WIP DCS A-10C and Teamspeak 3 Integration

[Geskes]

Very nice! :thumbup:

[Steel Jaw]

Thanx Headspace.

[Distiler]

Can FC2 pilots communicate with Ka-50 teams?

[Headspace]

TARS doesn't support FC2 because there are no radio panels.

 

I would be open to supporting some sort of thing where FC2 players appear on some common channel, though.

[Distiler]

That is what I was thinking. For example, some fixed channels, one for communicating with your FC2 team, other FC2 teams and ground crew, etc. and another for communicating with Ka-50 team. Frequencies of them setup via TARS ui and changeable with a key combo. For example:

 

127.5 default freq (common: ground, tower, ia, other players, etc. don't know if it's really coded as 127.5 in FC2, but we might call it this way)

128.0 your wing freq (su-25)

128.5 another wing freq (su-27)

129.0 yet another wing freq (Ka-50)

 

Except for Ka-50 , channels are somewhat virtual.

Edited March 11, 2011 by Distiler

[Headspace]

Well, distiler, you and others have brought up these points (others have in the past). I made a poll for us to hash it out in the FC2 area.

[hog_driver111th]

Headspace, I have no idea what I'm doing wrong here... I uninstalled and reinstalled everything, checked my folders, TARS is in the settings in TS3, but it still shows as TARS not running. Seems everyone else can get it going... any ideas?

I'm running Win7 64-bit.

[Headspace]

hog_driver: As with everything else, please post logs to the bug report form on the site. Also note any other addons that may be running that could be conflicting....as I understand it your TARS isn't responding in DCS but the control panel says it's installed, right?

 

I have posted the TARS Roadmap which details the upcoming features of TARS. Because the project has gotten much larger and is in wider use than anyone could have hoped, you now have the opportunity to deliver much needed donations to the development effort if you're so inclined.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Headspace

[Apples]

Would love if you could make a different mic click for each radio, so you know when someones talking on whichever radio.

[flanker0ne]

I hope that besides the FC2 feature TARS will be working also with LotATC in Tower and AWACS mode.

[Distiler]

Very nice roadmap!

[VTJS17_Fire]

At first, I didn't send a bug report via your TARS website, because I don't know if it's a bug or an operator error.

 

We both have TS3 build36, TARS v11 and Win7 64bit .

 

 

1. UHF without load button or "mic switch":

My wingman and me started up our aircrafts. The UHF radio had a default freq. at 225.000MHz. Without pressing the load button or pressing the mic switch down, we can talk/ hear to each other via UHF.

 

Same issue for FM (AM/FM issue see below), he can hear me without pressing the load button, transmitting at 30.000MHz.

 

 

2. VHF AM/FM not working on one side*:

We both selected 33.000MHz on VHF FM (select: man, mode: t/k) and switched the mic-switch to aft position (FM menue). He could hear me, but I couldn't hear him. In TS3 his lamp glowed and the TARS plugin showed the correct freq. for him.

The same issue at VHF AM radio. He could hear me, but I couldn't hear him. But I could hear his AI voice commands at AM/FM (anchor point here for instance).

 

*He deleted his inputs in the DCS options and set the default inputs for all 3 radios. With this vanilla input settings I could hear him at AM/FM, until he switched to preset mode.

 

 

I don't know, if this issues are operator issues or issues from TARS. He can hear me at alle 3 radios and at all freqs. But the game is fine, he could send AI commands to AI, Tower and so on ...

 

 

Thanks in advance,

kind regards Fire

[Headspace]

I would guess that's a keying issue--TARS for whatever reason thinks you're talking into a different radio. Even if the TS3 lamp glows that doesn't necessarily mean TARS will allow transmission. The best way to deal with this issue is to check the logs that the TARS TS3 plugin leaves on your computer in C:\Users\YourName\Application Data\Local\TARS.

[VTJS17_Fire]

Ok. He set the input settings back to default and it works again. :huh:

But with the other settings, the settings in DCS and TARS were the same.

 

 

But what's with the load button issue? We tested all 3 radios and could switch the freq. and talk to/ hear each other without pressing the load button.

