Integrated Air Defense Script

[Rapier-VCG-]

Grimes, Great script and a thank you for putting it together. New to the DCS missioning game, but used to be a old hand at it during the falcon days. Been playing with learning how to utilize your mist 3.3 version and the Lau programming for the AI intelligence, just need to know how you activate the debug function so it shows on the screen during the mission running. Have changed its entry from "false" to true in the script, but it still doesn't show and it would be handy to see if everything is working the way its supposed to.

 

Other question, are you able to add multiple (example: iads.add('ADS')('EWS') etc, or do you need to add each with its own line in the script

Edited March 1, 2014 by Rapier-VCG-

[alexej21]

Hi,

Thank you for this mod.

 

1) Do I need to set 2 different SAM network if I want to cover 2 different airfield with big distance between each other? How to do it ?

 

2) From my testing: I have been locked by S300 from 70km for a while and I continued to another airfield, I could fly almost over the airfield with more SAMs and OSA and Tungaska did nothing. I checked TGP and their radar was off.

 

- Was that because they were to far from the S300?

 

3) Do I need to modify the refresh rate or something? I kept it in default, just used add by prefix sam.

 

 

Thank you

[Haukka81]

BUMB! ^ Sam's won't shoot, i have 1 Ewr radar and 1 SA-6 group and 1 SA-3 group placed in map. All have sam in their name. 2 Blue F-15Es fly circles over them and nothing happens.

 

Debug window shows that script is working but those sam's won't shoot 99% time

 

Any help.

 

DCS 1.2.7 and latest mist.

 

-haukka81

[Haukka81]

Changed ewr type and voila, got it working now :huh: Maybe problem was wrong type of russian ewr :huh:

[eric963]

Haukka81,

 

If you get a chance can you place out some US Sam's and see if any of them shut down.

 

My debug window says some are shut down but all of them are still active in my mission.

 

Thanks

Eric

[Haukka81]

Haukka81,

 

If you get a chance can you place out some US Sam's and see if any of them shut down.

 

My debug window says some are shut down but all of them are still active in my mission.

 

Thanks

Eric

 

 

Sure, i will try soon as i have time to make missions.. (real life sucks sometimes) :chef:

[karambiatos]

the multiple SAMs in group issue, is that multiple sams in a group in the editor or in the script?

[Wichid]

So I just wanted to post this here, it's a mission we played on Saturday and it features the Integrated Air Defence script. We have a couple of KA-50's and a couple of A-10C's and we were heavily dependent upon the SU-25T SEAD flight being able to suppress the AD.

 

We were up against SA-6, SA-8, SA-15s, SA-18s and SA-19s with EWR and a SA-10 blocking any flight further north-west.

 

Without this script the AI are pretty predictable and you can guarantee that the radar is going to stay on and ensure you get the kill. But now with this script most of them are off until you have flown overhead. The EWR off in the distance gives the IAD all the information it needs to turn on SAMs that are within striking range and then you're in a world of trouble.

 

Combined with the threat of a SAMbush is the complication that the radar will turn off either randomly or when the engagement is no longer possible. With a limited number of HARMs on hand a bit of team work and co-ordination is now required.

 

Great stuff. So thank you Grimes and everyone else who has made reusable scripting enhancements to DCS!

 

[eric963]

I'm still seeing Hawk, Patriot and Roland search radars not turning off. All others blink on and off as they should.

 

If anyone is using these units with the IADS script please let me know if its working for you.

 

Thanks

Eric

[Davis0079]

normally the long range stuff will stay on and do the searching...I normally fly Blue, so I cant say off the top of my head if they are working correctly...but I'll switch sides and see what they do...

 

 

...also...are you dividing the sams into small groups(by prefix), or just using the "coalition"/"country" option????

Edited August 11, 2014 by Davis0079

[vicx]

. If you have 2 sets of sams on the same network that are to far away to share useful data, then the largest sam or EWR from each grouping will generally stay on to provide network data.

 

I want to add more AI tactics available to the network for "level 5" AI logic, but I've struggles with how exactly to go about doing so. Its open source, so if you want to have a go, feel free to. :)

 

This is an interesting exercise in making the SAM units smarter. I have enjoyed looking at the IADS scripts and learning a bit about MIST and the DCS Lua interface. The docs for MIST and IADS are great :thumbup:

 

I started playing CA a few weeks ago in ground command. I added a heavier air threat to a single player mission to see how the AI SAM would do and they flunked. When I went looking for mods I was quite pleased to find IADS more or less completed.

 

My own idea for making level 5 AI logic SAM units is fairly simple.

• allow a commander to make strategic decisions regarding dynamic air defense (without requiring micro-management of units)
  
• give the commander ways to prevent the AI SAM units from making basic tactical blunders (without requiring micro-management)
  

IADS actually does a great job of preventing basic AI tactical blunders and it does a decent job of messing with air threats. I was having problems with child attacks but that is probably due to a configuration on my part - sam zones not overlapping enough or something like that. Being able to visualize the engagement rules would help a lot.

 

I really appreciate the effort you have put into MIST and IADS. I will probably be back to ask about radio messages and how to mod the UI elements so I can get some of my ideas working.

[Pikey]

I noticed the s300 PS 30N6 TR isn't in the config file but is used outside of the SAM system as an EWR in this theatre IRL.

 

Do we have to add it or will it never work because DCS can't use it as an EWR on its own?

[Grimes]

I noticed the s300 PS 30N6 TR isn't in the config file but is used outside of the SAM system as an EWR in this theatre IRL.

 

Do we have to add it or will it never work because DCS can't use it as an EWR on its own?

