F10 map view - friendly forces?

[goldfinger35]

I was playing 2nd mission in "Georgian oil war - grand campaign" and I saw some ground units ahead. Usually, If I am unsure if it is a friend or a foe, I press F10 and check if there are any friendly forces ahead.

This units (and they were Russian - allies) did not show on my map.

Why is that?

Here are some screenshots I took. You can see that Russian - allies ground forces around my base are shown on the map but this ones are not:

[EtherealN]

I believe that's a setting in the mission editor - "show on map" or somesuch. It would appear that the mission designer doesn't want you to know that easily, just like there can often be such confusion for a real pilot. (Especially if both sides have similar equipment.)

 

I usually try to have the target areas studied as well as possible beforehand, and generally will be looking at their direction of travel (if they're moving) or their facing (if stationary). If they're pointed at your enemy they will usually be friendlies, if they're pointed your way they're probably not. :P

[joey45]

If they shoot at you shoot back... thats how you tell if their Friend or Foe.

[Speedbrake]

There is a setting in the mission editor that allows the mission creater to select hidden. Maybe he wanted YOU to make a correct identification.

[sobek]

If they shoot at you shoot back... thats how you tell if their Friend or Foe.

 

Or read the damn briefing well :)

[ericinexile]

Well he's received several helpful smarta$$ answers but his question is legitimate. Using the map for identifying friendlies ONLY is perfectly realistic as it emulates a well commanded battlefield where a pilot can verify friendly locations before firing. As I thought I understood it, selecting units to be HIDDEN or not, applies to the editor map, not the F10 map. If that assumption is correct then the OP is correct in either identifying a bug or better learning the game.

 

Smokin' Hole

[nomdeplume]

There's also difficulty settings relating to what appears on the map, so you might want to check that out. I think if you select "Use these settings for all missions" it'll override the settings set within particular missions.

 

Another trick, if you happen to have a wingman, is to order them to attack one of the vehicles. I'm 99% certain they refuse to attack friendlies.

[sobek]

Well he's received several helpful smarta$$ answers but his question is legitimate. Using the map for identifying friendlies ONLY is perfectly realistic as it emulates a well commanded battlefield where a pilot can verify friendly locations before firing. As I thought I understood it, selecting units to be HIDDEN or not, applies to the editor map, not the F10 map. If that assumption is correct then the OP is correct in either identifying a bug or better learning the game.

 

Smokin' Hole

 

Friendly positions would be obtained from a FAC via radio, not from a moving map, so using it with the "excuse" of it being an emulation of a FAC and then calling it realistic is a bit far fetched IMHO, but as always, to each his own.

 

I don't want to discourage anybody from using the map, btw, you should do what you think will enhance gameplay for yourself.

[joey45]

Or read the damn briefing well :)

 

 

War is moving all the time... Units move all the time.

[nomdeplume]

Friendly positions would be obtained from a FAC via radio, not from a moving map, so using it with the "excuse" of it being an emulation of a FAC and then calling it realistic is a bit far fetched IMHO, but as always, to each his own.

 

True, but I think it's more a simulation of what you would have access to if you really were a pilot in a warzone. For example, having a zoom function simulates the ability of a real pilot with excellent vision to be able to see and identify objects from further away than we can on our low-res monitors. It's not very realistic in that real pilots can't actually zoom in for a closer look, but on the other hand not being able to zoom in and being unable to tell the difference between a Ka-50 and an AH-1 until you're in range of its weapons is not realistic either.

 

A real pilot would have the situational awareness provided by FAC or other radio chatter. That's not present in DCS (yet? :)) so a magically updated moving map is a way of getting closer to reality. Similarly you could consider having labels visible for friendly units at reasonably close range would simulate a pilot's situational awareness, ability to recognise friendly forces, and ability to use the radio to ask if what they're looking at is friendly or not.

[joey45]

There would be consant radio chatter on all radios...

 

trust me i've been in the Ops room [in a war zone] and its mentle. Plus I've been a radio Op in the army.

[blaster454]

Would KA-50 pilots carry binoculars and maps to aid in target ID (like A-10 pilots do in real life)? In that case, the zoom function might be considered more realistic. Not sure of Russian chopper battle doctrine in this case but it seams realistic to assume they might carry CAS aids.