Recon pods

Here’s a question for you chaps.

Do any of the aircraft that we have in game carry or have the capability to use recon pods, ie. Dedicated cameras and similar?

From what I’ve read there are variants of some of the aicraft that we have, e.g. a Viggen SF, with the radar replaced with the cameras, and a version of the F18D (that we also don’t have).

Struck me that if we had any aircraft with the ability, then it would be a useful ability to be able to carry the pod, and post mission, have enemy units highlighted where spotted on the F10 map.

viggen has a pod which observes radar activity and triangulates their positions.

once you land, you can review estimations of radar positions (coordinates form a square for each) and even autogenerate a datacartridge for an attack. it also saves the data into a file, so it has persistence between missions.

nothing closer to what you ask for in dcs im afraid

viggen has a pod which observes radar activity and triangulates their positions.

 

once you land, you can review estimations of radar positions (coordinates form a square for each) and even autogenerate a datacartridge for an attack. it also saves the data into a file, so it has persistence between missions.

 

nothing closer to what you ask for in dcs im afraid

I didn't know that about Viggen, but i don't have tha module. Yet.

It sounds great.

It sort-of is.

The F14 has the TARPS pod (or its planned) as well.

So yeah I agree some sort of recon flight capability would be cool if integrated into the map. Especially for online MP use.

Wasn’t aware of the TARPS pod, but that would be a very cool addition to the F14 and probably right in Heatblurs area of expertise

The DCS doesn't really have the reconnaissance sorties support. It would require the core game implementing the proper functions for it so all could use it, instead individual modules making own.

• Every recon pod to be implemented that generally would be used (so not all of them, but most used ones)
   
  
• Require the reconnaissance aircraft to land back to base and the recon pod intact, so the data can be extracted for the intelligence crew in the base.
   
  
• Some time to pass so that reconnaissance officers process the data in their intelligence room and prepares the films and marks them on the map etc. So after you have stopped and parked the aircraft, it would take like 15-20 min in multiplayer to get data. In Single Player it would be 2-3 minutes.
   
  
• Have on every airbase, carrier and roadbase a briefing room/tent where is a couple tables with the maps of the area, then sortie list for generated sorties by the AI or other players (CA commanders) and then you can see on the map the latest updated information about the intelligence. If you select or start to build a sortie, you will see all the intelligence reports for the area, so all the photographs, emissions reports and then visual reports.
   
  
• If the pilot survives alive back to base, but didn't carry any recon pod, they can still enter to the room and start marking the locations for targets, limited to few only. If the pilot ejected or died, player can't give any inputs as that knowledge is lost.
  

The pilot players given information would be sketchy at best very likely, as they would need to use the real means to get the information like REC button on the Hornet or scribe the coordinates they see on the targeting pod on the notepad or just scribble the position on kneeboard. And this is why no cheating should be allowed on the kneeboard to update aircraft position but it is up to player itself to navigate and mark the position on the map with mouse etc instead just pressing a button and have 100% accurate position.

Now, this intelligence room would get reports from the ground units over radio. So if you see something and you report it over radio back to boat or to roadbase etc, they get added to the area. Automatically ground commanders would need to mark the places on the map and then give the coordinates they see on the map over radio so they get reported further.

And army would have different information than the navy and air force, and there would be required to be shared information process between the arms.

So pilots who would be completing the recon sorties with recon pods etc, they would be able to deliver the most accurate information to everyone. Because they have cameras and they have emission pods etc to pin point radars position, photograph the exact locations on maps etc. And all the information would get the time stamps as well, so players generating the sorties etc get to know how valid the information could be.

This would mean that the virtual pilots going for strike missions and CAS, would have limited information based the validness of the sources. As there would be lots of information "On the city west side there is two MBT" kind information and there is "In this area has been detected a SA-11 five hours ago" and then there is lots of actual accurate data like S-200 site with photographs, the mechanized company defense positions on the ridge etc etc.

