) C just means that the weapon is ready to fire and the target is in range. If you didn't turn the laser range finder on standby before targeting, the gun might say it's ready to fire even if the target is out of range. Also, there will be no range correction (obviously).

 

If you want to unlock a target, you can either:

- recenter the shkval (button on the cyclic)

- press designate target (collective) and slew the shkval away from it

- reset the targeting systems (not what you are looking for I guess).

- You may also press the uncage skval (cyclic) button. If the HMS is activate, it should slew the skval to that point of sight. If not, the shkval starts scanning.

 

 

3) Rockets. The key, again, is the range finder laser. Without proper ranging, the predicted impact point is locked at 1100m or something (can't remember exactly). Laser range finder can be used both in bore sight mode or auto tracking mode.

 

mm.. and lots of practice with the rockets ;)

 

 

One good idea and suggestion I can give you is to read the pilot manual, then watch the video tutorials, then read the manual again. Practice. Read the manual again. Go back practicing ;)

[Spartan1-1]

Update...

Taking a closer look at the aircraft (I love this sim). It is not the hardpoint that adjusts the elevation of the vikhrs. It is the Vikhr mounting arm. Rockets are boresight only.

[skypirate]

Unlike the Apache the Ka-50 doesnt appear to have adjustable rocket elevation, making it a difficult shot from a hover. Throwing a question out there... The outer hardpoints do adjust elevation with the Vikhrs. Is it possible to do the same with rockets on the outer pylons? I will experiment tonight and post any results.

 

So Vikhr racks can be tilted while the rocket pods can NOT?

Does the hardpoint choice (Inner/Outer) effect this?

[Sunjah]

Update...

Taking a closer look at the aircraft (I love this sim). It is not the hardpoint that adjusts the elevation of the vikhrs. It is the Vikhr mounting arm. Rockets are boresight only.

 

Cool, thanks for the information! I know what you mean, I think I am going to like this game a real lot. The last few days I had kind of been getting frustrated by it (so touchy on the controls, she is!), but today I did the target range mission. I felt pretty good afterwards. Aside from crashing on landing, other things went pretty well.

 

It was fun to take the airport camera (F11), and move it all the way to the target field. When I was out of VIKHR's, I went to the gun and started watching vehicles get blown up. I would arrange the vehicle on the SKHVAL targeting system, then go to F11, which I positioned right next to the vehicle. Then I would fire from my helicopter, so I saw all of this from standing right next to the trucks, and watched them BLOWED UP! real good!!! Then I got a beeping and I think I was being warned I was close to running out of gas. So I headed for home, with bad consequences.

 

It was a fun misson for the most part. First time I flew it and actually felt like I accomplished something. Maybe my frustration is gone now. I just don't get why I couldn't hover above the airport at the end. I crashed...and died!

 

I guess the answer with the rockets is to use them mostly from a slow-moving pitch, or be quite far away so they line up with targets.

 

Thanks for the answers so far, guys, I will have to give these things a try.

[Spartan1-1]

So Vikhr racks can be tilted while the rocket pods can NOT?

Does the hardpoint choice (Inner/Outer) effect this?

 

Correct. Vikhrs can only be loaded on the outboard hardpoints. The Vikhr mounting arm is what moves and not the hardpoint. When rockets are loaded on either inboard or outboard hardpoints they are entirely stationary.

[Spartan1-1]

Cool, thanks for the information! I know what you mean, I think I am going to like this game a real lot. The last few days I had kind of been getting frustrated by it (so touchy on the controls, she is!), but today I did the target range mission. I felt pretty good afterwards. Aside from crashing on landing, other things went pretty well.

 

It was fun to take the airport camera (F11), and move it all the way to the target field. When I was out of VIKHR's, I went to the gun and started watching vehicles get blown up. I would arrange the vehicle on the SKHVAL targeting system, then go to F11, which I positioned right next to the vehicle. Then I would fire from my helicopter, so I saw all of this from standing right next to the trucks, and watched them BLOWED UP! real good!!! Then I got a beeping and I think I was being warned I was close to running out of gas. So I headed for home, with bad consequences.

 

It was a fun misson for the most part. First time I flew it and actually felt like I accomplished something. Maybe my frustration is gone now. I just don't get why I couldn't hover above the airport at the end. I crashed...and died!

 

I guess the answer with the rockets is to use them mostly from a slow-moving pitch, or be quite far away so they line up with targets.

 

Thanks for the answers so far, guys, I will have to give these things a try.

 

I hear you man. One of the things that makes this sim so good is the excellent international community that comes with it. As far as hovering gos the best way to practice is to set up a clean (no weapons) bird with little fuel. Slowly lift off the ramp vertically about 5 meters and try to hold that spot. Too much emphasis is put on the auto hover in my opinion. Good old stick and rudder always knows best.

Edited January 7, 2009 by Spartan1-1
QA

[Kaitsu]

I have question about untargeting too. Looks like couple of seconds after missile hits the target you can move the cursors again without keeping lock button pressed. It is like shkval suddenly realizes target is now destroyed. Is this realistic?

Edited January 7, 2009 by Kaitsu

[Weta43]

I'm no expert on the Shkval, but I believe from posts by those who are that the system locks on contrast - so it might well hold onto a destroyed target after it is "dead" (unless the target changes shape / contrast enough to cause a loss of lock (like a human hit by a vikhr might).

In the game - it seems to me that with the current LO, FC & BS engine, once a target is "dead" it's gone from the game (try locking onto a dead unit), so once the target is dead, the lock falls away...

[beers]

I have seen a small number of instances where Shkval lock persisted on a killed target. I bet the game is modeling that contrast thing pretty well. If a plume of smoke appears between you and the target, you loose lock. if your nice square box-like target turns into a mound of rubble, you loose lock. In the few times that I have seen lock held, the target was just dead, not beaten.