New SP mission: "Taking Out the Trash"

[WarriorX]

This is definatly a great mission, but alas I'm still struggling with real comms. I'm putting in as much time as I can though. Thanks!:thumbup:

 

Hi CaptHawk, I would be glad to help you get through your troubles with realistic comms.

 

First have you read this?:http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=61349

There is a Tutorial there that you should check out.

 

Give that a look and PM me if you have any questions that you cant find the answers to.

[Bahger]

Agh, my dang post keeps double-posting!

Edited December 18, 2010 by Bahger

[Bahger]

I can help you, too. Don't worry, I'm the mission designer and I had problems with realistic comms. I sorted it out with some help from these forums, though, and will post more help here a little later.

[Bahger]

OK Hawk, this is all you have to do:

 

In the Options menu, select "Realistic Radios" (or whatever they call it) and deselect "Radio Assists".

 

The misleading thing for radio novices is that the AM and FM settings on the VHF radios are for Guard channels, so, rather than switch them to AM or FM, in both cases switch the frequency adjustment knob to "Man" or you won't hear anything. This is the default setting for runway starts so you don't actually have to fiddle with this.

 

Now, in my mission, tune the top (VHF AM) radio to 124.00 to monitor Enfield and Uzi flights. Leave the middle radio alone, it's already set to 251MHz for your own flight comms. Tune the bottom radio (VHF FM) to 72.00MHZ to contact Axeman (FAC) when he comes online. Note that the VHF AM radio has two revolving analog number dials on the left of the decimal point, one containing a two-digit value, alongside another with a single-digit value. The FM radio also has two revolving analog number dials on the left of the decimal point but each contains only a one-digit value because the FM range is limited to double-figure whole numbers.

 

Bear in mind that in my mission you won't hear any radio chatter until you are almost at your IP, running in to attack the Shilkas. Neither Enfield nor Uzi will check in until then.

 

As far as radio transmit (as opposed to receive) is concerned: Remember to use the correct transmit switch. On my HOTAS, these functions are mapped to one 4-way button, FWD for VHF AM, BKWD for VHF FM and DOWN for UHF flight comms.

 

If you have any further difficulty I'm sure either WarriorX or I can help out.

Edited December 18, 2010 by Bahger

[Lindbergh]

awesome mission, not only because it's fun. It also helped me to understand how JTAC works. When you get the JTAC message thanking you for the work you've done It's an adrenaline rush

Thx Bahger

[Bahger]

Glad you liked it, Lindbergh. I could have made a dedicated JTAC mission but decided to use the JTAC element as the climax of a mission with other requirements and objectives so players could get the sense, not just of how JTAC works in-game, but how it might be integrated operationally into a combat mission.

[Mirtma]

Hey Bahger. Really nice mission. Time of day is also nice. From dark to sunrise. I love it.

[Bahger]

Thanks! Yeah, the rising dawn lighting effects are pretty spectacular.

[Burner]

When does JTAC decide to call the flight? I took out the HVT after circling IP for 30 mins. Then waited another 30 and never was able to contact JTAC.

[Bahger]

You call the FAC after you receive a notification (via screen text message) that he's online. First you get a message from the SpecOps team telling you they are on the ground and that the FAC will be available in about 3 miniutes, then you get another from the FAC informing you that he's ready to brief you re. the bunker target. The FAC is on 72 MHz FM; the frequency only activates after the FAC spawns.

[Hayha]

i have tried to contact the FAC in the 72 Mhz frecuency but no one answers.

 

(Yes i have waited for the message that said that the FAC is available)

[WarriorX]

i have tried to contact the FAC in the 72 Mhz frecuency but no one answers.

 

(Yes i have waited for the message that said that the FAC is available)

 

Welcome to the Forums Hayha,

 

Did you use the FM radio? (It's the bottom of the 3 radio's)

 

Did you use Mic Switch Aft?

[Bahger]

Hayha, sorry about your problems with the JTAC comms. See WarriorX's post above. I would only add that if you are using the "Simplified Radios" option, radio communication can be a process of trial and error. "Realistic Radios" is preferable for all sorts of reasons, just make sure, as Wx says, that you tune 72.00 into the VHF FM (bottom) radio and that you use the correct mic switch. It's possible that the appearance of the FAC is not perfectly synchronised with the text message so if you get no response the first time, wait for about 30 sec and try again. I've played the mission 50 times with "Realistic Radios" and always get through to the FAC in the end.

[Hayha]

OK i´ll try with the realistic radios, but the last time i put the 72 MHz in the VHF FM radio and don´t work. I´m sure that the problem is the easyradio option.

 

THX:thumbup:

[Aylward]

When does JTAC decide to call the flight? I took out the HVT after circling IP for 30 mins. Then waited another 30 and never was able to contact JTAC.