And this would definitely require that virtual pilots could need to learn to build their own sorties, design the flight plans and request the ammunition and fuel for the sortie. All this would be updated on the table and on the roster list. And it is required to be done or you do not get a take-off permission or even start-up permission.

The AI would need to be made capable to perform these plannings as well, even at least the simple manner where they generate the pre-planned sorties just for those who want to get quickly in the air. And this is as well required for the dynamic campaign mode so AI aircrafts can operate there.

This would open up a new slot for multiplayer where some players could be just working as "intelligence officers" and creating the sorties and make the planning in the strategical level.

The recon pods would be as well interesting things for the gameplay mind. As you could fight for the intelligence stored in those pods, meaning you might want to try to recover the intelligence so you can either disallow enemy getting it, or you can go back and pick it up and bring it home. If the aircraft crashes etc, there would be probability for the pod to be destroyed.

Such meta-game would be the fight between Combined Arms commanders getting ground units on crash location, helicopter pilots to get there and back, as well CAP pilots to secure the area and possibly destroy the enemy helicopters or CAP pilots to destroy the ground units from recovering the data or retrieving it.

The DCS would need to get a more realistic strategic map and information, where there should be very little accurate information that where troops really are, if they are not datalinked etc. Lots of the troops locations etc would be based to commands that has the time delay that when it was issued and when it was accepted. Normal player wouldn't know real time where units move but know that they have accepted command to set defense position somewhere, or start an attack to specific location at given time. So the whole map would be about the commands instead units. And there is lot of problems based time, how long it takes to get contact with units, where they really are and what are their status etc.

With aircrafts you would only know their flight plans, their call names, frequencies, their sortie loadout and then nothing else really. You would need to trust that they do perform their sorties correctly as their flight plan says, so all the legs, waypoints etc are followed by the time. So then you know that if an issue raises, fleet/ground commander can contact you over radio and issue new target of opportunity, like return to tanker for refueling and go to support new attack etc based the latest intelligence information.

...So yeah I agree some sort of recon flight capability would be cool if integrated into the map. Especially for online MP use.

+1

The capability would merge well into the planned dynamic campaign idea.

The capability would merge well into the planned dynamic campaign idea.

I agree, though I don't think they will implement it initially.

Realistically, the whole F10 map concept needs to go. I mean right now coordinating anything on a public server is a joke. Entirely ad-hoc if it happens at all, and almost always done "football" style while in the air. Which I think the overall community should get away from, but I'm not holding my breath on it given the overall "drop in" structure it has.

We need actual mission planning tools/DTC's and so forth. And on top of that you could add an "intel" layer that could be autoupdated by recon flights as Fri13 suggests (though "time" wise I'd compress it or make it a server side defined delay) I think there is only so much realism people want to put up with.

(though "time" wise I'd compress it or make it a server side defined delay) I think there is only so much realism people want to put up with.

I would put that longer time period to "Hard Core" server where virtual pilots roster you have is locked to ED account, where you do have those penalties of dying, ejecting, crashing aircraft etc. So everyone would be very very careful not to get shot down or damage their aircraft.

That would put such servers extremely different to fly than current ones, as penalty to die too many times means you are not going to play Multiplayer for a couple days.

The "Hard Core" server mode would have a 2-3 different levels by timewise as well how many virtual pilots slots is used in ED account, they would vary from 2-5 pilots and then does it take 48h or 72h timelapse when you can create a new virtual pilot to account. So if you die or you eject and get lost, you have those 2-5 pilots to pick new one, but if one pilot dies, you need to "bury" him and then create new one to that slot and it takes those times. So you do not want to lose all 2-5 virtual pilots in those 48-72 hours period or you can't fly.

And ejecting to closer of own side, with coordinates etc helps that SAR helicopter pilots can come and pick up that pilot (if not captured or killed) and you get that way sooner that pilot back to roster for active duty instead MIA.