Two CAS "bugs", one minor, the other slightly less so...

[stoex]

Just want to get these two out there since I have noticed them repeatedly in my recent PBEM games. Maybe it will be possible to address them for the NATO associated CMSF patch - or CM:N, since both would seem to apply to that setting as well:

1) The zig-zagging ordinance problem.

This seems to happen every time in my current PBEM. My opponent, playing the Brits, has helo support (an Apache, I think). He is calling it in to liberally spray my conscript Syrian reserves with whatever it feels is appropriate, which unfortunately is a lot . Thing is, all the ordinance fired by this chopper comes on screen zig-zagging like crazy, following the general path to target but oscillating around the straight line horizontally like so many photons. About 50 meters from the target, the rounds straighten out and fly normally. Seems to have no effect on accuracy, happens for all 3 types of ordinance fired from the chopper, and looks ridiculous.

2) The silent hunter phenomenon.

Same game, same chopper. Whenever the helo is called in, there is a flyover to acquire targets before the first attack run. We all know this. You get the sound of the helo in flight, while in the air control menu for the spotter the status is listed as 'preparing'. Thing is, I as the Syrian commander don't hear this flyover. The sound simply isn't played on my side of the game. This means I am generally extremely surprised when the first attack run comes along. Seems a mite unrealistic that it should be that way. This is way more annoying than the zig-zagging of the ordinance.

Don't know whether any of this has to do with the fact that it is a PBEM, but it seems so, since I don't recall noticing these things in SP mode. It's also possible that is has to do with my PC's configuration, though my opponent is also experienceing the zigzags (but not the silent hunter phenomenon). Screenies and of course saves are available to showcase these problems.

Any takers among the BETA crew?

[phil stanbridge]

I can't comment on the first problem as I've never seen it myself, but could the second be associated with some kind of fog of war thing? As there is no AAA modelled in the game, there's bog all you can do in a single turn anyway.

[Jonny(FGM)]

I've seen the first problem twice in PBEM games, once with air support and once with artillery rounds. It's not limited to PBEM as i saw it happen in a WEGO single player game yesterday.

[hcrof]

I can definitely confirm the first problem, my opponents CAS is coming in on crazy paths that make my eyes hurt

Luckily for me he has only hit decoys so far

[c3k]

I, too, have seen the first issue but with artillery in Pbem.

[LuckyDog]

Stoex - forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't a heli be called in to the area by CAS, hover at a distance (for concealment) to aquire targets and then if needed, move in to weapon range? I have always found it odd that you could hear the chopper and thought it was just an audio cue that it had finally arrived!

[stoex]

LuckyDog, I've no idea how CAS works in real life. It's possible that it works exactly as you said. However, if the flyover sound we hear in the game really is just an audible clue for the player calling in CAS that the strike is about to commence, then I maintain that something should be changed...

Simple reason: it SOUNDS like a flyover. If it sounds that way, everyone on the battlefield should be hearing the sound, just like it is with the actual CAS strike sound, or the sound of any ordinance exploding for that matter. If it is meant to be a sound that only one player can hear, then it should sound that way, too - in the case at hand some radio chatter between the pilot and the spotter would do nicely (we even have that already when the pilot acknowledges the call, and when he is announcing a run on target).

I have no problem with not knowing that my enemy is about to unleash CAS on me - the problem is that one way or another, this particular sound is unrealistic and doesn't fit, since it is the same sound of a flying helicopter that plays during an actual attack run. If there is a chopper flying overhead, everyone should hear it - if there isn't, no one should.

[stoex]

Bumping this since there was never any official response regarding these issues. Could be a last chance for NATO or a possible later patch...

[ChrisND]

Just want to get these two out there since I have noticed them repeatedly in my recent PBEM games. Maybe it will be possible to address them for the NATO associated CMSF patch - or CM:N, since both would seem to apply to that setting as well:

1) The zig-zagging ordinance problem.

This seems to happen every time in my current PBEM. My opponent, playing the Brits, has helo support (an Apache, I think). He is calling it in to liberally spray my conscript Syrian reserves with whatever it feels is appropriate, which unfortunately is a lot . Thing is, all the ordinance fired by this chopper comes on screen zig-zagging like crazy, following the general path to target but oscillating around the straight line horizontally like so many photons. About 50 meters from the target, the rounds straighten out and fly normally. Seems to have no effect on accuracy, happens for all 3 types of ordinance fired from the chopper, and looks ridiculous.

If you provide a save file, it can probably be acted upon, if it hasn't been caught and fixed already. Otherwise, there isn't much we can do.

2) The silent hunter phenomenon.

Same game, same chopper.

Does the opponent never hear the chopper? If so, doesn't sound like a bug, and it sounds reasonable to me. The range that the helicopters are likely engaging from is far enough that you wouldn't hear them coming. The in-game sounds provided for the player are as likely for ambiance as anything else.

[stoex]

Thanks for the response, NormalDude. I have save games available from my PBEM regarding issue no.1, will email you about this right away.

As for issue no.2, if you read my second post in this thread, I explained that I think the sound should be changed if it is merely ambient and meant only for the player calling in CAS. The way the sound is now (fade in - directional sound - fade out), it sounds very clearly like a flyover of a helo as heard by someone on the ground. It is also the exact same sound heard on an attack run (minus the sound of the ordinance), and both players hear THAT. By logic then, both players should hear the flyover as well, since they are equally close to the sound's origin ('next to one another' on the battlefield). If the helo is too far away for anyone to actually hear it and the sound isn't really a flyover, then the sound should be different, maybe the pilot declaring over the radio that he is searching for targets or whatever.