Nix'd Mission Idea

[WildFire]

Extremely ticked this morning. I built a whole "concept" mission to begin testing this week only to find out that even though the encycl. give SA-10's a 1-hour setup/teardown time, its worthless cause you cant get them to convoy. The are set pieces only.

 

I can still use the concept with some lame tweaks, I have plenty of ideas; and no doubt find a scenario that works but I really liked my "Get there in 1 hour or were all F-ed" idea. I really wanted you to be able to ambush a rolling SA-10 convoy. Bah humbug.

[jeffyd123]

Hmmmm... maybe something needs to be copied or created into a .lua file? Just a thought... maybe the sa-19 [tunguska?] ( I think, the one that convoys and shoots missles) properties can somehow be adapted into the mission with the time delay & convoy capabilites you want.

[Druid_]

SA-6 convoys.

[Case]

You can replace the SA-10 launchers with Smerch units which should be able to move in a column. Then when the convoy gets to where you want it, use triggers to deactivate the convoy and activate the SA-10 SAM battery.

[WildFire]

Right druid. I just really wanted the 10, with its 1 hour setup.

[Speed]

Well... you could try multiple SA-11 convoys? Though the SA-11 is a little bugged right now... it never shoots without its Snowdrift Radar... IRL it doesn't absolutely need a SD radar.

 

I'll play around with an SA-10 convoy and see what happens for myself.

Edited September 6, 2011 by Speed

[Speed]

Yea, it's just as you said, SA-10 vehicles do not move when given a move order. Ever. I even started them on the road, and they stayed stationary. The problem is obviously with the tall search and tracking radars. IRL, it looks like they have to be folded down and towed by something else. Now, you can make them move very short distances by using a "stop and deploy to template" command, but I couldn't get them to move with a waypoint.

 

One more idea, highly unlikely to work, but you could try it... try making the launcher vehicles the first vehicles in the group, and start them on road. Maybe if the first vehicles are able to move, then the rest will as well? Highly unlikely to work, but maybe it's worth a shot.

 

As far as taking an hour to set up- well, I'm sure that might be pretty realistic, if the SA-10s were ever given the need to set up in the first place...

[WildFire]

I am quite surprised you got them to move at all, stop and deploy to temp. I might have to check that out. I didnt see how it could happen cause I just figured the SA-10 equipment doesnt have the rolling vehicles modeled, at least thats what I figured. I could care less if they have animations honestly, whose although that could be cool to see in a future update someday.

 

Imagine seeing an SA-10 in your TGP and watching the tall radars being lifted. That would be neat. Anyhow I'll have to find this deploy to temp, Ive never used that, is it a formation command?

[Druid_]

Using deploy to template will only move any group of units for about 1 minute after which time they will stop. Only really good for deploying to a formation or to loop units on a short patrol (again max 1 min between moves).

[Grimes]

Except you can call that formation trigger after that minute is up to have them continue the deploying to the formation. Its still kinda a PITA to setup for more than a minute though.

[jeffyd123]

could you maybe use a "deactivate/activate AI" command with an hour timer?

[WildFire]

Yes Jeffy, but you dont rig something crappy unless you can find a better alternative. Im still searching. So you guys can verify the SA-10's move and roll in convoy? like with the radars down? I could combine that with effect.

[Druid_]

Except you can call that formation trigger after that minute is up to have them continue the deploying to the formation. Its still kinda a PITA to setup for more than a minute though.

 

Yeh, never thought of that. I take it you tried it and it works? A lot of effort either way.

[Grimes]

Yep it works, they basically try to get in that formation regardless of their actual location. I was doing some testing with it as a means to create a heavily dynamic frontline situation as a way to get around land AI not having "switch waypoint" triggers. However the sheer amount of needed triggers and formations made such utilization a tad on the overkill side of things. Besides if the lead units orientation gets changed it royally messes with orientation of the formation.

 

However a looping patrol, or even random deployments along a route are pretty simple to implement.

[WildFire]

Haha, when I did deploy to temp they didnt go anywhere they just re-positioned themselves in the template formation. pretty funny to see the trailers that need to be towed rolling around by themselves though. Either way I guess that wont work. I'll have to do it the other way. Thanks though, it was a good effort.

 

Hopefully ED will implement SA-10's in the future and we'll be able to ambush some convoys. Or perhaps inactive 10's in a storage yard kinda like real life. Really need to implement cammo netting too.