I happen to know better, but anyone who knows you're a mod probably thinks you wear a sinister-looking rig festooned with the skulls of your victims, some of which are spitted on the iron spikes that are part of the outfit.
Sweeeeeeet. Nonetheless, this is more of an observer simulator, as it seems, and SB will provide me with the same. Although... Ssnake, take an example on using STRIX, plz
Pretty much, yes. This game is based on infantry simulation but with vehicles crewable as a support feature.
Artillery in my opinion has three methods of training...1) The FO, to train them to identify and prioritize targets, call a fire mission, adjust rounds or laze target as needed, and in some cases give a BDA. 2) The Artillery crew, training with either actual equipment or simulated equipment on the Load, Fire, Clear procedures. This is NOT done by software, can only be done with hardware. And 3) Other military units such as Infantrymen, Tank Crew, etc. that must request the artillery or must react to it.
For everyone here, you fall into the third class, as armored vehicle crew that must learn both how to call for missions as well as react to them. Nobody here will need to learn much about how an artillery gun works, what a collimator or aiming stake is, or what does PE mean. But now that SB Pro is including an advanced artillery integration, you will need to learn more about the basics of artillery, and what each ammunition type is best suited for. You will also need to learn how to react properly to artillery strikes of the various shell types, and how to prevent your units from getting caught in the enemy's Steel Rain.
What OFPR/VBS1 is capable of regarding artillery training is to teach the FO's how to call a fire mission, and also teaches infantrymen how to request it and how to react to it. From what I've seen in their features list and screenshots, SB Pro PE will detail artillery and the FO's role in a "less complex" manner. Soldiers that are actual FO's will prefer VBS1 for individual tasks and the advanced options, while in SB the role of artillery and FO's is there more for the Commander's role. The artillery sim being used with OFPR/VBS1 includes a lot of things that SB will not need or probably desire, such as Time Fuze settings for burst height, GT/OT selection, full In Adjust options, Cease Fire/Cease Loading calls, etc.
One more thing that OFPR/VBS1 has that SB does not have, or that I know of, is large enough maps that require the placement of the artillery units on those maps. Maps in VBS1 can be extremely huge, due to operations of aircraft as well. Battlefields used in the SB scenarios don't need to include such large play areas, therefore the artillery units need not be on the map. This also means that SB need not include such complex features such as CB (Counter-Battery) radars, or the need to order your artillery units into their firing areas or set waypoints used with "Shoot and Scoot" tactics. Having to command additional artillery assets in SB would become a serious reduction in its purpose I think, because SB is designed for the Tank Battalion Commander and below, not commanders of artillery battalions, etc. The artillery used in SB Pro I think will be quite useful and to the exact level of detail needed, not too little and not too much.
When Chris asked about "Can't anyone make an arty sim?", I wasn't sure if he meant from the arty crew's perspective, or something else. The simulation tool that I have been explaining is for the first class mentioned at the start of this post, the FO's perspective It also covers class 3 as well, from the Infantryman's POV. Below are pics of our artillery simulator at Ft. Sill, which covers class 2. With a combination of the software and sim enclosure, artillery is currently being simulated in about as real a way as possible from the Artilleryman's as well as Forward Observer's perspective. In regards to artillery simulation for Tank Crewmembers and other similar combat units, I think that the system being placed into SB Pro will be quite sufficient
This is a view from the outside looking in, with an M109A6 Paladin simulator system.
Everything up to firing the round with simulated gas recoil is there.
P.S. - Regarding the STRIX rounds, there are a lot more artillery shells that have serious use against armored and light vehicles such as those being used in SB. I'm sure you guys at Esimgames have people in the right places to request the info for those rounds and how they are used, but if you ever need something just ask. I can think of a few good artillery types that would be very effective in SB, just too bad you can't call in a Copperhead strike using the FIST-V as the lase team. Now THAT would be cool 8)
Howitzer Crew Training
The Howitzer Crew Trainers are characterized by their modular design, which is based on the customer’s requirements. Our system covers various system configurations ranging from basic trainers up to a closed-loop battery artillery trainer.
The specially developed training munitions (primers, fuses, shells and charges) are identical to the actual munitions in respect to size, weight, handling, etc. in order to provide a realistic training experience. All the parameters of the training munition can be electronically detected by the simulator.
That's the one I know and have trained on. I gather the US system does not use robotics and conveyor belts to replace the ammo in the packaging containers?
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When Chris asked about "Can't anyone make an arty sim?", I wasn't sure if he meant from the arty crew's perspective, or something else.
I was talking about your 2nd class, but thinking about training an arty battalion. Problem is, as artillery officer, you worry about far more than just your crews. You got FO data to compute, communications to keep up with FOs, liason officers, spotter teams (mech and mot), supply teams, readiness positions, fire positions, telemetry and survey teams, etc.etc.... Putting this all in a simulator would be pretty, keeping anyone busy. Decisions like "dropping arty on enemy position - pattern of fire etc." would keep me going for a long time.
Even crew training could still be done this way, learning the techniques of setting fuses, the Paladin (or here the KAWEST NAPOS) navigation / fire-data systems, driving and setting up a position... dozen-fold...
But for a mass market and for "action" artillery is boring - sadly enough!
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Ceterum censeo loricas a tormenta delendas esse.
STRIX is a 120mm, Mortar launched, IR precision guided, anti-tank weapon. This weapon can engage targets at a range of 7 km, operates in an autonomous heat-seeking mode which can intelligibly recognize targets and discriminate targets among decoys and burning targets.
Another round you might not be familiar with is the M898 SADARM round. A 155mm top-attack round, it is primarily used for CB fire, but also against other armored vehicles. It's a lot smarter than the STRIX rounds, and can be fired from the SP or towed 155mm guns which are more widely used than the 120mm mortar vehicles, and also has a much further range. For more info, you can check out http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...ons/sadarm.htm
Thanks for the info and link. It's amazing to me the advancements in the technology used today. When I left the Army the latest inovations were, rocket assisted projos, multiple munitions, and counter battery radar. Heh, none of that kept me from getting smacked by my own friendly Arty several times. But, incoming Arty is never friendly. It surely doesn't discriminate between friend or foe. I rememember two old saying about Arty: "Artillery lends diginity to what would otherwise be a nasty brawl," and "If you think Sex is exciting, try incoming artillery." Both of which are true.
It's amazing to me the advancements in the technology used today. When I left the Army the latest inovations were, rocket assisted projos, multiple munitions, and counter battery radar.
No FADAC? Maybe that wasn't in-country before you left. My step-father was in Vietnam, then later in German (yep, right there on the Gap) and talked a lot about FADAC. Could be that was something available in Europe, but not Vietnam. Or maybe FADAC wasn't new, then.
I have a couple videos of SADARM strikes, as well as one for the MLRS ATACMS BAT munition, if someone is interested you can contact me and I can send it through Yahoo Messenger. The 2 SADARM vids can be emailed, as each are under 2MB, but the BAT vid is from Ft. Sill, and is about 24MB in size. I have many videos from artillery that were used in supporting the deisgn of the above mentioned artillery simulator, as well as about a GB of photos and manuals. If anyone needs something, I'll share what I have. None of it is restricted anymore.
Also, I took a bunch of screen shots if anyone is interested in seeing what the armored vehicles look like in OFPR/VBS1, including interior and exterior. You can see the difference between it and SB Pro PE. I can tell you now, Pro PE is a lot more detailed and realistic in regards to the armored units, no offense to VBS1.
Linear Mode