 

 

kind regards,

Fire

[Speed]

Well to tell you the truth, we only use TARs on "hardcore" flights and usually leave it off other times. Why? Well, we want the ability to talk to folks on teamspeak, but not in the jet, while we are flying. Also, we have alot of folks coming back into the game now after being driven away by patch 1.1.0.6... invariably, alot of them have problems getting it installed and working. We had a real head scratcher last night, a guy just had to leave and not fly with us after we went through every damn possible reason why TARS would not be working. He had it installed in the right directory. He had standby off. He had the TARS plug-in enabled. He had restarted the whole computer twice. Nothing.

 

Again, I just really wish we had the option to selectively disable TARs on certain people. Perhaps an option to only mute folks who have TARs enabled, and in game, but are on the wrong radio channels. We would certainly be using TARS a WHOLE lot more than we do if we had this option. Basically, we want it as a replacement for the teamspeak whisper channels. The problem is, without a way to turn off muting for folks not running TARS, it just adds an extra layer of things that can go wrong, and those things DO go wrong on average for any flight of five people or more. Not only that, but no one on TS can talk to us unless they are in the pit too. We run a mature squad, and folks know how to not cause problems in flights by talking to folks excessively that are flying. We don't need software enforcement for that!

 

I can't be the only person who feels this way... surely other folks, outside the 16th, feel similarly.

 

Again, don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate the work you've done Headspace, we use TARS several times a week... it's just that we see this as the single, major flaw of the whole application/mod, and to be totally honest, it makes us use TARS much less than we would otherwise.

Edited April 20, 2011 by Speed

[BoneDust]

[Headspace]

We had a real head scratcher last night, a guy just had to leave and not fly with us after we went through every damn possible reason why TARS would not be working. He had it installed in the right directory. He had standby off. He had the TARS plug-in enabled. He had restarted the whole computer twice. Nothing.

Again, I just really wish we had the option to selectively disable TARs on certain people. Perhaps an option to only mute folks who have TARs enabled, and in game, but are on the wrong radio channels. We would certainly be using TARS a WHOLE lot more than we do if we had this option. Basically, we want it as a replacement for the teamspeak whisper channels. The problem is, without a way to turn off muting for folks not running TARS, it just adds an extra layer of things that can go wrong, and those things DO go wrong on average for any flight of five people or more. Not only that, but no one on TS can talk to us unless they are in the pit too. We run a mature squad, and folks know how to not cause problems in flights by talking to folks excessively that are flying. We don't need software enforcement for that!

What will probably happen is I will add an option to talk with spectators in an agreed-upon channel.

 

However your first paragraph raises a good point. Given the level of complexity that this mod has, it is inevitable that this scenario should occur. But for every single bug report or logfile submission to the TARS site (which is linked in my post, which is where people go to download TARS--so I know you guys know it exists) I see roughly ten or so instances of

 

1) People asking for TARS support in their own virtual squad forums, as if a closed-source piece of middleware can be reliably supported by people who do not know how it works "under the hood".

 

2) People going to the forum and starting another thread to ask for TARS support.

 

The above two are unlikely to help solve real issues with the software particularly since it does not involve logfile analysis. A great many times, it's a case of a person downloading the wrong version of TARS. The new Teamspeak 3 RCs are out, which don't work with the current TARS and I'm sure people are ignoring, or forgetting to read, the compatibility list and trying it there. These are all very easily solved, easily vetted issues that could be solved much more effectively by reading the instructions that go with TARS.

 

My intention is not to come down on anyone but rather point out again that you have resources to follow in solving these issues.

[Speed]

What will probably happen is I will add an option to talk with spectators in an agreed-upon channel.

 

However your first paragraph raises a good point. Given the level of complexity that this mod has, it is inevitable that this scenario should occur. But for every single bug report or logfile submission to the TARS site (which is linked in my post, which is where people go to download TARS--so I know you guys know it exists) I see roughly ten or so instances of

 

1) People asking for TARS support in their own virtual squad forums, as if a closed-source piece of middleware can be reliably supported by people who do not know how it works "under the hood".

