SPI resets to NAV

[Brainspiller]

Having slewn the sensors to a NAV (China AFT long) and then trying to set a new SPI (for instance with the HMCD) the new SPI appears but it dissappears a soon as I move the helmet a bit.

So when playing the A10C II Training Mission for the Mavericks is the perfect example because it doesnt work any more (and it used to be my refresher mission to get the muscle memory back into action). When you get the task to designate the armored targets after destroying the building at nav-1, I can only keep the spi alive for some seconds when holding my head still (and slew the sensors) but as soon as I move a bit more, the spi dissappears and the sensors slew back to nav-1.

Not sure if this is a bug, but I havent changed my keybindings in ages, so I am wondering what might cause this.

[Yurgon]

I'm not quite sure I understand your description. So far I haven't observed any changes to the A-10C (or A-10C II) sensors in recent patches.

Can you show the issue in a short track or a short video?

[Brainspiller]

Here's a short clip from the training mission in active pause.

You see that I can set a SPI with the HMCD as indicated by the icon. In the first attempt I immediately loose it. So I try again without moving the head. You can see the Mav making its way to the target area, but as soon as I move my head again, the SPI is lost and the Mav moves back to the previous SPI which is the first nav point (as you can observe in the TGP and the MAV display).

2024-10-19 21-24-44.mkv

[Yurgon]

That looks pretty weird. I can't see any obvious reason for the SPI to be reset to STPT in your video. When I run the same mission, I can move the HDC and/or my head without the SPI Generator resetting - unless I look above the horizon and slew the HDC, in which case the HMCS is no longer a valid SPI source and the SPI will then reset to STPT.

My best guess so far is that you have a stuck key or some kind of keybind issue, maybe a double binding. The HOTAS command to reset the SPI to STPT is TMS Aft Long, so I'd check the TMS bindings first.

Also, in case you've added any controllers recently, like maybe an Xbox controller or a racing wheel, I'd check those for any unintended bindings.

If the issue persists, a track would be much better than a video; a) the bitrate in your video is so low that at 4K resolution, I'm hardly seeing anything other than compression artifacts and b) in a track we can actually check which keys are being pressed, potentially pointing to a smoking gun.

[Brainspiller]

Thanks for confirming that it is at least running for you.

I checked the bindings and it at looks fine. I disconnected the XBox Controller and all my Keyboards (because they have the default binding) but the issue remained.
I also checked the Joystick/HOTAS Software for any stuck keys but all looks fine.

EDIT: I just did some more experriments. As it turns out, when I use the TPG to set a SPI it works. So the issue is only related to the HMCD.
Another observation for the HMCD: in this particular mission (havent tested another) the SPI with HMCD is only set when I point directly at the POI. When I try to set a SPI to any other location on the ground nothing happens.
 

Edited October 20, 2024 by Brainspiller

[ASAP]

How far away is the thing you are trying to put your HMD SPI on? The SPI will switch to STEERPT whenever the current SPI becomes invalid. I'm not sure what the range requirements are for the jet to be able to make a valid HMD SPI but I don't think its infinite. Does it work if you look at something close in?

The behavior you are describing sounds like the jet is deciding the SPI is not valid and reverting to steerpoint though.

[Yurgon]

7 hours ago, Brainspiller said:

So the issue is only related to the HMCD.

Again, if you can create a short track, we might be able to provide more specific help. You can use any of the the Instant Action missions or the Mission Editor to get an air start, demonstrate the issue, then quit the flight. In the debriefing screen hit "Save Track" and upload that here (or upload it to a file sharing service and share the link here).

I don't always understand your phraseology; I guess by "HMCD" your referring to a "helmet mounted cueing device"? In the A-10C that's called "HMCS" or "helmet mounted cueing system".

"POI" = "Point Of Interest"? If so, I'm still unsure what you mean when you say you have to look at that point in order to be able to make the HMCS SPI. Would definitely need to see that in action to make sense of this.

[Brainspiller]

I will try to provide a track.

[Brainspiller]

A-10C II-Training-Maverick.miz_21102024_11-02.trk

[Yurgon]

Took quite a bit of going through the track and trying the same myself to figure out what's (probably) going on.

I can't say with absolute certainty how setting the HMCS as SPI is supposed to work. But if you experiment a bit, you'll find that in DCS right now, setting the HMCS as SPI on an object like a waypoint won't stick, the SPI will reset as soon as the crosshair is moved away from the object (exactly what you're describing).

However, when you hook the object first and then hit the "Make SPI" HOTAS command, the hooked object will be SPI. You can then shift the SPI across the HMCS by hooking other objects (waypoints, EPLRS transmitters, your own HDC if it's uncoupled from the crosshair).

One of the things that I often get wrong is that you can also set the SPI on the HDC if nothing was hooked before. Hooking an object after doing so won't set the SPI on the hooked object. In order to set the SPI on the hooked object, the "Make SPI" HOTAS command needs to be pressed again with HMCS as SOI (and then it pretty much doesn't matter where the pilot looks at).

So the gist of it is, with the HMCS it's possible to designate the HDC as SPI when nothing was hooked prior to pressing the "Make SPI" HOTAS command. Or if any object is already hooked in the HMCS, then pressing "Make SPI" will make the hooked object the SPI, and from then on hooking other objects will make them SPI.

Pointing at a HMCS object to make it SPI without hooking it first doesn't work in DCS, and may or may not work in real life.