Is the AI meant to incessantly talk?

[doveman]

I've noticed it on other missions too (haven't played that many yet) so I don't think it's specific to this mission but playing the Instant Action "Attack Insurgents" mission, the AI seems to be constantly talking, saying stuff like "Defending Triple A at bullseye xxx for xxx".

 

I'm not sure he should be defending the AAA anyway as they're trying to shoot us down but that's besides the point. :music_whistling: I find it extremely annoying to have him constantly saying much the same phrase over and over and it makes it hard to concentrate on what I'm trying to do.

 

Does everyone get this and if so, don't you find it annoying and is there any way to shut him up? :joystick:

[winz]

Change frequency.

[doveman]

Yeah and then I won't hear anything useful or important.

[roob]

I think there's a "disable" in the options. But I usually change frequency if I'm not expecting to hear anything useful.

[doveman]

But how do you know if you should expect to hear something useful. Does the pilot get a text message on his phone ;)

[159th_Viper]

But how do you know if you should expect to hear something useful. Does the pilot get a text message on his phone ;)

 

In a Combat situation every single bit of information is useful.

[IonicRipper]

Personal phones are strictly forbidden in Soviet Russia.

 

But on a more serious note, is it your wingman who keeps talking or another flight on the same frequency? I think there is a gameplay option to disable allied chatter.

[doveman]

In a Combat situation every single bit of information is useful.

 

I really don't find it useful at all.

 

If I keep getting distracted every five seconds by the AI calling out his contacts and have to look at the subtitles I can't concentrate on setting up my target in the Shkval or whatever else I'm doing and I don't have time to process the information or think if there's anything I can do about it before the AI calls out another target, so it's just a useless and annoying stream of noise to me.

 

Information is only useful to the extent that we can process it, so we don't have our current position and altitude being read out to us as that would just drive us mad and it's better to have this information available for us to check when we want to. Similarly, if the AI wants to send his targets to my targetting system that's useful but it's just distracting having him constantly calling out every target he sees.

[doveman]

Personal phones are strictly forbidden in Soviet Russia.

 

But on a more serious note, is it your wingman who keeps talking or another flight on the same frequency? I think there is a gameplay option to disable allied chatter.

 

I'll have to check as there are some supporting MIGs in that mission I think, so it could be them rather than my wingman. I'll look for that option though and try disabling that, thanks :thumbup:

[roob]

But how do you know if you should expect to hear something useful. Does the pilot get a text message on his phone ;)

 

Briefing :) I guess I've been playing too many missions lately that lacks proper communication methods and that just puts info on the screen no matter the frequency. I only switch channels if they bug out and repeat it over and over. I think that might've been fixed though...

[doveman]

You're obviously more advanced then me and can work out what's going to happen from the briefing ;)

 

It seems perhaps that's what was happening (the repeat bug) for me on that mission as it did seem rather excessive.

[tintifaxl]

, saying stuff like "Defending Triple A at bullseye xxx for xxx".

 

I'm not sure he should be defending the AAA anyway ....

 

I understand this as he's being shot at by the AAA. So the interesting bit of info is, that there's AAA around at that location. Or am I completely mistaken?

[doveman]

I understand this as he's being shot at by the AAA. So the interesting bit of info is, that there's AAA around at that location. Or am I completely mistaken?

 

Ah that would make more sense, shorthand for "Defending myself from" :doh:

[tintifaxl]

I would interpret this as "an AAA is defending" something (itself) from enemy (my side) airplanes.

[doveman]

I would interpret this as "an AAA is defending" something (itself) from enemy (my side) airplanes.

 

That makes sense as well. Either way it's shooting at my side :smilewink:

[doveman]

I found the "Disable Allied Flight Reports" option but then I didn't get any messages, even from my wingman (other than when I radioed him and he replied), so that's not very good either.

[Irregular programming]

Instead of ignoring the allied messages, use them, it's worth gold to know what is happening around you.

 

And if you really want to ignore a the AI tune it out with your radio.

[doveman]

Yeah I guess I'll have to tune it out when it gets too annoying.

