reported Ground Vehicle Laser

[xanstin]

I am lasing targets for players and no one can spot my laser, they are able to spot AI JTAC laser and fellow planes on same code. Is this feature working?

[-Cipher-]

@xanstin, make sure other players LST or LSS code does match with your designator code, and they are searching the right spot.

[MoppleTheWhale42]

I have the same issue. Laser from me as JTAC cannot be spotted by planes (A-10, F-14) and GBUs also seem not to spot my LASER marking as they miss the target.

[popov]

We have been having the same issue in my squadron as we tested this in a mission without mods to test this again with no success.  

This test was host with the stand alone server application. and with the resolve that it does not work. Pilot can't capture the laser from the JTAC.

Here are the 2 tracks from each point of view, pilot and jtac, for you to help investigate this issue as for multiplayer server laser from JTAC does not work at this time.

from pilot view JTAC_Test_v01-20240127-190651.trk from JTAC view _ JTAC_Test_v01-20240127-191143.trk

We also did a test yesterday hosted by the JTAC, we logged into his mission and this time, only the person who was hosting was able to make his laser visible for the other pilots. Someone other than the host then jumped in the JTAC position and for him we were not able to see his laser.

This seem to be a new bug since it was working not so long ago on the Grey flag server... but I can't know for sure since when.

[AceLain]

On 1/24/2024 at 5:11 PM, -Cipher- said:

@xanstin, make sure other players LST or LSS code does match with your designator code, and they are searching the right spot.

I can confirm that like @popov said, we did a lot of testing for this.

We were able to catch laser from other aircraft, but NOT with the JTAC.

We were not able to SEE the IR LASER with the NVG.

Both tracks posted are a quick short test just for the bug reported for both POV with a single aircraft a a single JTAC.

[-Cipher-]

I will investigate tomorrow

[xanstin]

Anyone have success? We’ve tried with matching laser codes 1688, switching to new matching codes LST and Jtac in flight just to see if they can spot. Tried Viper and Hornet, mods and no mods, Standard and Multi Thread. No luck on any. All open beta though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[-Cipher-]

Hi sorry for the delay I have investigated the track files you posted. 

I have recreated the situation and I could easily detect the laser via default AI JTAC.

but something I noticed was the F-18 initiated the LST far before the laser detection range but however in my personal test I tried the same in further range but still managed to pick up the laser at 15nm.

to make sure you are searching correctly make sure the targeting pod is placed in proximity close enough so the gimbal would have LOS towards the target, (there was an instant where the F-18 was in a pretty close butt out of LOS relative to the target.).

try different laser emitters. if nothing worked try performing a slow repair.
I will share you my personal test track file to show you how it worked.

here is the track file : Hornet_LST.trk I can confirm that this is not an aircraft module problem at least for the F-18.

if you want to make sure that the laser fired via combined arms player is actually working, ask a player to fly an AH-64 with laser hellfires, and ask the pilot to manually select the hellfires.
try lasing, the apache pilot can easily pick up laser by only looking at the zone within 9.9 Km. 
sadly I got no one around to help me perform the test but I think you can do it with your friend.


also keep that in mind that IR pointer =/= laser so don't expect an ordinance or LST/LSS to pickup IR pointers, they are only visual pointers working with night visions, make sure you are using the laser with properly matching codes.
let me know the results. thanks

Edited February 3 by -Cipher-

[gcask]

Hi,

 

the problem raised is specific to human-controlled JTAC lasing for human-controlled aircrafts.

As mentioned before by others, lasing from an aircraft for another aircraft has no issue.

 

To reproduce the issue you need at least two person, you cannot validate by yourself.

 

First issue, with a dedicated server (at least two people needed):

• Create a miz with a human-controlled JTAC and a Hornet.
• Run the miz on a dedicated server.
• Try to lase for the other aircraft, notice you won't be able to pick up the laser, no matter the distance.

 

Second issue on a listen server (hosted by a player) (at least three people needed):

• Create a miz with two human-controlled JTAC and a Hornet.
• Have one player host the miz.
• Have the two human JTACs (host playing as one), on separate codes, lase for the aircraft.
• Notice the player pilot will be able to pick up the laser from the host but not from the other player.

 

You can also reproduce the same issue with IR pointer at night.

 

 

[-Cipher-]

Hi

I have completed a test with several players and myself as a human JTAC. 
the hornet could easily spot the laser via tgp.
the apache could easily guide his hellfire using my laser and could spot the IR pointer in his night vision goggle.

F-16C could spot the laser via tgp easily as well.
A-10CII could also track the target via tgp and spot the IR pointer on his goggles. [he was struggling with his tgp since he hadn't flown the plane for a very long time].
here the track files : 

mine (JTAC)  : TEST_Cipher.trk 
airplane track files :Test_OP_IRPLST-20240203-201046.trk

I can confirm that I did not detect any problems with CA JTAC. 
I suggest all participants to perform a slow repair, delete game cache (metaashers).
let me know if your problem were solved. 
Thanks.

Edited February 3 by -Cipher-

[gcask]

Double checking this: were you the host when also acting as JTAC?

As stated above the issue does not occur if the human JTAC is also the host (players will fail to see the laser from a second human JTAC though)

[AceLain]

1 hour ago, -Cipher- said:

Hi

I have completed a test with several players and myself as a human JTAC. 
the hornet could easily spot the laser via tgp.
the apache could easily guide his hellfire using my laser and could spot the IR pointer in his night vision goggle.

