fixed Mission 3 - Impossible to survive the SAM launch

[guiduz]

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share a possible bug I encountered while playing DCS (Digital Combat Simulator). So, I've flown this mission before and decided to give it another shot while waiting for the DF campaign to be fixed in M1.

Here's the issue: No matter what I do—whether it's flying at different heights, changing directions, or using decoying techniques—I always end up getting hit by the SAM launch over the city. It's become impossible for me to survive this part of the mission.

This never used to happen in the past, so I'm thinking it might be related to the latest updates. Can any of you confirm if you're experiencing the same problem?

I'm currently on version 2.8.6.41066.

Thanks for your help!

[guiduz]

I managed to refly the mission and overfly the village at 1500 " which did not trigger the sam launch, but when Smoke did it, I heard his warning and we could end the mission with no problems.

[baltic_dragon]

SAMs got smarter recently I think and more difficult to spoof... I don't like changing the rules during the game, as this creates problems for the mission makers. Glad you managed to get through his!

[PawlaczGMD]

Interesting, they did not launch anything for me. I few maybe 300 ft max.

[Dentedend10]

I flew low, got launched at twice so far, and it got me twice. First time I didn't know what to expect so I didn't have proper countermeasures or evasion. Second time I did everything I could but the SAM still got me. I pulled a max G turn (whatever the plane allowed me to without disengaging overG, I think it was a 6G turn at mach 1.0), throttled back, countermeasures launched in S/A. None of this challenged the SAM.

Next time I'll try to overfly at 1500'

Edit:

I flew at 2500' and got shut down again. Any tips?

Edited May 5, 2024 by Dentedend10

[Dentedend10]

I have tried different approaches but I cannot get through this part of the mission. Attached is a tacview of my latest attempt. That Igla takes a crazy turn at Mach 1.6 and like the flares weren't even there.

I do not like skipping missions but I'll be doing that on this one

Tacview-20240505-003323-DCS-R1 M03 ALT A.zip.acmi

[RafaPolit]

First time flying this mission... interesting to say the least.  I got down by the SAM as well, I'll try other approaches.  I did miss the GBU-12 as well (left it to the auto-lasing and it started too late, bomb missed... get really scared that there was no other way to continue with the mission, but did a strafing pass and it worked.  Then I got the building perfectly (I know JDAMs a bit better) and then on the ingress of the show of force I got downed by the SAM.

I'll repeat it, for sure, but since I nailed the A/A Refueling, I'm wondering if it is "Safe" to jump into that part at the beginning of the mission or if that will cost me points / logistics further down the road?  Thanks.

[baltic_dragon]

It is safe to jump to that point, the mission is long and the option is there for exactly this reason.

It seems to me that the MANPADs are too powerful / accurate currently in DCS. Or you really need to learn well how to avoid them. I'd suggest to set up a very simple mission with a MANPAD where you could train just that - and find the best way. Or alternatively you can always set yourself to invulnerable in the options as last resort. The MANPAD is set to lowest possible skill level, so there is nothing more I can do about it...

[RafaPolit]

There's one additional thing that has worked for me now at least two times:

If you move south-to-north, entering from the friendlies post and exiting town through the smoke of the JDAMed complex, and you do it right down the deck at 100ft or 150ft above the ground (this is, literally, at rooftop level) - and at mach > 1.0 although I haven't tested it slower - then the SAM does not fire, you don't get SMOKE's warning, you don't reply with "sh*t, that guy just shot a SAM at me", but as you egress to the north and climb up, you are called to the awareness of the car moving west, and all seems to advance as expected.

[RafaPolit]

6 hours ago, baltic_dragon said:

It is safe to jump to that point, the mission is long and the option is there for exactly this reason.

It seems to me that the MANPADs are too powerful / accurate currently in DCS. Or you really need to learn well how to avoid them. I'd suggest to set up a very simple mission with a MANPAD where you could train just that - and find the best way. Or alternatively you can always set yourself to invulnerable in the options as last resort. The MANPAD is set to lowest possible skill level, so there is nothing more I can do about it...

Thanks for this.  The problem is that, if you jump ahead, then the Tanker is no longer reachable through the F6 menu, and, as you egress, you can no longer contact it, so now you need to restart the mission and start at RTB, instead of moving forward normally.  Also, I did a take where I just moved forward and reached the carrier with what I had at optimum range, but now nothing happens between WP7 and 8, you don't hear the hilarious situation with Saint and the field (which is a masterpiece, I have never laughed out loud on a mission before), so there are more complexities around jumping ahead than meets the eye.

I have had other issues like the Tanker just heading back RTB on the first refuel jump, after the friendlies depart him, he just turned south and I had to refuel while backtracking all I had already moved forward, no idea what caused that, that was a textbook "right" approach.  But that's maybe for another report.  At any rate, it's a great mission which is probably hard to cover all the cases.  Thanks.

[baltic_dragon]

OK I'll check it - hope to fix the tanker issue for the next week patch.

[Colonel Akir Nakesh]

Yeah MANPADS are OP. I set my slap switch (CMS6?) to like....16 flares at a 0.1 interval. I haven't played this mission in a year but when I got launched on I think I dropped like 32 flares just to be sure

It's better to be out of flares than out of Hornet

[baltic_dragon]

Haha, true! I've just built a small thing into the mission that will make it easier / less frustrating (I know it is long), we're testing it. 

[Colonel Akir Nakesh]

Just don't make the dialogue regarding Saint and the JTAC skippable

[baltic_dragon]

Guys, managed to fix problems with RTB Tanker (and no comms afterwards) and also updated the MANPAD part to make it much less frustrating. This mission should now run fine!