 

2) People going to the forum and starting another thread to ask for TARS support.

 

The above two are unlikely to help solve real issues with the software particularly since it does not involve logfile analysis. A great many times, it's a case of a person downloading the wrong version of TARS. The new Teamspeak 3 RCs are out, which don't work with the current TARS and I'm sure people are ignoring, or forgetting to read, the compatibility list and trying it there. These are all very easily solved, easily vetted issues that could be solved much more effectively by reading the instructions that go with TARS.

 

My intention is not to come down on anyone but rather point out again that you have resources to follow in solving these issues.

 

Spectators- they have to be in the game as spectators, or do you mean that they could be anywhere?

 

We also checked this guys version of TARS. It was beta 11. So it wasn't that.

 

Also, note that it is not ME that had the problem, though perhaps 15 minutes of my time was spent trying to diagnose it... with the game paused intermittently so we could talk. We only found out about it while in the pit. 95% of all TARS problems are in fact user error, and operating on that assumption, it was quite some time before we realized something unusual appeared to be going on. After we were done flying he had already left for the night. Obviously I would submit a log file if it was possible, but I can't if I don't have it, and this guy doesn't come online every day.

 

In the end, what you are saying is instead of flying, the other five folks flying should have exited, and spent an

indeterminate amount of time just trouble-shooting this one guy's TARS? And believe me I know about the submission to the website, no need to expound on it. But that isn't much help right at the moment the problem occurs, and one guy is forced to sit out a flight because suddenly his TARS no longer works. All I'm saying is we need SOMETHING that covers this situation.

Edited April 20, 2011 by Speed

[Headspace]

Spectators- they have to be in the game as spectators, or do you mean that they could be anywhere?

Anywhere in TS3. i.e. it would be a way to do exactly what you are suggesting; selectively turn off the muting feature by tuning a radio to the agreed upon "public" channel.

In the end, what you are saying is instead of flying, we should have exited, and spent an indeterminent amount of time just trouble-shooting his TARS?

No. Nothing in my post remotely suggested that you should do that. What I was suggesting is that you might have taken the 60 seconds or so to send the logs to the bug report on the TARS site so that if there really was a problem, I could have figured it out, and if there wasn't, someone could have at least told you what was going on.

 

Also, it may have been possible he was running one of the new TS3 builds.

[Speed]

Also, it may have been possible he was running one of the new TS3 builds.

 

Hmm that may be possible too. Didn't check for what TS version he was running.

 

The spectators thing you mention would be better than anything I have suggested :)

Edited April 20, 2011 by Speed

[Kaiza]

Just like to say that I finally had the opportunity to use this mod and I am extremely impressed. This mod is some of the best work I have seen from the endless community input this game gets. Looks great, sounds great and is incredibly simple to use. Fantastic work Headspace and all involved.

[shu77]

Yeah we were running it on the 77th today, it really added to the flow of the mission.

[Cibit]

Great news the 77th are using TARS. Looking forward to my next visit:)

[JaBoG32_Prinzartus]

We are currently evaluating TARS to be used in our squad traininng, but testing shows that only the UHF Radio seems to wor as desired.

 

As soon as UHF is on Off on either my plane or my wingman's (human player) plane we cannot communicate.

 

As long as we both have UHF on the preset channel and manual frequency selection seems to wor as desired. Even after we switched to any of the other radios (even further when those AM and FM are off) we still can communicate as long as UHF is on and we are on the same frequency.

 

This phenomenon lead us to beleive that at least the Radio Selection does not work at all.

 

In other words:

If we both enter the game with TARS on and let's say UHF-Radio is "defaulted" programmatically by the code, and the Radio Selection is not working, that would explain our phenomena, hence we state that Radio Selection is not working!

 

So what do you think?

[Headspace]

That's the first time I've heard of that happening, it seems to work fine for everyone else. Are you using the correct mic switch keys (default ctrl-2, ctrl-3) to talk on the other radios? UHF being off should not affect the other radios.