DLINK page functionality questions/wishlist

[ACS_Dev]

Wag's Tutorial on F-16 Datalink

Hello,

As seen in Wag's tut on the F-16 Datalink system, there are multiple DED pages dedicated to the link 16 system. The one that most interests me is the 3d page, where it displays flight members. This page is covered extremely briefly in the manual on page 262 but I still don't really understand it. One major thing on the page that neither the manual or wag's YT tut cover is the T symbol shown to the left of the track numbers on the 3rd page. It can be moved to any of one of the tracks or removed but I don't know what it means.

It seems like the link-16 DED pages, particularly p. 2 and 3, allow for a setup of up to 8 aircraft in a flight with associated information sharing and labeling on the HSD. Any one of these aircraft could supposedly be the lead and the flight positions would be customizable. Now, I know that not that many people, even squadrons, can routinely muster that many vipers for a single sortie, much less train their pilots to employ such systems, but it's still something that seems like a capability the jet has.

A more likely use for this system would be for aircraft that spawn as their own one-ship group with pilots that want to team up. Allowing these pilots to get their flight created from the previously not connected groups would be very handy, especially with the coming target assignment radar updates. This is a big deal as the vast majority of MP servers have aircraft placed in single-ships.

A friend and I tried to get this working on Hoggit Training the other day. We had MIDS on, matching link 16 station pages, we had the FL option configured as well as the callsign and OWN numbers. The datalink still wouldn't connect us. I can't find any further non-CUI documentation on how to use the thing but I suspect it's not implemented. At 2:10 in wag's tut he just says it holds the network IDs of the other flight members, that it doesn't need to be changed (unless you happen to be in single-group slots like the vast majority of MP servers) and that he will "keep it on as well" despite the fact that there doesn't seem to be any way to turn that individual page's contents on or off.

The manual is similarly disappointing, explaining the OWN functionality but not how the network IDs are set, what T means, much less how to set up your custom flight. It, like the tutorial, just says the IDs are pre-set and do not need to be changed.  You may not need to change them if your flight was synced up from the last mission, no different airframes were swapped in or out, or you aren't flying with any wingmen.  However, if you happen to be playing multiplayer on basically any server with one or more buddies, this could be extremely useful.

Even if this isn't something you have all the information for I think there is enough to make a workable simulation. The pages seem fairly intuitive and you likely won't need to simulate any of what makes link-16 so spicy. It seems like if the flight callsigns match, everyone has everyone elses network IDs put in in the right places, the MIDS is on, the right pilot has themselves set as FL and everyone has OWN set right, they should be able to work together. I know this would be a low-priority item and I won't pretend I know how difficult it would be to implement, but when you talk about adding the ability to assign targets via datalink and you don't (seemingly) allow aircraft not originally in a flight to connect like this it seems incomplete.

TLDR:
-What does T mean on page 3 of the DLINK DED pages?
-Does this system as implemented allow for custom flight creation in the mission? If so, how do you set it up?
-If not, are you going to add it? If yes, before or after EA? If not, why?
-Can we also get text and possibly even picture or video messages via link-16 from other aircraft, ships or even ground units?
-What are your plans for link-16 interoperability between different aircraft types or even ground units?

Edited July 2, 2023 by ACS_Dev

[ACS_Dev]

Thanks ED!

[Shrike88]

From what I have experimented with and worked on in our group with all of the DLink DED pages they are not really functional nor operational the way they should be.  Seems alot of the codebase on how it functions is a direct correlation to the Mission editor and what groups they are placed in.  Once the aircraft are placed in the ME, you cannot dynamically change individual borts in multi groups per L16, in the DED page nor change lead etc.  I think its a limitation on how they implemented it.  I am thinking they just made it seem like it works but pulls code from aircraft state spawned per group and ID in the ME. 
if your able to test further or get it to work properly please let me know. 

[rob10]

30 minutes ago, Shrike88 said:

From what I have experimented with and worked on in our group with all of the DLink DED pages they are not really functional nor operational the way they should be.  Seems alot of the codebase on how it functions is a direct correlation to the Mission editor and what groups they are placed in.  Once the aircraft are placed in the ME, you cannot dynamically change individual borts in multi groups per L16, in the DED page nor change lead etc.  I think its a limitation on how they implemented it.  I am thinking they just made it seem like it works but pulls code from aircraft state spawned per group and ID in the ME. 
if your able to test further or get it to work properly please let me know. 

Massive update on this inbound likely in next OB release per Wags' video today.  See Viper Mini-update thread.  I believe that's what the OP was posting thanks regarding.

[llOPPOTATOll]

Quote

What does T mean on page 3 of the DLINK DED pages?

Its indicates/selectes team members for HTS TDOA

Edited September 10, 2023 by llOPPOTATOll