 

The S300 tracking radar requires either search radar to be present along with the command center to actually lock targets. You could use the s300 search radars in the capacity of an EWR, but I'm not sure I wrote the code to "convert" it into search radar behavior. I've been meaning to update the script due to changes in AI re-arming behavior, so I'll try to add something like that in the next iteration.

[eric963]

Hey Grimes,

 

When you get around to updating the script please take a look at the Hawk and Patriot search radars. They never turn off. I think the Alarm State Green has no effect on them. Is this the way those search radars are supposed to work?

 

I have attached a small mission. Once you enter the SU25T do active pause until all the radars light you up and then use the F10 menu to send the Alarm State Green command to each one.

 

Patriot and Hawk radars will stay on.

 

Thanks

Eric

alarmstategreen.miz

[vicx]

eric963, there is a known issue (known to some people) that some of the search radars are not able to be turned ON once they are turned OFF. For some radars it probably matches a real world limitation but for other radars it is perhaps a bug.

 

I was made aware of this while reading the source for an air defence system written by Bantdit from the Rusian forums. He has in his system specific code to disable turning off these radars.

[Pikey]

Didn't want to push you to work on that Grimesy, but if there was a way, it would be awesome, there's obviously some game engine limits here. Thanks for the script though!

[Pikey]

...need to spread rep...

[Slipp]

Hello.

I've tried using this script but I get an error when planes get close to SAM sites.

 

 

I am new to this scripting thing, so I don't really know what this is supposed to mean. Am I doing something wrong? :)

[Grimes]

When an error like that occurs the game outputs the whole error in DCS.log which gives me a better idea of what exactly is going on and causing the issue. Without that information it is very difficult to know what the problem is.

[Slipp]

When an error like that occurs the game outputs the whole error in DCS.log which gives me a better idea of what exactly is going on and causing the issue. Without that information it is very difficult to know what the problem is.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, got it working and was promptly ambushed by a SAM and shot down.

 

Awesome script. :)

Edited July 29, 2015 by Slipp

[DarkFire]

First, thanks very much for developing this script! :thumbup:

 

If you wouldn't mind, I have some questions as to how to implement it in a mission. I'm a total n00b at lua and DCS scripting, so here goes...

 

1. In the mission script section of the editor, at mission start I take it I have to have "Do Script File (MIST version)" then "Do Script File (iads_v1_r35)". I take it once the mission is built and saved that all the necessary scripts will be included in the .miz file and I won't need to include them with the .miz file in a zip?

 

2. In terms of adding air defence groups to the IADS system, if for example I have an SA-15 along with 2 x 2S19 Tunguska units in a group called "Senaki ADF", would the nomenclature be "Do Script(iads.add(Senaki ADF)" or do I need to include the group name in both parts of the script, i.e. "Do Script(iads.add(Senaki ADF) and iads.addByPrefix(Senaki ADF)". What is the difference between the iadds.add and the iadds.addByPrefix parts of the command?

 

3. I take it that it's good form to add the various units and/or air defence groups to the IADS system as soon as the IADS script has loaded?

 

Thanks very much for your time, I'm really looking forwards to using this script in my missions!

[Grimes]

1. In the mission script section of the editor, at mission start I take it I have to have "Do Script File (MIST version)" then "Do Script File (iads_v1_r35)". I take it once the mission is built and saved that all the necessary scripts will be included in the .miz file and I won't need to include them with the .miz file in a zip?

 

Yes any file you add via the mission editor interface automatically gets embedded into the .miz.

 

2. In terms of adding air defence groups to the IADS system, if for example I have an SA-15 along with 2 x 2S19 Tunguska units in a group called "Senaki ADF", would the nomenclature be "Do Script(iads.add(Senaki ADF)" or do I need to include the group name in both parts of the script, i.e. "Do Script(iads.add(Senaki ADF) and iads.addByPrefix(Senaki ADF)". What is the difference between the iadds.add and the iadds.addByPrefix parts of the command?

 

The script is setup to run best if each type of sam site belongs in its own group. I'm not saying it wont work, but it might not behave as expected if those 3 sams are in the same group.

 

iads.add and iads.addAllByPrefix are just two different ways to accomplish the same thing. You use iads.add('groupName') to add a specific group. You use iads.addAllByPrefix('string') to add any group that contains a given string. So if you split up your 3 sams from your example to be in groups named "SenakiADF_1", "SenakiADF_2', etc. You can use iads.addAllByPrefix('SenakiADF") and it will add any group that has the word "SenakiADF" to the iads

3. I take it that it's good form to add the various units and/or air defence groups to the IADS system as soon as the IADS script has loaded?

 

You can add or remove sams to the script whenever you want. But yes, its generally a good idea to add them shortly after the script loads.

[DarkFire]

Thanks for the quick response, I think I understand how things work now. One last question: to set what sort of logic the IADS script uses (i.e. types 1 through 4) I take it I manually edit that number near the start of the lua script file, i.e. manually set it with a text editor prior to loading the script using the editor?

 

I'm planning to create some fiendish SEAD training missions with this script :)

[Grimes]

Changing the setting in the lua file sets the default behavior, so that is often the easiest. Alternatively there is a 2nd variable for iads.add that allows you to pass settings you want to use that are different from the default settings.

 

http://wiki.hoggit.us/view/AddIADS

[DarkFire]

Changing the setting in the lua file sets the default behavior, so that is often the easiest. Alternatively there is a 2nd variable for iads.add that allows you to pass settings you want to use that are different from the default settings.

 

http://wiki.hoggit.us/view/AddIADS

 

Thanks, that makes sense. One last, last question (promise!): from the link you posted, have I read the documentation correctly in that it's possible to assign different "AI types" (1-4) to different groups within the script? That would really be awesome and could simulate better trained and more experienced SAM crews being assigned to more modern systems. Cool!