Tips for finding targets?

[IonicRipper]

I admit, its been a while I've flown a CAS plane. I've been flying the Huey for a bit and back when I was flying the A-10, I use to heavily rely on JTAC so I'm somewhat out of practice when it comes to finding targets visually.

 

Any tips? I'm interested in anything that can help me spot targets better (including graphical setting suggestions (running on 1920x1080 at medium with x2 MSAA.))

[eurofor]

You're in a flying tank so fly low and fast and watch for smoke trails and tracers. A very distinct "thump" can also be a sign of targets nearby even if not spotted visually. :D

 

Seriously, I just look for movement and dark pixels on the ground unless there's smoke and fire. Don't have any special method.

[IonicRipper]

Out of curiosity, what is your graphics set at?

[TurboHog]

I zoom in to scan an area.

[IonicRipper]

I do use the zoom function a lot. Set on one of my joystick's axis.

 

Do you stay at the forward edge of the battle area or actually fly over the enemy territory?

[VapoR]

One thing I do is approach the target area with it at my 10 or 2 o'clock. Zoom in and look for all the normal stuff--dust trails, muzzle flashes, and of course missile launches! From this position it is quicker to turn away to evade a threat. Once you have a fix on where the target (especially the threats) is then you can come back in with an attack.

[eurofor]

Out of curiosity, what is your graphics set at?

 

Forgot to mention the zoom-view which certainly helps a lot. I guess all FC aircraft have it? I don't like this feature (because real eyes don't have zoom :)).

 

 

[Maverick-X]

Yea, but real eyes look out of the canopy, not on a screen with limited resolution...

[eurofor]

Yea, but real eyes look out of the canopy, not on a screen with limited resolution...

 

True but just leaning forward with TrackIR zooms in the outside perspective way too much to be even remotely realistic.

[IonicRipper]

I just see it as focusing on a certain point. Its a way to compensate as it would be much easier to spot these things IRL.

 

I had good luck flying at the FEBA and scanning around the enemy territory. Unfortunately, all I found were M1A2s and those are a ***** to take down!

 

I guess I just wasn't willing to get low and dirty enough :lol:

[enigma6584]

Here is what I do when flying online with somebody. The mission brief will usually tell you where the enemy is probably located. Use the RWR to get a general sense where obvious threats are. One of us usually flies ahead while the other keeps watch on his six and all-around area. When first draws fire from AAA etc., second pilot moves in for kill while first moves away for regroup.

[IonicRipper]

Thats a good tactic, enigma. I'll be sure to remember that one. Thanks!

[Devrim]

I'm planning to edit and paint SAM vehicles' textures to black & yellow. :D

So, I can see them in mission easly. :D

 

Of course that was a joke. :)

[IonicRipper]

I can see them just fine... Its those black spots at the end of the white trails heading at me :D

[skouras]

I can see them just fine... Its those black spots at the end of the white trails heading at me :D

untill they get inside a village and trees and stop moved;)

[WildBillKelsoe]

you establish a box of waypoints around suspected target area, and from there, you either observe with goggles or your RWR detection quadrant. A good idea is to have an online buddy in wedge formation but you must agree on an RP, preferably a landmark from target area at a known bearing and range. There you can regroup, rinse and repeat or BDA.

[PFunk1606688187]

Play with a Ka-50 or UH-1 player and have them load up on smoke.

 

CAS in real life depends on communications with ground forces, otherwise its not CAS, its just a ground attack mission of some other flavour.

 

For doing something more like battlefield interdiction in a kill box you're just gonna have zoom in, do lots of passes, figure out where stuff is, and mark it with smoke if you're gonna forget.

 

Before targeting pods pilots always had to use binocs to find stuff, so zooming isn't much of a cheat. Just don't overfly targets and try to look below you. Its better to fly offset and look off your 3/9 line. If you're feeling adventurous or you're in a high threat environment fly super low and pop up to do recon with lots of terrain to obscure you on the way out.

[159th_Falcon]

CAS in real life depends on communications with ground forces, otherwise its not CAS, its just a ground attack mission of some other flavour.

Huh, strange as it is, never thought about that....:doh:

 

Thank's for mentioning it.

