Popping Smoke Problems-Non Beta

[enigma6584]

Its been one hell of a week for me and SBPE. Been trying to figure out a problem I discovered this week with my SBPE installation. It seems that "popping smoke" has basically no effect on the enemy AI and their aim at me. I noticed this during some single player scenarios. Made some quick test missions in order to see if my smoke was indeed not working.

I thought uninstalling and reinstalling would do the trick...figuring that somehow my installation got corrupted or something but no go. Enemy AI troops and BMPs fire missles at me through my smoke screen.

The only BMP I could blind was a CO/BMP.

Any idea what could have corrupted this? Any idea how I can fix it? Apparently I'm the only one with this problem and I don't have a clue why.

Here is a small video of the problem and what I'm seeing:

http://hosted.filefront.com/enigma6584/

I'm at wits end with this. Any ideas or thoughts on this matter would be most appreciated.

Cheers.

[Ssnake]

I'll have a look at it.

Please send me a small scenario that demonstrates your problem as well as the AAR file of one of your test runs.

Which SB Pro PE version are you using, which operating system, what's your graphics card and driver version?

[GH_Lieste]

Does the same problem exist if you use Multispectral smoke?

I'm not aware of BMP/Inf using Thermals, but T80s are modelled with them, as well as most Western IFV/Tanks.

Do you have any damage assigned to the units in question? (I'm specifically thinking thermal imager damage, but random light damage might fall into this category as well).

[Tacbat]

I would have gone with GH about the mulit-spectral smoke until I saw the Comd BMP lose his shot because of the smoke screen. I'm curious now too.

[Volcano]

I think the question is whether or not you were spotted BEFORE you popped smoke. I just ran a test (and you can create a similar one) to where you start with one tank (I used an M1A1 with regular smoke), then have BMP1s and/or T72s (I used both) spawn after 10 seconds. When the mission starts, pop smoke before the enemy spawns. In the test (on the beta) the BMPs and T72s did not fire until the smoke cleared.

On the other hand, and I think this is what you are seeing, if you wait until they spawn to pop smoke they will know where you are and will fire in the general direction of the smoke screen. This is the desired effect which sees to be the case when I ran a test. See if that works for you.

*additional*

Perhaps it is/was a problem with an older version of Pro PE. Try it in the beta and see if it is different.

[Ssnake]

While I don't want to rule out that there might have been a smoke-related bug that was fixed between 2.328 and 2.370, the observations that can be made in the video do not match your explanations, V.

1. First engagement is undecided whether the troops could see the target first. There's no smoke pop to be heard so the screen already is in effect at video start, but we don't know what happened before the footage starts. Still, the missile heads straight for the camera.
2. Second engagement, BMP-1. Sagger is being launched and heads straight for the observer. THEN we hear the smoke popping. THEN we see the missile immediately crashing into the ground (actually it happens too fast for my taste, but it's a clear indicator that as soon as LOS is lost, missile engagements are being aborted, even if the target was seen before and doesn't change position.
3. Third engagement: AT-5 homing for the Bradley. We can hear the smoke grenades popping. The missile continues to head for the camera as if the BMP-2 was using a thermal imager.
4. Fourth engagement. Contrary to the screen caption the smoke screen gets deployed only AFTER the enemy has spawned and launched its missile, so it's more or less a repetition of #3.

[Volcano]

Ahh, I must of missed the video... I see it now.

In any case it does not appear to be an issue anymore in the beta. If it is not in the beta then somewhere between the two it must have been addressed, but I guess the best way to know is if enigma could try the same exact situation in the beta. From what I see it doesn't seem to be a problem in the beta, but I might not be doing something right.

[Ssnake]

I'd like to hear for HIM, yes, because that's the only way to figure out if there's something wrong with his computer or if it's with 2.328.

[enigma6584]

I'd like to hear for HIM, yes, because that's the only way to figure out if there's something wrong with his computer or if it's with 2.328.

I'll get back to you with more tests and video. I just don't have time right now due to my digging out of a foot and a half of snow dumped on me yesterday and last night.

I did do some more testing with what Volcano Man had suggested and it seemed to work much better than my previous tests so maybe I am just seeing things. Although missles would not drop once LOS was lost, they would just keep going straight and low.

I'll send you my current test scenarios via your email address.

[enigma6584]

I'll have a look at it.

Please send me a small scenario that demonstrates your problem as well as the AAR file of one of your test runs.

Which SB Pro PE version are you using, which operating system, what's your graphics card and driver version?

I'm using the non-beta verson 2.328. I use Windows XP Professonal and my graphics card is an Nvidia Geforce 6800 GT with 256MB Ram on the card. Driver version for the graphics card is 93.71.

[enigma6584]

Alright....with further review including playing many stock and user made missions, I've come to the conclusion that I was having my annual "brainfart" episode. :redface: I sincerely apologize for jumping the gun and wasting the time of GH_Lieste, Volcano and Ssnake on this whole issue. I have no excuses other than I just went nuts for a day or two.:c:

I will now go sulk away in a corner of my house and wait until I forgive myself for this.

[Ssnake]

Care to explain?

After all, I did see some issues in the video that you uploaded.

[enigma6584]

Care to explain?

After all, I did see some issues in the video that you uploaded.

Hard to say but I think Volcano Man hit the explaination in the right direction previously. The original test scenarios might have been flawed in that I had put the enemy units too close to my test vehicle and/or popped smoke too late.

I don't have those original test scenarios anymore. I did test more yesterday and into the evening where I used other player's scenarios and some stock scenarios and everthing seemed to work correctly.

[Ssnake]

mmmkay. Maybe there's a bit of randomness that missiles wil not always crash if the LOS is blocked. Which, I guess, is more realistic in a way that the missile gunner still might try to press it home. You are, after all, supposed to displace after smoke screen deployment.