WIP DCS A-10C and Teamspeak 3 Integration

[Headspace]

 

TARS is a plugin which will allow you to integrate DCS: A-10 with Teamspeak 3.

 

The concept is simple: No channel switching in Teamspeak to ruin immersion. Rather, multiplayer communication ought to be accomplished by setting the radio in the plane to an agreed upon frequency and using that. You have radios in the game, so why not be able to extend that level of immersion to the multiplayer environment using Teamspeak? If other Teamspeak users are on that radio channel and they're in the same Teamspeak 3 channel as you, they will be able to communicate with you over any of the radios in your aircraft. If you die and/or go to spectator mode, you will automatically be placed into a parallel “virtual channel” where you can communicate with your fellow spectators without having to switch channels in Teamspeak.

 

We hope to release a beta for testing in early 2011. Since we are in a very early phase of development now, the TARS team's current goal is to gather input from the community at this stage, just in case there's a gem of a feature that heavy-MP users need that we can try to implement in the first phase of the project.

 

 

 

Planned features include:

• Automatic control of your radio communications based on what channel you're tuned to and whether or not your radios are on. If you are on a given channel that other players are on, you'll be able to communicate with them without having to worry if you're in the correct Teamspeak channel.
  
• Dead/Spectator enforcement. If you get killed in-game, you will be sent into a spectator mode where you'll be able to communicate with other players who are dead and/or spectating.
  
• Radio effective range enforcement. VFM FM radio, for instance, has a limited broadcast range when compared to its AM counterpart. This ought to reflect in gameplay.
  
• TARS is planned around a client based architecture, with no need to install extra software or otherwise modify the Teamspeak 3 server where you play.
  
• Planned future integration with Black Shark once A-10 integration is complete.
  
• If possible (and as a secondary objective), we'll be adding radio filter effects based on things like distance and radio type, for a more immersive gaming experience.
   
  

There are plenty of additional goodies that may become possible in the future. However the above are the main gameplay-enhancing goals. The purpose of this announcement is to engage the participation of the community early in the development cycle so that we can be as responsive as possible to your needs. When it comes time for beta testing, we plan to fully engage the participation of the community.

 

Update: Here's a video from an early alpha build of TARS that demonstrates some of the above features:

 

 

Last updated December 21, 2010

Edited December 22, 2010 by Headspace

[71st_Mastiff]

Wow I can not wait to try this out. thank you! :thumbup:

[Eddie]

Excellent ideas mate, I certainly hope you can pull it off. It might be worth you getting hold of Spinter on these forums, he produced something very similar for Black Shark and TS2 (TSSimcomms), which worked very well although it was not as functional as what you propose due to the limitations of TS2.

[Lostaviator]

This sounds awesome! How about if you survive the ejection you can use Guard freq 121.5 to talk to other players while you walk back to base?

[MemphisBelle]

Furthermore, the ArmA community has already proven that such a mod can be useful for gameplay enhancing purposes.

 

Exactly. This is called ACRE (Advanced Combat Radio Environment). It simulates the Radio and direct speach behaviour of clients while on MP Mission. It also simulates Landscape issues, like disturbing structures like hills, mountains or urban Area which is decreaseing the radio sound quality down to just a static noise. It also takes effect on the difference of 2 clients who are moving away from each other (even on plan area) so you´ll constantly loose connection. A great feature to force teamplay.

 

If you realise this so this would be a huge MP feature...

 

hope you get along with this, good luck.

[Headspace]

This sounds awesome! How about if you survive the ejection you can use Guard freq 121.5 to talk to other players while you walk back to base?

Awesome idea.

Exactly. This is called ACRE (Advanced Combat Radio Environment). It simulates the Radio and direct speach behaviour of clients while on MP Mission. It also simulates Landscape issues, like disturbing structures like hills, mountains or urban Area which is decreaseing the radio sound quality down to just a static noise. It also takes effect on the difference of 2 clients who are moving away from each other (even on plan area) so you´ll constantly loose connection. A great feature to force teamplay.

Yes. I've played with ACRE before. This wouldn't really be an attempt to make a "DCS ACRE," but rather a tool that enables more integrated communications with DCS specifically--especially since there's already a requirement to set up radios in the "vanilla" game. Things like terrain masking are far more of a factor on the ground than in the air.

[shu77]

Fantastic idea, I've been rambling on about this for weeks now, let us know what we can do to assist as this would be a great addition..

[Furia]

Excellent news. This is what we are really missing.

Initially I though DCS A-10C came with an own VoiceInGame system working on that principle based on some reading I did previous to the Open Beta release. I guess I was confused about that.

Having different set of radios with different frequencies should not be only for talking with the AI but with other human players while in multiplayer.

Would have been a great sim feature to have its own voice in game feature making full use of radio structure but if you can fix it somehow adapting TS3 to DCS A10C, it would be great.

+1 just for trying. Thanks a lot. I will be eagerly awaiting. :)

[Headspace]

Appreciate the feedback. Work has already begun.

[JaNk0]

Looking forward to see this thing come together!

What language will you be programming it in?

[hog_driver111th]

I'm not sure this qualifies as an idea, but thought I would interject it. In FSX/FS9 while flying online with FSINN or Squawkbox, to talk on the radio, you actually have to tune your aircraft comm radio to the proper frequency. If you can get this to work for coordination between pilots, ATC, Tankers (later during MP missions) it would be extremely cool! :thumbup:

[Steel Jaw]

Headspace, dude, if you can pull this off you will be LEGEN...[wait for it]

 

...DARY !!

 

Cheers!

[Headspace]

Looking forward to see this thing come together!

What language will you be programming it in?