 

 

I believe this is dependent on whether the Specops team is inserted and the JTAC can set up.. I flew it once last night and two of the blackhawks crashed into each other over the airport and the third one just circled aimlessly over the target area without inserting..so i never got the call there on that run, but had just finished it successfully before this when they all got there and finished the objectives... The HVT is the bunker the team marks for you.. Killing the shilkas clears the way for the team to be inserted so they can mark it for you. They are not the "HVT".

 

(Also noticed on the good run that along with the Bunker, the lgb also took out 4 Deltas that were too close I guess.. )

 

perhaps if the blackhawks were spawned a little farther apart it might help avoid that possibility of AI aircraft running into each other and breaking the mission or making any of the 3 choppers capable of inserting the force in case this happens....just a couple thoughts.

Edited January 1, 2011 by Aylward

[Bahger]

Thanks for your comments. Yes, the Blackhawks will hold at their IP and only begin the last leg of the insertion when the Shilkas have been destroyed by the player, so arriving at, or close to, your TOT is helpful in preventing "issues" with the choppers as they hover or circle. In 100+ playthroughs I have never experienced the chopper behavior you describe but, as I say, the mission does require you to be mindful of mission synchronisation and TOT.

 

Using "Realistic" radios helps enormously with SA, as you can hear where everybody is and what they are doing.

 

Oddly, I have never known an accurate hit on the bunker to take out any of the Deltas. Are you sure you hit it accurately?

 

The three Blackhawks are a "group", not separate units, so I cannot spawn them further apart. Generally, the sim manages formation flight very well and 95% of the time the insertion goes as planned after the Shilkas are down, with the FAC checking in via text message soon after that.

[Aylward]

nevertheless that's what happened that one time.. it wasnt a TOT issue as they both crashed and died before they even left the airport, but it's a great mission and these things happen with AI things occasionally.. no biggie. I hit the bunker dead on and watched it in the TGP as it hit. Again, just letting you know what I saw in the debrief list afterward there. It showed 4 deltas dead from the same weapon.

 

Today I ran it again, and this time on the inbound, I let the AI wingman loose on ground targets, and boy he went hog wild with mavericks...by the time I pulled him back he'd dropped a bomb among the troops and along with the enemies, it seems he took out the JTAC that was almost online (by killing the friendlies nearby I presume), so again, could not get location of the HVT.. Gonna keep trying though and leave that AI plane orbiting back at the IP.. Thanks for whipping this mission up Bahger..

[Bahger]

Very useful comments, rjaberg: I am beginning to wonder if changes to AI/helo flight models in Beta 4 might account for these anomalies. I might have to run it myself in B4 and see.

 

I think I made the FAC unit "immortal" but yes, I have found in the mission I am currently designing that your wingman can be terrifyingly efficient and can, for example, see and attack a single MANPAD from 8 nm out. It's great that the AI is so sharp but if the discrepancies between the level at which a competent player can spot, i/d and prosecute targets and that enjoyed by the AI is too huge, it might need some tweaking.

 

In "Taking Out the Trash" I always keep #2 reined in and flying cover as the number of targets is small and accuracy all-important. He can employ his LGBs very efficiently against the bunker if needed, though (with or without JTAC). In my current mission he'll bogart targets like crazy but that mission is more of a race against time with more numerous targets so it can be fun to let him off the leash...until he gets shot down by the one MANPAD he failed to spot from 8nm out.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the mission and appreciate the feedback. Looks like I'll need to test it in B4.

[Gideon]

I love the concept of this mission. Very well done.

A run it a couple of times in B4, but unfortunately the Black Hawks crash and die every time.

Hopefully you can fix this!

[Bahger]

I love the concept of this mission. Very well done.

A run it a couple of times in B4, but unfortunately the Black Hawks crash and die every time.

Hopefully you can fix this!

 

That's a drag, Gideon. I haven't played the mission since Beta 3. It must be a Beta 4 issue. I will test it in B4 tomorrow and if I can replicate the error I will fix it by deleting and then recreating the helos and their flightplan. It won't take long.

[Bahger]

Well, I replayed the mission in Beta 4 today and the helos behaved perfectly. I've never played a sim before whose performance varies so greatly from system to system; in this engine, one player's experience of the same mission can be quite different from another's.

 

If anyone else experiences this glitch please report it here. Meanwhile I will test it again soon.

[xepoti]

If you let the choppers get to their wait/orbit point, then 2 of the choppers colide and crash.

If you get to shoot the shilka`s before the choppers reach this orbit point, then there is no problem

[Bahger]

Strange. I will try it again today and deliberately make the choppers loiter.

[Gideon]

I've tried it again, but the same is happening. The helo's crash and die.

hopefully you can fix this one!

[tdar]

Great mission Bahger, thanks!

 

Note on contacting JTAC: I am using easy radios and normally i never have an issue contacting the JTAC but it wouldnt work this time. I manually set the lowest radio to 72MHz and then tried the easy radio again, and it worked.

 

edit: My GBU-10 hit the bunker in the face but also killed 6 SEALs :( looks like others have had this misfortune too, maybe move the SEALs a bit further away?

Edited January 25, 2011 by tdar