Ejected pilots visible in air and on ground

[Speed]

It would be great if multiplayer pilots who ejected were visible as they floated down in the chute, and even better if they stayed visible after they hit the ground. It used to be that when a multiplayer client ejected, he would be visible while in the chute and only turn invisible once he hit the ground, but in a recent patch (perhaps 1110) this changed. Now, a multiplayer client who ejects becomes invisible to everyone else the moment his seat begins to separate from the aircraft.

 

Furthermore, it would be really great if we could see the multiplayer client walking around after he hits the ground... but that's a little further out there.

[bluepilot76]

Sounds good.

And then, if said ejectee could get on the Black shark wing for a free ride home. Not as far fetched as it sounds, Apaches have transported people like this in Afghanistan.

Or ejectee can be a target for the other force.

Or rescued by the JTAC unit.

[Speed]

Sounds good.

And then, if said ejectee could get on the Black shark wing for a free ride home. Not as far fetched as it sounds, Apaches have transported people like this in Afghanistan.

Or ejectee can be a target for the other force.

Or rescued by the JTAC unit.

 

...or rescued by a SAR helicopter automatically dispatched via a Lua script... ;)

 

^^

Why I want multiplayer client pilots displayed.

[bluepilot76]

Aye that would be good, mind if I ever get online and when I do get shotdown I dont fancy siting around for two hours waiting for the SAR to come in! Maybe ejected pilot should have option of becoming computer controlled so the real pilot can get back in the cockpit without spoiling the immersion for others.

[Speed]

Aye that would be good, mind if I ever get online and when I do get shotdown I dont fancy siting around for two hours waiting for the SAR to come in! Maybe ejected pilot should have option of becoming computer controlled so the real pilot can get back in the cockpit without spoiling the immersion for others.

 

Well, some people (including myself) consider the ability to just rejoin an aircraft at any time with no serious consequences the primary thing that spoils immersion in the multiplayer experience in the first place. Not only is it very unrealistic, but it creates a situation where most people feel very little motivation to stay alive. The primary motivation of real life pilots, NOT DYING, becomes a distant, secondary concern. Why should you care about not dying when a new aircraft is just a few clicks away? Predictably, the result of this is very unrealistic and reckless piloting by many multiplayer pilots. And I'm not saying I'm innocent either... I'd also fly different if I only had one life to live per mission.

 

Basically, the game needs an optional, "hardcore" mode that can be enabled or disabled on a per-mission basis. You died in a hardcore mission and want a new aircraft? Too bad. Either go buy a new copy of A-10 to receive a new UCID or wait till the next mission :D

 

As far as waiting two hours?! Don't be ridiculous. A more typical wait time would probably be 20-30 minutes. How willing you are to sit around for that much time also depends on whether you have the proper motivation (such as a "hardcore" mode being enabled) and/or an activity to do for that 20-30 minutes (escape and evasion?)... :smilewink: (no promises I can deliver on either, but I am investigating the possibilities...).

 

Besides, we AT LEAST need multiplayer client pilots displayed in the parachute just to know

a) Exactly where they landed and

b) Whether they survived the ejection in the first place.

 

Otherwise, I've got to make a bunch of Lua code just to capture the aircrafts position, speed, and attitude at the moment the ejection event is generated (after which, a multiplayer client pilot dissappears from the game world), and then, figure out the terrain profile, and then, from that data, make a guess as to whether the ejection was survivable or not.

 

And after all, even if you aren't concerned with Lua in the least bit and don't give a damn about any enhancements I might try to make to gameplay with it... you still want to see your buddy's parachute, and be able to see him walking around on the ground ;)

Edited December 7, 2011 by Speed

[bluepilot76]

Well I dont think 2 hours is ridiculous.....In ultra hardcore mode!

 

I think in RL our hero would be very lucky to get rescued in 2 hours. Might easily be a couple of days. In ultra hardcore mode you could have to starve yourself and hide under a bush in the garden whilst waiting for the cavalry!