Lua for the DCS export side, C/C++ for everything else. As you might expect.

[Dash]

Can't wait!

[power5]

Sounds great and there will be no ability for enemy to listen in on the TS server, I hope.

[spinter]

I'm glad you do this, I have done for teamspeak 2, unfortunately I have problems with C + + and I can continue my work. thanks

[Frederf]

Channel hopping works only in one dimension however. What if I'm on AM 140 and FM 25... which channel would I be in? Wouldn't be awesome to be in multiple channels at once in TS3? Gosh that would make this a lot easier.

[Spetz]

Sounds great and there will be no ability for enemy to listen in on the TS server, I hope.

 

 

Was thinking this too...The program / mod will have to allow the frequencies to have permission's through TS or have dedicated BLUFOR or REDFOR frequencies or you will all be on the same freq at one time or another.

 

There was a post ALONG time ago about someone who had done this already for Lomac / DCS. I was in contact with him ages ago, but he never finished the mod..

 

Would be nice to have a working mod at some point. Good luck !!

[Rhino4]

Channel hopping works only in one dimension however. What if I'm on AM 140 and FM 25... which channel would I be in? Wouldn't be awesome to be in multiple channels at once in TS3? Gosh that would make this a lot easier.

+1

[Headspace]

Just an update that I hope will address some of the above questions.

 

The plan right now is to assume that comms can occur if you're tuned to the same frequency as teammates on any of the radios--provided you're in range. If you're on the same UHF channel but out of range, you won't be able to communicate. However, the VHF AM radio would offer additional range. REDFOR and BLUFOR or WhateverFOR functionality is going to be a function of however the TS3 admin wants to organize the TS channels--for the prototype/alpha and first release of this plugin, we're going to be ignoring stuff like simulated encryption and so on. That means that if you're in the same TS3 channel, you'll be able to talk on the radio if properly tuned and in range. I very much like to keep to the KISS law with this sort of thing. Of course, since we're still in a sort of R&D phase now everything is subject to change.

 

What if I'm on AM 140 and FM 25... which channel would I be in?

Under the current model, as a tradeoff between gameplay and convenience it's set up so that it will allow communication provided you're in at least one frequency that provides enough range for comms. After we get this thing cooking we can address details like specific function of each radio type, but we need to get the basics implemented first.

 

I'm on vacation now, but I'll be back after next week and will be busy converting my existing code to Beta 3 (if, indeed, any conversion is necessary). So far things are progressing well. We'll have a dedicated development and testing environment down the road as well, for purposes of community participation. Stay tuned!

Edited November 18, 2010 by Headspace

[Zorg_DK]

Good work Headspace, thanks for your initiative. I know from playing with ACRE in Arma2 how much such a mod adds to the multiplayer experience. Have a nice vacation.

[Shaman]

Very important project! I am subscribing to this thread! :)

[Headspace]

The design and prototyping phase of this is going a little bit faster than expected. Here are a few updates.

 

• Very early on I decided to go with a socket based architecture so that you can split your TS3 and DCS computers, if you want. This means that if you use TS3 on a laptop or other computer, you'll be fine--there's no requirement that it be on the same machine you use with DCS, and the two will talk with a minimum of configuration overhead on your part.
  

• I've made the decision to attempt to stay away from server-based stuff as much as possible, again so that the system is easy to set up for users, and more importantly, so that it doesn't add extra overhead to maintaining a DCS server. It's my hope that once we go into production with this, there won't be any need to do any server-side installation of anything--it'll be very much a 'set up your client and go' type of thing.
  

• In the same vein as the above point, a plugin-enabled TS3 client will be able to detect whether or not other clients are using the plugin. That way, non-enabled users won't be able to 'break' comms--they'll simbe moved to the spectator area along with dead players and spectators.
  

Of course, the above is subject to change but that's the direction we're headed here. I want this to be as easy as possible for people to set up and use.

[Frederf]

Just an update that I hope will address some of the above questions.

 

The plan right now is to assume that comms can occur if you're tuned to the same frequency as teammates on any of the radios--provided you're in range. If you're on the same UHF channel but out of range, you won't be able to communicate. However, the VHF AM radio would offer additional range. REDFOR and BLUFOR or WhateverFOR functionality is going to be a function of however the TS3 admin wants to organize the TS channels--for the prototype/alpha and first release of this plugin, we're going to be ignoring stuff like simulated encryption and so on. That means that if you're in the same TS3 channel, you'll be able to talk on the radio if properly tuned and in range. I very much like to keep to the KISS law with this sort of thing. Of course, since we're still in a sort of R&D phase now everything is subject to change.

 

I understand wanting to keep things simple but I think you're overlooking an unavoidable logical problem by simply wishing for simplicity.

 

Billy is on frequency A and B

Jack is on frequency B and C

Rick is on frequency C and D

 

Because Billy and Jack share a frequency they must be in the same channel. Because Jack and Rick share a frequency they must be in the same channel. Therefore Rick and Billy have to be in the same channel, except they don't share a frequency.

[Headspace]

I understand wanting to keep things simple but I think you're overlooking an unavoidable logical problem by simply wishing for simplicity.

 

Billy is on frequency A and B

Jack is on frequency B and C

Rick is on frequency C and D

 

Because Billy and Jack share a frequency they must be in the same channel. Because Jack and Rick share a frequency they must be in the same channel. Therefore Rick and Billy have to be in the same channel, except they don't share a frequency.

In that case, using the plugin, Jack would hear both Billy and Rick, but Rick would only hear Jack and not Billy, and Billy would only hear Jack and not Rick. All three would be in the same (Teamspeak) channel.