Sleem Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 The TGP in point track mode seems to be able to track moving targets even when they are masked. I understand how INR tracking can work, the TGP can always just be sent to look at the stationary point, but if the target is moving how does the TGP track it? Am I missing something here? :dontgetit:
SmokeyTheLung Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 The tgp is capable of calculating an objects speed and direction. When it gets masked it just uses those numbers You'll notice that if you stay masked long enough, then you manuver to become unmasked the pod will have wandered off slightly (still moving at the same speed though) System specifications: Computer, joystick, DCS world, Beer
Frostiken Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 Actually this masking behavior is inaccurate. The TPod can track things while masked just fine, since it's all based optically. As long as it can see something, it can be boxed-up. It seems to be a bug more than anything that when masked you can't designate PTRKs. Masking is there to inhibit the laser firing so you can't burn a hole through the bombs next to it. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
159th_Viper Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 Actually this masking behavior is inaccurate.... And you know this how? If you have substantive corroboration please post so a bug report can be contemplated. I'm hesitant to submit a report without factual backup. Novice or Veteran looking for an alternative MP career? Click me to commence your Journey of Pillage and Plunder! [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] '....And when I get to Heaven, to St Peter I will tell.... One more Soldier reporting Sir, I've served my time in Hell......'
Frostiken Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 And you know this how? If you have substantive corroboration please post so a bug report can be contemplated. I'm hesitant to submit a report without factual backup. *Shrug* Personal experience. When you use the pod on the ground it's pretty much masked in whatever direction you point it. It's just an optical tracker so I can't even imagine why it wouldn't allow you to do so, since we've all been in situations where you can see something just fine but cannot track it without rolling way over. Maybe it's a ridiculous limitation of this particular LITENING pod, but LANTIRN and Snipers don't seem to have any sort of problem assigning PTRKs to things in the masking area. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
AlphaOneSix Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 I think we have two different definitions of "masked" going on in this thread.
Frostiken Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 Masked, ie: 'M' on the pod. Should be able to PTRK a target just fine - afterall, it can track them *with* a PTRK into the masking zone, so why wouldn't it be able to assign a new PTRK? [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
Nate--IRL-- Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 (edited) Might there be 2 Mask zones? I maybe getting this mixed up, but I think the Litening in sim goes into Inertial point track or Inertial area mode in the Fully masked zone. Isn't there is a preliminary zone with Flashing M that does not allow you to point track, but it is not in the Fully masked inertial point track mode yet? Masked, ie: 'M' on the pod. Should be able to PTRK a target just fine - afterall, it can track them *with* a PTRK into the masking zone, so why wouldn't it be able to assign a new PTRK? I would have thought that since the object to be tracked is masked from the sensor by the airframe the pod has no way to initiate a point track? Also the Pod doen't point track into the mask - it switches out of point trac kinto INR-P mode INR-P. If the TGP is tracking in POINT mode and is masked, Inertial Point (INR-P) is displayed. The TGP will attempt to re-track the point lost when the mask constraint has been eliminated. Nate Edited July 6, 2011 by Nate--IRL-- Ka-50 AutoPilot/stabilisation system description and operation by IvanK- Essential Reading
Frostiken Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 (edited) It should go inertial when it can't see what it was tracking, regardless if it's masked or not. If a cloud, building, or superman blocks whatever IR blob-shape it was tracking it will go inertial and try to 'find' it again. If you're tracking a truck that's stationary, and a building goes between you and the truck and the truck moves, there's a good chance the pod will 'float' around a bit when it can see again and probably lock onto the nearest truck-shaped object. It's really not as smart as the game treats it though that's probably a design limitation, and as I said, PTRKing is mostly just optical, which is why you have the black box (in real life, the black box floats around and moves to band-box whatever hot-spot you've picked - if it's like, a fencepost or something tall and skinny, it'll try to box it all up... so later if you lose where the object is it'll try to box up something tall and skinny again). Inertial guidance is fairly unreliable just because it cannot handle moving objects very well at all. The poor pod does the best it can and I can't be angry at it for that, but in the aforementioned building example, it *will* tend to drift around once it's in inertial. If you're tracking a moving object and you lose sight for too long, you'll have some trouble reacquiring it properly... though for ATRK inertial works just fine. Also, if the building in question has truck-shaped IR signatures on, I don't know, AC equipment on the roof, there's a chance the pod can get stuck on it. Edited July 6, 2011 by Frostiken [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
Nate--IRL-- Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 It should go inertial when it can't see what it was tracking, regardless if it's masked or not. If a cloud, building, or superman blocks whatever IR blob-shape it was tracking it will go inertial and try to 'find' it again. If you're tracking a truck that's stationary, and a building goes between you and the truck and the truck moves, there's a good chance the pod will 'float' around a bit when it can see again and probably lock onto the nearest truck-shaped object. It's really not as smart as the game treats it though that's probably a design limitation, and as I said, PTRKing is mostly just optical, which is why you have the black box (in real life, the black box floats around and moves to band-box whatever hot-spot you've picked - if it's like, a fencepost or something tall and skinny, it'll try to box it all up... so later if you lose where the object is it'll try to box up something tall and skinny again). Yes that makes sense. Nate Ka-50 AutoPilot/stabilisation system description and operation by IvanK- Essential Reading
Frostiken Posted July 6, 2011 Posted July 6, 2011 (edited) I'll also add that when you're inertial, the black box that shows up around the center will slowly expand the longer you're inertial to try to compensate for error rate. If you're inertial too long it will revert to ATRK and completely lose PTRK. This is something else not modeled in the sim IIRC since quite often the pod does magical snapping-to-lost-target tricks. Sometimes when I'm tracking people on the ground (locked onto their delicious, squishy heads), the pod will get stuck to things like AGE around them. Anyway, it's mostly minor stuff, I just want the magical crystal-clear zooming removed from the pod and the ability to track targets when I should be able to (ie: I can see them with the pod, no question). Edited July 6, 2011 by Frostiken [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
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