Shkval Tracking gates

[LastRifleRound]

Is there a right or a wrong way to engage auto-tracking with the Shkval? More specifically, does it matter the size of the tracking gates when it is engaged? It seems like i can get a successful auto track with several different sizes of gate for some targets.

 

Should i use the largest setting that still gets me a "TA" message, or the smallest? Does it affect accuracy at all?

[Katash]

AFAIK setting it to the smallest works best

 

Bear in mind distance and light levels when attempting a lock tho - dusk produces intermittent locks

[Safari Ken]

Everything I've read says the gate should be big enough to cover all aspects of your target, but in my experience, it's not that critical.

[OJDee]

Funny someone should ask, only last night I was trying to lock up a target with the gate quite a bit larger than the target and it didn't want to lock. Without any other movement I shrunk the gate and straightaway it recognised the vehicle and began tracking it.

 

I'm sure there must be some logic in having a scaleable gate otherwise why bother with it? Perhaps it only needs the extra clarification if you are at long range or some other factor that makes it harder for the system to discriminate vehicle from background.

[Boulund]

I've a feeling that the game doesn't really simulate the target-tracking function of the Shkval system to a perfectly "real" behaviour. It feels as if the game doesn't at all lock with contrast but with something else...

[OJDee]

Yeah I doubt it uses contrast in game either but by simply making the match between target size and gate size more critical at longer ranges you get the same behaviour without the processing overheads.

 

This is all speculation of course, maybe it just randomly decides to be stubborn ;)

[Kwill]

what do you mean by auto-tracking OP? the Shkval will not lock on a target automatically btw, you have to press the enter key or whatever you have it assigned.

[BTTW-DratsaB]

what do you mean by auto-tracking OP? the Shkval will not lock on a target automatically btw, you have to press the enter key or whatever you have it assigned.

Its related to "Ground moving target" function, where the shkval will automatically track a locked target if it is moving.

 

Irc, I believe that OJDee is correct in his assumption of how/why the contrast locking (or lack there of) is simulated the way it is, from a previous thread about the subject.

Edited April 22, 2009 by BTTW-DratsaB

[SSneg]

I've a feeling that the game doesn't really simulate the target-tracking function of the Shkval system to a perfectly "real" behaviour. It feels as if the game doesn't at all lock with contrast but with something else...

The fact that you cannot lock an already destroyed target kinda confirms this.

[Boulund]

The fact that you cannot lock an already destroyed target kinda confirms this.

 

that's one of the things that led my thinking down this path ;) that and some thread I read about this very matter that pretty much confirmed that it only enables you to lock on to "live" objects in the game engine

[LastRifleRound]

Right, i knew it wasn't locking true visual contrast, but i wasn't sure if there were some simulated way where gate size at auto-track mattered.

 

Sometimes my Vikhrs like to slam into the ground instead of the target, thought maybe this had something to do with it, and I was just curious in general.

[Frederf]

To Shkval-track a target you have to point at a "trackable flagged" game object and have the gates the same size or smaller than the target visually.

 

It doesn't matter if the gates are at minimum size, they will lock anything, but 5% too big and no dice. The game does take angle into consideration when calculating the "lock box." so a head-on BMP has a smaller lock box than a side-view BMP.

 

Why ED didn't code a minimum gate bound, I don't know.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Why ED didn't code the infantry spitting chewing tobacco, I don't know. Maybe it is because you can't code everything in life :D

[arneh]

Why ED didn't code a minimum gate bound, I don't know.

 

 

Well, having gates smaller than the target is useful to lock on to a specific part of a larger target. But I assume that would lose lock easily if that part isn't very distinct from the rest of the object (in real life). Or if the target rotates or you move position so the specific part isn't visible anymore, but the target itself is.

 

In DCS however it seems that the smallest gate size always works optimal, so there really isn't any reason to use anything else but the smallest gate size.

[LastRifleRound]

ummmmmm didn't really ask why, i asked if :thumbup:

 

don't care either way, just trying to be a better pilot. If it matters and it can increase my accuracy that's all i really care about. Not really saying it should or shouldn't be coded :smilewink:

 

EDIT: sorry dusty, i see you aimed that at fred. I will say that it SEEMS to me that if you use a gate size smaller than the target box in-sim, that accuracy is adversely affected, but that could be me projecting my anticipations on reality

Edited April 22, 2009 by LastRifleRound

[EtherealN]

that pretty much confirmed that it only enables you to lock on to "live" objects in the game engine

 

I'm note really in with that, to be honest. I have had locking of air targets foiled some times by the target flying behind a electric pylon, whereafter my lock stayed on the pylon.

 

Though the pylon is destructible so it's possible that it works the same way in the game's logic.

[SSneg]

Flight manual says the optimal conditions are when a) gates holds 100% of the target inside and b) the target takes up ca. 70% of gate area. Why? Because it provides minimum recognition sensitivity with less chance the locked helicopter will unlock itself by flying over foresty backdrop (those shape-breaking camo patterns are there for a reason y'know).

 

I don't think it matters in game though. All you need to worry is getting that gate in the center of the target because that's where your gun aims.

[SSneg]

I'm note really in with that, to be honest. I have had locking of air targets foiled some times by the target flying behind a electric pylon, whereafter my lock stayed on the pylon.

 

Though the pylon is destructible so it's possible that it works the same way in the game's logic.

 

Bridge-pillars are lockable, Must check electricity pylons though.

[LastRifleRound]

I'm note really in with that, to be honest. I have had locking of air targets foiled some times by the target flying behind a electric pylon, whereafter my lock stayed on the pylon.

 

Though the pylon is destructible so it's possible that it works the same way in the game's logic.

 

All structures i believe have "Target boxes", as they are often used as INU fixpoints, ingress points, TP's, etc., so until you blow that pylon up, it should be lockable.

[slowhand]

aim small... miss small.....small gates.... its like given the shkval tunnel vision....

[159th_Viper]

aim small... miss small.....small gates.... its like given the shkval tunnel vision....

 

Aye

 

Enables you to shoot the Cigar from the lips of the Insurgent Commander - nothing like a bit of 30mm persuasion to quit.....teach the smug SOB :gun_sniper:

[nomdeplume]

Sometimes my Vikhrs like to slam into the ground instead of the target, thought maybe this had something to do with it, and I was just curious in general.

 

I tend to find setting the gate fairly small and locking it to the highest part of the target helps with this, particularly if I'm at low altitude and/or a long way from the target (which, come to think of it, is most of the time).

[Frederf]

Why ED didn't code the infantry spitting chewing tobacco, I don't know. Maybe it is because you can't code everything in life :D

 

But you can code it. The code for making it not possible to lock if the gates are too big would be the same as the code for if the gates were too small with just a "<" instead of a ">" sign.

 

In the game the only real difference between a minimum size and a matching size gate lock is that the minimum size can be placed anywhere on the area of the target so you can target high, low, front, or rear either purposefully or accidentally which will increase or decrease your chances of a good hit. With a matched-size gate you just get a center mass target.