 

Well now I really am being ridiculous. Anyway walking about sounds like an enhancement, not so sure about "not being allowed back in" but I guess you choose your own level for your own MP experience. Happy landings!

[Speed]

Well I dont think 2 hours is ridiculous.....In ultra hardcore mode!

 

I think in RL our hero would be very lucky to get rescued in 2 hours. Might easily be a couple of days. In ultra hardcore mode you could have to starve yourself and hide under a bush in the garden whilst waiting for the cavalry!

 

Well now I really am being ridiculous. Anyway walking about sounds like an enhancement, not so sure about "not being allowed back in" but I guess you choose your own level for your own MP experience. Happy landings!

 

LOL yea, also in ultra-hardcore mode if you die then you are banned from the master server unless you buy a new A-10C copy. :D Don't think anyone would appreciate that except ED.

 

Anyway, this:

but I guess you choose your own level for your own MP experience.

is exactly my thought. I just want to give more levels to chose from ;) I like a mixture of casual, semi-serious, and serious missions, depending on my mood. Unfortunately, with the rules (or lack thereof) imposed on us by DCS, it's hard to fly a serious multiplayer mission. Edited December 7, 2011 by Speed

[Beagle One]

I have seen this quite often happening in ArmA II on 48 player CTI (capture the island) servers. Ejected Players often stay in the area to gather recon what got them. (AA is thick in base areas) Sometimes a Pilot even manages to land a helo with engine failure and tries to get it airborne again. Sometimes the players in the back have to help the pilot to defend till help arrives (Helicopters are expensive and you have to buy your gear) And sometimes you abandon the aircraft, blow it up so that the OPFOR can't capture it and ask for Evac by a fellow UH-60 pilot....don't forget to pop some yellow smoke grenades when you hear the whopwhop sound.

 

But that's another kind of game.

[shagrat]

+1

 

Would be great to have a buddy ejecting and provide CSAR.

If you don't want to wait you may use the <esc> key ;)

 

Just thought about Speeds idea for a script... Is it possible to read the location of a markpoint and use it as a waypoint for AI helicopters in lua?

 

I see a chance for real cool CSAR scenarios here. Create a markpoint after pilot ejected - triggers new menu item "send markpoint for CSAR" and you call in extraction with Choppers :D

[Torment]

If the A-10 had a quickdraw added (and the downed airman had a PRC-112) you could get the whole shebang to run the CSAR. Get GPS coordinates, send text messages, and of course a radio. So if your buddy went down in hostile territory and had to be quiet, you'd have to communicate with databursts.

[b00ce]

What would be awesome is ED making a UH-60 module, allowing for players to rescue downed pilots when they aren't inserting troops into battle.

 

I'd buy it in a heartbeat. :joystick:

[sandman330]

+1

 

That would be awesome, have the ability to land safely after the eject, then it becomes first person shooter similar to aram2, try to avade capture, pop smoke etc, also be able to get into other aircraft like take on helicopter, just to get back to friendly territory, or be rescued like said before..

 

And still being able to hear and see the a10s and BS helos flying above..

[Dirt]

I would like to see a radio call for Emergency Landings to the ATC. It's not a good sign when you are inbound with wing damage and leaking fuel and call inbound and when you arrive at the field you see planes stacked in a line on final. In the old Jane's F/A-18 you called requesting emergency landing instructions and they put you in the head of the line. Also a call for requesting SAR when a plane is shot down. The sim would send out a SAR bird to collect you if you was in range or return your call stating a SAR was not available. Sometimes its the little things that make things happen.

 

Yep I posted this a while back.

[upupandaway]

Is it possible that in singleplayer the ejected pilots have started to disappear as well? While watching one of my tracks I thought I noticed the lack of an ejecting pilot on MiG29S and F-15C - just the canopy was there.