 

I don't actually understand what they're telling me anyway, which doesn't really help ;)

 

I presume the "bullseye" is a heading so if he says "bullseye 124" does that mean if I turn to 124 degrees that I'll be facing the target?

[JozMk.II]

The bullseye is a reference point on a map whos location is decided pre-mission. The point is marked on a map by a yellow(or is it white? I forget which.) target-like symbol. When an ally announces the position of something in relation to the bullseye, he gives the heading and distance from the bullseye to the object in question.

[doveman]

The bullseye is a reference point on a map whos location is decided pre-mission. The point is marked on a map by a yellow(or is it white? I forget which.) target-like symbol. When an ally announces the position of something in relation to the bullseye, he gives the heading and distance from the bullseye to the object in question.

 

Ah thanks, that will help me work out what he's talking about :thumbup:

 

I think I know the target marker you're referring to. It's the one I can set the PVI to I believe.

[doveman]

The bullseye is a reference point on a map whos location is decided pre-mission. The point is marked on a map by a yellow(or is it white? I forget which.) target-like symbol. When an ally announces the position of something in relation to the bullseye, he gives the heading and distance from the bullseye to the object in question.

 

I'm probably being stupid but thinking about it, how do I know where the 0 point on the bullseye is to take the direction from?

 

What I mean is if I'm approaching the bullseye from the west then the 0 point could be in front of me and 90 would be to my right, which would be south but if I'm approaching it from the south then 90 would be to my east.

 

So if the direction given by the ally is dependent on his position to the bullseye, I'd need to know his exact location to know where he means.

[Yurgon]

So if the direction given by the ally is dependent on his position to the bullseye, I'd need to know his exact location to know where he means.

 

You've basically answered your own question: bullseye-calls must not depend on the caller's position to the bullseye, because you can't (always) know that.

 

The first position you must know is the bullseye position. All bullseye calls are relative to... well, it should be obvious, they're relative to the bullseye.

 

The second position you must know is your own position in relation to the bullseye. Now these points of data make a beautiful line (pun intended, if you've ever

:)), so with that you should be able to calculate the target position in relation to your own position. Some input on how to have the aircraft help you with that can be found in the thread Bullseye in BS 1.0.2?.

 

An example: "5-2, tally armor, bulls 270 for 12".

 

That means 5-2, who ever that may be, has just spotted armor. The armor is located 270 degrees from the bullseye (exactly west of it) at a distance of 12km from the bullseye. Note how 5-2 doesn't say his own position, because that doesn't matter. For all intents and purposes, he could be sitting on board the ISS with some badass magnifying glasses. But we don't (need to) know that, and we don't care.

 

Now on to our own position. Let's say we have the steerpoint set to the bullseye and can use the HSI to read our position as bulls 010 for 6.

 

That means we're 10 degrees in relation to the bullseye, which puts us northerly, and 6km away from it.

 

In order to fly towards the target, we could ask Mr. Pythagoras to help us, or we could fly a general west by south-west heading and start scouting when ca. 3 klicks west of the bullseye, as that should keep us well out of the armor's engagement range while allowing us to actually spot it.

 

But I have to admit that I'm far from having mastered bullseye calls and how to work with them even in the A-10C, which has several ways to assist the pilot with it. It surely requires a bit (as in: a lot) of practice to work with bullseye calls.

[KLR Rico]

An easy way to work with bullseye calls in the A-10 is to enter them in the offset page of the CDU to create new waypoints.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2013 by KLR Rico

[doveman]

You've basically answered your own question: bullseye-calls must not depend on the caller's position to the bullseye, because you can't (always) know that.

 

The first position you must know is the bullseye position. All bullseye calls are relative to... well, it should be obvious, they're relative to the bullseye.

 

Thanks for the explanation, that should help me get my head round it ;)

 

So the main point is that the direction is an absolute compass bearing (ie 270 is due west) from the bullseye. As you say, the tricky part is working out how to get to there from our current position but I'm sure it will come with practice.

[Yurgon]

So the main point is that the direction is an absolute compass bearing (ie 270 is due west) from the bullseye.

 

Yup, exactly. :)