[muamshai]

Due to hardare limitations, it is quite difficult to spot the targets.

You can spot stuff if you are flying over city in a passenger jet just about to land at 3000m alt easily. This is quite hard to do in game.

We surely could use binoculars in the game :)

Edited August 12, 2013 by muamshai

[IonicRipper]

We do! Its called zoom :thumbup:

[PFunk1606688187]

Huh, strange as it is, never thought about that....:doh:

 

Thank's for mentioning it.

 

Well you're a warm and cheerful fellow. Where would we be without your derisive sarcasm to straighten out all the good intentions around here. :thumbup:

[IonicRipper]

I don't know if Falcon was sarcastic or not but I personally never really thought of it the way you said. Now that I think of it, it can't be close air SUPPORT if you're not actually SUPPORTING anyone. It is rather difficult to communicate with the game AI most of the time, though (yes I play mostly offline.)

Edited August 12, 2013 by IonicRipper

[Britchot]

I also think Falcon was being sincere. We tend to label what we do in the simulator to what the role is in the real world without all the real world interaction. Flying ground attack sorties with friendly troops somewhere on the map feels like CAS but, as pointed out, it's outside the definition of CAS.

 

I normally play with 1-3 others on one of our boxes and we run different roles. We tend to work in pairs of Su-25s or A-10Cs (comparatively cheating, really) with one spotting and the other one engaging like Enigma mentioned previously. We also run Combined Arms with a JTAC spotting targets with smoke for the Su-25s or all the bells and whistles with the A-10C, both of which is more CAS as defined.

[159th_Falcon]

Huh, strange as it is, never thought about that....:doh:

 

Thank's for mentioning it.

 

Well you're a warm and cheerful fellow. Where would we be without your derisive sarcasm to straighten out all the good intentions around here. :thumbup:

 

As others already mentioned. I was indeed being sincere.

I really never thought about that seemingly obvious and simple fact.

[silverofx441]

Well Falcon i'm a RLP and ex-Airforce and that never occurred to me either.

I can tell you that what we can see in a flight sim is very limited at best compare to when I fly. But from experience I also know that movement will make you visible no matter how good is your camo.

Couple of stories if you guys feel like it:

I was on a course back in the '80's in the field, something to do wth procedures when chopper squadrons were being deployed in the boonies for CAS. I wasn't a pilot back then but ground crew. So here we were, all done up with combat gear, weapons etc including camo on our skin. being Canadians, as soon as the instructor got us off the truck, near the edge a wooden area, he got us formed in 3 ranks, perfectly still, waiting for the captain, who happened to drive up in a jeep at that moment. I was section commander so I was standing in front of the guys waiting. I hear him ask the instructor where we were and answered" right over there sir". And he walked right passed us! I had to go "humhum" to make him stop and turn around. He never saw us!

More interesting: I was working on a air to ground range and that day we had a FOO (forward observing officer) working the targets with the fighters. He was operating out a 5/4CP (pickup truck with a big command post thingny o the back with bunch of radios) fairly close to the target, as in a real combat situation. Twas a bit windy that day. The fighters working the targets were CF-116's (F-5, which we called "the toy") they could carry a few bombs, a few rockets, and had two 20MM cannons in the nose. The normal procedure was to bomb, then fire the rockets, then strafe. It would take a few passes for each type of weapons before the guy went "dry". A flight of four would be the norm, as was the case that day. Number 3 guy was a rooky and you could tell he was nervous and trying really hard. But on his next strafing pass, he got to close to the a/c in front of him so when he came around, he still could see the dust kicked up by the plane in front. The wind was pushing the dust from 3 to 9 oclock so it made it appear that the target was moving (it was a old beat up truck). In a panic, he thought he was looking at he FOO's truck moving away for a better observing position and quickly try to find the target. He saw it to his 3 oclock and instead of breaking away dry like he was suppose to, he fired his cannon at the FOO's truck! The FOO knew something was wrong went dust and dirt start flying around, mere meters from him. He grabbed the mike and yelled "all A/c on the range hold high and dry!" Only two things saved the FOO that day: The rooky was a bad shot, we were using dummy, non-explosive shells. Moral of the story: i'm glad I wasn't a FOO!