F-16C could spot the laser via tgp easily as well.
A-10CII could also track the target via tgp and spot the IR pointer on his goggles. [he was struggling with his tgp since he hadn't flown the plane for a very long time].
here the track files : 

mine (JTAC)  : TEST_Cipher.trk 
airplane track files :Test_OP_IRPLST-20240203-201046.trk

I can confirm that I did not detect any problems with CA JTAC. 
I suggest all participants to perform a slow repair, delete game cache (metaashers).
let me know if your problem were solved. 
Thanks.

 

I have the same question as @gcask you need to test this on a dedicated server.

If you test it on a local server, you need 3 person to test this.

One who host

One who join a JTAC

one who join an aircraft.

 

[-Cipher-]

1 hour ago, gcask said:

Double checking this: were you the host when also acting as JTAC?

As stated above the issue does not occur if the human JTAC is also the host (players will fail to see the laser from a second human JTAC though)

No I was not host, the apache guy was the host.
but it was not a dedicated server.

[AceLain]

46 minutes ago, -Cipher- said:

No I was not host, the apache guy was the host.
but it was not a dedicated server.

For the test that we did, the host was the exception.

But, a client aircraft was NOT able see a client JTAC laser.

in the case of a dedicated server, that means, nobody will be able to catch laser from other clients, nor seeing the IR maker with NVG.

Hope that help clarify everything

Edited February 3 by AceLain

[Thamiel]

To add to the confusion, we are experiencing the same problem for two weeks now. Meanwhile, our CA-JTAC did a complete reinstall of his DCS software which solved the problem until he added his Reshade software. The results were reproducible.

[MoppleTheWhale42]

After the issue with Reshade, and I am not sure whether the problem was caused by Reshade, or by some other Mods, I have re-installed DCS again. Plain Vanilla DCS.

I created a mission, where I fly in an A-10CII and drop a GUB-12. While the GBU is falling, I change my role to JTAC, lase the target and the bomb hits as expected. This mission ran on my PC, started out of the mission editor. The success made me think that the problem is solved. But during our last training (which ran on a server of our squadron), where I acted as a JTAC, no A-10CII could spot my LASER, no GBU-12 did hit the marked targets.

Therefore, I think that gcask gave an important hint: "As stated above the issue does not occur if the human JTAC is also the host (players will fail to see the laser from a second human JTAC though)". This is in line with my experience.

[-Cipher-]

18 minutes ago, MoppleTheWhale42 said:

After the issue with Reshade, and I am not sure whether the problem was caused by Reshade, or by some other Mods, I have re-installed DCS again. Plain Vanilla DCS.

I created a mission, where I fly in an A-10CII and drop a GUB-12. While the GBU is falling, I change my role to JTAC, lase the target and the bomb hits as expected. This mission ran on my PC, started out of the mission editor. The success made me think that the problem is solved. But during our last training (which ran on a server of our squadron), where I acted as a JTAC, no A-10CII could spot my LASER, no GBU-12 did hit the marked targets.

Therefore, I think that gcask gave an important hint: "As stated above the issue does not occur if the human JTAC is also the host (players will fail to see the laser from a second human JTAC though)". This is in line with my experience.

Ok so I have not yet tried doing it with the host being the JTAC and me being the A-10 I am available to test it if you are interested.

[gcask]

Few notes:

I do not have reshade, never had, and people weren't seeing my laser nor my IR pointer.

I did a slow repair in the past few weeks.

My shader cache has been cleared when I did the last Nvidia drivers update (around January 25th).

 

I outlined two specific conditions under which we hit the issue, you ran two tests outside these conditions.

 

From your last message: if the JTAC player is the host, players will see their laser.

You need a second JTAC player in those circumstances.

[AceLain]

1 hour ago, -Cipher- said:

Ok so I have not yet tried doing it with the host being the JTAC and me being the A-10 I am available to test it if you are interested.

Just to be sure and extra clear:

you need to have an aircraft as a CLIENT and a JTAC as a CLIENT to be able to experience the issue.

The best way to acheive this is to try on a dedicated server.

If no dedicated server available, we need 3 people:

a HOST who does not do anything

a Client JTAC

a client aircraft.

 

Thank you very much for your time and have a good day

 

[gcask]

Forgot to mention, may be relevant: we tested this on Syria.

[MoppleTheWhale42]

Good point. We faced the issue on the Syria and the Caucasus map.

Edited February 4 by MoppleTheWhale42

[-Cipher-]

Ok I have run another test in a dedicated server with a friend and I can confirm this is an issue, we have reported it to the team Thanks

[popov]

many thanks Cipher for the heads up 

[gcask]

Thank you.

Looking forward to a resolution!

[-Cipher-]

4 hours ago, gcask said:

Thank you.

Looking forward to a resolution!

Hi 
for now, if you are playing in dedicated servers, the only solution is : 
if jtac must be a ground unit then try using in-game jtac system which can be setup by placing a ground unit then applying "perform command"  frequency  , set callsign then in assign task : "FAC - Assign Group" task with it's setting, or you can use the scripted CTLD Jtac system .

if you want a player to do the job , until we get a fix you have to use an aircraft I suggest you F/A-18C (Litening II), A-10C-II & AV-8B since these are the only platforms able to fire both IR and laser for a friendly,  we have tested client aircraft and it is working fine.

this is my temporary solution for you until we get a fix.

if you had any questions regarding this topic feel free to ask me. thanks