[2.9.8.1214] Force Jester not working as expected

[Stickler]

According to this post, the option to force-activate Jester while a human WSO is in the plane is meant to be used for WSOs to sit by and watch while Jester does the job.

Currently, this option does not work correctly, or at least having a human WSO in the plane causes Jester not to be able to perform all his usual functions.

Reference the attached tracks of the same mission, one from the pilot's and one from the WSO's perspective.

Without a human WSO, I can have Jester select different waypoints and have him automatically select the appropriate radar mode for DT.

After I have joined on my other PC, and despite the "Force" Jester option being selected by the pilot, Jester no longer changes waypoints even though acknowledging that he did. Neither does Jester select the appropriate radar mode for DT. One can instead observe him moving the cursors up and down aimlessly in the default radar mode.

The issue also occurs if the WSO selects the "Force" option as well. Note that I have not bound any axes on the WSO's PC and all keyboard bindings are default, so there can be no input interference. No intentional inputs were being made in the WSO's cockpit during recording.

pilot.trk wso.trk

[Zabuzard]

This issue usually happens when you have bound switches in a certain way and especially axis. In this case it can happen that DCS forces your hardware input according to your binds on the plane and Jester then cant do much for the affected switches.

See if it works after unplugging your hardware or similar, just to see if its that.

[Stickler]

I just repeated the test without any peripherals except the keyboard and mouse connected to the pilot's computer (no peripherals except an integrated keyboard and a mouse were connected to the WSO's computer/laptop to begin with), and the result was the same as shown in the above tracks.

Edited October 19, 2024 by Stickler

[Zabuzard]

Odd, thanks we will have a look. When I used that feature a few weeks ago it worked still

[Stickler]

Based on further testing, the "Force Jester" option seems to work in singleplayer or with a single crewmember in multiplayer (if you occupy the rear seat, you can fly while Jester operates the radar, and Jester will call out Bandits), but not, as described above, in multiplayer with two human players in the cockpit.

For example, with Jester set to "Auto" and both cockpits occupied by a human player, the WSO can operate the radar normally. As soon as the pilot sets Jester to "Force", Jester will be unable to e.g. track a radar return even though the WSO has his hand controller disabled with a modifier, as described above. Neither will Jester call out Bandits.

With the exact same controller setup, no interference occurs between a single human in the backseat and Jester in "Force" mode when operating the radar.

[Stickler]

Another issue regarding Force Jester I just noticed yesterday is this:

Regardless of whether a navigation route is entered in the .miz or through the route tool prior to an MP mission, the route is only available and displayed in the Jester wheel for the human  pilot.

The human WSO merely finds the entry "THINKING..." where the route should be.

If, however, an aircraft is crewed only by a single crew member (to include in MP), when switching to the back seat the pilot has the entire route available. In Force Jester mode, he can then, for example, select a route point from the Jester wheel in the back seat and see Jester modifying the LAT/LON dials to match the selected waypoint.