AI wingman calls "mud spike" yet my RWR is quiet

[Bahger]

This baffles me. First thing I know about an incoming SAM is when my RWR reports a launch. I think I have seen it report a spike (i.e. SAM radar switched on and searching/locked, no launch) but that's from pretty close to the launch site (i.e. within its range circle). However...my AI wingie reports "mud spike" from at least 20nm away, at low altitude on takeoff. How can this be? Is there a defensive RWR setting that I'm missing that reports spikes at this range/altitude?

[Arkham]

is your RWR turned on?

[GGTharos]

A spike is a single-target-track against your aircraft, also known in common parlance as a lock. Anything in search mode is a nail.

[Bahger]

is your RWR turned on?

 

Ha, yes! Er......yes...!

 

(It certainly reports SAM launch/track)

[Arkham]

A spike is a single-target-track against your aircraft, also known in common parlance as a lock. Anything in search mode is a nail.

 

Ahhh, so his wingman could be reporting that someone locked onto HIM, but not Bahger?

[GGTharos]

Yep, but I suspect this is actually two issues here ...

 

One is I might have my terminology incorrect for mud-movers (they just might call everything a mud spike) - if not, the AI pilot is not reporting correctly.

 

Secondly, if your RWR isn't picking it up but the AI is, looks like the AI has something going on that it should not.

[power5]

I always chalk it up to the fact that my wingman is just superman. They call contact or spikes when I have no idea how they see the enemy. Its like they know exactly where to look. I think its just the fact that all AI are superman. I have been blasted by many a HIND without ever seeing them. Even when I use F10 to find their location, I can not see them, yet they are engaging me just fine.

[Yellonet]

I have the same problem, and the RWR worked fine for me in beta 1.

[Bahger]

There is something a little out of whack when AI can call a mud spike at 20ft above the runway, 20nm away from the source, even more so when he can spot the launcher from 5nm and be tasked with attacking it. Unless the RWR is OFF when systems are set for a default runway start (in which case, egg on my face) I would prefer to "see" the spike when my wingman does, or for his Hog's capabilities to be closer to mine in this respect. Discrepancies like these only draw one's attention to the level of background scripting that one suspects goes on in all sims. Not to complain, though, this is likely to be a truly great sim.

[GGTharos]

That's definitely an egg in your face.

[ronht]

I can confirm this as well - AI calls "Mud Spike" and my RWR is silent.

[Bahger]

Well, Yellonet and Ronht, it appears that all of our faces are covered in egg.

 

[slinks off to find out how to turn on the RWR]

 

Wait a minute... I always activate all four switches beneath the countermeasures stores display and set the switch to "Auto" at fence-in. And the RWR announces hostile launch/track. So how can my RWR not be switched on??

[ronht]

Actually no - I've turned my RWR on prior to takeoff when I've seen this happen. I'll try and post a track later.

[GGTharos]

You implied you left it off coming off the runway.

 

Either way that and the AI issue are two different things - if it's not an egg in your face, good ... ;)

 

The AI trouble remains it seems.

 

Well, Yellonet and Ronht, it appears that all of our faces are covered in egg.

 

[slinks off to find out how to turn on the RWR]

 

Wait a minute... I always activate all four switches beneath the countermeasures stores display and set the switch to "Auto" at fence-in. And the RWR announces hostile launch/track. So how can my RWR not be switched on??

[Frogfoot1606687865]

I have had this as well, however I have noticed this more when I task The wingman to attack a target and he separates from me to prosecute the target. I assumed that terrain was masking me from the SAM that was painting him.

[ronht]

Here's a quik track showing what we're talking about.

 

Perhaps this needs to be reported in the Beta forum?

RWR anomaly.trk

[Bahger]

GGTharos, to clarify, this happens on takeoff after I have switched on the RWR as part of my pre-takeoff flow. I see no on/off switch next to the RWR display and assume that it is activated by one of the four switches (plus rotary knob to "Auto") in the CMS panel at the lower right.

 

If anyone is interested, I can post the mission I made in which I first saw this happen. I placed SAM-19s in the target area, a SEAD flight of Tornadoes and another Tungusta and radar-controlled AAA launcher set to spawn by random probability. It works very well in keeping the player guessing re. the location/intensity of any SAM threat left intact by the SEAD flight, but my AI wingman's ability to detect a spike at 20nm out, on takeoff, flying in the opposite direction to the threat and with my own defensive systems silent is a bit of a "er, what...?" moment.

[sweinhart3]

I see this everytime I fly the instant missions. As you approach waypoint 5 where you are tasked with destroying some tanks, a sam, and AAA unit, wingman calls this out but it never shows up on rwr.

[Check6]

This baffles me. First thing I know about an incoming SAM is when my RWR reports a launch. I think I have seen it report a spike (i.e. SAM radar switched on and searching/locked, no launch) but that's from pretty close to the launch site (i.e. within its range circle). However...my AI wingie reports "mud spike" from at least 20nm away, at low altitude on takeoff. How can this be? Is there a defensive RWR setting that I'm missing that reports spikes at this range/altitude?

 

 

IRL it was common for only one guy to be locked and a guy a few feet away not to be. If the threat has a good res cell breakout and targets one aircraft over another for whatever reason and then goes Single Target Track to wep employ it makes sense that only he would be carrying a spike.

[Bahger]

IRL it was common for only one guy to be locked and a guy a few feet away not to be. If the threat has a good res cell breakout and targets one aircraft over another for whatever reason and then goes Single Target Track to wep employ it makes sense that only he would be carrying a spike.

Duly noted, check6, and always good to draw on a real-world perspective. However, an STT missile lock at 20nm and 20ft AGl seems unlikely, and, if it's deliberately modelled, I should have gotten the spike for at least some of the many different times I've flown this sortie with my AI wingman. I'm not sure how the RWR simulated in the Beta 2 reports radar detection as opposed to missile lock. I have only experienced it reporting a lock; pre-lock warnings always seem to come from my #2, whose RWR can detect a mud spike where mine, apparently, cannot.

[nomdeplume]

Try adding an AWACS to your mission? That should always show up on your RWR, provided you're within parameters for its radar to be seen.

 

I do seem to recall these "mud spike" calls even from FC2 - I put it down to my wingy being Superman, too. Maybe WIP, of course.

[WarriorX]

Gents, please confirm this, but I only get RWR activity if the Jamming Pod (sorry, cant remember the actual designation) is loaded on one of the pylon's. The instant action missions do not have the Jamming Pod loaded on my A/C but the Fast Mission usually does have it in the load out.

 

Just in case your asking yourself, yes, my RWR is powered on.

[Bahger]

Yes, I loaded the jamming pod in this test/training mission. It's called an ALQ-99 or something like that, right? And, to repeat, it springs to life when there is a launch, but I do not think it registers a spike, although, as suggested, I will put an AWACS flight into this mission to determine that.

[sweinhart3]

I changed my instant action mission loadouts to include the jammer pod and retested this with the same results. Also, in auto mode, the jammer will only activate if you are being tracked on the rwr. Since this never happens, your jammer is useless in those missions. I tried manually using it against the AAA and it didnt do anything.

 

Yes if you put AWACs in the mission it shows up on rwr. The problem is that certain units that should show up are not showing up such as ZSU. It obviously shows up on your wingmans rwr, just not yours.

[RaoulDuke1980]

Yes, this occurs with me also. My wingman reports ground radar as we take off, can spot every target on the battlefield like he is using some kind of hack, but when I task him to attack air defences he has no qualms about flying at 1000 feet over every manpad and bit of AAA to attack a strela carrier :D :doh: "Engaged, defensive! Ejecting" :megalol: